Chapter 319: The Festival is Grand! Fun! And Decadent! (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 319: The Festival is Grand! Fun! And Decadent! (3)
“Mmm, this is what a festival is all about. Skewers. I don’t usually care for them, but for some reason, it feels wrong not to eat them at a festival.”
Pshhh. The Little Witch cracked open a can of beer and took a hearty bite of a chicken skewer. After gulping down the beer, she licked the remaining sauce and juices from her lips.
“Oh, that’s not exactly a graceful sight, is it?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m used to going to festivals alone or with other girls. Was I being too relaxed?”
“No, I like that you’re being natural. I was just wondering if you’re the same person who was trembling when we first met earlier.”
On the phone yesterday, she had bragged about showing me the composure of an adult, but when I saw her right hand and right foot moving forward at the same time at the entrance, I figured she was hopeless.
“Yes, yes. I’m just a spinster who’s reached this age without ever going on a date. Does Kang So-hyun have a problem with that? Oh, wait, I suppose you do. Thanks to you, I’ve gone from a spinster who’s never been on a date to a spinster who finally has.”
Having devoured the chicken skewer in no time, she took a bite of a pork belly skewer and let out a dry chuckle.
“Actually, now that I think about it, I might have messed up. I chose a skewer stall as the first stop of our date just to calm my nerves. It’s a bit of an ‘old man’ choice.”
“No, I think it’s pretty good.”
The skewers were delicious, but the sight of the Little Witch munching on them was also quite cute.
Ah, of course, I don’t mean that in a sexual way. It’s just cute in a purely platonic, endearing sense.
“…Your gaze feels somewhat unpleasant. What were you just thinking?”
“I was just wondering if it’s okay for a professor to be this relaxed. Don’t you have a role to play?”
“Hmm? Of course I do. That’s why I’m currently on patrol with Kang So-hyun.”
“In my eyes, all I see is a chi—”
“You know you’re dead if you say ‘child,’ right?”
“—all I see is a mature witch who’s fallen in love with skewers.”
“Hah, look at you dodging that. I was going to tell you to follow me to bed if you didn’t want to die.”
“…Oh, you do realize there are tons of people around us, right?”
“Let them hear. What are they going to do about it?”
She talked big, but she had a soundproofing barrier firmly in place.
Judging by how her ears were slightly red, it seemed she was forcing herself to act composed.
I thought about cracking a joke to lighten the mood, but the words wouldn’t come out.
To be honest, even though we were on a date, I still wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do.
Cathy Noona said it was fine, but it still felt a bit off.
“Ah, Kang So-hyun, sorry, but hold these for a second. You can eat any you like.”
While I was lost in my foolish worries, she sensed something and began to move toward a certain spot, her mana slowly rising.
Where she was headed, two men were in the middle of a dispute. One man claimed his wallet was gone and accused the man he’d bumped into of being a pickpocket, while the other man denied it. Their voices were growing louder.
Now, the problem—though likely unrelated to the incident itself—was that while the man claiming his wallet was stolen looked ordinary, the man he’d bumped into was a blonde, tanned guy covered in tattoos.
Naturally, public opinion was stacked against the rough-looking man.
The way he expressed his frustration was quite threatening, so it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible why people suspected him, but to my eyes, he didn’t look like he was lying.
“Ah, everyone shut up. You’re breaking my concentration.”
Professor Park A-ram finally stepped between them.
She closed her eyes and radiated her concentrated mana outward. Before long, her eyebrows twitched, and she flicked her finger.
Then, something began to fly slowly from a distance. To put it simply, it was a wallet.
“Uh…?”
Judging by his shocked expression, the owner of the wallet was indeed the guy making the fuss.
“This is yours, right? I can feel the lingering scent of your mana on it.”
“It is, but…”
“Sigh, you moron. It was dropped in front of the outdoor men’s restroom. Why are you ruining the festival atmosphere by harassing people over something you weren’t even sure about? If this had escalated and the police had to come to the cadets’ festival, could you have taken responsibility?”
“N-no. I just panicked because my wallet was gone…”
“Sure, you can panic. Who’s saying you can’t? But why the hell are you taking it out on someone when you aren’t even sure? You know you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on even if he’d punched you in the jaw just now, right?”
“…I-I’m sorry.”
Even after the man apologized, the misunderstood delinquent still looked quite displeased. However, Professor Park A-ram soon turned her sharp gaze toward him as well.
“You didn’t do anything great either, so keep your eyes down.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Who the hell comes to an Academy festival dressed so suspiciously? If you’d skipped just one of the three—the blonde hair, the tan, or the tattoos—I might have taken your side, but this is a bit much.”
The delinquent’s face turned red at her words.
A blushing delinquent? That’s a terrible look.
“The freedom of appearance only applies when you can take responsibility for it and as long as it doesn’t make others feel threatened.”
After taking a breath, Professor Park A-ram tapped her forehead with her finger, pretending to think.
“Ah, if I follow the rules, I should kick you both out~”
“Wait, that’s a bit…!”
“I haven’t even seen much of the festival yet…”
“I know. I didn’t say I would, did I? Just be careful from now on and keep track of your stuff. There won’t be a next time.”
As the two men bowed to her and scurried away, the onlookers began to applaud.
Oh, they’re a good crowd.
“That kid is quite sharp.”
The only problem was that just as she was looking cool, someone said that, and the professor almost exploded.
“Aaaah!!! Let go of me…! I was trying so hard to appeal as a cool professor and build up favorability, and they ruined everything…!”
…Actually, if you hadn’t said that just now, your ‘cool professor’ appeal would have been a success.
In the end, I was only able to calm her anger by stuffing a still-warm skewer into her mouth.
* * *
As time passed, Cathy entered the kitchen to replace a cadet who was going on break. This signaled that it was almost time for Kang Ha-ni and Kim Ga-eul to take their turn to rest.
The problem was that Kang Ha-ni, who was supposed to be resting, couldn’t bring herself to leave because she was too busy keeping an eye on Cathy.
“It might be dangerous if I leave and Professor Cathy takes over, right?”
The Holy Sword Class had been slightly ahead so far, but Professor Cathy was someone who could make omurice better than her, even if she struggled with other dishes.
And even if her face wasn’t clearly visible in the kitchen, just her serving the food herself once in a while would surely draw a significant number of customers away.
If she were doing it on purpose, Ha-ni could at least get angry, but Cathy was likely just thinking about getting along with the cadets without a second thought.
Still, if she didn’t rest now, it was clear she wouldn’t have another chance for a while, making it a difficult decision.
Or rather, it would have been difficult. Had she not felt someone naturally standing by her side, she might have agonized over it for a long time.
“I knew you’d be like this.”
“Huh? So-hyun?”
“How much do you hate touring the festival with me that you’re working this hard?”
She knew he was joking, but she felt a pang of guilt.
Her competitive streak had almost made her break a promise she had been looking forward to so much; her head had been far too heated.
“Sorry, I’ll be ready in a second.”
“Forget it, let’s just cook.”
“What?! No! Even so, our dat—I mean, our promise is more important than the competition!?”
She wasn’t lying.
She knew he was saying it for her sake, but even if she had to give up the match against Cheon Yu-hak, how could she give up on a festival date?
Honestly, she could lose a bet, but if she gave up on the festival date, she’d have to wait until next year to do it with him.
“Why are you overthinking it?”
“Huh?”
“The festival is two days long. We can work hard today and win, then we can just boss those guys around tomorrow. That should give us enough time to play together.”
He said that with a broad smile and began skillfully spreading sauce on pizza dough.
“All I have to do is spread this and bake it, so I’ll handle the pizza. You take care of the spaghetti and the other dishes.”
Since she had almost broken their promise, he had every right to be angry, but seeing him go along with her stubbornness filled her with a strange sense of touched emotion and a small worry.
“…I’m worried about how many more girls will fall for you when you’re this smooth, Kang So-hyun.”
“…What on earth is that supposed to mean, Kang Han-hee?”
“You’re a natural. A total natural. I’m not the type to be moved this easily.”
“Um, sorry. I feel like I’m going to make a mistake, so if you’re upset, can we talk after we’re done cooking?”
“Who’s upset, you dummy?”
Watching him cook from such a close distance, a thought occurred to her.
There probably weren’t many women who had cooked with him at this range.
Perhaps this was a sight she alone monopolized for now.
A special date for the festival would be nice, but this familiar feeling wasn’t bad either.
“How could I be upset when I like this so much?”
When she spoke in a playful voice after momentarily deploying a soundproofing barrier, a large splash of sauce landed on his cheek.
I guess I surprised him?
“You…”
“Come on, let’s hurry up. We have to win today to catch both birds—the date and the competition—don’t we!?”
“…Fine, as long as you’ve got your energy back.”
As a side note.
She felt the gazes of Ga-eul, who was hesitating to go on break while watching them, and a professor from the kitchen on the opposite side, but she had absolutely no intention of yielding.
“Because I’m the one standing closest to him.”
Just as she was about to start cooking happily, she was quite startled by the sight of the customers who walked through the door.
A man with a blunt expression and a woman whose face looked remarkably like her own.
In other words, her father and mother were standing at the entrance, looking at So-hyun—who was currently dressed as a girl—with very contrasting reactions.
* * *
Well, I ended up showing my cross-dressed self to my girlfriend’s father and mother—and it was even my first time meeting her mother.
“Th-this is just because of the festival. I don’t usually dress like this…”
“Oh my, he’s so cute! I had no idea our daughter’s type was such a cute face!”
“Is this… the hope that will protect our daughter from monsters…?”
Ah, I’m screwed. Their reactions are quite divided, but it’s certain that neither could be called a normal first meeting.
“…Sigh, no. It’s a kids’ festival, so I suppose it could happen. It’s not like he dressed like that because he wanted to.”
“That’s right, dear. Don’t feel too uncomfortable. What does appearance matter? What matters is what kind of person you are.”
Well, I had been greeting customers quite enthusiastically.
“I-I’ll show you to your seats first.”
“…Fine.”
“What do you recommend?”
“Your daugh—I mean, your son is a very good cook, so anything you order will be delicious, but my top recommendations are the pizza and pasta dishes.”
“Oh, it’s mostly Western food?”
“Ah, we also have a menu prepared for those who can’t eat Western food…”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that our child is a bit more confident in Korean food. I thought she’d be selling Korean food because of her stubbornness.”
…Ah, Korean food was mentioned.
But when I told her the cooking difficulty would be too high and she’d have to cook by herself the whole time, she seemed to accept it.
“See? Our child has learned how to cooperate with others. It was a good idea to send her to the Academy, wasn’t it?”
“…And you’re saying that’s thanks to this fellow?”
“Don’t you think so?”
“Whew.”
“…Please wait at your table, and I’ll bring your food out shortly.”
“Oh, dear. You seem to be busy greeting people at the entrance; don’t worry about us.”
“Ah, um. I’ll explain once the food is served.”
As ‘I’ returned to the entrance, the two of them tilted their heads in confusion. Soon, another ‘me’ appeared from the kitchen carrying pizza and pasta, causing them to look back and forth between me and the other me in shock.
“Well… due to circumstances, I’m using a cloning technique to help out with various tasks.”
“…He uses that level of swordsmanship and can use cloning techniques too?”
“My, cadets these days are so talented…”
Ah, um. Yes.
Let’s just go with that.
“Yes, I have quite a few talents!”
It’s better than looking incompetent in front of my father-in-law, right?