The Inevitable Enlistment
I will not be led into temptation. That was the first thing I learned after reading Baek Chulyeon's will. Upon graduating from this academy, I would be forced to enlist in the Japanese army. Against my own will, according to the wishes of my father, Baek Nopyeong.
'No wonder he killed himself!'
I could now understand a hundred times over the despair that had driven the original Baek Chulyeon to such an extreme choice. No, my situation was even worse.
'Military service once was bad enough. Now I have to do it twice? And in the Japanese army, of all places?'
In the 21st century, I had awakened late—at the ripe age of twenty-five—and had already completed my mandatory service like any other civilian. And now this? I spent the late hours racking my brain, trying to figure out how to escape this crisis, when I suddenly heard the creak of the front gate opening outside my room.
Soon after came the sound of the boarding house daughter stepping out of the room next door, followed by her voice.
“Father, you’re home.”
A middle-aged man’s hoarse, cracked voice answered.
“Where’s the young scholar? Why’s he still got the lights on so late?”
“In his room. …Probably studying!”
It seemed she had glanced at my still-lit room. The middle-aged man’s voice came again, this time heavily slurred from drink.
“Hmph! Studying, my ass. He’s probably just drinking in there again…”
“Father, really… You’re the one who came back drunk! I haven’t seen our lodger drinking at all lately.”
Hmm. Should I go out and greet him?
I knew from before that the boarding house daughter’s father pulled a rickshaw, but since he left before dawn and returned late at night, I had never actually seen his face. Well, might as well kill two birds with one stone and introduce myself.
I opened my door and stood awkwardly at the threshold, offering a greeting to the boarding house daughter’s father.
“Ah, hello. You must be tired.”
“Yes. Good evening.”
How old was he? Even under the dim streetlight outside the yard, his face was deeply wrinkled. He looked far older than a man with a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old daughter should. As he wiped his soot-blackened face with a damp towel, he gave a half-hearted reply to my greeting before suddenly asking,
“By the way, let me ask you something. What’s your ability, young scholar?”
“My ability?”
“You go to that Hunter Academy, don’t you? You must have one.”
He was asking about my awakened power. Hmm. How should I explain this? He wouldn’t understand modern terms like “aura,” and I wasn’t sure if he’d get the current term “strong ki” either… So I answered simply,
“I use a blade.”
He let out a hearty laugh.
“A blade, eh… Heh heh! I don’t know how well you handle one, young scholar, but if your skill is half-baked, you’d be better off with none at all! …If you’ve only got mediocre talent, you should quit the hunter business and find yourself an honest job. That’d be the smart move.”
What the hell is with this guy?
We had never even met—well, not since I possessed this body, anyway—and yet here he was, suddenly speaking so bluntly. Had the original Baek Chulyeon gotten into some quarrel with him before I arrived?
After mocking me, he turned his venom on his daughter.
“You listen well too, Seoju. No matter what, don’t even think about getting involved with an awakened. You’ll either end up a widow or have to run away like your mother… That’s the fastest way for a woman to ruin her life! Heh heh…”
“Father!”
“What? Did Ham Wonsam say something wrong? I’m telling you the truth…”
“Aigoo, you’re going to drive me crazy! If you’re drunk, stop saying weird things and just go to bed!”
The boarding house daughter—her full name was Ham Seoju—dragged her father into the next room. Before long, the sound of snoring echoed through the walls. Then the door opened and closed again, and Ham Seoju came and sat in front of my room to apologize.
“I’m sorry. My father…”
“It’s fine. He seemed pretty drunk.”
I waved it off, then added,
“Still, it looks like your father doesn’t like me very much.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then?”
Did he just hate awakened people in general? When I asked, Ham Seoju hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Well… there’s no point hiding it. The truth is, my father is an awakened too. It’s not anything impressive, though…”
According to Ham Seoju, her father Ham Wonsam was, surprisingly, an awakened. His ability was what the 21st century would call a kind of inventory skill—an ability to store and retrieve objects from a sub-space. But as she had said, it wasn’t particularly strong. The most he could manage was something the size of a few coins. It was barely enough to qualify as a hunter or do anything useful with.
In his youth, he had believed the fastest way to escape poverty using his ability was through theft or gambling. Good grief…
He had drifted from gambling den to gambling den, making money through rigged games, until the police finally caught him and he ended up in prison. Even now, he was still under police surveillance.
So that’s what happened.
Just like the Korean man who had attempted robbery at the teahouse earlier that day, Ham Wonsam also carried a similar past. Having a half-baked ability only led people to illegal activities, which in turn caused unlicensed Korean awakened to be treated as potential criminals. It was a vicious cycle.
So that’s why they call awakening a curse.
And what about my own situation? Because of my awakened power, my family was trying to force me into the military… The original Baek Chulyeon must have felt the same way.
Sigh…
Brooding alone in my room like this wasn’t going to solve anything. I glanced at the calendar. Today was April 6th, a Thursday. Tomorrow was Friday, so I’d go to school first. The day after was Saturday, so… I should head back to the main house over the weekend. I needed to see exactly what kind of household would try to force their son into the army. It was time to get a good look at this so-called father of mine.
The next morning, at school.
I entered the classroom, sat down, and tapped the shoulder of Song Byeong-o, who sat in front of me. I asked him quietly,
“Hey. If I wanted to go to America, I’d have to take a ship, right? Where do you buy the ticket?”
Song Byeong-o turned around and answered,
“Obviously you’d go to a steamship company. But why are you suddenly asking about America?”
“No reason.”
I couldn’t exactly say, ‘Because I want to flee the country to avoid forced conscription and open a laundry in America.’ I made up a vague excuse.
“It’s not like I’m going right away. I was just thinking that after graduation, I might travel a bit.”
“Ugh… Forget it. After graduation, I have to start earning money immediately, but some people get to talk about traveling? Typical bourgeois way of thinking!”
As I sat chatting with Song Byeong-o, a professor with a closely shaved head entered the classroom carrying an attendance book. I hadn’t noticed on the first day, but this was Professor Kanegawa—the one who had scolded us for using Korean.
『Ahem. We’re short on time, so I’ll skip roll call and just confirm the headcount. Starting from the window side, first row, give your numbers.』
“One!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
“Four!”
Everyone shouted their numbers in perfect unison… Was this the military? When my turn came, I called out “Five!” and the counting continued all the way until “Twenty-nine!”
When the count stopped at twenty-nine, the student supervisor tilted his head.
『Hmm? One person is missing. There should be thirty in total…』
Someone was already skipping school? Just then, the back door of the classroom burst open and a female student rushed in. When I turned around, I saw Lee Yuha standing there. The male students behind me let out soft gasps of admiration.
『…I’m sorry for being late.』
It was Lee Yuha. Her complexion looked terrible. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her already pale skin had turned almost ghostly white. While her beauty still stood out, her frail and disheveled appearance seemed to draw even more attention from the male students.
The professor addressed her.
『Lee Yuha, is it… Why were you late, cadet?』
“I overslept this morning. I apologize.”
『Well, take your seat for now.』
Overslept? Was she sick or something? After Lee Yuha sat in an empty seat, the student supervisor checked the attendance book with his pen.
『Good. All thirty are present. Ah, we also need to select a class representative. Until then, the temporary representative will be the student with attendance number one…』
The supervisor looked down at the attendance sheet, then looked up again.
『Number one, Aikawa Satomi? Cadet Aikawa will serve as temporary class representative for Class A.』
“Y-yes!”
The timid Japanese girl with beige hair, Aikawa Satomi, answered nervously. Wow, class rep just because of attendance number? Some things never change, no matter the era.
After morning attendance and the assembly ended, I approached Lee Yuha.
“Why were you late? You don’t look well either. Are you sick?”
“Ah, that’s… I’m not sick, but…”
Lee Yuha was trying her best, but her awkward Japanese was still difficult to listen to. Still, Korean would be better.
I led her out of the classroom. Morning attendance had been held in the main building’s classroom, but actual classes would be held in different lecture rooms. We still had some time before the first class began.
As we walked through the quiet school grounds, I told her,
“Speak in Korean. No one’s around to hear us.”
“Is… is that really alright…”
Lee Yuha glanced around carefully before speaking in a cautious tone.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem like a cold, but when I woke up this morning, my body felt weak and my mind was foggy—”
Well, that sounded exactly like the early symptoms of a cold. I placed my hand on her smooth forehead.
“Ah…!”
“Hmm… No fever.”
It was slightly warm, but not hot enough to indicate illness. If it wasn’t a cold, maybe she had stayed up late from nerves?
“I told you it wasn’t a cold.”
“Even so, you probably shouldn’t attend classes today, right?”
“…”
“If that’s the case, it might be better for you to rest for the day. Besides, today is just the first class, so there won’t be much important content.”
As we were talking, a young man’s voice called out from behind us.
『Hey there, Shirabayashi cadet!』
When I turned around, I saw the neatly dressed young professor, Saigane.
I bowed my head in greeting.
“Ah, Professor Saigane! Good morning.”
『Are you heading to class? And who is this beside you?』
“She’s my classmate, Cadet Lee.”
When I introduced Lee Yuha, she also bowed politely.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, likewise…”
Professor Saigane approached us, shook our hands, then put on a serious expression and said,
『By the way, you two were speaking in Korean just now, weren’t you?』
Oh no… Had he heard us? But after a moment, Professor Saigane smiled warmly.
“Haha! Of course, the school rules require the use of Japanese, but it’s fine in front of me. I won’t report you to the student supervisor…”
He continued,
“Actually, I majored in classical Korean literature at Keijo Imperial University. So I can speak Korean quite well.”
At those words, Lee Yuha’s previously tense eyes sparkled as she looked up at the professor. Even I became interested. A Japanese person who had majored in classical Korean literature?
“Is that so?”
“Yes. …Ah! How about this? There’s a famous sijo from the early Joseon period called ‘Kajo-ga.’”
Professor Saigane cleared his throat and began to recite.
“Theory-doreu ottohari, joron-doreu ottohari—”
“Pfft…”
At Professor Saigane’s clumsy Korean pronunciation, Lee Yuha covered her mouth and burst into laughter. So this was what made her laugh. But seriously, you can’t speak Japanese properly either—how can you laugh at him? And right in front of the professor, no less.
I nudged her arm and scolded her quietly.
“Hey, hey… That’s rude.”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry.”
Lee Yuha finally bowed deeply in apology, but Professor Saigane simply waved his hand with a kind smile.
“Haha! It must sound lacking to a Korean student’s ears! No matter how much I practice, Korean pronunciation is difficult…”
He really doesn’t mind at all. What kind of person was this professor?
Since I had run into Professor Saigane, I decided to ask about something that had been bothering me.
“By the way, what happened with yesterday’s incident?”
“Ah… You mean that Korean robber.”
Professor Saigane spoke softly.
“It looks like he might be released soon.”
“Released?”
“According to the police records, he had no other criminal history, and since the crime failed, there were no actual victims. Of course, I had to work hard to persuade the police… Haha!”
A man who had nearly been sentenced to death was now being released thanks to the defense of a single Japanese professor. There was no middle ground here. Were the Japanese police that spineless? Or did this professor have that much influence? Or both?
Well, at least he won’t be executed. That’s a relief…
Still, releasing someone who had committed a crime so quickly felt unsettling in its own way.
“Well, I should be going. You two should head to class as well.”
“Yes. See you later.”
After Professor Saigane left, Lee Yuha asked me,
“What did he mean by ‘Korean robber’?”
I roughly explained what had happened the day before, leaving out the part where I had accidentally entered the decadent café. Lee Yuha nodded.
“You are impressive, but so is that professor… To go so far for a Korean despite being Japanese himself.”
“Yeah, he’s a good person.”
I glanced at my wristwatch and realized the first class was about to start.
“I need to get to class. What about you? From the looks of it, you should probably return to the dormitory and rest.”
“I think I’ll feel better after resting a bit… The dormitory feels too far, so maybe I’ll go to the infirmary instead.”
The infirmary—basically the nurse’s office. In the 21st century, they called it the health room. I wanted to walk her there, but I didn’t have time, so I asked,
“Can you go by yourself?”
“…Do I look like a child to you?”
…Well, at seventeen she was technically an adult, but she somehow gave off the impression of a child left by the water’s edge. And compared to my actual age from the 21st century, she really was just a kid.
Lee Yuha headed back toward the main building, while I hurried across the campus lined with poplar trees toward the annex.
Time for my first class, then…
While Baek Chulyeon was talking with Lee Yuha, someone was watching them from behind the trees.
It was Shimazu Renka.
She had already heard through her subordinates that Baek Chulyeon had subdued a robber in Honmachi the previous day. He had calmly dealt with an armed criminal and even saved both a civilian and Professor Saigane. Just like the incident with the tako-ashi, the onigumo the day before that, and now this—none of these were things an ordinary cadet who hadn’t even properly started classes should have been able to do.
There’s definitely something about him… Something!
Baek Chulyeon was clearly hiding a secret. She had planned to approach him immediately after arriving at school today and ask about yesterday’s events, but he had gone off with Lee Yuha before she could.
Shirabayashi-san, just who are you…?
Moreover, seeing the two of them talking so comfortably together made her think that Katsurai Osue’s report had been accurate.
To receive a confession on the very first day of admission…!
And to none other than Lee Yuha, the girl she had thought would clash with him due to family background and misunderstandings.
Renka ground her teeth. But this was not jealousy as a woman. It was simply because her plan to approach him directly and uncover his secret had been obstructed.
However…
Renka smiled brightly again, as if nothing had happened.
That doesn’t mean there are no other methods.
If directly approaching him to learn his secret wasn’t feasible, she could simply gather information through the people around him.
I heard Shirabayashi-san is living in a very shabby boarding house.
In fact, that itself was suspicious. In Renka’s opinion, for the son of a wealthy pro-Japanese baron family to choose not to live in the dormitory and instead stay in a rundown boarding house, there had to be another reason.
For example… the owner of that boarding house might actually be Shirabayashi-san’s master.
Furthermore, according to the background check she had ordered Takahiro to perform, the boarding house owner had a criminal record for violating awakened ability usage laws and had served time in prison. Why would an awakened be working as a mere rickshaw puller?
The owner of that boarding house is currently a rickshaw puller… but in truth, could he be a skilled practitioner hiding behind that disguise?
She needed to investigate this further.
Renka spoke quietly.
『Osue.』
“Yes.”
A female student appeared behind her, kneeling on one knee. Without even turning around, Renka crossed her arms and ordered,
『Tell Takahiro to test the owner of that boarding house.』