The tea party finally ended shortly before sunset.

Not because Bianca got bored.

As far as I could tell, Bianca was perfectly capable of spending another three hours sitting in that pavilion while everyone around her tried not to upset her.

The real reason was that several of the senior girls had other obligations.

Family dinners.

Business meetings.

Social events.

Rich people activities.

I stopped paying attention after the fifth conversation about investment portfolios.

By the time I was escorted back to the limousine, my leg still hurt, my head hurt, and I had gained absolutely no useful information beyond the fact that half the academy seemed completely insane.

The ride back was quiet.

Charlotte had left with her maids.

The other girls gradually got dropped off one by one.

Eventually, only Bianca, her personal maid, and I remained.

I sat by the window and watched the city pass by.

Bianca sat across from me scrolling through her phone.

Neither of us spoke.

Which was fine.

At this point, silence felt like a reward.

The limousine eventually slowed.

I looked outside.

Then blinked.

Then blinked again.

We had stopped in front of Adrian’s apartment building.

Calling it an apartment building was generous.

The structure looked old enough to qualify as a historical monument. The paint was peeling in several places and the stairwell lights only seemed to work when they felt like it.

Compared to the academy, it looked depressing.

Compared to Bianca’s estate, it probably looked like a doghouse.

The car came to a stop.

Bianca glanced out the window.

For a second, she just stared at the building.

Then she looked at me.

Then back at the building.

"I knew you were poor."

Her expression remained completely serious.

"But this is impressive."

I chose not to respond.

Some insults weren’t worth the effort.

Bianca shook her head.

"I’ve seen storage sheds bigger than this place."

Still not responding.

The system hadn’t given me a dialogue option.

I wasn’t volunteering one.

A moment later the door opened.

I carefully stepped out of the limousine.

My injured leg immediately reminded me that getting stabbed was still painful.

The maid exited behind me.

I expected her to return to the car immediately.

Instead, she approached me.

"Mr. Cross."

I turned around.

The maid held out an envelope.

I stared at it.

Then at her.

Then back at the envelope.

"What is this?"

"The young miss wanted you to have it."

That immediately made me suspicious.

Bianca didn’t seem like the type of person who gave gifts.

I accepted the envelope cautiously.

It felt surprisingly thick.

The maid gave a small bow.

"Please take care of yourself."

That was probably the nicest thing anyone had said to me all day.

The maid returned to the limousine.

A few seconds later, Bianca’s window rolled down.

She looked at me from inside the vehicle.

"Don’t be late tomorrow."

I wasn’t even sure if that was a threat or a reminder anymore.

Before I could answer, the window rolled back up.

The limousine pulled away from the curb.

I stood there watching it disappear down the street.

Only when it was gone did I finally open the envelope.

My eyes widened.

There was a lot more money inside than I expected.

A lot more.

Enough to cover several months of Adrian’s living expenses.

Maybe longer.

For several seconds, I simply stared.

Then a familiar notification appeared.

______

[Relationship Update]

Bianca Hartwell

Current Evaluation:

Possession Status Stable

______

I stared at the notification.

Then at the money.

Then back at the notification.

"Possession status?"

The system didn’t elaborate.

Naturally.

That would’ve been too helpful.

With a sigh, I tucked the envelope into my pocket and turned toward the apartment building.

The hallway lights flickered when I entered.

The elevator was broken.

Of course it was.

I slowly climbed the stairs and eventually reached Adrian’s apartment.

The moment I stepped inside, the memories hit me.

A small kitchen.

A worn sofa.

A cheap dining table.

Everything was clean.

Everything was old.

This was where Adrian had lived before I arrived.

And judging by the state of the apartment, money had always been tight.

I set the envelope on the table and carefully lowered myself onto the sofa.

The silence felt strange after spending an entire day around Bianca and the others.

For the first time since waking up in this world, I was completely alone.

Then the system appeared.

______

[Main Story Event Approaching]

Time Remaining:

18 Hours 11 Minutes

Associated Character:

Noah Walker

______

The notification lingered for several seconds before disappearing.

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

Tomorrow.

The protagonist would return tomorrow.

And somehow, I had a feeling my life was about to get even worse.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I forced myself off the sofa. My injured thigh protested with every step, but I ignored it. The bathroom was just as worn-down as the rest of the apartment. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up.

Earlier, I hadn’t really had a chance to look at this body. Everything had been too chaotic. I’d spent the day getting dragged around, stabbed, and forced into a tea party. Now, standing beneath the bathroom light, I finally got a proper look.

It wasn’t pretty.

Old bruises covered my ribs and arms in various stages of healing. Faded scars marked my shoulders and back. There was even a thin cut along my collarbone that looked fairly recent. Whatever Adrian’s life had been before I arrived, it clearly hadn’t been easy.

I stepped beneath the hot water and let out a slow breath. The heat stung the wound on my thigh, but it also eased some of the tension that had built up throughout the day.

As I washed, my eyes drifted downward.

Then I paused.

My cock hung heavily between my legs even while soft. It was thick and long in a way that looked completely out of place on Adrian’s smaller frame. I stared for a moment while water ran down my body.

"Damn... I’m pretty packed."

The proportions made no sense.

The body itself was slim and almost delicate. Then there was this.

If anyone saw it, it would probably create problems I didn’t need.

I tried to stop thinking about it.

Unfortunately, my mind wandered somewhere else entirely.

Back to the tea party.

Back to Dona.

The way her body trembled while she knelt. The strawberry-print panties soaked through beneath her skirt. The wet sound when the vibrator was removed. The glimpse of her before the larger toy was pushed inside.

My hand moved before I really thought about it.

I wrapped my fingers around my cock and slowly stroked.

It hardened quickly.

I leaned one arm against the shower wall and closed my eyes.

In my head, the scene replayed itself.

Dona’s flushed face.

The trembling in her legs.

The small movements she couldn’t fully control.

"Ahh... haa... nngh...!"

Even though she had barely made any sound during the tea party, my imagination filled in everything she had held back.

"Haaah...! It’s too much... ahhn...!"

My grip tightened.

The hot water running over my body only made everything feel more intense.

I imagined what it would have felt like to take the place of the toy. How warm she would be. How tightly her body would react. How those restrained sounds would finally break free.

"Mmmph...! Hngg... I’m... I’m cumming... aaahhh~!"

A low groan escaped my throat.

My strokes became faster.

The pressure built quickly.

Too quickly.

I didn’t bother slowing down.

Pleasure coiled tighter with every movement until it became impossible to ignore.

"Fuck..."

I pumped harder, my thumb brushing over the sensitive head with every stroke. The imagined sounds of Dona’s moans echoed through my head, broken and breathless.

A few more rough strokes pushed me over the edge.

I came hard, thick ropes of cum striking the shower wall before being washed away by the running water. My legs trembled as the orgasm rolled through me.

For several seconds, I simply stood there breathing heavily.

The water continued falling around me.

Eventually, the tension faded.

I rinsed myself off and remained beneath the spray for a little longer while my breathing gradually returned to normal.

This body was dangerous.

And the girls at this academy were somehow even worse.

I turned off the shower and reached for a towel.

For once, the system remained silent.

Maybe it approved.

Or maybe it was simply waiting for tomorrow.