Stimulus and Growth (1)
Stimulus and Growth (1)
The day after receiving Vuar's help—help I never asked for.
"......."
As always, Vuar had spouted whatever nonsense he liked, then unilaterally cut the connection.
So Claire had been forced to lie awake all night.
What question had he asked Baek Woo-jin?
What answer had Baek Woo-jin given?
And had he tacked on any other unnecessary remarks?
Sleep had become impossible under the spiraling chain of endless thoughts and worries.
-Beep-beep-beep~
A pointlessly cheerful sound came from her wrist.
Claire, who had been sitting vacantly at the edge of her bed, turned her gaze toward her wrist.
She pushed up the sleeve of the shirt she'd left half-unbuttoned.
A single message floated up onto the brightly glowing smartwatch display.
[ (｀∇´ゞ It's morning!! You promised to teach the snow-white child~ Hurry up and get ready!!]
'...Should I convert to a different god.'
She meant it.
At this rate, she thought, retreating to some quiet, secluded countryside where no one was around didn't sound half bad.
"Hoo."
Contrary to her thoughts, Claire rose from the bed to go meet Baek Woo-jin.
She had never chosen to run away in her life. She decided to face this calmly without turning her back this time either.
After getting up, she first tidied the clothes she'd been wearing since the day before. Then she went straight into the bathroom and doused herself with cold water.
'Just act as usual.'
As if you know nothing.
As if nothing happened.
Just as usual.
Having cooled her head a little with the cold water, she used holy power to shake off the moisture clinging to her body and stood before her wardrobe.
Unlike other clergy who frequently enjoyed outdoor activities, her wardrobe contained no clothing that could be called "civvies."
Only the snow-white priest robe and black formal suit she wore on official occasions, and a shirt to wear underneath.
Her eyes moved to a corner of the wardrobe.
A bag sat there, containing the bikini she'd bought with the children two days ago.
'...Get a grip.'
Claire's blue eyes fixed on the top of the bag.
'Then that...'
Her hand moved.
**
It had been exactly one day since Baek Ha-na awakened her ability.
"Heuh-heung~"
The kid, sitting in a chair and spooning up cereal, looked more energetic than usual. No—she actually would be, having absorbed mana. And.
Crunch-crunch-crunch—
Her food intake had roughly tripled.
Only after polishing off an entire box of cereal and two cartons of milk right where she sat did she finish her meal, patting her stomach with a satisfied face.
"If anything feels off with your body, don't hide it. Tell me."
"I said I get it~ Jeez... You've said nothing else since yesterday."
The child answered curtly as she took her bowl to the sink and did the dishes. But I caught the corner of her mouth twitching upward as it peeked out.
'It does seem like her body's fine but...'
Something had definitely changed externally.
That wasn't something I could meddle with, though, and more importantly, the change itself wasn't purely negative. So I decided to leave it alone.
"Ha-na, get ready."
"Sis?"
Having shaken the water off the bowl and placed it on the shelf, she filled the electric kettle with water.
I didn't particularly want to drink it, nor did I need to. But drinking the coffee she made for me in the mornings had become a habit—part of Ha-na's own routine now.
Click—!
The kettle's switch flipped down.
And the front door opened.
As the sound of footsteps drew closer, Baek Ha-na set a coffee cup with a faint fragrance rising from it on the dining table and pulled over a chair to sit beside me.
Moments later, Claire entered the kitchen. I lowered the coffee cup I'd been about to drink from.
"Good morning."
She bowed her head slightly in greeting, no different from usual.
But her outfit was not the usual one.
A black cap pulled down over her head.
A short white tank top that left her arms and midriff clearly exposed.
Training pants that clung to her skin and revealed the contours of her lower body.
I'd known her for six years, but this was only the second time she'd worn anything other than a formal suit or priest robe.
The first time had been a swimsuit, two days ago.
'...Is this Baek Ha-na's influence too.'
I glanced at Baek Ha-na, who was beside me, quietly sipping coffee she'd melted her own chocolate into.
Normally she would have jumped up and run over to Claire, but instead she was studying her with a strange look.
I lightly formed a fist and pressed it into the top of her head.
"Ughk!!"
"What's with the rude stare?"
Only then did Baek Ha-na put down the cup she'd been holding and greet Claire.
"Hi, Sis....."
"Ye-es...."
An awkward greeting.
I watched the two of them for a second before opening my mouth.
"Sit down first."
"Understood."
She sat across from me and picked up the coffee cup Baek Ha-na had prepared.
"Thank you. Miss Ha-na."
"Mm...."
Sip—
The two of them quietly sipped their coffee. I spoke toward Baek Ha-na.
"As I said yesterday, Claire will teach you again starting today."
"...You'll teach me in the evening, right, Woo-jin?"
"Yeah."
Claire, who stands at the pinnacle of Enhancement-types, would handle the physical conditioning. I planned to personally teach the ability's flowering and mana operation.
"Um..."
Claire, who had been sipping her coffee quietly, cautiously raised her hand.
"What."
"If it is... acceptable to you, I would also like to observe your instruction, Professor."
"I don't mind, but there won't be anything useful for you."
"That's fine."
"...Suit yourself."
"Thank you."
I really was only going to teach the very basics, so she wouldn't gain anything from it. I wanted to tell her to use that time for herself instead, but since she was so keen on it, I didn't add anything further.
After that, the three of us drank our coffee in silence. When all the cups were empty, Claire rose from her seat and spoke to Baek Ha-na.
"I will be waiting in the yard. Come out when you are ready."
"Okay... I'll come out soon."
She gave me a short bow before rising from her seat. And that was when Claire stepped out the front door.
"I-I'll go change my clothes too!!"
"Don't come back in here. Go straight out."
The kid didn't answer me and dashed off to her room.
'She's as inscrutable now as she ever was.'
Baek Ha-na only reappeared before me after I'd cleared the empty cups and settled into my seat in the study.
"H-How do I look?"
A tank top of the same design as the one Claire wore, paired with dolphin shorts that left her thighs fully exposed.
"...Only wear that at home. Never go outside in it."
For a moment, Baek Ha-na's mouth corner twitched. But she shook her head firmly and asked me again.
"Ahem! Got it. But how do I look?"
"...It suits you."
"Really?"
"...Get going."
She backed away slowly, closing the study door with an infuriating little smile. Then, through the gap before it shut.
"Heh-he."
She flashed a stupid face and closed the door before running off.
I think it'll be fine to raise the training intensity a bit.
**
Claire's instruction didn't end until the blue sky had been dyed by the sunset.
They had taken breaks and had lunch along the way, but still, considering it was the first day, it was a fairly long session.
"Ughhhehhhh....."
The kid who'd dashed out in excitement was now planted face-first on the dining table. Just seeing that made it clear Claire had worked Baek Ha-na seriously hard.
"Professor... I didn't know you were so skilled at cooking."
"Just got better from doing it."
I'd only prepared a simple meal, yet Claire was full of praise, looking very satisfied with the dinner.
"Ah, I'll clean—"
"Don't bother. Stay seated."
Until now, I'd kept house using my own hands to minimize any influence on Baek Ha-na, but that was no longer necessary.
Wielding a little mana would suffice.
With that, the empty dishes and spoons regained their original cleanliness and flew up onto the shelf, stacking neatly.
"Baek Ha-na."
"Uh-heh...?"
Probably quite exhausted, she lifted her head with half-lidded eyes.
'She was completely fine while eating....'
I never intended to raise her as the world's greatest Awakened, so letting her rest for a day would have been fine. But I could never allow myself to give in to her endlessly.
Because if I let her rest once, every time she got tired or worn out in the future, I'd end up letting her rest again.
That was something I couldn't do. For her sake, for my sake, and for the sake of the woman who had agreed to push her at my request.
"We'll only go for one hour today. So keep your eyes open and pay attention."
"Uuuh... Can't I rest just a little? Or at least take a shower first..."
"Baek Ha-na."
"...Yeees..."
The slumped kid slowly straightened her back and sat up properly.
"Claire."
"Yes, Professor."
"I'll need you as a teaching aid for a bit."
"Gladly..."
She stood from her seat and approached me.
I handed her the black cloth I'd prepared and spoke.
"Blindfold yourself with that."
"Yes."
No questions.
She'd been like that from the start. Whatever I instructed, she did it without asking.
"It's a very simple training method, so watch closely. I'll explain afterward."
"...Okay."
Leaving the cloth tied tightly over her eyes, I moved to the opposite side of the dining table. Then I moved my mana to lift a spoon into the air.
'This should be about right.'
I let just a trace of the mana I'd built up while vomiting blood countless times leak out. At the same moment, Claire, who had been standing still, gave a small shudder of her shoulders.
Baek Ha-na, on the other hand, just stared blankly at Claire with a face that showed she understood nothing.
"Claire."
"Yes, Professor."
"Catch me without bumping into anything."
"Understood."
She began walking slowly.
If she'd really wanted to, she could have followed the mana I'd leaked and caught me in an instant. But she grasped the purpose of this, so she approached me with very slow steps so Baek Ha-na could see.
I slowly retreated and sent the spoon I'd levitated moments ago flying at her.
Swoosh—
She dodged the spoon with a light tilt of her head. Not only that, she was gradually closing the distance between us without bumping into chairs, the table, or any other furniture.
I launched the spoon twice more, then spoke toward Baek Ha-na.
"As you can see now, depending on how you handle your mana, you can replace your sight—"
Gently.
A faint floral scent and warm body heat pressed against my chest.
When I lowered my head, shimmering, sleek golden hair came into view.
Claire, who had been chasing me, had embraced me.
"Claire."
"...Yes."
"Well done. Untie the cloth now."
"...Ye-es."
She slowly released the hands that had wrapped around my waist and stepped back. Then she untied the cloth over her eyes.
Her snow-white skin bloomed with a heated flush, as if toasted by the sun.
'I told her to catch me lightly. Seems there was a misunderstanding.'
I turned my head back to look at Baek Ha-na. But her half-lidded eyes were now wide open, as if she'd been struck by lightning.
Worse.
"M-Me too!!"
Had the exhaustion all been an act? She shot up from her chair and ran to me.
"Me too!! I want to do it too!!"
"...I was going to make you do it without you asking."
"The cloth!!"
"The explanation—"
"It's fine!!"
"...."
I didn't know what was "fine" about it, but I gave her the cloth.
After taking it from me, she stepped back a few paces and hurriedly tied it over her own eyes.
"Here I go, then?"
And then she stretched both arms out wide on her own and started coming toward me.
I watched the spectacle for a moment before lifting a spoon and sending it at her.
Smack—!!
A small bump formed on her forehead.