206. Ichikawa Sofia (1)
206. Ichikawa Sofia (1)
After Utopia's return from the U.S. giant monster subjugation request.
A Utopia boom swept through Velvet Hunter Academy once again.
"Utopia!"
"Utopia!"
"Utopia!"
Not only had every member shown they'd leveled up.
Facing seasoned, battle-hardened Hunters from other countries, they hadn't just held their own—they'd outright stood out.
And that wasn't all.
Once Utopia, still mere first-years, produced those results,
even cadets from other academies began receiving higher evaluations than before simply because they were from Velvet Hunter Academy.
Naturally, everyone welcomed Utopia, who had benefited them through that trickle-down effect.
So, among the Utopia Party members whose fame had soared yet again,
who was the person most sought out by sunbaes and classmates?
"Sofia!"
"Sofia! Hi!"
"Sofia! Could I possibly get one photo with you? My mom begged me to get one!"
"Ah, of course. Of course. Yoon-hee sunbae. Come right over here."
Click─
With a bright smile, Sofia snapped a photo with them.
"Oh my god, so pretty!!! Thank you, I'll treasure it as a family heirloom for generations!!!"
"Ehehe, it's nothing special."
In truth, the most recognized and admired person in the Utopia Party was naturally Jin Yu-ha, but Jin Yu-ha was basically always busy with training and his personal schedule. On top of that, he carried a strong, aloof image as the untouchable 'Flower on the Cliff,' so anyone outside the Utopia Party members simply accepted it as a given that you could only watch him from afar.
The other party members—Lee Yu-ri, Kang Do-hee, Shin Se-hee, and the rest—were the same.
They each had such clearly defined personal space that people kept their distance.
Of course, there was Im Ga-eul, who was kind to everyone and always wore a smile.
But how should I put this.
She was also the only second-year in Utopia, and on the Utopia channel she always came off as 'full of bluster' and 'narcissistic,' so the barrier to approaching her in a friendly way was higher than you'd think. Low-key smiling and saying things like "You have already been cut" to someone—approaching that kind of person without an agenda was tougher than expected.
On the other hand, Sofia was always upbeat,
and perhaps because she'd worked as a model and had social experience before joining Utopia, she'd absorbed a way of speaking that put others at ease. On top of that, she was the 'Saintess' who'd saved every cadet injured during the Midterm Evaluation, so what more was there to say?
People always flocked around her like a cloud.
"Ahahaha, sorry, but I'll have to leave it here for today. I have some personal business."
At that, the cadets who'd come to take pictures with her drifted away with regretful faces.
Ichika had been watching her from behind.
'······She's different from me.'
Unlike her, an outsider by inborn disposition,
Sofia was the very definition of an insider.
Like a puppy wagging its tail anytime it sees a person? Someone who loved being around people and was kind to everyone. She seemed born a completely different species.
So what was it that had two people with nothing in common together right now?
Ichika, a foreigner from Japan. And Sofia, of mixed blood with a foreign father.
Transfer students at Velvet Hunter Academy.
Neither was an original founding member of Utopia; both had joined midway.
Because the two of them had similar circumstances in many ways,
Sofia, who'd arrived first and already adapted, had been helping out Ichika!
"Your next class is one we take together, isn't it? Support-Special Coordination."
"Yeah, that's right."
Sofia and Ichika headed to class together.
*
"Today's class will end here. To close, I'd like you to give some serious thought as to why the Special role is called Special."
The class they were taking together wrapped up.
"······."
Sofia stared openly at Ichika, fast asleep in the seat beside her.
Poke. Poke. Poke.
When she nudged a shoulder lightly,
Ichika blinked awake.
"Didn't you sleep last night?"
"I slept."
"Hmm, then why······."
"I was tired."
"Even so, you should be listening in class······."
"I'm a foreigner, so it's hard for me to understand the lessons."
Ichika said this without her expression shifting a hair.
The thing was, she knew perfectly well that the earpiece in her ear auto-translated Korean at a native level, but she still said this.
'She's an odd one.'
Definitely hard to get a handle on.
Everyone in Utopia had a strong personality, but all of them were pretty easygoing as long as you were careful about the things you needed to be careful about.
With Kang Do-hee, just don't scratch her pride.
With Lee Yu-ri, just show her respect.
Shin Se-hee is tricky, but given their Operator-combatant relationship, avoiding direct friction wasn't difficult.
As for Ga-eul sunbae, well······. She's just an easy person.
Ichika, on the other hand, was a completely unknowable person.
Talking to her felt like you kept hitting a wall, clunk-clunk-clunk? It was an awkwardness she hadn't experienced before.
'Ugh······!'
By nature, Sofia couldn't easily tolerate this kind of awkwardness, so she opened her mouth to say something.
"Uh, uhh, d-do you know about MBTI?"
"······MBTI?"
Ichika peeled her face off the desk and sat up.
"Yesss, it's a personality type test that was popular a pretty long time ago. For, for me, it's not bad to look at just for fun! I'm ENFJ!"
"I've never taken it."
"Then, would you like to try it once?"
"Okay."
Tap, tap.
Expression blank, Ichika tapped at the phone Sofia handed her.
A short time later, Ichika's result came up.
"Ah, Ichika, you're INTP!"
"······So?"
"Not very sociable, likes spacing out······. Has distinct likes and dislikes with people······. Isn't interested in popular topics······."
As Sofia reeled off the traits she'd found online, she hastily shut her mouth.
Because the more she listed them, the more it felt like she was straight-up insulting the girl to her face.
But Ichika's reaction was different from what she expected.
"Oh."
Ichika's eyes went round with surprise and her mouth fell open.
"That's amazing. Seems like they're all right on."
"Right? Right!?"
Just as Sofia thought she'd finally found a common interest and was about to lean in—
"Ah—."
Thud!
Ichika suddenly slammed her head hard onto the desk.
"Why are you doing that all of a sudden! Ichika! Are you okay!?"
Startled, Sofia shook her by the shoulders.
Ichika's body was trembling.
"Not enough······."
"Huh? Not enough······? What is······."
"My savior. My savior is······. If I don't, I might lose control······."
"Savior······? Jin Yu-ha?"
* * *
Jin Yu-ha got Sofia's message and hurried over to the infirmary.
And once Sofia explained the situation, Jin Yu-ha nodded as if he understood, immediately pulled Ichika into his arms, and started stroking her. Softly, like she was something precious.
At that, Ichika's grimacing, cold-sweat-soaked expression melted away as if it had never been there.
Sofia's face watching the scene turned incredulous.
'What on earth is this······?'
It had to be.
To hog him all to herself. To be receiving a hug.
And it wasn't just any party member—it was Ichika.
Suddenly she'd collapsed, and when Jin Yu-ha touched her, her condition improved.
There was something seriously wrong with this, wasn't there?
'And she was the last one to join us······?'
Tilt.
Sofia's head cocked to the side.
What had she and all the others been holding back for so long?
Why had she been holding back, even when she wanted to throw herself at Jin Yu-ha?
Exactly because Jin Yu-ha didn't want to tear the party's community apart.
She knew that if anyone did something like that, he'd be the one hurt most of all. She knew that.
'But this woman······ has the nerve?'
A woman who was only 3%.
The sheer absurdity of it—like a stray cat gulping down the most delicious strawberry on a shortcake you'd been treasuring and saving.
No, a cute little metaphor like that couldn't begin to express the sense of loss she was feeling right now.
Throb.
Her chest churned.
'······This, this is dangerous.'
Not just normally dangerous. It felt like one poke and her jealousy would explode.
But fortunately, Sofia was the type who could examine her own emotions and was skilled at keeping herself under control.
'······No. *Phew*, I have to hold it in.'
First, she had to hear the circumstances. Why they were doing something like this. Because only then could she confront them—if a confrontation was called for.
"Um, Jin Yu-ha. As the party's Healer, there's something I'd like to ask about Ichika's condition."
Sofia reined in the feelings about to burst out, and calmly asked Jin Yu-ha.
.
.
.
"The aftereffect of that Incubus Apostle you dealt with back then······?"
What the hell······.
Where do they even have those······.
I'm so jealous!!!!
The corners of her mouth, forced up by sheer will, began to quiver.
* * *
"But it's not like she's a Demonized Human or anything, so don't worry too much. Looks like long-term exposure to mental attacks keeps generating desires along those lines."
"S-so, the solution to that is······."
"Yeah, looks like regular physical intimacy with me takes care of it. But, sorry about this—could you keep it a secret?"
"R-regular physical intimacy······? No, a secret?"
"Mm-hmm. If word gets out that she's been influenced by a Demonized Human, people around her are obviously going to look at her with bad eyes. You know what happens to Hunters suspected of demonization."
"T-that's true······."
Sofia nodded mechanically but couldn't sort out her confused head.
"Anyway, I've got a next class, so I'll get going. Let me know right away if anything happens. I'll come even if it's during class. I'm counting on you to look after Ichika."
"Yesss······."
Creak─
Click.
The door closed and Jin Yu-ha left.
Sofia had no choice but to gaze at Ichika, asleep on the bed, with complicated eyes.
"That isn't the problem here, Jin Yu-ha······."
Fortunate among misfortunes, Jin Yu-ha seemed to regard it purely as medical treatment for a sick person, with no personal motive whatsoever. But this was more serious than any other issue.
Just thinking about how the other party members would react if they found out about this already made her head throb. Because she could clearly see a future where not only would Utopia erupt into internal strife, but they'd all scatter in separate directions.
"I have to do something about this······. Before the others find out."
Determined, Sofia clenched her fist tight.