Chapter 37

The Owner of Inspiration – Inna.

A person who can raise my Favorability by simply feeding inspiration-infused food.

The moment I faced her, I was prepared to continuously see the Favorability increase notification.

Since in situations where my Protection might not protect me, she was more likely to use the inspiration.

I can’t even predict how much my Favorability would rise if she directly used the inspiration through her abilities.

“Are you planning to keep me standing here forever?”

“…?”

Still, she merely questioned me with a look of bewilderment, perhaps unaware of whether my Protection had disappeared or not.

Every time we met, I used Protection, but perhaps it wasn’t to that extent?

When I slightly moved aside, Inna took off her shoes and headed straight for the kitchen.

She seemed to sense the traces of my cooking.

It might not suit Lee Seo-ra’s taste, but it could be acceptable for Inna.

With a subtle hope, I entered to find Inna completely disregarding everything I had done, putting on an apron, and immediately preparing to do the dishes.

Even though she was wearing clothes slightly warmer for the summer season and detergent could stain them, she started washing without hesitation while saying:

“You really should have stopped me from cooking if you were here the whole time. Don’t you think so too?”

“No, it wasn’t something I was asked to do; I just wanted to cook.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. If you were trying to scold him by cooking because of something he did wrong yesterday, I could understand. But that wasn’t the case here, was it?”

This meal was, in fact, a token of gratitude.

A reward for working hard in battle yesterday.

Though I didn’t know that Lee Seo-ra would react so drastically after eating it.

And I, too, wasn’t aware how nightmarish my failed cooking would turn out to be.

While Inna attempted to create a splendid version of the fried rice I had failed at, the Student Council President emerged after changing her clothes, now dressed in an elegant black suit.

“So, what did you do to make her end up like this?”

This was not referring to my state of wearing only my pajamas.

Could she have already guessed the situation concerning my Protection?

While her body was facing the frying pan, it was obvious to everyone present that all of Inna’s attention was focused on the President.

In the quiet where the sound of dripping water and the gas stove’s flame were clearly heard, the Student Council President began to speak.

“It was my mistake. I thought Kim Ha-neul’s strength alone would be enough. He probably believed that we would be fine on our own…”

Contrary to her expectations, it seems that without my involvement, the situation turned unfavorable.

Knowing that she was quite skilled in battle, I understood why Kim Ha-neul left us behind.

The enemy’s reinforcements kept coming.

If reinforcements hadn’t kept appearing, the President alone could have sufficiently resolved the situation.

Since the situation was handled fairly well, I wanted to clarify things here, but it seemed the woman preparing breakfast in place of my botched morning meal had no intention of wrapping it up.

“A mistake calls for a punishment. Now, it’s time to scold the one who failed to protect you properly!”

This sudden announcement. As I tried to figure out who she was addressing, I eventually realized whom the command was aimed at.

“Huh? Me?”

I had no intention of scolding anyone, so this sudden order was perplexing. However, Inna, misunderstanding my words, let out a mocking laugh from her side.

“Then let me do the scolding? Yeah, I’ll do it. Since the person on the receiving end would dislike it more coming from me… after finishing preparing the meal…”

“If Miss Erica decides that, I’ll endure it to the best of my ability.”

The girl who disliked the Student Council President was willing to personally do the scolding, and the President who disliked Inna declared that she would not resist this punishment. Understanding both their stances, I spoke rather gruffly:

“…Why are you suddenly treating me like garbage?”

It feels as if they think my direct scolding lacks value, so they’ve subcontracted the job of scolding to Inna, who dislikes the Student Council President.

What kind of grave mistake was this, that the President couldn’t protect me? Anyone listening might think the President had an obligation to protect me.

Anyway, while Kim Ha-neul and Lee Seo-ra have given off strange vibes, we currently aren’t in a romantic relationship.

Perhaps it’s true that the President, as a representative of the student body, might have a minimal obligation to protect the students, but honestly, the atmosphere didn’t seem like it was based on such a duty.

“The President doesn’t have an obligation to protect me either, so don’t scold me for my sake, and I won’t accept any scolding if you insist on doing it.”

Worried that something strange might happen somewhere without my knowledge, I firmly stated my position.

If it goes this far and harm still comes, it’s not out of genuine concern but because of personal desires, so I really need to cut ties with that side.

“Got it~. Of course, the Student Council President has no obligation to protect you, so that’s the end of the story!”

“I’m fine…”

“The fried rice is done, so let’s eat and be done with it~.”

Before the President could say anything, Inna interrupted and served the fried rice.

A meal enjoyed by three people.

The meal ended quickly, and after Inna finished washing the dishes, contrary to her earlier statement, she was about to leave with the President right away.

“Rest days are for resting properly, right?”

Was she not here to figure out what to do on the day my Protection disappeared but rather to interrupt the time the President and I were spending together?

Among the shoes near the entrance, the green-haired girl twinkled her eyes and then gently kissed my cheek.

For a moment, I froze, wondering if something was wrong, but when I saw the system window pop up, I immediately calmed down.

[You have received the Blessing of Inspiration. Although weaker than true Inspiration, you receive goodwill from beings who are potential users of inspiration worldwide. This blessing disappears once Protection resumes.]

A blessing usable only when Protection is absent. While I was internally worrying about what to do without Protection, this was the perfect gift she left behind.

“See you tomorrow morning.”

With that, she left with the President. I stayed put until they closed the door and walked away. Then, I began searching the place I called my room, determined to finally find my most essential belongings—my phone and wallet.

*

Inna and Seo-ra.

They might be considered the worst kind of relationship. The two women moved silently down the road without a word. Both liked the same girl and, as a result, they couldn’t possibly have goodwill toward anyone trying to take that girl from them or doing anything harmful to her. It was natural that the two didn’t wish to exchange even a single word.

“So, who targeted who here?”

But there was a target after the girl, prompting Inna to have no choice but to ask the Student Council President.

Inspiration was a useful ability for gathering information, but the most effective information-gathering ability in this world was different.

While disliking the President, she acknowledged that particular skill.

Since the President was at the scene, she would likely know what happened during the incident.

“Everyone. My guess is that they were targeting all three of us simultaneously. Not long ago, Kim Ha-neul informed me that several ability-possessing dolls were sent to him. Considering that we were sent many resources without any abilities instead, and given that some kind of proposal was made, it seems there was business with both of us.”

“Proposal?”

In response to Inna’s request for clarification on the proposal, the President remained silent. Though she acknowledged her failure to protect Erica, she didn’t feel she needed to humble herself endlessly before Inna.

“Alright, I get it. With this much information, I can probably figure out who our enemy is.”

Upon realizing that the President wouldn’t divulge more, Inna stretched her arms. Though it wasn’t yet noon, she had arrived for a specific purpose – partly to pull the President out of there but also to investigate those targeting Erica.

“Honestly, I was surprised. I thought you wouldn’t have let this opportunity slip.”

“My reason for wanting to penetrate the Protection was to directly convey my feelings to her. If there’s no protection around, there’s no need to penetrate it. Had she been unyielding and closed her door, things would have been different… But—didn’t Erica accept me as she is?”

With that, Inna set off toward the bright path ahead. The Student Council President who came alone gazed at her retreating back.

Inna doesn’t want to turn Erica into her slave through Inspiration, she wants to share love with her.

Of course, if Erica had outright rejected her by locking the door, things might have been different. But since Erica opened the door and let Inna in, hypothetical scenarios no longer mattered.

Conversely, it also meant that the memory-losing Erica wouldn’t reject Inna anymore. Had she retained her memories, Erica would have never opened the door for Inna no matter what.

Did Inna already know this? Given her earlier statement about using Inspiration if Erica hadn’t opened the door, it seems she came here knowing that Erica had lost her protection.

“This must be one of the sins I have to pay for.”

The sin of leaving a crack in Erica’s heart. The shock left Erica with her memory loss. Worse still, there was a woman trying to intrude into her memories.

With the temporary disappearance of her protection, Erica had become even more vulnerable than a chick.

Now, Erica no longer had to fear only the Queen of the school who could penetrate her protection.

She was defenseless against countless beasts in the school—people who might suddenly change their minds, an idol capable of commanding admirers naturally with her abilities, and more.

“So…”

While fingering the phone in her jeans pocket, considering figures who could help Erica by following her guidance,

Tomorrow would bring concerns and unknowns, but she stepped in line behind Inna, who seemed about to leave.

After all, it wasn’t just Inna who was angered by yesterday’s attack on Erica.

Inna briefly glanced behind her to where the Student Council President was following silently.

This marked the beginning of an unspoken alliance to uncover the culprits behind yesterday’s attack.