Gift (2)
Gift (2)
Her new life at Siyoram had come without warning, but Daera was adapting surprisingly well.
Before she fell into the Reverse Side, Daera had been an academy cadet.
Living in the Reverse Side had shattered that identity, but the memories and feelings from her cadet days remained.
'Actually, this is better.'
She had no reason to dislike it.
Compared to the future she'd vaguely imagined—working as a mercenary, a hunter, a hero, making a decent living—being a Siyoram cadet was far superior.
'The Blessing of Growth. This is seriously broken.'
The blessing had been formally granted as the academic schedule began. On her first day of training under it, Daera couldn't help but gape.
She could actually feel her physical body growing.
It wasn't some absurd transformation, but the fact that she could sense growth at all at her current level was utterly ridiculous—and she knew it.
'No wonder people sing Siyoram's praises.'
They take already promising sprouts, stuff them full of this broken blessing for four years straight, send them into the Tower of Growth, provide the very best support...
'There's no way the gap wouldn't be huge.'
There was a reason the majority of top superhumans were Siyoram alumni. Having felt that reason firsthand, Daera found herself even more satisfied with her current circumstances.
She'd been at a loss for how to grow stronger from here, but at Siyoram she was now certain the path forward would open far more easily.
[Name: Daera Celeste]
[The Standard of Magic Response (I) - Regular Assessment Written Section]
[20│10.5]
[▼Detailed Evaluation (Expand)]
'Oh, for fuck's sake.'
But the academic part? Still utterly bleak.
Weekday morning, Ipchun Room. Having found a suitable corner seat, Daera crumpled her face at her printed score.
10.5 out of 20. About half right. No—it was originally 11, but her essay explanation was so clumsy they docked 0.5.
'Isn't this honestly too hard? Sure, I'm no genius, but still.'
Living in the Reverse Side had rusted her mind, but even back in her academy days she'd never been the book-smart type.
She'd had Atra's combat-focused practical knowledge forcibly crammed into her skull, but everything else involving written tests had always been a disaster.
'And I can't just ignore this...'
That very combat-focused knowledge was what had saved Daera when she fell into the Reverse Side.
How to find a safe shelter. How to evade dangerous monsters. How to erase a pursuit trail. How to distinguish edible from inedible...
Without that knowledge, Daera would have been dead within days of falling into the Reverse Side.
And Siyoram grades officially factored in written test scores. Her own entrance exam had been a perfect example: a perfect practical score, only to be dragged down by a disastrous written score that sent her overall ranking plummeting.
For purely pragmatic reasons, she couldn't afford to neglect her studies.
There was another reason too.
"Daera, did your exam go well yesterday?"
As she was expanding the detailed evaluation, a presence approached. The hologram turned semi-transparent, and through it she saw Lee Ha-sol smiling brightly.
Daera touched her smartwatch, which she wore like a necklace.
It was meant for the wrist, but since she only had one arm, wearing it this way was more convenient. Advice she'd received from a certain experienced senior, Lee Ha-yul.
"...So-so. Better than last time. How about you, Ha-sol?"
"I found it a bit hard too, but luckily it went well."
Hard but luckily, my ass. Daera kept that thought from reaching her mouth.
Ha-sol had yet to score below a perfect score on any written exam. She breezed through them, finishing with time to spare every time.
And here she was calling it hard and talking about luck...
"Daera, you looked a little tired yesterday—did you get back okay?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah. I got back fine. How about you, Aila?"
"I went in a bit later. But don't you go straight into private instruction instead of resting, Daera? No wonder you're tired."
"Mm... yeah, I guess."
Ha-sol had approached Daera and started the conversation, and the cadets who'd been nearby slipped over and joined in.
Both of these two were people you could only benefit from building a connection with.
Ha-sol was the Tower Faith's top prospect and Siyoram's top-admission cadet. Her wind-attribute unique ability, which surpassed the average by a vast margin, had drawn attention as well.
Daera was similar. A young superhuman who'd been missing for years, then appeared on the battlefield where the Reverse Side had rampaged.
She was the one who'd displayed a lightning-attribute unique ability of monstrously powerful output on that battlefield.
No matter which side you looked at, there was no downside to getting friendly.
And on Daera's side, more than anything...
"Was yesterday evening's instruction also with Senior Lee Ha-yul?"
"Yeah. I took it together with my junior disciple."
'Because she has a junior disciple, obviously.'
Lee Ha-yul. Current second-year Siyoram cadet and Daera's junior disciple.
On the surface, the fact that Daera was a Reverse Side survivor was being kept hidden. Plenty of people surely had circumstantial suspicions, but it was officially a concealed truth.
Some truths weren't concealed.
That Daera was Atra's first disciple, who'd been missing for years.
And that under Atra, she and Lee Ha-yul shared a kind of alumni bond.
That instead of the dormitory, she lived in the mansion where Lee Ha-yul resided, and was on quite close terms with him.
Those factors greatly heightened the motivation to build a connection with Daera.
Because getting friendly with Daera opened the possibility of also building a connection to Lee Ha-yul through her.
'Hm.'
She couldn't be unaware of such intentions, but Daera didn't take it badly.
The people approaching her were only at the level of "it would be nice if," not pulling underhanded tricks.
'Still, because of that I'd better watch my conduct...'
That was the thought she'd just been mulling over—the reason Daera was trying so hard not to bomb her written exams entirely.
The public perception of Daera was that she was Atra's disciple and Lee Ha-yul's senior disciple.
In other words, Daera was inextricably linked to those two, one way or another.
Daera's conduct reflected up and down on her master and junior disciple alike, so she had no choice but to mind her behavior.
"Daera, have you seen that winged garment thing? Professor Atra's been wearing it too..."
"...I don't know much about that either."
Conversely, Daera could also get dragged into conversations about her master and junior disciple. She answered, carefully hiding her uneasy expression.
The winged garment.
Not a winged robe from legends or fairy tales—the artifact Lee Ha-yul used.
Official name: Sky Wing Feather. Having been thoroughly thrashed by the tentacle-like way it was wielded before, there was no way she wouldn't recognize it.
It was such a distinctive artifact that it now practically represented Lee Ha-yul.
'Did she get a separate one made? Or did he have spares?'
Similar artifacts had started appearing on a few people—those close to Lee Ha-yul.
- Huh? Master? Isn't that the junior disciple's?
- ...It's something else.
...And yesterday, she'd seen that Atra had one too. She'd found it fascinating how the fluttering cloth wrapped around her arm and leg, forming into thick gauntlets.
.
.
.
"Ugh... my head hurts..."
When the morning lectures were roughly over, Daera gathered her things one-handed and trudged down the hallway, shaking her aching head.
'If I go after lunch... I guess I'll have a little time to spare.'
The afternoon major session was entirely one-on-one training with Atra.
Since she'd be worked like a dog again today, she had to eat plenty and arrive early to digest properly.
If she made the mistake of just wolfing down a meal and skipping digestion, there was a risk she'd end up emptying her stomach entirely.
'Lunch is...'
Lunchtime. The hour when everyone was racking their brains over what to eat. Normally, Daera would be doing the same.
With a peculiar expression, she rummaged through the subspace pocket hanging at her waist.
Despite its small size, the inside was spacious. And within it, a generously packed lunchbox came into view.
'Who even packs stuff like this...'
A lunchbox Lee Ha-yul had packed for her that morning. Her expression couldn't help but turn odd.
She didn't particularly enjoy cooking herself, but she knew how much trouble it was to prepare meals and pack lunchboxes every morning.
So she hadn't wanted to accept it. It needlessly burdened Lee Ha-yul. Honestly, even without receiving a lunchbox, it was easy enough to grab a meal on campus.
- Here, Senior, your lunch.
- Ah... um... thanks.
But she hadn't been able to refuse. He was already holding out the completed lunchbox. Rejecting it at that point would have felt like dismissing the thoughtfulness behind it.
Though honestly, a far bigger reason existed.
'...It's too delicious to refuse...'
It was delicious. The reason was that simple. The lunchbox—the food—was too good for her to bring herself to decline.
'How on earth does he make this? Is everyone with a craft-type unique ability like this?'
But other places didn't produce this kind of taste, so that couldn't be it.
There was no helping it. Daera didn't know this, but her lunchbox was food that had been made with a complete understanding of her dietary needs and personal tastes.
The longer they lived together, the more information accumulated through observation. So the quality of the lunchbox could only rise alongside it.
- Ding!
"Huh?"
Daera, who'd been peeking at the lunchbox and mulling over her doubts, came to a stop. A door up ahead in the hallway swung open with an alert chime.
Tilting her head, Daera glanced at the door.
'A lounge?'
She remembered them as facilities scattered throughout Siyoram—places you could duck into, lock up, and rest if you were feeling worn out.
If that were all, she'd have walked right past. But the people emerging from the lounge stopped her in her tracks.
Fiery red hair and pure white hair. Hong Yeon-hwa and Lee Ha-yul.
Conveniently, their red and white winged garments matched that color scheme, making them hard to mistake.
[Ughh...]
"Ha-yul, you still have afternoon class, so get it together..."
Hong Yeon-hwa, who'd been propping Lee Ha-yul up—practically cradling him against her—spotted Daera. Their eyes met for an instant, and an awkward silence hung in the air.
"...Hello?"
"...Yes, hello."
Even the greetings were awkward. Their relationship was an awkward one. They'd run into each other at the mansion several times and even sat at the same dining table, but they hadn't grown close.
'What's this?'
Two people coming out of a lounge. It wasn't something Daera needed to concern herself with, but Lee Ha-yul's condition was strange, so her gaze drifted his way.
His cheeks were flushed warm. His eyes were a little dazed and unfocused. Every time he exhaled, there was a strangely sweet scent in the air.
"Ahem. Ha-yul?"
[Fullness]
"...Yes..."
Under Daera's scrutiny, Hong Yeon-hwa cleared her throat and patted Lee Ha-yul's back. The light gradually returned to the eyes of Lee Ha-yul, who had been leaning against her as if half-carried in her arms.
[Ah... Senior...]
[Hello...]
"...Yeah, hey."
The necklace's voice was distinctly languid. Daera started to glance into the lounge interior, then decided she didn't actually want to know and averted her eyes.
[Ah, right]
That was the moment. Lee Ha-yul, who had managed to stand on his own, suddenly perked up his shoulders like something had just occurred to him.
[Senior, do you have time this afternoon?]
"This afternoon? During training hours with the master? Why?"
[The gift I mentioned back then. It's just about finished]
[If your schedule works, I'll give it to you today]
"Gift...? Oh."
The gift Lee Ha-yul had brought up when he'd apologized about the jealousy incident.
[It came out as well as I'd hoped. You can look forward to it]
Lee Ha-yul puffed his chest out with considerable confidence.
"...Another gift? Our Ha-yul sure is generous with presents."
"Mmphmmph—"
And then Hong Yeon-hwa grabbed his lips and stretched them tight.