He had been the only man in his party, and before he realized it, he had started treating that position as a given. Of course, being the only guy came with its own problems. Each girl kept certain things private, and he could not casually ask them out for fun because it might sound like a date. Even so, his spot had never been threatened until now.

Worse, Martin noticed the feeling immediately. He could tell himself he was being practical. More players meant better dungeon runs, better coverage, better loot, and better odds of surviving whatever insane hidden content the academy threw at them next.

That reasoning made sense, but it did not erase the uncomfortable truth underneath it.

Some part of him had enjoyed being the guy in the group. Not in a creepy way, or at least he desperately hoped it was not creepy. It just felt nice to be needed. It felt nice when they looked at him during combat, when they trusted him to hold the line, when he became the strange centerpiece of a party full of strong and beautiful women.

Now another guy had appeared beside NukEncore, calm, cool, and close enough to her that Martin felt the balance shift under his feet.

It’s so selfish of me. We need more players in our party if we want to function at the highest level, so it’s best if we get more people. It’s normal that some of them will be men, too. Ah, man...

Flash Fang grinned. "Sometimes a man just needs brotherhood with someone who understands the burden of having balls, right?"

Martin laughed because that was what a fellow bro was supposed to do.

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, NukEncore was beyond shocked.

For a few seconds, she could not even speak. She looked at Martin, then at Flash Fang, then at Cassandra, then back at Flash Fang, hoping the world would correct itself if she stared hard enough.

Instead, Flash Fang looked perfectly pleased with herself, Martin looked like he had just gained a brother-in-arms, and Cassandra had gone quiet, which was usually more dangerous than when she spoke.

Rias?! What are you doing?! Why did you go along with that misunderstanding?!

NukEncore opened her mouth once, ready to fix everything, but Flash Fang gave her a sideways glance. It was not a threatening look. It was worse because it was playful, the kind of look that said, Don’t ruin this.

NukEncore shut her mouth.

This is going to become a disaster. This is absolutely going to become a disaster. Why am I friends with people like this?

Cassandra lowered her gaze. From the side, she could see the plump shape of Flash Fang’s body, and a ridiculous thought slipped through her composure: this soft flesh could threaten her position.

She hated that the thought existed at all. She was Cassandra Selfmore, a director, a guild leader, and a woman who could make adults straighten their backs with one measured glance.

She did not compete with random newcomers over attention, because attention usually arranged itself around her without needing to be invited.

Then Flash Fang shifted slightly, and the curve of her figure became even more obvious from the side. Cassandra’s fingers twitched.

I could feel Martin’s eyes on my ass many times. I tactfully ignored it... but now I can’t? I actually feel threatened...

The feeling slipped deeper before she could push it away. It was not fear exactly, nor simple jealousy. More than anything, it was the unpleasant realization that attention she had quietly accepted as hers might not be guaranteed.

She had never invited Martin’s gaze, and she had never openly encouraged it, but she had noticed. Of course she had noticed. A woman like Cassandra noticed everything, especially when a man tried and failed to look respectful after seeing something he liked.

How absurd. I have a quest deadline, a guild to manage, and a Level Sixty Hidden Dungeon to unlock. This should not matter.

Absurd or not, the feeling remained.

"...Miss Cassandra? Miss Cassandra?"

Martin called out to her a few times, but she only noticed after his third attempt.

Composing herself, Cassandra lifted her chin and returned her expression to its proper place. Calm, elegant, and untouchable.

"Excuse me. I was lost in thought."

"No worries! It’s all fine! I was just wondering if you needed us for something," Martin said.

Cassandra nodded, and the air around her changed.

Until now, the meeting had been casual chaos. Martin had saluted her, NukEncore had laughed, Flash Fang had pretended to be a bro, and everyone had stood around as if this was simply another odd morning in Monster Hunter Academy Online. Cassandra, however, had not come here to indulge the comedy forever.

She had a deadline, an unexplored dungeon, and a guild quest that could affect their standing in the academy. Right now, Martin Ross was the one player she trusted to move fast enough.

"I want you to level me up to sixty today."

Martin blinked like that man from the meme.

"Sixty?"

For a second, the absurdity nearly made him laugh. Level sixty in one day was damn huge, even with guild privileges and a good farming spot. Cassandra Selfmore, who looked like she belonged in a glass office above the entire world, had just walked into his morning and ordered him to drag her all the way to level sixty in a single day.

The urge vanished the moment he saw her face.

Cassandra was not teasing. She was not making a casual request, and this was not another elegant whim tossed his way because she found his reactions amusing. Her gaze was steady, her posture firm, and even her voice had lost that smooth, playful edge she sometimes used when handling people.

The guild leader had taken over.

"We have a new guild quest with a fourteen-day deadline. It’s an important quest that will secure our position in this academy. Martin Ross, I’m not horsing around right now."

Martin straightened.

That expression worked better than any charm.

It made him remember every time Cassandra had looked untouchable from a distance, every time she had seemed like a woman who belonged above ordinary players and ordinary problems. Yet here she was, standing in front of him and demanding results because the guild needed them quickly.

Cassandra was not asking; she was commanding, and somehow that made him want to deliver even more.

"Aye, Miss! I’ll get you to level sixty today!" Martin swore on his name.

Cassandra watched him for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"Then I’ll hold you to that."

That single sentence hit Martin harder than praise had any right to.

This time, NukEncore did not react because she was still shocked by Rias’ decision.

She opened a voice channel between them and screamed into her ear.

[NukEncore: What are you doing, Rias?!]