If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 82

Chapter 42.1

「 Tuesday
9:00 AM — Magic Combat ( Academy Building 12, Classroom 1 ). 」

On her second day of classes, Ariel’s schedule included a practical training session. Carrying a noticeably thinner textbook compared to her other courses, she left the dormitory early that morning.

The academy’s twelfth building was situated on the opposite side of the main lecture halls, where most of the classrooms were located. Despite only having two buildings—eleven and twelve—the enormous practice field in front of them gave the area an intimidating feel.

Ariel paused for a moment, observing the practice field before Building Twelve. The field, with its towering circular walls and a massive iron gate, looked like a place built for dangerous experiments.

“…What kind of terrifying practice do they do here?”

As she muttered absentmindedly, someone casually placed a hand on top of her head. Feeling the weight, she tilted her head back to look up.

The first thing she saw was hair shining a deep rose color in the sunlight.

“Senior Lex.”

When Ariel called out to him warmly, his golden eyes curved into a playful smile.

“Are you feeling nervous after seeing the practice field?”

“Well… a little?”

“I can’t exactly say there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Could we actually get hurt?”

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

Lexius said this in a tone that made it difficult to tell if he was joking or being serious as he gently ruffled Ariel’s hair.

“By the way, Senior, are you taking Magic Combat class?”

“No. I’m taking something else.”

“Oh, I see.”

“If I were taking Magic Combat, I wouldn’t be here this early.”

In the middle of their conversation, Lexius suddenly turned around as if he were in a hurry to go somewhere.

“See you later.”

It was a one-sided farewell.

She silently watched as Lexius disappeared just as abruptly as he had appeared, then resumed walking. Now that she thought about it, there was still over an hour left before class began.

‘I don’t really have anything to do. Should I just head to the classroom?’

Like the previous day, today’s class was likely to be crowded, so it seemed smart to secure a seat early. Although that was her plan, she found herself heading toward the iron gates of the practice field. The tall, imposing gates looked sturdy enough to contain some kind of monster…

What exactly were they going to practice in there?

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

A chill ran down her spine as she remembered Lexius’s words.

‘Won’t die… Does that mean we can get hurt to the point of nearly dying?’

There was no other way to think about it.

As she looked up at the towering iron gate, a sense of dread settled on Ariel’s face. She hoped he had been joking.

With an anxious heart, she trudged on and arrived at the first classroom in Building Twelve, where the Magic Combat class was held. The room was so large that it had three separate doors. She opened the arched wooden door closest to the hallway and stepped inside.

No one was there.

At least, that’s what she thought.

“You’re here early.”

A voice from the center of the classroom told her she wasn’t alone. Sitting squarely in the middle, Skylar turned slightly to look at her.

‘…Our schedules overlap again today?’

Ariel hesitated for a moment before stepping fully into the room, surprised to see him. It wasn’t unusual for someone studying Magic Theory to also take Magic Combat, and she understood that—but it was still hard to believe. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had chosen this lecture on purpose.

Suspicion flickered across her face, but Skylar didn’t offer any explanation. If anything, his demeanor only seemed to confirm her doubts.

“Come here, sit down.”

Skylar, who had taken the most noticeable seat right in the middle of the room, gestured toward her.

Ariel reluctantly approached and sat next to him. However, her worries persisted. What would the other students think of her if they saw her speaking casually with the Prince here?

“Can’t we move to a seat in the corner?”

“This spot has the best view. Why would you sit anywhere else?”

“It’s just too noticeable. I feel uncomfortable with all the attention.”

“Don’t pay attention to it. Just ignore them.”

“I can’t do that. I’ll just sit somewhere else.”

“Ha… Fine. So, you want to move to a seat by the wall?”

With a reluctant expression, Skylar moved first. He chose a seat at the back of the classroom, near the wall. Since he left one chair between himself and the wall before sitting down, Ariel had no choice but to follow him and sit in the chair he had left for her.

Somehow, she found herself squeezed between him and the wall. It was an oddly pressuring spot.

‘Still, it’s much better than before.’

She glanced at Skylar, who seemed to be deliberately guarding the space next to her. He had his arms crossed, wearing a slightly displeased expression.

“Happy now?”

“Ung.”

“Well, as long as you’re satisfied.”

His lips twisted subtly. They seemed like they were about to curve into a smile but quickly stiffened into a rigid expression. When Ariel tilted her head in confusion, he swiftly turned his face away.

Once again, his cheeks were tinged with a blush.

It was only then that she realized he had been trying to smile at her. It reminded her of the conversation they had shared just a week ago.

“…Do you want to see me smile?”

“Alright. I’ll… smile for you.”

‘That’s right. He said something like that.’

It seemed like Skylar was fulfilling even the smallest requests for her.

Having utterly failed at smiling, he avoided making eye contact, looking almost as if he were angry. Ariel felt both grateful and a little awkward.

“You don’t have to force yourself to smile.”

“…T-That’s not what I’m doing!”

He yelled in denial. His loud voice echoed through the quiet classroom. Even though he quickly covered his mouth, the words had already escaped.

Ariel, who had anticipated something like this, remained calm.

On the contrary, Skylar seemed more surprised by his own behavior. Still covering his mouth, he glanced at her with trembling eyes and muttered softly,

“I’m not forcing it…”

He denied the unexpected assumption. Though he admitted he had tried to smile, he awkwardly insisted it wasn’t something he had forced himself to do. Skylar’s face turned an even deeper shade of red as he clumsily explained.

It was impossible for Ariel to pretend she hadn’t noticed. The sincerity of his expression made her own face flush.

“I… I see. I’m sorry.”

She stammered, apologizing for jumping to conclusions.

As their gazes shifted awkwardly, the conversation came to an abrupt halt. The quiet classroom gradually filled with students, and soon enough, the professor arrived—but neither of them spoke again.

Ariel, who had been suffocating in the silence, felt like the professor’s arrival was a salvation.

Although Magic Combat was a practical class, they didn’t jump into hands-on practice immediately. Like the other classes during the enrollment period, it began with an introductory lecture. The practical sessions were scheduled to start a month later once the schedule was finalized.

For Ariel, who lacked foundational skills, the later the practicals started, the better.

“As most of you probably know, we won’t be advancing through the Magic Combat curriculum until the schedule is finalized. The same applies to the practical sessions.”