As expected, So Hye-yul showed interest.
Her eyes said to hurry up and tell her more.
After confirming her reaction, I took out the materials I had prepared at just the right moment.
“What is… this?”
“It’s the personal information of the people Lee Ga-hyeon is disguising herself as.”
“…”
So Hye-yul slowly looked over the documents I handed her.
Soon, she narrowed her eyes and let out a thoughtful hum.
Then she began.
“I never imagined that the guest instructor I assigned Instructor No-eul to monitor would turn out to be the Puppet Ghost Woman’s main body. I had been suspecting she might be connected to the Demon Society since there were suspicious points about her, but… To think her clones had infiltrated the Academy as well. If what you’re saying is true, Student Do Gyeon-woo, then this really is a serious situation. But is there proof that the people listed here are truly the Puppet Ghost Woman’s main body and clones?”
Pushing the documents to one side of the sofa, So Hye-yul asked in a probing tone.
Having anticipated her question in advance, I answered without hesitation.
“Chairwoman, you know that Eun-sol’s eyes are special.”
“By Eun-sol… do you mean Student Cha Eun-sol of the Circulation Cha family?”
“Yes. Eun-sol looked into the souls of the people written in the documents and came to that conclusion. She said that in the case of the main body, the soul is incomplete, and in the case of the clones, their souls share a high degree of similarity with the main body’s soul. On top of that, Eun-sol also said she had once seen a similar case during the entrance exam.”
“You’re referring to the incident where the Puppet Ghost Woman disguised herself as an examinee and infiltrated the entrance exam.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…So that’s what led you to suspect the Puppet Ghost Woman’s existence… It does make sense.”
If it hadn’t been for Cha Eun-sol’s help, it would not have been easy to find Lee Ga-hyeon, and even if I had found her, it would have been difficult to reveal her true identity to others.
Since I couldn’t possibly disclose the existence of the status window, I might have ended up fighting alone in the end.
‘I owe Eun-sol one. She probably faced opposition from her family for staking the family name as a guarantee… I should buy her something delicious next time. I’ll let her eat to her heart’s content.’
But thanks to Cha Eun-sol’s notarization, I had gained the opportunity to propose cooperation to So Hye-yul.
After expressing my gratitude to her inwardly, I brought the topic back to the main point.
“Now that we’ve identified them all like this, we can’t just pretend not to know and let it slide, can we? It’d be a waste to miss a rare chance to catch all of the Puppet Ghost Women in one fell swoop. I think now is the perfect time.”
“So that’s why you called it a golden opportunity earlier. You’re right. Chances like this don’t come often. She’s been flawless at slipping away for over thirty years, after all. This may be a chance that will never come again. However… how do you intend to catch her?”
So Hye-yul, who had been leaning forward, sank back into the sofa.
Leaning back comfortably, she spoke.
“To avoid leaving any loose ends, we have to deal with the Puppet Ghost Woman all at once. They can share information with one another through their souls. But how do you plan to gather people of different genders, ages, and identities in one place? The moment you try to gather them, they’ll have no choice but to notice. Of course, you could face them without gathering them. But then you’d have to accept the risk of splitting our forces. If even one of them gets away, things will become troublesome.”
More than anything…
After saying that much, So Hye-yul briefly caught her breath.
She continued.
“If we bring in outside forces to subjugate the Puppet Ghost Woman, she’ll become suspicious. The woman I know would sense something was off and vanish without a trace. In the end, that means there’s a high chance we’ll have to face her by ourselves, without outside assistance. The Academy will suffer damage in the process as well.”
“That’s why we have to plan thoroughly. And throw out bait.”
“Bait?”
“We throw out bait to lure the Puppet Ghost Women into gathering in one place. And we set a trap there. To do that…”
“I wonder if such bait even exists… Ah. Don’t tell me…”
By this point, So Hye-yul seemed to have realized it.
I asked as if confirming it.
“The Puppet Ghost Woman’s soul stone that I obtained during the entrance exam. You still have it, don’t you, Chairwoman?”
Since the soul stone was not in perfect condition, the chances that it had been used as a crafting material were extremely low.
And considering So Hye-yul’s personality in the first place, she would surely have kept the soul stone for her own purposes, if only to replenish her mana.
Sure enough.
“…I see. We can use that.”
So Hye-yul nodded.
As if she had finished her calculations, she smiled.
* * *
“The Puppet Ghost Woman may leave the Academy before the semester ends, so let’s set the date as soon as possible. After midterms would be a little late, and the Geumgang Festival will begin right away, so the place will be crowded with people. Then during midterms, when the grounds are relatively quiet… but the instructors will be busy then. In that case, it would be better to lure the Puppet Ghost Woman in right before midterms.”
“Yes, I think that works too.”
“We’ll have to call reliable Hunters to the Academy by then. In any case, Student Do Gyeon-woo, thank you. You already know this, but… you must not disclose this conversation to anyone else. Is there anyone else who knows?”
“There are a few friends, but they’re all tight-lipped, so don’t worry.”
“Even so, you never know, so please make sure to remind them again to keep quiet.”
“Yes, I will. Then I’ll be going now.”
“Take care. I enjoyed our conversation. Come by again when you have time. You may bring Student Kang Han-byeol with you as well.”
After I suggested using Lee Ga-hyeon’s soul stone as bait,
the discussion with So Hye-yul proceeded smoothly.
Having finished my business, I greeted her and left the chairwoman’s office.
‘I hope the plan succeeds… All I can do is pray it goes well.’
No matter how much of a Puppet Ghost Woman she was, she would not be able to face, alone, formidable instructors such as Hong Ye-na and those from the Guardian Bureau.
We also planned to seal off the battlefield with a barrier so that she could not escape.
In the end, the only thing waiting for her would be death.
Because of that, I decided to ease my worries, if only a little.
‘Anyway, I wonder what the others are doing… Ha-neul must have eaten, right?’
After talking with So Hye-yul, fifth period was already nearing its end.
Forget meeting my friends and chatting—I was about to have to go attend sixth period, which would be starting soon.
As I walked down the hallway toward the elevator, I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
Unfortunately, it seemed I would have to postpone seeing Yeon Ha-neul until dinner.
Instead, to console myself, I was about to send her a message, but…
“What’s up with Eun-bi?”
At the very top of the screen was a private message from Go Eun-bi.
I checked the message.
[Go Eun-bi]: Do you know what our class decided to do for the Geumgang Festival? lololol
[Go Eun-bi]: Our class decided to run a casino!? Ha-neul’s going to be a dealer in a bunny girl outfit too~~~
[Go Eun-bi]: We’re going to order the outfit from here
[Go Eun-bi]: (link)
[Go Eun-bi]: It’s a site I use a lot, and they have all kinds of costumes lolol
[Go Eun-be]: (link: Category - Bunny Girl)
[Go Eun-bi]: What color do you like here? Black? Red? White?
[Go Eun-bi]: Apparently reverse bunny suits are popular these days too! A reverse bunny is...
[Go Eun-bi]: (link)
[Go Eun-bi]: Ah, you’ll need adult verification
[Go Eun-bi]: Look it up yourself!
When I opened the link Go Eun-bi sent, it took me to some cosplay site.
The screen displayed photos of models wearing so many different types of bunny girl outfits that there was even a separate category for them.
There were also photos that could not be viewed without adult verification.
Taking in the feast of vivid colors with my eyes, I had no choice but to be utterly flustered.
So, in other words…
‘Ha-neul is going to wear something from here and be a casino dealer?’
For a brief moment, I imagined Yeon Ha-neul dressed as a bunny girl and fell into a daze.
When I came to my senses, I couldn’t help but curse.
‘Are they trying to harass Ha-neul or what? Isn’t this joke going too far?’
This was absurd.
I could not let other people see Yeon Ha-neul dressed as a bunny girl.
No, I absolutely did not want to show her to anyone.
If anyone saw her, it had to be only me.
In order to stop her, I immediately called her.
“Hello? Ha-neul, did you eat lunch?”
[Yeah, I ate with the others earlier. I was killing time at the café and now I’m on my way to class. Did you eat lunch? Did you finish your business with the chairwoman?]
“I ate with the chairwoman. And the business went well too. No, but what’s this about a bunny girl?”
[Huh? Bunny girl?]
“Eun-bi sent me a message…”
I was able to hear the details from Yeon Ha-neul.
Fortunately, unlike what I had first feared, it seemed the situation where she would dress as a bunny girl had fallen through.
Apparently, due to the intervention of the homeroom instructor, who was concerned about suggestiveness, they had decided to replace it with rabbit ears and a tail instead.
‘Of course. That’s how it should be. I should thank the instructor later.’
I let out a sigh of relief.
Then I heard Yeon Ha-neul giggling from the other side of the call.
[Why are you the one relieved? I’m the one who almost had to wear it.]
“Of course I am. I don’t want to show other people what you look like dressed that way. Even if Go Eun-bi tries to coax you into wearing it someday, never listen to her, okay?”
[I know. I won’t wear it. Why would I wear that? It’s embarrassing… and I don’t think it would suit me at all.]
“Who says that? There probably isn’t anyone it would suit better than you. That’s why I don’t want to show you even more. If anyone sees it, it should only be me.”
[…]
That was not something Yeon Ha-neul, who had real rabbit ears and a tail, should be saying.
Dumbfounded, I replied.
It was then that she asked as if trying to sound out my true feelings.
[Do you… want to see me in a bunny girl outfit?]
“…”
At that moment, Yeon Ha-neul’s hesitant voice lingered in my head.
Should I reveal my ulterior motives to her and make her wary, or not reveal them and preserve my dignity?
I could not help but be caught in a dilemma where reason and emotion were tangled together.
In the end, I lost to emotion.
“…Yeah.”
[…]
I did not want to betray my heart and lie that I didn’t want to see it.
After briefly conveying my true feelings, I waited for Yeon Ha-neul’s answer with an anxious heart.
From the other side of the call, all I could hear was the quiet sound of her swallowing her breath.
At last.
[…I see. So you want to see it…]
Yeon Ha-neul let out her voice.
For some reason, I felt like she was smiling shyly as she held the phone.
[Then, you know… if I get good grades this semester, I’ll show you. Only you.]
“…”
[Eun-bi recommended the site to me too. She said you’d probably like it if I showed you myself wearing it… I’ll look through it carefully there. To see what you might like…]
…It did not seem I had misheard.
Holding the smartphone to my ear, I blinked blankly.
By the time I came back to my senses, the corners of my mouth had risen as far as they could go.
‘Eun-bi did something huge.’
Midterms and finals alike.
I had to do well on the exams.
* * *
She had thought that if she disguised her identity and infiltrated the Academy, she would be able to obtain information easily.
Contrary to Lee Ga-hyeon’s initial expectations, however, the investigation did not proceed as she wished.
It was because of Yu No-eul, who kept watch over her almost constantly under the pretext of being in charge of her.
“Instructor Kim Mi-yeon, did you know? There are a total of twelve dormitories at the Academy, and at the entrance of each dormitory, a jewel symbolizing that dormitory is displayed. But actually, that’s not just an ordinary jewel…”
“Ah, Instructor, isn’t that classified? I understand that you want to make a good impression on Instructor Mi-yeon, but you still shouldn’t talk about dormitory security.”
“Well, now… Instructor No-eul, that much information can be found out easily enough. Aren’t you being too harsh? Or perhaps you’re…”
“Ah, I’m sorry. You’re not my type. I hope you meet someone nice.”
“…I hadn’t even said anything yet, and you’re already putting up an iron wall. Unbelievable.”
Whenever there was even the slightest chance that Lee Ga-hyeon might come into contact with confidential information, Yu No-eul cut the situation off like a knife.
Then she would always justify her actions by saying, “It’s Academy policy.”
‘That fox-like woman keeps interfering in every little thing without reading the room… I want to kill her in a fit of anger.’
From Lee Ga-hyeon’s perspective, Yu No-eul’s presence was far from welcome.
If she could, she wanted nothing more than to reveal her true identity and crush that smiling face.
Though her personality was hateful, her original features were pretty enough that even her smashed-in face would be worth admiring.
Even so, Lee Gahyeon, unable to forget her duty, rationally suppressed the impulse.
At the same time, she grew suspicious.
‘Could it be that I’ve been found out?’
Geumgang Academy must have learned that villain society had been unified, so there was a high chance they had taken the attendant dangers into account.
They might even have anticipated cases where villains, like her, disguised their identities and infiltrated the Academy.
If so, it was no wonder Yu Noeul was on guard.
‘Was I that obvious? I was careful with my conduct so I wouldn’t get caught….’
As expected of Geumgang Academy.
Even so, Lee Gahyeon was not the least bit afraid.
In any case, the Academy seemed only to suspect her of being a villain, not to be certain.
The fact that they could not respond clearly and were leaving her alone was proof of that.
Even in the unlikely event that they were certain, they would not realize that she was Lee Gahyeon, the Doll Demoness.
‘Still, I won’t be able to hold out for long. I should get whatever information I can and withdraw.’
Lee Gahyeon changed her policy.
Fortunately, while Yu Noeul imposed a limitation on her movements in her main body, her other clones were free.
She moved them and gathered information related to Geumgang Academy.
In particular, she focused on the being who had killed her clone during the entrance exam.
It was in the midst of this that she obtained a meaningful gain.
An instructor who was on friendly terms with one of her clones fell for her leading questions and opened his mouth.
“Come to think of it, there was a lot of talk about the entrance exam. Unlike previous years, there were a lot of casualties in the final test. Of all times, that was when the Doll Dem— Ah, I’m not supposed to say this….”
“Why? What happened? How can you stop in the middle when you’ve made me curious?”
After that, through the instructor, Lee Gahyeon was able to learn the truth hidden behind the final entrance exam.
To her, it was simply unbelievable.
‘Impossible…. Not an instructor, but students killed me?’
At the time, several students led by Do Gyeonu of the Divine Sword Do Family had joined forces and defeated the Doll Demoness’s clone.
After hearing the story, Lee Gahyeon felt like devouring the instructor’s soul and reading his memories.
However, she could not take on that risk, and after much deliberation, she had to give up.
Instead, she broadened her information network and began cross-checking.
As a result, she had no choice but to accept it.
‘The ones who made me incomplete were kids who hadn’t even enrolled in the Academy yet….’
After realizing the truth and spending some time in a daze, Lee Gahyeon composed herself.
By then, she had become merely curious about the students who had subjugated her clone.
‘How did they find me and kill me?’
She was curious. She had to know.
Just then, Lee Gahyeon decided to approach Do Gyeonu and Min Arin, among the students, as they were relatively easy to make contact with.
She intended to probe them indirectly, but….
“Instructor Miyeon! I’ll take charge of Gyeonu and Arin, so please teach the other kids!”
“…Yes, I’ll do that.”
Each time, Yu Noeul caught the signs and stopped her.
To Lee Gahyeon, her existence could not help being extremely troublesome.
‘For an instructor who was appointed this year, her skill at watching me is anything but ordinary….’
Her way of controlling her presence, her movements—she seemed to have been through quite a lot as an assassin.
There was a considerable sense of experience in the way she acted so naturally.
She was practically a fox.
So it was only natural to be suspicious.
‘With the surname Yu, and in intelligence work….’
One possibility came to mind.
In order to confirm her assumption, Lee Gahyeon spoke to Yu Noeul, who happened to be passing nearby.
“Are you perhaps from a prestigious family?”
“…”
It was a somewhat rude and blunt question.
Yu Noeul stopped walking and stared fixedly at Lee Gahyeon.
‘So young, yet so insolent.’
How unpleasant.
Lee Gahyeon did not avert her gaze and met it head-on.
The one who ended the staring contest that began that way was none other than Yu Noeul.
With a faint smiling squint, she shook her head as if in denial.
“No? Maybe because my surname is Yu, people often misunderstand, but I’m an orphan. I don’t even have parents.”
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss