A Fox in Rabbit's Clothing

"Are you... triggered?"

It was one of the most effective ways to get under someone's skin.

You're not as good as me.

This was a universal truth, a provocation that transcended borders and pierced straight through the human ego. Naturally, it was the absolute worst thing you could say to a self-absorbed narcissist.

"...Excuse me?"

It was likely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the first time in Seo Harin's life that she had ever heard such a thing. Her face contorted into an expression of utter, indescribable disbelief.

"Harin, your score is lower than mine."

I stamped down hard to seal the deal.

"Ha."

A scoff escaped her lips. Soon, her eyes narrowed into a sharp, curved gaze.

"Miss Ha Yuna."

She kept the polite honorifics, but the underlying emotion was a blatant attempt to reassert her dominance.

"I may hold the Transcendental in high regard, but that doesn't change our respective situations, does it?"

She was implying that if she so much as opened her mouth, the entire world would come hunting for me. But I had my own logical counterargument.

"If my identity gets exposed, you won't be able to use me anymore either, will you?"

Harin's eyes widened slightly.

Yes, I knew exactly what kind of person I was. I looked passive and fragile compared to others. I looked like an easy target to exploit. But that was just on the surface. I had no intention of letting myself be used so easily.

"If you want to use me, shouldn't you be protecting me more fiercely than anyone else?"

Harin stared at me, completely dumbfounded.

Whether she was cynical or hated humanity, I was an adult who had already experienced the harsh realities of society. She, on the other hand, was still just a fourteen-year-old girl. I had absolutely no intention of losing a verbal sparring match to her.

"I won't stop you from trying to use me for world domination or whatever. But during that time, it's your job to protect me. That's the price. However..."

I leaned in closer, bringing my face right up to hers.

"I am the one permitting this. I am not moving according to your whims."

Conversations and relationships are shaped by how you steer them. It dictates whether you can hold the upper hand. Having lived for years in a past life navigating complex social dynamics, I knew this truth all too well.

"Ha... Haha."

A hollow laugh escaped Harin's lips. She must have thought she could easily manipulate me, only to find me stepping right over her head. She couldn't have been more flabbergasted.

Harin stared at me quietly.

"So you were a fox in rabbit's clothing?"

"I never wore rabbit's clothing to begin with."

"...I suppose so. I made a foolish assumption."

A fierce tension crackled between us.

"Very well. Since Miss Ha Yuna's power seems highly beneficial to me, I shall cooperate. I will also assist in blocking any information leaks."

Before being a fourteen-year-old, she was a Special Administrator of the Hunter Management Association. She undoubtedly had many strings she could pull.

"Oh, but let me leave you with one little fact."

Suddenly, Harin yanked my ribbon, pulling my face close to hers.

"I, Seo Harin, am actually sixteen years old."

There was an unusually high number of high-ranking children this year. Harin had been planted by the higher-ups as an administrator to monitor them and assess the situation. It seemed she had hidden her real age, which was two years older than she claimed.

No wonder. I had always thought fourteen was far too young for a Special Administrator, not to mention she had a strangely worldly air about her.

"You'll get scolded if you try to act like an adult in front of your older sister."

Who's the older sister? She was still practically a kid herself.

Harin smirked, let go of my ribbon, and turned around to walk away.

"Ah, I think I'll go for a walk under the moonlight tonight."

The exhibitionist chuunibyou was acting up again.

Once Harin was gone, I collapsed into my chair. My legs felt like jelly, and I couldn't muster any strength.

"Ugh... I shouldn't act out of character."

I was sweating bullets from the sheer tension. I had bluffed because I knew I'd be eaten alive if I showed any weakness, but it had been a massive gamble.

Well, it is what it is.

It looked like Harin and I would be locked in a long-term battle of nerves. But even so, I couldn't just leave her to her own devices. Given her personality, she would definitely jump at the chance if Axion made her an offer. And if she fell, it might drag Yeonhwa and Chaerin down with her.

I absolutely cannot let that happen.

Sixteen is the age when one should be outgrowing their chuunibyou phase. I made a firm resolve to drag Seo Harin out of her delusions.

Living in a dormitory away from my parents was a first for this body. For other kids, it was a novel experience to get excited about, but to me, it was nothing new.

I lived on my own for a long time, after all.

When the orphanage burned down and I was forced to become independent, I had spent years living alone, scraping by on part-time jobs. Thus, dorm life held no novelty for me.

"Yuna, let's stay up all night eating snacks and talking!"

Of course, Chaerin was a different story. She was as excited as if she were on a school field trip. It was only natural for her to be thrilled about spending time with a friend without adults watching over her.

"Sorry, Chaerin. I have something to do at this hour."

"Something to do?"

"Yeah."

Come to think of it, I had never done this in front of her. I reached into my pockets and deactivated the invisibility on my key puppets.

"Puppet Crafting."

My routine consisted of crafting puppets and then climbing the Tower. Conveniently, I was finishing a puppet today and climbing the Tower tomorrow. According to the orientation, Tower-awakened Hunters could substitute Tower raids for class hours. I was glad I didn't have to sacrifice my sleep or weekends.

"Puppets? Oh, right. You said you were a Puppet Sewer."

Since I hadn't shown her my abilities yet, I decided this was a good opportunity.

"Yeah. Let me introduce you to my kids."

Click.

The key puppets clicked together, opening the door to the Puppet Workshop. In that instant, small puppets began to emerge. First came the centipede puppet, followed by the moth, the pill bug, and the ant.

They had been fused before, but now the fusion had worn off, returning them to their individual forms. I couldn't bring out the larger ones here, so I decided to show her the small ones first.

"These are my kids—"

"Kyaaaaaah!"

Chaerin shrieked, practically leaping to cling to the ceiling. I blinked in surprise. It was the first time I had ever seen her so utterly terrified.

"Ch-Chaerin, they're fine! They won't hurt you, they're really nice!"

"Nice or not, they're bugs!"

Well, yes, they were bugs, but I couldn't help that. The shape of a puppet was heavily influenced by the nature of the original materials. The more malevolent the source, the more grotesque the puppet's appearance.

Conversely, neutral materials allowed me to shape them as I pleased. I figured this limitation was because my skill level was still low, meaning I couldn't fully control the inherent nature of the materials yet.

Currently, most of my puppets were made from Tower monsters. Monsters were inherently evil creatures that sought human lives, so they naturally took on these creepy forms.

My little puppets began to look visibly dejected. Hey, they have feelings too!

"Wait, I have a really cool one!"

Seeing Chaerin in such distress, I had no choice but to pull out my trump card.

"Spider!"

At my call, the spider puppet dropped from the ceiling like a hero making a grand entrance. It raised its massive front legs, displaying its majestic form. I had been scared of it at first, but after months of working together, it had become my ultimate partner. Just look at that dignified posture! It was a masterpiece I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could proudly show off anywhere.

"..."

Chaerin seemed speechless at the sight of the spider puppet. Well, my spider was pretty cool, after all.

"...Ah."

Then I realized. She wasn't speechless; her eyes had rolled back, and she had fainted. Realizing all over again that Chaerin was absolutely powerless against bugs, I had no choice but to send my puppets back to the workshop.

Sniff.

They were all such good kids. How sad.

After that incident, Chaerin never brought up my puppets again. Judging by her reaction, she probably wouldn't want to know about my skills in the future either.

Well, at least ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this keeps her from finding out that I'm the Hunter currently breaking all the Tower records.

Based on what Harin said, if Chaerin found out, she would likely try to hide me away somewhere. She was incredibly protective of me. So, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I decided it was best not to tell her until I was strong enough to protect myself.

I felt a bit guilty about keeping secrets from my best friend, but since she hadn't told me what she had been up to for the past few months either, I decided to call it even.

Now then.

It was time to enter the Tower.

While the other students were heading to class, I stepped into the infirmary and took a deep breath. Tower Hunters could enter the Tower from anywhere.

Thus, with the permission of the school nurse, I could enter from here. It was a safety measure, but also to prevent students from using the Tower as an excuse to skip class.

Standing behind the curtain in the infirmary, I calmed my breathing.

"Ha Yuna, entering the Tower."

Thud.

The familiar gates of the Tower appeared. As I pushed them open, the surrounding scenery began to shift.

It had been a while since I last saw this notification window.