The 100-Day Festival
Ding— Ten minutes later, a message arrived.
"....?"
What was that all of a sudden?
Creak— The classroom door slid open and the homeroom teacher walked in.
"Good work, everyone. You all know tomorrow is the 100-day celebration party for entering Elphon Academy, right?"
"Yeees!"
"It's the last festival before midterms, so make sure you all have fun."
The students' mood instantly lifted. Elphon Academy held festivals for every anniversary. They didn't grind their students into the ground. The academy understood that proper rest actually helped improve grades. That was why festivals were held on every commemorative day. The first festival students experienced right after enrollment was the 100-day celebration.
"For tomorrow's 100-day celebration party, make sure to come with a festival partner."
The moment those words left the teacher's mouth, the students began scattering in every direction.
"Hamin, want to go together?"
"Sure. Where should we start tomorrow?"
Secret couples paired up. Boys and girls who had been dating on the down-low finally formed proper pairs.
"Hayeon, want to go with me?"
"Hayeon! Let's go together!"
"U-uh…?"
Some people even received multiple partner invitations at once. My stomach churned. Festivals were great. Really great. The problem was that for an outcast like me, they were the absolute worst.
Jeong Hayeon lay in her dorm, fiddling with her phone.
"...How should I say it?"
Her hand hovered over the screen.
"No. No way."
She deleted the message. Asking to go together from the start would obviously be too much pressure. Maybe she should just ask what he was planning to do tomorrow first? Yeah. That made more sense.
"Kyaa! I sent it. I actually sent it!"
Hayeon buried her face in her blanket. Her cheeks were flushed bright red.
This was her chance. Normally, Cha Jiyun would be by Radeon's side at tomorrow's festival. But right now, Cha Jiyun was stuck in the hospital. Hayeon still had an opportunity.
Her hand trembled violently.
"Send…?"
"R-really? This?"
Hayeon doubted her own eyes at first. She rubbed them and looked at her phone again. But the message remained unchanged.
"Ah."
She lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. What should they do tomorrow? First, once Deon's swordsmanship exhibition ended, she should suggest going to the nearby face-painting stall. After that, they could try the claw machines nearby… and maybe watch a horror movie together too.
"Hehe. I should write down what we're going to do tomorrow."
Hayeon opened her notebook and began listing all the things she wanted to do with Radeon. The corners of her mouth curled upward until they nearly reached her ears.
The next day, Elphon Academy was filled with students wearing casual clothes instead of their usual uniforms. Jeong Hayeon walked among them. Every male student's gaze turned toward her.
"Wow, Hayeon, you look really pretty today."
"Yeah? Thanks."
Hayeon smiled brightly.
"Why'd you dress up so much today?"
The boys kept stealing glances at her. She had always been pretty, but dressed up like this, she practically glowed. Especially the white dress she wore, which made her pale skin stand out even more.
"I have something to do, so I'll head off first. Bye."
Hayeon waved at them and headed toward the auditorium.
Creak— Hayeon opened the auditorium door and stepped inside. Radeon was already on stage performing.
"Then I'll be in your care."
Radeon bowed politely to his opponent.
"Likewise. Take care of me, junior."
Both of them raised wooden swords and faced each other.
"Begin!"
The moment the signal rang out, Radeon leaped toward his opponent. In an instant, he launched a fierce assault. His opponent could barely block.
"Whoa. Didn't they say Radeon was a first-year this time?"
"Isn't the senior he's facing one of the aces in the second year?"
"No wonder people say he's the next head of the Greville family."
The performance was a series of matches between Radeon and the top members of the Swordsmanship Club. No mana was used—pure swordsmanship only. Even in that setting, Radeon shone brilliantly. Hayeon watched him. The indescribably beautiful trajectory of his sword. It wasn't just swordsmanship; it looked like a work of art.
"...He's improved even more since then."
Hayeon recalled old memories. The first time she saw Radeon was before she even entered the academy, back at the training institute. At first, she hadn't been interested in him at all. He was just one of the ordinary male students. But the moment she saw the sword dance he performed, her heart malfunctioned. It was the most beautiful sword trajectory she had ever seen in her life. It could rival any work of art. From that moment on, she became completely captivated by him. Just how much must he have polished himself to produce swordsmanship like that? Simply inheriting the blood of a famous sword family wasn't enough to achieve something like this. There must have been grueling effort behind it. From then on, she gradually fell for Radeon.
Hayeon looked at Radeon on stage now. His swordsmanship had become far more refined than when she first saw it. His opponent, who had been desperately parrying Radeon's onslaught, finally collapsed.
"Senior, are you alright?"
Radeon extended a hand to the fallen senior.
"Yeah. You're really a monster."
"Come on, you went easy on me."
After that, Radeon continued sparring with the other skilled members of the Swordsmanship Club. They were all aces in their own right. But none of them could even graze Radeon's collar.
"Whoa, he's seriously a monster."
"The second-years don't stand a chance against him."
Everyone wore expressions of shock. Once the final match ended, the host spoke.
"Alright, that concludes today's scheduled Swordsmanship Exhibition. Thank you all for watching."
Clap clap clap— Applause echoed throughout the auditorium.
"Thank you."
The club members and Radeon on stage bowed to the audience. At that moment, Radeon's and Hayeon's eyes met. Radeon smiled and waved. Hayeon smiled back and waved as well. Soon after, Radeon descended from the stage and walked over to her.
"Oh, what's this? You look really pretty today."
Radeon looked Hayeon up and down as he spoke.
"Right? I look super pretty today, don't I?"
Hayeon smiled. She was glad she had dressed up after all. If things went well, she might even win his heart.
"Let's go then."
"Yeah."
Hayeon casually linked her arm with Radeon's. Her face began turning red.
"I'll show you around. I've already planned out all the places we're going today."
"Alright. I'll be looking forward to it."
Just as Hayeon and Radeon were about to open the auditorium door and leave—
Creak— The door opened from the other side. A woman walked in. Radeon couldn't take his eyes off her. Hayeon also stared at her, frozen in shock.
"Jiyun?"
Hayeon spoke with a startled expression. The person who had just entered was Cha Jiyun. Wasn't she supposed to be in the hospital?
"Weren't you hospitalized?"
Radeon asked.
"...My body has recovered somewhat now."
"Are you really okay?"
"...Yes."
As she spoke, she clutched her head as if a headache had struck.
"Whoa, are you really okay?"
Radeon rushed to her side.
"........."
Hayeon stared blankly at her now-loose arm.
"Hayeon, sorry. Jiyun seems unwell, so I think I need to stay by her side. You understand, right?"
"..........."
Hayeon silently watched Radeon and Cha Jiyun.
"We're friends, aren't you? You can understand, right?"
She wanted to say she couldn't understand. But if she did, Radeon might dislike her. She barely managed to swallow the words she wanted to say.
".....Yeah."
Hayeon forced the word out.
"Thanks for understanding, Hayeon."
With those words, Radeon supported Cha Jiyun and began walking out of the auditorium. Hayeon silently watched their retreating figures. The notebook she had been holding slipped from her hands. Inside were pages densely filled with plans for things to enjoy with Radeon today.
I watched Jeong Hayeon sitting alone in the now-empty auditorium. Her expression was far more hollow than usual. Even though countless male students approached her, she didn't respond to any of them. She simply sat curled up in a corner of the auditorium, arms wrapped around her knees, looking dejected. In the end, only she and I remained in the auditorium.
"......"
I swallowed hard as I looked at her. This was getting really dangerous. This was where the major branching point began. The demon she would end up contracting with wasn't some random low-tier fiend. It was one of the highest-ranking demon lords, said to be among the pinnacle of all demons. If someone who contracted with a being like that went berserk, there would be no hope left in this world. Radeon would never give up on Cha Jiyun. Hayeon would never be able to give up on someone like that, and in the end, she would contract with the highest-ranking demon lord just to obtain him. If this situation continued, this world would be destroyed.
I carefully walked over and sat beside her.
"......"
She glared at me like a cat with its fur standing on end. As if telling me not to come any closer. I sat about a meter away from her, staring up at the auditorium ceiling as I spoke.
"...That guy is seriously the worst."
"What?"
Hayeon looked at me and let out a small laugh, as if my words were unexpected.
"I mean, from what I saw today, he was supposed to be your partner, right? Is it really okay for him to just leave like that? What about the person he left behind?"
"...."
Hayeon silently stared at me. Normally she would have snapped at me, but today she was quiet.
"What do you even like about Radeon so much?"
"....What's it to you?"
"I'm just curious. What made you fall for him like that?"
She observed me carefully for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
"...His swordsmanship."
"Huh? Swordsmanship?"
"...Yeah. It was the most beautiful swordsmanship I'd ever seen in my life."
"Hmm… Really? But from what I saw today, it didn't seem that beautiful?"
"...What?"
She let out a small laugh.
"Honestly, the swordsmanship I use is even prettier."
"You don't even use a sword."
"That doesn't matter."
Skill 5 - Locked — Footsteps of the Sword Saint: Allows the user to wield the Sword Saint's swordsmanship.
"You're talking nonsense."
Hayeon chuckled.
"If my swordsmanship really is more beautiful, how about you give up on him?"
Nam Doyun said. Hayeon let out a small laugh. He wasn't that annoying after all. Back when he had suddenly told her to give up on Radeon, she had thought he was crazy. But after learning that he liked her, his words didn't bother her as much. It was even kind of cute how he was trying to comfort her in his own way.
"Fine. Let's see you try, then."
Hayeon said with a smirk.