68. Take Responsibility!
68. Take Responsibility!
Na Yu-na.
The woman destined to inherit the world-famous corporation NAVI.
What could she, a friend of mine, possibly need to discuss with me?
Memories of Na Yu-na's last warning to me flashed through my mind.
A knot of unease settled in my stomach, and I spoke.
"Is this something only I should hear?"
"...No. The one next to you needs to hear it too."
Na Yu-na pointed a finger at Ban Ha-na, who was clinging to my sleeve.
Ban Ha-na looked bewildered. "M... Me? You're talking about me?"
"Why? What's this about?"
Yu Ha-yeon demanded to know why Na Yu-na had singled us out.
She seemed none too pleased about being excluded.
Noticing Yu Ha-yeon's doubtful expression, Na Yu-na answered stiffly.
"You don't need to know. Stay out of it."
"...What?"
"...Don't be nosy. You're not involved."
Na Yu-na had made it clear: this was between us, not Yu Ha-yeon. I could read what she intended to discuss from her demeanor alone.
'The reason she called for Ban Ha-na and me has to be the Magic Stone theft.'
Ban Ha-na and I were the ones involved in that incident. Na Yu-na obviously had something to tell us about it. Since her company hates outside interference, she'd naturally exclude Yu Ha-yeon.
"..."
"..."
A silent standoff began between them.
Watching this, Ban Ha-na tugged on my sleeve and whispered to me.
"Si-jun! My heart feels weirdly refreshed! Hehe...!"
Ban Ha-na was practically giddy, watching the girl who had terrorized her so thoroughly be struck speechless. Though, perhaps her heart felt refreshed simply because her small frame allowed better ventilation.
She seemed to be quietly rooting for Na Yu-na.
'Why has Yu Ha-yeon turned into such a fighter lately?'
Yu Ha-yeon had never been one to shy away from a fight. But lately, she'd been charging in headfirst over things she could easily just let slide.
'It's our first day back at the academy in a while. Can't let the mood turn sour.'
The atmosphere was heating up. I stepped between them like a wall, breaking their intense stare-down.
Then, looking at Na Yu-na, I asked, "Would break time work better, or lunch? Right now's a bit awkward for a talk..."
With other students watching and our homeroom teacher bound to walk in any moment for morning assembly—since we'd arrived a little late—time was tight.
The only free slots left were break time and lunchtime.
Na Yu-na gave Yu Ha-yeon a quick sidelong glance before speaking.
"...Lunchtime. Text me after we eat."
"Fine. See you then."
With that, Na Yu-na returned to her seat. The recent lack of contact seemed to have created some distance between us. She'd missed the school trip, we hadn't been able to eat together, and she was busy dealing with the stolen Magic Stone affair.
To keep Na Yu-na from falling into a Villain's Fate, I had to get closer to her than I was now. Episode 3 would start around the time summer vacation hit, and Na Yu-na was destined to suffer the most damage.
Steeling my resolve to get closer to her, I waved at her retreating figure.
'If we get close and end up kissing, that'd be a nice bonus.'
Though, if I kissed her and triggered the Na Yu-na route, things would get rough. Still, no matter how much I searched, there was no fourth target to pursue.
Shin Si-hwa seemed to have given up on her own love life altogether, showing zero interest in the episodes or anywhere else.
And Han Yu-wol... well.
I could meet her if I joined the club and obtained the Hidden Piece, but the thought 'I have to make Han Yu-wol a target!' never once crossed my mind. The woman was a complete maniac whose patterns I couldn't comprehend. Viewing her as a romance option was a stretch.
Lost in thought, Yu Ha-yeon's voice cut in from beside me.
"Han Si-jun. You're thinking about something weird."
"...I'm not."
"That's weird...? You had this kind of sleazy look..."
What exactly does a sleazy expression look like? This was just my usual face when deep in troubled thought. It seemed there was a distinct difference between what other people's eyes saw and what a childhood friend's eyes saw.
After the exchange with Na Yu-na, we were heading back to our seats.
'It's been a while. This desk.'
I wondered if it had gathered dust. I swiped a finger over it, but contrary to my concerns, it was clean.
Yu Ha-yeon and Ban Ha-na also seemed to register that they were back; they paused briefly before taking their seats.
Yu Ha-yeon beside me. Ban Ha-na in front of me. A seat arrangement that completely boxed me in.
'...What is this.'
A different vibe from before. With Yu Ha-yeon to my right and Ban Ha-na in front, I felt a strange pressure closing in from both sides.
'It's just my imagination... right?'
I was feeling that oppressive pressure from them, waiting for time to pass, when other students began to inch toward us. Their targets were clearly me and Yu Ha-yeon. They looked like they had questions.
One student, a girl wearing glasses, mustered up the courage to speak first.
"Um... is that rumor true...?"
"Rumor...?"
Had a new rumor started? After the students' formal apology last time, most of the bad rumors about me had gone underground. The students acted like nothing had happened, but remnants still lingered, with some still seeing me as a bad person. That was the strange equilibrium we'd reached. What rumor could she mean?
Yu Ha-yeon seemed just as curious and asked on my behalf.
"If you don't mind me asking, which rumor do you mean? I haven't really heard anything."
"Ah... you don't know...?"
Yu Ha-yeon had asked as kindly as possible. Saving a gentle tone for others was so very Yu Ha-yeon.
The girl with glasses began to explain.
"Well, you know how all the first-year students got caught up in that gate...? There's this rumor going around that you two were the ones who cleared that A-rank Gate. The whole academy is buzzing about it. You didn't hear?"
So a rumor like that was floating around. First I'd heard of it. Being old-fashioned and staying off social media, I was clearly out of the loop.
Yu Ha-yeon, who normally spent the most time on social media, had been busy dealing with my incident overlapping with everything else, so it made sense that neither of us had heard the gossip sweeping the school.
I answered them in a flat tone. "That's right. We cleared it."
"F-For real...?"
They all looked utterly incredulous. Looking at them, I found myself thinking.
'But wait. I'm the one who answered. Why are they all staring at Yu Ha-yeon?'
My mouth opened, but all eyes swiveled to Yu Ha-yeon. The other students were misinterpreting the situation, assuming Yu Ha-yeon had cleared the gate on her own.
"Yu Ha-yeon, at this rate, isn't she totally getting scouted by an S-rank guild...?"
"An academy cadet clearing an A-rank Gate...? That's unprecedented in the academy's history...!"
Yu Ha-yeon had cleared the gate, but her classmates were the ones turning it into a huge spectacle. I just shook my head.
'Think whatever you want...'
What would happen if, amid that atmosphere, I suddenly piped up and declared, "To be honest, the gate was cleared because I was there"?
'R... Right... I... I'm sure you did...' They'd definitely say that with an awkward smile. My combat stats were that pathetically low. It was better to just stay quiet. If I attracted their attention, my Villain's Fate would almost certainly twist it into something terrible. Deflecting all their interest onto Yu Ha-yeon was the wisest move.
Even so, there was someone who acknowledged me.
"Si-jun... that's not a lie, right...? You weren't just useless baggage, right...?"
"...Ha-na. Have you ever seen me lie?"
"Yeah... Si-jun is Pinocchio..."
"..."
Ban Ha-na looked slightly skeptical but also like she believed me. I had once bragged to her that I was responsible for 90% of that gate clear. She seemed to have picked up the word "baggage" from somewhere.
And there was one more person who consoled me.
"Han Si-jun. I know that gate was cleared because of you."
"...Sure."
Ahn Ji-ho, the one with B-rank Tank talent. Was it because he held my skill in high regard? He gripped my shoulder as I sat there, offering words of comfort.
'Ergh... not really what I need...?'
It was a sharp realization that a man's comfort doesn't do much for me.
***
Lunchtime. Having finished a meal that tasted like nothing, I contacted Na Yu-na. Not long after, her reply came.
- Come up to the rooftop! ^^
When exactly is this girl going to learn how to send a normal text? Harboring that question, I said to Yu Ha-yeon, "I'm taking her to go meet Na Yu-na for a bit. You go on ahead to class."
"That's right! Go on ahead! Disappear!" Ban Ha-na shouted, full of bravado. The moment Yu Ha-yeon shot her a glare, she darted behind my back.
"Fine... anyway, have a good talk with that brat. But don't have too much of a good talk. Just the right amount. Got it?"
In Yu Ha-yeon's eyes, was every other woman an enemy? After that sharp-edged reply, I headed to the rooftop with Ban Ha-na.
The rooftop was normally locked, but its door stood open. Na Yu-na was waiting for us there, expressionless. She looked us over, then spoke with complete indifference.
"...15 seconds late."
"Si-jun...! I think this person is a clock...!"
That's not quite right, Ha-na. Na Yu-na might be robotic, but calling her a clock was a stretch. If I had to name something, an AI? She was more like artificial intelligence. She was simply a person with missing emotional components.
With little time left in the lunch period, I decided to get straight to the point with her.
"So, what was it you wanted to say? This important matter."
Since she had called for both Ban Ha-na and me, it had to be company-related. That was our only connection with Na Yu-na.
Na Yu-na chewed on her lower lip, as if something displeased her. Then she opened her small mouth and spoke.
"...I did my best, too. There was nothing else I could do."
"..."
She'd done her best. There was nothing else she could do. It must have been something beyond Na Yu-na's power to stop. I tried to understand her situation and humbly accept whatever outcome she was about to announce. But the sheer absurdity of her next statement made that impossible.
"The S-rank Magic Stone. The company has decided to hold you two responsible."
"...What?"
"R... Res... Responsible...! Si-jun! Take responsibility...!"
Ban Ha-na clearly had no idea she was included in that responsibility. NAVI couldn't hold Black Dawn accountable, so they seemed to be turning their pressure toward us.
"..."
Na Yu-na did not look happy about this at all. Seeing the frustration in her expression, I thought to myself...
'Maybe I should make sure NAVI collapses a little sooner...?'
It was the moment to drive Na Yu-na into unemployment. That moment might arrive sooner than I'd planned.