Damned Bitches and a Tense Lunch
Goddamn bitches. Morning classes ended, and lunchtime arrived. Choi Siwoo, Song Junho, and Ohana—the three of us—headed to the academy cafeteria for a meal and had just picked up our food.
It's been a damn long time since I've been here. Cheap prices for top-quality food you could eat your fill of—this place had saved my ass plenty back when I was starving. And it was the only place I could catch a breather. For me, constantly dragged around by Erina and dealing with all that bullshit, the cafeteria and private training grounds had been my escapes. Public places meant rules against disturbances, or you'd get punished. It wasn't until my third year that I finally broke free from that endless harassment.
Damn, thinking back, every memory's just pure shit. I gave a bitter smile and shoveled a spoonful into my mouth. It was damn good. No nostalgia bias or anything—just straight-up delicious.
Of course it is. Look at the kids who eat here. If anyone complained or nitpicked, it'd be more than a headache—the cleanliness and quality couldn't afford a single flaw. No room for complaints... except.
If only they'd shut up about this conversation.
"Munch munch, gulp! Siwoo, you're insane! How'd you run over 40 laps without even breaking a sweat? And that was only because Instructor Kang Hanseong said, 'Shall we stop here?' You could've kept going, right?"
"How the hell did you dodge those traps? No, no, wait—that's not it! You moved before they even triggered, like you knew exactly where they'd come from. What kind of magic was that? Wait—do you have the [Instinct] trait? No, no! Don't say anything, just stop smirking! Hiss... no way... you have the advanced version, [Crisis Detection]?"
"So, so anyway! This weekend, they've got a new release from Escape Arms—a sniper rifle! The RE-340 with a 15x scope, and the price is insanely good..."
▶...Master. I'm about to puke.
Let her be. She's cute. What a chatterbox. Ohana yapped nonstop, like she was having the time of her life. She's got skills too. How does she eat that fast and keep talking without missing a beat? The ability to spit out words clearly and precisely at any moment—downright miraculous. The first time I saw it, I even asked if she had some [Eloquence]-related skill.
I glanced sideways and saw Song Junho staring blankly, mouth agape in shock. They'd just gotten friendly today, so this must've been a fresh surprise. The granddaughter of that prestigious Oh family being this chatty and loose-lipped.
"Hey, Song Junho. It's gonna get cold. Eat up. Lunch break ain't that long."
"Uh, y-yeah... Sure..."
"So, so anyway! Last night I was on HunMoo—you know, short for Hunter Federation Community—and..."
I was tuning out her endless chirping when a commotion stirred at the entrance.
"What... is that for real?"
"Why would she come to a dump like this... and with three of them?"
It wasn't dying down—in fact, it was getting louder—so I looked up to see what the fuss was.
...Ah, fuck me. The last faces I wanted to see. Unforgettable sights that made my eyes narrow on instinct.
Erina, Yurika... and Wien Joun. Even running into one took effort to keep a straight face, but all three together? Felt like I couldn't breathe.
Fuck, I'm done with lunch.
Ohana, oblivious, lit up like it was Christmas. "Oh my god, Siwoo! Look over there! It's the Hero! She's so pretty..."
Song Junho let out a quiet gasp of admiration. "That's the Hero Erina, huh. Impressive... She looks ordinary at first glance, but I can't sense a thing from her. How well does she suppress her presence? Even up close, it's hazy—I'd buy her as an assassin. Guess that's what makes her the Hero."
Suppress my ass. I could tell she was straining not to look tense, muscles and mana flow stiffening to hide her aura. Song Junho was probably eating it up, thinking it was badass. Whatever—didn't matter why they were here.
Better bounce before this gets messy. We'd cross paths eventually, but right now, I didn't want to exchange a single word.
"All done? Let's go."
"Huh? Already?"
"Told you, lunch is short. Sparring class this afternoon. Better warm up early."
They got up at my words. Just as I thought we'd slip out quietly—
Like the world was screwing me over, even from across the room, my eyes locked with Erina's. ...Oh, shit.
She clearly hadn't expected me—eyes wide, mouth gaping like an idiot. The cool mask she'd been wearing shattered, revealing her real, girly, dopey face that didn't match her icy exterior at all.
No way, right? Nah. I'd made it obvious I hated her guts—surely she wouldn't—
"Si, Siwoo!"
Ah, fuck. Erina shouted my name loud and clear. The cafeteria went dead silent for a beat as every guy around her turned to stare at me.
This dumb bitch... I clicked my tongue and bolted for the exit. Even outside, dozens of gazes burned into my back—confusion, shock, envy, you name it.
Once we put some distance, Ohana and Song Junho caught up, yapping excitedly.
"What the heck! Siwoo, you're... friends with the Hero!? For real!? No way! Is it 'cause you're hot?"
"Incredible. I never imagined you knew Erina Yulis... Is your strength from sparring with her all the time?"
"Ehhh!? You spar too!? You're that close!?"
They bombarded me with questions: "How'd you meet?" "Calling you by name means more than friends, right?" I rubbed my temple and bullshitted vague answers.
Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria Choi Siwoo had ditched, the buzz wouldn't quit.
"That's the guy who just got into B-Class, right?"
"Yeah, 410th place, but they say he pulled strings."
"Exactly. The way Erina called him so casually... she must've pulled strings for him."
"Hey, watch it! What if she hears?"
I can hear everything. The silver-haired girl sighed softly amid the whispers. To sort her swirling thoughts, she offered a brief prayer to the goddess she served.
Yurika Heinrich. The girl appointed Saintess by the Irelua Church. She gazed at the figure before her.
A truly beautiful woman. Her looks alone could inspire hymns. But right now, that beauty was marred by gloom as she stabbed at her innocent plate with a fork.
Erina Yulis. Chosen by oracle as the Hero of this era. The one Saintess Yurika was bound to serve.
At first glance, she'd seemed every bit the Hero... but a few hours shattered that illusion.
Is she just naive? Or completely out of touch with reality? Put kindly, she was pure; unkindly, dense. Hesitant to a fault—that was Erina in a nutshell, honestly.
Thank god her power and talent are top-tier among Heroes. That glimpse of her strength in morning class was just the tip of the iceberg, but it hinted at her potential. If she grew safely, Yurika was sure her sword could even reach the Demon Lord.
But... With that personality, she might derail spectacularly. Like, say... locking eyes with that cadet she just called by name and eloping in love.
Anyone else might call it baseless fantasy, but Yurika's intuition screamed otherwise. Hero Erina harbored unnatural feelings for him.
...And if they eloped, it'd lead to... that kind of stuff... Lewd imaginings flushed Yurika's cheeks.
"So impure..."
"Saintess...? Something wrong?"
"It's nothing, Hero."
"About that 'Hero' title..."
"Is there a problem...?"
"It's, um, embarrassing. Just call me Erina? And drop the formal speech?"
Erina scratched her cheek with a sheepish "haha..." Yurika sighed inwardly. What a headache. A Hero should exude charisma and strictness, setting an example. Smiling, she replied and refocused.
My duty is to ensure she grows safely. She wasn't here by choice, but with that power and calling, Yurika would give her all. That meant preemptively scouting and handling threats.
Choi Siwoo. The boy Erina had called with such joy. Rumor had it he'd committed some scandal and entered a class above his station.
...If he's just some sleazy layabout, no issue. But if he tried using the Hero? Unacceptable. Like becoming a kept man, say.
No choice. She'd approach him directly and find out his intentions.
Meanwhile, as Yurika steeled herself, the last girl at the table indulged her own fantasies.
Despite being only 17, she carried herself with mature poise, nodding off in her fur coat without a care.
Wien Joun. Second daughter of the renowned Jo-un family, a clan of superhumans.
She thought back to the boy who'd just left. Choi Siwoo, was it? Hadn't seen him up close, but he was cute enough by her standards—pretty, even. If not for the overly pumped muscles from recent training, his lines could've passed for a girl's.
She paused, then stared at the woman across from her. Erina muttered gloomily, "Idiot, idiot... why'd you call his name like that..."
Hmm, they must be pretty close. That affectionate tone, now self-reproach... Details unclear, but she seemed hung up on him.
At that, Wien smirked unwittingly. To outsiders, a bright smile; to those who knew her, a sign of sinister schemes.
What face would this airheaded Hero make if I said I was dating him? Angry? Sad? Tears? Or just fluster and stutter? Bonus if I added, "Hero's man's a beast. Especially at night."
...Sounds fun. Even if it burned bridges with Erina, Wien didn't care. A Hero pining after a guy? Prime collection material.
...Hope he's worth taming. Pretty face with a feral personality? Perfect. Imagining him broken, yowling only for her—she swallowed a rising moan. Satisfied, Wien resolved to dig up intel on him slowly.