Outing (1)
Outing (1)
The tower-entry schedule wrapped up without incident, and the weekend arrived.
A legitimate holiday, underlined repeatedly in legal texts.
Siyoram cadets are human too, so most of them rest on weekends.
Of course, there are always some cadets who, for various reasons, end up in supplementary lectures or are swept away by a tidal wave of assignments, shuffling along like livestock being herded to slaughter...
But today, I was headed out.
[Alright, Seo-yul, arms up!]
"Up!"
[That's right]
Seo-yul raised both arms in response to my signal.
Her energy was overflowing, and I smiled brightly as I changed her into the outfit I'd prepared for the outing.
This weekend, I'd decided to wander around outside with Seo-yul.
I'd been so frantically busy outside lately that I hadn't spent much time with her.
Because of that, every time I came back to the dormitory, I had to face a gaze dripping with disappointment.
To ease that wounded feeling, which mercilessly hacked at the last shreds of my conscience, I decided to spend one day of the weekend with her.
Seo-yul had grown so much by now that she was big enough for us to go out together comfortably.
"Ta-da!"
Seo-yul lifted her arms again.
She was wearing a neat sailor collar dress by Kalla.
The color was white to match her hair, and its defining feature was the V-shaped opening at the front that transitioned over the shoulders and down the back into a square flap of fabric.
I know next to nothing about fashion, but it's a design you often see on naval dress uniforms.
"Ta-daa!"
Seo-yul fixed her sparkling eyes on my face. It was a blatantly expectant look.
[Ahaha]
A laugh escaped me at that.
I couldn't help it, and I didn't even think of trying.
Without suppressing the ticklish feeling in my chest, I spread my arms and pulled Seo-yul into a tight hug.
[Oh my, Seo-yul, that looks so good on you!]
"Ehehe."
Seo-yul let out a peal of bright, clear laughter and snuggled tightly into my arms.
As she nuzzled her head against my chest, her five-colored wings fluttered ceaselessly behind her like a puppy's tail.
'Those wings really are something.'
There were no wing-holes cut into the dress.
As I discovered last time, a fairy's wings aren't particularly material things.
They can take on a physical form, but... they can also manifest a mana-like property like they do now, shimmering.
That's how she can flutter them without damaging her clothes.
That's a relief, at least. Clothes with wing-holes would have needed constant replacement, but this works out just fine.
I threw on some clothes too. Black cotton T-shirt and pants... over that, some kind of outer layer, roughly...
[Seo-yul, did you pack everything you need?]
"Yesyesyesyes!"
She thumped her chest and confidently nodded her head.
[Well done]
When we reached the front door, the way she was stomping her feet in place, unable to hide her excitement and anticipation, was too adorable.
'Maybe I should've taken her out sooner...'
I smiled wryly to myself.
Thinking back... it seems I'd always just made excuses, saying I had no time.
If I'd pushed myself a little harder, maybe I could have made the time to spend with Seo-yul.
[Oh dear, your hair will get all messy]
I neatly smoothed down her slightly tousled hair and gently placed a pure white brimmed hat on her head.
It was also a wide-brimmed, stark white hat matched to her outfit, with a sky-blue ribbon around it that emphasized a touch of neat elegance.
[Mm-hm]
It really suits her. Seo-yul, painted pure white from her toes to the top of her head, truly lived up to the epithet of a fairy.
[Alright, let's go then]
Holding Seo-yul's hand, I stepped out the front door.
.
.
.
To be honest, I'd said we'd wander around together, but I wasn't confident I could guide Seo-yul well.
No matter how much of a growth spurt she'd had, Seo-yul was still a little baby in a bigger body, and her so-called guardian was a shut-in who could count his experiences of going outside on one hand...
Bluntly speaking, I didn't have the capacity to take Seo-yul and lead her around.
But fortunately, reinforcements arrived.
A ten-story fountain, elegantly constructed of white bricks, in the center of the commercial district.
I detected Baek A-rin standing near it, leaning against a building wall and staring at a hologram.
Since we were sightseeing outside with Seo-yul anyway, I also planned to buy the supplies I'd need for crafting equipment.
I was also planning to ask for Baek A-rin's help with this equipment-crafting process. So when I told her I'd be buying the supplies today, she was the one who expressed her intention to come along first.
It would be nice if the others could be with us too, since we're already out with Seo-yul... but they were all busy.
Hong Yeon-hwa and Ellia said they had separate things to do.
Professor Liana is probably buried under tower-entry records, groaning by now... and my master...
'......'
She's been subtly avoiding me since last time.
I didn't cling to her, asking why she was avoiding me.
That's because the elation faded, and I realized I'd done something embarrassing...
Honestly, I was just glad it ended with mere awkwardness.
Though I was desperately anxious that it might stay awkward like this forever... I kept quiet out of faith in my master and because I couldn't show that side of myself in front of Seo-yul.
Anyway, for those reasons, I decided to get Seo-yul's outdoor excursion and the procurement of equipment-crafting supplies done with Baek A-rin's help.
[Baek A-rin]
I approached Baek A-rin while waving my arm back and forth.
Baek A-rin, who had been staring at the hologram, then turned her head toward me.
"?"
[Sorry I'm late]
"...Ah, it's you, Ha-yul. You're here?"
She blinked and glanced back and forth between me and Seo-yul, who was following along holding my hand.
After tilting her head for a moment, Baek A-rin suddenly let out a small sound of admiration, and only then answered with a peculiar expression.
At her reaction, I was the one tilting my head this time.
[What is it? Is there some kind of problem...]
"No, it's not a problem."
Baek A-rin shrugged her shoulders and held up one hand.
On her slender index finger was a ring that hadn't been there before.
It was a silver ring set with a shimmering green gemstone.
"I'm definitely wearing a perception-obstruction ring, so I was just startled when someone suddenly recognized me."
'Ah.'
The gemstone was engraved with perception-obstruction magic, which was actively manifesting even now.
That's when I understood why Baek A-rin reacted that way.
We hadn't even registered each other as exceptions yet, so she must have been startled that I found her immediately.
"Did you find me with your detection ability too?"
Soon, Baek A-rin's odd expression cleared, and she asked with a sparkle in her eye.
[Yes, thanks to my detection ability]
"Wow... how precise does a detection ability have to be to pierce through perception obstruction?"
[Ahaha...]
Baek A-rin let out a low sound of admiration. Her wide eyes suggested she wasn't exaggerating, but genuinely impressed.
I scratched my head with an awkward laugh.
'I slipped up. I should be more careful from now on.'
The Authority of Observation perceives the true form by penetrating perception-obstruction magic. It was the same back when it was just spatial perception, but I'd grown too used to that information.
Besides, there hadn't even been any need to invoke Observation in the first place—I could tell them apart with mana detection alone.
Just as I was reflecting on that, the corners of Baek A-rin's lips crept up, and she pushed off the wall, straightening her shoulders as she asked.
At the question, I examined Baek A-rin again with Observation.
Baek A-rin was dressed in casual civilian clothes.
Black sweatpants with white stripes running across them.
On top, she wore a windbreaker over a black sleeveless shirt, zipped all the way up.
Plus, a mask pulled down below her chin, and a baseball cap pulled down low over her head.
Today, she was decked out in black from head to toe.
"What do you think? A bit casual, but the colors and brand are coordinated, so it's not bad, right?"
[Yes]
[It suits you very well]
It was a common and laid-back outfit, but because Baek A-rin herself was so ridiculously beautiful, it gave the illusion of being high-end.
In the first place, isn't Baek A-rin the kind of beauty who, if she stood among actors, celebrities, or models famous for their looks, would make them look like dried squid in comparison?
They say the face completes the fashion, and honestly, with a body and face like Baek A-rin's, I suspect she'd look stylish even if she threw on a burlap sack.
Plus, as Baek A-rin said, the outfit had a certain coherence to it, so it didn't give off a haphazard impression at all.
"Heh, thanks."
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Baek A-rin chuckled softly.
- Tug... tug...
"......"
[Hm? Seo-yul? What's wrong?]
That's when it happened.
Seo-yul kept pulling at my right sleeve.
She was even puffing out both her cheeks. I felt flustered at this blatant display of discontent and tried to soothe Seo-yul.
"This is Seo-yul, right? I haven't registered her as an exception yet, so she still looks like someone else to me."
[Ah, one moment]
Seo-yul and I were also wearing perception-obstruction magic tools. Mine was a necklace type and Seo-yul's was a bracelet type.
Perception-obstruction magic is already an extremely high-level magic on its own, but if you put more effort into it, you can add various options.
Exception registration is one of those added functions; it excludes a specific target from the perception-obstruction effect.
A moment later, the exception registrations were done.
Within the Authority of Observation, a kind of force field thinly covering the forms of the three of us shifted.
"Wow, Seo-yul came all dressed up too. Ahaha, look at that big hat."
Baek A-rin seemed to finally see Seo-yul's form now as well.
She bent her knees to meet Seo-yul at eye level.
"Hello? Do you remember meeting me last time? I even gave you some candy."
"...Yes, I remember."
"Oh, that's good. Did you enjoy the candy?"
"...No, it wasn't very good."
"Eck."
Seo-yul answered clearly and precisely in a voice mixed with awkwardness, wariness, and ambiguity, then stuck to my leg like a cicada.
Goodness, too cute.
Before I knew it, I reached out and patted her head over her hat, and Seo-yul's face, which had been subtly stiff, melted like jelly.
"Ahaha. Still a bit awkward, is it?"
Letting out a soft laugh, Baek A-rin stood up. As she straightened, her tall figure suddenly loomed in front of me.
I flinched as she rose and her body passed right by my face.
"Huh? Ha-yul, why are you startled?"
[What?]
[I wasn't startled]
- Clatter
"Hmm...? I'll let it slide just this once. Shall we start walking?"
[Yes, sounds good]
Having said that, Baek A-rin nodded slightly, then naturally reached out and took my left hand.
On the left was the Proof of Protection... the hard prosthetic arm side.
I was wearing an arm sleeve, but it probably wasn't a pleasant texture, yet Baek A-rin didn't seem to mind at all, leading me with a casual attitude.
"It's a bit early in the morning. Did you eat before coming?"
[No, I just gave Seo-yul a quick meal and came out]
"I haven't eaten either. Then let's show Seo-yul around a bit first, then we can grab a bite and come back out. Ah, do you remember the rice cake shop I mentioned last time?"
[The rice cake shop...?]
[Ah, yes, I remember]
"Yeah, that one. It was unfortunately closed for a break last time, but they've reopened recently. Want to go there?"
[I'm fine with that]
On the left was Baek A-rin, on the right was Seo-yul...
Standing side by side like this, the sight was quite unique in many ways.
The tallest, Baek A-rin, in black clothes with blue hair.
In between, me, in black clothes with white hair.
The shortest, Seo-yul, in white clothes with white hair.
The sight of us standing in descending height order from left to right made me snicker involuntarily.
"......"
- Squeeze...
Seo-yul had gotten sulky again and squeezed my hand tightly.