Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Middle School Student Yoo Ha-yeon (3)
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...I see. So that's how it is.
Pfft.
After the school day ended, I slumped in my chair with a sigh.
'Me, going through puberty.'
I wasn't even in second year of middle school yet, and here I was with a full-blown case of middle school syndrome...
I accepted the fact pretty quickly. People's memories fade over time, but mine were perfectly intact—I remembered everything crystal clear.
Things had changed a lot since back then, though.
In the end, humans were just slaves to their hormones, huh... So that's how it was...
'Wait a second.'
Something dawned on me.
Then that meant no matter what I did, I could just blame it on puberty. I was a girl in the throes of adolescence, so I had every right to go wild.
"Miss, what are you thinking about?"
Seo Ji-yeon stared at me with her big round eyes.
"Just wondering what to do for fun."
I shrugged and glanced around.
The computer room—our club room—was packed with the latest computers.
It was officially called the Software Development Club... but the best part was getting to play games legally at school. How had I not thought of this sooner?
"What? You didn't call us here to develop games?"
Mai-ryeon scratched her head while fiddling with her computer.
"We're doing that too. And isn't that playing around?"
"Hmm... yeah, I guess it is."
The game Mai-ryeon and I made together would surely be a masterpiece. Of course... purely in commercial terms, it was a waste of time at my level.
But there wasn't much else as fun as blowing opportunity costs on something like this. For a while, I'd just have to go with the flow and enjoy myself.
'...Feels like I had this thought before.'
Weird... Back when I was little, I'd planned to live as a hermit, playing the eccentric genius. How did things end up like this?
It was that habit of jumping up and overworking whenever money dangled in front of me. Damn, I really was a workaholic.
Time to play some games and take it easy.
"Let's put the computers aside for now... Nah. Ji-yeon, let's play this."
I fiddled with the game console I'd half-forcibly brought along. It was Street Fighter II.
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Seo Ji-yeon scampered over and plopped down next to me, grabbing the joystick.
A moment later.
"Ahh— I see the opening."
Pop. Shwooom!
My character unleashed a flashy combo, knocking Seo Ji-yeon's down.
K.O. filled the screen.
This was it—the thrill of crushing someone under fair conditions.
"...Not embarrassed to use advanced moves on a beginner?"
Mai-ryeon gave me a pitiful look from the side, but I answered proudly.
"Nah, I used them even when I was a beginner."
"Yeah, figures."
I could see Seo Ji-yeon struggling to keep up with my game, trying her best to play along. It was a mix of pathetic and cute, so I let her be.
"By the way, only three members in the club?"
"Yeah. More than that gets annoying."
With three or more, I always felt left out when the kids chattered...
"And honestly, the other kids' coding skills aren't that great. We can have Ji-yeon do the artwork... and handle the rest ourselves."
"...True that."
One reincarnator with S-rank brains, plus a natural-born genius programmer. The others just couldn't keep up.
"You ever played NetHack? Graphics are meh, but it's pretty fun."
"Weren't the graphics decent? Make it NetHack-based?"
That might end up feeling like some Rogue-like rip-off...
"Nah, just take the roguelike elements. Mix in other stuff... Hmm, what about this?"
Flip.
I picked up a paper card.
[Black Lotus. Effect: Sacrifice Black Lotus to add three mana of any one color.]
"...What's this?"
"A card game. Came out in the US recently—pretty fun."
The first TCG, Magic: The Gathering, was originally slated for next year... but I'd pulled it forward. Wasn't that why I'd grabbed power in the first place?
Original creations don't just pop up overnight. They usually come from ideas that've been brewing in a creator's head for years, finally hitting the right moment.
Turns out Garfield—the president's fourth-generation descendant—was easy to find in the States.
"A game that works on lower-end computers would be nice... Yeah, that fits. So turn-based it is."
Mai-ryeon muttered to herself and nodded. Her gaming experience helped her brain kick into gear fast.
Seo Ji-yeon, who'd been hanging back awkwardly, chimed in too.
"Um, what about a board game? Something you can play without a computer...?"
"Oh, that's good."
Current computers weren't up to my standards anyway... A board game version wasn't a bad idea.
Huh, Magic really was fun.
"Board game? Like Monopoly? Too much luck involved—not my thing."
"No, Mai-ryeon. The Magic I mentioned is a board game too."
Dominion invented deck-building first... but waiting that long was torture. Felt a bit guilty, but I'd use it early.
Roguelike deck-builder... Hmm, Slay the Spire?
Hiss. Wonder if we could pull that off. It was a ways off, but not too hardware-intensive—a simplified version might work.
Slay the Spire was real-time and hefty, but smart coding could make it fully turn-based.
Shuffle.
I fiddled with the cards, lost in the game for the first time in ages.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Spending money on middle school club activities was a whole new level of fun.
At Daeha Middle School, qualified students could replace some classes with club activities or external pursuits after review. I took full advantage, signing up for five or six clubs.
PE with the swim team, informatics with Software Development, and so on.
For math and science... I substituted with research papers. Easiest one.
Thanks to that, our school had way more clubs than you'd expect for the 20th century.
Standard ones like Broadcasting, Newspaper, Dance, Reading, Swimming, Soccer... and weirder ones like Plant Observation, Astronomy, Lizard Watching, Ghost Stories, Math Club.
There was even a Board Game Club playing Monopoly for cash... but that was just a hobby, so whatever.
Splash.
Today, I was splashing around in the school indoor pool, savoring my peaceful routine. Next to me, the brown-haired swim club president chattered away as my conversation partner.
"Haha, thanks to you, Miss, I get to swim at school. Usually I'd go to a pool off-campus."
The fact she could hit pools regularly told you she wasn't poor—though nothing compared to me, she was from a decent family.
Father's a district court judge, or something.
"You're welcome, right?"
"Yeah, thanks a ton. Seriously."
Made me feel proud.
Earning money was great, but spending it felt rewarding too.
"...But sometimes I think, your tastes are so unique, Miss. The school's called Daeha Middle—what's up with that?"
"Thick-skinned, huh?"
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that."
Unfair. Pure slander.
"I didn't pick the name! I pushed for a different one."
Whoosh.
I crossed my arms above the water, pouting. The girl gave an awkward laugh and apologized.
"Oh, really? Sorry for assuming, Miss. So what name did you want?"
"Ha-yeon Middle School."
"...?"
I didn't love my dad or anything... but his naming sense was solid. Every time I saw those old-fashioned school names, it made me cringe.
Ha-yeon Middle didn't sound half bad, did it?
"What? Not good?"
"Crazy... Pfft! Cough, hack."
She panicked so hard she forgot she was swimming and choked on water.
Tsk tsk. Should've been more careful.
"You just insulted the precious name my late father gave me? Wow, didn't expect that. I'm disappointed."
"N-No! I didn't mean it like that, Miss! A-And honestly, who names a school after themselves? Especially while they're still a student...!"
Sure, literary pseudonyms got used sometimes, but full names? Rare.
But saying that to my face... I admired her backbone, unbowed by power.
Splash.
I climbed out of the pool and declared boldly.
"Alright, a gift for the brave. I'll grant you the right to answer my question."
"...A right?"
"Ah, correction. The right to answer my question and leave in one piece."
The president finally pulled off her swim cap a bit and asked,
"Got it. What's the question?"
"...Why's the pool empty?"
I glanced at the mirror and sighed faintly. I'd gone all out for puberty—bold swimsuit and everything.
"Because you look like a total slut...?"
"...What?"
"Who wears a bikini to school pool? Kids are scared— I mean, too embarrassed to come! You're why half the swim team's skipping!"
"...?"
The brown-haired girl ranted indignantly, then realized her mistake and clamped her mouth shut.
Whew.
"I see... So many old-fashioned folks around. That's it, huh."
"M-Miss, you're not mad, right? You'll keep your promise...?"
"Don't worry. Promise kept. One more question. What clubs are popular? Recommend ones that get lots of attention."
She thought for a bit, then answered.
"...Hmm. Film club's hot right now."
Aha.
Then...
I'd acquire a film studio.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...So, you're saying go to Hollywood?"
Lee Si-hyeon, back from Russia after two months, looked stunned as she repeated my words.
Her hands trembled faintly.