This Isn't It...? (1)
This Isn't It...? (1)
Baek Ha-na had just set foot in the spectator area after finishing her match.
"Euh-hee, euh-hee-hee, euh-hee!!"
"......?"
Kang Han-na bounded forward, cackling with an outrageously suggestive laugh.
She threw a massive towel—heaven knows where she got it—over Baek Ha-na's shoulders.
"Euh-hee-hee... slurp. As expected of our little cutie... absolutely magnificent!!"
Wiping a bit of drool from her lip, Kang Han-na showered Baek Ha-na with praise.
'Was she always like this...?'
Kang Han-na normally never showed such a frivolous side. Baek Ha-na, still a little dazed, went inside with her anyway.
"Ha-na. You okay?"
"Yeah. My clothes got a bit torn, but I'm fine."
Covering herself decently with the towel Kang Han-na had draped over her, Baek Ha-na tucked the half-gloves she'd been holding into her jacket.
She settled her breathing and turned her attention to the murmurs around her.
- Ahaha! We're rich, we're rich!!
- Think of the kids, please stop.......
No, not that one.......
Tuning out Kang Han-na's voice, she focused again.
- What the hell did I just see?
- Wow, holy shit. Never thought I'd see Yoon I-seul lose before I graduated.
- Guess this proves it. The fox can't beat the Wolf.
- Looked like they both went all out, no holding back, though.
- So you gonna challenge her?
- Would you? Even if you won today, she'd tear you apart next week.
Overhearing the whispers of the upperclassmen, Baek Ha-na let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She'd told Nam Seo-hee she was fine, and she was—just a little tired, and more importantly, her remaining mana had dropped below half.
She was still confident she could win against anyone in her current state.
The process would just be a hassle.
She'd picked the toughest opponent from the start precisely because she didn't want to step onto the stage over and over, and luckily, things seemed to be working out as planned.
The only thing she hadn't accounted for was that her opponent would turn out to be even more unpleasant than she'd imagined. Aside from that, she was satisfied.
Just as Baek Ha-na was catching her breath, the murmuring around her fell abruptly silent.
Yoon I-seul had come up from the stage.
She was clutching her swollen left wrist.
Every expression she'd worn during the match might as well have been an act. She returned to her seat with a blank face and sat down.
"Miss I-seul? That looks like it needs treatment."
"I'm fine. I'll get it treated after this."
"Hm, understood."
Jaden nodded at her cool reply.
"Then we will continue."
The ranking matches proceeded smoothly.
- She lost.
- Well fought.
Fast, heavy, and crackling with thunder energy, Nam Seo-hee's sword defeated three upperclassmen.
- Fucking bullshit ability.......
- Hmph.
Na Ju-hee, leveraging favorable matchups and her outstanding elementalization, defeated two upperclassmen as well.
- I forfeit.
- Me too....
- Forfeit.
And on a cascade of forfeits, Baek Ha-na quietly rose to the top.
"Hm, next year looks more promising than this one."
Jaden muttered to himself as he recorded the students' rankings on his tablet.
『1st: Baek Ha-na (1st Year)
2nd: Yoon I-seul (3rd Year)
3rd: Park Dae-geun (3rd Year)
4th: Nam Seo-hee (1st Year)
5th: An Jin-su (3rd Year)
6th: Na Ju-hee (1st Year)
·
·
·
20th: Ju Seok-hun (2nd Year)』
Three first-years had landed in the single digits.
One of them had even taken the crown, sitting at the very top.
Twenty students who hadn't participated today were still eligible to challenge, but barring any major upsets, only the names already on the board would shuffle among themselves.
"Well done, everyone. You may disperse for today. Tomorrow, ability-types gather here at 10 a.m. Enhancement-types and transformation-types will assemble at the upperclassmen training room. Dismissed."
Jaden gathered his things and rose.
The other professors followed his lead, rising one by one and filing out.
"Ha-na, let's go—."
"Ahahaha!! Cutie-pie!!"
Kang Han-na slipped right into the space between Nam Seo-hee and Baek Ha-na.
She ruffled Baek Ha-na's snow-white hair, all rough affection.
"Anything you want to eat? Just say the word! This professor will buy you whatever you want!!"
"...I'd kind of like to change my clothes first."
"Ah, right. Let's get those repaired first!!"
"No, I—."
"There-there, off we go~"
Kang Han-na basically dragged Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee out of the sparring arena. Their destination was a tailor shop in the central district.
Jingle-jangle~
With a familiar sound she'd heard once before, a reddish-brown wooden door opened, radiating an old-world medieval atmosphere.
"Welcome."
Sure enough, a woman she'd met once before walked out from the back.
"Here for repairs, I see. This way."
Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee followed the shopkeeper, who wore a monocle over her left eye, deeper inside.
"This won't take long. Would you take them off, please?"
"...Sure."
At the shopkeeper's instruction, the two removed their uniforms and placed them in the basket in front of them.
The woman with the monocle carried the basket into a workshop further inside.
"Ha-na."
"Yeah?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been waiting blankly for the repaired uniforms, turned her head.
"So......"
"So?"
Nam Seo-hee was dragging her words out, which was unusual. Baek Ha-na tilted her head.
"Hmm, never mind. It's nothing. You really aren't hurt anywhere."
"I told you I was fine."
Seeing her friend worry so excessively, Baek Ha-na let out a small laugh.
Right then, the woman who had gone into the workshop returned, carrying a basket with their now spotless uniforms.
"All done."
"Thank you."
The two pulled their uniforms from the basket and put them back on.
But then.
"......?"
Baek Ha-na picked up a small box that had been left inside the basket.
"Um, what is this?"
"Gloves."
"...Gloves?"
At the shopkeeper Becky's reply, Baek Ha-na opened the box.
Inside, a pair of gloves lay neatly arranged—identical in design to the half-gloves she had been wearing until a moment ago.
"Your uniform was in tatters. I assumed the gloves I made you back then wouldn't be in great shape either."
"Uh, well...."
The gloves were fine.
Completely fine.
"It's alright. This isn't a freebie or anything. The professor already settled the payment for this service a while ago. So please don't hesitate to come visit if the gloves ever wear out or don't fit right anymore."
"...I'll do that."
Baek Ha-na closed the lid of the box and tucked it carefully against her chest.
"Oh, and he also left a message. 'Gloves are consumables, so for heaven's sake, don't make a fuss over them.' Hm, that sounds about right."
"Pfft...."
She could picture it perfectly.
That was why she couldn't help laughing.
"Here, could you take care of this for me?"
Baek Ha-na pulled out the half-gloves she'd put away and handed them to Becky.
"Hmm~ Now I see why the professor said what he said."
Becky smiled softly, looking at gloves that were far too pristine.
"I'm happy you've been taking good care of them, but I made these to protect a student's hands. The professor must have felt the same way. So please, treat that new pair you're holding very, very roughly."
"I will."
"Good."
Baek Ha-na and Becky looked at each other and smiled.
Watching the exchange, Nam Seo-hee let out a private sigh of relief. The world around Baek Ha-na had grown so much brighter.
"Shall we head out?"
"Yes."
As Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee followed Becky outside, Kang Han-na strode up to them.
"Alright! Now, what shall we eat? Just say the word! If we need to, I'll put in an off-campus request for you!!"
"Oh, well then......."
Gripping Baek Ha-na's shoulders, eyes sparkling, Kang Han-na stood waiting. Baek Ha-na smiled softly at her.
"Buy me some chocolate and coffee sticks at the mart."
"Sure, sure, chocolate and coffee......?"
Had she heard that right?
Kang Han-na blinked, looking bewildered.
"Uh, so, chocolate and coffee sticks?"
"Yes."
"...What about a meal?"
"I'll eat home-cooked food."
"......Huh?"
"There-there, let's go."
And the three of them left the tailor shop.
**
Baek Ha-na's bedroom.
"Hey!! What did I tell you about drawing on your big sister's face?"
-Pyahahahit!! Dummy! Dummy!
Idni was dashing all over the place, trying to catch the Fairy holding the marker.
"Ha-na, I expected you'd win, but actually watching you do it—I have to admit, I was a little stunned."
"She was definitely strong. Her ability was pretty annoying, too."
"You're probably the only student who'd describe the shadow ability as just 'annoying.'"
Maria sounded purely admiring.
Idni, still dashing around in pursuit of the Fairy, paused briefly to toss a remark at Baek Ha-na.
"Didn't I tell you? She's a total monster."
-Ha-na ish not a monshter!!
Smack—!!
The marker in the Fairy's hand smacked Idni across the cheek.
"You little......!!"
-Peek-hee-heet!!
"Gah!! You get more and more out of control lately, you know that?!"
Glaring at Idni as she vaulted over the bed and bounded across the floor, enthusiastically playing with the Fairy, Maria let out a short sigh.
"It's about time we head back, so wrap it up and go wake Seo-hee and Na-young."
"Can't you see I'm busy?! You wake 'em up!!"
"Haa......"
Maria shifted herself over bit by bit to rouse the two who were sprawled across Baek Ha-na's bed.
"I'm going to the study for a bit."
Baek Ha-na left the rowdy bedroom and headed for the study.
When she was little, the study door had always been open. Now, it was a place she couldn't enter without knocking first.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
- Come in.
His voice alone had the power to set her completely at ease.
Baek Ha-na steadied her breathing, then stepped inside.
There he was, sitting in the same spot as always.
"...Is it okay if I come closer?"
"That's a strange question."
"I-is it?"
She approached him, her steps careful.
Sniff sniff.
The scent hit her out of habit.
But she couldn't simply bask in it the way she used to.
'Her scent.......'
Faint, but unmistakable—Claire's scent, lingering on his shoulder, mixed in with his own.
"So."
"H-huh?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been absentmindedly tracing his scent, flinched and snapped back to attention.
"You didn't come here just to say hi. If you have something to say, say it."
"Hmm... I got first place, you know......?"
"I'm aware."
The reply sounded indifferent.
But her impression changed almost immediately.
Gently.
A hand, still large and warm, tenderly stroked her head.
'I shouldn't be doing this.......'
She had made a promise to herself to hold back from being clingy.
"Mmm...."
When she received this kind of touch, her body leaned into him on its own.
"...Woo-jin."
"Go on."
The hand that had been stroking her hair withdrew.
She felt a little—no, deeply disappointed.
"You said if I got first place... you'd grant me anything......."
"I did."
Baek Ha-na swallowed hard and cautiously lifted her head.
Her mind naturally conjured the image of his mysterious golden eyes, hidden behind those opaque glasses.
'...Get a grip.'
She barely managed to calm her heart, which was on the verge of racing, and continued.
"...I want to be trained by you, Woo-jin."
"That's what you want?"
"Yeah."
Baek Ha-na answered firmly and nodded.
Baek Woo-jin watched her in silence for a long moment, then nodded back.
Only then did a faint smile touch Baek Ha-na's lips.
"Well then......!!"
"Well then."
Baek Ha-na and Baek Woo-jin both opened their mouths at the same moment.
"Huh? Wh-what is it?"
"...Go stand over there."
"Huh?"
She blinked at his sudden request, then rose from her spot and stood in front of the desk.
"Close your eyes."
"They're closed."
A strange sensation, as if a memory were rising but couldn't quite surface, made Baek Ha-na furrow her brow slightly.
"......Ah!!"
The hazy memory snapped into focus, and Baek Ha-na let out a short sound of recognition.
This was the exact same training Claire had once demonstrated.
Close your eyes and dodge an incoming object. That was it.
'Really... I've grown up by now.......'
She felt a little hurt that he was making her repeat a drill from her childhood. But at the same time, she saw an opportunity.
'I'll have to show him I've really grown.'
Baek Ha-na spread her mana wide.
Even with her eyes closed, the surroundings materialized clearly in her mind, as vivid as if her eyes were open.
"From the look of it, you've guessed what I'm about to do."
"Of course I have. Do you know how many times you hit me back then?!"
"...Anyone listening would think I beat you."
"You did hit me, though."
"......."
"It was a joke."
Baek Ha-na giggled under her breath.
Once in a while—very rarely—he showed a reaction where he was clearly at a loss, and she found it deeply satisfying. It made her feel just how much he treasured her.
"...Starting."
"I'll show you I'm not who I used to be."
Baek Ha-na focused.
And then she felt it.
The small mass of mana gathering in front of the desk.
'Now I'll show you that I'm an adult too—'
Thwack——!!
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the study.
That was the last thing Baek Ha-na remembered from that day.