Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: External Mission (3)
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Kim Ji-woo had plopped me down on a big rock atop the mountain—one of those that always seemed to be lurking somewhere, no matter the peak.
She soon settled down beside me with a thud, unzipping her backpack and pulling out all sorts of things to set up: bottled water, snacks, wet wipes.
I couldn't help but admire her thorough preparation, even as a vague sense of disappointment crept in—like, were we actually on a picnic or something?
Unlike my mixed feelings, she seemed perfectly at ease with the routine, cracking open a bottle of water and chugging it down in big gulps.
She let out a satisfied "Phew," squeezing her eyes shut tight before blinking them open, finally turning to look at me.
"How's it going? Manageable?"
Her first question caught me so off guard that I furrowed my brow in disbelief.
"...You're asking me that after charging ahead and wiping out everything before I even got a chance to do anything?"
"Ahaha! Yeah, when you put it like that."
For some reason, that cracked her up, and after a good laugh, she explained.
Typically, the guide takes the lead up to the entrance to ease the students' tension by handling the monsters themselves, then gradually lets them gain experience from there.
It made a certain amount of sense, so I nodded with a thoughtful "Hmm."
"...Well, not that it matters—it's all just advice I got from my guild seniors anyway."
"Pardon?"
"Truth is, this is my first time guiding Blue Pine Academy students."
Just like that, she turned my admiration into nothing.
As I narrowed my eyes with a complicated expression, she started chuckling again. What a laugher she was.
"Hyun-jin, Hyun-jin."
"Yes."
"What's your trait?"
Setting aside how she'd gone from "Student Hyun-jin" to "Hyun-jin" so casually, her sudden question was a tough one to answer.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly and bowed my head a bit.
"Sorry. My trait isn't really something I can share easily with others."
It could come off as "I don't trust you," so I was a little cautious, but she just waved it off with an embarrassed grin.
"No, no. Plenty of traits like that out there. Don't worry about it."
Even as she said that, she let out a little "Hmm" with a troubled look, glancing at me sideways.
"Actually, the reason I brought it up was to tell you about my trait first."
"Pardon?"
"We're gonna be together for at least two days, right?"
Why bring this up out of nowhere? As I blinked in confusion, waiting, she took a deep breath.
It was clear she was steeling herself, so I clamped my mouth shut awkwardly. What on earth was she about to say?
"...About my trait."
She turned to face me squarely.
Looking incredibly tense, she bit her lip nervously—
"...My trait, well. It's, uh..."
She squeezed her eyes shut like "Screw it" and blurted it out.
"I-it's reading the other person's mind!"
"?"
I couldn't help but float a question mark. I'd never expected that.
She'd been dragging it out so much—what could it be? Mind reading?
"N-not absolutely, of course. I can only catch fragments if they're thinking something really intense... but..."
"..."
"Ugh, what I'm trying to say is, I won't get offended no matter what you're thinking. And if you don't like it, I'll just brainwash myself into forgetting I ever heard it. So...!"
Her words tumbled out in a jumble.
Her posture fidgeted wildly.
I just sat there with the world's most ambiguous expression, listening to her frantic outburst—too awkward to even describe.
...In short, it boiled down to this.
1. She was an awakener with a trait that let her read people's minds to some extent—basically telepathy.
2. Because of that, she'd been through a lot of hardship up until now.
3. To avoid any misunderstandings this time, she was laying it all out for me in advance...
'...Something like that?'
I grabbed a biscuit from the snacks she'd set out on the rock, popped it in my mouth, and sorted through my thoughts.
From the way she was fidgeting anxiously, waiting for my reaction, I could guess the issue.
In other words, she was worried I'd find her creepy or off-putting and start keeping my distance.
It seemed like that had happened plenty of times before, judging by her reaction.
Of course, anyone would feel uneasy knowing a mind reader was around—but that was normal...
'Tough ability to have.'
Now that she'd come clean first, I didn't feel any disgust or rejection. If anything, the opposite.
I just thought, "Must've been rough."
She could've kept it hidden without issue, but she chose to reveal it... Talk about someone who raises her own difficulty level.
This world was full of all sorts of bizarre traits anyway. No need to get weird about one more.
'Heck, look no further than me.'
Ahem.
Mind reading was whatever. Compared to that "ability to steal power through intercourse with the opposite sex" somewhere out there, it was nothing.
Haha. Who the hell even has such a ridiculous trait?
"..."
As I squeezed my eyes shut, plunged into deep self-doubt about my own trait—
I felt a trembling hand gently tugging at my clothes.
"D-don't get mad at me..."
There was Kim Ji-woo, her eyes glistening pitifully with tears.
A reflexive chuckle slipped out.
I reached out and gently placed my hand over hers, which was clutching my collar.
I could feel her flinch slightly.
To ease her anxiety quickly, I met her eyes and answered.
"I'm not mad. No need to worry about it."
Her eyes went wide, mouth dropping open in an "O."
"...Huh? Really?"
"Not mad at all. Doesn't bother me."
I repeated it firmly to her dazed self. She jolted, her pupils shaking like in an earthquake.
I chuckled and continued.
"First off, thanks for telling me upfront. I'll admit, it's the kind of trait that could make things awkward."
She flinched again at that, her face starting to crumple into tears.
The bold figure who'd swept away monsters earlier was gone without a trace.
That huge gap felt oddly cute, so I patted her shoulder lightly.
"It's fine, really. I just won't think anything problematic if it comes up... And honestly, my trait's pretty unique too, so no one's pushing people away over something like that."
In other words, don't worry—I won't get upset even if you can't control it. Relax.
That seemed to reassure her.
Figuring that was enough, I casually started to pull my hand away.
"Hic."
And then—whoosh! Her tear ducts burst. Tears streamed down uncontrollably, making me flinch in surprise.
Before I could say anything, she threw herself at me.
"Waaah! Thank you...! I figured, but you're such a sweet kid, Hyun-jin! How do you say such nice things?! Hic!"
"W-wait. Ji-woo? Let go a sec. Ack."
"I've been through so much stress because of this trait. Always treated like a pain by tough bosses, and my relationships? They all crash and burn the same way! Everyone avoids me...!"
Her hug was ridiculously strong. As a mage, the pressure on my waist was intense.
But the real problem? According to her sudden declaration, her 82cm bust was pressing against my lower half.
I reflexively straightened my back and swallowed hard. I tried my best to control my thoughts, but...
"Getting hard?"
"..."
Flinch.
"It's okay! Even if you're thinking teenage-boy stuff about my chest like any guy your age, I'm fine with it! Don't get mad that I can read your mind!"
"No, wait...!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine! Totally normal! I've dealt with plenty of pervs on the street who glance at me and think about pounding me like a dog!"
It was pointless. Controlling stray thoughts isn't easy.
Once you're aware, it snowballs—and Ji-woo was losing all reason, blurting whatever came to mind.
...Calming her down took forever. I let out a weary sigh in my exhausted state.
It was a fiasco where I gained nothing but lost plenty—to my own embarrassment alone.
Thinking it over, yeah... that mind-reading trait really is pretty creepy.