Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Vacation (3)
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There was also a place that sold bandages.
A store selling medical supplies.
I even bought several syringes.
Han Si-hoo said he brought the vials, but he might not have any syringes.
Unfortunately, none of the medicines were the kind I wanted.
Still, the Academy is truly vast.
You can buy pretty much anything you want.
"When's the entrance ceremony?"
I asked on our way back to the dorm.
"The entrance ceremony?"
"Yeah."
The Academy's vacation is short.
It's an educational institution designed for kids to hunt monsters, so I guess they can't rest for long.
"It's in three weeks."
So we have three weeks of break left.
The thought of having to hang out with the Academy students is already exhausting.
No, it's a good thing. I can make friends.
Right?
Still, I hate it when the drug's effects wear off.
"Is there anything else we need to get?"
You should always check if you have all your supplies before school starts.
Especially right before enrolling.
Isn't there something besides the uniform?
"No, you don't really have to do anything."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you don't need to buy school supplies... and even if you use a weapon, the Academy will provide a basic one..."
His voice trailed off.
Is something wrong?
"That stuff is fine, but you'll probably be assigned a new dorm room around the time of the entrance ceremony. You'll have to be in the dorm alone from then on."
"Okay."
He said I'm getting a new dorm room.
"...I wonder if you'll be okay."
Han Si-hoo said in a worried tone.
He has a tendency to underestimate me.
"I'm fine. I can manage on my own."
I've never had any problems with my daily life so far.
There wasn't anything I couldn't do without Han Si-hoo's help.
I'm a normal person.
There's nothing wrong with me.
I'm just taking medicine because I'm sick somewhere.
I'll get healthier over time.
So there was no need for Han Si-hoo to worry.
He can't stay with me forever just because he's worried.
It's fine now since it's vacation and no one's around, but later people will probably think it's strange.
"By the way, how do I get the medicine from now on?"
"He said it'll be delivered once a week."
"Delivered?"
"The Academy has its own delivery system. For now, I'm the one designated to receive the medicine."
"I see."
I guess the Academy has something like a post office.
It's a place that gives special treatment to Awakeners, so it really has everything.
"And the Academy will give you a device soon. You can use that as a phone for the time being."
"Okay."
I figured I'd need one.
I need a way to stay in touch.
"If you run into any trouble at the Academy, tell me right away. We'll be sticking together for now, but later... I don't know what will happen."
"I will."
I hope I won't have to.
It's best if problems don't arise in the first place.
"Anything else you're curious about?"
After that, Han Si-hoo explained what else was at the Academy and how its systems worked.
Just hearing about it was interesting.
A strict hierarchy based on skill.
If you put Yoo Seo-ah into the Academy's class pyramid, where would she end up?
The bottom?
Maybe not the very bottom, if I have the drug.
[3 hours 55 minutes]
Not this drug.
A drug that's good for fighting.
Should I ask the doctor for it?
I can't. I don't have his contact information.
"Can't I go home anymore?"
Han Si-hoo got the medicine, but still.
Home is home.
"Right now... it'd be difficult. Let's go later when you're all better. The Academy will give you an exit pass then."
I remember getting an entry pass or something when I visited Han Si-hoo to borrow money before.
It's probably a similar system.
"Even during vacation?"
"You can go out freely during vacation, but you're not technically a student yet."
Is it because it's a boarding school?
Not everyone here came willingly, yet the restrictions are so tight.
"I see."
I heard runaways are treated almost like criminals.
This place is designed to keep Awakeners on a leash.
But I'm not an Awakener.
I can't fight without the medicine the doctor gave me.
Suddenly, the memory of being beaten by Academy students surfaces.
If I had been strong, could I have fought back?
I only went outside for a bit because there was no food at home.
Because there was no food.
I think I'm hungry.
"What do you want for lunch?"
"Whatever you want..."
Weren't we on our way to the dorm?
Come to think of it, he did say we should eat.
We're in the dining district.
I can see several restaurants.
Many of them look quite high-end.
It's quiet, with only a few people walking around.
"Let's go there."
We entered a decent-looking place.
As expected, it's unmanned.
"I don't see anyone."
"Yeah. There are a lot of places where machines even do the cooking."
That certainly cuts down on labor costs.
I ate the food, not knowing if it was made by a machine or a person.
Fried rice with meat on top?
I don't know what it's called.
It's good.
It was tastier than canned tuna.
And there's no risk of cutting my hand on a can lid.
***
For a moment, it was an ordinary day.
A normal day, eating a meal with a friend.
I didn't know that was possible.
There's no eternal uphill or downhill path.
Who was it that said that?
It's time to use the drug.
Because my mood is on a downward spiral.
How many minutes has it been since we got back to the dorm?
[34 minutes]
Anyway, it's really time now.
The drug.
The moment I hold the syringe, my head is already flooded with pleasure.
I can feel my heart pounding.
This unique sense of anticipation.
The one time of day I can genuinely smile.
-Plunge.
[5 hours 5 minutes]
My mood improved.
The effect feels too short.
If I ask for more, will he give it to me?
Han Si-hoo is looking at his phone screen, probably having gotten a message.
Right, I bought bandages.
I don't want to bother Han Si-hoo, so I go into my room.
I sat on the floor and started.
I roll up my sleeve and wrap the bandage.
It's simple.
After a few tries, I seem to be getting the hang of it.
Left arm is done.
Right arm.
It's not working, so I try again.
The bandage keeps slipping from my hand.
"Seo-ah?"
"......"
The bandage I'd wrapped around my arm came loose again.
I'm almost there.
"Seo-ah?"
Han Si-hoo asks as he enters the room.
"Uh, yeah?"
A moment of silence.
Wrapping a bandage isn't strange, but I feel like I've been caught doing something I shouldn't.
"I'll help you."
Han Si-hoo came closer and sat down.
"Ah, okay."
I'm so useless.
Like this, I'm just a piece of trash dragging Han Si-hoo down.
I can't even wrap a bandage by myself?
"I'm sorry... for not even being able to do this right."
I feel discouraged.
I was doing it alone in my room because I thought he might try to help.
The heroines are probably contacting him a lot. Is he not meeting them because of me?
The vacation story arc can't be this boring.
"It's okay. You don't need to apologize."
He doesn't seem to want to look at the wounds, avoiding eye contact with my arm even as he wraps the bandage.
He looks a little sad.
[4 hours 55 minutes]
Even though the drug's effects are still active, I feel strange.
Is it because my mind is clearer, allowing me to see myself more objectively?
It'll be a problem if I become completely dependent on Han Si-hoo.
I want to be helpful somehow.
"Oh, Seo-ah, about why I called you earlier."
He finished wrapping the bandage.
"Yeah."
"The Academy is conducting a basic ability measurement, a test you take before enrolling... They're asking you to come do it."
"A basic ability measurement?"
A time to find out what abilities I have?
If I were the protagonist, isn't this the kind of test where my mana levels would be off the charts?
A scene where everyone is shocked, like, 'Gasp, a student with this much power already!'
Too bad I'm not the protagonist.
"They'll skip some of the tests, the ones that are a little difficult or physically strenuous."
"I see."
"Should we go now? We still have some time, so it's okay if you want to rest first."
"I'll go now."
I want to know that I'm useful for something.
I can't be completely useless, right?
I wish someone would tell me that.
We left the dorm.
With the bandages on, I feel a little more confident.
It's a relief knowing my wounds won't be visible even if my sleeves ride up.
"It's not a very meaningful test for a normal person."
"Okay."
We talk as we walk.
"Don't be discouraged if the results are bad. It's just a measurement for Awakeners."
"Mhm."
Is he telling me not to be disappointed with the results?
Han Si-hoo has probably already taken the test, so he would know.
"But what does it measure?"
"Innate mana levels, Awakening rate. And..."
I don't know what he's talking about.
I thought it would come out like game stats.
"Awakening rate?"
"Ah, it measures how well you can handle your Awakened ability. For a normal person, it comes out as 0."
"What about you?"
"98. 100 is the max."
He must have a high score because he's the protagonist.
"If you go into magic, there's more stuff like elemental affinity, but I'm not a mage, so I don't really know."
"So that's how it is."
It's hard to understand just from his words.
It'll be faster to see it myself.
"There's a machine for the measurement. You'll understand when you see it. It's not difficult."
"Okay."
What kind of crazy machine can do something like that?
"But, Si-hoo."
"Yeah?"
"If it turns out I'm not an Awakener, will I be expelled?"
It's strange for a non-Awakener to attend the Academy.
I'm just a regular human, with no abilities to measure.
I'm not a superhuman like Han Si-hoo.
I was even overwhelmingly defeated while on the drug.
Why did I even try to fight him then?
There was no chance of winning.
Anyway, even with the drug, I'm no match for Han Si-hoo.
I'm weak even when I'm imitating an Awakener, so there's no reason for me to be at the Academy.
"...No. You won't be expelled. It's a special case."
He answers after a moment of thought.
Special.
It's probably not me who's special, but Han Si-hoo.
Setting aside whether not being expelled is a good thing.
"I guess..."
[4 hours 45 minutes]
The time ticked down as we walked for quite a while.
The Academy campus is truly vast.
Maybe the size of a small town.
We arrived at the testing location.
A clean, large school building.
That was my impression.
It doesn't seem to be a place just for tests.
Taking the test won't reveal anything other than the fact that I'm weak.
I just hope it's not a physically demanding test.
Han Si-hoo does have extra syringes.
Still, I don't want the drug's effects to wear off too much.
But there was no need to worry.
Because there were several syringes prepared at the testing site.