Before Heading Home
Before heading back home, Jiyoon and I finished our meal at a family restaurant. She had the kids' special, and I went with a standard tonkatsu set. True to its reputation as one of the hidden gems, the family restaurant served up food that lived up to the hype—truly excellent.
I had no idea it tasted like this in the game.
The outer crust shattered with a perfect crunch into individual grains, crisp enough without scraping the inside of your mouth. The moment you bit down, meaty juices exploded like a bomb, laced with just the right hint of fat. And the brown sauce cut through that greasiness in one stroke, transforming it into deep umami. It was faithful to the basics while elevating everything several levels higher. The kind of flavor that made your eyes widen.
If even I was this impressed... Fortunately, Jiyoon devoured her meal with obvious delight.
Come to think of it, some of those hidden spots sold food with special effects, right? I made a mental note to check one out later.
"Jiyoon's tummy is so full......"
Her little belly bulging out from stuffing herself, Jiyoon patted it contentedly, her sleepy eyes crinkling into a happy grin.
The bear doll we'd won as a prize earlier? I was carrying it now. She'd been struggling to hug it while trudging along, looking exhausted, so I'd taken over.
With Jiyoon starting to doze on my back, we emerged onto the main street, where the waiting sedan came into view.
Spotting me, one of the organization members hopped out of the driver's seat and opened the rear door. From the badge, he looked like part of the security detail that had been watching over us all day.
I set Jiyoon down first, then climbed into the front passenger seat so she could stretch out comfortably in the back.
"You've had a long day, Young Master."
Han Seojun, sliding back into the driver's seat, spoke up.
"The real hard work was from the security team keeping watch from behind."
The team chuckled at my words.
"It did feel that way."
The sedan pulled away smoothly.
"By the way, what happened to the suspects and guys we took down today?"
While Jiyoon and I wandered the bustling streets, we'd nabbed a total of four: the first one we caught, plus three more snagged by the security team.
"All four were transported to the nearby safehouse. The tech guy's scheduled to extract intel from them tomorrow."
"......No issues, then."
It was a spur-of-the-moment outing, but four people targeting us meant they'd been surveilling us regularly—or internal info had leaked. With the tech guy on it, though, results were guaranteed.
The sedan arrived back at the mansion. After getting out of the front, I opened the door to carry Jiyoon to her room and saw her rubbing her eyes, stirring awake.
"Oppa? Sleepy......"
Smiling at the sight, I scooped her up into my arms. She nodded off against my chest.
Waiting at the mansion's main entrance was Alesia, Jiyoon's dedicated maid.
"You've had a long day, Young Master. And Miss."
She bowed in greeting.
I carefully handed Jiyoon over to her.
"Mmm...... Alesia......"
As she nestled into Alesia's arms, Jiyoon nuzzled her face and started snoring softly. Alesia smiled warmly.
"Miss must be exhausted."
"She doesn't get out to play much. Oh, and this doll's hers too, but......"
Alesia already had both arms full with Jiyoon.
"......I'll hand it off to another maid."
"Thank you for your consideration. May I take Miss to her room now? She needs a bath before bed."
"Please do."
"Miss, sleeping's fine, but you have to wash up first."
"Mmm......"
With my permission, Alesia departed first. I headed to my room, took a quick shower, then flopped onto the bed and pulled out my phone.
Normally, today would've been when Youngje headed into the dungeon with the Ranger Club folks, so there should be results waiting. I opened the messenger and spotted new messages from him.
The timestamps showed he'd just sent it moments ago.
From what Youngje said, those guys planned to swing by our club room on Monday to gauge our strength. All I had to do was prepare a solid counter and crush their noses flat.
The next day, as usual, I headed to the dining hall for breakfast and spotted Father already seated, reading the newspaper.
"Did you have fun with Jiyoon yesterday?"
His face was hidden behind the paper, but his voice was warmer than usual.
"Yes. Thanks to your consideration, Jiyoon and I had a great time. I appreciate it."
"No need for thanks. That's what siblings are for."
He lowered the newspaper, a smile playing on his lips.
"As a member of the Calione family, always put family first and cherish them above all, just like yesterday. Understood?"
"......I'll keep it in mind."
"By the way, your maternal grandfather reached out recently. He wants to see you soon. No word from him to you yet?"
Right—I'd forgotten about borrowing the Hanwol name for this mess.
"Nothing yet. ......I'll reach out first when I have time and pay a visit."
"Good. Your maternal side is family too. Visit whenever you can."
"Yes, Father."
The Hanwol Group—one of Korea's top conglomerates, the family empire where Mother grew up. With academy life ahead, leaning on them might come in handy, so dropping by wasn't a bad idea.
As I pondered the best time, the patter of footsteps echoed.
"Miss! Running will get you hurt!"
"It's fiiiine! Big Bear's protecting me!"
Jiyoon's voice from the hallway. She burst into the dining room clutching the giant bear doll, beaming brightly.
"Papa, Oppa, good morning!"
Today, cute twin tails. Father and I both smiled.
"Now that the family's all here, let's eat breakfast."
"Yes."
"Yeah!"
Thus began our ordinary family breakfast, no different from anyone else's. We chatted about daily life and little things as we ate, then returned to our routines: Father for Famiglia business, me for academy life, and Jiyoon...... for homework.
I climbed into the waiting sedan outside the mansion and gazed at the scenery rolling by. The weather seemed clearer than usual.
"You're in a good mood today, Young Master."
Han Seojun's voice from the driver's seat caught me off guard.
"Hm? You think so?"
He nodded as I tilted my head.
"Yes. Your expression's brighter than usual. The break must've been enjoyable."
Secured Cheondokbulchim, played with Jiyoon, plotted to screw over those punks. Just thinking about the event I'd prepared brought a smile to my face.
"......It was fun."
"Glad to hear it."
* * *
No sparring scheduled for the afternoon today either. According to homeroom teacher Ji Suhyun, they skipped dedicated matches until week two, except for the initial assessment.
"These old fogeys these days. Kids grow up healthy by fighting through crises and real battles."
She genuinely believed cadets improved only through combat and crises, so her expression was full of regret.
But then she looked at me and grinned.
"Right?"
Her face lit up with anticipation for what was coming. I just shrugged subtly, careful not to tip off the others.
She was my accomplice for today's event—and clearly pumped for it.
"Alright, enjoy class."
With that, Ji Suhyun left, and first period began shortly after.
Monster Studies. Having memorized countless monster traits and names from the game, it held little interest for me.
As usual, I was scrolling the school community site via my smart lenses when—
"Eugene. Han Eugene."
The instructor up front called my name.
"Yes."
I closed the browser and looked at him.
"Is the lesson boring?"
"......I'm not sure what you mean."
"You've been spacing out since the start. Cadets already know this stuff, so it's not engaging, huh?"
He'd mistaken my quiet browsing for daydreaming.
I glanced at the board and shook my head.
"That's not true."
"Oh? Then explain the Minotaur's unique trait I just asked about."
Minotaur, huh.
"It appears in grassland dungeons too, but mostly labyrinth types. Flap something cloth-like in front of it, and it charges in excitement. Best to exploit that."
In the game, I'd farmed Minotaurs into the triple digits for nation soup. No way I'd forget their traits.
The instructor gaped at my answer, stunned. But he shook it off.
"Th-then. You know the byproducts from hunting Minotaurs too?"
Byproducts.
"Horns for weapons. Hide for armor. Axes reprocessed into 'labyrinth iron' ingots."
"Ha! Wrong there! Not well-known, but the most valuable Minotaur byproduct is—"
"'Arachne's Thread'?"
As if I'd miss that.
"'Arachne's Thread,' which marks escape routes just by using it. Unlike return stones that teleport you out instantly, it only shows the path."
He'd tried to trip me up, but my playtime was vast. Wrong target.
"Not magic or teleportation, so usable without mana or in no-mana zones. Useful item. That's it."
The instructor froze solid. Eyes turned my way, but the end-of-class bell rang, shifting focus to lunch.
So why pick on the quiet guy?
Lunchtime. I scarfed it down quick to head to the club room.
But then—
"Eugene-ssi. Someone outside asked me to pass this to you?"
"Hm?"
[CHALLENGE LETTER]
"What're these characters? A love letter?"
"......A challenge."
"Pardon?"
A challenge—at this exact timing.
This world really won't leave me in peace.