These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy

"...Sigh..."

I let out a long sigh. After putting the last document into the folder and tucking it into the drawer, I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the library.

After locking the library doors, I walked the road home with heavy steps.

My body was exhausted, my eyes felt swollen, and the gloomy mood made me sigh again and again.

"...Sigh..."

They say sighing makes happiness slip away, right? But isn't it the other way around? It’s because happiness slips away that you sigh in the first place.

I took a few deep breaths outside the main building, feeling slightly more refreshed. The moonlight was nice tonight too — I could recover a bit of my energy.

Today might be... the worst day of my life — No, not the worst, maybe just... the most unforgettable?

I didn’t even know how to describe it.

Why? Because a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ few hours ago, something completely, totally, unimaginably unexpected had happened. Something I never thought would happen even in my wildest dreams.

I ended up with a master.

And my master was none other than a student I was familiar with.

Ethan An. The first time I met him was half a year ago in autumn, when he came to the library and asked, "Do you have any manga or light novels here?" Riverside High was a prestigious school — of course the library wouldn't stock entertainment books like that. The most exciting things we had were probably Sherlock Holmes or Harry Potter.

But for some reason, I told him, "We do, but I haven’t put them on the shelves yet. If you want, I’ll bring some tomorrow." Then I brought manga and light novels from home and placed them on a shelf in the corner.

Since then, he often came to the library, and I kept buying new manga and light novels online to add to the shelf.

Thinking back, why did I even tell such an obvious lie?

Maybe because... when he first saw me, he didn’t frown.

Before I realized it, I’d already arrived at my apartment. It wasn’t some fancy high-rise — just a normal twelve-story building. The best part was it was close to school, only three streets away. Maybe because there were rumors of hauntings, the property price was low. Plus, I used illusion magic to confuse the realtor, so I bought it for an absurdly cheap price.

Even so, I still burned through all my savings. After all, I had just graduated college — I didn’t have much money to begin with.

That mother of mine...

She even said, "If you don’t have money, just go into prostitution. For a succubus, sucking men dry is natural. You get paid and have fun at the same time — two birds with one stone~!"

Absolutely unforgivable!

I will never give in!

Why should succubi have to become that kind of filthy creature?! No — why was I even born a succubus in the first place?!

"I hate it!"

I kicked a nearby utility pole hard — the cement cracked, but my foot wasn’t hurt at all.

Maybe being sturdy was the only upside to being a succubus. Although, according to my disgraceful mother, succubi bodies were tough so they could handle "various kinds" of play...

Idiot! Why would you even tell me that kind of thing?! Idiot, idiot!!

I had fantasized so many times — if only I weren’t a succubus, maybe I could have lived a normal life...

Sigh, what am I even thinking?

It’s not like wishing for it will change reality.

The elevator light showed “1F”. The doors slowly opened, and I stepped inside.

A man followed me in — he lived in the apartment below mine. We often crossed paths around this time. He always smelled faintly of blood. Was he getting into fights all the time?

Normally, I’d lower my head to avoid attention, but tonight, feeling too depressed, I kept my gaze forward and tucked my bangs behind my ear.

The instant the man saw my face, his expression twisted into pure disgust. He clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.

Thanks to my sharper-than-human hearing, I caught his muttering:

"I should move... Even if this place isn’t haunted, seeing a ghost every day... What a nightmare..."

The "ghost" he meant... was me, no doubt.

It was a normal reaction.

Yes, my illusion was still active.

In their eyes, I was an extremely ugly woman.

I used a self-imposed illusion that reversed my real appearance — I couldn’t see it myself, but judging by the reactions, I must look hideous enough to make my neighbors consider moving.

"..."

We reached the 11th floor. The man stomped out of the elevator, obviously annoyed.

I couldn’t resist — I called out.

"Hey."

As he turned around, I canceled the illusion, smiled sweetly, and flipped him the bird.

"Hmph! Go to hell, ghost-seer!"

Under his stunned stare, the elevator doors closed and carried me up to the top floor.

Hoo~ Much better. Sometimes you just have to vent.

I unlocked Room 1203 and entered.

The first thing I saw was the mess. If Ethan An had seen it earlier when he said he wanted to visit, he would definitely have looked down on me...

Wait, wait, why do I care about his opinion?!

...Still, maybe it’s time to clean up a little.

By the time it was close to eleven, the room was mostly tidied up. I hadn't seen the floor in a long time.

Next, it was time to repair his school uniform.

I pulled out a sewing kit from my nightstand — it was the only gift my mother ever gave me. Of all the skills she taught me, sewing was the most useful.

— "When you’re upset, try embroidering.

Especially after you fall for someone, stitching while thinking about them will make your work even better."

Ugh. Why did I suddenly remember that?

Ethan An...

No! Why am I thinking about him?! He’s just my student!!

I shook my head fiercely, clearing away the thoughts.

I started sewing carefully — each stitch aligned neatly, uniform in thickness and direction.

"Ethan An..."

Gah! Why did I accidentally say his name aloud?!

A jolt of pain shot through my abdomen — like being stabbed with needles. My heart felt squeezed tight.

"Ah... nngh..."

The pain made me let out a weak sound — it took a while before I recovered.

I’m not allowed to call him by name. I have to say “Master” or “Cheng-kun.”

Even if he’s not around, the contract forbids me from being disrespectful.

Because it's a Master-Slave Contract.

I lied. When he spoke my True Name, the contract that formed wasn’t a simple Master-Servant Contract. It was a Master-Slave Contract.

Under a Master-Slave Contract, I'm not a servant, but a slave — no freedom, absolute obedience, zero autonomy.

I was afraid — afraid that if he knew, he would look at me with the same filthy gaze as other men.

Or maybe... maybe I just didn’t want to see him become that kind of person.

That fear... made me endure the pain and lie to him.

But deep down, I knew — Ethan An is kind.

Until today, he had only seen the ugly version of me, the illusion.

In a world where appearances matter so much, someone like that would normally be shunned. Colleagues stayed away, students avoided me — no one wanted to get close.

But he did.

Maybe because we were both lonely. Maybe that’s why I kept asking him for help.

I only wanted him to have a few friends — that’s why I set the charm spell.

Who would've thought... the charm spell would end up binding me to him instead...

I never imagined there could be such strange powers — seeing other people’s names and titles floating over their heads?

I knew there were humans with supernatural abilities, but they were usually stuff like lightning powers or pyrokinesis. This ability... was something else entirely.

For demonkind, it’s basically a natural disaster.

He must be feeling so confused... I’ll have to ask my mother about it tomorrow.

It’s been so long since I last contacted her... Even though we were now at the same school, I didn’t dare approach her.

Maybe thanks to him, I finally found the courage to reach out.

Speaking of which... he’s seven years younger than me...

But he acts way more mature than other kids his age.

And today... I even cried in front of him like a child...

"Yaaah~! So embarrassing!!"

Overcome with shame, I screamed and accidentally pricked my finger with the needle.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

I hurriedly stuck my finger into my mouth to stop the bleeding.

Seriously — you’re not supposed to daydream when you’re doing needlework!

Thinking back, he didn’t react much even after seeing my true face.

Could it be... does he have no interest in women?

No, he definitely stared when he first walked into the library. He even said I looked like a sexy older sister. So he is interested in women.

Maybe he’s just the shy type?

Still, even when he touched me, he didn't show any physical reaction...

Back when I handed him the paper strip, our fingers brushed — but I thought it didn’t count because it was too brief.

But today, even after we grabbed and pulled at each other for a long time...

Nothing.

Which meant — even if he touched me, he wouldn't get seduced.

That’s probably why he didn’t do anything to me — and even swore he wouldn't.

His words from earlier floated back into my mind:

"I’m heading home. Lily, just pretend the master-servant contract doesn’t exist. Starting tomorrow, we’re just teacher and student again."

Pretend it doesn’t exist...

Go back to being teacher and student...

Why does that make me feel... so lonely?

How am I supposed to face him from now on?

Can I still act like his teacher?

"Sigh... Cheng-kun... My master... Nngh!"

Ouch! I pricked my finger again.

I’m such an idiot...

Let’s hurry up and finish sewing his uniform — then go to bed.