After their heart-to-heart during practical training, Yu Ge and Luna grew noticeably closer. They sat next to each other in class, walked back to the dorms together after school, and ate lunch and dinner together. They were practically like old friends who’d known each other for years.

Yu Ge was enjoying every minute of it—and was more than a little excited, wondering when he might get closer to Luna still. But plenty of people weren’t happy about it. Many of Luna’s admirers saw Yu Ge as a thorn in their side and wished he’d disappear from the academy.

Of course, there was one person who hated Yu Ge more than anyone: Xibolai, a third-year student in Class S. At just eighteen, he was an A-rank Mage, hailed as a magical prodigy and known throughout the academy as the “Hymn of the Holy Path.”

Luna was his fiancée—or so Xibolai had always believed, whether Luna acknowledged it or not. When his father proposed to Luna’s father, the answer had been that it would be up to the children. Even so, Xibolai and his family had always treated Luna as his fiancée.

The reason had nothing to do with Luna’s family being an ancient clan of powerful Mages, or with her looks or personality. It went deeper than that: it was Luna’s constitution.

Luna herself didn’t even know that her constitution could amplify the power of magic. But Xibolai’s family had learned of it through special means. For the sake of their research into magic cards, they had to get their hands on her.

Xibolai had been raised to think this way from childhood. So even though countless girls chased after him, all his attention was fixed on Luna.

That was why, from Luna’s very first day at the academy, Xibolai had arranged for several young men from affiliated families to join Class S and keep a close watch on her for him.

“That’s how things stand, Senior Xibolai.”

In an empty classroom on the third-year floor, a brown-haired boy from the first-year Class S stood respectfully before Xibolai, who was sitting on a desk.

“I understand. You’ve done well. Your name’s Terrell, right? I’ll remember you. Keep watching them, and don’t let them catch on.”

Xibolai nodded. Just as he’d expected, this transfer student named Yu Ge had designs on Luna. He’d have to get rid of him.

“Yes, sir.”

The brown-haired boy, Terrell, left in high spirits. If Xibolai remembered him, then after graduation, Terrell—whose family was affiliated with the Xibolai family—could expect plenty of benefits in the family’s sphere of influence.

“Yu Ge, huh? Interesting.”

After Terrell left, Xibolai took a document from the desk drawer. It was a letter of recommendation for Yu Ge, written by the Star Sword Princess, Saya.

“I didn’t expect you to be a student recommended by Saya. So you really are close to her. But even if it’s Saya, I can’t let you off. I’ll show you what happens to anyone who makes a move on my woman—and make an example of you while I’m at it.”

Xibolai lightly tapped the page with his fingertip. A small flame sprang to life and burned the document in his hand to ash.

Meanwhile, in the first-year Class S classroom…

“For this question, you should start by looking for the answer in the passage. See? This sentence here says it, so you should approach the question from this angle…”

During the break in literature class, Yu Ge asked Luna to explain the lesson to him since he hadn’t understood a word the teacher had said. Luna readily agreed.

But Yu Ge wasn’t paying attention to the book. His eyes were on Luna. From where he was sitting, if he looked up, he had a perfect view of her chest.

Damn it. I was so close to seeing it.

Yu Ge was practically dying of impatience. That tantalizing glimpse was pure torture.

Several students in the class watched Yu Ge with envy. That guy was so unfairly lucky. He got to spend all day with the goddess Luna, and he could sit so close to her that their shoulders were almost touching.

What they couldn’t understand was this: Yu Ge was just a useless nobody who’d gotten into Class S through Saya’s connections. He’d even resorted to the underhanded trick of using control magic to beat a Prison-Shadow Demon Wolf. What could possibly make a goddess like Luna fall for him?

Could Yu Ge be the son of some great noble in the Empire, with so much power that the goddess Luna had no choice but to stay with him? That would explain why the goddess Saya had recommended him for the academy. But if he had that kind of standing, would he even need Saya to put in a good word for him?

Whatever the truth was, Yu Ge had become an enigma in the eyes of the other students.

“Yu Ge, are you listening?”

Yu Ge hadn’t responded for a while, so Luna thought he’d zoned out. She asked him, a little displeased.

“Mm-hmm! Y-Yeah, I’m listening.”

Yu Ge hurriedly tore his gaze away from Luna’s chest. That was close. If Luna caught him, it wouldn’t just earn him a slap—her affection for him would drop straight to zero.

Yu Ge sneaked one last, reluctant glance at Luna’s chest. She really did have a great figure… He wondered what it would feel like to touch.

Thinking about the chest he’d touched, Yu Ge suddenly remembered the accidental feel of Saya’s during the entrance exam. But he couldn’t remember what it had felt like anymore. He hadn’t seen Saya in the past few days, and he’d even forgotten the shape of her chest.

As he remembered it, it wasn’t all that large, but it had a firm shape—and it was soft.

As Yu Ge was reminiscing, a lovely figure suddenly blocked his view.

That was exactly the shape!

Excited, Yu Ge looked up—and found Saya standing right in front of him.

“Holy crap…”

Yu Ge blurted it out without thinking. When had she gotten here? Saya showing up was the last thing he wanted. Luna already knew he had a super magic card. He only had one, but having it still broke the promise he’d made to Saya. He was afraid she’d come to call him to account.

“Luna, would you mind lending me your Yu Ge for a little while? I need to talk to him about something.”

Saya didn’t speak to Yu Ge. Instead, she smiled at Luna.

“O-Of course, Senior Saya. A-And Yu Ge isn’t mine…”

The moment Luna heard Saya’s words, her cheeks flushed. She hurriedly waved her hands. Senior Saya had definitely gotten the wrong idea about her and Yu Ge.

“Then come with me.”

Saya smiled faintly, turned, and walked out of the classroom.

Hey, hey! Aren’t you going to ask what I think?

Yu Ge watched Saya’s back and rolled his eyes helplessly, grumbling to himself. Still, he had to admit that hearing her call him “your Yu Ge” felt really nice.

Yu Ge followed Saya to a classroom on the top floor of the teaching building. Inside, it was laid out like a laboratory, filled with all sorts of devices he’d never seen before.

“Do you know why I brought you here?”

Saya turned around and spoke to Yu Ge.

“Uh, no. Is it because of me and Luna?”

Yu Ge answered timidly.

“That’s beside the point! Hurry up and show me your treasure!”

Saya looked extremely impatient.

“My treasure? You want to see it?”

Yu Ge froze. Why had Saya suddenly decided she wanted to see his treasure?

“Of course! What girl wouldn’t want to?”

Saya gave Yu Ge a puzzled look.

“Uh, all right.”

Yu Ge hadn’t expected Saya to be that kind of girl. So even girls who seemed proper on the outside were all lewd on the inside. Had touching her chest earlier made her develop feelings for him?

Thinking that, Yu Ge started undoing his belt.

“What are you doing?”

Saya blinked.

“Didn’t you want to see my treasure?”

Yu Ge looked confused.

“W-Who wants to see that kind of treasure?! I-I meant your precious magic cards!”

Saya’s face turned bright red.

Yu Ge stared at her, completely dumbfounded. Then you should’ve said so from the start!