Burdening Special Treatment
Karen couldn't make sense of the scene unfolding right before her eyes. “You too, just get lost. Don't forget the warning I gave you earlier.”
She prided herself on having weathered every imaginable oddity in her rock-bottom life, but this bizarre spectacle happening now was utterly beyond acceptance.
To Karen, life was a brutal food chain—prey devouring prey, predator devoured by predator, good or evil be damned. Having grasped that harsh reality far too early, she was always on high alert, wary of everyone around her. All to avoid becoming someone else's meal.
Even when a helping hand was occasionally extended her way, it always hid some shady ulterior motive in the shadows. There was no such thing as kindness without strings attached. That was the immutable truth Karen had learned through her own blood and sweat.
Yet today, that truth was on the verge of shattering.
“Must've been in a real pinch, huh? Borrowing money from scum like that...”
The male student approaching her was from a world entirely apart from hers. He casually mustered sums she'd slave months for. He absorbed intel she'd hunt years without snagging, as if it were nothing. He wore fame she'd never touch in a lifetime like it was his birthright.
A being born worlds apart. Someone filthy, wretched bottom-dweller Karen—past, present, and future—could never even associate with.
He should have been. So why was someone like that so fixated on her? Why shower her with such undeserved attention and favors? What could he possibly want to take from her?
She was just your run-of-the-mill back-alley girl. The kind you could find anywhere, seething with a bit of righteous fury.
Park Jeonghyeon's approaching figure kept morphing wildly in her eyes. One step, and he was a devil. Another, an angel. Which was the truth? Karen couldn't decide.
“...What the hell do you want from me?”
Overwhelmed by the doubts and terror coiling in her mind, Karen burst into tears.
As hot tears streamed down her cheeks, Jeonghyeon's movements halted abruptly.
“Money if it's money, fame if it's fame, info if it's info—you've got everything everyone craves, so what the fuck do you want from a nobody like me to go this far?! Spill it!!”
She spat out the whirlwind of questions plaguing her head.
Jeonghyeon's expression stiffened for a moment. Then, as if pondering something, he closed his eyes briefly.
“...What I want from you? Of course I do.”
A sinister smile curled his lips as he leaned in to whisper softly. Chilling words that sent shivers down her spine.
Was he planning to enslave her? Lusting after her body? Or demanding something so beyond her imagination she couldn't even fathom it?
The future loomed too terrifying; Karen squeezed her eyes shut.
Then.
A warm sensation swirled through her hair, followed by a playful voice.
“For you to grow up without going astray. That's more than enough.”
...Huh?
Unable to believe the words ringing in her ears, Karen slowly opened her eyes.
Jeonghyeon grinned, gently stroking her head like an adult soothing a naive child.
“...”
“Oh, right—one more thing. That 8 million mir I just paid off for you? Not a freebie, so pay me back nice and steady. Got it?”
Grow up without going astray? What gave him the right? He wasn't her parent, sibling, cousin, or even a proper benefactor. They'd only met a week ago.
“And eat dinner properly from now on. Skip lunch and get caught by me again, and I'll slap on interest.”
Maybe something existed between her and Jeonghyeon that she didn't know about. Whatever it was, none of it resonated with her.
So Karen stopped thinking.
No point anyway—her thoughts changed nothing.
Instead, she summed him up in one word.
“...Fucking psycho.”
A remarkably kind one, at that.
After the grueling weekdays came the golden weekend. On that precious weekend, I left home and headed to the main building.
Some might ask if I was going to the training room there. That was part of it, but I had somewhere to stop first.
Riding the elevator to the 12th floor, I scanned around.
Room 1202, right...? Ah, there it is.
I spotted a lively crowd of students gathered, waiting.
Must be the spot for those queuing for the travel club interviews. Interviews started at 2 p.m., and it was 1:50 now—perfect timing, with about ten minutes to spare.
Man, there were a ton of people. Easily dozens by rough count. No idea how many new members the club was recruiting this year, but the competition looked fierce.
Made me a bit nervous. I swallowed and headed toward the group.
That's when a familiar face caught my eye.
Not Shaolin or Tsuno Ume—they'd finished their morning interviews and left already.
It was the girl quietly sitting in the corner chair, fiddling with her phone.
“Raichel, long time no see? A week, yeah?”
“K-Kyah!”
The golden-blonde, heterochromic pureblood vampire Raichel Bernhardt. So startled she'd dropped her chuunibyou act entirely.
She clamped her mouth shut, cleared her throat with a ahem, then pointed at me dramatically.
“Thou fool! How darest thou disturb this one's precious time wandering in search of the world's truths?!”
Ah, back in character.
“Staring at your smartphone is 'wandering in search of truths'?”
“Hmph. To a novice like thee, it may seem but an ordinary screen. But 'tis the effect of my high-level magic concealing information leaks—thou art already bereft of discernment 'twixt truth and falsehood.”
She hurriedly hit the home button, switching to the default screen. I'd seen the whole mobile game session, though.
Nothing weird about Abyss agent Raichel playing games. With orders to keep up the chuuni speech, friends were unlikely. Mobile games were perfect for killing boredom.
No matter the harsh training, she was still a teenage girl who loved fun. Probably joining the travel club for similar reasons—a caged bird always yearns for wider skies.
“That fun?”
“What dost thou mean?”
She tossed her hair back dramatically, exuding haughty vibes.
“The game you were just playing.”
“Wh-what nonsense! Dost thou truly believe this Dark Flame Master indulges in mere mortal frivolities? Should that be so, I might even be disappointed in thee.”
Raichel's nicknames for me shifted: sometimes “thou,” sometimes “thou fool.” Probably because she wasn't fully committed to the act, skimping on fine details.
I wouldn't nitpick every detail in a magical girl chant either.
“Wouldn't want that. Anyway, never imagined you applying for travel club.”
“Doth this one have reason to lack interest?”
“Nah, I figured you'd go, 'Fufu, this one is the omniscient being who knows all. No need to see the world firsthand.'”
For a split second, Raichel's facade cracked, raw embarrassment shining through.
“O-of course! This one is omnipotent, but my powers and memories are partially sealed now. In short, to reclaim past glory, I must broaden mine own horizons firsthand.”
She spat more cringey lines to mask it. I could picture her squirming inwardly... Why's this so fun? Being teased sucks, but flipping the script? Hilarious.
Am I into this? Weird. Let's poke a bit more to confirm.
“Impressive. What happened in the past to get you sealed?”
“...”
For an instant, her glare screamed you bastard. But it passed.
“If thou art curious, I shall graciously enlighten thee. 'Twas in the dim mists of ancient primordia, when light and shadow first birthed and coveted each other's domains in chaotic strife. Amidst that tumult, this one suddenly...”
Raichel racked her brain, earnestly spinning an improvised autobiography. Watching her was... refreshingly cathartic. Games never gave this vibe.
Am I a sadist?
“...What grins thee so? Dost this one amuse thee?”
Yeah. Plenty.
“Nah, just my natural smile.”
“...Thou art growing ever more disagreeable.”
Raichel pouted, turning sideways to shoot me a side-eye.
Then.
“Everyone, thank you for waiting! Starting now, when called, enter 1202 for your interview and head out after. Park Jeonghyeon first, please!”
A dwarf girl emerged from 1202, announcing loudly to the group.
“Got it. Catch you later.”
“Should fate decree it, so it shall be.”
After her dutiful farewell, I headed straight to 1202.
As I parted from Raichel, the tension I'd forgotten crept back in. Dozens behind me—wait, nearly a hundred now.
Could I beat these odds for the travel club?
Won't die if I don't, but...
New life—why not wander, rack up fun memories?
Knock knock.
I knocked on 1202's door. A faint “come in” sounded, so I entered.
Center: a chair screaming sit here. Nearby desk: two beastkin guys and... one demonkin girl barely hiding her excitement at seeing me?
What? Why's she like that?
Startled but composed, I bowed politely, sat, cleared my throat, and began.
“Ahem, hello. I'm Park Jeonghyeon, new Providence stu—”
“Pass.”
“Pardon?”