Believe Me!
Believe Me!
'Anxiety... wariness... unease...?'
Baek Ha-na's fierce stare locked onto her.
Claire sensed the tangled emotions behind it and grew puzzled. After all, just moments ago Ha-na had smiled and waved at her when she opened the temple door.
"......Haa."
A short sigh from Baek Woo-jin. Then a stomp—the sound of his foot tapping the floor.
"Don't mind her. She's been a little off since she awakened."
"Ye-es...."
Claire nodded, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Baek Ha-na.
"I've put up a barrier. Pay no more attention to her."
"......Understood."
That wasn't what was bothering her, but she couldn't bring herself to say so to Baek Woo-jin. With effort, she dragged her gaze back to him. Her own face reflected in his semi-transparent glasses.
"Starting tomorrow, I'd like you to handle Ha-na's training."
"Miss Ha-na's... training?"
Baek Woo-jin nodded.
Claire paused briefly, then asked, "What sort of training, exactly...?"
"Physical conditioning."
He turned his head slowly. Baek Ha-na immediately ducked behind the wall.
Staring at the spot where she was hiding, he went on.
"She says she wants to attend the academy with those two."
"You mean Maria and Idni."
"Right. I don't plan on having her take the exam, but... there's no telling how she'll turn out. Work her hard enough that she can at least scrape by."
He turned back to Claire.
"You don't need to do any sparring. Like I said at the start, just condition her body."
"......I'll see to it."
Claire accepted the request. 'Physical conditioning' sounded a bit grand, but put more simply, he was asking her to exercise with Ha-na and show her routines she could do on her own.
"......."
"......."
Baek Woo-jin fell silent after that.
"So... do you have any other business?"
"That's everything."
"......I, see...."
Out of the corner of her eye, Claire caught Baek Ha-na glaring at her from the stairs, and she sighed inwardly. This was a conversation Ha-na could have heard without any problem. She thought as much, but of course, she kept it to herself.
"Is this uncomfortable?"
"...No."
Being with the silent Baek Woo-jin was familiar and not particularly uncomfortable. It was just Baek Ha-na's stare boring into her from over his shoulder that was a little hard to bear.
"Well, it is your day off. Must be annoying having me keep you here."
"No—"
Claire opened her mouth to object, but he had already risen from his seat.
"Looks like you have plans outside, so I'm sorry for holding you up. Take care of your business. I'll just use the prayer room and head back too."
"......."
She couldn't bring herself to hold him back. There was no way she could tell him she had redone her hair and put on a suit several times because of him.
"Huuuh...."
Ultimately, all Claire could do was watch Baek Woo-jin's back as he walked away.
**
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
The moment I stood, I heard Baek Ha-na's footsteps hurrying up the stairs from that direction.
'...Did something happen?'
I'd never seen a case where awakening changed someone's personality. I had no such records in my memory either.
But since I hadn't pinpointed anything concretely problematic, I decided to give it more time and watch.
Only after Ha-na had vanished from the stairs did I head up to the second floor. A floor filled with private prayer rooms, a space I'd visited many times. I went into the nearest one and shut the door.
I didn't plan to stay long, so I didn't bother taking off my coat. I settled onto a chair and spoke.
"No need to draw it out. Come on out."
【Hiiing.......】
A clear child's voice echoed softly through the prayer room. At the same time, a hazy spirit form materialized in front of the child's statue, instantly taking on a solid shape.
【You talk to Claire through emails just fine!! Why don't you ever do that with me!!】
The child—now fully formed—latched onto me at once, chattering noisily.
【I even assigned Claire to you exclusively to make things easier for you!! Do you know how much consideration I've shown you!!】
"Enough with the nonsense."
I peeled the clinging bundle of will off me.
"Her resting doesn't hurt you one bit."
Unlike other gods, this one, true to his nature as the God of Amusement, gained divinity simply by taking pleasure in anything living beings considered 'amusement.' That was also the reason this little brat could sit on the highest seat in the divine realm.
【......Hmph.】
Apparently having nothing to fire back with, the child pouted and settled onto the seat next to me.
【So. What did you come to ask of me?】
Fitting his appearance, he shifted his demeanor in an instant, clinging to me familiarly and asking.
"Baek Ha-na."
【She's grown as pretty as Claire, you know. Humans really do grow too fast. I would've liked to see more of her cute days.】
I'd only said her name, but the child launched into reminiscing about her childhood as if he'd been waiting. As much as he loved communicating through electronics, he was an oddball who also delighted in watching humans through them. Tracking down Ha-na at our very first meeting had been entirely thanks to that eccentric hobby.
【I thought that with you by her side she wouldn't awaken. That was a bit unexpected.】
"Shut up. I have a request."
【Shall I hide something about that child, then?】
"......."
I turned my head and looked at the child next to me. The one who had been babbling excitedly about Ha-na only seconds ago was now staring up at me with a dead-serious expression.
"...Yeah. You must have sensed it too."
【Yes. It's a deeply unsettling power.】
The power to kill a god.
This was within his domain, and since he'd manifested in person, he must have caught a faint sense of what kind of power had taken root in Baek Ha-na's body.
"Just let people know everything except that part."
【I'm not fabricating anything. Cutting a few lines won't be hard.】
-Heave-ho.
He let out a silly little sound and hopped off his seat. Then he turned and faced me.
【I'll grant your request. I do like pretty and cute children, after all. But this time, I think I'll need something in return.】
"......Fine."
This was the same child who had helped me for free over and over. Now here he was, wearing a grim expression that didn't suit his appearance, demanding compensation.
'I can't refuse him this time.'
The option of visiting another temple didn't exist. I couldn't trust any god besides this one in the slightest. He was the odd one for accepting my proposal in the first place, even though he had roughly figured out what power had taken root inside Ha-na.
"As long as it's within my current ability, I'll grant anything."
I gave that answer with every possibility left open. If he said he needed my Authority, this time I would gladly use it for him.
【No take-backs.】
He glared at me with a stiff face.
I glared right back. "...Quit wasting time and say it."
【Very well. The compensation I want from you is......】
**
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"...Yeah."
'......?'
Claire had the feeling that Baek Woo-jin's attitude toward her had shifted ever so slightly.
But he turned and left the temple without giving her time to figure it out. The heavy doors slowly closed. Only after they had shut completely did she turn and climb the stairs.
Claire paused on the third floor. At the end of the long hallway was the room where Baek Ha-na, who had just finished her ability assessment, was chatting with the two girls she usually spent time with.
'Transformation-type.......'
Awakened individuals who gained the ability to transform part or all of their bodies into beasts or special substances were called transformation-types. Baek Ha-na was exactly that.
'It did suit her....'
Within the transformation type, there were still tiers. Some Awakened could transform into special things like divine beasts or phantom beasts, while others transformed into ordinary animals. Ha-na fell into the ordinary side. The ability she'd awakened allowed her to partially transform parts of her body into a wolf.
'But since the professor is with her....'
Usually, the growth ceiling for an Awakened was determined by the ability they gained. Even at its best, the ability Ha-na had awakened topped out around the middle tier. To aim higher, you needed a rare ability, a special Artifact, or a fortuitous encounter. But Baek Ha-na had Baek Woo-jin at her side—a walking fortuitous encounter himself.
Claire was certain that someone who treasured Ha-na so deeply would do something for her. She thought this as she headed toward her room.
Click—
As the door shut, Claire shed her outer layer and began unbuttoning her shirt one by one.
-Beep-beep-beep~
"......."
Just as she was about to slip the shirt off, a smartwatch on her wrist rang with a notification tone she had never set. Her face hardened. There was only one being who could pull something like this.
She pulled back her sleeve and checked the watch.
[ (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ Claire!!]
No sound could possibly come through, yet she felt the clamor.
"What is it?"
[ (>ω^) I've brought good news for you!!]
"......There's a Korean proverb: 'No news is good news.'"
It was a saying she'd learned alongside Baek Ha-na while reading books to her.
[ (⇀‸↼‶) You'll regret it if you don't listen. Are you okay with that?]
"You'll pester me until I say I want to hear it, anyway."
[ (´∀`)ｂ That's right.]
Claire barely swallowed a sigh. "......Just tell me quickly, please."
She wanted to hear it fast, lie down in bed, and rest while listening to some music. Vuar, blissfully unaware of her mood—no, thoroughly enjoying the situation—sent a lively string of texts her way.
[ (≧∀≦) That guy is interested in Claire!!]
"Pfft—?!"
She shot up from where she'd been perched on the edge of the bed.
"Wha-what... what do you mean?"
[ (* >ω<) What do you mean, what do I mean!! Exactly what I said!! So Claire, you need to appeal to him a little more actively from now on!!]
"No— I mean... that, suddenly—"
[ (´∀`) You've been through a lot because of me all this time, so I helped out a bit~ It was too obvious you were interested in him!!]
"You cra... no, I mean... what did you say to the professor to make you so sure?"
If this weren't the god she revered and loved, Claire's patience would have snapped on the spot.
[ ٩(^ᴗ^)۶ I asked him to answer any question honestly in return for granting my request!! Good, right?]
The memory from a moment ago flickered through Claire's mind.
-...Fine.
So that was why his attitude toward her had felt oddly different. Most regrettably, it hadn't been her imagination.
[ ᕙ(⇀‸↼‵‵)ᕗ How is it? Reassuring, isn't it? Claire, just trust me!!]
And the cause of it all, that childish god Vuar, was right there in front of her.
Barely holding onto her fraying sanity, Claire asked, "......Would you tell me what sort of question you asked?"
Depending on the question, she was prepared to go hang herself tonight. But Vuar, still incapable of reading the room—or rather, delighting in the situation itself—sent a reply that effortlessly shattered her resolve.
[ (❁´◡`❁) It's a secret~]