Chapter 44
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 44 - How to Adapt to a New Environment (6)
…
…
When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.
“Ah…”
I think I fell asleep. I got up and looked around.
Seeing there’s a bed, is this a guest room? To think that I took up the bed instead of the guests, what a nuisance I am.
I got up from my seat and carefully went down to the first floor. In the reception room, sponsors were seen having a conversation with Teacher.
“Hello…”
When I greeted them shyly, one person greeted me with a sly smile.
“Oh, you’re awake? I was worried because you suddenly collapsed! You have no pain anywhere, right?”
“Yes. None. Thank you!”
I smiled brightly and approached them. The person who greeted me looked at Teacher again and said.
“So, I think Sir Toto will have to stay here at the orphanage for a while. Is it going to be fine with you?”
“As much as you want!”
“Kang Nahyun, how about commuting to school from here for a while?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I mean, because children are ‘dangerous’.’”
Ah, is that so?
Right?
“Yes!”
I nodded calmly and accepted the sponsors’ request.
***
Concerned about the safety of the orphanage children, I decided to commute from the orphanage to school for a few days.
Of course, permission was obtained from the school after going through formal procedures.
Although it was only for a few days, everyone was happy that we could be together.
I enjoyed a happy healing time playing with everyone.
But why did they think children were dangerous?
The moment I thought about that, my head suddenly felt very dizzy, so I stopped thinking.
My head hurts often these days. Should I take some headache medicine?
At that time, someone slowly walked down from upstairs. It was Sir Toto. Like mixed race people, the tiger’s ears and tail swayed with every step.
“Ah, Sir Sponsor! Good morning!”
When I greeted him with a smile, Sir Toto nodded his head with a slightly stiff face.
“Right. Are you going to school now?”
“Yes. I have to work hard and make a lot of money.”
I laughed playfully.
“I have a lot of family members to support, you know? I have to have a lot of money to make everyone happy.”
“Family, you say.”
Sir Toto, who was pondering my words, carefully stroked my head with his large, thick hand.
“Is your stomach fine?”
“? yes. It is. Sir Toto, you keep worrying about my stomach. Did you have a nightmare or something?”
“…I guess I’ll say so.”
Sir Toto blurted out something incomprehensible, and he laughed a little.
I was happy to see a little kindness in his eyes, and I laughed along with him.
“Have a nice trip.”
“Yes!”
I headed to school again today, fiddling with the hair that still felt warm from Sir Toto’s hand.
On my way to school, I could hear construction workers making noise in preparation for the battle tournament.
Team Battle Tournament. So to speak, the Guardian Academy’s sports competition. It’s usually held around mid to late May.
However, what is different from regular school sports competitions is that the general public can also enter and watch. You could say it’s a kind of show.
Citizens, rest assured that our growing awakeners are this strong! There must be an intention to spread this kind of propaganda.
The unfortunate thing is that the school swallows up all the admission fee revenue. Wouldn’t it be worth giving some to the participants?
Anyway, according to the original story, the event should have been canceled due to the attack during the midterm exams, but fortunately, in today’s world, we cleared the gate safely at the time.
Thanks to that—although the discussion took a while—we eventually decided to hold a tournament and started preparing.
Sir Toto asked me to invite him, I wondered iif he was interested in this event. So, I decided to give invitations to all the orphanage families, including Sir Toto.
…But did Sir Toto ask me to invite him?
No, it’s natural for me to invite him. He’s a benefactor to whom I’m grateful. He continued to support the orphanage.
But since when did he support us?
I stopped walking as a question came to mind for a moment, but my head hurt so much that I stopped thinking and held my forehead.
I’m having frequent headaches these days. Should I go to the hospital?
Anyway, when I told the kids that they could come watch the battle tournament,
“Can I see you fighting?”
It was nice to see them liking me. It’s great to be a Guardian Academy student at times like this.
I headed to school with a lighter step.
It was a day like usual.
Training was difficult as usual, Scammer was strange as usual, Shin Baran was quarrelsome as usual, and the rest of the club members were all nice as usual.
While we were taking a break after training and chatting, the story of my commute to school came up.
“Miss Nahyun, I heard you’re commuting to school from home these days?”
“Yeah. I’m worried about my younger siblings.”
“…Suddenly?”
Calmy, who was listening to our conversation next to us, spoke up.
I answered his words without hesitation.
“The sponsor is staying at our orphanage for a while. So it might be safe, but it might be dangerous because there is the sponsor…? No, is that so? I guess so? That’s why.”
“…It seems like something is contradictory.”
Calmly made a strange expression after hearing what I said.
However, Na Yuri kept nodding my head as if I was right, unconditionally.
“I understand! That can happen if there are strangers in the house!”
Calmy looked somewhat puzzled and seemed to have decided to just follow.
“But these days, I keep having headaches. Is it because I’m stressed?”
“Shall I get you some painkillers?”
“It’s not good to keep it all to yourself too much.”
And before I knew it, the topic turned to my headache due to the stress caused by Scammer.
After some time, Na Yuri left for dormitory and I quickly proposed to Calmy.
“Siwoo, I have a good meister. Would you like to go see him sometime soon?”
“Suddenly?”
“Mmhm. It may be sudden, but I really think it would be a good idea to meet during this season!”
“Alright. If you say so.”
Although Calmy seemed surprised by my unexpected offer, fortunately he accepted it.
“You won’t regret it!”
I pounded my chest and spoke confidently.
“Who is that, though?”
“Secret!”
“Alright.”
Calmy was very curious, but he didn’t press further as I kept my mouth shut and kept it a secret.
A few days later, I headed to the blacksmith shop where Michael was with Calmy.
The old sword that Calmy, walking ahead, was carrying on his back caught my eye. I had to suppress the rising corners of my lips so as not to reveal my surprise.
I visited the old blacksmith shop again and knocked on the door as before.
“Michael, Kang Nahyun is here!”
“You’re here! Come in!”
We carefully opened the creaking door and entered the blacksmith shop.
Today, Michael was sitting crookedly at the table drinking tea, probably because she wasn’t working. She said as soon as she saw Calmy’s face.
“Are you Park Siyeon’s grandson?”
“…!”
“Indeed, you look exactly alike. Anyone can see that you’re her grandson.”
Michael grinned and came towards us.
“Let me ask you a question. What is your goal now?”
Although looking flustered, Calmy answered sincerely.
“…I want to become stronger and save people who are harmed by the gate. I have to do that. I’m Park Siyeon’s grandson.”
“Is it for you or your grandmother?”
“It’s both. For that purpose, I decided to carry this sword. For that, I became a ‘hero.’”
“Don’t you regret it?”
“If I can save many people, and if I can achieve her ideal and mine of saving many people, I won’t regret it.”
Michael, who was staring at Calmy, muttered to herself.
“It’s so crazy that he resembles her this much…”
Michael, who had been muttering incomprehensible words, seemed to have made up her mind, and she pointed to the sword Calmy was carrying on his back.
“Great. I will fix the Blue Twilight. Give it to me.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Of course, I made it for Siyeon.”
“…!”
Calmy’s eyes opened so wide that they couldn’t get any bigger.
He must have been so surprised that he looked at Michael without moving for a moment. Eventually, his eyes turned towards me, so I just smiled slightly.
Operation Surprise seems to have been a huge success.
We left the Blue Twilight to Michael and returned to the main street.
Calmy, who had been losing his mind amid the barrage of questions from Michael and the rapidly moving situation, seemed to finally come to his senses.
“…Thanks.”
I pretended not to notice the slight moisture in his voice and just held his hand, leading him slowly.
“It’s difficult to finish repairing both my gun and your sword before the battle tournament anyway, so let’s go buy a weapon to use instead until then!”
Calmy also nodded his head and asked back.
“Then should we buy it here?”
“…Here?”
I imagined the average price of weapons sold on this street full of meister craftsmen. I guess my wallet can’t afford it.
“…Uh, wouldn’t it be better to go to the Academy and buy it there?”
Just because it looks like an ordinary high-quality weapon on the shelf right now doesn’t mean the price is a joke, you know?
Calmy, who glanced at the prices of the weapons on display and smiled slightly when he saw my rapidly pale complexion, asked me lightly.
“Would you like to buy it here if I pay for it? Even if it’s not a weapon… I want to buy you something.”