Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Wrong Encounter (2)
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Cheon Woo-hyuk. He was the eldest son of Archmage Cheon Se-hee and the current student council president of Blue Pine Academy.
If Cheon So-yul looked exactly like Pikachu, then this guy had to be Raichu, didn't he?
Setting everything else aside, there wouldn't be much difference in terms of their final evolved form.
Not when it came to the realm of lightning magic they'd achieved, nor in their finicky personalities.
For starters, he and I were acquaintances. As a member of the student council and the second-place student from the previous term, we'd crossed paths a few times.
More than that, wasn't he the older brother of my closest friend?
We'd at least done the formal introductions. That didn't mean we had any deep friendship, though.
'Why does the air feel so heavy...?'
If it felt like the atmosphere around me and Cheon Woo-hyuk had suddenly sunk right then, was that just my imagination? Was I just feeling paranoid for no reason?
Pzzt...
I realized it wasn't the case moments later. A single bolt of lightning sparked from the corner of Cheon Woo-hyuk's eye, scattering sparks.
It was the same phenomenon that happened whenever Cheon So-yul was in a bad mood.
Considering that she and Cheon Woo-hyuk had mastered essentially the same innate magic, there was no reason the cause would differ much.
I quickly noticed the clear displeasure in the gaze the man fixed on me.
"...One thing."
After staring into my eyes for a while, Cheon Woo-hyuk finally spoke.
"I have something I want to ask."
His eyes sharpened even more. His already fierce impression doubled in intimidation in that instant.
I instinctively realized what Cheon Woo-hyuk wanted to ask me right now.
No doubt about it.
It was about Cheon So-yul.
"Lee Hyun-jin, you..."
My body tensed up involuntarily.
"...are dating my sister right now, aren't you?"
Cheon Woo-hyuk's question stabbed right into me like a sharp needle.
"... ."
Before answering, I paused and met Cheon Woo-hyuk's eyes straight on. I was trying to read his intentions, but maintaining that poker face wasn't easy for him.
What could I say—very 'mage-like.' I gave up on deciphering anything from that inscrutable expression.
That said, I couldn't drag out my response forever. He was Cheon So-yul's real brother, after all, and the question was perfectly reasonable for any older brother with a little sister.
Before giving my answer, I hesitated for a split second, lips twitching...
"No."
...but I decided to tell the truth. Even setting aside the complicated relationship that couldn't be explained in a few words, Cheon So-yul and I weren't dating in the romantic sense.
Cheon Woo-hyuk furrowed his brow slightly and stared at me intently. The faint emotion showing on his face deepened just a touch.
"No."
"...Yes."
"Hm."
"... ."
"I see."
"... ."
"Got it... ."
"...Is there a problem... ."
"No."
Ah, I see. I nodded without pressing further. His curt response killed any desire I had to keep the conversation going.
The air froze awkwardly. I hadn't done anything, yet it felt ice-cold...
I looked up at the sky. It was too bright now to call it dawn anymore; the morning sunlight was pouring down from above.
Right now, I had two options. One, wait indefinitely for whatever Cheon Woo-hyuk might say next. Two, run.
'Should I bolt?'
I was leaning toward the latter inwardly. Honestly, running into Cheon Woo-hyuk here wasn't exactly comfortable for me.
What was it—like being a nervous groom meeting his fiancée's brother for the first time?
Especially since the question was something like, 'Are you dating my sister?' It really gave off that vibe.
If this were a café somewhere, I could've imagined getting doused with ice water.
Of course, I wanted to believe that the eldest son of the sensible Cheon family wouldn't do something so uncouth. Yeah, I believed it.
Mountains are mountains, water is water. I felt like an immortal wasting time away, just waiting for Cheon Woo-hyuk to speak.
"...During this Blue Pine Festival."
Cheon Woo-hyuk finally opened his mouth.
I snapped my dazed gaze back into place.
Cheon Woo-hyuk, who had been looking at me, furrowed his brow as if hesitating for a moment before sighing and continuing.
"Do you have some time?"
"Pardon...?"
And without realizing it, I shrank back and hugged my arms. Suddenly, the man in front of me started overlapping with Senior Seo Ha-rin in my mind.
*****
No way, you're after my body too...? No. I'm straight! If you come closer, I won't hesitate to fight!
...Of course, nothing like that happened. I'd just gotten confused for a second. No way Cheon Woo-hyuk approached me with those intentions.
After taking in my wary glare with a puzzled expression for a moment, Cheon Woo-hyuk shrugged indifferently and added an explanation.
- My mother wants to see you.
That short phrase was enough to fluster me. I even made a weird face because I couldn't process it right away.
In other words... 'Cheon Woo-hyuk's mother' naturally meant Cheon So-yul's mom too. And that pointed to the archmage of this country, right?
Myriad Thunders Cheon Se-hee. A lightning mage so outstanding in annihilation magic that she rivaled even the clan's founder, the Thunderclap Divine Lord—not just nationally, but on a world scale.
And she wanted to see me? She even brought it up herself, directly.
'...Why?'
As I panicked, unable to guess her possible reason for wanting to see me, another helpful explanation came.
- Did my sister make any sort of 'comment' at the family home during the last break...? Hm, have you heard anything directly?
A subtle tone, like he was testing how much I knew. Or perhaps a hint to make it easy if I already knew.
In my case, it was the latter, so it helped me piece together the reason quickly.
In short, it all came down to that, didn't it? The embarrassing slip-up I'd heard straight from Cheon So-yul a few days after school started...
Yeah, that legendary 'son-in-law' remark that had to rank in her top five life embarrassments.
'I get the gist.'
I understood the situation immediately. Of course, Cheon So-yul wasn't the type to package her words smoothly.
Anyone else might not notice, but her family would've picked up on the suspicious tone and nuance right away.
She probably thought she'd hidden it well, but unless everyone present was an idiot, they'd have sensed the off vibe she was giving.
What you'd call Cheon So-yul's endearing clumsiness, providing circumstantial evidence that pushed suspicion to nearly 100%.
Cheon Se-hee must have grown curious upon hearing it, and Cheon Woo-hyuk suspicious. At least he knew well that I was the only male student she hung out with.
The mother-son conversation would've led to my name coming up eventually.
Graciously, Lady Myriad Thunders seemed intrigued by her youngest daughter's one-and-only male friend. Wow, what an honor.
And just like that, meetings with two archmages were already on my schedule.
I buried my face in my desk and let out a silent sigh. Hoo.
'Why is everyone so interested in my Blue Pine Festival plans?'
I already had several appointments lined up. Starting with my parents and master, then probably Ji-woo sis, Senior Seo Ha-rin, Myriad Thunders Cheon Se-hee...
At this rate, I might even end up meeting Ryu Jin-seong—Ryu Se-eun's adoptive father, the Black Heaven. Ha ha.
"... ."
Probably not?
As an ominous premonition made me grimace and seriously consider threatening Ryu Se-eun in advance, someone tapped my crown from behind right on cue.
"You're here early? What's up?"
"... ."
I didn't answer, but I knew who it was before even hearing the voice.
With my eyes closed, it was even clearer... that distinctive footstep carrying an electric current.
I lifted my head, and Cheon So-yul, who'd roughly set down her bag, tilted her head curiously as she looked down at me.
"...Why do you look so tired first thing in the morning?"
She must've noticed the faint fatigue on my face.
I deliberately sighed loudly and glared at her sullenly.
"You're making my life so hard."
"Huh?"
"Take responsibility and let me grope you. I need some healing."
I reached toward Cheon So-yul's cute chest, and spotting the blatant intent, she flushed red and promptly knuckle-rapped my head. Thwack!
...It hurt. Not a 'flick,' but a full thwack.
I groaned, clutching my head. Cheon So-yul covered her chest with one hand and pointed accusingly at me.
"Y-you crazy bastard. I've been telling you to watch the time and place...!"
There were a few other kids in the classroom already, though not many. She whispered so it wouldn't carry, but it made her look preemptively scared, which cracked me up.
Cheon So-yul glared daggers with both eyes.
"This jerk is laughing?"
"Sorry."
"If you can't control your libido, handle it yourself! Stop relying on me all the time! Ugh, seriously... ."
Cheon So-yul glared at me discontentedly, chewing her lip. Even so, her mouth corners twitched just a tiny bit—she didn't hate the skinship that much. Was this push-pull?
Like, maybe she worried I'd get spoiled if she indulged me too much.
My competitive spirit flared unnecessarily, so I tried stepping back with a 'Fine, challenge accepted!' vibe.
"Sigh, no helping it. Guess I'll go find the first-place junior then..."
"Huh?"
"... ."
"Wh-what?"
"...I misspoke."
I immediately took it back. I learned how scary a voice could be when it just repeated blankly without even getting mad.
Baek A-yun was okay since she was a friend, but my wife wiped the smile off her face the moment Ryu Se-eun's name came up.
I needed to learn from this.
"Hyun-jin."
"Yeah."
"Let's get along."
"...Sure."
I couldn't shake the feeling of being tamed. How did things end up like this? It was a moment to reflect once more on the dangers of one-night stands.
*****
1st: Lee Hyun-jin (1135 points)
2nd: Cheon So-yul (1127 points)
3rd: Kim I-jun (986 points)
4th: Baek A-yun (955 points)
5th: Kanzaki Rie (921 points)
The weekly rankings weren't much different from the first day of school. At least the top ranks showed zero changes.
I gained 12 points, while Kim I-jun lost 12. Cheon So-yul gained plus 17, Baek A-yun minus 17.
Cheon So-yul probably took down Baek A-yun in under a minute, reflected as 5 more points than me. At this rate, I was starting to feel the need for tension.
I'd already lost first place at the end and was living with the humiliating nickname 'Perpetual Second Place Bastard.' Now lose the ranking battle top spot too?
'That can't happen.'
With resolve, I prepared for today's ranking battle. I approached the kiosk-like monitor, started searching for a match, and prayed.
Please not Kanzaki, please not Kanzaki!
Having dropped 10 points last time suggested she'd faced a female student two weeks ago. In other words, per the bizarre 'ranking battle gender preservation rule(?)', high chance of a male opponent this time.
Of course, no such weird rule existed... But didn't superstitions exist in ranking battles too?
Looking at it more precisely, either me or Kim I-jun was bound to face Kanzaki or Baek A-yun.
At this point, I couldn't deny Baek A-yun was a tricky opponent. But given the timing, Kanzaki Rie was more dangerous.
About 10 minutes later.
Flash-
A beam of light signaling a successful match enveloped me. I reflexively looked up at the monitor and inwardly cheered.
Two matches at the same time.
[Left: Lee Hyun-jin (1135 points) vs Right: Baek A-yun (955 points)]
One was me versus Baek A-yun.
[Left: Kim I-jun (986 points) vs Right: Kanzaki Rie (921 points)]
The other, Kim I-jun versus Kanzaki.
I turned to check Kim I-jun's state—he looked like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, face crumpled.
With a relieved mind, I wished him luck.
He was a sword seeker, after all. He'd hold out with mental fortitude somehow. I'd aim for a quick decisive battle in the meantime.
Like that, Kim I-jun and I moved to the virtual dungeon with opposing emotions on our faces.
"Please go easy on me."
I faced Baek A-yun, who had neatly taken off her shoes and was bowing in apology.
"... ."
Why are you like this, seriously.