Haruto slumped over his desk, his forehead resting against the cool wood. His mind was drifting back to his original goal: the thrill of the hunt. Ever since I arrived in this world, I haven't even had a proper high-stakes combat encounter. It's been nothing but political maneuvering and system maintenance. I'm bored out of my mind! Finally, I have the clearance for the high-tier layers... no more holding back. I'm going to charge straight in.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the atmosphere in the classroom shift. Suddenly, he felt a sharp thwack against the top of his head.
Haruto jolted upright, his hand instinctively going to his hair. He spun around, eyes narrowing, only to find a girl from his class sitting directly in front of him. She had turned her chair backward, resting her chin on the backrest, and was staring at him with a gaze that felt disturbingly intense.
Haruto blinked, completely bewildered. Ugh, who is this? Why is she staring at me like that?
He glanced around the room, and his confusion turned into sheer alarm. It wasn't just this girl. The entire classroom was packed—and it was almost exclusively filled with girls. Everywhere he looked, he saw female students whispering, glancing his way, and subtly shifting their desks closer to his position.
"What in the world is happening?" he thought, his pulse quickening. "Why are they all swarming my sector?"
He frantically looked toward the door, hoping to find an exit or at least some logical explanation. His eyes landed on Emilie, who was standing stoically by the entrance. She wasn't interfering; she was just observing with that same calm, unreadable expression she always wore.
Great, Haruto thought, feeling his head throb. I'm supposed to be a King-in-waiting, not a magnet for whatever chaotic harem simulation this academy has turned into. I need to get out of here before this 'attention' level breaks
The classroom air felt heavy, saturated with the scent of perfume and the buzzing of dozens of excited voices.
"Hey, Haruto! You're sitting all alone today?" one of the girls chirped, leaning in closer than the social protocols usually allowed.
"Yeah, where are your bodyguards? Didn't you usually have that pack of beauties following you everywhere?" another giggled, her eyes scanning him with predatory curiosity.
Haruto's analytical mind instantly processed the shift in the air. Ah, I see. As long as the three Goddesses were around. They didn't dare approach me because they knew their own power levels were absolute trash compared to my team who is disguised to level 6. But now that the Goddesses are recovering from that "Drape Fruit" overdose back at the palace, the coast is clear.
He realized with a jolt that he was a sitting duck. He currently had his voice pack locked, his mana output dampened to avoid triggering system alarms, and he was effectively stripped of his "royal aura" because he wasn't currently being flanked by his protective team. He was, for all intents and purposes, a high-value target in a room full of people who suddenly forgot their place.
I can't say anything, because it breaks my silence protocol. But I don't, they'll just keep swarming.
Haruto didn't hesitate. He let out a long, weary sigh, leaned forward, and slumped his head down into his own lap, covering his face with his arms. He pulled his hand up, effectively blocking out their gazes. He started rhythmic, shallow breathing—the perfect imitation of someone who had completely given up on the world and was trying to fall asleep.
Let them stare, he thought, curling up tighter. I'm not playing this game. If I'm "asleep," they can't force a conversation. I'll just wait for the bell to ring and then make a tactical retreat before they get any more 'creative' with their questions.
He could still hear them whispering around his desk, their voices buzzing like insects.
"Is he really sleeping?"
"Maybe he's sad because the Princesses aren't here?"
"He looks so quiet when he's not busy being a King..."
Haruto gritted his teeth under his arms. Keep talking, ladies. Just thirty more minutes of this farce, and I'm out of here.
The air in the classroom grew stifling. Haruto tried to remain still, but the whispers turned into physical contact. He felt fingers brushing against his shoulder, then someone pulling at his sleeve.
"Come on, Haruto," a girl's voice teased. "We aren't going anywhere, and we're certainly not children. You can't just sleep through the whole day like that. Talk to us!"
Haruto slowly lifted his head, his face a mask of practiced indifference. As his gaze swept across the room, he saw the girls surrounding his desk, eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and fascination.
Suddenly, one girl reached out and ran her hand through his hair. "Wow... your new look is incredible. It's so silky!"
Another girl leaned in close, her eyes fixated on his face, tracing the sharp features. "Honestly, just looking at you feels like being under a spell. It's dangerous," she whispered, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
Inside, Haruto's system was screaming. Who gave them permission to touch me? My personal space is being violated by every single one of these!
He felt a flash of irritation—a defensive reflex—but he forcefully crushed it. Stop it, Haruto. You aren't a high-and-mighty Royal. Remember your status: you're a guy who used to scrap metal and work the night shift at a convenience store to survive. You're getting genuine compliments. You're actually popular. Why the hell are you so allergic to being touched? Stop acting like you're above it.
He forced his muscles to relax, though his jaw remained set.
Then, disaster struck.
A girl sitting to his immediate left reached out and grabbed his left hand, pulling it up into the light. Her eyes widened as they caught the sparkle of the five rings adorning his fingers.
The room went dead silent. The girl's voice trembled with shock as she pointed at his hand.
"Wait a second... you're wearing five engagement rings? Did you... are you already engaged?"
The girls around him gasped, the atmosphere shifting instantly from flirtatious curiosity to pure, concentrated panic. Haruto stared at his hand, then at the circle of stunned faces. He couldn't say a word, his silence protocol still keeping his throat sealed, but the panic in their eyes told him everything he needed to know—the "invincible King" wasn't just off-limits; he was effectively a walking minefield.
.Haruto's mind went into a full-scale tactical retreat. Game over. I'm cooked.
He realized that by wearing the rings openly, he had essentially signaled to everyone that he had already made his "selection" from the palace's elite pool. He could see the gears turning in their heads; they weren't backing down—they were calculating how to compete.
This makes no sense, Haruto thought, his frustration mounting. When I first got here, these girls wouldn't even look at me. I was just some weirdo with a mysterious background. Now that I have the royal title, suddenly I'm a prize? And to top it off, I don't even know most of their names!
To his surprise, the girls didn't run away in shock. Instead, they leaned in, their eyes glinting with a mix of awe and challenge.
"Come on, Haruto, tell us! You're an adult now, surely you can handle being honest? Dealing with five women at once must be quite the feat, right?"
Emilie stepped forward, her voice calm but firm, cutting through the chatter.
"Young ladies, please, do not spread rumors. Nothing is officially confirmed yet."
The classroom erupted.
"Oh, so it is true? You're engaged!" one girl shouted. "We know Lilith is definitely one of them! And obviously Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra too! But who is the fifth one?"
Emilie maintained her composure.
"That is a secret. Your guesses are your own, but please, keep this contained."
Haruto felt a headache brewing.
'Keep it contained'? I'm walking around with five glowing beacons on my fingers! Everyone in the city is going to know by noon.
Deciding he had to ditch the evidence, Haruto tried to slide the rings off his finger. But the moment his skin touched the metal, a violent jolt of electricity surged through his hand. The shock was so powerful it threw him backward, and he crashed onto the classroom floor.
A semi-transparent blue screen flickered into existence right in front of his eyes—invisible to everyone else in the room.
[PERMISSION NOT GRANTED]
[PERSON CONNECTED TO RING IS STILL ALIVE]
Haruto froze, staring at the notification. His heart skipped a beat. They're still alive? He quickly glanced around. No one else reacted; the girls were just looking at him with concern, assuming he'd just tripped or fainted.
He tapped the screen to dismiss it, hiding the interface before anyone could catch a glimpse. He stood up, brushing the dust off his uniform, his mind racing. The rings aren't just jewelry. They're soul-linked to my fiancées. If I try to remove them while the girls are alive, the system treats it as a security breach.
He looked at the crowd of students, who were now whispering even more intensely about his "faint." He was trapped. He couldn't take the rings off, he couldn't speak to explain, and he was currently the center of a rumor that would spread through the academy like wildfire.
Great, he thought, masking his panic with a cold, blank stare. I wanted a quiet day to study the dungeon layers, and now I've basically announced to the entire world that I'm off the market. I need to get out of here before this turns into a full-blown celebrity trial.
Emilie hurried to Haruto's side, her expression tight with worry. "Haruto! Are you alright? That was a massive electrical discharge."
Haruto nodded slowly, still feeling the lingering static running through his nerves. The female students, suddenly shifting from curious to genuinely concerned, helped him back to his chair.
"Are you really okay? You looked like you were hit by a lightning bolt!" one of them asked, her voice filled with genuine alarm.
Haruto just gave a weak, shaky nod. He couldn't speak, and he didn't want to. He needed to get out of the spotlight before he did something stupid. He stood up, barely steady on his feet, and walked out of the classroom with Emilie hovering close by. Once he reached the quiet of the restroom, he locked himself in a stall and immediately pulled up his system interface.
His breath caught in his throat. [HP: 10/100].
Ten percent? Haruto stared at the glowing red bar in disbelief. If my baseline hadn't been reinforced by the Creator metrics, that discharge would have straight-up deleted my existence. Those rings aren't just accessories; they're defense-locked.
He took a few deep breaths, letting his passive regeneration kick in to stabilize his core. Once the red warning began to fade, he stepped back out, heading straight for the classroom.
He was greeted by the same swarm of girls, their eyes following his every movement until he collapsed back into his seat. Emilie remained in the corner, a silent guardian, refusing to make a scene but watching the students like a hawk.
Just as he was trying to collect his thoughts, a sharp, mocking laugh echoed from the back of the room.
Four figures sauntered toward his desk—Kenjin and his crew, the same guys who had tried to trap Haruto in the restrooms weeks ago. Kalen looked down at him with a sneer of pure satisfaction.
"Look at you, Haruto. You're pathetic," Kalen spat, loud enough for the entire room to hear.
"I heard you barely scraped through that Wizard Quest. Everyone knows you didn't win on skill. You obviously used some forbidden dark magic or sold off parts of your own soul to pull that victory off. That's why you're so weak now, right?"
The classroom went dead silent. The girls, who had been swooning over Haruto just moments ago, suddenly froze. They turned their heads toward Kalen, their eyes narrowing into slits. The shift in the room was instant—the air felt heavy, almost hostile, as dozens of students turned to glare at the group that had just insulted their "King."
Kalen didn't notice the atmosphere shifting; he was too busy basking in his own ego.
"Well? Cat got your tongue? Or did you lose that in the quest too?"
Haruto leaned back in his chair, keeping his face perfectly blank. He didn't need to speak. He could see the girls tightening their grip on their pens and books, their faces hardening.
Kalen had just made the mistake of insulting the person the entire class was currently obsessed with.
Idiots, Haruto thought, a small, cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He just walked straight into a trap, and he's too busy posturing to see the swarm of hornets he just poked.
The room grew suffocatingly tense. A girl from the front row stood up, her chair scraping harshly against the floor. "What did you just say, Kenjin?"
The rest of the girls rose in unison, forming a wall of cold, icy glares directed squarely at Kenjin and his cronies.
Kenjin, however, seemed fueled by pure, desperate jealousy. He scoffed, his face twisting into a sneer as he gestured wildly at the group. "Oh, give me a break! Are you all blind? You're acting like parasites! For as long as I've been here, I was the most handsome guy in this academy. I was the popular one! Remember?"
He pointed a shaking finger at a girl near the aisle. "You! The first day he showed up, you literally told me, 'Where do these freaks even come from?'" He whipped his head toward another girl. "And you! You said he looked like a gutter-rat and smelled like absolute garbage!"
The room went deathly silent. The girls didn't blush; they didn't look guilty. They just stared at him with an expression that bordered on pity.
Haruto, still leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, felt a genuine, dry laugh bubble up in his chest. Oh, wow. He's actually outing his own fan club. That's the one thing I have to give Kenjin credit for—he's completely destroyed his own social standing in thirty seconds.
He looked at the girls who were now looking at Kenjin with pure disgust. He's right—these were his fan girls. They were the ones whispering and giggling at his table a month ago. But now? Their eyes have shifted. It's funny how fast loyalty pivots when a 'Royal' variable enters the equation.
Haruto watched the scene unfold with cold satisfaction. And wait, he's not even Kalen. It's Kenjin—the guy who stayed behind while Kalen fled the village in shame. He's the one who's been stewing in his own bitterness all this time.
Kenjin looked around, expecting his call-out to break their obsession with Haruto, but the only thing he achieved was isolating himself further. He looked like a man shouting into a hurricane, oblivious to the fact that the wind had already changed direction.
Haruto tapped his fingers on his desk. He didn't need to say a word. The girls were already stepping forward, their expressions hardening. Kenjin had walked into the lion's den, and he was about to learn exactly how much power his "previous popularity" held in a room that had already decided who their new king was.
The tension in the room shattered. One girl from the front row slammed her hand onto her desk, her voice icy. "That's enough, Kenjin. Get out of here before I break that jaw of yours."
"Level 5?" another girl scoffed, stepping closer. "Are you really comparing yourself to him? Did you forget the hierarchy lecture on the first day? Higher levels dictate the reality of this academy. Know your place."
Kenjin's face turned a violent shade of red. "Reality? What reality?! Haruto is nothing! He's a nobody who just happened to get lucky."
"He's going to be King," the girl retorted, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low pitch.
"King?" Kenjin barked out a laugh that sounded more like a desperate howl. "He's a gutter rat! You girls have lost your minds. You're all blind if you think he has any real power."
He turned his gaze toward Haruto, his eyes burning with malice. "Fine. If you're so obsessed with him, let's settle this once and for all. A formal duel. We both display our magic proficiency right here in the hall. Whoever wins, the school acknowledges as the superior. If I lose, I'll be your little slave, Haruto. But if I win... the throne, the prestige, and your entire harem of 'princesses' belong to me."
A girl in the back shrieked, "He's already engaged! You can't touch them!"
Kenjin froze, his confidence wavering for a split second before he sneered, "Engaged? Just don't tell me you alredy have your way with them, jsut tell me they are all pure."
Emilie stepped forward, her presence suddenly looming over the room. Her voice was calm but carried the weight of the royal palace.
"Your choices are your own, Kenjin, but questioning Haruto's character is a line you shouldn't have crossed. He has never mistreated anyone. If you insist on this duel, you are only proving your own ignorance."
Kenjin ignored her, his eyes locked on Haruto. "So? Do we have a deal?"
Haruto's internal systems were screaming red alerts.
Shit. This is the worst-case scenario.
He did a quick diagnostic check: [HP: 15/100] and [MAGIC: LOCKED/RECOVERY PENDING]. His HP core was still depleted from the ring incident, and his magic was barely crawling along. It would take an entire month of rest to reach full capacity. Right now, he was essentially a regular human with a fancy title.
If I accept, I lose everything. If I decline, I look like a coward and lose the respect