Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Photinia Tree (1)
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"Then take care."
I stared blankly at Si-heon walking away.
Azalea followed the man descending the stairs with her eyes until he was out of sight, then lowered her head.
Her feet wouldn't move.
'If you don't like it, we can just let this slide.' He'd clearly said that. Azalea couldn't shake off the dizzying shock.
He wanted to be friends. That's how she'd heard it.
Lately, she'd been thinking the same. I want that too.
Her father had once said that feelings aren't eternal. Even the hottest love cools over time. He'd repeated it countless times.
...Friends, huh.
Azalea thought to herself as she entered the dormitory.
She opened the fridge in the darkened room. A blast of cold air poured out. Her arms prickled.
The fridge was packed full of chocolates.
What emotion did she feel looking at them?
She had to look deep inside herself to know.
- I need to approach him myself.
Azalea tore open a chocolate and popped it into her mouth.
*****
- Peep! Peep!
Shiba's alarm chirped in my ear. I unconsciously reached out and stroked the sprout, and Shiba rubbed its leaves against my hand like a cat.
A beam of light streamed through the gap in the curtains. Already morning?
I rubbed my eyes, got up, and scratched the back of my neck.
"Mask."
I groped around the desk for the mask, hugged it to my chest, went into the shower, washed up thoroughly, and flipped it over my face.
Today's outfit was the uniform. In this world, it was like functional sleepwear optimized for combat.
- Creek.
"Good morning~"
"Oh, it's been a while, kid~ I heard rumors from the cadets. You did something great, huh?"
The cafeteria lady who'd occasionally greet me welcomed me warmly.
Rumors about me had spread through the academy, of course. Though some parts were distorted from the actual events.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Heard about the academy cadet who helped take down that cult? The whole Jinmok Group got dragged into it lololol gutsy as hell. — 160.55 Si-woo again? It's Si-woo, right? ↳ Reply Nope lololol ↳ Reply ???????? Wtf. The article says it's not. Thought it was Si-woo cuz it's always him. — SeyoungMom A promising cadet. Hope the World Tree bestows her blessings on him. — Soul Jinmok Group issued a statement and all hell broke loose lololol Their already trashed rep is even worse now. ↳ Reply Finally get to see a Wood Person family stripped of status? ↳ Reply No way that'll happen. They'll probably just kick out anyone connected to Jin Yeo-hee. — SiwooOppaBest Who's this guy? Where's Si-woo oppa? ↳ Reply Go to Siwoo Gallery? tc.app ↳ Reply Pls stop with your Si-woo obsession;; The story had spread that I'd assisted rather than led the incident.
Which was already the agreed narrative.
The Hunter Association had investigated for years, only for a single academy cadet to resolve it. If that got out, their reputation would tank.
Can't even match one cadet after taking all that money? Total tax thieves.
Even jokes like that could snowball, so I'd coordinated with the Association in advance.
Of course, I'd secured a hefty reward long ago.
Like assigning a top-tier hunter as my mentor for a week?
'This is good.'
I bit into the morning toast.
The butter soaked into the sweet sauce was divine. My ingrained bachelor instincts were already hunting for the recipe.
This time, a glass of milk.
As I savored the nutty aroma, I sensed someone approaching from the front.
"Um."
Same uniform as me. Familiar bob cut. Flower petal pinned to her bangs.
Azalea sat down in front of me with slightly awkward steps and asked,
"Is it okay if I sit here?"
"With me?"
I reflexively asked back, surprised.
Her attitude was so different from the Azalea I knew that I nearly suffered cognitive dissonance.
Azalea mumbled in a voice like she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.
"......We're friends, right?"
Friends. Yeah, we were.
I knew from the system that she saw me as a friend.
But the Azalea still etched in my memory hated me.
I forced a smile and continued calmly.
"Oh yeah, you said you had something to tell me, right?"
- Nod.
Azalea, now seated, sipped her fragrant flower tea and nodded.
The pink petals floating on top were striking.
Soon, she spoke up.
"Thank you for that."
Thanks. As expected.
Good thing she wasn't the type to insist on personal revenge.
I gave a wry smile.
"What for?"
"The thing from before. I'm really grateful you helped with the revenge."
"Revenge? Never heard of it. You said I wouldn't know even if you told me, right?"
"......"
Azalea rolled her eyes and hesitated.
The emotions in those eyes were blatantly obvious. Proof she was sincere about this relationship.
I chuckled. Azalea's shoulders trembled with anxiety.
I bit into the toast, chewed, and swallowed.
Thud. I set down the milk glass.
"So, how does it feel? Satisfied with the revenge?"
Azalea's eyes widened at my words.
"......It was refreshing."
She muttered.
That pierced her heart open enough. Time to drop the formalities.
"You weren't acting like friends when you said no way, don't do this."
"Sorry. Back then—"
"I know. My actions were total loser vibes. Looking back, even I cringe. Be honest. How was it?"
Azalea hesitated. Then she hugged her arm and said,
"Loser vibes. It was gross."
"...Sorry."
"N-no, that was just then, now—"
"Now?"
"—It's nothing."
Felt like a nail hammered into my chest.
That's why you gotta make friends young. Living like me just breeds disgust.
"Anyway, now I owe you a debt I couldn't repay in a lifetime."
"You can drop the formal speech."
Azalea shook her head bitterly at my words.
Her face didn't seem like she was drawing lines.
'Doesn't matter. Formal's not bad.'
Progress in the relationship was good.
As we ate together and chatted, the stiff Azalea gradually loosened up.
That's how bonding works—one meal rockets closeness. Add a bottle of booze, and boom, best bros.
But...
"What's your favorite food?"
"Any hobbies you enjoy?"
"How was your childhood? Private school?"
"Always planning to apply to the academy?"
This girl. Talkative as hell.
She grilled me like a reporter. I sweated bullets giving short answers.
Surviving the 30 questions of hell, I thought,
'Does she do this to Si-woo too?'
Didn't seem like it. From afar, Si-woo and Azalea just looked like old pals.
So, was she just messing with me?
"What about chocolate? Like it?"
"Uh, yeah."
I answered awkwardly.
Didn't look like mockery.
We kept talking until the long meal ended.
Azalea smiled, and I smiled wryly.
*****
The man on screen drew his sword and clashed with the cultist.
Exclamations erupted at his precise swordsmanship and mana-infused aura.
Some even clapped in awe.
"A first-year, really?"
"Yep~ El Academy first-year cadet Lee Si-heon. He's the one who claimed the biggest merit in the 42nd Branch takedown. We just added a spoon to the pot."
"Remarkable."
The executives nodded at Starfruit's presentation.
Lee Si-heon. An astonishing man.
His seasoned swordplay on CCTV stunned even the renowned swordsmen present.
- Clack.
"Hold on."
One man raised his hand.
"'Just added a spoon'? What nonsense is that, Vice Chairman Star?"
The man who'd led the 42nd Branch investigation for two years. Starfruit glared at him like he was trash.
Of course, he had skills.
But his investigation hadn't touched the branch's tail either. They'd embezzled millions and nearly dragged the Association's name through the mud. No wonder Starfruit was pissed.
Arms crossed, Starfruit said,
"Jealous?"
"...What?"
"If you're salty, quit the Association and cozy up to your guild. Forgot we had your back? No, you embezzled cash, poached people... We put up with it until we fixed your mess, and one jabby bugs you? What, gonna tattle to the Chairman?"
Starfruit's star-shaped pupils glowed menacingly with mana. The guild masters' faces hardened.
Starfruit. Don't think she rose to Vice Chairman without talent.
A woman skilled in force and politics.
She could crush a mid-tier guild single-handedly.
Some guild masters coughed and shot him looks.
"Ahem. Step out for a bit."
"But—"
"Read the room!"
"......Fine. Understood."
- Bang!
Starfruit, staring coldly at the door, brightened her face with a victorious smile.
"Heh heh."
She returned to the presentation.
Yellow, blue. The garish, cartoonish next slide appeared.
"Anyway, I highly rate Cadet Lee Si-heon's potential. With proper training from now, he could reach my level."
Some gaped in shock, but guild masters who recognized his value just nodded.
"So, what this cadet needs most right now is probably the best mentor."
Starfruit glanced sideways at a woman.
"Baek Do?"
"What?"
"What do you think of him?"
The woman called Baek Do scratched the back of her snow-white hair, eyed the screen, and smirked.
"Not bad. Perfect to raise under me."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Photinia Tree · Baek Do. The undefeated warrior. All who'd witnessed her prowess praised her lavishly.
Only flaw: undistinguished lineage. But who cares?
Even Vice Chairman Starfruit wasn't from a famous family.
"El Academy's experiential classes start tomorrow for a week. Go there and pow-pow-pow. Got it?"
"Understood."
"And about that tree dormant underground in the 42nd Branch basement... Yoo Jeong?"
At Starfruit's call, Yoo Jeong stood with files in arms.
"Yes. The tree thought to be a dormant one was confirmed as a World Tree. The World Tree Foundation orders its incorporation into the Church of Wood Persons, of course. A saint will likely be assigned soon."
"Got it. Then, let's discuss Lee Si-heon's rewards."
Starfruit pushed forward enthusiastically and firmly.
The reason was simple.
'...If I spill that things went sideways and Si-heon got raped by a World Tree, Se-young will fuck me up!'
A trivial reason, but she was dead serious.