Infiltrating the Superhuman Training Girls’ School of the Republic of China!

“Hmm…”

Duey blinked with interest at the strange combination. She asked me:

“What do you think about those two together?”

“Why should I think anything about it…”

“Looking at this year’s exchange students, you know? A Korean and a Vietnamese. From a Chinese soldier’s perspective, those two are the easiest to mess with if they want to. It’s easy to gloss over.”

Although that’s due to Huangpu’s special environment and status, there’s truth in Duey’s words. Hoang Thi Linh. As befitting a hypnotist, she’s somewhat of an unhinged person, but that doesn’t mean she’s a woman completely lacking in charm.

In other words, it means if someone wanted to make a move, they could…

“Let’s go talk to them. Aren’t you curious?”

“I’m not sure if that’s something I should be concerned about… Wait a minute, you’re not thinking that I have feelings for the major and I’m jealous seeing that scene, are you…”

“Humans are greedy creatures, you know.”

Duey said.

“Even a chaebol’s wastrel who keeps three or four lovers gets consumed by jealousy when they see their main wife having an affair with another man. Is it any different between women?”

“The major and I aren’t in that kind of relationship…”

“Then I’ll go meet Barbie. Have a good talk and clear up any misunderstandings! Though it might not be a misunderstanding!”

Duey disappeared with a whoosh in that direction without even thinking of listening to my protests.

She was indeed a strange person. In some sense, she might be the most beautiful among the first-year foreign students, but she could also be said to be the strangest person in this group full of peculiar people. Although I wasn’t concerned in the sense of jealousy as Duey suggested, I was still somewhat curious about the conversation between Zhou and Hoang Thi Linh.

Instead of sneaking up to them in hiding, I approached the two boldly, walking with steady steps. Zhou and Hoang only seemed to notice my presence when I was about 10 meters away, turning to look at me.

“Instructor, I see you like this early in the morning.”

“Ah, it’s you. It’s Sunday morning, are you on your way back from church?”

Huangpu Military Academy is quite free in terms of religion. There’s a Buddhist shrine, a church, and even a mosque inside the school. But she said that knowing full well that I’m not a Christian.

“Just taking a walk.”

“You haven’t had a falling out with your roommate, have you?”

“A falling out? If anything, we’re getting along too well.”

“Hmm…”

Zhou’s eyebrow twitched. I asked her in return:

“What are you two doing here at such an early hour…”

“A simple interview. She said she had something personal she wanted to tell me.”

…At least she doesn’t seem to be under hypnosis. Hoang Thi Linh tried to hypnotize Chiang Kai-shek but failed. Zhou Lizhi is no pushover either… The possibility that Hoang Thi Linh deliberately tried to hypnotize her, or that it worked even if she tried, isn’t very high.

“I see.”

“We were just finishing up our conversation. Do you have anything more to say?”

Zhou asked, turning to Hoang. Hoang Thi Linh bowed her head carefully and giggled.

“Ah, no. I’m done. I can go now…”

“Alright, you can go. Thanks for reporting.”

Hearing those words, the hypnotist hurriedly moved away from us and ran towards the dormitory building. I watched Hoang Thi Linh disappear in the distance for a moment before turning to Zhou.

“Instructor.”

“What is it?”

“May I ask what you were talking about?”

“You’re free to ask, but it’s also my freedom to answer. I won’t answer. It seems I have a duty to maintain confidentiality.”

“I see…”

“Why do you look so suspicious? Do you find that Vietnamese exchange student suspicious?”

“The Vietnamese does have some questionable points, but from what I’ve seen, she’s just a bit peculiar. Just a bold and strange lady. No, what’s suspicious isn’t her.”

“Then me?”

“You’re not trying to make a move on her too, are you?”

Zhou smirked at my words. She brushed her bangs to the side and asked:

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

“What reason could there be?”

I laughed along with Zhou. Zhou’s expression hardened slightly seeing me laugh.

“So you’re just okay with it?”

“That’s how you’ve always lived, right? Just, the reason I’m suspicious is this. She succeeded in hypnotizing you and putting you to sleep once, didn’t she?”

“So, you think I might be under hypnosis again?”

“No. I thought you might be holding that incident as leverage against her, Major. It’s a good excuse, isn’t it?”

“…What?”

“Come to think of it, when Celine Demetriades’ trick worked, Hoang Thi Linh’s action was out of line. She tried to erase your memory to hide her actions. You praised her talent and let it slide by strengthening joint classes with other ability users… Was that a typical disposition?”

“In a normal military academy, they wouldn’t handle it that way.”

Zhou shrugged.

“But this is Huangpu. It’s a school for superhumans, and of course, different standards apply to superhumans. Moreover, you are foreign exchange students. After all, there’s pressure from above not to be too harsh with foreigners.”

“I don’t know. Didn’t you make some kind of deal?”

“Are you trying to pin some kind of charge on me, Shin Eun-young?”

“I’m suspecting that something immoral might have happened, like exempting her from punishment in exchange for sleeping with her.”

Zhou closed her mouth at my words. For a moment I thought I had hit the mark, but looking at her expression, it didn’t seem so. The reason she closed her mouth seemed to be… not because of the embarrassment of being hit on the mark, but because of some other displeasure.

“I don’t sleep with women that way.”

Zhou growled.

“Did you think I was that kind of person?”

“Whether you are or not, I just thought it didn’t matter. If you’re not, then you’re not. But even if you were… honestly, I doubt you could have overcome Hoang Thi Linh in bed. You’ve almost fallen once before.”

As I said with a light laugh, Zhou became serious.

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Pardon?”

“I know I’m making a fool of myself by saying this, but you’re okay with that? You’re saying it’s fine if I, Zhou Lizhi, take any of the other exchange students into my room right now?”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing all along?”

“Always. It’s always been the same.”

The major frankly admitted her misdeeds.

“But you did something I’ve never experienced before.”

“Tying your hands and gagging your mouth?”

“I thought you were expecting something from me.”

“What could I possibly expect from you, Instructor?”

“I thought you were expecting and demanding that I show different behavior from before.”

Zhou said coldly. I felt like I was going to be devoured by the cold air emanating from her. But maintaining composure in an unpleasant atmosphere was my specialty.

“What did you expect from me, Instructor?”

“…”

“Did you expect me to formally request a relationship?”

“…Hmm.”

“Did you expect me to show possessiveness over you, to believe that you had stopped pursuing other women? Is that what you expected from me? Why? Have we become that close? I’ve never said I’d date you, never said I’d give myself to you, and certainly never set conditions that I’d give myself to you if you stopped touching other women. It seems you’ve been having some strange imaginations on your own…”

I turned away from her with a smirk. Zhou Lizhi still said nothing, just looking at me with her hand on her sword hilt.

“Shin Eun-young.”

“Yes, Major?”

“Then believe just one thing, nothing else. I didn’t touch her. I haven’t touched anyone this semester. Not even the lovers I made last semester who are now second-years.”

“What meaning does that have for me to know? You didn’t like Hoang Thi Linh? Was it her hypnosis that you didn’t like, or is it because her skin is a bit dark?”

“Her ability isn’t the issue. Skin color is even less of a problem. Whether they’re dark, light, yellow, or red. I can devour any woman I can eat.”

“So?”

“The reason I’m starving is elsewhere. I only starve myself on purpose when there’s something I really want to eat.”

“Major, let’s make one thing clear.”

I said, turning my body halfway towards her.

“Prey doesn’t fall into your mouth if you don’t hunt.”