Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Juni
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"It's just braided to look pretty."
Tora said indifferently, then suddenly her energy shifted as she flashed a bright smile.
"Women liked braiding it for me."
There was a tidal wave of power in Tora's deliberate smile that would have left any woman breathless. The professor was overwhelmed by it too, struggling to remember her duty.
"Then what does this tattoo mean?"
Tora glanced at her own tattoo and said,
"It's Latoya."
"Latoya?"
"My twin."
"Then..."
As the professor was about to ask the next question, Tora suddenly spoke in a language no one present could understand.
"Pardon?"
The professor asked back. Tora smiled brightly.
"You're interested in our language too, aren't you?"
"Oh, yes."
Then Tora said something else in Satadier and explained what it meant.
"It's 'hello.'"
"Could you say it one more time?"
As the professor tried to write it down, Tora gently pressed her hand down. The professor flinched. But Tora ignored it, smiling as she said,
"You learn words with your mouth. Repeat after me."
"Oh..."
The professor's face visibly flushed red.
"Not 'oh.'"
Then Tora pronounced it again. The professor shyly repeated after her.
Jain, watching from behind, was dumbfounded. What on earth was this vampire doing? She'd heard legends that vampires enchanted virgins, but she hadn't imagined it like this.
"Your eyes are a pretty color. What do you call it? Teal?"
Tora peered into the professor's eyes and asked.
"Yes. Yours are red, Tora."
"Not my original color, but I quite like this one too."
"They're beautiful. Really."
Now it was hard to tell if this was an interview for research or a blind date.
"Just the eyes?"
Tora smiled with a thick musky scent, asking a question that messed with people's senses.
The professor shook her head slowly.
"Your bone structure is solid... very unique..."
Tora just gazed at her intently. With a slight smile.
Whether she knew it or not, the professor seemed to be leaning forward slowly to look at Tora more closely. To the point where she was almost climbing onto the table...
...or so Jain thought, when the professor straightened up and actually placed one knee on the table...!
It was like magic. Tora had just looked into her eyes and said a few words, yet a scholar prominent enough to collaborate with the military had thrown reason out the window and turned into an animal crawling onto the table.
Jain was so stunned she couldn't even think to stop it and just stared. Meanwhile, Tora wore a faint smile, as if she'd seen this a time or two.
"Uh."
The warrant officer whispered quietly from the side.
"Aren't you going to stop her...?"
Jain sighed, still watching the scene unfold, then walked over to the table and said,
"Professor, you can't do this here."
At Jain's intervention, the professor snapped out of it and looked at her. Realizing where she was, she nearly screamed.
The professor tried to scramble down in a panic and almost tumbled off. Jain quickly helped her down. While doing so, she glared at Tora.
But Tora just shrugged her shoulders. As if she hadn't done anything.
***
"Lieutenant."
The colonel called, and Doyoung turned and responded.
"Yes."
But the colonel's expression wasn't good.
"There's a problem. She climbed on the table, apparently."
"The table?"
Doyoung couldn't understand what the table had to do with anything. The colonel nodded.
"She's a renowned young expert in her field."
Even then, Doyoung still didn't get it until suddenly realization dawned.
"Was the scholar interviewing Tora... a woman, by any chance?"
The colonel nodded as if regretting his mistake.
"She didn't do anything special, so we can't really say much..."
Doyoung rubbed her eyes, already feeling exhausted just thinking about it, and said,
"I'll talk to her."
"No need. We're switching to a male scholar."
But Gamal, who had been listening, said blankly,
"That won't work."
Doyoung looked at Gamal with a puzzled expression.
"What won't?"
It was then.
"Colonel."
An officer came and whispered in his ear. The colonel's face grew serious as he listened. Doyoung had a bad feeling. As the officer stepped back, the colonel swallowed a sigh and said to Doyoung,
"Lieutenant, you'll need to go."
***
"Tora."
Doyoung called, her head throbbing. But Tora was stubborn.
"I don't like men."
She sat there with her arms crossed, sulking like a stubborn child, pretending not to hear. They'd brought in a male scholar, after all.
To be extra safe, they'd brought an elderly male scholar, who now stood behind with an awkward expression.
'Two mad dogs...'
Doyoung couldn't help thinking it.
With one hand on her hip, Doyoung pressed her other hand to her forehead, then dropped it and said,
"Do you think this is some kind of blind date?"
"You're sticking me in a place full of grim dark men with no fun at all—what else am I supposed to do but play around to pass the time?"
Then Tora turned to the male scholar and said politely, unnecessarily so,
"I have no particular ill feelings toward you, sir."
"Ah, yes..."
The scholar replied hesitantly. Doyoung planted her hands on the table in front of Tora and lowered her voice.
"Is this a game to you? You need to cooperate so we can find your twin as fast as possible, don't you know that?"
Tora hesitated. Doyoung drove the point home.
"Right?"
Finally, Tora sighed, uncrossed her arms, and said,
"Fine, Tawa."
"Tawa..."
Jain muttered from where she stood behind. Doyoung pulled Tora close and whispered low,
"I told you not to call me that."
"It's a habit."
Doyoung turned and said,
"Then I'll leave her in your hands."
As she left, she said to Jain,
"You've got your work cut out for you."
Jain replied flatly, without mincing words.
"Seems like it."
Tora looked over and asked,
"Are you two talking shit about me right now?"
Doyoung glanced at Tora and walked out.
"Humans or vampires, they always hear when you're badmouthing them."
Jain watched Tora converse with the male scholar.
She was so polite and kept such distance it was hard to believe she was the same person who'd dealt with the female scholar earlier. To the point of seeming indifferent.
But Jain somehow knew. If that vampire put her mind to it, both the female scholar from before and this male one would react the same way.
Jain suddenly felt like she needed an aspirin.
'What the hell have they saddled me with?'
***
By evening, Doyoung stepped outside. Gamal and Tora were sitting side by side on the ledge by the door. Jain stood a few steps away.
Gamal jumped up when she saw Doyoung.
"All done?"
A sergeant who came out with her suddenly clapped.
"As expected of our lieutenant. Even her pet's no ordinary one. A vampire, no less."
Doyoung frowned and looked at the sergeant.
"Don't say weird things."
Whether she did or not, the sergeant threw a playful salute and left.
"Then this lowly one will take his leave."
Doyoung shook her head and looked at Gamal.
"Is the interview over?"
"Yeah. I waited for Doyoung."
Lately, scholars had been coming and going so much they were wearing down the doorframe.
Gamal's discovery was still classified, which limited the number of scholars. But they all wanted to hear even one more word from her, making faces like little boys listening to dinosaur or bug stories. It made Doyoung think soldiers had their timber and scholars had theirs too.
"Eaten yet?"
When asked, Gamal shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Let's go."
"Yeah!"
Doyoung turned, Gamal followed, then Tora, and finally Jain.
The four entered the mess hall. Fortunately, past mealtime, it was nearly empty. Better that way, since Gamal and Tora stood out so much.
Some people had started noticing the Luas who often appeared by Doyoung's side after her miraculous survival—ones who didn't seem enlisted yet. But most things at this base were classified anyway.
Those working here knew better than to pay undue attention.
"What do you want, Matty?"
Tora asked Gamal.
"That one."
Gamal grabbed Tora's arm and pointed at the menu. Doyoung glanced at it but said nothing special and placed the order.
They got their food and sat.
"Here, Matty."
Tora portioned out some food and handed it to Gamal. Doyoung glanced again but said nothing, just took her food and started eating.
"Tasty."
Gamal was thrilled.
But Jain was staring blatantly at Gamal.
"What?"
Tora asked. Jain averted her gaze and mumbled.
"Nothing..."
"You can't believe Matty's lived so long?"
Tora asked as if reading her mind. Jain hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes. Sorry if it's rude, but you could tell me you were born yesterday and I'd believe it."
Honestly, she could seem even younger mentally, but that might be too rude to say.
Tora looked at Gamal with affectionate eyes and said,
"Time hasn't touched her—that's Matty's charm."
Was that something you could just pass off as a simple charm?
"Matty avoided people as much as possible."
Tora added. Jain probed casually, pretending to just ask.
"Why?"
"So no one would get hurt. Matty's kind. Sometimes that's the problem, though."
"A problem?"
Gamal asked with a sad face. Tora rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Gamal fondly.
"It's fine. People like Matty make the world worth living in."
"Creepy. What are you two mother-and-daughter types doing?"
Doyoung finally spoke up. Tora grinned slyly.
"That's 'cause we're mother and daughter. You think there's another pair this close?"
Doyoung made a face of disgust when suddenly Gamal touched Tora's forearm. Everyone looked at Gamal. She said with a serious face,
"Don't worry, Tora. Latoya's safe."
Tora fell silent, like someone whose heart had been read.
Gamal knew Tora was more anxious than ever before. She'd never been separated from Latoya this long. She probably wanted to rush out and find her right now.
"Yeah. Latoya's safe."
Tora said it like she wanted to believe it.
"I'm Latoya's seer. I can feel it."
Gamal hugged Tora, and Tora hugged her back.
Maybe because Gamal looked younger, but even a grown man hugging the woman he called his mother looked oddly comfortable—a sight unfamiliar to Jain.