The Rebellious Hat
Who in their right mind would want to do hit training? Adventurers in this world threw themselves into grueling regimens without a second thought. I would have collapsed after just a few blows. Even their punches felt like they belonged to an entirely different dimension compared to people from my old world. The fact that anyone could endure that with nothing but raw toughness was astonishing. These people clearly had far higher pain tolerance than anyone I’d ever known.
I looked up at them with a mixture of respect and awe, only to startle when I realized I was one of them now—an adventurer just like the rest.
“Um… excuse me…”
“Hm?”
“Do I have to do the hit training too…?”
Honestly, I didn’t want to. I disliked getting hit so much that I’d chosen a ranged weapon in the first place. Still, if it was something every adventurer had to go through, I was prepared to endure it.
“Ah… Winter doesn’t need to do that.”
Han Yeoreum waved both hands dismissively. I couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Hit training was something even professional fighters in my old world did. Taking hits built courage and resistance to pain. There was no reason an adventurer like me should skip it.
“Don’t all adventurers do it?”
“W-well, yes, but… where exactly would we hit you?”
At her words, I glanced down at my body. It was small, sure, but there were still plenty of places to aim—my back, my face…
“What about the solar plexus?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Han Yeoreum shook her head firmly. Jeong Yuna and Chae Juyeon looked equally resolute.
“But wouldn’t taking hits help me grow faster?”
“Everyone grows in their own way. I’m the expert in this field, and I can tell you—getting hit isn’t how you grow, Winter.”
“Is that so…?”
If Han Yeoreum said so, then it must be true. It felt odd, but I had no choice but to trust her.
“Then what kind of training would suit me?”
“Sensory training would be best for you. You’re already better at it than I am. An adventurer should always play to their strengths.”
“Ah…”
She was right—my senses were sharper than anyone else’s. When I focused, I could pick out faint sounds from hundreds of meters away, distinguish dozens of different scents, and even watch arrows in flight as if they were moving in slow motion. If I could sharpen those abilities further through training… the thought filled me with excitement.
“So everyone has their own training method.”
“Yep. Want me to help you with it?”
“No, I’ll try it on my own first.”
If I relied on others for everything, I’d never grow. Figuring out the training method myself would be a valuable experience.
“Good attitude.”
Han Yeoreum gave me a thumbs-up. My tail wagged in response.
“I’ll go train now.”
“Sure. We’ve got some things to talk about, so go on ahead.”
The three women waved and walked off into the distance. I watched their retreating figures for a moment before heading toward a bench near the pond.
I sat down, closed my eyes like I was meditating, and let my hearing sweep across the world. The splash of fish leaping from the water, the rumble of car engines, the tiny rustle of insects hiding in the grass—every sound around me separated into distinct threads.
What mattered wasn’t just identifying the sounds, but pinpointing exactly where they came from. If I could calculate distance perfectly, I could track someone’s position even with my eyes closed.
There are a lot of people here.
Maybe a dozen or so nearby. While I was mapping their locations through sound alone, someone started running toward me.
Tap-tap-tap—
Small, unsteady footsteps. That alone told me it was Levinas.
“Saebyeok, Saebyeok.”
“Yeah.”
I answered without opening my eyes. Even so, I knew she was tilting her head curiously right in front of my face—her soft breathing gave her away.
At this rate, I could probably live without eyes.
Feeling a little smug, I sensed Levinas plop down on the bench beside me.
“Saebyeok, what are you doing with your eyes closed?”
“Training.”
“Training?”
“Yeah.”
She was staring at my profile. I could picture it perfectly from the sounds alone.
“Is it sleeping training? Want Levinas to teach you how to sleep well?”
Thump—
A sudden weight on my thigh made me open my eyes. Levinas had laid her head on my leg like a pillow, giggling as if she had no intention of actually falling asleep.
I placed my hand over her eyes.
“It’s not sleeping training. It’s sensory training.”
“Sensory training?”
“Yeah. I close my eyes and read the world through sound.”
“Oh! Levinas can do that too!”
Her ears perked up. As a rabbit beastkin famous for excellent hearing, her interest was obvious.
“Levinas, what do you hear?”
“I hear the wind!”
“I see.”
A strong gust had indeed picked up, strong enough that I could probably train my dynamic vision by counting the flying leaves. I looked up at the sky—and spotted something flying straight toward us.
That’s…
A hat. Someone’s hat, caught by the wind. It drifted down and landed perfectly on Levinas’s face.
It probably didn’t hurt, but I still covered her face with my hand just in case.
“Ubbp!”
Levinas froze with her palm raised, clearly startled by the hat now sitting on her face.
“W-wow, Saebyeok, there’s something on Levinas’s face…!”
“Yeah. A hat flew over.”
“A hat?”
She felt around the hat covering her face, poking and prodding it like she was playing with textures. Then she suddenly jumped to her feet, looking furious.
“What’s wrong?”
“Levinas hates hats! Hates them more than anything in the world!”
She made a show of throwing the hat to the ground without actually letting go.
“Why…?”
For sweet little Levinas to hate something this much, there had to be a story behind it.
“Actually, Levinas used to like hats! But hats don’t like Levinas!”
“R-right…”
I had no idea what she meant. Was this some kind of childish logic? All I could do was listen to her grumbling.
“Levinas hates hats! Hats are mean!”
“Levinas, why do you hate them so much?”
“Saebyeok will understand if you see it!”
With a huff, she jammed the hat onto her head, pulling it down so far it covered her eyebrows. It actually suited her.
“Hmm…?”
She’d only put the hat on—why would that make her hate it? A question mark floated above my head.
Pop—!
The hat suddenly launched off her head like it had springs attached, flying far away.
I stared in disbelief until I realized what had happened—her bouncy rabbit ears had simply pushed it off.
“Oh.”
I hadn’t expected that at all. My tail, which had been swaying in confusion, went completely still.
“Saebyeok saw that, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
Her ears really were impressively elastic. I picked up the hat and tried placing it on her head again.
Pop—!
It was like one of those pirate toys where the sword pops out when you stab it. Hilarious to watch—though I kept my amusement hidden since Levinas clearly wasn’t enjoying it.
“Hats are the worst.”
“Yeah. I can see why.”
I decided not to explain why the hat kept flying off just yet. She was too adorable when she was sulking.
**
A sudden gust had carried away one of the group’s hats. Kwon Arin moved with her training partner to retrieve it.
Found it.
Two familiar beastkin children were holding her partner’s hat. They must have picked it up after it blew over. Kwon Arin started leading her partner toward the kids, only to stop in her tracks.
It was a bucket hat. Every time Saebyeok placed it on Levinas’s head, the hat popped right off again. Saebyeok seemed to find it endlessly entertaining and kept repeating the motion.
Pop—!
“Hats are Levinas’s mortal enemy.”
Pop—!
“Levinas won’t give carrots to any hats.”
Levinas added a new complaint with every pop, her expression stormy—yet she never refused when Saebyeok tried again. Whether she was simply letting Saebyeok do whatever she wanted or secretly hoping the hat would stay this time, the sight was heartwarmingly cute. Even Kwon Arin’s partner, who loved cute things, blushed at the scene.
Couldn’t they just poke holes in the hat?
Saebyeok was smart for her age—she probably knew that. She was just playing with Levinas’s ears on purpose, wasn’t she? Noticing Saebyeok’s tail swaying, Kwon Arin decided to watch a little longer. Levinas’s puffed-up cheeks were simply too adorable.
“Why…! Why do hats only hate Levinas…! Levinas actually likes hats, though…!”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—
Levinas swung her tiny clenched fists through the air. Saebyeok simply kept placing the hat on her head in silence.