Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Hoping to Get Closer (4)
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The morning after spending the night with Lee Se-young.
Scratching my head from the hangover, I checked the time on my phone on the desk. It was 6 a.m. My instinct to wake up early after drinking had kicked in again.
"Ugh... my head."
Was switching to soju midway the problem? My head throbbed. What the hell happened yesterday?
Dragging my hazy mind, I recalled the events.
Yesterday, I definitely called Lee Se-young over for a drink. It had been a while since I'd had a drinking session, so I remembered savoring it immensely.
We kept pouring and drinking until I got drunk, and I subtly mentioned Se-young's tastes from the World Tree Auction. Then we went to the bathroom and...
"We did it."
From the moment Se-young took me in her mouth until she devoured my acorn.
After one round of mating ended, the memory resurfaced up to when I supported the limp Se-young back to the instructors' dorms, making me chuckle involuntarily.
"Heh."
Remembering that naturally lifted the corners of my mouth.
But as I laughed, reflecting on my current situation sobered me right up.
[Current Friends: 1] The important thing was the friend-making business from now on.
After getting thoroughly beaten by Azalea's troubled glare yesterday, I checked discreetly, and the person closest to being a friend was still Azalea.
-Azalea (Favorability 9, Disgust) Favorability had plummeted. I considered making a whole new friend, but the quest window didn't seem to lie.
'Whatever.'
Friends...... I have to make some. If I don't, I'll die.
I let out a big sigh and scratched the back of my neck.
"Let's do this."
This morning, like always, I roughly dry-washed my face with both hands and bitterly renewed my resolve.
As always, I had to survive.
No matter what, by any means necessary.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Right after getting out of bed, I washed up, quickly put on my mask, stopped by a convenience store to buy expensive chocolate, and entered the academy.
With my experience of only one person, I had no idea how to win a girl's favor, so the best show of affection I could manage was persistence.
Chocolate of friendship.
I placed the bought chocolate on Azalea's desk and leisurely sat at my seat.
In my old world, from middle school onward, giving food made you a good kid. One Maisy could buy a week's worth of favor.
A bit later, Azalea and Si-woo entered the classroom.
-Clunk.
"What'd you do yesterday?"
"Huh? Oh, trained of course. There's a gym on the first floor of the dorms—it's pretty good. Wanna go together?"
"Sure, why not."
"Then tonight... Huh? What's that?"
Confirming the chocolate where Si-woo pointed, she slightly furrowed her brows and tilted her head.
"Beats me. Who left it?"
Her head naturally turned my way. We were pretty far apart, so I couldn't clearly see the emotion in her eyes.
'Now what? I gave it, at least.'
In that brief moment, I accelerated my thoughts, recalling the countless students I'd seen so far.
How did the good kids who gave me food react here?
-Here, eat this!
-Huh? Oh, uh, thanks.
They definitely smiled. Yeah, they smiled. Isn't the power of a smile immense?
So, smile first!
-Brightly.
Since my mouth was exposed below the mask, she could at least tell I was smiling.
"Someone's got a crush on you, huh?"
"Pfft, who would like someone like me."
Azalea casually glanced my way while brushing off Si-woo's teasing remark.
Azalea's lips moved slowly.
-D-o-n-'-t-, d-o-, t-h-a-t-.
She whipped her head away, sat down, and flashed Si-woo a bright smile.
"Wanna grab something before homeroom?"
"Sure."
I let out a hearty laugh right there.
"...Hah."
I had no intention of backing down like this.
Right now, instead of being the typical pushover stuck in the corner of the classroom, I needed to become the sweet guy who charms women.
They say strike ten times and you're a stalker, but hey, all roads lead to Seoul.
I pulled myself together and steeled my resolve.
Time to start making friends.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ah......"
"Azalea, this seems like someone really likes you."
"More like a stalker."
"M-maybe?"
Si-woo stammered in agreement to Azalea's icy response. Describing what was happening to her now did sound like stalking.
Expensive chocolate waiting creepily on her desk when she arrived at the academy in the morning, pricey macarons stuffed in her cadet locker.
'Ugh, I'm pissed.'
Azalea got to taste a new kind of hell today, one she'd never experienced before.
Why the hell was someone doing this to her?
That question arose, but only one person in the world could answer her curiosity.
'Lee Si-heon. Why are you doing this to me?'
His persistence had pushed her to enlightenment.
What the fuck made him cling to her like this? No psycho was this psycho.
-??
Glared at the guy in the back who turned after sensing her stare.
-Brightly!
'That guy. Really. Fucking really.'
Grind. Her teeth gnashed.
This wasn't about getting friendly; it was high-level harassment. Rumors were rampant among the female cadets that some mystery guy had a crush on Azalea.
Considering how much grief that one-day rumor had caused her, her fist clenched involuntarily at the thought that Lee Si-heon had no clue.
Yeah, this was Lee Si-heon's doing.
'I said some harsh stuff back then......!'
Would he accept an apology now? No, her pride wouldn't allow it.
Throughout class, biting her nails to vent her anger, she suddenly thought about Lee Si-heon's existence.
'Who the hell is that guy anyway?'
He passed the practical exam against Jeong Si-woo, and she saw he could handle swordsmanship decently last time.
'Even that guy's targeting Lee Si-heon. Why? That loser?'
He'd lost some weight since then, no longer pig-level.
Still acted like "pig" was a trigger word, but whatever—her interest now wasn't Si-heon himself, but his backing.
Recalling the last recreation.
'He introduced himself, right? How'd it go?'
-I-I'm Lee Si-heon. Pleased to meet you.
A shaky voice, flustered delivery. His light tone and plump body held no charm, so aside from Bead, everyone ignored him.
'......'
Honestly, kinda pathetic.
But even so, he never leaked any personal info.
Where the hell did this guy come from?
'Use an informant? Nah, that'd reach that bastard's ears.'
If word got out she was digging into Si-heon via informants, her stepfather would push to recruit him immediately.
That's what made it more mysterious.
What did that filthy man see in a guy hiding behind such a flimsy mask?
She despised and scorned him, but her stepfather was a businessman with the savvy even Azalea acknowledged.
'If he likes him, there must be something there.'
Azalea's current recruitment target was the World Tree's husband, Jeong Si-woo, with his fearsome swordsmanship.
Si-woo's existence was poised to greatly aid in ousting her stepfather.
But thinking about it, Lee Si-heon could be useful to Azalea in many ways too.
She just lacked confidence in recruiting him.
If her stepfather seriously tried to sway Si-heon, he'd probably fold completely.
'The guy's obsessed with getting what he wants. Same this time.'
It wasn't the first time.
To topple her stepfather, she'd preemptively approached and recruited things he wanted many times.
But no matter how solid the bonds she forged, after a few private meetings with her stepfather, they betrayed her.
Her brother did, her mother did.
The only one who didn't betray her was her real father.
Her sole ally, now gone.
The thought suddenly depressed her. Azalea rubbed her stiff face and sighed.
'Right now, I need to pull Si-woo to my side fast.'
No matter how embarrassing Si-heon's actions, her priorities were set.
A loyal guy like Si-woo would surely side with her like her father, no doubt.
And Si-heon... they'd probably never get close.
He'd be handed to her father first anyway.
No need to poke at uneatable shit. That was Azalea's creed, walking her lone path all this time.
'Next class is... Magic Studies, right? Must've put it in the desk drawer.'
Reaching into the drawer for her book, something—a hard metal box—blocked her hand.
Pulling it out, another chocolate.
"Argh!"
Snapping her head up to glare at Lee Si-heon, he looked back, realized something, then grinned toothily.
-Brightly.
To her, that smile looked like a psychopath's.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Probably, this friend-making venture was going well.
I hadn't checked favorability yet, but it had to be working. Or I'd die.
-Rustle, rustle.
I unwrapped one remaining chocolate, popped it in my mouth, and entered the training ground where the wooden dummy instructor was.
There was already someone there.
"That's..."
A familiar face, someone I'd hoped to run into.
But her status was worlds apart, so I'd long given up approaching.
The girl who'd confronted Si-woo last time, vowing not to lose next time with childlike competitive spirit, was now sparring with the instructor.
San Su-yu.
Her bright yellow long hair matched the vivid magic shimmering around her body.
The haze that arises when high-purity mana envelops the body.
I stood dazed, watching her sword path.
-Bang! Bang!
The surrounding air swirled along her sword's trajectory.
Even with the transparent barrier ahead, the pressure was palpable, and the fierce killing intent she unleashed even in training.
It felt just like when she first faced Si-woo. San Su-yu was definitely fast and powerful.
-Whoosh!
My eyes followed her movements.
Along her sword path, the lingering haze scattered on the air, forming peculiar shapes.
Like fully bloomed petals.
A faint image stirred in me.
'I've grown too.'
Her sword, invisible to me before, was now discernible.
Each motion etched into my eyes.
From the minute muscle twitches when she took stance, to her rotating wrist, quivering blade.
I was supposed to train, but I couldn't help it.
No, my body naturally mimicked her movements.
Fluid, deceptive footwork, wrist motions.
As if gripping a sword, I assumed stance and followed her every move.
A sword form naturally emerged.
Ah...
One realization turned into a sword shape, striking my mind like lightning in a storm.
'This... this is.'
A well-honed sword.
"......?"
Snapping to, I saw San Su-yu looking at me.