## Chapter 115 – Yearning #2
Saruk sensed something was off with Number 25 and quickly followed him out into the hallway, grabbing his shoulder.
“Ryu! You’re acting strange today. What’s wrong?”
Number 25 stopped in his tracks, lost in the thoughts that had been plaguing him.
Should he reveal everything to Saruk? About his past?
That he had lived as a slave, constantly fearing death, and that Aselle was the one who saved him?
Saruk was a trustworthy friend, but it wasn’t the right time yet.
If it got out that he was a former slave, he might face scorn. Number 25 hadn’t revealed his status to those around him because of that fear.
If Saruk were to hate him, there would be no one he could trust in this academy.
He didn’t want to lose the friend he’d finally made in such a way.
He would tell him when the time was right. Number 25 made his decision with that easygoing thought in mind.
Number 25 carefully brushed Saruk’s hand off his shoulder and opened his mouth with a bitter tone.
“Sorry, I’ll explain everything later, so can you leave me alone for a bit?”
Saruk looked at Number 25 with a somewhat displeased expression.
A gaze filled with a hint of disappointment, a gaze that always looked straight at him, but today, he couldn’t bring himself to meet it.
The considerate Saruk had no intention of keeping Number 25 in the hallway any longer.
He let out a short sigh and said in a slightly brighter tone.
“You have to explain everything later. Promise.”
Number 25 expressed his gratitude for Saruk’s consideration and was finally able to leave the building.
Unlike his dark mood, the sky in District 1 was dazzlingly bright.
Without realizing it, Number 25 found himself in the park, sitting on a bench and gazing at the clear sky without a single cloud.
He couldn’t even count how many times he had sat here pathetically, lost in thought.
Next time, he should find a different place. The academy grounds were so vast that he couldn’t see everything even if he walked around all day.
Trivial thoughts passed through his mind, and the thoughts that truly tormented him arose in Number 25’s heart.
He had never forgotten Aselle, not even for a single day. He was secretly proud of that.
Never forgotten?
Could he really say that with such confidence? Could he put his hand on his heart and swear that there wasn’t a shred of falsehood in that statement?
Really not even for a single day? Not even for a single hour? Not even for a single minute? Not even for a single second? Could he swear that he had never forgotten even for a moment all that she had done for him?
He couldn’t come up with an answer to that.
Rather than not being able to come up with an answer, he didn’t want to come up with an answer to that.
He knew better than anyone else.
He kept saying that he couldn’t forget her, that she was everything to him, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.
When he was wrapped in Lowe’s warmth, when he was embraced in her soft arms and shared love, Aselle didn’t cross Number 25’s mind.
He felt dizzy.
He wanted to grab a toilet right away and throw up everything inside him.
Was he just a slave after all? A piece of trash who forgot the grace of his master as soon as he regained his freedom?
Someone lightly tapped Number 25’s shoulder as he was immersed in self-loathing depression.
Was it Saruk again? He briefly entertained that thought, but the Saruk who had given up once wouldn’t have followed him all the way here, and more than anything, the force on his shoulder was far too light.
Before Number 25 could come up with an answer in his head, the person behind him spoke first.
“You’re always here, aren’t you?”
A familiar sweet voice. Number 25 only turned his head to confirm the owner of the voice.
Claire. She stood there with a worried expression, the first time he had seen her since the student council invitation.
Before Number 25 could even greet her, she naturally sat down next to him and swept her hair behind her ear.
A cool scent wafted around his nose every time she moved slightly.
Claire smiled brightly and spoke to Number 25 in a friendly manner.
“You look like you have some worries?”
It seemed like it all showed on his face.
Well, if someone was sitting on a bench, staring at the sky with an expression as if they were carrying all the worries of the world on their shoulders, anyone would think they had worries.
“Yeah, well…”
Seeing Number 25’s dejected reply, Claire moved even closer and furrowed her brow slightly.
Her plump breasts pressed firmly against his arm, and the sweet scent emanating from her neck made him feel faint.
Claire, unaware of Number 25’s feelings, continued to offer words of concern.
“It’s better to talk to someone if you have worries. It’s much better than suffering alone, you know?”
He had never thought about confiding his worries in someone.
Number 25 changed his mind.
Wasn’t Claire a senior, not a friend like Saruk, someone he could sometimes rely on?
“Well, then…”
Number 25 glanced around, slightly turning his head. There were still many students in the park. He was reluctant to reveal his personal affairs among this crowd.
Claire, understanding Number 25’s intentions, stood up and offered him her hand.
“It’s a bit much to talk here, right? Shall we go inside?”
Claire’s hand, which he grasped, was much warmer than Number 25 had expected.
Following behind Claire, he found the student council room again. Fortunately, the people who had been there before were nowhere to be seen, probably having gone to class.
Hesitantly sitting on the sofa, Number 25 sipped the tea that Claire had prepared.
Once he had calmed down, Number 25 began to pour out the worries he had been harboring one by one.
Of course, he hid the fact that he was a slave and spoke vaguely about how he had received grace from Aselle and wanted to meet her. It was the first time he had ever confided in someone in this way.
Claire, having heard everything Number 25 had to say, wore a surprised expression, as if it was unexpected.
One thing he was grateful for was that Claire listened to Number 25’s story more seriously than anyone else and never thought it was a lie, not even for a moment.
Claire took a sip of the tea in front of her, gave Number 25 a gentle smile, and then lowered the corners of her eyes with a sad expression, muttering as if to herself.
“So that’s what happened… It must have been hard for you all this time.”
He could tell that it wasn’t just words of comfort. She was genuinely sympathizing with the pain that Number 25 had felt.
There was no way she could have made such an expression otherwise.
Number 25 thanked her for listening to his boring and uninteresting story.
“It’s okay. Counseling students is also one of my duties.”
Number 25 fidgeted with his fingers and cautiously asked.
“Do you happen to know how to meet the Demon Lord?”
It was a question he asked lightly, not expecting much.
However, Claire’s answer that came back was unexpected.
“How to meet the Demon Lord? Of course, I know. I’m the student council president, after all.”
“Really?!”
Number 25’s excited body leaned forward. The table shifted, and the teacup on it spilled onto Claire’s uniform.
The steaming tea soaked her clothes, but Claire didn’t panic and stood up.
Rather, Number 25, the perpetrator, was more flustered and didn’t know what to do.
“I, I’m sorry. I was too excited…”
Claire roughly wiped the tea off the sofa and her clothes with a handkerchief and said with a smile.
“It’s nothing. Stay seated. Hmm… but I won’t be able to wear this uniform for a while.”
After finishing her words, Claire nonchalantly took off the uniform she was wearing in front of Number 25.
A simple white undergarment with lace was revealed. Seeing Claire exposing all of her underwear, Number 25 blushed and averted his gaze.
Claire tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand, and asked.
“What’s wrong? Do you hate seeing my body that much?”
“I, it’s not that, but you shouldn’t just take off your clothes like that…”
Claire put her hands on her hips and showed off her confident figure, pushing her chest forward.
“I’m proud of my body. I don’t particularly think it’s shameful to show it to others.”
Number 25 glanced back and looked at her body again. It was definitely a body to be proud of.
A body with curves in all the right places. It was a cliché expression, but it suited Claire’s body so well.
Plump breasts that seemed to fit perfectly in his hands, a slender waist and smooth abdomen, firm thighs and wide hips.
A body that all women would idolize. Number 25 took a breath and barely managed to calm his mind.
Claire took out a new uniform from the closet and changed, then sat back on the sofa and parted her lips with a serious voice.
“Ah, you said you were curious about how to meet the Demon Lord, right?”
Number 25 nodded his head vigorously, as if he had forgotten Claire’s body just now, and replied with a determined look.
“Yes…!”
Claire handed a piece of paper to Number 25 and added an explanation.
“The Martial Arts Competition will be held in two months. One of the rewards for the winner is to spend a day with the Demon Lord of their choice. How about that? Is that the answer you were looking for?”
It was enough, no, it was the information that Number 25 had been hoping for the most. He felt so grateful to her that he couldn’t thank her enough.
Number 25 didn’t even bother to read the paper she had given him.
He could spend a whole day with one Demon Lord. All of Number 25’s attention was fixed on that sentence.
In other words, if he could win this competition, his reunion with Aselle, which Number 25 had been longing for so much, wouldn’t just be a dream.
A new goal was lighting the way.
Meaning was finally being given to his meaningless life.
The Martial Arts Competition. Two months left. He didn’t want to stand on the sacrifices of others, but Number 25 needed to win this competition no matter what.
To do that, the key was to control the power of the Void attribute.
He didn’t want to kill others with a power he couldn’t control and reunite with Aselle in regret.
Aselle wouldn’t want his reunion with her to be mixed with tears of repentance caused by someone’s sacrifice, rather than joy.
Number 25’s eyes, having set a new goal, were shining brighter than ever before.
