Chapter 3

That day, Dante escorted Chloe as if they were on a date. He pulled out her chair, carried her bags, fed her food like a lover would, even tied her shoelaces himself. And just before dropping her off at the dorm as the sun set, he bought her a small necklace. Of course, he put it around her neck himself.

But that was all. Dante seemed to fill the void left by Callis, but he and Chloe were still just friends. Even when Chacha found her a second guy from somewhere, and when Chloe broke up with him and met a third, nothing changed.

Whenever Chloe met a new guy, Dante congratulated her; when she broke up, he would cheer her up by taking her out as if on a date. She’d dated and broken up with five guys, so that meant five dates with Dante.

“…The play was fun. Senior Maude really is the best.”

After the fifth date, Chloe collapsed onto the table and murmured in a dying voice. Chacha was chewing the dessert Chloe brought, her face lively from a rare good night’s sleep.

“Pierre likes you now too?”

All the fake boyfriends Chloe had dated ended up confessing after less than two weeks, wanting to be her real boyfriend. She’d heard they liked someone else, but none of them seemed to have any principles. Except for Pierre from the fencing department, the last one.

“No, he’s different. After dating me, he realized he liked someone else more. He said he’d confess soon.”

“Oh, he’s a bit better. You don’t know who it is? He wouldn’t tell me either.”

Chacha sounded a bit disappointed. Chloe nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t know. And I don’t care.”

“What about Dante… any different reaction?”

“Even after five tries, it doesn’t work. Five guys in two months. He probably thinks I’m someone who dates anyone, or maybe just someone who keeps getting dumped because I’m not attractive.”

Chloe sighed deeply. Callis lasted two weeks, Leon one week, Lute ten days, Shen two weeks, Pierre two days. She was in such a hurry that her dating and breakup speed was astonishing. Looking back, she wondered how she must appear to Dante… But Chacha just shook her head calmly.

“If a guy judges you for dating a few times, you shouldn’t date him at all. Those guys always have d*cks the size of a finger.”

“…Cough!”

Startled, Chloe spat out her tea. Chacha calmly patted her back.

“Honestly, a finger’s better than a finger-sized d*ck. At least fingers bend.”

Chacha bent and straightened her finger in the air a few times, making Chloe’s face turn as red as a ripe tomato.

“You, you, how can you say things like that…”

“This isn’t something to ignore, Chloe. If you actually date for real, you’re not going to skip s*x, are you?”

“I-I mean, I will…”

Chloe mumbled. Just because she had no experience didn’t mean she lacked curiosity or desire. She’d imagined kissing Dante or going further. But saying it out loud was definitely embarrassing. Chacha crunched her biscotti, watching Chloe’s red face.

“Anyway, you’ve tried five times and failed five times. Time for the last resort.”

“The last resort?”

Chloe’s eyes widened. Chacha brushed the crumbs off her fingers and grinned.

“This genius pill-popper Chacha isn’t giving up without using a potion.”

Chacha was proud of her potion-making skills and liked her nickname. But the reason she was called “pill-popper” instead of “apothecary” was because she always walked like a corpse just risen from the grave, as if she’d taken something strange. The groans she made when tired also contributed to the nickname.

Of course, Chloe never mentioned it. Whether apothecary or pill-popper, the “genius” part was definitely true.

“What kind of potion…?”

“This one.”

Chacha grabbed a small vial from the research table. It was only the size of two or three fingertips, and inside was a suspicious-looking pink liquid.

“It’s a ‘love potion.’ My masterpiece.”

Chacha wore a supremely confident expression—the look she had when she’d really created something great. Chloe’s eyes grew wide.

“To be precise, it doesn’t move the heart, but induces the physical reactions of falling in love. Your heart races, breathing quickens, you get nervous, your face flushes…”

“And with this potion… what do you plan to do?”

“Obviously, make Dante drink it.”

“…”

Chloe stared blankly at the vial, lost for words. Chacha pushed the bottle toward her.

“The effect lasts exactly one week. Just one drop. Even a guy who sees you as a rock will have his heart race when he sees you.”

Chacha whispered conspiratorially, and Chloe swallowed dryly. What would Dante be like if he fell in love? How wonderful would it be if Dante loved her? Just imagining it made her heart pound. If those always gentle eyes were filled with irresistible affection, if his soft face flushed every time he saw her…

“…No.”

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, trying to resist the temptation. She liked Dante, and wanted him to feel the same, but she didn’t want to force it with a potion.

“I appreciate it, Chacha, but I don’t want to win his heart that way. I just…”

“You can’t keep pining forever, Chloe. You said you might have to prepare for marriage right after graduation. Are you going to get engaged to someone else while still holding a torch for him?”

Chacha’s words hit home, and Chloe was speechless. The academy’s advanced class was a refuge for nobles without titles to inherit. Her older sister would inherit the Earldom, and since their relationship wasn’t bad, Chloe would probably get business funds after graduation, but her parents wanted her to marry soon and start her own family. Maybe they’d already picked a husband for her.

“It’s time to decide. Only one semester left before graduation.”

“But…”

“The effect is exactly one week. If that week’s love continues, great. If he goes back to normal, you can finally give up.”

So, this potion could bring her and Dante together, or put an end to her futile crush. Chloe hesitated a long while before finally speaking.

“Is there… any side effect?”

“What do you take this genius pill-popper for? Just stick to the proper dose.”

Chacha answered with absolute confidence. Now, Chloe couldn’t even think of an excuse to refuse. Or maybe she didn’t want to refuse. Chacha saw Chloe’s trembling fingers and stood up, pressing the tiny vial firmly into her hand.

“Got it? One drop is the dose.”

“What if… I use two drops?”

Chloe asked cautiously, holding the vial. Chacha stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“The effect is double. Two drops…”

“…”

“Yeah, anyway, double. As long as you stick to the dose, nothing will go wrong.”

Chacha nodded to herself, then gripped Chloe’s shoulders.

“It’s time, Chloe. Go give it to him.”

“…Right now?”

“You have to do this while you’re thinking about it. I have a seminar with Professor Rosen today, and if you don’t go now, you’ll just keep worrying until I get back and never do anything.”

“What if some unexpected side effect happens while you’re gone?”

“That’s impossible. My potion is perfect.”

Chacha spoke confidently. She was right. Her potions were truly perfect. Even the potion she made for her graduation project was flawless. If only she hadn’t swapped her assignment at the last minute, Chacha would have graduated perfectly from the Academy and become an impeccable researcher at Rosen’s lab.

“Hurry up, Chloe. Make him yours for a week.”

“No, Chacha. But no matter how I think about it, this is a crime…”

“It’s only natural to give up something small to gain something big. If you throw away your tiny, cute conscience, you might get him.”

Chacha pushed Chloe’s back. Chloe still looked like an anxious rabbit, but in the end, she shoved the vial into her pocket and left the lab. Chacha snorted with pride a few times and started tidying up the table.

She cleared the round table where the leftover dessert sat, then arranged the vials sprawled next to the flasks onto the shelf. The fatigue recovery potion that soared in popularity during exams, the mana supplement beloved by mages, the hair loss remedy praised by the dean, the acne treatment and transformation potion, and…

“Hmm?”

Chacha noticed a pink potion left alone on the table and wore a puzzled expression. It looked similar to the one she’d given Chloe, but was a bit thicker.

“What potion was this again?”

She got so absorbed in making potions that she never labeled them in time, so this happened every time. With a confused face, Chacha opened the tiny vial’s lid. She was about to sniff it, flapping her palm, when—

“Chacha, are you ready?”

“Ah… Yes, Professor.”

At the voice from outside, Chacha quickly closed the vial and opened the lab door. Stern Professor Rosen looked at her over her glasses.

“Looks like you’re already finished. Did you sleep well?”

Rosen glanced around the lab and asked. Chacha folded her hands politely and nodded.

“Yes, Professor. I slept twenty-one hours.”

“Good. You need to sleep well before something important. So you don’t repeat last time’s mistake.”

Professor Rosen pushed up her thick glasses perched on her hooked nose as she spoke. “Last time’s mistake” was, of course, submitting the wrong graduation project and failing. Chacha had heard this lecture dozens of times, but she listened politely. Rosen continued scolding her for a while about how important people would be at today’s seminar, then finally checked the time.

“Oh, it’s already this late. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Chacha smiled brightly and hurried after Rosen. Before the lab door closed, Chacha’s gaze lingered once more on the pink vial on the table.