A Gentleman's Revenge (2)
A Gentleman's Revenge (2)
The snow hadn't started yet, but the outside air was cool enough to feel.
Lunch was long past, and it was still too early for dinner. The cadets who had exited the Evaluation Hall each moved along, feeling the winter weather in their own way.
Among them was Hong Yeon-hwa.
And unlike the others, she felt no particular chill.
A superhuman's body is naturally resilient. That doesn't mean their sensory thresholds are infinitely high, but their durability rises markedly, so they withstand the cold better than ordinary people.
Hong Yeon-hwa's constitution overflowed with the fiery energy of the Calamity Flame. Barring an accident like the Trial of Calamity Flame, she could maintain a warm body temperature even if dropped into the middle of a snowfield.
Even back when she was a child, gaining combat experience by touring the Changhae territory, while everyone else was freezing and begging for Sacred Flame, Hong Yeon-hwa alone kept herself warm.
"Yeon-hwa, Yeon-hwa."
But the warmth Hong Yeon-hwa felt now was a different sort.
Their clasped left hand was tugged lightly. She lowered her gaze to the side and saw Lee Ha-yul, hand firmly holding hers, shaking a cup.
With a faint smile, Lee Ha-yul waggled the cup back and forth.
"Thanks for all that writing. I picked this up from a café—want some?"
"What is it?"
"Iced chocolate. You always run hot even on days like this. Or there's hot chocolate too."
"Ah, thanks."
Her mouth had felt pasty anyway. Brightening, Hong Yeon-hwa took the iced chocolate.
At the pleasant coolness wrapping her hand, she immediately tilted the cup to her lips. The chocolate scent that had been tickling her nose filled her mouth and slid down her throat.
"Ugh... so sweet. That's why it's good."
"Hehe, did the exam go well?"
"...Uh..."
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been savoring the lingering sweetness in her mouth, flinched at Lee Ha-yul's innocent question.
'...Am I about to lose the second-place spot...?'
The group study sessions they'd held together at the mansion over the past few days. During the several mock exams they took, Lee Ha-yul had, shockingly, scored perfect marks every time.
And with plenty of time to spare, at that. Everyone had been stunned at how he was even faster than Baek A-rin.
'And the practicals too...'
Even before, she lost every single sparring match. They hadn't used their unique abilities, but she was overwhelmingly beaten in basic skill. Considering that, the practicals were likely to be overtaken as well.
At that thought, her eyelids trembled. It was a truly uncomfortable feeling.
How should she put it—a strange prick of pride... As if she, who already had such a talented partner, was about to be overwhelmed even in her main specialty...
"...No, uh... I did alright."
"Aha."
At Hong Yeon-hwa's evasive, trailing response, Lee Ha-yul roughly guessed the outcome and nodded without prying further.
He didn't think she'd bombed it, of course. Though Hong Yeon-hwa was insecure, her written scores had ranked high in the first semester too.
"Hehe."
Even while thinking that, he couldn't stop smiling. Every time that vivid red scarf registered in his perception, an easy smile kept spilling onto his lips.
At the same time, a small anxiety stirred.
Lee Ha-yul gently pulled their clasped hand. Hong Yeon-hwa, still tilting her cup, turned her gaze. Lee Ha-yul, rolling his eyes into the unseen fog, asked in a small voice.
"How's the scarf...? Is it uncomfortable at all?"
"Not at all. It's super comfortable. Nothing bothers me outside, and it's incredibly soft."
"Really?"
Hong Yeon-hwa answered immediately without hesitation. And it wasn't mere flattery. Nothing was truly uncomfortable.
The texture was very soft and perfectly, just-right warm. Not so long it got in the way, and not so short it fell short.
Many people assumed otherwise because she moved lightly and just threw on a baseball jacket, but Hong Yeon-hwa was well accustomed to luxury goods.
Not just products with inflated name value, but genuine luxury items crafted from truly expensive materials and care.
As the precious heir to the Calamity Flame Family, she had been exposed to such items frequently. Even by Hong Yeon-hwa's standards, this scarf was exceptionally comfortable.
And if you factored in the care Lee Ha-yul had put into making it by hand? To Hong Yeon-hwa, this scarf was a treasure beyond measure.
"Mm-hmm, I'm happy to hear you say that."
Though she didn't air all those inner thoughts, just that was enough to bring a brilliantly bright smile to Lee Ha-yul's lips.
With some of the hidden anxiety resolved, the smile grew so radiant it nearly lit up the whole area. Even Hong Yeon-hwa, who had grown used to Lee Ha-yul, swallowed a breath in that moment.
Beautiful. That was the expression that surfaced first.
Standards of beauty are inherently subjective. They shift by era, by region, by culture.
But Hong Yeon-hwa was certain that anyone would consider Lee Ha-yul a beauty.
Honestly, as he was, Lee Ha-yul could breeze through a cross-dressing contest and absolutely demolish it.
It felt almost as if she were being compelled into the impression of conceptual beauty. But there was no resistance, so she simply accepted the thought.
'...A unique ability?'
She wasn't sure. She didn't even know if such a type of unique ability existed. But that wasn't what mattered right now.
"......"
"......"
"......"
At some point, silence had settled around them. Even common chatter or footsteps were inaudible.
From the cadets who had exited the Evaluation Hall walking the same direction, to the passersby coming from the opposite side.
Everyone was staring this way with dazed faces—fixedly gazing at the brightly smiling Lee Ha-yul.
'Tsk.'
Those stares were distinctly uncomfortable. Especially the gazes of the female cadets, prickling like thorns.
One might think she was being too sensitive, but when it came to Lee Ha-yul, she couldn't afford to be careless.
There wasn't a soul who didn't know how defenseless Lee Ha-yul was against goodwill.
If someone with a large chest and a gentle manner casually extended a hand, he might drop his guard and toddle right after them.
At worst, the possibility existed of him getting kidnapped, or even him doing the kidnapping and bringing someone back to the mansion himself.
How many women had already entered the mansion by now?
Hong Yeon-hwa, Baek A-rin, Ellia, Liana, Atra... and occasionally Lee Ji-yeon, who slunk into the mansion and naturally stayed the night.
Having rattled off the names in succession, Hong Yeon-hwa restrained her crumpling expression.
Clicking her tongue inwardly, she pulled Lee Ha-yul's shoulder into her embrace. Simultaneously, Lee Ha-yul wrapped her waist firmly in the Sky Wing Feather.
"Hm?"
"Ehng."
At the sensation they each felt, their mouths opened. And when they lowered and raised their gazes, they saw each other's blinking eyes.
"...Heh, let's hurry up and go."
"...Yes!"
The surprise was momentary; soon, Lee Ha-yul grinned softly and clung to Hong Yeon-hwa.
- Shrrrip...
The Winged Garment already wrapped around her waist coiled more thickly and meticulously.
"Could you please move aside?"
"Ah—yes, yes. Sorry."
The people who had stopped mid-walk while facing them startled and hastily stepped aside.
And of course, they were female cadets. The yellow neckties symbolizing autumn marked them as third-years.
Hong Yeon-hwa kept Lee Ha-yul at her side and cut straight through the crowd.
She was irritated by how their gazes stuck to Lee Ha-yul to the very end, but the feeling of envious eyes sliding off her gave her a sense of superiority.
"Yeon-hwa?"
"It's nothing."
Lee Ha-yul looked up at her and tilted his head, but Hong Yeon-hwa just mumbled her words and pulled Lee Ha-yul deeper into her side.
"...Is it uncomfortable to walk?"
"Totally fine. You can lean on me even more."
"Yeah... it's warm, so I like it."
Relieved, Lee Ha-yul leaned his body further against Hong Yeon-hwa, rubbing his face into her embrace.
"...Ahem, Ha-yul, why did you come out to meet me?"
Stroking Lee Ha-yul's head, Hong Yeon-hwa voiced the question she'd been holding since earlier.
Coming out to meet her wasn't strange in itself, but today they'd all agreed to meet at a café after finishing their exams.
There was no need for him to come all the way to meet Hong Yeon-hwa; he could have simply gone straight to the café.
"Yes, I had something I wanted to say."
"Yeah? What is it?"
And just as she'd suspected, he apparently had separate business.
As Hong Yeon-hwa tensed up slightly and asked, Lee Ha-yul looked up at her and moved his lips.
"Why have you been feeling uncomfortable around me lately?"
"M-me? Since when?"
Stung inwardly, Hong Yeon-hwa hedged her words slightly.
"Did I do something wrong again...?"
"No, absolutely not."
But at the sight of him growing disheartened, immediately asking if it was his fault, she hastily shook her head.
"Then why...?"
"Uhm..."
The gaze looking up at her uneasily while he shifted his body slightly. Letting out a hum as she agonized, Hong Yeon-hwa finally voiced the topic that had been gnawing at her for days.
"That... you know the elixir I gave you way back. You took it, right?"
"Yes, I took it before entering the Tower."
"Did anything happen then?"
- Flinch
Lee Ha-yul's body gave the faintest tremor. A minute quiver that even the sharp-sensed Hong Yeon-hwa nearly missed. Her eyes narrowed.
"Uh-uh... nothing happened."
"Really? You're not lying?"
Hong Yeon-hwa lowered her head. At the serious face filling his vision, Lee Ha-yul subtly averted his eyes.
"...Mm, uh-uh... a tiiiny, very small thing happened, but in the end nothing was wrong."
'Fuck.'
Small, very small thing.
Lee Ha-yul had phrased it indirectly, but in the end, something had happened.
In that instant, a ringing filled Hong Yeon-hwa's head. Her stomach lurched.
Here she was, wearing the gift Lee Ha-yul gave her with care, while Lee Ha-yul had apparently suffered problems after taking the elixir she'd given him.
A problem after taking an elixir. That never sounded good, not even a little.
When an accident involving an elixir occurs, it usually means trouble with the core or circuits, and in many cases, it even endangers one's life...
At the sight of Hong Yeon-hwa staggering slightly, Lee Ha-yul panicked and clung tightly to her.
"R-really! I was a little startled at the time, but in the end it only benefited me! Nothing was wrong! You saw it at the Tower of Growth—I got way stronger!"
Lee Ha-yul's explanation continued. Her mind was put a little at ease, but more than that, her head was spinning.
Hong Yeon-hwa hugged the squirming Lee Ha-yul tightly in her arms.
"Ah... fuck, Ha-yul, I'm really sorry..."
"D-don't curse... And, I'm really fine..."
"Sorry..."
"I was really fine..."
Eyes gathered from all around them, but Lee Ha-yul fidgeted restlessly, caring about nothing but Hong Yeon-hwa.
"Ah! Th-then, let's say Yeon-hwa was just a teeeny tiny bit at fault, and you can give me a little compensation."
An answer produced by racking his brain. As Lee Ha-yul brought up the topic, Hong Yeon-hwa, her eyes gone dull, subtly met his gaze.
"Compensation... right, okay. I'll do anything I can..."
A voice drenched in gloom rang out. Lee Ha-yul couldn't hide his fluster at Hong Yeon-hwa's despondency, which was beyond what he'd imagined.
"Uh... a k-kiss?"
So an unfiltered word slipped right out.
In that instant, light flickered into Hong Yeon-hwa's dulled eyes.
"Yeon-hwa...? W-wait a sec, not right now! We're in the middle of the stre—!? Mmp, hik, smoooch..."
[Happy]
Above the now-quiet main road, a small sound echoed.
* * *
The day after the written exams, the practical evaluation took place.
Much like the first semester, it wasn't held on a grand scale.
Unlike the first semester, which held a tournament, invited outsiders, and even broadcast it, the second semester simply proceeded with the appropriate major practicals.
The practical I was taking this time was Combat Major: three spars each against randomly matched cadets.
'I wonder who I'll get.'
The location for the practical was the Struggle Hall, a facility equipped with numerous sparring arenas.
True to its name, it's outfitted with all sorts of sparring facilities, and is used when many cadets need to spar—like during the midterm evaluation.
And so, early that morning on the third basement floor of the Struggle Hall, I entered the arena assigned to me and waited for my opponent.
Since it's a midterm evaluation, I'd probably be matched with another first-year. If I were lucky, maybe I'd even run into Baek A-rin or Hong Yeon-hwa.
...To make matters worse, I'd sprinted here this morning to avoid the stares pouring in from all around. If I ended up facing Hong Yeon-hwa again, it'd be a liiittle awkward.
Thankfully, my opponent was not Hong Yeon-hwa.
Instead, an unexpected opponent opened the opposite door and entered.
"Katsuki Yusei. It's been a while since the last assembly. I look forward to this."
A male cadet distinguished by somewhat dull silver hair and eyes.
He was also a member of the Three-Form Sword, the representative faction of the Japan region. In the future, he was a key figure who would become the head of that very Three-Form Sword.
'Hm...'
As I observed him approaching from afar, my expression turned peculiar.
I'd meant to build up some acquaintance with him, but somehow I hadn't managed to do so properly up until now.
At most, he'd come flying at me during the Freshman Welcome Party and knocked me out, and I'd received a simple apology for that incident.
After that, the extent of our interaction was merely exchanging greetings during the Ipchun Class assembly.
[Yes, I look forward to it.]
First, we exchanged a nod.
Come to think of it, he was actually a good opponent.
It was a chance to get revenge for the time he'd come flying at me like a baseball and slammed into me during the Freshman Welcome Party.
I could still vividly remember the heavy impact that crashed into me in an instant, and the stars that burst across my pitch-black perception.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly his fault, but anyway.
Honestly, a big part of it was also about testing my skills.
The first superhuman fight I'd ever perceived in this world.
This was a chance to fight directly against an opponent whose movements had once seemed utterly unfathomable to me.
...Also, right now, I just wanted to empty my head with a spar...
Shaking my head—which was on the verge of heating up on its own—I drew the sparring sword from my waist.
- Shinnng...!
At the cool ring sliding against the scabbard, my nerves snapped taut.