Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony
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Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you.
My name is Cheon Yu-seong, and I've just enrolled in the Academy.
I'm a 16-year-old boy...
and I've awakened an ice ability.
A first-year in the High School Division.
To think I've been admitted to *the* Academy, the one that's often on the news.
My heart is pounding just from sitting here, waiting for the entrance ceremony to begin.
"Haha."
The girl sitting next to me must be a new student too.
She's wearing a black eyepatch over one eye.
Cosplay?
Her aura is so intense that it's hard to strike up a conversation.
Even a quick glance feels unnerving.
I only sat here because there weren't many empty seats left, and I'm regretting it.
It must be because I arrived late.
"Hehet."
She keeps laughing strangely.
I've heard that while the Academy is a place of aspiration, it also attracts a lot of strange people.
I can certainly see a lot of unique individuals.
Many of them look intimidating, too.
"...the oath."
I can see the new student representative standing at the front of the auditorium.
Her blue hair is the same color as mine.
Her name is Cheon Yu-hwa.
She's my twin sister.
She's holding a microphone and saying something, but I can't focus.
"You there."
The girl next to me spoke in a peculiar tone.
The bandages on her hands must be for fashion, just like the eyepatch.
I'm also wondering if the school uniform sleeves originally came with ribbons.
Her eyes seem somewhat unfocused, which makes her even scarier.
I was taught to be wary of this type.
"...Yes?"
I think she's cute, but she's terrifying.
This isn't what I imagined school life would be like.
My sister's voice, reciting the oath, is drowned out and I can't hear it.
If I had to guess, she's probably saying how happy she is to be entering the Academy.
"To think you'd dare sit in the same space as me."
Was she offended?
"I'm sorry."
I think I understand why no one was sitting next to her.
An eyepatch and bandages... could this be what people call "eighth-grader syndrome"?
I've heard it's common among Awakeners.
"Consider it an honor. You won't be seeing much of me at the Academy from now on."
"I'm sorry..."
I just keep apologizing for now.
We're both new students, so what is she talking about?
I should probably keep my distance.
"...This concludes the new student oath."
Yu-hwa steps down from the stage.
I knew my sister would do well; she's used to these kinds of situations.
"Next, the top-ranking new student, Han Si-hoo, will give his remarks..."
Han Si-hoo, huh.
I've seen him on the news, too.
A rising star who suddenly appeared last year.
I heard he was the most prominent talent in the Middle School Division.
I have a desire to face him once.
Though Yu-hwa up there would probably be a better match for him.
"Hello, fellow new students of the Academy..."
For some reason, it feels like he's looking this way.
I feel like I'm making eye contact with Han Si-hoo.
His gaze is one thing, but this girl next to me is overwhelming.
I want to move, but it's impossible in this atmosphere.
"Um, may I ask your name?"
"Do you dare ask for my true name?"
True name? What's that?
My head is starting to hurt.
"I'll acknowledge your courage. It is Yoo Seo-ah. And you?"
"I'm Cheon Yu-seong."
I should be careful if I see the name Yoo Seo-ah around.
Acting like that, she probably doesn't have any friends. I feel a little sorry for her.
"Why are you wearing the bandages and eyepatch...?"
I'm curious.
I've never met anyone like this before.
"It's a seal."
"Pardon?"
"It's suppressing the power of darkness. It would be wise not to get too close."
Normally, I would have just dismissed her as a troubled kid.
The problem is, this is a school for Awakeners.
It wouldn't be strange if something really was sealed.
"Ah, I, I see."
If the other students are like this, school life is going to be pretty tough.
Surely not, right?
I hope there are some normal people here.
"You. Your hair is the same color as Cheon Yu-hwa's."
That's right.
Blue hair is rare.
Though for some reason, you see all sorts of hair colors at the Academy.
I wonder if it's related to awakening.
"We're family."
We're twins, so we should at least have the same hair color.
"Indeed."
I can't imagine what kind of environment one has to grow up in to talk like that.
But I get it.
The world's a mess, so anything is possible.
Time flew by while I was preoccupied with the person next to me.
I lost count of how many people went up to the podium and came back down.
Someone who looked important came up.
They said he's the Headmaster.
He doesn't fit the typical image of a school headmaster.
The Headmaster looks young.
Based on appearance, he looks to be in his thirties.
He must be one of the influential figures at the Academy.
An elite among Awakeners.
Since it's the entrance ceremony, maybe he has something special to say.
"Welcome."
The Headmaster began to speak.
Just standing there, his presence is incredibly imposing.
I can feel that he's among the strongest of Awakeners.
"Congratulations on becoming proud students of our Academy."
The Headmaster continues his speech.
The girl next to me has finally looked away.
What a relief.
***
[15 hours 4 minutes]
I used a little more of the medicine in preparation for meeting a lot of people.
Han Si-hoo doesn't know, but I had five syringes prepared as a reserve before the entrance ceremony.
I used two today.
Three left.
Thankfully, there haven't been any issues with the effects wearing off yet.
[15 hours 3 minutes]
No, maybe I overdid the medicine a little today.
Is that why my head feels a bit fuzzy?
But as long as I'm happy, that's all that matters, right?
"...That is all."
*Clap, clap, clap.*
The sound of applause gradually grows louder.
The Headmaster stepped down from his seat.
It's about time for me to get up, too.
The Special Class has to leave a little early.
"I shall remember our meeting today. Consider it an honor."
Cheon Yu-seong.
Cheon Yu-hwa.
I know there's something going on between them.
If a problem arises, Han Si-hoo will handle it.
For the record, the way I talk is a persona.
As for the reason why, well.
It goes back to a week ago.
***
Staring blankly at the TV screen was my daily routine.
I was flipping through channels and stopped on an anime.
It was a magical girl anime.
If Seo-ah had grown up in a proper environment, would she have watched things like this for fun?
It was actually pretty fun to watch.
-*So, you've finally come.*
It seemed to be the final chapter.
The protagonists had gathered to defeat the final boss.
-*Look at the evil you have wrought!*
-*There's no other way, now that we've come this far. This will be the final battle.*
The way they fought with magic wands was impressive.
If you looked hard enough, I bet there's an Awakener out there who fights like that.
-*It is time for judgment.*
I wonder if Yoo Seo-ah would have played by mimicking this if she'd had the chance to watch it.
Given her circumstances, she matured way too quickly.
She shows a pure side, but I've rarely seen her act like a child.
-*With the power of love!*
"Hmm..."
Mimicking something like that.
It might have suited the bright Yoo Seo-ah of the past.
I'm curious what it would look like, so I'll give it a try.
The protagonist's pose.
A line fit for a protagonist.
"With... the power of love."
This isn't easy.
I feel kind of pathetic.
Looking down at my arm, I see the marks from the injections.
I finished wrapping the bandage.
Looking at myself now, I seem closer to the final boss.
"Oh, that character is wearing bandages too."
-*Kuh, so it's come to this.*
If I'm going to mimic someone, that one fits better.
Should I try?
If there had been a scene of Yoo Seo-ah playing like this.
What would it have been like?
-*I am the one born from the abyss, destined to wield the power that will reshape the world. None dare stand in my way!*
Is that a spell?
It's a mouthful to repeat.
He says it while extending one hand forward, as if preparing an attack.
"The one born from the abyss... destined to... reshape the world..."
I try extending my arm into the air in a similar way.
With one hand behind my back.
Hmm.
Is this more plausible than mimicking the protagonist?
With an eyepatch, it would look even more similar.
*Thump.*
The door flew open.
I see Rena.
I was in the middle of posing.
"Hmm?"
She's smiling.
A smile more mischievous than usual.
"Ah..."
"The one born from the abyss, destined to reshape... what was it?"
She mimics me.
She mimics the pose, too.
My face flushes.
"Cute!"
"Ugh."
To think she saw that.
I didn't even know Rena was here.
Did she switch with Han Si-hoo?
"Mhm, it's fine. It's okay, what's wrong with it? I like it."
I got caught mimicking an anime?
And I'm about to be a high school student?
I just wanted to see what Yoo Seo-ah would look like striking such a pose.
I couldn't imagine it.
Well, in terms of height and development, she doesn't quite look like a high schooler.
Maybe it's because she didn't eat well growing up.
There's also the fact that I don't know her exact age.
It's because she lost her parents when she was young.
"Want to try it again?"
"Again?"
"I'll do it with you. Let's show Si-hoo when he gets here!"
She says it with sparkling eyes, making it hard to refuse.
She wants to do it together. Isn't this just friends playing?
I don't think that's a bad thing.
Though showing Si-hoo makes no sense.
"W-why Si-hoo?"
"Don't be shy. You were practicing, right? Smiling and greeting people. It's similar to that."
She knew?
Then again, I was always doing it in my room.
"You're already good at smiling, so all you need is confidence. Just forget whatever happened in the past."
"......"
"You need times like this. You can't be down all the time. Don't feel pressured. I'm just happy to see you playing, Seo-ah."
The mood has been pretty gloomy.
That's why I practiced smiling.
I can't bring back the ideal Yoo Seo-ah that Han Si-hoo wants.
I tried, but a pure smile just won't come out.
It's impossible to go back to the past.
"Si-hoo is always worried. When you two are like that, it breaks my heart, too. I want you to show him that you can have fun like this."
"Is that so..."
"Okay, I'll play the role of Sapphire!"
What's a Sapphire?
Is that the protagonist's name?
She seems to know it quite well.
"I used to play like this with my younger sibling. It brings back memories."
She's so nurturing.
I felt it when she helped me dress properly and re-wrapped my bandages.
So she had a younger sibling.
"...This very body shall be the one to save the world..."
As I played along, the goal changed.
Instead of mimicking a character, I'm creating a new one.
Maybe it's the medicine, but I'm getting more into it.
"Right, right, that's the feeling. Good."
This might be a good excuse for the bandages wrapped around my arm.
It would be awkward if someone at the Academy asked.
If I'm a character with eighth-grader syndrome who does weird things, people will understand anything.
It's a good way to bring back some liveliness while offsetting the dark image of the bandages.
As far as I can remember, no one else has this concept.
All I have to do is act full of bluff and narcissism.
Yes, the black flame dragon is sealed in my left hand.
It's true, though.
I can legitimately play with a concept like this?
It's hard to forget the way Han Si-hoo flinched when he came back to the dorm.
Han Si-hoo bought me the eyepatch later.
It was nice that the three of us could play together.
[47 minutes]
It's just that this thing in the corner of my vision is a bit distracting.