Chapter 53: Is this… Daily Life…?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: Is this… Daily Life…?
Maybe I was being punished.
Was all of this a penalty for arrogantly fixing my friend’s novel because it was boring, for writing off the villain early because he lacked charm, and for trying to play the role of the hypocrite myself?
Of course, it was necessary.
There was no better plan than this to allow the protagonists to enjoy their beautiful youth while still providing them with appropriate trials.
I thought I could handle almost any price, but if this was the cost of my selfishness, I wanted to argue that it was far too heavy.
“Why don’t outsiders stay out of this?”
“I’ve learned that there are families in this world worse than strangers.”
…Please, someone save me from this hellscape! I feel like I’m going to get indigestion from this omurice…!
* * *
It was only natural, but Cathy’s appearance in the cafeteria was no coincidence.
From the moment she heard that Kang Na-hyun had been appointed as an internal inspector, she had been secretly tailing Kang So-hyun.
To be honest, she found Kang So-hyun’s sister, Kang Na-hyun, quite detestable.
According to the records the Chairperson had investigated, Na-hyun hadn’t been there for her brother when he needed her most. Instead, she had showered him with verbal abuse, telling him he could never become a hero and that he should just rot away inside the house.
Perhaps it was an aggressive way of expressing concern.
Cathy had thought so until she saw them in person, but she realized she was wrong.
The look in the kind So-hyun’s eyes as he watched his sister was colder and more indifferent than when he looked at Cathy herself.
He was only unable to turn her away because of his gentle nature; in his heart, he had already reached a conclusion.
That Cathy was his real sister now.
If that fragile boy had made such a resolution, then Na-hyun certainly couldn’t have been a very good sister.
“So-hyun can decide for himself. Please stop ignoring his will like that.”
And Cathy couldn’t just stand by and watch as Na-hyun tried to break his spirit with harsh words once again.
* * *
On the other hand, Kang Na-hyun was equally flabbergasted.
She admitted she hadn’t been a good sister.
It was true that she had been struggling after losing someone precious herself, and that she had buried herself in work because she was afraid to face her brother, who had suddenly turned fierce.
But even so, she couldn’t accept this woman’s claim that she cared for her brother more than she did.
Even while working, Na-hyun thought of him constantly.
She wanted to help.
Regretting the distance she had placed between them, she tried to do anything for him, but her brother, who had already grown distant, wouldn’t accept a thing.
In her anxiety, she had lashed out in anger and failed to apologize sincerely.
Still.
Even so.
He had finally started to listen to her, just a little.
It was almost better when he was screaming and throwing fits like a madman. He had finally started to return to his old self after a period where he wouldn’t even answer when spoken to, acting as if everyone around him didn’t exist.
But what if he died from recklessly using his talent again? What if, this time, he couldn’t be saved?
It felt like a second chance had finally arrived, and she didn’t think she could endure losing another precious family member.
In such a situation, there was no way she could like this woman who knew nothing yet kept spouting sweet nothings by his side.
She felt the need to let this woman know that no one could know a younger brother better than his own sister.
“What do you know? Didn’t I tell you not to speak so carelessly when you don’t know anything? It’s disgusting.”
* * *
“So-hyun can decide for himself.”
“What do you know? You don’t know anything.”
Stop it…! Don’t fight because of me…!
There was a torrent of intense emotion here that made the previous spat between the Pink Chihuahua and the Purple Cat look like child’s play.
What is this? Did I actually enter a dungeon and fail to clear it, and now I’m seeing a nightmare…?
Right, focus.
If I concentrate my mental strength, I can shatter this illusion.
[-The Will of the Saint strengthens your willpower. You have failed to escape reality.]
Son of a…?
-Hmm, are they both your sisters?
‘It’s a bit complicated.’
Psychologically, I actually feel closer to Professor Cathy, but the body’s real sister is Kang Na-hyun, right?
-Well, it doesn’t seem like either of them are your blood sisters, but the world does have things like sworn siblings. I myself am as good as brothers with Bajie and Wujing, so I shall respect that.
“…What?”
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong, So-hyun?”
“A-Ah, it’s nothing. Yes.”
Damn it, I was so shocked that what I meant to keep as a thought slipped out of my mouth.
‘What are you talking about? Not blood sisters?’
-Hmm? I feel a bond between you and that girl, but I don’t feel a blood relation.
What kind of nonsense is this now?
So-hyun, you’re just a guy who’s supposed to die at the beginning; why do you have so many hidden settings?
Whether they knew what I was thinking or not, the two of them were still locked in a power struggle, glaring at each other.
Hell, of course they don’t know. That’s why they’re acting like that.
I shoveled the cold omurice into my mouth.
That’s right—I had a trump card to forcibly end this terrifying and horrific situation.
“I’ll be going now to prepare for my next class.”
The 36 Stratagems. Fleeing. Taking one step back to move two steps forward is never something to be ashamed of.
Once I, the person of interest, disappear, these two will naturally part ways…!
“Right, So-hyun. You go on ahead. I have the next period off. What about you, Inspector?”
“It’s my first day on the job, so I don’t intend to wander around the Academy too much. If it’s not an inconvenience, would you mind showing me around?”
Ah, so it gets worse if I’m not here?
They were back to speaking formally, but it was obvious what would happen once I left for class.
“Then, I’m off!”
But that doesn’t mean I’m staying. This is freaking terrifying.
I’m not joking; since I at least had a strategy for him, that elf monster I fought yesterday was less scary than this.
* * *
The two women continued to stare at each other long after Kang So-hyun had left, neither willing to speak first.
By the time the coffee served for dessert had gone cold, it was Kang Na-hyun who finally raised the white flag.
“I admit it. To an outsider, our family must look strange.”
Cathy didn’t actually want to hear what she had to say.
She expected a string of excuses, an attempt to justify herself with selfish pleas.
Though she wasn’t aware of it, Cathy was being uncharacteristically hostile toward someone she had essentially just met.
The reason her attitude softened slightly was because Na-hyun didn’t offer any petty excuses, and Cathy could strangely feel her sincerity.
“Even so. It’s still okay. What does it matter if others think it’s strange? As long as my brother is healthy, as long as he lives a healthy life like everyone else, I don’t care. You might not know, but that boy has a reckless side.”
Cathy couldn’t deny that.
The boy did have a tendency to push himself far too hard.
“If he becomes a hero, he’ll definitely overexert himself and put his own body last. Is a family member not allowed to stop that?”
Cathy understood that Na-hyun wasn’t trying to suppress him blindly.
But even so, she couldn’t agree with her methods.
“I’ll be honest with you first. I know what So-hyun’s ability is. And I know what the penalty is.”
Hearing this, Kang Na-hyun wondered for a moment if she had misheard, but no matter how much she chewed on the words, the meaning didn’t change. She exploded in anger.
“So you’re saying you want me to just sit back and watch him die while knowing all that? Are you really a professor? Are you insane?”
Cathy understood the anger.
She, too, had once wished that the kind boy would just live a quiet, happy life and not walk the path of a hero.
But he didn’t do that.
He kept moving forward, and in terms of growth rate, he was developing more rapidly than anyone else in the Academy.
He could have become twisted, or he could have despaired over his situation.
Yet, Cathy had found herself captivated by the way he silently forged ahead, neither breaking nor faltering.
A kind child. A cadet who resembled her brother. There were many reasons, but in the end, she had reached the conclusion that she wanted to cheer him on.
“So-hyun found a way to recover his Innate True Qi.”
“…What?”
“He’s using an artifact he found in a dungeon to recover it. So, his body won’t become extremely weak like before.”
At those words, a look of joy crossed Kang Na-hyun’s face, but it was soon replaced by confusion.
“…He never said anything like that to me?”
“This is just my guess, but perhaps he felt there was no point in telling you?”
“…Pardon?”
“I could tell just by watching you two talk today. You’ve rarely ever tried to listen to what So-hyun was thinking, have you?”
“What… I never…”
I haven’t.
She wanted to say that, but she couldn’t.
Because he was weak, because it was dangerous, and because she had been asked by their ‘Mom.’
She had only thought of him as someone to be protected, and she had certainly tried to restrict him regardless of what he said or did.
Suddenly, the image of her brother fidgeting just moments ago came to mind.
She thought she had been watching him all day, but she couldn’t quite remember what kind of expression he had been making.
She had been so shocked to see her brother—who used to throw up even after eating soup—eating soup and rice, and so surprised to see the boy who used to surround himself with thorns to keep even his family away chatting with friends.
That was why he felt like a stranger.
There were plenty of excuses, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter a single one.
What if the softening she thought she saw was actually just him giving up?
— I don’t know. I don’t know if that boy has forgiven us, or if he’s just given up.
That was what her father had said after visiting her brother that day.
A sudden fear gripped her.
An urge to chase after him right now and confirm his true intentions surged within her.
“It’s probably not that.”
As she sat there in anxiety, the very person who had brought it up suddenly began to contradict her own words.
“So-hyun is too kind for that. Even if it’s not right away, he’ll eventually try to forgive you. I only said that to be mean because it felt like you were trying to get close too suddenly. It was immature of me.”
Looking at the bowing Cathy, Kang Na-hyun felt a bit apologetic.
This professor wasn’t someone who knew nothing.
Rather, because she knew her brother better than Na-hyun did, she had stopped her from recklessly approaching the boy before he had finished sorting out his feelings.
“…I’m sorry for speaking so harshly. I thought you were just talking lightly without knowing anything.”
“No. I was a bit emotional myself. Honestly, getting this emotional over a single cadet makes me a failure as a professor.”
“No, how could you say that…”
Cathy gave a small smile.
The reason she had suddenly changed her strategy was that once she realized Na-hyun wasn’t as bad a person as she thought, there was no need for hostility.
So-hyun would likely rely on her more anyway, and it wasn’t a bad thing for him to have many people who sincerely cared for him.
“I’ll help you. As long as you’re careful not to say anything too harsh, you’ll be able to get close again in no time.”
Of course, she would have to manage the distance.
She would support So-hyun well, as another sister, albeit from a bit further away than herself.
* * *
I see.
A famous saying came to mind.
There is no paradise for those who run away.
It was exactly as the saying went.
I had fled because I was afraid of hell, only to arrive at another hellscape.
“Haha, Junior So-hyun. Do you need a drink by any chance?”
“…Um, Senior, aren’t you going to class?”
“So-hyun! I didn’t realize it before, but looking at you now, you’re quite handsome! On that note, does your sister happen to have a boyfriend?”
“Hey, you. Can’t you see our brother-in-law is uncomfortable? Why don’t you back off?”
…That’s right.
The moment my sister was discovered, I should have expected these male animals to go wild.
This is the Academy genre, after all.
“Haha, you’re popular. Must be nice, So-hyun.”
Kang Ha-ni chuckled and cracked a joke.
You think this is nice?
“Hmm, well, it makes sense he’s popular. His sister is really beautiful.”
Lilac went and dug his own grave again.
I could feel Lee Yu-na glaring this way.
If you’re going to die, please just die alone. Don’t drag me down with you.