117. Approaching Shadow (1)
117. Approaching Shadow (1)
"I-it's Jin Yu-ha!"
"Really? Where, where!?"
"There!!!"
"Holy shit, does that guy get grooming done even while living on an uninhabited island? Why is his face glowing?"
"Hey, get your grimy face out of the way. Your face is seriously offensive today."
"Finally......!"
"Holding out was worth it!! See, I told you! Last night I said I thought I spotted Jin Yu-ha! Any of you who called bullshit, step forward!"
"You also said you probably just dreamed it, and now you're talking big......."
Jin Yu-ha led Sofia to the shop.
Quite a few cadets were gathered in front of it.
Most of them were Healers and Supports.
They had gathered in front of the shop to form parties with cadets of other roles.
"Hey! I'm the Support who took Basic Monster Understanding with you—did you happen to find a Support yet?"
"Dummy, that's a common lecture the whole first year takes together. Why are you bringing that up! Yu-ha, do you remember me from the other day? The Healer who made eye contact with you a few times while eating at Lohana Restaurant......."
"Me, me! I haven't! I haven't spent a single Coin out of my 2,000 yet! You can use all of it however you like! Swords, food, whatever you need, you can use it all! So please party with me!"
"Um, it's so loud here, isn't it? I'll buy you ice cream from the shop, so could we talk somewhere quiet for a moment?"
The moment Jin Yu-ha appeared, they rushed at him like they'd spotted a rolling lump of gold.
Clearly, the Supports and Healers who should have been the ones in a position of power early on with their Coins were instead deferring to Jin Yu-ha and clinging to him.
At the scene of that madness, Sofia, who had followed him, shrank back with a pale face.
'Uwaaaaah....... Wh-what is wrong with these people!'
Of course, Sofia was already aware that Jin Yu-ha was remarkable.
That much was only natural, since his fame was enough for fan cafes to spring up even outside the closed-off Velvet Hunter Academy.
But he was this big of a deal even inside the academy?
'Weren't you all promising Hunters in your own right?'
Jin Yu-ha's standing had far exceeded her expectations.
Of course, it normally wasn't quite this intense.
Jin Yu-ha had put up an iron wall, and although his looks startled them every so often, the cadets who took classes with him had grown at least a little accustomed after seeing him often.
But now it was already the third day since the Midterm Evaluation had begun.
Those who had reached some kind of compromise had already met Damage Dealers and Tanks, formed parties, and left to earn Coins.
In the end, the ones who remained until now were those holding out to the bitter end to recruit the best party members.
At a time like that, Jin Yu-ha's appearance was the ultra-rare catch they'd been waiting for!
No, the word ultra-rare wasn't even enough.
'If I can snag Jin Yu-ha here, it's jackpot! This exam will be a walk in the park!'
'First, the party size limit is three. He's obviously going to try to fill either the Healer or Support spot....... But the Support in the Utopia Party is a second-year senior, which means one spot is open here right now!'
'And the other spot will be filled by Kang Do-hee, Shin Se-hee, or Lee Yu-ri......!!!'
This Midterm Evaluation required three-person parties with a Healer or Support being essential, and one spot in Jin Yu-ha's party was vacant.
And whoever occupied that one spot would definitely have one of the Utopia Party members attached to the other spot.
That was why they had no choice but to lunge at Jin Yu-ha with their eyes rolled back.
They looked just like a Velvetsra Player who had pulled an SSS-Rank character from the gacha.
But Sofia, unaware of those inner circumstances, couldn't help seeing Jin Yu-ha as even more amazing.
"Everyone, just a moment."
With a slightly annoyed expression, Jin Yu-ha held his hand out to stop the onrushing crowd.
"......."
At that, the noisy venue fell silent in an instant.
Every single one of them closed their mouths and waited for Jin Yu-ha's next words.
"Sorry, but I've already found a Healer."
Jin Yu-ha spoke in a firm voice.
The cadets then let out sighs of lament with crestfallen faces.
"What......!?"
"Seriously!?"
"Then what the hell have I been waiting for......."
"Wh-who, who is it! Who joined as your Healer!!!"
Among them, the female cadet standing at the very front—whose cheeks were covered in freckles—yelled out in disbelief.
Jin Yu-ha's eyebrows drew together as if offended.
"Do I have...... any reason to tell you?"
A frosty voice completely different from the gentle tone he'd used with her.
Sofia, standing behind him, sucked in a breath.
It almost felt like the temperature in the area had dropped several degrees.
At that, the freckled female cadet flinched, glanced around her, and then yelled again.
"Ha! N-no matter how strong you are! Isn't that attitude out of line!? You seem to have forgotten that cadet-on-cadet combat is going to be allowed soon! Do you think you'll be safe even after turning all of us into enemies, no matter who that Healer you found is!?"
If they couldn't be on the same team from the start, they were enemies. The strongest enemy, even.
The freckled female cadet cleverly prodded that point, trying to turn Jin Yu-ha into the common enemy right then and there.
'......What do I do!'
Sofia didn't know what to do as the atmosphere grew more and more hostile.
A moment of silence ensued.
Jin Yu-ha opened his mouth.
"In the first place, all I said was that I'd already found a Healer. I don't see why I have to hear that kind of talk."
Without a single change in expression, Jin Yu-ha looked fixedly at the freckled cadet.
At that, the freckled cadet faltered and stepped back.
"And sorry, but our Healer is someone so outstanding, the likes of you can't even compare."
He grabbed Sofia's hand, who had been standing behind him.
"Let's go. Sofia."
"Y-yes......!"
Under everyone's gaze, Jin Yu-ha and Sofia entered the shop.
* * *
Once we entered the shop like that.
Inside, Chairwoman Rina—looking sulky—greeted us.
"Your eyes are as insolent as ever. You've come again, have you?"
She was originally small, but Rina, now the size of a palm and even smaller, was doing a fairy cosplay with wings attached to her back.
'Hm, I saw it last time too, but it's fascinating. To think this is an artificial lifeform—a Homunculus—made of Mana.'
As I looked at her with a fascinated expression for a moment,
the mini-mini-sized director sharply furrowed her brows.
"You're looking at me with insolent eyes again! If you came to the shop, buy your things and get out at once!"
Hummm—
A semi-transparent hologram window appeared before our eyes.
A list of items purchasable with Coins was written there.
From convenience goods to all sorts of weapons, and food, and materials—everything was there without exception.
"......Um, Jin Yu-ha, will you be all right?"
As I was examining the items, Sofia spoke from beside me.
"Huh? About what?"
"It just seemed like there was friction with the others outside......."
"Ah, it's fine. They're opponents I'll have to fight in the end anyway. And the losers who still haven't managed to form a party by now are all chaff anyway."
"......Chaff? What does that mean?"
"Never mind. More importantly, Sofia. You said you wanted to be helpful to me, right?"
"Yes!!! Just tell me to do anything!"
"Then first, let's use your Coins to buy some things."
I planned to use the base Coins issued to her here to buy the necessary items.
In this exam, Coins were almost as critical as a lifeline.
The lists and their values were spread out before her eyes, so Sofia couldn't help but know their worth either.
However, she readily nodded as if that had been her intention from the start.
"Yes! You really can take it all and use it. Whatever you need, Yu-ha!"
'......When she puts it like that, my conscience actually pricks me a bit.'
First of all, I bought a sword, the most expensive weapon at 1,000 Coins.
Subspace opened in the air, and an ordinary sword popped out.
'Yep, it's definitely lacking compared to Moonlight, but it's on a completely different level from the dagger I farmed off monsters and used.'
Holding a proper sword in my hand, I nodded in satisfaction.
And then, without hesitation, I purchased a few more items, using up all of the 2,000 Coins Sofia had.
"What are all these?"
Sofia, who was suddenly at zero Coins, tilted her head as she looked at the items I'd bought.
"Training tools."
"......Training tools?"
"Yeah, that's it for buying for now. Rina. I want to form a party."
The Homunculus in the form of the director furrowed her brow sharply, as if she'd heard something unpleasant.
"I am not Rina! Do not compare me to that Short-ass! I am Reina!"
"Is, is that so? Anyway, Reina. Forming a party is done here too, right?"
"......Yes. With whom do you intend to form a party?"
"Yeah, I'm going to party with Cadet Sofia."
Just as we were about to conclude the party contract, a questioning voice came from beside me.
"Party? You're forming a party with Sofia?"
I turned to her and nodded.
"Yeah. Sofia as Healer."
"......So the outstanding Healer who can't even be compared to others, as you mentioned earlier, is Sofia?"
"That's right."
"Aha! B-but, somehow that name sounds awfully familiar?"
Sofia's expression began to twist more and more.
"Yeah, it's your name."
"So, you don't mean that I... am the Healer for Jin Yu-ha's party......?"
She asked again with an expression that said, "Surely not."
"Of course I mean you. You're the only Sofia I know."
"Eeeeeeek!!!!!!??"
Sofia's shrill scream filled the shop.