I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 285: Ichika (1)

The car came to a stop in front of the academy’s main gate.

"Ahhh—!"

I stretched my arms wide as I stepped out of the car. No matter how comfortable the ride was, sitting in one place for too long made my body ache.

"Alright, we’ve arrived at the academy, so first, let’s take Alice to see Director Rina—"

As I was mentally organizing the tasks ahead of us, a sudden, sharp noise interrupted my thoughts.

Whoosh—

A dark figure was speeding toward me from the direction of the gate at an alarming speed. Instinctively, I tensed, ready to draw my sword, when—

"Huh?"

I stopped in my tracks.

The figure was a small girl with blue hair—Ichika.

She leaped like a flying squirrel and latched onto me, burying her face in my chest and nuzzling her head against me.

Sniff, sniff—

"Jin Yoo-ha, Jin Yoo-ha... You smell like my savior..."

Ichika softly bit my neck and shoulder, almost as if scolding me for taking so long to return.

"My body... feels strange..."

For a moment, I was dumbfounded by her sudden physical assault. Then it hit me.

Ah.

I remembered—Ichika had suffered from the effects of a succubus’s curse, leaving her with lingering side effects. If she didn’t have regular physical contact with a male, her condition would deteriorate.

To manage this, Ichika usually needed some form of light physical touch, like having her head patted or holding hands, at least once or twice a day. This had been the longest we’d ever been apart.

It seemed the pent-up effects were taking their toll.

Even though I’d been busy, I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten something so important. I frowned at my own negligence.

‘I haven’t been paying enough attention to Ichika. She doesn’t have anyone else to rely on...’

After all, she had followed me alone to a foreign country, trusting only in me.

Ichika’s hot breath tickled my neck. Her body was like a furnace, burning with heat.

I gently stroked her back, which was rising and falling erratically.

Gradually, Ichika’s breathing began to calm down.

Then I heard a familiar, welcome voice.

"Jin Yoo-ha."

Ah, it was a voice I hadn’t heard in a while.

It was Shin Se-hee. Behind her, I could see Im Ga-eul and Sophia, but their expressions seemed a bit tense.

‘Is it because of Ichika’s behavior?’

I considered whether I should explain Ichika’s situation to everyone.

‘I did tell Sophia about it before...’

But since light physical contact had usually been enough to calm Ichika down, I hadn’t felt the need to explain it to the other party members.

"Who is she?"

However, Shin Se-hee wasn’t looking at Ichika. Her eyes were fixed on Alice, who was standing behind me with a frozen expression.

It was clear that my sudden appearance with a stranger from the Sword Sovereign’s Forest had taken her by surprise. freёweɓnovel.com

This, at least, was something I could explain.

"Oh, Alice is—"

Shin Se-hee closed her eyes briefly, then sighed and cut me off.

"I’ll hear about her from the others later. Jin Yoo-ha, please focus on Ichika right now. She’s in a dangerous state. I’ll handle things here."

"Oh, uh, okay?"

Glare—

Shin Se-hee shot me a sharp look.

"Just remember, after this, you need to spend time with all of us equally. We’re all making a concession here. Keep that in mind."

"Uh, okay, I got it."

Her icy tone made me nod like a robot.

‘Seriously, is Shin Se-hee sure she doesn’t have the ice attribute?’

Ichika, clinging to Jin Yoo-ha, felt like she was about to lose her mind.

She knew she shouldn’t be doing this. She knew it would make her seem clingy and unwelcome.

A tiny shred of rational thought in her mind tried to hold her back, but her body craved Jin Yoo-ha’s presence with every fiber of its being.

At first, she had thought a month would be a long time, but she hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be to endure. The first two weeks were manageable.

She had even enjoyed the company of the fairy-like Reina, despite her sharp tongue, and found satisfaction in the progress she was making during her training sessions with Reina.

Though she missed Jin Yoo-ha’s presence from time to time, she found some solace in the photos and videos Sophia had given her.

But by the third week, the unbearable impulses and thirst began to take over.

She lost focus during Reina’s classes, often staring blankly into space as she yearned for Jin Yoo-ha. She would sneak into his room at night, desperately searching for his scent on his bed, rubbing herself against it in a futile attempt to quell her restlessness. She even spent entire nights sleepless, unable to shake the sense of emptiness.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably, and the gnawing sense of longing ate away at her.

In this state, there was no way that the other party members, including Shin Se-hee, wouldn’t notice her strange behavior.

Reina had merely watched her with a wry smile.

"Ha, so this is the lingering curse of a succubus. You’ve really suffered through it. How have you managed to endure it all this time? Oh? Substituting it with affection? You’ve really gotten yourself tied to that boy, haven’t you?"

Fortunately, Reina had known how to handle it.

"Well, I’ve temporarily suppressed your urges, but it’s only temporary. The moment you see him, it will all come flooding back."

Reina had placed her hand on Ichika’s head and cast a spell, suppressing her impulses just long enough for Jin Yoo-ha to arrive.

But the moment she saw the familiar car approaching the academy gates, she couldn’t help herself.

She had been sitting in Reina’s class, but before she knew it, she was running toward him.

‘My savior, my savior, my savior...’

Clinging to him, Ichika buried herself in his embrace, oblivious to anyone else around them. She couldn’t resist.

She had longed for his scent, his warmth, the solid feeling of his chest. Her breathing grew ragged. Even as she pressed her entire body against him, it still didn’t feel like enough. She even nipped at his neck # Nоvеlight # and shoulders with her teeth.

She really didn’t want to act like this.

She didn’t want to show him this side of herself.

It felt like her mind was breaking.

She knew she must look pathetic, like a woman clinging desperately to a man. It was obvious that such behavior would only make him uncomfortable. She felt like her rationality had been swept away, leaving only her base instincts, which she found utterly disgraceful.

Overwhelmed with self-loathing, Ichika’s body trembled.

At that moment—

Stroke, stroke—

Her savior gently caressed her back. His voice was soft and soothing.

"Ichika. Did you miss me?"

Her frenzied heart calmed as if she had taken medicine.

Nod, nod.

"I’m sorry."

Ichika’s eyes quivered at his unexpected apology.

Why was he apologizing?

She was the one who should be apologizing. She was the one who couldn’t control her desires, leading to this embarrassing display.

"I think I’ve neglected you, Ichika. Come to think of it, you came all this way to a foreign country, relying only on me. You must’ve felt lonely."

Shake, shake.

Ichika shook her head. She had never held any grievances against Jin Yoo-ha.

After all, he was the only one who had ever accepted her need for physical contact without any complaints, even though it must have been burdensome for him.

If she had any complaints, they were directed at herself.

In the past and even now, she had always been more comfortable alone. She had stayed in the Jukai Forest because she found it easier to converse with spirits than with people.

But then, she had been cursed by an incubus.

And just when she was about to die at his hands, her savior had rescued her.

And now, she couldn’t stand on her own anymore. She had forced herself into Jin Yoo-ha’s life, demanding his attention, justified by the fact that he had saved her life and therefore had to take responsibility for her.

Even though she hated herself for it, Jin Yoo-ha had always been kind to her, always thinking of her well-being.

‘I even hate myself...’

Yet Jin Yoo-ha continued to speak in a reassuring voice.

"It’s okay."

It wasn’t okay.

"This is my fault."

It was her fault.

"Look at me. Please?"

But Ichika only buried her face deeper into his chest. She didn’t want him to see her like this.

"Well, if that’s the case, I guess I have no choice."

Jin Yoo-ha wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her tightly.

"There’s something I was supposed to do, but Shin Se-hee said she’d handle it for me... So, I guess I’ll just spend the whole day with you, Ichika."

"..."

Indeed, her savior was the problem.

How could she not rely on him when he was always so kind, always accepting her in this way?

"Ichika, what do you want to do today? Anything at all. I’ll do whatever you want. I owe you that much."

Really, could Jin Yoo-ha actually be an incubus?

Why else would he whisper such sweet words to someone as broken as her?

She wanted to tell him not to bother, not to be so kind to her.

But the words that slipped from her lips were far more honest.

"Sleep with me..."