I Became a Stalker in a Yandere Dating Sim

19. Paying it all back

As though seeing as much as they knew, the sword-wielding professors of the Awakener Academy were taken aback.

No.

“What is this trace…?!”

The professors, who understood the sword well, were in a bind.

It was also shocking that the 5th and 6th-level assassins from the Dishonoured Villain Guild tried to annihilate the students.

“He unified the thunderbolt and flame elements to use it as a plasma blade…. This is even hard for magic swordsmen.”

“It seems like deep wounds and scars were cast on a seemingly non-existent shadow. I really didn’t expect something like this could exist.”

“How about this section? How would you explain this overwhelming force that cut the magic?”

The traces left on the bodies of the villains apprehended by the students were an even greater shock.

The professors, each noting what they saw, were trading words while examining the wounds and the sword marks suspended in the air.

The traces that had been found so far were stories about Erin’s fusion magic, Rika’s shadow erosion, and Jane’s pinnacle of light.

“… Besides, how can these sword marks…”

Orix, the senior professor with a giant physique and an X scar on his forehead, pointed at the sword mark left by student Loxer.

For a moment, silence spread among the professors who were well-versed in swords.

It seemed like an attack from a powerful student who aimed at the magic field to suppress.

But.

“If I am not seeing this wrong, are there signs that it seems like time was twisted? Am I seeing it wrong?”

“I’m seeing this for the first time too, so I don’t know… What’s certain is that there are signs of spatial distortion.”

“How about the surface left by the friction of the sword?? The wound expanded due to friction in the air.”

“Are you saying this friction in the air happened physically, not magically…?”

Only upon detailed look could the extraordinary nature of the traces be discerned.

Professors who had noticed this created a small interval of time to conduct a secret virtual meeting through the ‘Dark Web’ site, while taking a break from their investigation into a villain’s attack.

There was a certain hierarchy and factional disparity among the professors.

In reality, some of them belonged to different guilds or were affiliated with powers of the underworld, engaging in the meeting solely to scout talents for their respective backers.

After all, if the tremendous potential of these individuals were to leak out, the competition would only become more intense.

“Ahem, everyone, please calm down.”

The congregation in this virtual space might remind one of a courtroom on the dark web; they silenced at the words of the commandingly aged chancellor.

Regardless of their underworld affiliations or betrayals, silence fell on the professors in the face of a situation that anyone would find astounding.

“So, who is the student that left this trace?”

“The student is named Locke, from the first-year Jinban.”

“…That kid is sure to create a gem golem…”

“Yes, you are correct, chancellor.”

A silence fell again amongst the professors at the chancellor’s speculative words.

‘… Is this perhaps a blessing in disguise?’

The professors recalled Locke, who despite having immense potential, acted as if he was only placing a spoon on a already full banquet table.

-“Me? Eh, that was just me catching the others off guard.”

His refined yet sly tone, as if such a scene was not surprising at all, and his nonchalant acceptance became imprinted in their minds.

While Locke attempted to hurry and wrap up their prolonged interrogation about the villain’s attack with such an inconsequential response, there was never an intention to conceal his powers.

There was really no end if they started delving into how he obtained his powers and his reasons for altering his behavior.

He even wanted to get out of the investigation as quickly as possible, to swing his sword one more time.

Of course, professors who have taught thousands of students up until now would not be oblivious to this.

‘The information has to be secretly organized…’

‘I must inform the vice chief of Dishonored properly.’

‘Should I inform the cleric about this…’

‘I should sell this information to the Guild of Light’s Blessing at a high price.’

It was not surprising that the student, who has always been a stalked at the bottom of the class since the Awakening Academy entrance ceremony, is actually hiding his powers.

Looking forward to recruiting this suddenly acclaimed student, whispers began to circulate in the high-level discussions behind the scenes.

“Wow, this is really tough.”

Unaware of this, Locke submitted the affidavit he had drawn up at the end of the investigation.

Coming out of the professors’ conference room, he scratched his head as if he had a headache.

‘It was almost like being guided to talk.’

Given the circumstances, the professor’s investigation resembled the questioning of veteran detectives.

Fortunately, Locke was on the side that had been attacked by the villains, so his inquiry was relatively light.

“I didn’t expect you to trip and fall because you suddenly changed.”

They kept prying into how a guy who never even engaged in a proper fight before was able to catch a villain.

In a sense, it was an extension of catching the gem golem.

Locke answered that he used warp abilities in combat and caught the villains thanks to others’ efforts.

Upon a cursory glance, the shining eyes of the professors were already filled with countless hooks.

“I should swing my sword instead of answering questions.”

Locke, who had cloaked his abilities and ended the investigation ten times faster than the ones undergone by others, and although the professors tried to brush it off as understanding, in reality, it was utter chaos.

Apathetic to all this, Locke looked out of the window onto the expansive academy grounds.

“But then, why did the villains attack, when nothing like this ever happened in the original work?”

He wondered whether the villains’ activity range had widened due to increased level of difficulty, or if there was another reason.

He didn’t know why the villain Jerom attacked because he was not there when the reason was being discussed.

When the professors asked him if he knew why the Dishonored’s attack happened, he simply replied that he didn’t.

Although he had sensed something then, it didn’t really matter at the moment.

“I guess I have no choice but to train at the academy for now?”

Setting aside what he didn’t know, he decided to take a jog around the perimeter of the academy ground.

He felt intrigued by the sophisticated training facilities present in this academy that had transformed an entire island into an educational city for the awakened.

‘It’s a pity that I can’t participate in the public quests of the Guild Alliance…’

He would normally head for hunting grounds, but given the current circumstances, it was difficult to move around freely.

As for the punishments for his previous academy absences, they were all quashed thanks to his villain hunting exploits.

“If I had gone out, I could have been a target of the Dishonored Guild… a pity really.”

The inability to leave had dampened Lockser’s spirit indeed.

Of course, according to the professors, the heroes from the academy were negotiating with the executives of the Dishonored Guild.

While they probably wouldn’t directly target him, it was still a shame.

‘Well, during this time, why not figure out how to use the skills I got from awakening?’

Despite the disappointment, he decided that it was better to study the skills he had newly obtained.

‘If I can experience that electrifying feeling at a lesser pain cost…hehehehe.’

Whether it was due to the addiction to the accelerating heart rate that left him fainting whenever he used ‘Over Clock’,

He found himself gazing at the blue clouds while grinning somewhat unpleasantly.

He frowned at the newfound content, much like the disappointment felt by a deep-sea explorer who couldn’t go out for exploration.

His eyes glowed as he looked at the world in a bored manner due to the decreased heart rate.

He, who was already extreme and strong but carried an immense risk, felt the need for study and training to use this situation regularly in battle.

“Well, I wonder where I should go to practice… Maybe I should buy some stocks before that…”

“How about the training ground by the academy’s back gate? And stocks?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, Rica…huh?”

While Lockser was leaning against the window, contemplating, Rica had somehow appeared next to him, staring out of the window in the exact same posture.

Startled, Lockser jumped back in surprise.

“Where are you going?”

Rica swiftly grabbed the hem of Lockser’s clothes.

‘Really changed a lot, used to follow stalkers around.’

Seeing him completely different from his stalker days, Rica heaved a sigh at the sight of Lockser, who seemed to be obsessed with something.

‘Now he’s even getting into stocks?’

She was curious about what could have brought such a change in him so swiftly.

“…..”

But considering his current silence, she decided that asking would be futile.

‘Still… It seems he’s holding up his end of the promise.’

Rica grazed her eyes over Lockser, who had promised her that he would deal with the villains for her sake.

He now looked less pathetic and seemed more like his younger self.

She figured she’d understand him better by observing him more. However, she didn’t feel the need to rush.

After all, Lockser still had a lot of debt to repay her.

“Why are you avoiding?”

Rica lightly pulled at Lockser’s clothes who had come to a standstill in her grip.

Lockser finally noticed that Rica was no longer throwing deadpan looks at him, or clenching her fists to punch his side.

“You just appeared out of nowhere, I got surprised. But why are you here?”

He had paid off most of his debt, so he intended to keep a distance from her.

‘It’s really a trouble if you get entangled with a yandere.’

Just because she was showing an innocent face, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t make a sudden yandere turn.

However, the future shown by the Blue Hourglass told him that if he ran away or created a distance now, she would instantly give him a cold glare.

‘Does the future shown by the Blue Hourglass only relate to hostility or battle situations?’

Observing Rica whilst pondering, the future shown by the Blue Hourglass always revolved around her glaring coldly, swinging at him. In extreme cases, even trying to kidnap him—-

Having figured that his assumptions were right, Lockser asked,

“I’ve paid my debts, haven’t I?”

Inevitably, Rok-Seo responded with a moderate degree of equanimity.

‘Well… I’m not interested in her and I’m not trying to flirt either, so I should respond just enough to not trigger her yandere tendencies.’

He could see the future where he didn’t mess up, though it wasn’t automatically shown to him. As long as his life wasn’t threatened, that was enough for Rok-Seo.

Seeing him like this, Rica approached with a sensual smile, as if amused.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you owe me?”

Upon hearing this, Rica slightly smirked, as if she was seeing a cute animal.

“We’ve known each other for years, and I’ve taken care of you to fulfill my promise. Do you think you’ve already repaid all of it?”

A cold smile bloomed like an ice flower, pressuring Rok-Seo.

Even though he kept on falling over and failing to communicate during his peak stalking phase,

Now it seemed he was a little more self-aware and Rica’s smile was quite fatal while dealing with him, same as before Rok-Seo’s change.

Rok-Seo, seeing her, felt an overwhelming attraction due to his surging heart rate.

No, he had already lost the power to look away, the time seemed to stop.

‘Is this also because of my heart rate addiction!? ‘

When excited, his addiction to the heart rate was simply holding him back.

But it allowed him to fully concentrate on her beauty.

For a moment, Rok-Seo thought he wanted to possess her.

The desire to conquer that beautiful red gem surged up in him.

‘…Do I look like I’ll fall for such a desire!?’

Avoiding the smile that made him want to misbehave like a beast for a moment, he carefully made a counter move.

——

Name: Rok-Seo

[Secondary Awakening]

『Stat

Power: 55 – Stamina: 60

Health: 50 – Speed: 60

Sense: 80 – Energy: 200

Body: ◆Invincible Body (無越肢體)[Growth Type][Growth Speed C Grade]』

『Unique: ◆Time-Space Manipulation (時空造作)[Growth Type][? Grade]』

『Reputation: Last-hit Stalker』

『Skill: Over Clock』

『Trait: {Heartbeat(心搏數) Addiction}』

『Mark: ◆Colorless Abyss (無色深淵)[Growth Type]』

『Equipment: Awakened Academy Suit (Casualwear Mode)』

——

It was to summon a status window in front of his eyes to block Rica’s enchanting smile.

Seeing the sense to be the highest next to the wrecked energy, Rok-Seo was surprised.

Well, let’s say that the reputation has changed to something like a last-hit punch,

‘But I didn’t realize Rica coming towards me despite having a sense of 80? Well… average stat for rookies is 150, after all….’

Thanks to defeating powerful villains in his secondary awakened state, his stats had increased significantly.

“Were you thinking about something else?”

Rica, who pushed her face toward him through the status window, maintained her queen-like smile, and he still couldn’t notice her approach.

In the end, he decided to check the status window later.

“Uh, no. But what brings you to me…?”

“Why suddenly honorifics?”

‘Because, I feel like I’ll go crazy if I don’t keep the distance.’

When Rok-Seo asked why Rica came to see him, she pulled his clothes.

“Follow me. Didn’t I tell you we are going to the training room?”

Wind blowing from the window scattered her black hair like petals.

Her smile was radiant, and for a moment everything around him excluding her turned white. With her alluring smile, Rica squinted.

Even though Rica only acted as she did when they used to spend time together as children.

“Calm down, I didn’t come here to pick up a girl.”

Rex’s eyes were drawn to the sight of Rica, kindling a relentless desire to conquer her. She looked so tantalizing.

Like letting a starving beast loose upon a tender herbivore.