In the dormitory, several young women sat in a circle, gazing down at Admire Vega, who knelt on the floor like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Admire Vega?"
As the dorm head of Miho Dormitory, Hishi Amazon had heard the scream from the room.
Without even stopping to put on her shoes, she rushed into Manhattan Cafe's room, only to find Admire Vega clinging tightly to Cafe, their legs tangled together, with Admire Vega's hand boldly slipping inside Cafe's pajamas.
Though she was a bit puzzled why it was Admire Vega who had screamed, it didn't matter now.
To protect Manhattan Cafe, who had just woken from a dream and nearly been violated, Hishi Amazon immediately stepped in.
She yanked Admire Vega off of Cafe, pinned her hands behind her back, and pressed her down onto the bed.
By the time Fuji Kiseki, the dorm head of Ritto, arrived upon hearing the commotion, Admire Vega was already tied up securely.
Then came the interrogation.
The two dorm heads and the victim sat on the edge of the bed.
Upon hearing about the incident, Curren Chan also hurried over, joined by Yukino Bijin, who had been awakened by the noise. Now, six of them crowded into the cramped dorm room.
"Yukino Bijin, could you please close the door?" Hishi Amazon said.
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Replying nervously, Yukino Bijin clattered over to the door.
She gave an apologetic look to the curious classmates gathered outside before shutting and locking it.
With no more outside disturbances, Hishi Amazon crossed her arms, crossed her legs, and looked down at Admire Vega—who refused to meet anyone's eyes—with the authority of a queen.
"This is the second time," she stated.
Last time as well, this Admire Vega had inexplicably ended up in Cafe's bed, alarming everyone in the building.
If last time she could brush it off with some flimsy excuse like 'sleepwalking,' no one would believe any made-up reason now.
Whether it was Admire Vega's room or Manhattan Cafe's, the doors had been properly closed when they were opened.
How could she possibly have sleepwalked all the way across two buildings and managed to close the door behind her?
This was a premeditated nighttime assault! No room for debate! Hishi Amazon had made her judgment.
Seemingly aware she was in the wrong, Admire Vega, sitting on the floor, twisted her lips like rolling waves, but not a single word came out.
'I don't know,' 'I'm not sure either,' 'When I woke up, I was already here'—even if she told them, no one would believe her now…
"Admire Vega," even Fuji Kiseki, who usually protected her own, couldn't let this slide any longer.
"Do you realize your actions have seriously violated school rules and discipline?"
The reason Fuji Kiseki had granted Admire Vega permission for overnight camping trips was because she knew Admire Vega was a rule-abiding, trustworthy girl.
If she said she was going somewhere, she went there, never making excuses to stay out at night.
That trust had been betrayed once before. Back then, Fuji Kiseki chose to believe it wasn't intentional—after all, Admire Vega had never done anything so outrageous.
But now, it had happened again!
Even the usually mild-tempered Fuji Kiseki was struggling to keep her composure. She could almost feel Hishi Amazon's scornful glances that seemed to say, 'Can't even manage your own people.'
"Admire Vega, what exactly were you trying to do?"
"It's my fault…"
Just then, Curren Chan spoke up, kneeling down beside Admire Vega.
"Curren Chan, what do you mean?" Hishi Amazon narrowed her eyes.
"It was because of what I said that Vega acted so impulsively. So if anyone's to blame, blame me!"
Pressing a hand to her chest, Curren Chan confessed to the two dorm heads.
If she hadn't told Admire Vega to seize the opportunity and not let Narita Brian or Green Grass take Manhattan Cafe away, Admire Vega would never have done something so reckless in a moment of impulse!
Clearly, Admire Vega wanted to force the issue.
No matter what Narita Brian and the others did, as long as Admire Vega took that step with Cafe, it would be a declaration of sovereignty—an undisputed claim.
It was Curren Chan who had dug up the hidden, unspeakable secret buried in Admire Vega's heart and brought it into the light.
"So the problem lies entirely with me. I awakened the uncontrollable desire in Vega's heart. If punishment is needed, punish me!" Curren Chan blamed herself bitterly.
Hearing Curren Chan's words, the two dorm heads exchanged a look.
As student liaisons who interacted with nearly half the student body, they were naturally very familiar with Admire Vega's situation.
They had long heard the rumors about Admire Vega and Cafe, and they knew about Narita Brian and Green Grass too.
Seeing Admire Vega appear in Cafe's bed, both had more or less guessed what was going on.
But no! If they wanted to develop a physical relationship, they could do it outside.
Absolutely not in the dorm! And Yukino Bijin was still in the room—did Admire Vega intend to let Yukino Bijin watch while she engaged in unspeakable acts?
What were you trying to do to this innocent girl from the countryside, Admire Vega? You're not that kind of person, are you!
Facing Curren Chan, who had jumped out to take the blame for Admire Vega, the two dorm heads frowned.
"Even so, Curren Chan couldn't possibly have advised Vega to launch a nighttime assault. So the main responsibility still lies with Vega."
"Exactly," Hishi Amazon nodded. "Besides, Cafe is under my care. When you crossed that line, did you ever think to ask my opinion as dorm head?"
No, there's no way she would ask you about something like that, right? Fuji Kiseki shot her a sidelong glance.
It seems I have to say something now…
Listening to their conversation, Admire Vega lowered her eyes.
Remaining silent any longer would be too unfair to Curren Chan, who had stepped forward to defend her.
At this point, continuing to hide the truth was meaningless anyway.
Her dignity was already lost. The classmates eavesdropping outside had probably heard everything.
Tomorrow, there would be no place for her in society—one less Uma Musume named 'Admire Vega' in the world, replaced by a pervert who sneaks into others' rooms at night.
Finally, having lost everything, including her dignity, Admire Vega felt a strange sense of release.
She lifted her head and looked at the two dorm heads.
"I…"
"Um."
Just as Admire Vega began to speak, the victim of the entire incident finally spoke up.
Sitting beside the two dorm heads, Manhattan Cafe said, "I think… Admire Vega didn't do anything too extreme. Punishing her so harshly might not be good for her either…"
"Cafe…" Hishi Amazon covered her mouth.
"See? See?! What a kind-hearted child. Even after nearly being violated, almost having her pure, untouched body defiled, she can still forgive the other person. She's an angel!"
"It's alright, Cafe, don't be afraid. I'll make sure justice is served for you. As dorm head, I can't stand by and watch you suffer!"
About suffering… that's not what I meant…
Cafe just didn't want any more unnecessary labels attached to her.
She only wanted the conversation to end quickly—to turn big issues into small ones, and small ones into nothing. She just wanted them all to leave.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Admire Vega?" Hishi Amazon pressed, seemingly determined to get justice for Cafe.
After hearing Cafe's words, Admire Vega seemed to have made up her mind.
"The fact that Cafe is defending me like this… I'm truly… very happy." Lifting her head, Admire Vega looked firmly at the two dorm heads.
"So I won't hide my feelings any longer. That's right, I care deeply about Cafe. After hearing about Green Grass and Narita Brian, I felt terrible. I acted this way entirely because I wanted to show them that when it comes to feelings, I won't lose to either of them!"
Feelings stem from personality, and personality stems from the soul.
And Admire Vega's soul, without her even realizing it, had already become bound to Cafe's.
She could feel it—that irresistible sense of intimacy that made Admire Vega, for the first time in a long while, want to act spoiled and seek affection.
These words, tinged with a sense of resignation, stunned everyone in the room.
Hishi Amazon and Fuji Kiseki stared wide-eyed.
Curren Chan wore a delighted expression.
Yukino Bijin, completely removed from the situation, blushed, looking like she wanted to watch but didn't dare. And the classmates eavesdropping outside were utterly speechless.
This is exactly why I wanted the conversation to end quickly…
Manhattan Cafe covered her face in agony.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.