Chapter 225: Right, This Is What an Academy Is All About!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: Right, This Is What an Academy Is All About!
Among the cadets aiming to become heroes, few spend their entire summer break at their family homes.
This time was an exception because the capital’s infrastructure had broken down, leading most to choose to return home, but there are still plenty of students who stay at the Academy throughout the break.
The training facilities are top-notch, and the dorms are better than most hotels. Usually, people just take a week off to rest for their families’ sake or to get in better condition before heading back.
Well, anyway.
What I’m trying to say is…
“I actually missed this place a bit while I was away.”
Feeling this sense of nostalgia made me realize that I might cherish this place more than I thought.
“Right after the regression, I didn’t have my memories, so it just looked like a bomb about to go off.”
Thinking back, this place holds so many sad memories and regrets. But seeing as I don’t purely hate it anymore, maybe I’ve finally moved on from the past, even if just a little.
“By the way, I arrived a bit earlier than the scheduled time.”
The plan was for everyone to meet up this morning, but Ha-ni messaged saying she’d be late because her father—my father-in-law—called for her. The others seemed to be running late for various reasons as well.
In the end, the only ones who gave me a proper answer were Lee Yu-na and Lilac.
Actually, was it just Lee Yu-na? Lilac was spouting some incomprehensible nonsense over text.
What was it again? ‘Has the time finally come?’ or some shit like that.
Anyway, I usually find them annoying, but after not seeing them for a while, I found myself wanting to see Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak.
Just as I was wondering how to kill time, familiar figures fortunately appeared in the distance.
It was Lee Yu-na, looking incredibly exhausted, and La… Lilac…? Is that really Lilac?
The pink-haired girl walking beside the boy with a face that looked like she’d swallowed all the world’s despair was definitely Lee Yu-na, even if she looked tired. But I wasn’t so sure about the guy next to her.
I mean, his face was unmistakably Lilac’s.
However, in contrast to his usual neatly groomed appearance, his hair was a mess.
He wore a cynical expression as if he were bone-weary.
And to top it off, he had his school blazer draped over his shoulders—a fashion choice of highly questionable taste.
Well, I could ignore all that and just assume he’d lost his mind, but there was one thing I absolutely could not overlook.
The bastard was wearing an eyepatch.
No, fuck, surely not? I was just thinking about how I wanted to see him, but this is wrong. Hey, man.
Don’t make me regret my feelings. It’s not what I think, right? Please, for the love of god, tell me it’s not.
He even had bandages wrapped around his left arm, peeking out just enough to be noticed.
Please, I’m begging you, just tell me you got a stye in your eye and broke your arm while I wasn’t looking.
Lee Yu-na, approaching from a distance, locked eyes with me.
She very slowly shook her head from side to side.
“…So-hyun, it’s you.”
Lilac lowered his voice, beginning a god-awful build-up.
“I’m glad to see you, but don’t come too close.”
This guy, seriously.
“It’s too dangerous.”
Why the hell are you suddenly having a relapse?
Hey! Lilac…!
The sky was clear and high, and I thought the second half of summer break would start on a pleasant note.
But it began racing in an insane direction with the unexpected relapse of a certain individual.
It was summer.
“Ah, So-hyun~!”
Then Ga-eul appeared from afar carrying a large lunchbox. Honestly, Lilac’s relapse was so shocking that I felt her entrance lacked impact.
Sorry, Ga-eul.
* * *
“Pffft… Ahaha. My stomach hurts…!”
Ha-ni, who joined later, was in stitches.
“…I’m the one who doesn’t want you coming close.”
“Uh, well. Yeah, boys do get into that kind of stuff sometimes.”
Even Cheon Yu-hak and Ju Ri-ra, who had returned to the Academy, couldn’t hide their reactions.
“Ah, um… I learned this from a senior in the Cooking Club…”
Even Ga-eul, who was bragging to me while opening her lunchbox, couldn’t completely ignore him. Despite varying degrees of disbelief, everyone was eventually staring at him.
His blazer fluttered, and black feathers made of the demonic sword’s energy drifted around him.
It goes without saying, but as far as I knew, his demonic sword didn’t have such a “special effects” function. This meant he was manually controlling his demonic energy with extreme precision to pull this off.
…What do I do? I didn’t even do anything this time, but the hero who’s supposed to save the world has broken again.
The future of the world is dark.
“So-hyun.”
“…Don’t lower your voice like that.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking so hard about, but why don’t you focus on what’s in front of you first?”
What’s in front of me, you lunatic? What could be more important than your broken brain right now?
“Ga-eul worked hard on this lunchbox. You should eat it first and tell her it’s delicious.”
…Huh? He sounds like the usual Lilac for a second?
“Otherwise, you might end up regretting it like I do.”
Ah, never mind. Haha. But what should I do, Lilac? I feel like I’ll get indigestion if I don’t beat some sense back into you before I eat.
“Pfft, man, I really laughed my head off. Everyone, just ignore him and act normal~ That kind of concept doesn’t last long if people don’t react~”
Oh, right, Ha-ni. Coming from someone who had no friends until entering the Academy, that sounds very convincing. The problem is, I don’t think this guy is just having a simple case of chuunibyou.
In my heart, I also want to just leave him be, ignore him, and eat the lunchbox Ga-eul made.
But I feel like I shouldn’t.
The last time I saw him, he definitely hadn’t mastered the demonic sword.
He was mature enough not to let the sword possess him, but he couldn’t switch freely between the holy and demonic swords. He used it more for raw destructive power rather than delicate control.
Yet, in the few days I hadn’t seen him, he’d reached a level where he could manifest demonic energy as feathers for special effects.
Even though he was using it for something stupid, it was an undeniable fact that his control had become incredibly proficient. I could guess that he must have faced the demonic sword very seriously in that short time.
So, what I’m trying to say is, he might not just be acting like a chuunibyou; he might have been influenced by the demonic sword in some strange way.
Since I had no way of knowing what kind of growth he’d achieved, especially with the fortuitous encounter he gained from the Nest of the Spirits…
I didn’t even know how to handle him.
In the original story, this was a power Lilac never managed to awaken.
That also meant I didn’t know what the side effects might be.
I needed to check so many things—if he’d actually gotten stronger, if he could still draw the Holy Sword.
* * *
Kim Ga-eul suppressed her urge to cry and nodded.
It was sad that So-hyun couldn’t focus on the lunchbox she’d put her heart and soul into, but honestly, she was so distracted herself that she couldn’t even tell what the food tasted like…!
Well, everything he was eating now was just a distraction anyway.
The real battle started now.
The plain omelet she’d made with all her sincerity.
The plain omelet she’d practiced by cutting herself off from the world and undergoing “seclusion training” just to be recognized as the best by her seniors in the Cooking Club…!
The moment he ate that omelet, he would have no choice but to focus on her cooking!
She’d focused on this dish because he liked egg dishes, and because it was a basic dish where she might actually have a chance to beat Han-hee if she worked hard enough!
To get that fluffy texture, to find the perfect seasoning for his palate, and to live up to the encouragement of her seniors who told her to “put her heart into it.”
It was a dish she’d given her all to create…!
People could mock her for being gloomy if they wanted. They could say it wasn’t even a contest since Han-hee hadn’t brought any food today…!
She just wanted to hear him say, “Wow, this is delicious! When did you get this good?”
Finally, his chopsticks moved toward the omelet. Her heart felt like it was going to explode.
However, if there is such a thing as a god of fate or timing, he must really hate her.
A mana bolt flew from somewhere and struck the table where they were sitting.
It was a common occurrence.
Idiots excited for summer break, showing off and bickering to see how much they’d improved while apart.
It was a common occurrence.
The lunchbox of a poor victim caught in the crossfire flying into the air.
But why did it have to happen to us at this exact moment…!?
Could it have happened a bit later, or even much earlier!? Why did this happen right before he was about to eat the omelet she’d worked so hard on…!?
Ah, fortunately, it didn’t break, but the omelet flying through the air would soon fall to the ground due to gravity.
And she didn’t have the physical ability to catch it, and the others wouldn’t bother trying that hard to save an omelet.
Ah, how could this happen?
This is such a total screw-over…!
Bye-bye, my beautiful omelet.
In your next life, be born under a luckier owner than me.
“Whoops.”
“Eh?”
But perhaps miracles do exist. Someone’s chopsticks accurately caught the omelet falling from the sky.
It was Han-hee.
What? Is this a miracle? If so, are you a god for performing it?
“Hey, So-hyun. You were about to eat this, right?”
“Oh, thanks. It looked so well-made that I was saving it for last. I almost missed out.”
Han-hee. I’m sorry. I was only thinking of beating you in a petty and cowardly way, but you saved me and my omelet from falling into hell…!
“Say ahhh~”
…Huh? But I didn’t really want to see that kind of “ahhh” thing?
Well, it’s So-hyun, so he’ll probably say, “Ah, what’s with the ‘ahhh’? It’s embarrassing~” and won’t eat it, right?
“Ahhh~”
Wait? He’s just eating it?
“Oh, wow. This is really good. Ga-eul, when did your cooking get this good?”
Hehe, what’s a little “ahhh” between guys! Whatever! Let’s just roll with it!
Han-hee, thank you so much! You’re my savior!
“Oh, wow. Ga-eul, you must have practiced a lot?”
“Yeah! I worked really hard!”
I got praised by So-hyun for my cooking, and he said I’ve improved a lot too!? Now I might be on par with Professor Cathy, or even better!
I feel great! Han-hee is the best too!
* * *
After finishing the meal, while everyone went to their dorms to unpack, Kim Ga-eul was secretly called out by Kang Han-hee.
“Ah, Ga-eul.”
“Oh! Han-hee!”
“…You seem to be in a really good mood.”
“Hehe, it’s all thanks to you. I got praised by So-hyun for my cooking. I practiced that omelet so hard, you know? I even lived with my smartphone turned off while practicing!”
“Ah, right. I see. So that’s why you didn’t answer your phone…? Anyway, I’m glad. I’m glad So-hyun enjoyed it.”
Hmm? I’m just grateful, so why does he have such a subtly guilt-ridden face?
“So, Ga-eul, I actually have something to confess.”
“A confession? What is it? I’m in a great mood right now, so I’ll listen to anything as long as it’s not that you like me!”
Despite her attempt at a joke, her savior’s face didn’t brighten.
“Why don’t you hear what it is first before deciding if you can accept it?”
“Heehee, that’s how good I feel. What is it? Why are you stalling~ You’re making me nervous!”
“Honestly, I’m not sure if this is the right time to say it, but dragging it out feels cowardly. They say it’s better to get the punishment over with, so I figured I should just tell you now…?”
…Wait, he’s not the type to give such a long preamble. Is it something really serious?
“First, I’ll show you the evidence since you might not believe me.”
Saying that, he slowly began to unbutton his school uniform top.
Uh…? What. Is it really a confession? No, who confesses by stripping? That’s not manly, that’s just being a creep.
“Wait, what are you doing, Han-hee…!?”
“It’s okay, just look.”
She quickly turned her head away, but he calmly told her it was okay to look.
…Huh? His voice sounds a bit higher than usual? It was always androgynous, but now it sounds… like a girl’s pretty voice…?
Slowly turning her gaze back, she saw compression bandages binding the chest so tightly it looked painful, and a certain artifact.
“…Eh? Eh? What is that? Why is that…?”
“Ga-eul. I’m telling you the truth because I don’t want to be a coward.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a girl. And I like So-hyun.”
She couldn’t quite process what her savior was saying.
So, wait? It’s not a joke? For real?
“And… I did ‘it’ with So-hyun, along with the Professor.”
She wasn’t so dense that she had to ask what “it” was.
The rival she thought was her best friend turned out to be her greatest nemesis…?
“You probably feel betrayed! But I really tried calling you so many times! Not just me, the Professor called a lot too!”
…Ah, she did see a lot of missed calls when she turned her phone on this morning. But she just figured she’d check them when they met today.
She felt like crying. This was too much. Now they were monopolizing him between the two of them, and she was being told she didn’t even have a chance…
“Listen to me until the end before you cry. As long as you don’t want to monopolize So-hyun for yourself, the Professor and I will help you succeed with him.”
“…Huh?”
What is she talking about…? Is she hurt somewhere? Did I understand that correctly? If I understood that correctly…?
“…There are various reasons, but anyway, what do you think?”
“Who said I was crying?”
If she was crying, it was because she hadn’t recognized such a true benefactor of this era.
“…Ga-eul. I’m not one to talk, but you’re a nutcase too.”
What does that matter! She was lagging behind, so she was more than grateful if it didn’t just end there!
In the first place, she’d already thought being second or third was fine!
“Thank you, Han-hee!”
“…Don’t mention it.”
I don’t think even the three of us will be enough to handle him.
He—no, she—muttered that, but it didn’t matter to Ga-eul, who was already drowning in joy.