Please Do Not Abandon the Adopted Heroine

0 – The Intruder in the Early Hours

“Heung…heuheung……euheung…..”

The faint sound of breath made my eyes unwillingly open. Regrettably, I’ve never been one to sleep soundly – an inherent problem for which no one can be blamed. Though I haven’t tested it, I had a confident belief I could sleep soundly even in front of the loud guitar performances that are popular these days.

However, even I have difficulty staying asleep when someone starts physically rubbing their face against mine. At first, I thought I was merely dreaming. The warm heat I could feel from the edge of my chest, the tickling and rustling of hair.

I found myself frozen stiff without realizing it. Was it because of sleep paralysis? I hate ghosts. My heart pounded as my shoulders instinctively hunched up. Then, the sweet fragrance of some aromatic oil reached my nose.

At least the thing alive. Recognizing the delayed warmth, my thoughts settled, knowing at least it wasn’t a ghost.

If so, then who could it be?

I have always cast a barrier at night, so a surprise visitor in the middle of the night would be impossible. And I always prided myself on not being the kind of person to bear grudges, that could call upon such visitors. If there was an exception, it’d be my lovely ‘students’ whom I’ve personally taught magic structural formulae to adjust conditions.

“Teach…Teacher’s scent…haa…hoo…poo…heung…haeung…”

I could feel breaths trickling near my neck. Every now and then, sticky saliva could be heard dripping, humming in my ear. The bare touch, with not so much as a hair’s breadth space to spare. My eyes snapped open at the familiar voice.

“You’re awake, Master…?”

“Oh… Ohhhhh!”

“Oh my, even your scream is cute.”

She gave an oblique smile, lightly covering her mouth with her hand.

Clear moonlight poured in from the window.

Her silhouette was revealed in what had been a dark bedroom, likely due to the clouds covering the moon previously. Her pointed fox ears were the first thing I noticed.

However, her aura was significantly different from usual. Her eyes drooped more than normal, her gaze was somewhat clouded, and the focus was strangely skewed. The refined tone she once had was nowhere to be heard. Instead, her breaths were slightly ragged, and a throaty voice, mixed with a nasal sound, warmed my ears.

Upon closer inspection, there, the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. She was completely drunk.

I calmed myself and spoke to her as gently as possible.

“Cecilia, how much did you drink instead of alcohol?”

“It’s a happy day~ I had a little. But the teacher didn’t even drink at the party…”

Cecilia’s smooth ears perked up, brushing against my lips as she lightly flicked them.

“Isn’t it too cold towards your students?”

“You know I don’t drink.”

“Well… Well~ I want to have fun with Professor Sae and…”

Cecilia’s face twisted with an unintelligible sound as she abruptly pushed her head forward.

“Professor Sae-nim~ Our Cecilia is pretty~ She’s pretty~ Please acknowledge it.”

“What…?”

“She’s pretty~”

“Are you drunk? You seem properly drunk, so go and rest.”

“Sigh… I remember how Rin and Lan used to stroke my hair like this.”

“They are young. Can’t I praise my young students for being admirable?”

“True… we are classmates, after all.”

“Think about the age difference. Do you remember how many years apart we are?”

“Yeah… Age. Age is a significant matter.”

Cecilia brushed her flowing hair off her shoulder gently.

The black dress revealed her bare shoulders. It was the outfit Cecilia wore to the party today. With its daring neckline reaching below her clavicle, when seen up close like this, it gives an illusion as if she’s wearing nothing under the covers.

“Act like an adult if you’re an adult. Adults need adult conversations.”

“… Adult conversation?”

Suddenly, as soon as I thought that something was gravely wrong, I tried to move my arms immediately.

“No use struggling.”

“C-Cecilia?! Is this… magic?… My arms and legs… They won’t move?”

“… I tried to mix a seal enhancer into elemental magic to create a magical reversal.”

Insane! This is the seal magic I taught her!

The alarm bells of my cognitive circuitry ring. There are no loopholes in her plan. She must have been preparing the spell for at least fifteen minutes. It will be difficult to counter Cecilia’s magic without causing harm to the surroundings.

While casting magic from the side, I might as well curse myself to sleep peacefully.

Despite the chaos, I reflexively called out a name I’d resort to in urgent times.

At least when I called out her name, ‘she’ would immediately rush to my side…

“Undine!”

“…Sigh. Once again… you’re calling her name first.”

With a sigh-laden voice, Cecilia regarded me with her half-lively eyes.

Hold on. Her eyes looked dead. Frightening. Cecilia, are you okay? Should we look in the mirror? The light in your eyes? It’s gone?

“…That woman’s drink was spiked with a sleeping potion. I wouldn’t have used such a dangerous method on anyone else, but if it’s Lady Undine, she won’t be affected by a little alcohol and sleeping pills.”

“What… Wait a minute. Cecilia. Let’s talk this out. Cecilia? *Hic* My pajamas?! …Undine? Undine! Save me, Undine! Ignis! Freya! Professor Aegis! The Principal! Rin! Lan! Anyone, please! Cecilia, you’re kind, right? hehehe, let’s stay calm. Everyone, stay calm. I’ll teach you a spell to dispel the alcohol… aaah! No! Stop right there! I don’t want it, please don’t! Alarm bell! If you take off the clothes there, I won’t hold back, I’ll pull the alarm bell! Take a deep breath~ and think slowly, you’re a student and I am a teacher. Now, repeat after me, tea-cher.”

“hehehe, you know very well, Teacher. Now you can’t go anywhere, or to anyone. You’re my own… dear… teacher… Hmm…”

Her glimmering eyes drew closer.

“Will you turn off the light…?”

…Before I knew it, a plush tail had begun to coil around my legs.

The irregular breathing at the nape of my neck made my throat tighten with thirst.

“Is it okay…? If you’re anxious, do you want to touch the tail?”

…I don’t want to.

How did things end up like this?

I need to recall more of my memory.

The first day I saw Cecilia.

That day was surely like any other, somewhat ordinary.