Kkami's Miracle and the Rooftop Challenge
The rooftop Sera had mentioned. As soon as I stepped into Best Animal Hospital, a staff member greeted me right away.
"Hello! Are you here to see a doggy?"
"Yes."
I went up to the desk and carefully explained the reason for my visit.
"Ah, so you're here to visit your friend's dog?"
"Yes. The dog's name is Kkami."
"Ah, yes. Kkami... that's Lee Sera's guardian's dog. Yep, got it confirmed!"
The staff member tapped away at the keyboard, pulling up the records. She was probably about to explain things to me. She's pretty friendly.
Then she spun the monitor around to show me. It displayed the hospitalization room where the dogs were being treated—a CCTV feed.
"Kkami's right here. Um, sorry to say this, but your friend might not recognize you. His cognitive functions are severely impaired right now..."
"Yeah, I figured as much."
I leaned in closer to get a better look at Kkami. In the process, my hand naturally brushed near the monitor. And I subtly let a trickle of Ether flow out.
A faint pure white light slipped into the screen. This was prep work. To avoid showing me treating Kkami in the hospitalization room.
CCTV could catch it.
What I was about to do today would definitely defy the laws of this world. Even hunters who used mana couldn't easily replicate this miracle. I didn't want to reveal the secret behind it—my Ether—to anyone, so blocking any potential CCTV footage was essential.
"Still, want to go in and check on him yourself? Friend?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm here. I even made a promise with Sera."
"Sure thing. I'll guide you."
The staff member stood up and led the way. Following her, I headed deeper into the hospital.
The walk to the hospitalization room was a bit long. Animal hospitals big enough to admit dogs tended to be spacious. So it was natural for her to make small talk.
"So, what's your relationship with Lee Sera's guardian?"
"Huh?"
But the topic she brought up caught me off guard. Why ask that all of a sudden?
The female staff member looked at least ten years older than me. She was smiling like she found something endearing.
"You came all the way to visit her dog personally. Shows how deeply you care about her."
"No, Sera and I aren't like that."
"Really? Hmm—got it. Kids your age get shy about these things."
No. I said no. Lady, you don't believe people? I gave her a awkward look and sighed inwardly.
Fair enough, I guess. It does look that way.
Even I could see it. A mid-teen boy coming to visit a girl's dog for her. And he'd even promised to. Meaning she knew about it. From her perspective, it had to look like a sweet little love story.
But I have zero intentions like that.
I had no dreams of getting together with Sera. I was just helping out as her friend.
"Here we are."
Click! The hospitalization room door opened. Inside, it was filled with stark white lights and the smell of medicine. I headed straight to Kkami's cage.
-......
Not even a faint whine. I knew it at first glance. Kkami wouldn't make it through the day. His breathing was so shallow, he might as well have been dead.
But—probably—my Gift could overturn even that fate.
"Can you open the door?"
"You can, but no touching."
"Got it."
The cage door opened. I stepped right up to Kkami and watched him quietly.
Truth be told, it wasn't my place to say after coming this far, but I wasn't entirely sure myself.
This'll be my first time properly using Ether for real.
I knew Ether was special. Not just because it didn't exist in this world. Instinctively, as its user, I sensed its power was extraordinary.
Maybe enough to defy the laws of nature themselves.
That's why I was trying to use Ether to postpone Kkami's death. A fleeting miracle, like a last burst of life before the end—just a few more hours of revival.
If that's what I wished for—wouldn't Ether respond?
That was my hope.
Bzzt— A spark crackled. At the same time, the staff started bustling around.
"Wha—what? Supervisor! CCTV's out!"
"What? Suddenly?"
"You need to come see this quick. Something's wrong. Why's it doing this...?"
The staff rushed out in a group. Perfect. The CCTV went down right on cue, just like I wanted.
I immediately reached out and lightly touched Kkami's body.
-Kkiing.
He let out a weak bark, sensing my touch. I gently stroked his body once and whispered,
"Wake up, buddy. Time to go say hi."
A light began to glow from my hand. Pure white, bright enough that the staff would've noticed if they'd been anywhere nearby. The moment I confirmed it seeping into Kkami's body—
His breathing eased.
Got it.
I still didn't know the exact mechanism. But I felt it work, just as I'd hoped. There was that satisfying hand feel.
Click. I closed the cage door.
"Don't make my friend cry anymore."
My parting words to Kkami.
I don't know what happened at Sera's house after that. Didn't really care. She probably handled it fine on her own. She didn't even call that day.
I figured she'd said a proper goodbye to Kkami.
And the next day, Sera showed up without any concealer around her eyes for the first time in days. Her slightly puffy redness was plain for everyone to see.
But she didn't care one bit, sitting down boldly at her seat.
"Sera!"
"What happened? Your eyes are all red."
Her friends gathered around, asking. That's when curiosity hit me. How would Lee Sera handle this? Would she pretend nothing happened to spare her friends' feelings again?
Nah.
No way. If she was, she'd have covered it with concealer.
Sera grinned and answered,
"I just cried a bit! Saying goodbye to Kkami."
A simple sentence. But the confidence packed into it was pure Sera. It looked good on her.
"Ahh—"
Her friends nodded. Then they started sharing their thoughts one by one.
"We were worried. You seemed so down lately."
"Huh? Did I?"
"Of course! How could you act normal with your dog sick?"
"Ahaha. I guess so."
Sera scratched her cheek sheepishly. She seemed a little flustered. Like she'd been caught pretending she was fine.
But I thought it made sense.
Who else would care that much about a friend's dog being sick?
They might feel bad, worry a bit, cheer her on. But no one makes a big show of it like they're the ones suffering. That'd be overreacting.
Sera had been considerate in her own way—but her friends had been looking out for her too.
"...Yeah. Kinda embarrassing."
Sera mumbled, cheeks faintly flushed. Her friends giggled at that, then lightened the mood with a question.
"So what'd you say? 'See you at the dog star'?"
"Whoa, that's making me tear up just thinking about it."
"Huh? Oh, that—"
Sera started to reply, then paused. She turned her head and looked my way.
Whoops.
Why look over here suddenly? Makes it seem like I was eavesdropping.
But panicking would just look bad, so I kept a calm face.
"......"
A brief eye contact. Sera's red eyes met mine. It felt like they were asking a bunch of things.
-Can I talk about you?
-Did you save Kkami?
-Was what you said back then for real?
-Are you hiding something from me?
And more. A loaded glance. I pondered how to respond.
"......"
In the end, I just gave a soft smile. In life, a smile gets you halfway there. No need for awkward explanations. Too lazy anyway. Let's just move past it.
Wonder how much that got across. Sera turned back to her friends.
"...Yeah. We made a promise."
With a flawless smile.
"Next time, I'll definitely pay it back."
And then, it was time to graduate middle school.
Ding-dong-dang-dong— The bell rang, and students poured out of the classrooms.
-Yo, blood donation event today. Hurry.
-Let's get tteokbokki. I got coupons.
-Gonna head home and crash. Thought I was dying after that all-nighter.
All of them beaming with smiles.
"......"
I watched them one by one, taking it all in quietly. I was on the school rooftop.
Off-limits to students normally. But my Ether made unlocking a padlock no big deal.
Looks nice.
The reason I came all the way up here to watch them head home was simple. I wanted to soak in the graduation vibe. But being in the same space as them? Nah.
Can't be helped.
Remembering my past life made times like this tiring. That sense of being an outsider in this world hadn't left me.
I was long past getting sentimental about it—but doing middle school graduation twice? It got a little emotional, that subtle feeling.
As I stood there on the rooftop, idly watching the students, someone leaped up from the ground below in one bound.
Hop!
Over 15 meters in a single jump—an absurd feat. Only one person could pull that off.
Vibrant blonde hair. Rose-red eyes. The ever-confident beauty sparkling with smiles.
My childhood friend, Lee Sera.
She spun toward me.
"Whatcha doing up here?"
"How'd you know I was here?"
"You were on the rooftop during graduation back in elementary too. I saw you."
You saw that? And said nothing?
Lee Sera... scarier than I thought.
As I shut my mouth, Sera strode right up. Her legs—soon to belong to a high schooler—were long and slender. Her steps so bold, she was at my side in seconds.
Poke. Our shoulders bumped.
Not a rough shove, but a light touch saying, I'm here.
That was Sera's vibe toward me lately.
What's with her, really.
If I had to pinpoint when her attitude got weird like this—probably around when I revived Kkami.
Before, her attention was playful teasing. After? More like... skinship, I guess. Kinda awkward to say it myself.
As I mulled over Sera's changes inwardly, she tossed out a line.
"You got a weird hobby, watching other kids."
She even clocked what I was doing? Scary.
Lee Sera. That sharp? Whoever ends up her husband is in for it.
"What, you one of those 'I'm not like you ordinary folks' types? Chuunibyou?"
"No way I'd have delusions like that. The most special person in our school is standing right next to me."
"Hehe. You sure know how to talk."
Sera chuckled like she found it funny.
Whoosh— The wind blew. Her golden hair fluttered naturally.
She looked out at the departing students, just like me. Same view, same spot.
Same thoughts...? Probably not.
"Sihoo, what college you aiming for?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. We're about to be high schoolers. Time to start prepping, right?"
"True."
She's the diligent type, huh. Responsible.
"I'll probably just go wherever my grades take me."
"No dream job or anything?"
"Sadly, no. I'll adapt to whatever."
"Hehe. Yeah, that's you."
"What about you? Where you headed?"
"Me? Hunter Academy."
No hesitation in her words. Like she'd decided ages ago. Unwavering resolve.
Hunter Academy.
I mulled it over quietly. Lee Sera and Hunter Academy. With her Golden Ratio Gift, if she took the entrance exam...
...her classmates would have it rough.
"Got it. Hope it works out."
I didn't add more. No need. Worry about someone else before Sera. She'd do fine anyway. I should focus on my own path.
"Hmph."
Sera snorted at my words. Then changed the subject.
"I didn't ask on purpose back then."
"About what?"
"Helping Kkami say goodbye."
"......"
She was right. She hadn't grilled me after. I'd expected her to pry privately out of curiosity.
Maybe she sensed I didn't want to share. She never once asked how I'd saved Kkami.
I thought we'd moved past it... so why bring it up now?
"Why not? Not curious?"
"Hmm—well? If I had to say, yeah, super curious."
"Then why?"
"'Cause I trust you."
A blindside, no turn signal. As I was speechless, Sera pouted brightly, reflecting the sunlight.
"Feels like you're hiding something. Something huge and special."
"......"
"I'm dying to know what. But you don't wanna say, so... yeah, that's it. Won't ask more."
"...Then why bring it up now?"
I gave her a puzzled look. She held up a finger, then lightly poked my chest.
"To seduce you."
Said it like it was half-serious, half-joking.
"...What?"
"I wanna go to Hunter Academy with you. So I'll make you spill your secret first, or you won't hold out."
"Heh."
Some confidence. But watch your words? Casually saying "seduce" might lead to misunderstandings.
But I couldn't muster a single retort.
"So—keep that in mind, you dummy."
Bright midday. Lee Sera, smiling like the sun, was so pretty it made me want to misunderstand.