Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 34 – Night Visit

Adam was walking with his hands in his pants pockets as he followed the main path that connected the dormitory buildings to one another.

Despite how late it was, there were several groups of students scattered around the area. A pair of girls were walking in the opposite direction, casting him a curious glance as they passed before continuing on their way without saying anything.

Adam ignored them completely.

’Room 47, second floor, east wing...’

He mentally repeated the directions the system had given him.

When he reached the entrance to the mid-noble dormitories, Adam entered through the main door and began climbing the stairs to the second floor.

He hadn’t taken even ten steps down the hallway when he noticed eyes fixed on him. Two students were standing near a door, looking at him with confused expressions, exchanging a quick glance between themselves as if silently wondering what someone bearing the Shadowend emblem was doing walking through the mid-noble dorms at that hour.

Adam simply ignored them and kept walking.

’45... 46... 47...’

He stopped in front of the correct door and, unhurried, knocked three times with his knuckles.The seconds that passed were few, but enough for Adam to briefly consider whether he had understood the system’s directions correctly or if he had just knocked on a complete stranger’s door.

Then he heard footsteps approaching from the other side.

A moment later, the door opened.

Alice looked at him from the doorway with her eyes half-open yet wide, clearly surprised. Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders and sticking to her neck in a few damp strands.

She was wearing a loose T-shirt that reached halfway down her thighs and, from what Adam could tell, there was nothing else underneath.

The surprise on Alice’s face lasted only a few seconds before turning into a small, mischievous smile that made it clear she was already enjoying the situation.

"Well." She said as she leaned against the doorframe. "I didn’t think you’d show up so soon."Adam tilted his head slightly to the side. "Are you busy?"

Alice looked him up and down without the slightest attempt at subtlety, taking her time before answering. "I just got out of the bath and was about to go to bed." She paused as her smile widened a little more. "But I suppose that can wait."

She stepped away from the frame and gestured with her head for him to come in.

Adam stepped inside without saying anything else, briefly observing the room as he heard the door close behind him.

The place was slightly smaller than his own room, but it was arranged in a way that suggested Alice wasn’t naturally messy.

There was a single bed against the wall, a desk with a few books stacked on it, a window with the curtains half-drawn, and a chair with folded clothes resting on it.

"Sit wherever you like." Alice said as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, crossing her legs. "Though the options are limited, as you can see."

Adam looked at the chair, then at her, and finally chose to sit in the desk chair, turning it to face her.

There was a moment of silence where they simply looked at each other.

Alice was the first to speak, as expected. "Well? Did you just come to stare at me, or are you going to say something?"

"Nice room." Adam replied in a completely flat tone.

Alice let out a short laugh. "Liar. It’s half the size of yours."

"A third, actually."

"How humble of you to correct me." She said as she leaned back slightly. The gesture made the T-shirt tighten faintly against her body, something she clearly knew she was doing. "So, what brings you here at this hour? Aren’t you afraid people will talk?"

"Should I be?"

"Probably." Alice tilted her head. "A Shadowend visiting the room of a lesser foreign noble at midnight. The rumors practically write themselves."

Adam looked her straight in the eyes without changing his expression. "You said that if I took too long, you’d come yourself. I preferred to save you the trip."

That made her smile for real, a wide smile that showed her teeth. "How considerate." She murmured. "Though I have to admit, I imagined you’d take at least a few weeks. Not a few days."

"Does that disappoint you?"

"Quite the opposite." She replied without hesitation.

The silence that followed was comfortable, strangely so. Adam leaned back against the chair as he watched her.

"You’re wearing your hair down." He commented after a moment. "It looks different."

Alice blinked, apparently not expecting that remark. Then she ran a hand through her damp hair, brushing a strand away from her face. "Different good or different bad?"

"Different." Adam repeated simply.

"You’re impossible," she said with a restrained laugh. "Are you always this cryptic, or is it just with me?"

"With everyone." He admitted. "But with you, I make an extra effort."

Alice opened her mouth to respond but stopped, processing what she had just heard. Then she narrowed her eyes with a smile. "Was that a compliment or an insult?"

"Depends on how you take it."

"I’ll take it as a compliment." She decided. "It suits me better."

Adam let out a laugh, almost inaudible, one that rarely escaped him. Alice noticed immediately and pointed at him.

"There it is. I knew you could do that."

"Do what?"

"Laugh. Or whatever that was." She leaned slightly forward.

"It’s not that rare."

"For you, it is." She stated with complete certainty. "You look like smiling costs you money."Adam looked at her for a second before shrugging. "Maybe it’s expensive."

"Then I’m flattered you’re spending it on me." Alice replied without missing a beat. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The conversation continued normally, with a natural ease Adam hadn’t experienced with anyone else at the academy.

There were no formalities, no political tension, no need to measure every word. Alice said what she thought and expected the same in return.

It was refreshing, in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

"I have a question." Adam said after a pause, shifting his tone to a more direct one. "What exactly is your goal at this academy?"

The question seemed to catch her off guard, not because of its content, but because of how direct it was. Her smile diminished slightly.

"My goal?" She repeated as she looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Is that what you came to ask at midnight?"

"Among other things."

Alice studied him for a moment, then crossed her arms, which made the T-shirt tighten slightly.

"Healing magic." She finally answered in a more serious tone. "I want to learn master-level healing magic."

Adam processed that. At the academy, four levels of magic were taught: basic, intermediate, advanced, and master.

The master level was the highest and the most difficult to reach, reserved for those with exceptional talent.

"Master level." Adam repeated. "That’s no small thing."

"It isn’t." Alice confirmed without a trace of humor in her voice. "But it’s what I need."

"For what?"

Alice looked into his eyes for several seconds and, for the first time since he had met her, Adam saw something behind that carefree façade. Something she had no intention of showing.

But she didn’t answer.

Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees."And you?" She asked. "What’s your goal at the academy?"

Adam looked at her for a moment, considering his options. Then, with the most serious expression he could maintain, he replied:

"To build myself a harem and conquer the world."

The silence that followed was absolute.

Alice stared at him, blinking once, twice, processing what she had just heard.Then she laughed.

It wasn’t a short or restrained laugh like the earlier ones. It was a genuine burst of laughter that made her fall back onto the bed while covering her mouth with one hand.

"No... I can’t believe it." She said between laughs as she shook her head. "I didn’t think you had that kind of humor."

Adam kept his expression neutral, which only made her laugh more.

"Seriously." Alice continued as she wiped a tear from her eye. "With that stone face of yours, the last thing I expected was for you to say something like that."

"What kind of humor did you think I had?" Adam asked curiously.

Alice gradually stopped laughing, though the smile remained.

Then she stood up from the bed. Adam watched her as she took the two steps that separated the bed from the chair where he was sitting.

She stopped in front of him, looking down at him with an expression that was no longer just amusement.

"I thought you were the type who doesn’t have a sense of humor." She said in a low voice as she leaned slightly forward. "The serious, quiet type who only speaks when it’s strictly necessary."

"You’re not wrong." Adam replied, keeping his gaze locked on hers despite the closeness.

"But you’re not entirely right either, are you?" Alice murmured as she took one last step, completely closing the distance between them.

Her body pressed against his. Adam felt the soft pressure of her chest as she leaned in, her damp green hair falling like a curtain on either side of her face.

Her eyes were inches from his.

Adam didn’t move; he simply looked at her with that calm that seemed to be a fundamental part of his existence.

Alice smiled one last time and, without warning, kissed him.

Her lips pressed against his with a softness that contrasted with the bold attitude she had shown so far. It was a slow kiss, as if she were testing something and wanted to take her time deciding whether she liked the result.

Adam didn’t push her away.

Nor did he close his eyes immediately. He looked at her for one more second before his eyelids finally gave in and his hand moved on its own, settling firmly at her waist.

Alice made a barely perceptible sound against his lips, something between surprise and satisfaction, before deepening the kiss slightly.