Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: So What If It's Just That?
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A week had already passed since the fight with Helena.
"Oh, not a single scar left."
I unwrapped the bandage and marveled at my left arm, pale from lack of sunlight but otherwise flawless.
"This is the power of cutting-edge medical technology. Ahem."
"...Why are you shrugging like that?"
"Because I'm the biggest donor in that field?"
Sometimes I wonder if this guy is really a villain. A self-proclaimed bad guy sponsoring advanced medical tech?
"I said I'd conquer the world, not kill everyone. Right, Ha-yul?"
"I haven't said anything yet. Reading my mind again?"
"Anyone could see that look screaming, 'A villain donating where?'"
After that morning chat, I changed into the training clothes he'd casually tossed onto my bed.
"If you're giving me clothes, why not long pants too? Where'd this leggings-and-shorts combo even come from?"
The top was baggy enough to roll up the sleeves multiple times, but the bottom was leggings and shorts. It made no sense, so I shot Bell a glare—he'd insisted on expensive stuff and told me to wear it properly.
"Sigh, you're so behind on fashion. Disappointing."
"Want me to shin-kick you?"
Of course, I hadn't expected a real answer from the start... so after lifting my leg threateningly, I stood beside the now-meek Bell.
"......"
Nothing new, but looking up at him, the height difference was still annoying. No, more than annoying—it grated.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue and left the flustered guy behind, jogging lightly toward the nearby park.
Bounce, bounce.
Even compressed in a sports bra, the rhythmic motion was impossible to hide. Bluntly put, my disproportionately large chest kept jiggling distractingly, so the moment I pressed it down with my right arm...
Smack...!
"Eek!?"
"Keep your back straight when you run!"
How'd he catch up so fast? Legs that long made my pace look pathetic, apparently. He smirked mockingly, slapped my back hard enough to echo, and bolted.
Grind.
Fine, I'll kill you like you want. I zipped my training top all the way to my neck... then lightly rubbed the silver bracelet on my left wrist, cranking its perception-disruption effect to max. Chest fat be damned, I sprinted full throttle after him.
"Kek, haek...!"
Of course, forgetting to pace myself while chasing someone with twice my stride wrecked my trash stamina first.
"Whoa, you okay? Should've kept up moderately."
Who caused this mess in the first place? Infuriating words. But the ice-cold water he handed over was refreshing, so I magnanimously let it slide this time and stood from my slump.
"Whoops..."
My balance wobbled, and I nearly pitched forward. He tossed his water and grabbed my waist just in time, letting me lean on him to recover.
"...Sorry."
"No, my fault for egging you on."
His hand lingered carefully on my waist until I steadied, then released.
"You alright, Ha-yul?"
"......"
"Ha-yul?"
"I'm fine, so stop calling my name over and over."
I sighed softly, comparing my hand to where his had just touched my waist.
'...This is why I avoid exercise.'
Short stature. Tiny hands and feet. Feeble stamina. Nothing like before—I'd desperately avoided anything physical. Convenience store gigs were hobbies, and with some finesse, they didn't take much effort anyway.
Melancholy hit out of nowhere. I'd come out expecting magic lessons once healed, but this? Might as well have stayed in bed scrolling my phone.
"Ha-yul. You're thinking this has nothing to do with magic, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Can't trust me at all, huh? Have I ever led you wrong?"
"Sweet and sour pork. You drowned it in sauce. I bought it."
Even he had no comeback for that blatant sabotage. He paused, stared at the distant sky, then cleared his throat and turned back.
"Ahem. Anyway, Ha-yul... what do you think magic is?"
What magic is. Surprisingly earnest question. Answer was simple.
"Supernatural phenomena caused by magic power."
"Please, at least pretend to think of a child's wonder?"
"As if."
"Sigh. What was I expecting."
That's how I'd learned it, how I'd used it. No way a decade-old mindset changes now, I grumbled back. He sighed deeply and began swirling his finger, tracing patterns with faint red magic power.
Whummm...
A subtle magic ripple spread—only I could feel it nearby—and my perception bracelet hummed in resonance.
"There, done. Definitions don't matter anyway."
Thus, in a space fully isolated from ordinary perception, Bell spoke.
"Anyway, magic is ultimately fantasy. Power detached from reality's laws."
"......"
"So why does your acceleration magic follow reality's laws?"
True acceleration magic wouldn't burden the body no matter how fast.
"Intrigued now?"
Early morning park bench. He bowed like a stage actor. I just nodded silently instead of answering.
"Alright then... the world's priciest magic lesson, money can't buy. Let's begin."
Why drag me out here for this nonsense? I never got the answer.
That evening.
"Pfftchoo!"
I cursed my pathetic body—catching a cold right at spring's start after a mere morning breeze—and glared at the middle-aged guy crouching in the living room corner, dodging my eyes.
"Huh? What, Ha-yul? Caught a cold?"
"Oh, Seon-ah. Thanks for your work."
"Work's work. I get paid."
She'd just finished her shift, maybe taken a stroll. Arriving later than expected, Seon-ah naturally patted my head.
"Ugh, I'm not a kid."
"Compared to the Captain, you are. Want a drink, Ha-yul?"
No energy to resist, I shook off her hand irritably... then she grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, shoved me aside on the couch to claim the spot, and offered it with a grin.
"Pass. I don't drink."
"Hehe, can't handle it?"
"...You offer booze to someone with a cold?"
"Oh. Right."
This big sis must've pre-gamed before coming home.
"Ugh, too cramped for two..."
"You're the one sprawling out."
Thus evicted from the couch, I rolled up in a blanket on the floor like a burrito. Hilarious, apparently—Bell, back from the kitchen, approached and tapped my shoulder.
"And you... why..."
"Ha-yul, take your medicine first."
"Ugh, no."
"Come on, now."
I sucked on the stick-form cold medicine he offered... then grimaced at the bitter aftertaste amid the sweetness and hauled myself up.
"Here, rinse with water."
Weird feeling. I'd been slow on the uptake, but this was straight-up babying.
"......"
Blame the cold haze? Normally I'd rage-kick Bell's shin, but why bother when I felt like death? Self-soothing, I quietly took the water cup and said,
"...Just for today."
So what if it's just that. Whatever, getting babied ain't bad. That's the vibe. But Bell and Seon-ah's looks were oddly amused.
"Fine, if you don't like it."
Finally greenlit the babying, yet he'd just tease? Mild regret as I headed to my room—
"Captain. Water."
"Get it yourself. I'm busy."
Sudden voice. Her body, blanket-wrapped, sank softly into the couch. Seon-ah dumped her beer in the sink. Bell, apron on and eager, asked what porridge I wanted. Both grinning, they ruffled my hair.
"So, I said don't touch the hair..."
If my parents were still alive, would life be like this? The thought slipped in unbidden... I chalked it up to feverish delirium and laughed it off lightly.