Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Someone Among Them Is Flower (3)
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Flower's rival and symbol of the nation. National Tree.
Kim Soo-yeon and Saku.
"Soo-yeon unnie, Soo-yeon unnie. I watched the academy match."
"Yeah? Oh, yeah. We lost that one..."
"It was so disappointing. You did so~~~ well!"
And to top it off, Cornus, the eldest daughter of a family renowned even internationally.
Even just sitting there silently watching the conversation, she seemed to glow.
Saku meticulously sliced her bread into small pieces, then lifted her mask just enough to pop one into her mouth.
Each time, her jawline peeked out just a bit.
Sleek yet soft and plump cheeks.
I lifted my own mask to sip my tea.
I'd already eaten too much bread earlier. And with everyone around watching, it felt awkward to keep eating.
The appearance of these two National Trees had drawn all eyes to our table.
-Whirr, whirr.
Transparent artifacts floating in the air were currently filming the three women right in front of me.
Obviously leaving me out of the broadcast.
-Slurp.
Savoring the properly brewed black tea, I watched the women chatting across from me.
At the same time, I fiddled with my phone in one hand, searching for info on the women before me.
[Yoshino Saku]
20 years old. Japan's National Tree.
Second daughter of the Cherry Tree Family and a spirit arts prodigy. Recorded as an A-rank Hunter, but her true power is unknown.
She showed talent as a spiritist from childhood, surpassing even her elder sister to be selected as National Tree.
This was my first time seeing a spiritist, aside from Azalea.
There are so few people who can communicate with spirits that, among everyone I'd dealt with so far, not a single spiritist had appeared.
And the next person.
[Kim Soo-yeon]
20 years old. Korea's National Tree.
Granddaughter of the Sword Saint... Korea's pride, racing toward mastery just like her grandfather.
Sword Saint. Hunter Association President Moo-goong.
I'd had my suspicions, but to think she really was that man's successor.
I smiled without letting it show on my face.
"Oh, right..."
Since I was looking at my phone, she happened to address me.
"...That rampage incident last time. You said you resolved it with Peach Blossom Paradise, right? I forgot... I wanted to thank you on behalf of the Association."
"Oh, you mean that one?"
"Yes. It was such a dangerous situation."
"No need to thank me. It was the right thing to do."
I responded smoothly, not wanting to seem bad. Soo-yeon smiled brightly.
"No. Even if it was the right thing, stepping up in that situation isn't easy. Especially for an academy student with no real combat experience."
She seemed to be acknowledging my efforts and praising me.
There was no better moment than now—with a public figure of National Tree status, and the broadcast going out.
Just her saying it as a National Tree gave me tons of benefits.
In other words, it meant my name had spread enough that even a National Tree like her knew who I was.
"If more Hunters were like you, the world would be a much better place. Hehe, thank you."
"You're too kind."
Recognition like that. It could help if I ever joined a guild down the line.
Not that I plan to.
But from anyone else's perspective, it'd definitely be something to celebrate.
I thanked her and took another sip of black tea.
The conversation had turned a bit formal somehow.
Chatting with a mere human and National Trees, given our statuses, I couldn't use casual speech here.
Cornus and Saku blinked at me.
"Me too~ I think so too. Si-heon oppa is cool. Good person."
"Haha, thank you."
"Si-heon is good...?"
Cornus trailed off.
What's with that look?
Honestly, if you ask objectively whether I'm a bad guy or a good guy... Hm.
Not exactly good.
I nodded to myself and lifted my teacup again.
'Ah.'
It was empty.
*****
"Si-heon oppa~! See you later!"
"If you have business, then. Saku, this is the preliminaries. Stop yelling."
"Eee~"
After the meal, we parted ways with the two National Trees.
Kim Soo-yeon lightly tapped the head of Saku, who was waving enthusiastically in her fox mask.
We might cross paths again, but as a mere human, it felt too burdensome.
The next three days were adaptation period.
Short for an adaptation phase, but plenty of time for a Hunter's stamina to adjust.
Checking my phone, it was already 11 p.m.
Normally, this would be midday.
My sleep schedule was already off, and now my circadian rhythm was messed up too. Great.
Sleeping felt harder than grueling training.
Maybe just head to my room and scroll on my phone.
As I inputted the door lock code for my assigned room, Cornus followed behind me.
"Your room isn't upstairs."
She just tilted her head at my question, no answer.
I pressed down on her crown with five fingers. She squinted.
"Nothing to do."
"If there's nothing to do, normally you'd enjoy leisure downstairs."
Why does she always come to me when bored?
There's plenty to do. We had to stay here for months, and nearly every facility was inside this building.
PC bangs, cocktail bars, massage shops, etc.
Pretty much every urban leisure activity was available right here.
Cornus stood there blankly, staring at the door lock.
Like she was saying to hurry up and open it.
"It'll be boring."
"Doesn't matter."
"...Fine, do what you want."
-Beep.
Opening the door revealed a spacious room bigger than most hotels.
Huge sofa, giant fridge, kitchen, pantry—all there.
Power of the World Tree Foundation, where money from around the globe poured in.
Facilities so top-notch, "overkill" didn't even begin to describe it.
-Beep.
Door lock from the next room over. The only minor flaw was slightly thin soundproofing.
But it was just everyday noise, nothing to worry about.
I dumped my bags and immediately flopped onto the bed.
"Sleep?"
"Just lying down."
-Rustle rustle.
Cornus, who'd followed me in, peered at my face on the bed and tilted her head.
Then she rummaged through her bags and pulled something out.
A notebook and textbook.
"...Was gonna say let's study."
"All the way here?"
"...Yeah."
Oh. Right, she's a student.
It'd only been a few months since prime study-and-training season. Felt like ages ago.
Midterms right after Forest Keeper preliminaries ended.
We had to stay here from late spring through early fall.
Scores carried over from mid-semester last term, but falling behind in coursework was inevitable.
"...Then I don't wanna either."
I just lay there unresponsive, so Cornus tossed her textbook aside.
She rustled over, climbed onto the bed, and plopped her head on my stomach.
A light weight settled right above my navel.
"Can't you lie down properly?"
"No."
"Why."
"...You always tug my cheeks."
Petty revenge, she pressed harder on my head.
Still just cute.
I smiled and reached for her cheek, but the moment my hand touched, she swatted my wrist.
"Don't like being touched."
"Do as I say, not as I do?"
"...What's that?"
When I do it, romance. When others do, affair.
Classic type who does it herself but won't let others—the kind you don't wanna get close to.
I explained it roughly. Cornus nodded with a complicated expression.
"The kind you don't wanna get close to?"
"Most people, yeah. Depends on the case."
"...Then. Touch."
No option to move her head, huh.
Too much for me to understand her fourth-dimensional thinking.
I reached out and squished her soft cheek.
Stretched it like mochi, and a gloomy voice leaked from Cornus.
"...Euu."
Softie Cornus. Fixed nickname I'd seen in that community where Soo-yeon was active last time.
Told her not to, but she'd even become a mod there.
Annoyed for some reason. I tugged harder.
-Streeetch!
-Snap!
Released, her cheek snapped back like a rubber band.
Cornus rubbed it with her hand.
Pulled too long; must hurt.
"Feels bad. Not a good person."
"Yeah, let's call it that."
"..."
-Tap, tap.
I half-heartedly responded to her complaints while scrolling news on my phone.
30 minutes. 1 hour, 2 hours.
Time flew lying on the bed till nearly dawn.
Cornus lay blankly killing time, then got curious about my videos or articles and lay beside me.
She stole the pillow by my head, watched together, eyelids drooped, and soon she was asleep.
My room, but she'd claimed the middle of the bed.
I had no real intention of sleeping. Kept tapping my phone when faint sounds came from next door.
-Ah, ...ahng.
Soundproofing's decent. But audible.
A woman's moan.
-...Driving me crazy. Ahng, aaang! Ahng! Why are you so good? Ahng!
The translator in my ear worked unnecessarily well.
Mimicking tone, accent, pitch perfectly. The moans hit my ear twice over.
'...Doing it all the way out here?'
Olympic Village.
Heard all sorts of lewd stories happen there.
Vaguely recalled urban legends. Guess even at this global event, some things never change.
Turning three days of free time into rice cake pounding.
No joke.
I hurriedly removed the translator from Cornus's ear.
Her pure image was strong; couldn't let her hear moans.
-Th-this position for real?
-Of course.
-...Urgh, mmph! Too virile...
Thud thud thud.
Was the soundproofing issue just this room?
I removed mine too, set it on the nightstand. Felt a bit better.
Still, moans from next door didn't stop.
-Ahng! Aaaaaaah! Ahang!
'...'
Sounded like someone dying.
And with my Lewd Demon trait, my body reacting made it worse.
Lately, getting more irritable about sexual stuff.
Azalea loved it, seducing me whenever. But not here.
I turned to look at Cornus.
Sound asleep, innocent eyelids closed.
Long lashes, pale skin.
Last time, she looked so frail I hesitated to touch her, but after my treatments, she seemed healthier.
Delicate face. Lowering my gaze, sweat pooled in her collarbone.
Forest Keeper preliminaries roomwear.
Not tight-fitting, but her size made the chest area stand out excessively.
Watermelon or melon?
Softer than her cheeks, probably.
I averted my eyes.
'What, with a sick girl.'
Lewd Demon bastard...
Thinking that, I pulled a blanket to cover her without looking.
"Mm..."
As I draped it up to her chest, Cornus let out a faint voice.
-Drip.
Some liquid sound.
Startled, I lifted the blanket.
What?
Slowly lowered it, checking the source.
Cornus's chest was wet.
No spilling water, no leaks from ceiling.
The stain was dark, not like water.
Sweet scent wafting up.
And the location of the wet spot.
Right over the important female area.
'Uh...'
I realized what it was immediately.
"...Huh?"
Too shocked to speak.