Study (2)
Study (2)
A weekend morning.
When most people would be burying their faces back into their pillows, savoring the languor of the early hour.
When those cursed to work even on weekends would be kicking off their blankets in resentment.
I was having a rather unique weekend morning.
- Blaargh, bleeergh...!
Like someone who'd drunk themselves sick and couldn't control their churning insides, I was clinging to the toilet bowl, emptying my stomach first thing in the morning.
I'd already emptied it completely. Now, with nothing left inside, nothing but gastric acid and water was being forced back up.
And yet, as if my stomach still insisted on expelling something, it kept convulsing and heaving whatever remained.
- Blaaargh...
If there was a silver lining, it was that my sense of smell and taste were gone, so I couldn't really taste the bitterness. Though, since there was nothing left to come up, it probably wouldn't have made much difference anyway.
The nausea that had lasted for a long while gradually subsided. Saliva stringed down from my protruding tongue.
I steadied my ragged breathing and got to my feet.
Trickle... I stood in front of the sink and carefully turned the faucet.
I checked the temperature with my fingertips, just in case it was hot water, and then rinsed my mouth.
I'd intended to just wipe my face with a towel and leave, but I belatedly realized my whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
My pajamas were already soaked through to the point of being sheer.
I had no choice but to take a shower as well.
Within my observation range, the rising sun outside the dormitory was driving away the darkness and illuminating the Siyoram grounds.
Saturday morning.
Today was the day we'd promised to gather at Baek A-rin's dorm to study.
Even though I'd done nothing but study just now, yesterday, the day before, and well before that too.
'Damn it all...'
I hadn't been able to sleep last night either. Well, I did for a very brief moment... just now, I'd dozed off.
And in that brief moment, I'd had a nightmare.
A dream where I was eaten alive by Aerus.
The Azure Sea I'd barely managed to use had missed, and of course, White Night had missed too. Just like that, my upper body was chewed up whole and I'd died.
On top of that, the phantom pain from my missing left arm kicked in... My mouth had opened.
The Curse of Silence, which I'd forgotten thanks to the necklace, had activated.
I, who'd fallen asleep with my head buried on the desk, ended up thrashing on the floor as if in a seizure.
It was quite a tumultuous morning.
Frowning, I roughly dried my hair with magic and tidied up the messy room.
I opened the wardrobe on one side of the room.
There wasn't any need to rummage. I only had a few clothes anyway, so I just pulled out some casual wear and put it on.
I was going to equip the Sky Wing Feather as well, but it was already fluttering behind my back.
Normally, for convenience, I let it hang like a cloak or wear it like an outer garment.
However, if I didn't focus on its form, it turned into a long strip of cloth just floating behind my back.
Sometimes, it would even arbitrarily stretch out and wrap around my arms.
It was in that state even when I first received it. Even if it has a shape-shifting function, that's probably its default setting.
The Sky Wing Feather. Honestly, I just cashed in my points and took it without much thought. It'd be more accurate to say I hadn't had any great expectations for it.
Defying all expectations, the Sky Wing Feather had saved my life multiple times. In fact, without it, I would have been torn to shreds long ago.
It especially proved its true worth at Sipnaha.
It helped me clean up the minor monsters, and blocked all the little scratches that occurred in the process.
When Aerus first struck me, without the Sky Wing Feather, my upper body would have burst open and I would have died instantly.
It saved my life repeatedly in the fierce battle that followed. During the mindless brawl, if it hadn't wrapped around my arm, the whole limb would have been torn off.
Due to the tricky condition that its performance is determined by mana purity, it wasn't a highly regarded artifact. But perhaps because of my compatibility with it, it had been boasting incredible performance.
Unlike a certain necklace, it was easy to control. I could freely use it for offense or defense, and its portability was excellent since I could just throw it on and go.
'I chose well with this one.'
It was one of the best decisions I'd made since coming to this world.
I'd only briefly thought, 'My mana purity is high, so wouldn't my affinity be good too?' but the outcome was fantastic.
I was very pleased with it.
There was also a choice I wasn't pleased with.
That thing sitting there, within my observation range.
Frowning, I tapped on the Origin Egg in the corner of the sofa. The huge egg, the size of my torso, remained motionless despite the external signal.
'So when is it going to open?'
In my memories, it usually opened within a week after the after-party at the very latest.
Even in the 11th Iteration, which had the slowest opening, it opened within two weeks.
But now, nearly a month had passed and there was no news whatsoever.
A tiny suspicion that I might have been scammed surfaced.
Given that it was placed inside the Tower of Growth, the possibility was virtually nil, but... I couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.
After all the trouble I went through to get it...
...Well, it wasn't that hard thanks to the help of those around me, but I had even set aside the points to pay for the price.
'Can't it just open now?'
I poked the Origin Egg a few more times, imbued with a small wish.
There was no answer.
- Should we just fry it up for a bit? What do you think, Ha-yul? Huh?
Just then, Hong Yeon-hwa's remark popped into my head.
- Yeah. Don't you think it'd be really tasty if we cooked it like that?
Along with Ellia's reply from the sidelines.
'......'
I stealthily inspected the inside using the Observation Authority. It was full of a strange liquid and dense mana.
A very tiny impulse flickered within me, but I couldn't really fry and eat it.
I let out a deep sigh and stood up.
It was about time to head out.
.
.
.
The place we were gathering to study together wasn't the library or a private study room, but Baek A-rin's dormitory... specifically, the mansion she'd received with her top-seat status.
Places like the library were fine, but when it came to studying comfortably, one's own dorm was best.
The participants were me, Ellia, and Baek A-rin.
Baek A-rin had asked Hong Yeon-hwa too, but Hong Yeon-hwa apparently had business outside the academy over the weekend.
'......'
My cheeks puffed out involuntarily at the thought of Hong Yeon-hwa.
This Monday, I'd been utterly shocked when Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly started avoiding me.
She'd actually turn her face away, her cheeks flushed, barely able to look at me before leaving the room. The shock only grew worse.
Had I done something wrong? Had I deeply offended her somehow? Even when I looked back through my memories, I hadn't done anything, which made me even more anxious, almost going crazy.
Had she truly just lost all affection for me?
For two whole days, I couldn't even approach her, staying in my dorm alone, searching for a reason and on the verge of tears.
It was only after that when Hong Yeon-hwa quietly approached me and simply apologized, saying she was sorry.
Feeling relieved, I had asked her why she'd done it, but Hong Yeon-hwa just mumbled and didn't give me a proper answer.
I knew her apology was sincere.
But... I couldn't help but feel a bit sulky that she was just glossing over the reason.
If I'd done something wrong, shouldn't she point it out so I can fix it?
If something was bothering her, I'd try my best to change it...
Anyway, the purpose of the gathering was to put our heads together and study in preparation for the theoretical part of the midterm evaluation.
Asking questions when we don't know something, putting our heads together in shared confusion...
Collective intelligence, so to speak. Pondering it together would surely be more efficient than worrying about it alone.
[Why does the answer come out like this?]
"Ha-yul, for Type B, problem 42, since the mana concentration is Grade 3 or higher and the wavelength is a random waveform, you have to apply the dispersion formula, not the alignment formula."
[Ah]
...
[Why does Type C, problem 3 result in a deferred judgment?]
"Ah, this part... If you look at the wavelength value for number 2, it temporarily exceeds 10,000, right? From that point on, it's treated as a Grade 2 Dungeon, so it's true that the raid rights transfer to a higher-ranking clan. However, in this part, you have to consider not only the exception clause, but also the fact that it was an emergency situation at the time..."
...
[This one─]
"Type C, problem 42. Assuming you are to raid the Grade 3 Dungeon, 'Treoul's Valley,' which has an average wavelength value of 3500, with the personnel listed below... For this problem, you have to consider from this point over here─"
If we put our heads together, we could calculate more diverse and accurate values.
But for that kind of thinking to work, your heads have to be at a somewhat similar level.
Baek A-rin. The Top Admission Cadet scores perfectly on every theoretical subject.
Ellia. I didn't know this before, but she got in with insanely high marks on theory. She was one of the top honors students in the Ipchun Class.
Lee Ha-yul... I'm at the level where measuring from the back of the pack would be faster.
In other words, I wasn't qualified to put our heads together.
The 'Let's get together and study' gathering mutated into a 'Lee Ha-yul Care Party' less than thirty minutes after we started studying.
Baek A-rin's dormitory. We sat around the same table in a separate study room and began.
At first, we sat at a reasonable distance from each other.
But once I started cautiously asking one question, then another, they were now sitting right on either side of me, giving me focused care.
Honestly, I'd expected it would turn out like this, but as I observed the countless slash marks carved next to the problem numbers, my already tiny self-confidence felt like it was being buried underground.
"Has it been about two months since Ha-yul started studying?"
During a break after several hours of nonstop work.
While Baek A-rin had stepped out for a moment, Ellia looked at me sprawled out with my head on the table and asked, as if the thought had just occurred to her.
[Yes]
[It's been almost two months]
Though for about three weeks of that, I was in a state bordering on mental and physical weakness, so I couldn't really study.
At my answer, Ellia's eyes rounded in surprise.
"Two months... you've caught up this much in such a short time."
[Have I?]
For that to be true, there sure are an awful lot of slash marks all over the problems...
"When I was at two months, I couldn't even finish memorizing everything, let alone get as far as Ha-yul."
As if reading my expression and guessing my thoughts, Ellia shook her head.
Her gaze swept over my problem sheet.
Unlike me, who was fixated on the slash marks, Ellia's focus was examining the circles, not the slashes.
I'd gotten the memorization questions mostly right, and even among the application problems, I'd gotten a few.
"You've worked hard."
And below the circles, she also scanned the traces of the solutions—the desperate struggles where I'd tried to work something out on my own before asking.
After examining them, Ellia gave me a gentle smile and stroked my head.
The emotion in her touch was nothing but kindness, and the content of her words was spoken in a tone that affirmed my efforts.
Ellia had been a considerate and kind person from our very first meeting.
But since the incident in Sipnaha where I saved her younger sibling, that sort of atmosphere had doubled when it came to me.
To the point where I even had the absurd delusion that she would accept absolutely any amount of childish sulking and dependency I might throw at her.
I cleared away the silly thought, but I still clamped down on the corners of my mouth, which were threatening to curl up into a grin.
The results were unsatisfactory, but still, being praised by Ellia felt... something.
The ends of the Sky Wing Feather, draped behind me like a cloak, fluttered faintly.
[Happy]
[Pet me moreblarghbleepblarp]
I clamped down on the necklace too. Fortunately, because I was paying close attention, none of the truly dangerous confessions slipped out, and I barely managed to block the embarrassing ones.
- Click
"Ta-da! Attention! I have personally brought snacks!"
A moment later, Baek A-rin, who had been away, entered the study room and set the tray she was holding in one hand down on the table.
Various pastries were neatly arranged on the tray.
Ellia clapped at the sight, but her expression was a bit odd.
"I've been thinking this for a while, but A-rin's tastes are really... firm."
Ellia picked up a pastry. It was a yakgwa, its appetizing brown surface gleaming in the light.
There were plenty of other traditional sweets as well. There were other types of snacks too, of course, but the proportion of traditional ones was quite high.
"What. Why. Are you looking down on yakgwa?"
"A-rin, you like red ginseng candy too, not just yakgwa."
"No, what's wrong with red ginseng candy? People eat what they like."
At Ellia's teasing, Baek A-rin grumbled. Knowing it was all in jest, they prodded each other playfully.
Baek A-rin's tastes did lean toward old-fashioned things. That was information I'd picked up in the original work too.
"Ah, excuse me for a moment."
Just then, Ellia checked her smartwatch, stood up, and left the study room.
This was bad news for me.
Click. The door closed.
In the sealed-off... enclosed space, only Baek A-rin and I remained.
"Nnnggg..."
As I nervously swallowed, Baek A-rin gathered both arms and stretched them upward in a long stretch.
Crack— The sound of her bones adjusting mingled with a satisfied groan that slipped from her closed lips.
And as her back arched fully, her chest was naturally emphasized with great prominence.
Already quite large, her chest swelled even more as she drew in a breath.
That had been distracting me since earlier. Baek A-rin and Ellia were roughly the same size, so when they came close on either side, avoiding contact had been an ordeal.
"......"
The Confession Necklace was already turned off.
I'd already messed up once, so even if I left it on, the same kind of thing wouldn't happen again—but this was just in case.
I deliberately let the information I was observing blur past and reached toward the tray piled high with snacks, hoping to distract myself.
'Ah.'
I didn't reach it. My hand waved pitifully through empty air.
...This wasn't my fault. Even before factoring in my arm length, the tray was placed too close to the edge.
Getting up was a bother. So the moment I tried to retrieve it with the Sky Wing Feather, pale white fingers picked up the yakgwa I'd been aiming for.
"Here, this is what you were trying to grab, right?"
[Thank you]
Baek A-rin, having finished her stretch at some point, smiled brightly and held out the yakgwa.
The moment I reached out to accept it in thanks, the yakgwa retreated.
[?]
When I displayed a question mark, Baek A-rin shook her head as if to say that wasn't it and tapped her own lips with her fingertip.
Then she offered the yakgwa again.
"......"
I understood what the gesture meant. That's precisely why I didn't want to open my mouth.
But if I kept my lips closed now, the already awkward atmosphere would turn even weirder.
Baek A-rin wouldn't use that to torment me, but... mm...
After hesitating for a moment, I carefully opened my mouth.
At first glance, it was clearly an appetizing yakgwa. It was placed onto my tongue.
I couldn't taste a thing.
'...It's big.'
And it was bigger than I'd expected.
It was a size that considerably filled my mouth. I should've taken it in a few bites instead.
But I couldn't exactly spit it out now that it was in my mouth.
I had no choice but to munch on it quietly.
* * *
'He just ate that in one bite.'
Lee Ha-yul's cheek puffed out roundly. This was because, despite having a small mouth, he had crammed the whole yakgwa in at once.
A sight rather like a chipmunk with its cheeks stuffed full of acorns.
Resting her chin on her hand, Baek A-rin stared steadily at Lee Ha-yul's persistently chewing cheek.
She hadn't imagined he would pop the whole thing in with that tiny mouth of his.
She had been the one to hold it to his lips, but he could've just taken a bite and held the rest.
Lee Ha-yul, perhaps realizing that belatedly himself, had turned his head away as if avoiding her gaze, his face flushed slightly red.
'He doesn't avoid this level of contact anymore, does he?'
Except when he'd been drunk, he used to be on high alert and keep his distance.
His wariness had clearly thinned.
Gauging the degree of it, Baek A-rin wore a subtly curious smile.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Ellia Srade
●●●●●●●○○○(71▷73/100)
｢Favorable｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Like a Chick｣
...
Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin
●●●●●○○○○○(53▷55/100)
｢Favorable｣ ｢Bewilderment｣ ｢Confusion｣
...
Lee Ha-yul → Hong Yeon-hwa
●●●●●●●●○○(84/100)
｢?｣ ｢Indebtedness｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Sulking｣
...
[Conditions to lift ｢Curse of Silence｣ have not been met]
[Conditions to lift ｢Curse of Solitude｣ have not been met]