NOVEL NEXT chapter 11
11. Official admission into Vernon Academy is next year!
***
~1 year ago.
Time didn’t seem to pass when I was in the military. After my discharge, it flew by like an arrow.
A little over two years had passed since I was discharged.
Even though I’m the overlooked child in our family-
I still helped out with my father’s company business.
The somewhat outdated phrase, “You become a real man after joining the military,” was starting to make sense to me.
As I rolled up my sleeves, getting out of my hikikomori phase, training and putting my body to use, a sense of independence began to grow within me.
I realized I couldn’t depend on my parents forever.
Though I did receive a bit(?) of support, I was able to gain some independence.
Working essentially under my father, I suppose I could say I belong to a family-run business.
Joining the military, getting discharged, finding work. About four years total.
During that time, many events unfolded.
These events didn’t just happen to me. I received countless messages from Azel and Jena.
They underwent many changes as well.
Just as, the world kept changing.
But….
[Vernon Academy!] was still yet to be released.
─ Is this a freaking crazy game or what? When the hell is it gonna be released?
I recall seeing a comment posted to a community forum, fully agreeing with it.
Of course, I haven’t canceled my subscription.
I just can’t give up on my daughters.
…Well, technically, Azel and Jena are not my daughters anymore.
I’ve never had daughters like them.
“They are my darlings.”
They initially called me daddy, then brother, and now honey.
Not that I’m into incest, but that’s how it is.
This is a joke.
To the point where I can make such remarks, my daughters have grown tremendously.
“I wonder what outfits they might be wearing today?”
The two of them have turned into full-fledged women from teenage girls in just a few years.
I clicked on Azel’s picture first.
[Azel]
Azel’s hair was originally shoulder-length. Her face, unveiled beneath her hair, was rather cute.
But now she had grown into a simple beauty with long, shiny black hair. She always had her secretary by her side.
What was this? Guards?
There were security personnel dressed in suits all around her.
Looking at this, she really seemed like a superstar of superstars.
[Jenna]
Unlike her, Jenna had cut her hair into a bob. Occasionally, she would send messages and pictures suggesting she had gotten a tan.
Well, these changes are just minor details.
The biggest common change between the two….
It was probably their figures. How should I describe it?
Their proportions were simply fantastic.
In the world settings, they were indeed adults as high school seniors. They truly embodied the term ‘adult’ now.
Anyway,
The joy wasn’t only from the photos, or the voice messages that began a few years back….
[Thank-you Video for This Month]
They would now send videos.
I had to click the play button right away. I couldn’t resist it.
[Jenna]
“Ooh….”
In the video, Jenna was on the beach. She was clearly wearing a rash guard which was not as revealing as a bikini. It covered her upper body, and she was definitely wearing pants.
But still….
Her figure was the issue. It was too aggressive. Describing her body beyond that would make me a criminal. Her legs were long and straight, like the sea in the background. One could say it was unity between the mountains and the sea.
[Brother! We have to come and play here together someday. Understand?! It’s really nice here!]
“Okay, okay.”
Until middle school, Jenna had always taken photos alone in the mansion. But since she entered the high school academy, she started taking lots of pictures outdoors. She also had lots of friends in the background.
It’s odd how my favorite character became so socially active.
I somehow felt happy daydreaming about how ‘my daughter is the prettiest and the most popular girl in the area’.
‘But are all those friends girls?’ That’s where I start to wonder.
Absolutely against any male friends.
First of all, all the people in the background were girls. However, from the looks of Jenna’s actions or behavior that I’ve witnessed, I don’t really need to worry. She’s very self-disciplined.
But since you never know what could happen, I still need to give her a strong warning. The late-bloomers are the ones to worry about. Now that she has become an adult, she needs to firmly establish her discipline
†Patapat† —
[It seems fun. Next time, we should definitely go together. But, who are those friends? They seem to appear quite often in the pictures nowadays. Any other friends are……. Anyway, whoever they might be, don’t you ever trust them easily. Remember my words. Every man is a wolf. Except me. Jenna, I believe that you can handle it…….]
I sent Jenna a simple message. She should understand with this much.
I’ve constantly told both Azel and Jenna to be careful with men, to beware of wolves anyway.
Next is Azel.
[Azel Thank-you Video for This Month]
In Azel’s video, the mansion I bought is shown. Apart from everything, Azel has gone through incredible changes.
[Hello Sir Joe! We had a charity event this month too. It’s good that recently…….]
The charity events that Azel used to organize had a genuine feel of helping the poor by being on-site, a typical ‘charity event’.
The charity events she organizes now are…
“It looks like some sort of Mafia event.”
Although I’m unsure what exactly my secretary does, bodyguards in suits are gathered around Azel. Azel is there, hustling and bustling with local bosses– it’s a strange sight.
Is this considered charity?
Funny thing is, the neighborhood is clearly changing. It used to have a Harlem vibe, yet lately it seemed to have undergone serious redevelopment.
“I ordered it, nonetheless….”
I reprimanded my secretary at the store.
She could also receive messages, so I imitated a scholar for a while, reciting 20-year-old lunisolar calendars, and business ideas I learned from my father.
But, did things have to turn out this way?
“It seems Vernon has lost his mind again.”
Still, I liked that many bodyguards were close to Azel.
If other guys can’t approach, then everything is fine.
..
..
..
Now that I get a thank you message, photo, voice, and video every month checking even one thank you becomes quite time-consuming. As I’m sponsoring both Jena and Azel, I have eight tasks: view, reply, listen, and do.
Thus, it has become a habit to check videos or voice messages first and leave text messages last.
Following this order allows me to quickly absorb and respond to my beautiful daughters’ messages.
But, today, a tricky question popped up.
[Jena: Bro, what does ‘fogyumalranghaseo’ mean? It’s the nickname you changed last time, right? Why didn’t you tell me first? I was startled because I thought it was someone else at first]
I recently changed my username. After long consideration, I edited it.
I dropped [geoyurorizoah] and adopted [pogyumalranghaseojoah].
Instead of Geoyu, I started liking Pogyu. It doesn’t matter anymore if they’re not loli.
The reason… cannot be said.
Anyway, it felt embarrassing, so I euphemized Pogyu.
The two were used to calling me by the last two characters, ‘joah’, so I kept that on.
It’s a somewhat embarrassing nickname but, for now, this is the only thing supporting me.
Only Vernon will see this ID.
Again, I read Jena’s message.
[Jena: …I’ve never done anything like that, but my friends keep saying that guys are chasing me. I’m sorry. But no man has ever approached me! All my friends are really girls. Don’t worry so much! You said before all men except you are wolves. I don’t play with wolves! If you doubt, ask Azel later. You know Azel never lies. Will Azel confirm that everything I say is real?]
Good.
This is good.
At some point both Jena and Azel realized I was sponsoring both of them, and started mentioning each other in their messages.
Given this situation, a mutual cooperation would be beneficial.
[Jena, you should always help if a friend is in danger. As I said before, men are wolves, and you should protect your friends from the wolves that loiter around them…… At least Azel should……..]
Though Azel recently showed some Mafia-like tendencies, she’s still swarmed with local goons.
I don’t like the fact that such men are approaching my girls.
“I’m stacked with worries.”
In other games, various stories usually emerge throughout gameplay.
But Vernon Aca, for some reason, starts creating various storylines right from the world-building stage, even before release.
Well, that’s the reason I’m thoroughly immersed in it.
Anyway, this all happened because the game hasn’t been released yet. If it were available for me to play with, there wouldn’t be any need for concern.
Sigh.
I was hastily typing a response to Jenna when I finished reading the rest of her message.
[Jenna: It’s only a year until we officially enter Vernon Academy! Exciting, right?]
It’s just a year until we “officially enter Vernon Academy.”
Hold on.
Is this a hint about the game’s release?