Chapter 14: What’s Wrong with Me?

“Phew~”

Eatin returned home and casually tossed his schoolbag onto the sofa, then collapsed onto the bed in a starfish position.

[Check Selise’s affection level.]

Eatin summoned Ruby.

Having just completed the task of helping Selise out of a bind, he wanted to see if her affection level had changed.

Ruby traced a streak of light in the air, pulling up a semi-transparent system panel.

The number on the panel changed from -273 to -256.

[Master is amazing! Affection increased by 17 points in just one day! At this rate, Selise’s fate will change soon!]

Ruby happily circled around Eatin as she spoke.

[Soon, huh…]

Eatin stared at the still-negative number and muttered to himself.

He couldn’t understand why Selise’s affection toward males was so low.

Even if she disliked men, logically it should hover around zero, not be so deeply negative.

Just thinking that she was the first among the four witches made Eatin feel the weight of responsibility settle heavily on his shoulders.

A long road lay ahead.

Oh, right!

Eatin suddenly remembered the 500-point reward from the completed task and shot up from the bed.

The sudden movement caught Ruby off guard.

She collided with him with a “thud,” flipping several times in the air before steadying herself.

[Master, you’re impossible!]

Ruby’s little face flushed bright red, tiny wisps of steam even rising from her head.

She glared at Eatin, her wings momentarily frozen.

[Sorry, sorry, just a bit excited.]

Eatin smiled apologetically at Ruby, rubbing his hands together as he excitedly opened the gacha interface.

Seeing the 500 points in his balance, his eyes lit up.

[I’m pulling now!]

With that, he raised his fist and punched the air.

Recalling the golden glow from yesterday’s lucky draw, Eatin’s anticipation grew.

Five hundred points meant five draws.

Maybe all five would be gold today?

Clutching that hope, he pressed the button for his first single draw.

A blue light flashed, revealing a common skill card—[Swordman’s Composure].

This was a movement skill card, allowing one sidestep dodge with a 4-second cooldown.

Why blue?

Eatin’s shoulders slumped instantly, disappointment clear in his tone.

He had hoped for another surge of luck like yesterday.

Unwilling to give up, he switched to the item pool and drew again.

Another blue light appeared, this time an [Elemental Bottle].

[Restores 30% health and mana upon use. Can be stored up to 3 times. Requires rest at home to refresh after use.]

Eatin stared at the item, feeling a vague familiarity.

Holding onto a sliver of hope, he switched to the weapon pool.

This time there wasn’t even a blue light—just a plain white glow.

[Ordinary Longsword], no special effects.

Had his luck run dry after yesterday?

Eatin collapsed back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

[Master, failure is a constant companion in life; regrets are the norm.]

Ruby gently landed on Eatin’s shoulder, her small wings brushing softly against his cheek.

Her tiny hand patted his hair.

[See, even the gacha system is designed this way. If you could always get what you wanted, it wouldn’t be fun, right?]

Eatin rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

Was that supposed to comfort him or whitewash the gacha system?

With no other choice, Eatin reluctantly switched back to the skill pool.

What he needed most now wasn’t weapons or items, but skills that could directly boost his combat ability.

He decided to focus his resources on skill cards for now.

The first draw was a blue magic card:

[Flash].

It could blind enemies for 2 seconds, with a 60-second cooldown.

Somewhat useful, but not much.

His last hope was pinned on this final draw.

Closing his eyes, he silently chanted in his mind:

Real men don’t rely on pity draws.

As the draw animation played, a purple light flashed.

A purple skill card spun down into his hand.

[Adrenaline]—doubles agility, strength, and other stats for 60 seconds.

Afterward, the user suffers a 1-hour weakness debuff.

Sixty seconds of real manliness, huh.

Eatin studied the card description, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Though the drawback was significant, it might prove invaluable in critical moments.

Meanwhile, in another district of Saint Dias Academy.

Selise pushed open the door to her home.

On the living room table lay a note weighed down by a neat stack of cash.

The note read:

“Mom is working overtime again (crying). Lelai, take good care of yourself~”

The handwriting was slightly messy, and a crying face was doodled at the end.

Selise sighed softly.

She was long accustomed to days like this.

She set her schoolbag on the chair, her slender fingers slowly undoing the copper buttons of her uniform jacket.

The deep blue coat slipped down her shoulders, revealing the snow-white blouse beneath.

The pearl buttons on the blouse were undone one by one, subtly exposing delicate collarbones.

She bent down to remove her knee-length academy skirt, followed by her black over-the-knee socks.

With her fingertips, she gently rolled down the socks, revealing pale, smooth calves.

With her clothes shed, Selise entered the bathroom and reached to turn on the shower.

Warm water instantly poured out, soaking her ice-blue hair.

Droplets slid down her sleek back, winding around her slender waist, and finally trickled down her long legs.

The bathroom slowly filled with hazy steam, water droplets condensing on the mirror and blurring the graceful silhouette within.

As a woman, her figure was truly flawless.

Selise closed her eyes, letting the water flow over her face.

Unbidden, the image of that black-haired boy surfaced in her mind.

In her most helpless moments, that boy always appeared just in time.

Unlike the men who approached her with ulterior motives, he never made any unreasonable demands after helping her.

This natural, comfortable friendship was something Selise had never experienced with any male before.

She slowly opened her eyes and lowered her gaze to the hand that Eatin had once held.

Due to childhood trauma and her upbringing, Selise had always harbored a strong aversion to men—sometimes even physiological disgust.

Any skin contact with a male would cause extreme discomfort, occasionally triggering an uncontrollable urge to use magic to defend herself.

This reaction had isolated her from her peers since childhood.

Yet, Eatin was completely different.

Though the situation had been urgent, her body had not rejected Eatin’s touch.

Why?

Was it because Eatin was unlike other boys?

But she couldn’t put her finger on how.

Now, she found herself involuntarily thinking about that black-haired boy.

Selise suddenly shook her head and lightly tapped her cheek, as if trying to dismiss the thought.

What was wrong with her?

Why did she care so much about a boy?

Was this still the same self who hated men so fiercely?

In any case, Selise couldn’t make sense of her current feelings.

It was sad to realize that apart from her mother, she didn’t have a single friend she could confide in.

Thinking of this, her fingers unconsciously brushed over her chest, feeling the steady beat of her heart within.

Tiny droplets clung to her long lashes, and her beautiful eyes, moistened by the steam, looked somewhat dreamy through the haze.

Selise reached out a finger to gently wipe the fog from the mirror.

Slowly, the mist cleared to reveal the girl’s blurred reflection—her soaked hair clinging to her flushed cheeks, water droplets trailing down her collarbone.

She gazed into the confused eyes in the mirror and whispered softly,

“Eatin… what’s happening to me?”