Ethan carefully carried Maruti like a princess all the way to her dorm room. His arms, though strong, felt a little strained under her surprising weight, but he didn't complain. He opened the door with his foot, entered the cozy room, and gently placed her on the edge of her bed.

"There, happy now?" Ethan asked, exhaling as he stretched his arms.

Maruti crossed her arms, tilting her head dramatically. "Not yet. Go grab a wet cloth and clean where the food dripped on me," she demanded, her tone bossy.

Ethan sighed, clearly not thrilled but too tired to argue. "Alright, fine." He walked to the small sink in her room, wet a clean cloth, and returned.

He started wiping the sauce and food stains on her back and skirt, carefully ensuring he wasn't being rough. It wasn't as bad as he thought until he came to the final stain.

The last spot was right in the middle of Maruti's chest. Her large, round breasts seemed to taunt him, sitting prominently and creating an incredibly awkward situation. They were full and smooth, practically defying gravity. Ethan's hand froze mid-air, trembling slightly as his face turned a deep shade of red.

"Are you… sure you want me to do this?" Ethan stammered, his voice uneven.

Maruti raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. She didn't blush or show even a hint of embarrassment. Instead, her expression was serious, almost bored. "Yeah, of course. Don't waste time—just clean it up."

Her indifference only made Ethan more flustered. He hesitated for a moment before finally pressing the damp cloth against her chest. His fingers accidentally brushed against her skin, and he was instantly aware of how soft and warm it felt. The fabric of her shirt clung slightly, and the gentle give of her body under his hand made his heart race.

But then, Maruti let out a deliberate moan.

"Ahhh~ Be gentle! You're being so rough~" she exclaimed, her voice loud and sultry.

Ethan froze, completely mortified. His entire face burned as if it were on fire. "Y-you! Don't shout like that!" he stuttered, quickly pulling his hand back as if he'd been burned.

Maruti raised a hand to her lips, feigning an apologetic look. "Oops, my bad! I wasn't expecting that; you caught me off guard!" she said, her tone full of mock innocence.

Inside, however, she was fighting to keep a straight face. Her thoughts were smug and triumphant. "Fuhahaha! This is too easy! He's too easy mess with!"

Ethan, meanwhile, stood stiffly, unsure if he should finish cleaning or just run out of the room to save himself. His thoughts were a chaotic mess as he tried to avoid looking at Maruti's chest, which seemed to mock him with every passing second.

"Can you hurry up already?" Maruti said, her tone sharp as she waved her hand dismissively. "You're making this more awkward than it needs to be."

Ethan sighed deeply. "Okay," he muttered, trying to focus as he resumed cleaning the stain.

He wiped slowly, his hand brushing lightly over the fabric. But Maruti wasn't going to let him off so easily.

"Yes!~ Keep going like that. That's the spot!" she moaned deliberately, her voice dripping with mockery.

Ethan's face burned red, but this time he refused to react. He gritted his teeth, ignoring her antics, and continued wiping. Still, no matter how hard he tried, the stain was stubborn and wouldn't completely come off.

Maruti sighed loudly. "You can't even do this properly? Use some water, genius!" she ordered, rolling her eyes like a bossy tyrant.

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Ethan exhaled in frustration, but he went to grab a glass of water without saying a word. As he returned and leaned forward to pour a little water on the stain, Maruti extended her leg and gently nudged his balance.

"Whoa—" Ethan stumbled.

**Splash! Splash! Splash!**

The water spilled all over Maruti, soaking her face and chest completely. Her shirt, now drenched, clung to her body and turned semi-translucent, revealing her bra underneath in startling detail.

Ethan froze, his face heating up as he realized the situation had gone from awkward to downright embarrassing.

Maruti glanced down at herself and then back at Ethan, her expression unimpressed. "What did you just do? Now I have to change! Go get my clothes—bring me a new shirt!" she barked like a tyrant giving orders.

Ethan clenched his fists in frustration. *Someone just kill me already!* he thought, desperately wanting to escape. His patience was wearing thin, but when he looked at her, his words caught in his throat. Her soaked shirt, sticking to her skin, was way too distracting. He quickly averted his gaze, his mind screaming at him to stay composed.

With no choice, he grabbed a clean shirt from her wardrobe and handed it over.

Maruti raised her hands with an exaggerated sigh. "My arm's injured. Take this shirt off and dress me in the new one," she said nonchalantly.

Ethan's jaw dropped. "What?!" he shouted, his voice filled with embarrassment and disbelief.

---

Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria, Violet and Sylvania sat at their table, finishing their lunches.

"We're already done eating. How long is Ethan going to take?" Violet asked, leaning back with a tired sigh.

Sylvania shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe something came up. Let's just take a stroll around the academy while we wait for him," she suggested with a smile.

Violet nodded, standing up from her seat. The two girls left the cafeteria, completely unaware of the chaotic and awkward situation Ethan was enduring at that very moment.

----------

Inside Maruti's dorm room, Ethan was battling his nerves. With a blindfold tied over his eyes, he managed to awkwardly pull off Maruti's shirt and dress her in a new one. The only task left was buttoning it up, but that seemed like a mountain to climb.

"Calm down... calm down. Only the buttons are left," Ethan muttered to himself, trying to steady his trembling hands as he began fastening them.

But as his hands reached the upper buttons, he hit a problem—Maruti's large chest. The fabric strained, making it difficult to close the buttons. And he was doing this blindfolded, which didn't help.

"Don't squeeze the shirt so hard. My breasts hurt!" Maruti snapped, her voice sharp.

"S-sorry!" Ethan stammered, his face red as he fumbled to finish.

After what felt like an eternity, Ethan fell to the ground, exhausted. He let out a deep sigh of relief. "Finally done!" he said, pulling off the blindfold and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Maruti, on the other hand, looked unimpressed. She crossed her arms and huffed. While she didn't feel embarrassed at all—having no shame in exposing herself—she was silently cursing her situation.

"If it weren't for my mistake, I'd never have taken this ridiculous job of distracting Ethan," she grumbled under her breath.

Ethan stood up, eager to escape the room and forget this ordeal. But just as he turned to leave, Maruti called out.

"Wait a minute. Now that you've changed my shirt... why not change my skirt too?" she asked, giving him a teasing, sultry look.

Ethan froze mid-step, his face turning a shade of crimson. He turned back slowly, his eyes wide.

"Are you serious right now?" he asked.

Maruti just smirked, leaning back casually. Ethan stared at her for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

"Okay, I have to ask," he said, crossing his arms. "Are you, by any chance, interested in me? You're making me do all this on purpose, aren't you?"

Maruti :".... "

The room fell silent.

Maruti stared at him, her expression unreadable. She didn't blink, didn't flinch, and the heavy silence made Ethan regret asking. He felt a chill run down his spine.

"I-I'm sorry—" he began, but Maruti interrupted him.

"That's so gay," she said flatly.

"What?" Ethan blinked, completely baffled.

"I said, that's so gay," Maruti repeated, this time with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"How is that gay?!" Ethan protested, his voice rising.

Maruti sighed dramatically. "You wouldn't understand," she said, rolling her eyes. Of course, Ethan didn't know that Maruti was once a man. For him, it was a normal interaction between a guy and a girl. But for her, this entire situation was laughably ironic.

Before Ethan could argue further, Maruti kicked his leg lightly. "Shoo! Shoo! Get the hell out of here. I'll handle the rest myself!"

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah! I don't want to see your face anymore. Go!" Maruti waved him off like she was swatting away a fly.

Ethan didn't need to be told twice. He bolted for the door, muttering, "I swear, I'll never set foot in this room again."

As the door closed behind him, Maruti smirked to herself. "Let him go," she murmured to herself. "My job's done anyway. Violet must be kidnapped by now, right?"

But the thought wasn't enough to keep her at ease. She couldn't just sit around and hope everything had gone according to plan. She needed confirmation.

Maruti stood up effortlessly, her supposed injury completely forgotten. It had been nothing more than an act to get Ethan to stay longer. With quick, silent steps, she slipped out of the dorm room and began tailing Ethan from a distance.

Ethan wandered through various places in search of Violet. The dining hall, the courtyard, even the library. Every spot he checked and found empty brought a growing, triumphant smile to Maruti's face.

"He's panicking," she thought, her grin widening. "This has to mean Violet's already been taken. Everything's going smoothly!"

But her confidence shattered in an instant.

Up ahead, Ethan turned a corner, and there she was—Violet. Safe and sound.

Maruti's breath hitched, and her smile froze before completely fading. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "She didn't get kidnapped?" she whispered to herself, unable to process what she was seeing.

She watched as Ethan and Violet exchanged a few words, their faces lighting up with relief as they reunited.

"This can't be happening," Maruti muttered, her mind racing. From what Esdeath had said, Violet should've been long gone by now.

She clenched her fists, her frustration growing. "The competition starts in twenty minutes. There's no way I can make a move now. How is she supposed to get kidnapped in this short time?"

Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a long, exasperated sigh. There was nothing she could do. Her plan had failed—for now.

"Whatever," she muttered under her breath as she turned and walked away. "I tried my best. There's still the evening… and then the night. It's out of my hands now. If she's going to get kidnapped, it'll depend entirely on luck."