Catherine, following her eyes, realized something.
Her lower half felt unusually breezy.
She remembered—she’d gotten uncomfortable while working, so she’d taken it off and tossed it somewhere.
And now, the skirt she’d removed… was in Ian’s hands.
“Ahhh—!”
Standing before her cadet in only her underwear, Catherine turned crimson and ducked her head.
There was nothing she could say.
Fortunately, Ian was looking down at the floor with his head bowed.
“…Here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
The principal quietly took the skirt. In her heart, she wanted to scream like a child, but she was an adult. And as an adult—especially one in front of her cadets—she couldn’t lose her composure.
Holding on to her pride as a teacher, she managed not to scream. Instead, she slipped her feet into the skirt.
As she hurriedly lifted the skirt from the floor, it caught on her protruding pelvis.
‘I’ve gained weight…!’
After sitting for such a long time, it really did feel like she had put on some fat.
Catherine hopped on the spot, doing her best to pull the skirt up.
Thut. Thut.
She bounced a few times to squeeze into the skirt—
Trrr-trrr-rrrk!
The sound of fabric tearing broke the air.
It was a fairly expensive skirt, and the ripping sound struck disappointment deep into her heart.
Ian, having heard it too, looked up at her and handed over a nearby blanket.
“Here. Use this.”
“…Thank you.”
Catherine took the blanket and wrapped it tightly around her waist to cover the tear. At the same time, her eyes flicked—almost involuntarily—to Ian’s pants, which had begun to show a bulge.
At her age, she felt deeply embarrassed to still be a v!rgin, so she had long accumulated knowledge—especially about men—to prepare herself.
Some of that knowledge included how men reacted when ar0used. It was said that their gen!tals would swell when excited, and that seemed to line up with Ian’s reaction.
‘To think I could still make a man react… even someone like him…’
Catherine knew well that there were many young, attractive girls around Ian. The fact that he might be ar0used by her stirred something inside her.
A sudden surge of confidence bloomed inside her—just from the idea that she had excited a man merely by exposing her underwear. That confidence quickly showed in her tone.
“Hmm, yes. So, what brings you here?”
“…You were the one who called me, Catherine.”
“Oh… right. Yes, of course.”
The confidence she’d briefly felt crumbled immediately. She tried to maintain her composure, but inside, her nerves were already in chaos.
Catherine coughed a few times before finally explaining why she’d summoned Ian.
“I called to thank you for resolving the situation.”
“Thank me? I don’t think I did anything special. It was a coincidence.”
“Whether it was coincidence or not doesn’t really matter.”
After all, who could have predicted such a situation in the first place? The other instructors were completely blindsided and unsure how to react.
No one had ever imagined such an event would occur, so they hadn’t even thought about how to handle it. By coincidence or not, Ian had calmed things down. Technically, it was the demon-head tower built by Duke Therra that quelled the chaos—but the Duke had only sent it because of Ian.
So, it was only right that Ian be compensated as well.
“So, I want to offer you a reward.”
That was the real reason.
Catherine gave Ian a once-over—his face, then the still-dancing bulge in his pants—and carefully proposed something.
“I’ve heard… that there are times when men just can’t hold it in.”
“…Excuse me?”
“If… if you really, really can’t hold it in, I could help you. Just a little, but…”
Ian instinctively looked at her face—then followed her gaze down.
He let out a dry chuckle and spoke carefully.
“It’s fine.”
This time, Catherine sensed that their relationship with Ian might have taken a hit, and she quickly shifted to talking about other forms of compensation.
***
Ian stepped out of the bathroom just as the fairy’s voice echoed in his head.
[Dirty, dirty, pervert!]
“Shut up.”
Right now, he felt invincible. He had gained the wisdom of a sage—untouchable and undefeated. That wisdom was especially potent when it came to dealing with women.
But the feeling didn’t last.
Soon, shame washed over him—for what he’d done, and for doing it in front of his summons.
A death wish surged through his mind.
‘F*ck…’
Ian forced a smile and headed for the kitchen. He’d used up a lot of energy and needed to refuel.
It wasn’t yet the cafeteria’s opening hours, so he’d intended to grab something simple.
But as he walked in, he froze.
Aire was already in the kitchen, humming to herself while she cooked.
“…Senior?”
“Ian! Are you done with your business?”
“No, why are you…here?”
“Yes? I just come in because the door was open?”
Then Ian remembered he hadn’t locked the door properly. In modern times, most doors had auto-locks, and even if they didn’t, people rarely barged in uninvited. He’d let his guard down.
Covering his mistake was simple—blame the other person. So Ian snapped at her.
“What do you think you’re doing, just walking in because the door’s open?!”
“Uh, I can’t?”
“Of course not! Are you kidding me?”
“S-Sorry…”
Ian, who had briefly flared up, quickly calmed down when she saw Aire shrink back in guilt.
Really, what was the point in getting mad at her?
The Northern duke was the one who raised her this way. And it wasn’t like she had come here with bad intentions.
Ian sighed quietly and was about to ask why she had come when Aire suddenly asked him a question.
“But Ian, are you hurt?”
“…Hurt?”
“I heard you gasping in the bathroom—”
“The—food.”
“Ah!”
Realizing the conversation had taken a turn, Ian quickly changed the subject. Truthfully, the food had almost burned, and Aire hurried back to the kitchen to check the pot.
Thankfully, she managed to salvage the dish before it was ruined. She plated the food and set it on the table.
Ian frowned slightly at the unfamiliar meal and looked at Aire.
“What’s this?”
“I’ve been practicing this for you, Ian!”
“When did I ever ask you to?”
“Uh… But you said it’s not good to only act when someone tells you to!”
Seeing her trying to justify herself without catching his sarcastic tone, Ian sighed but still picked up the chopsticks.
The dish turned out to be stir-fried meat and vegetables—heavy on both. The taste and texture were surprisingly decent.
More than that, Ian noticed how every bite warmed his whole body. It was oddly invigorating.
“…It’s delicious.”
“Really? Eat lots!”
“What’s in it?”
“I’m not exactly sure. I think it’s eel…?”
Thinking that eels in this world looked quite different, Ian took another bite with vegetables and asked what they were.
“Then what’s this green stuff?”
“Chives!”
“…And this?”
“Cave greens!”
Everything in the dish seemed to be aimed at boosting energy.
Feeling a bit suspicious, Ian looked at Aire and asked why she had made it.
Aire tilted her head and then shared what her father had told her.
“Ian, after he heard you were attacked, my father said this would be perfect to help you recover.”
“The Duke?”
“Yes!”
Thankfully, it wasn’t what Ian had feared. He continued eating with some relief, while Aire smiled brightly beside him.
“It’s really good for energy!”
Hearing that, Ian choked mid-bite and started coughing, as he tried to breathe.
Aire, confused by the reaction, quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it over.
“Are you okay!?”
“Cough, cough… Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Whew… That scared me. If you choked to death, we wouldn’t be able to have children.”
“…Excuse me?”
Ian thought he had misheard. Children? What was she talking about?
But Aire looked at him with a pure, innocent expression, as if what she had said made perfect sense.
“Dad said this would help me make a baby too!”
“…Who?”
“Dad!”
“You mean the Duke?”
“Yes!”
What the hell was that man thinking? Is that a normal thing for a noble to say to his daughter?
‘That guy’s insane…’
Ian sighed deeply and looked at Aire. Like the principal, she was wearing a very revealing outfit.
She was beautiful, with a well-shaped figure, and now she was saying things like that while dressed like this?
Even though he’d just been coughing and choking, Ian’s body began to react.
“Ian? Are you okay?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Noticing Ian’s strange condition, Aire tilted her head, then excused herself for a moment and left the room.
Ian could see clearly where she was heading—into the bathroom.
A moment later, Aire, who had gone in to use the toilet, suddenly flung the door wide open and shouted:
“Ian! There’s a weird smell in the bathroom!”
If there had been a mouse hole nearby, Ian would’ve gladly crawled in to hide.