A Visit to the Bivalt Mansion
"Sorry, everyone~ Did we scare you? It's the first time I've brought friends home, so my uncles must've been on edge. Hahaha!"
Jinwoo scratched his head sheepishly as he led us inside the mansion.
"Whoa, it's huge...... But Jinwoo, if you live in a place this massive, why are you always broke?"
"Nah, this is all my old man's...... I mean, my dad's place!"
Sea-a, whose life had been nothing like Jinwoo's, wore a puzzled expression, but Youngje nodded like he got it.
"Lions push their cubs off cliffs to raise them. Kinda makes sense."
......Is our family just weird?
"Here, this is my room. First time bringing friends over, so make yourselves at home."
The room we followed him into was a bit smaller than mine at the Calione mansion. Game posters plastered the walls, consoles neatly lined up in one corner, and a computer that screamed high-end at a glance.
"Huh, you keep it surprisingly tidy? I figured it'd be a pigsty."
Sea-a marveled as she scanned the room, then flopped onto the remaining sofa, sinking into its plushness with a delighted stretch.
"Pigsty? I keep it spotless......"
Jinwoo grumbled, grabbing a stack of books from the shelf and plunking them on the table in the center.
"Never thought I'd live to see the day I'm studying with friends...... So, what first? Korean? Math?"
The others pulled out their textbooks and set them on the desk, prepping for study time. Looked like Korean was the starter.
I skipped the books and placed my prepped tablet on the desk, pretending to work through problems. I'd just help with whatever they didn't get later.
Then.
*Knock knock.*
Someone knocked from outside.
"Huh? Who's that? Nobody comes to my room."
Jinwoo stood, looking baffled.
"Who is it?"
*It's Abbie.*
"Ahh. Abb...... Dad?"
He jolted like he'd never imagined his father showing up.
The others looked equally dumbfounded, clearly caught off guard.
"W-wait a sec. Jinwoo's dad is the Bivalt family boss, right......?! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Mafia boss!"
"Antonio Bivalt......? No way, the legend of Incheon, here?"
I wasn't fazed, but Antonio Bivalt was a heroic figure who'd defended Incheon in the past. As the Bivalt boss, he had serious name recognition, so their reactions weren't weird.
*......Jinwoo?*
"C-coming! One sec!"
He shot us a "calm down" look, then slowly opened the door. I heard gulps from beside me.
"Wh-what's up all of a sudden, Dad?"
Jinwoo cracked the door with an awkward chuckle.
"Heard you had friends over, thought I'd say hi...... Mind if I come in?"
"Huh? Uh, y-yeah. Sure?"
He couldn't flat-out refuse, so he stepped aside, glancing our way.
"Guys, say hi. This is my dad."
A middle-aged man stood where Jinwoo had been. We'd bonded raiding a dungeon recently, so seeing him here brought a natural smile.
"Nice to meet you, Jinwoo's friends. I'm his father, Antonio Bivalt. He owes you a lot."
He gave a brief bow. Thankfully, he was following my prior instructions to the letter. Using polite speech with us was probably for my sake.
"H-hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Kim Sea-a!"
"Kim Youngje."
"Han Eugene."
He smiled warmly at our greetings.
"You must be the Familia crew Jinwoo always talks about. Hope you enjoy your time at the Bivalt mansion. And...... Jinwoo."
"Y-yes? Yes, sir."
"Let me know if you need anything."
"Ah. Got it."
His gaze shifted to me with a grin, then he bowed again and left.
Jinwoo closed the door slowly, then collapsed into his seat with a massive sigh, looking ten years older.
"Whew...... That was intense."
"Why're you so scared of your dad, Jinwoo? He seemed super gentlemanly and cool."
Maybe it was Antonio's crisp movements and speech—Sea-a tilted her head, her first impression flipped.
"You don't know him like I do...... When Dad gets mad, he's terrifying."
"......Really?"
"It was peak puberty for me back then. That sight...... Sigh, but it means I never mouth off to him."
Antonio's style was slick, but missions got bloody. Made sense for a kid.
Yeah, listen to your parents.
After the storm passed, the mood settled, and the kids finally geared up for studying. Once we started, it was quiet—everyone in their own zone, occasionally asking questions.
How much time passed?
*Young master. I've brought snacks.*
A woman's voice from outside.
"Wha—......"
Jinwoo dropped his pen, hands shaking.
What the?
"What's wrong?"
Youngje eyed him curiously. Jinwoo pointed shakily at the door.
"Our house has never made snacks for me...... Not once......!"
That's what shocked you?
"Isn't it 'cause you've never studied?"
"Oh. Yeah."
No biggie, then.
We accepted the maid's snacks and took a break from studying. Fruits and cookies on the table. As we munched and chatted,
Sea-a suddenly said,
"Kinda random, but I wanna visit Youngje's place or Eugene's sometime. Especially Eugene's! With a top-tier corp family, your house has to be even bigger than this, right?"
Arrow straight at me.
"My house?"
"Yeah! You've got chauffeurs, personal lawyers—like a drama mansion! Dress rooms, ballrooms!"
We had all that, yeah. Didn't expect the interest.
"I'm curious too. Boss's place has to be next-level. Fountains in the garden, dozens of gardeners."
......That too. Minus most being combat troops.
"Don't pressure the boss. Next you'll say private jets and yachts. Or a dedicated space mage?"
......All true.
"Hahaha! Yeah, that's overkill."
"C'mon, dedicated space mages are for corp heads."
Yeah...... Let's just eat snacks. They'll find out eventually.
* * *
Next day.
Heading to the academy as usual, an unexpected message hit.
The elixir I'd been waiting for had arrived. Rodmang house's secret elixir—game-wise, top-grade, requiring a full scenario clear.
What if I end up with an elixir addiction?
Worried about the horde in my cube, but more was always better, like in the game. Gotta handle my own body.
Plus, Yuri's are hard to get without special conditions.
Already hyped.
Entered class light-hearted—then froze at the odd sight.
Am I seeing things? Jinwoo was studying early?
"......What gives? This hour?"
A filled seat where it should've been empty felt wrong. Especially for the study-hater.
"......ot."
"Huh?"
"Made a deal. Top 30 school-wide, allowance back."
"Ah."
Figures he wouldn't study for free. Looked motivated, determined.
"Good luck."
Patted his shoulder, sat, and face-planted. Studying? Open book for me, game's knowledge in my head—what's the issue? Confident in top ranks even half-assed. Time for a nap.
"Young master! Boss! Bossbossbossboss!!"
Familiar voice echoed. Did I mishear? Why Latte here......
"Boss!!"
Nope. Jumped up, opened the door—there she was, sprinting down the hall, bawling.
"Latte?"
"Boss? Boss!!"
Spotted me from afar, charged over.
"What's this first thing? Shouldn't you be running the cafe?"
Morning student coffee sales were gold. Why was she here?
As she sobbed,
"Sorry! Kill me! Kill me, please!"
"Sudden much? Explain first!"
"Thief...... A thief hit Cielo Notturno! Waaah!"
"......What?"
A thief at our Familia intel-hub cafe?
"Hold up, come out."
Grabbed her, headed to the quiet rooftop.
"Thief at the cafe—what happened?"
Cielo Notturno was on Seoul Hero Academy grounds—academy security covered it. No normal thief could hit it.
"Sniff...... Fine till morning...... Hic. Then it went pitch black...... Turned into chaos in seconds...... Uwaaaah!"