My Taboo Academy

Until now, dungeon runs had felt like glorified picnics.

High-rank gates, easy clears, Aria’s steady presence making everything feel safe.

’This job actually costs lives.’

Cleo was a complete beginner facing her first real crisis and forming her first real partnership.

We were both clumsily pretending to be proper hunters.

*Bang. Bang.*

Once she was in position in the widest open stretch of the ruined plaza, I fired several rounds into the air.

A rolling chorus of "uuuuu" answered from every direction.

I kept shooting while circling the outer edge, pulling everything toward her.

*Bang. Bang. Bang.*

’They’re packing in fast.’

Crimson Eye showed over two hundred signatures.

I had basically aggroed the entire dungeon.

’Boss still missing?’

[Grim Nightmare]

[C+ Rank]

[A member of the "Resurrected Ones." Massive frame, swollen arms, crushes targets with raw strength.]

’There you are.’

I just needed them packed tight inside Cleo’s range.

She had to be terrified standing still while the moaning closed in from every side.

"Ren! Is it time yet?!"

"A little longer!"

Just a bit more.

The perfect window was almost there.

"Now!"

*Bang!*

The signal shot cracked. Red lightning exploded from Cleo’s position and lit up the entire plaza.

Raw magical pressure rolled across my skin like a storm front.

[「Crimson Eye」 Activated]

[Red Lightning]

[Magical Discharge]

[Power A | Range A | Power Correction +2]

Even with the "all-in mage" jokes, her talent was ridiculous. My little sister was on a completely different level from any Fleshlight collector.

*_Pajijijijik!!_*

Hundreds of zombies and their leader turned to ash in a single wave.

A sub-C dungeon was nothing more than target practice for her.

Cleo was smiling, exhilarated.

"Told you it wouldn’t be your turn."

[『Zombie Eradication』 Condition Met]

[Nightmare Domain Strengthening... Dungeon Rank Rising to B]

[Additional Reward Incoming]

It wasn’t a clear yet.

The rank-up was still coming.

"Cleo!"

I sprinted toward her.

The "dead" leader was already tearing itself out of a cocoon of its own flesh, reforming mid-air.

"Rennnn!!?"

[Nightmare’s Kin ]

[B+]

[Extremely rare resurrection. Grows stronger upon revival. Capable of flight.]

*_Boooung._*

The winged thing dove straight at her.

I intercepted with Yaksha Charge.

"Ugh—!"

The impact launched me across the ground. I tumbled hard.

"Brother!"

My arm was bent at a wrong angle.

[Authority 「Saint’s Protection」 activates]

[Wounds healed ]

The pain vanished before I could even process it.

An authority I didn’t know I had. "Three uses per day".

"I’m fine!"

Cleo was the one in real danger.

She was on the ground firing her entire magazine at the flying target.

*Bang-bang-bang-bang!*

Shells flew. The thing simply twisted out of the way.

’I need to break its stance or nothing lands!’

A second zombie rushed me with a bone blade.

"Ah—!"

*Sizzle—crackle!*

Crimson lightning from Cleo’s hand streaked past my face and dropped the attacker.

Her eyes were pure fury.

"Don’t you dare touch him!"

Mana surged far beyond what she had used on the entire horde.

The flying zombie shot upward and vanished into the dark.

"Cleo, save your mana! You’re not hitting it at range!"

She ignored me. Lightning spears formed around her like a lion’s mane.

She released them.

The spears tracked and punched through the creature mid-flight.

"Keeck!!"

The sky over the ruins burned crimson with her rage.

"Magic doesn’t miss."

[Red Lightning – Skewer Type]

[Class A Attack Magic]

[Power A+ | Range C | Tracking]

[Exclusive to rare talent "Devil’s Thunderbolt". Impales the target with lightning spears that deliver continuous agony until death.]

First time she had used actual attack magic instead of raw discharge.

"Kkeek! Kkeek!"

More spears formed and slammed in from every angle. Once lodged, they discharged violently, electricity dancing like wild hair.

*Kwajijijijik!*

"Keeeeek!"

[Dungeon Clear]

[Contribution 99% – Cleo]

[Others – Ren Asahi]

"Die already!!"

The spears kept piercing and cooking the thing until nothing remained.

It was over in seconds.

"Cleo!"

The dungeon started collapsing.

I caught her as she went down, checking for injuries.

She gave a faint, satisfied smile.

"See? You didn’t even manage one percent... not against me."

"Yeah. That’s my sister."

I held her tightly.

"Still, raise your strength and stamina. At least enough to break out of a chokehold."

"...Stop lecturing. Just give me a piggyback. You’re the protagonist, right...?"

She passed out.

Mana exhaustion.

I carried her to the infirmary.

"Ren? What happened?"

"Cleo got hurt protecting me. Stay with her until she wakes up."

"Cleo did...? You’re telling me the full story later!"

I left Yuna bubbling with curiosity and headed for the cafeteria.

Elle and Aria both looked startled when they saw the state of me.

"...Rough dungeon?"

I looked like I’d been rolling on the ground.

"Aria... I finally understand how important you are."

"W-what are you saying all of a sudden?! People are listening!"

Her face went bright red.

I clung to her anyway.

"Ren, what’s wrong with you?!"

"Teacher Aria... please keep taking care of me..."

"Ah, geez... Fine. I get it, I get it..."

Lunchtime.

[Beep]

[Insufficient funds]

"...Elle. Please can you lend me some money for food."

"Here’s your card."

"Weren’t you rich?"

"I spent it all on sanitary pads."

"Sanitary pads?"

Even Elle looked completely lost.

That was the entire story. Nothing more to explain.

"They were... extremely expensive pads."

---

Today’s special was a steaming bowl of meaty rice soup.

*Slurp.*

Impossible to stop once you start.

"...You’re really not going to explain the expensive sanitary pad thing?"

"I’m dying of curiosity."

"Then buy me another bowl."

"Fine. My treat this time."

Aria tapped her student ID against the reader.

*Slurp.*

I gave them the short version of the morning’s disaster.

"Wow... that must’ve been rough. Poor Cleo."

"Yeah, that’s genuinely awful."

Cleo’s misfortune earned immediate sympathy from the girls.

"Any of you ever had that happen?"

"Me? Never. I always pack extras. She must’ve been in that dungeon longer than thirty minutes for the first time."

"Probably."

Most academy dungeons sat between D and C. Under normal conditions she would’ve just auto-hunted everything. Walking around dumping magic would have been enough to clear them.

Cleo had gained levels, but almost no real combat experience.

I’d only cleared three dungeons myself, and I’d been carried for most of them.

’No... the last one I actually contributed.’

Even if the highlight of my contribution was running an errand for sanitary pads. Not exactly the glamorous moment I’d hoped for.

"I’ve officially learned something today. Life without Aria is hard mode."

"What am I, your mom? Don’t say weird things..."

"Mom."

"Ugh! Stop that. Calling a classmate ’mom’ is creepy."

"...Hmm."

Cleo needed a full stat rebuild.

More than that, I needed to help her build actual physical strength. I refused to watch her turn into the classic game heroine who brags about her magic until someone teaches her a brutal lesson.

"You still look weirdly happy though. Something good happen?"

"You could say the house finally feels peaceful."

I was back to begging for meals, but whatever.

Coins could always be earned again.

Having Elle and Aria beside me felt lucky. They were the kind of comrades who showed their real selves without hesitation at least when we were fighting monsters.

After lunch I headed to the academy’s communal showers to scrub off the dungeon grime.

That was where I ran into Darian.

"..."

"..."

We both did the automatic once-over.

He gave me a look of pure distaste and walked past.

’Victory is mine.’

There’s an unspoken ranking that happens when men are naked in the same room.

’Ahh. Clean.’

Rolling around on a ruined city floor left you feeling disgusting. Washing before going home had been the right call.

Academy showers had their advantages.

I only discovered the disadvantage after I stepped back outside.

– (Info) Ren Asahi from Class F is packing serious heat

– Bro I thought it was a horse

– Size is just talk. No blood flow = limp

– Try saying that to his face, coward

– I’m actually jealous

– Wait, do they even sell Fleshlights that fit that?

– Idiot. With a face like that he doesn’t need one. Girls would line up

– He’s already surrounded by beauties anyway

"..."

Zero privacy.

No wonder so many guys had been sneaking glances. The size rumors were spreading at light speed. Even the girls were throwing curious looks my way.

– Anyone else in today’s class see Ren Asahi?

– I almost short-circuited... he’s unfairly handsome

– Is that the senior everyone’s talking about because of that? Hehe

– All the D-rank guys must be crying

– He wouldn’t even look at D-girls like you

– Excuse me? I’m cute, thank you

– The way you type already smells like pork feet. How many have you had?

People here had zero filter.

On the surface the academy looked bright and energetic. Scratch the surface and the same gutter existed everywhere.

Anywhere humans gathered, the pattern stayed the same.

’If these were my old roommates they’d have named me in five seconds.’

They’d have been gossiping non-stop too.

I just watched. Most of the time I ignored it.

But there were still plenty of comments sexually harassing Aria and Elle simply for walking with me, jokes about what the three of us must be doing in private.

’So that’s how we look from the outside.’

Suddenly the idea of having an actual girlfriend felt appealing.

The timing wasn’t bad.

Family situation stabilized. Growth on track. Academy life starting to make sense.

Even if I wasn’t thinking about marriage, a casual relationship didn’t sound terrible. I just had no idea how casual "casual" was supposed to be.

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