Chapter 229: Jealousy (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: Jealousy (1)
“Hello.”
“Oh my, how precious! Such a polite little lady!”
“My name is Luna.”
The cute creature was bowing and making adorable gestures.
In our society, we call that a greeting, but our Luna seemed so delighted to have received a name that she was introducing herself to everyone she met.
“She’s cute no matter how many times I see her. Anyway, So-hyun, what are you planning to buy?”
“Ah, since I’ve reconnected the fridge, I should probably start restocking on cooking ingredients.”
That was the plan.
I had bought some random things to get by yesterday, but I couldn’t keep slacking off now that Luna was here. I intended to start cooking proper meals again from today, so I came out to fill the empty refrigerator.
The shopping party consisted of three members: me, Cathy Noona, and Luna.
Ha-ni had said she needed to do some cleaning and told the two of us to go ahead, but then Professor Cathy, who just ‘happened’ to be passing by the front of the dormitory, joined us, completing the current party.
As a side note, when Luna introduced herself, there was a small incident where Cathy Noona looked a bit betrayed, asking why she wasn’t called in when we were deciding the name. But well, we moved past it, so I guess it’s fine.
“Are you out shopping with your brother and sister?”
Anyway, shopping was all well and good, but there was one small problem.
When the clerk at the mart’s tasting corner looked at Luna dotingly and asked that question, Luna looked momentarily flustered and tried to nod in affirmation.
This was the issue.
Luna was strangely conscious of my reaction, and whenever others asked such questions, she tried to agree with them.
But not on my watch.
“No, I’m her dad.”
For a while now, whenever someone asked a similar question, Luna would glance at me and try to call me her ‘Oppa,’ but I had been repeatedly beating her to the punch by declaring myself her ‘Dad.’
Every time I did, the clerks or nearby residents would look flustered, but so what? What were they going to do about it?
Of course, I couldn’t just leave them with a misunderstanding, so I would always add a follow-up.
“I’m not her biological father, but I’m her father of the heart.”
Then, the reactions would split. They would either wear a look of total confusion or, more often, they’d imagine a heartwarming human drama on their own, get moved, and give us freebies.
This lady seemed to fall into the latter category, as she attached an extra gift to our purchase.
“Dad…”
Luna is smart.
She isn’t a normal child, and since she possesses knowledge taken from me, I know that just because she acts like a child doesn’t mean she truly is one.
But because of that, I have to work several times harder and be even more careful.
If words can hurt a young child who doesn’t even understand their exact meaning or reason, there’s no way it’s okay to say them to a child who can perfectly grasp their significance.
If she understands my situation and tries to be considerate by saying, “He’s not my dad,” and I just happily agree with that?
It would slowly pile up in her subconscious.
Thoughts like, ‘I shouldn’t be Dad’s daughter,’ or ‘Being Dad’s daughter is a burden to him.’
And then, a vicious cycle begins.
She would become a ‘good child’ who hides her true feelings, never says what she wants, and unconditionally nods to whatever her parent says.
Just like I was before I was abandoned.
To hell with that.
There probably aren’t many people in this world who know better than I do that being a ‘good child’ like that is nothing of the sort.
I have absolutely no intention of letting Luna become like that.
That’s why I’ll tell her it’s okay to proudly call me Dad in front of others, and I’ll be the first to step forward as her father until she’s no longer anxious.
Sure, rumors might spread that someone as young-looking as me has a daughter, and that might affect my reputation.
But is that…
“That’s right, I’m your dad.”
…really more important than a child who smiles like that just because I call myself her father?
Even Professor Cathy, who had initially asked why I was doing this when the kid was clearly being considerate of me, seemed to understand after hearing my explanation. She was now looking at us with a warm gaze.
“Then is this lady the mother?”
Just as we were about to move to the next aisle while maintaining the heartwarming atmosphere, the clerk who gave us the extra gift asked another question with a bright smile.
At the same time Cathy Noona’s face turned beet red, Luna’s cruel judgment was handed down.
“No, she’s still just an Unnie!”
Ah, but that’s a bit much, isn’t it?
“…Did you give birth to that young lady with your heart too?”
“It’s a misunderstanding. The child is still young. She’s my girlfriend.”
“Ah~ so that’s why she’s still an Unnie? I was being meddlesome!”
In the end, it was only after receiving yet another freebie that we could head to the next aisle.
Strange. Was parenting always this exhausting in this particular way?
“Hehe, it’s okay to call you Dad!”
“So… So-hyun. There’s an age gap between us, what will people think if you call me your girlfriend~ He, hehe.”
Seeing them both grinning foolishly, they actually did look a bit alike.
* * *
Afterward, Cathy Noona, who had followed us to the dorm room claiming she’d help carry the bags, somehow ended up in a cooking battle with Ha-ni. Since I couldn’t judge it alone, I called everyone over, resulting in another boisterous day following yesterday’s events.
Now, it would be perfect to do some training and then wash up and sleep once I got tired.
Regrettably, that wasn’t an option.
Yes, for humans, there are things you must do even if you really don’t want to.
To be honest, I didn’t want to do it.
I spent a long time wondering if checking on the state of a guy everyone else just ignored as a typical case of chuunibyou was really something only I could do. Unfortunately, the conclusion that there was no one else only became firmer.
“You’re here?”
So, I called him out before my resolve could waver.
His casual clothes, which usually looked somewhat decent thanks to Lee Yu-na’s efforts, had transformed into a maddening state of all-black leather.
…Lee Yu-na probably cried seeing that.
“Hey, it’s summer. Aren’t you hot?”
“…I assume you didn’t call me here to talk about such things. I told you before, don’t get too close to me. The current me… isn’t the Lilac you remember.”
For the record, this bastard was in my room acting as a cooking judge until thirty minutes ago, spouting nonsense like, “It’s delicious. But the person I truly want to hear that from is someone else…?”
“Right, right. I called you here because I’m also debating whether you’re the Lilac I know, or if I should figure out how to beat you until you’re fixed.”
“Ho?”
“Huh?”
Honestly, I didn’t know what kind of reaction to expect, but for some reason, his eyes started to sparkle.
What is it? Which part of that touched your soul, Lilac? Did I say something chuunibyou-like?
“No use for words, then. Fine. I actually wanted to test it myself.”
He drew the White Rose Sword, and the blade was stained with black Demonic Energy.
“Test what?”
“How much stronger I’ve become since that day. Whether this sword was worth tainting with darkness.”
“…Ah, so you just want to check if you can use the Demonic Sword properly now?”
“At first, I thought about dueling Cheon Yu-hak, but that would have been meaningless. He is of the same kind as me.”
“Sure, sure. I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re building up to, but you know I’m not going to go easy on you if we do this, right?”
Honestly, up until this point, I was just brushing off his words.
“He, like me, is a human who cannot protect anything.”
No matter what he said, I intended to laugh it off as nonsense, but unexpectedly, the words that came out of his mouth grated on my nerves.
“…What?”
“Winning against him wouldn’t prove anything. But you are different. You are someone who can protect things properly. You are a human who can eventually grasp what you seek to hold. So, if I defeat you, it might serve as a bit of proof.”
It took me a moment to understand what my foolish friend’s son was saying.
…Aha, so that’s it.
Is this that? Maybe this guy actually harbored some kind of inferiority complex toward me.
Whatever the reason, there were more than a few instances where things he couldn’t do, or things he was almost too late for, were resolved or the damage minimized thanks to me.
Well, even if he’s a genius, he’s still a kid, and I can see how a genius might have such worries.
But honestly, it’s a bit pathetic.
What’s that? You’re a guy who can’t do anything, and I’m a guy who’s naturally good at everything?
What? I’m a human who can eventually save someone?
I’ve never heard such bullshit in my life.
“Do you think I’ve never experienced failure?”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what the hell did you mean, you bastard?”
“I apologize. My wording was a bit off. Yes, what I wanted to say was… that.”
Honestly, I was getting a bit heated, but thinking I should at least hear him out, I nodded for him to continue.
I shouldn’t have done that.
He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
“I… wanted to be like you. Even if I didn’t take care of myself, I might have wanted to be the kind of person who truly cares for others.”
Finally.
He finally crossed the line and spat out words that snapped my last nerve.
You shouldn’t have said that, kid.
That is the way of a failed human. It’s the way of a human who couldn’t grasp anything. It’s not the path you should be aiming for.
“…Of all the people to emulate, you want to be like me? You moron.”
No. Talking any more would just be a waste of breath.
Right, action speaks louder than words.
Why was I using my mouth when I have perfectly good fists?
Ruyi… is currently broken and recovering, so should I use the Touch of the Devil?
The reach of our weapons was significantly different, but it wasn’t an insurmountable gap.
“It feels like I end up bickering with you at least once a month.”
“…Is it wrong to try and be like you?”
“You’re still on about that?”
“Are you saying that even the answer I finally reached isn’t the right one?!”
“Oh, are you angry? But what can I do? I’m angry too. Shall we see who’s angrier?”
I hadn’t intended to get truly serious, but if you cross the line, you need a beating.
“Fine. I will prove it. I will have you acknowledge the stage I’ve reached by chasing after you.”
“And you bastard. It’s all well and good, but do something about your tone. Ah, no. Don’t bother. You’ll naturally fix it once you’ve been beaten enough.”
“That you were not wrong.”
“Just how foolish of a person you’re chasing.”
Black feathered wings sprouted from the back of Lilac, who had entered a combat stance, and surprisingly, he began to step up into the air.
It was an impressive performance to look at, but to my eyes, equipped with Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, the trick was plain to see.
He was currently acting as if he were stepping on air by creating footholds with materialized Demonic Energy.
“I will make you realize.”
“I’ll teach you properly.”
Black feathers made of Demonic Energy fluttered, and the light of Reinforcement enveloped my body.
The appearance that had seemed like a mere special effect was gone; now, each of those feathers was like a well-honed blade.
A barrier of blades made of refined Demonic Energy.
An average superhuman would be turned into rags just by passing through there.
“So? Is that all?”
I, too, couldn’t pass through there with just a single Reinforcement.
But what if I used Reinforcement again in succession?
At the same moment a more intense light enveloped me once more, my body surpassed another limit. As I lunged forward, all the feathers of Demonic Energy he had scattered exploded.
“No way.”
However, surprisingly, that seemed to be a feint. At the spot I reached after piercing through the feathers, Lilac was already waiting, his sword coated in a mixture of Sword Qi and Demonic Energy.
“Do you think that’s all?”
I parried his overhead strike with my dagger, but the pressure transmitted to my arm was by no means something that could be ignored.
“Is this all you have?”
“…I haven’t even started, you bastard.”
* * *
And due to the impact of that clash, others had come out to watch the scene.
“Shouldn’t we stop them?”
“Ga-eul, leave them be~ This is how boys grow up.”
Kang Ha-ni, who reassured Kim Ga-eul that it was fine, began to chuckle and cheer for Kang So-hyun.
“So-hyun has become stronger, but Cadet Lilac has also grown a lot, hasn’t he?”
“Indeed. Still, as expected, our Junior has progressed further. He was full of hesitation the last time I saw him, but he has refined himself.”
Lee Ha-ru, the Plum Blossom Sword Empress, who had coincidentally come to suggest training to Kang So-hyun, was analyzing their strength with Cathy.
“…Both of them have moved further ahead than me.”
Cheon Yu-hak was watching the battle, his fighting spirit and competitive drive burning.
Finally, Rose, the red-haired maid who appeared out of nowhere, brought out a table and handed them tea good for digestion, instantly completing a rather decent spectator area.
“May the best man win!”
The show had officially begun.