Chapter 89: Kang Han-hee.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Kang Han-hee.
At first, it was nothing.
Or rather, I told myself it was nothing.
It was the second night after making the promise with Kang So-hyun that Kang Ha-ni realized her state was far from normal.
To put it simply, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all last night or tonight.
Initially, she thought she was just feeling under the weather, but after repeatedly chewing over his words, she was forced to accept the reality of her condition.
— No, I’m going with just you.
Actually, she had expected it.
It was just so unexpected that she hadn’t wanted to admit it. She had undergone countless hours of training to become a first-rate martial artist and hero, and as a result, she took pride in her ability to monitor her own physical and mental state.
Ever since that night they returned from their trip.
Ever since she realized that the boy could see her as a woman, she had been unable to get him out of her mind.
That was why she reacted sensitively to things she would normally laugh off, and why she felt a strange sense of betrayal when he left her behind to head toward a villain.
It wasn’t hard to deduce that the underlying emotion behind all of this was affection.
The only saving grace was that she had realized it before it could truly be called “first love.”
Yes, it would have been much harder if she had only noticed after the feeling had grown even larger.
Managing one’s emotions was never something that went according to plan.
She absentmindedly scratched her head roughly, picturing the face of the boy who would be sleeping in the room below hers.
“It wouldn’t work, would it?”
She couldn’t afford to forget the original reason she had entered the Academy.
Wasn’t she attending the Academy in disguise as a man just to observe men up close? Wasn’t she looking for a husband candidate with the talent to inherit her family’s secret swordsmanship—or at the very least, someone with the talent to father a strong son?
The person she had taken a liking to was far too fragile to endure her strict household and its grueling training.
He probably wouldn’t be able to stand it.
For his sake and her own, it was right to bury this feeling.
It might be outdated, but that was just how it was.
To her, the sword and her family were that important.
At least until she came here, the sword had been her entire world, and her father, who had given her that sword, was like a god.
That was why, on the first day she had bound her chest with compression bandages, she hadn’t understood what her mother said.
— Ha-ni, are you sure you’ll be okay?
Her mother told her she would regret it.
She said that as she met more people, learned more about the world, and as her own world expanded, she would come to curse the decision she made that day.
What had she replied back then?
— That won’t happen. All men are pretty much the same. Besides, isn’t a strong man better than a weakling?
When she had answered like that, mimicking a man’s tone, her mother had simply stroked her cheek with a sorrowful expression.
Ha, I really was an idiot.
Why was she so confident? Perhaps she had some vague notion that she would never harbor feelings like love or affection.
Aside from her father, the only men she had ever encountered were the disciples at the dojo, and even they were no different from the foul, annoying people she had read about or seen in pictures.
“I didn’t realize a weak man could be this charming.”
Perhaps that was why she was more drawn to him—because he was different from them.
However, her mother was only half right and half wrong.
It was true that her world had expanded. She would also admit to having regrets. She had no intention of denying that she had laughed more than ever while attending the Academy, making her first friends, and gaining countless experiences.
But she would never curse the decision she made that day.
Even if she had to strangle these feelings before they could even bloom and choose a future husband based solely on strength, it was fine.
Because even in this expanded world, her pride in the sword remained the most precious thing to her.
That was why she could pull herself together.
Starting tomorrow, they would go back to being just friends.
No, there was no “going back.” She would simply bury this feeling in her heart and accept his smiles as those of a friend.
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
I mean, how long had she even felt this way? They were just friends to begin with, so she just had to repeat what they did yesterday.
She would forget the possibility of a “tomorrow” and turn her gaze away from a future that might have been.
The ache in her chest would only be momentary.
With that thought, she finally managed to close her eyes.
Praying that by tomorrow morning, this feeling would be even more dead than it was today.
* * *
When she opened her eyes, she resisted the pleasant lethargy brought on by a fragrant scent and sat up.
“Oh, you’re up?”
“…Huh?”
Basically, she was the one who usually made breakfast while he was the one who ate it.
Of course, there were times like now when he would wake up early and cook, saying he felt bad, but today’s meal wasn’t the usual dish with strong spices that he typically made.
“You looked tired yesterday, so I prepared something to give you energy and be easy on your stomach. Don’t give me a hard time if it tastes bad, okay?”
Indeed, there was a clear seaweed soup with clams, warm white rice, and even grilled pork with a subtle scent of ginger. It was certainly a menu that wasn’t too heavy.
Thump.
No, why are you thumping? You crazy heart.
…Wait, is he really doing this on purpose?
Here she was, trying so hard to kill her feelings, and it felt like he was mocking her.
She liked how he noticed these small details, making him seem more mature than others his age.
But she wasn’t supposed to like it.
“…What? Why? Does it taste bad? It’s edible, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s delicious. It’s delicious, but that’s the problem.”
He tilted his head in confusion as he chewed on the food he had made.
“…It’s not that great. The stuff you usually make is better.”
“Ah~ anyway, there’s just something about it.”
I mean, he doesn’t even know I’m a girl, so why would he do it on purpose?
There was no need to overreact to kindness shown to a friend. She just had to respond as a friend, too.
* * *
Hmm, I knew she’d like it if I made breakfast since we have to go to the orphanage together today and she looked tired, but…
“Hum-hum~”
“…Gulp.”
“…Hehe.”
…Isn’t she liking it a bit too much? One moment she seemed overly happy, then her expression would stiffen, then she’d munch on the food and start grinning again.
Is she broken?
What’s wrong with her?
“Hey, you’re probably really popular with girls.”
“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
“You’re a good cook and you’re very considerate~ Don’t you know guys like that are popular these days? Oh, come to think of it, is that how you seduced Ga-eul and Professor Cathy? You’re a total player, aren’t you?”
“…If you’re done eating, why don’t you go brush your teeth and wake up? You’re talking nonsense, so you must still be half-asleep. And by that logic, shouldn’t you be the one who’s more popular with girls?”
“I’m already popular.”
“Ah, right.”
Following Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak, he was the handsome boy who had proven himself in the practical exams. Of course, strictly speaking, she was closer to a girl. No, she just had a girl’s face, but whatever. In the world of the novel, she seemed to be treated as an incredibly beautiful boy, so Ha-ni was quite popular with the girls.
“And actually, So-hyun, do you know you’re pretty popular too?”
Ha-ni chuckled with a strangely playful attitude.
“…I’m popular?”
“Yeah, you’re probably more popular than you think.”
“If you’re talking about those male dogs sniffing around my sister, I won’t stand for it.”
“I can’t say that’s not part of it, but that’s not all. Besides being Senior Na-hyun’s brother, some girls have started liking you since you changed your style and started coming to school.”
In fact, though they didn’t know it, that was the biggest reason Kim Ga-eul hadn’t been able to visit Kang So-hyun often lately.
They assumed she was just embarrassed because of her drunken antics, but that was only one of the reasons.
Kim Ga-eul was secretly fighting a shadow war.
Since she was the first to recognize his charm, she felt a sense of ownership.
A secret internet site was being built.
A crazy site called “The Top 4 Handsome Freshmen Fan Cafe” was being secretly managed by her hands.
Of course, there was no way for them to know that at this moment.
“You don’t look very happy about it.”
“…I don’t know. Should I be happy that kids who haven’t even talked to me like me just because I changed my style and it turned out I’m from a rich family?”
“Wow, look at how cynical you are. It’s a good thing if people like you.”
“No, it’s not. It’s incredibly tiring when someone you’re not interested in likes you.”
Ha-ni flinched for a moment.
“…What? Why?”
“A-Ah, nothing. I was just wondering if we were leaving right after eating.”
“Yeah, we should go right away.”
“Okay, then let’s get ready.”
* * *
— No, it’s not. It’s incredibly tiring when someone you’re not interested in likes you.
Those words felt like a dagger to her heart.
Then, tell me.
If I said I liked you, would you be happy?
That question kept pricking at a corner of her chest.
…He’d probably just say it’s gross for a guy to say something like that.
Every time she tried to kill the feeling, it reared its head and asked if she was really okay with this, which was incredibly annoying.
* * *
The orphanage was deeper in the mountains than I expected.
“I thought we’d go somewhere big, but this place is quite small.”
“Yeah, it’s not a famous place.”
But there are tons of fortuitous encounters and things to eat here, you know? It’s a gold mine that just hasn’t been discovered yet.
And shouldn’t we get to know them in advance to make things easier? Things are going to get crazy soon.
That’s right. This was the place where the precious people of our Little Witch, Professor Park A-ram, were gathered—the Hansol Orphanage.
On the surface, it was just a run-down orphanage with a small chapel attached, but many eyes would already be fixed on this place in a very bad way.
“Hmm, the facilities don’t look that great. Is there some connection to your family? Or do you know someone here personally?”
“No? It’s my first time here too.”
It wasn’t a lie. I only knew about it in my head; this was truly my first time visiting.
“…Then why did you pick a place like this?”
Typical of an Academy webnovel transmigrator, I had a smug answer ready, anticipating this very question.
“Hey, what’s the point of going to help a place that already has great facilities and plenty of support? This kind of thing should be done quietly in a secluded place like this.”
“Oh, Kang So-hyun, that’s actually kind of cool.”
“Right?”
As we approached while chatting, we saw children playing on the playground.
“Hmm?”
“Who is it?”
“You shouldn’t talk to people you don’t know!”
“It’s my first time seeing someone with black hair!”
Oh, this brings back memories. Kids usually seem like they’re talking to each other, but they really just say whatever they want.
Yet, it was nostalgic to see them somehow clicking and communicating anyway.
To talk to children, it’s best to meet their eyes first.
Children tend to calm down when they look into someone’s eyes.
As I slowly knelt down, met their eyes, and smiled, the children who were playing with a ball slowly turned their attention to me one by one.
Good, this has always worked like a charm with kids.
“Hello.”
I didn’t forget to use a higher voice than usual to grab their attention and wave my hand a bit excessively as a sign of welcome.
This takes me back~
“Hellooo.”
“Hey, don’t say hi!”
“Huh? The Director said we have to say hi if someone says hi to us.”
“She also said not to talk to strangers!”
Oh, so you’re the smarty-pants of this group?
Now that I’d found my target, the rest would be simple once I convinced him.
“Oh? That’s strange. Did the Director really say not to say anything at all to people you don’t know?”
“Yeah!”
“Hmm, didn’t she ever tell you to call her instead of panicking?”
“Huh? Right. She told us to call her if a guest comes! Are you a guest!?”
Haha, yeah. Usually, they tell the smart kids in each group stuff like that. Like a class president.
“Yes, I have something to say to the Director. Could you go call her for me?”
“Okay! If you’re a guest, just wait a bit!”
“Sure, go slowly so you don’t fall~”
“You really are a guest! Sorry for doubting you! Everyone! Let’s go wake up the Director!”
“Let’s gooo!”
Since the kids went off in a swarm, the person in charge should be out soon.
“…That’s unexpected.”
“Huh?”
I turned my head to see Ha-ni with her eyes wide open in genuine surprise.
“What is?”
“No, I just assumed you’d hate kids. I thought you’d have a grumpy face and say, ‘Ah, I don’t hate them, but it’s just… whatever.’”
“Was that supposed to be an impression of me?”
“Yeah, was it good? Anyway, it’s really unexpected.”
“Your impression was terrible. Anyway, why? Kids are cute. Is there a reason to hate them?”
“I guess… not?”
Ha-ni kept glancing at me as if she found it quite surprising.
Actually, I didn’t like them much before I got used to them, but being from an orphanage means you end up living and breathing with them until you graduate.
Once you get used to them, they’re pretty cute.
“Hurry up! The guest is gonna get bored and leave!”
“Hey, you little rascal! Who else would visit us besides A-ram!?”
“I don’t know! You have to see for yourself, Director!”
“Yeah! It’s two pretty big brothers!”
“Don’t you mean two handsome big brothers?”
“Huh? Anyway, it’s two big brothers!”
Ah, it looks like they’re finally here.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man looked at us with a somewhat suspicious face.
“Hello.”
“Yes, well. I’m sorry, but who are you students?”
“We’re here from Leilan Academy for volunteer work.”
“Ah, yes. We’re not suspicious people.”
“Volunteer work? We can’t give you any extra credit points. We lost our national accreditation a while ago…”
“Hey, did I say I was here to earn points?”
“Pardon…?”
“I said I’m here to volunteer. Just for the personal fulfillment.”
Haha, I’ll take care of the rewards myself, so don’t you worry about it.
I laughed, Ha-ni laughed, and the kids laughed too.
Only the Director tilted his head in confusion, but he would open his heart soon enough.