Chapter 114
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: D-Day (1)
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Same day, a few hours later. Dawn. Morning as the sun begins to rise.
The neon signs that had blazed through the night flickered out one by one, leaving only unidentified filth and the sticky traces of last night's debauchery scattered across the damp asphalt.
The night dwellers vanished into the shadows, and the morning sky slowly revealed its bare face.
Right in the midst of that boundary, Miyazaki Rena's manager paced the same spot for hours, like a man who'd lost his mind.
'Where the hell did she go, damn it!'
The smartphone in his hand had been utterly silent for hours. No incoming calls, just the outgoing log filled with 'Miyazaki Rena.'
Of course, not a single call had connected.
The last time he'd seen her was before sunset.
A dark, musty back alley. A student named Kang Ihyeon who appeared out of nowhere, along with his mysterious companions.
Her resolute face as she shoved him away, insisting she had private business with him alone, was still vivid in his mind.
"See, it was dangerous after all. I never should have left Rena alone in a place like this...!"
At first, he'd dismissed it as just another of her whims.
An S-rank hunter like her—in a dingy back alley? What danger could she possibly face? If anything, it was a relief if she didn't turn the whole alley into a wasteland.
But this was Nocturne Town, of all places.
He'd initially cursed the informant Hermes, who had provided him with all the leads.
The masked man had spilled every little detail unasked, stoking her curiosity.
His final words—"Head this way, and you'll meet Kang Ihyeon"—had sparked the whole mess.
But what good was blaming the informant now? The priority was tracking down the vanished Rena, his sole lifeline. If anything happened to her, he'd be out on these brutal streets in a heartbeat.
He gnawed at his nails in anxiety, muttering curses under his breath.
"Kang Ihyeon—that little punk is the problem too. He's the root of it all. Daring to mess with our Rena...!"
The indecent complaint about her getting tangled in a sexual scandal with her doll—all of it traced back to Kang Ihyeon.
'Endure... just endure for now. When Rena gets back, I'll hear what happened... and then...'
He shook his muddled head, filled with anxiety and rage, and picked up his phone again.
This time, he wasn't calling Hermes.
It was the woman who'd first whispered Kang Ihyeon's name and that sleazy rumor to him.
The mysterious figure who'd only introduced herself as "Academy affiliate, A."
Of course, it hadn't been the intern who delivered the complaint who'd first tipped him off about Kang Ihyeon.
Even though it was the dead of night—or early morning, depending on how you sliced it—he didn't care. Politeness could wait.
The cold dial tone dragged on, mirroring his desperation. Pick up, please, pick up. He whispered it fervently.
After several rings, it finally connected.
「...Yes.」
A very cold, chilling woman's voice came through the receiver.
"Ah, um... Ms. A, right? Long time no see. Really sorry for the early hour, but...!"
「Who is this?」
"What? It's me, Miyazaki Rena's manager!"
He hurriedly stated his identity.
"I'm reaching out because... I need more precise info on student Kang Ihyeon! Detailed details and solid proof on that rumor about him sexually harassing Rena's doll! You leaked it to us to drag him down, didn't you? Now's the moment! We team up and...!"
「...I see.」
His frantic plea met a calm response.
Nothing like the secretive whispers from days ago.
He had no idea.
The woman he was speaking to had become an entirely different person in just a few days.
A. Aira Petrovna.
Now Kang Ihyeon's devoted slave.
She wore a faint, icy smile over the line.
「You seem... quite urgent.」
Her leisurely, cold tone sent a chill of foreboding through the manager.
"Huh? What do you..."
「No need to concern yourself anymore. There's no evidence. Or rather, it never existed. The rumor was just that—a rumor.」
"What?! That's ridiculous...!"
「Kang Ihyeon is an exemplary, diligent student. Must've been a misunderstanding. Goodbye.」
He nearly screamed at her nonchalant reply.
"W-wait! Don't hang up!"
The manager cried out desperately.
"That student is definitely a massive problem! From what we've dug up... he's already deeply entangled in Nocturne Town's underworld! I confirmed it directly with informant Hermes! You're just going to let a dangerous guy like that roam free?"
Aira fell silent at his desperate shout. Then her voice returned, far colder and sharper than before.
「...Heh, I see. Got it.」
"Ah..."
「I'll send someone over soon. Within a few days. That work?」
"Y-yes, thank you."
Click.
The call ended abruptly.
The manager stared blankly at the disconnected screen for a moment.
Her attitude was suspicious, but hearing she'd send someone brought a wave of relief. Soon, he'd escape this gnawing anxiety.
He let out a sigh of relief.
A few more hours passed, and his smartphone finally blared to life.
The caller ID was the name he'd agonized over all night.
'Miyazaki Rena'
He answered almost reflexively.
"Rena! Where the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
A mix of relief and worry exploded from his mouth.
He fully expected her usual prickly, irritable retort.
「Mm. Heading out soon. Still inside Nocturne Town.」
But instead, a shy, gentle voice—nothing like what he'd anticipated.
For a moment, he wondered if he'd dialed the wrong number.
When she appeared at the meeting spot soon after, his confusion deepened.
Gone was her usual sharp, rebellious edge. She seemed demure and bashful somehow. And most strikingly, a foreign black choker encircled her pale, slender neck.
"Rena... what's that on your neck?"
"Ah, this?"
Rena gently touched the choker around her neck, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Yesterday... went to the auction with Mr. Kang Ihyeon and got it as a gift. What do you think? Does it suit me?"
"Y-yeah... it's pretty."
He thought it clashed horribly with her, but he had no desire to ruffle her feathers. For now, he was just grateful she was back safe.
Of course, he had no clue.
That 'Kang Ihyeon' was engraved clearly on the choker's inner side—in script he couldn't read.
Naturally, he had no inkling she was a clone, not the real thing.
"Even so, we can't just let this slide, Rena! Whatever pricey bribe that Kang Ihyeon offered or how he sweet-talked you, this is a separate matter! We have to file an official complaint!"
The manager pressed firmly. His face twisted with fury over the blemish on his prized asset and anxiety to resolve it somehow.
But Rena's response to his tirade was utterly apathetic and cold.
「……」
The shy girl from moments ago vanished. She was back to her prickly old self—the idol hunter Miyazaki Rena, disgusted by the world.
The sudden shift left him flustered.
"You... don't like what I'm saying?"
"...Who knows."
"Rena, please snap out of it! Even if you've gotten chummy with him, this isn't something to settle with personal feelings! The guild has its own stakes! If we do nothing now, it'll blow up into something bigger later! You get what I mean, right?"
At his earnest plea, Rena finally spoke, sounding annoyed.
"Do whatever you want."
She spat it out curtly and looked away.
At her gruff permission, he finally exhaled in relief. It had been tough, but he'd succeeded in persuading her. The tension drained away.
Right then, Rena turned back to him.
"But first, something you need to know."
"...Huh?"
"Last night, I got some info out of him."
"I-info? What kind?"
"He wasn't the real culprit. The true one is someone else. Higher up."
The manager's eyes went wide at her words.
"R-really? Who? Who the hell dared to target our Rena...!"
"Academy instructor Seraphina. His teacher."
「……」
"The one we should really report isn't Kang Ihyeon—it's her."
Only then did Rena flash a sweet smile.
Days later, at the Academy.
Seraphina's office reeked of expensive perfume and icy rage.
On her desk lay the morning paper.
[Academy S-Rank Instructor Suspected in Corruption Scandal. Association to Launch Investigation... (excerpt)]
Rip—!
She snatched it up and tore it to shreds. The fluttering scraps mirrored her gray eyes' fury.
Everything had veered off her perfect script.
She'd planned to expose her disciple Kang Ihyeon, directing all spotlight and arrows of blame his way. Leverage the massive name value of Miyazaki Rena to bury him socially. It would highlight the danger of his skills, drawing all eyes to him.
She'd merely play the victim, the noble teacher correcting her wayward pupil.
But the outcome was the opposite.
No condemnation of Kang Ihyeon—not even his name appeared.
Instead, the noose around her own neck tightened further.
'Someone's gunning for me. Articles that praised me before now attack... Definitely Black Line, or a rival in Gray Ash?'
Her pink hair disheveled, she glared at the tense student before her.
"Explain yourself, Cho Jaehyeok."
Her cold voice made the male student's shoulders flinch as he knelt on the office floor. Cho Jaehyeok's face was ashen with fear and confusion.
"What the hell happened? Why no reaction from Miyazaki Rena?"
"Th-that...! Instructor, I swear I'm telling you exactly what I saw...!"
Beside him stood his partner Kim Gayoung, Seraphina's other disciple Lee Soo-yeon, and a few more students, holding their breath.
Her personal little 'Gray Ash' network within the Academy.
"Miyazaki Rena... she didn't get mad! If anything, she showed huge interest in Kang Ihyeon's skill! She grabbed me, grilled me for every scrap of info on him...! When I said I didn't know much, she... she..."
"Speak."
"Beat me...! Then said she'd look into it herself through an informant..."
Seraphina's brow furrowed deeper at his rambling report.
"You expect me to believe that drivel?"
Killing intent laced her voice.
"An S-rank idol hunter feels interest in a student who sullied her honor? Beats trash like you for info? You joking? You botch the mission and spew nonsense excuses?"
"N-no! Instructor! It's true! Exactly as I saw...!"
"Shut up."
She looked down at him with utter contempt, as if he wasn't worth hearing. Useless pawn. Worthless scrap. Her rage stemmed less from his incompetence and more from her flawless plan unraveling due to an unforeseen variable.
She'd orchestrated this partly out of spite toward Kang Ihyeon dodging her, but now she had to admit it: he'd slipped her grasp, soaring into uncharted territory beyond her control.
Seraphina had heard the underworld rumors too.
"Lee Soo-yeon."
"Yes, Instructor."
"You. Contact Kang Ihyeon."
She ordered her other disciple, the one closest to him.
For now, she needed to meet him, gauge his intentions—whether he knew anything about this.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. You're the closest... Hm?"
Just then, her sharp eyes locked onto the unfamiliar accessory around Lee Soo-yeon's neck. A black leather choker.
"What's that?"
"Ah, this? Just... a trendy new fashion item lately..."
Lee Soo-yeon smiled awkwardly, hand to her neck. But Seraphina's suspicious gaze didn't waver.
"Take it off."
"Pardon? But..."
"I said take it off."
It was an order. With trembling hands, Lee Soo-yeon reluctantly unfastened it. Seraphina snatched it roughly and inspected the inside. Her eyes narrowed.
Tiny, intricate letters were engraved within. Ancient script illegible to most. But as a Gray Ash executive versed in lore and magic, she read it effortlessly.
'Kang Ihyeon'
His name.
「……」
Icy silence fell. Her gaze turned frigid as she fixed on Lee Soo-yeon. The girl knew that look.
Designed so only the owner could read it.
"You... what did you do with him?"
"Th-that...!"
Lee Soo-yeon's face drained of color. Head bowed, she stammered excuses in a tiny voice.
"O-one day, these weird letters just appeared on my neck... I freaked out, contacted him... He sent this. To cover them up...! I swear! Before that, just... a one-nighter! And not even me—it was my familiar Nallmigi! Really!"
"Haa..."
Seraphina sighed deeply. She tossed the choker back with a contemptuous glance.
"Looks just like a tattoo on a slave. Pathetic."
She clicked her tongue and issued another order.
"Put it back on. Contact him now. Tell him to come to my office tomorrow."
"Y-yes! Understood!"
She couldn't stand by and watch this fiasco any longer.