Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: First Session (3)
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"Ah, here! Right here!"
I startled at the voice coming from the entrance as soon as I stepped into the library, looking around. In the center of the library was a wide open space with a round table and chairs. Surrounding it like a fence were low bookshelves filled mostly with self-help books and the latest trendy autobiographies of hunters.
Behind her was the novel section, and in a distant corner were the specialized textbooks. I'd pictured a reading room when she said library, but this was more like a small lounge they called a library. It was definitely too modest to call a full library.
Senior Kim Yu-jeong covered her mouth and chuckled as I hesitated, recognizing her and approaching. She had short brown hair that swayed refreshingly, and a beautiful smile. She wore a light sky-blue jacket over a white shirt and a slightly short skirt that revealed her thighs. Struggling not to stare at her legs, I sat down.
She slid a pre-pulled beverage toward me.
"Tough getting here, right?"
"No, not at all. It's the next building over, so it was easy."
"Oh? What about Ichigaya Ichie? I heard you two are paired up."
Yu-jeong senior nodded at my words and asked about Ichie. I shook my head in response.
"I heard Ichie won't be able to make it for about a week since she still has business in Japan."
"Really?"
Yu-jeong senior looked genuinely troubled. Her furrowed brow and twitching lips clashed so much with her lively vibe that I flinched. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and met my lingering gaze. I jolted and looked away when our eyes met, and she laughed again before speaking.
"Oh, sorry. It's just... well... Actually, I'm with a guild. Heard of the Black Dragon Clan?"
"Ah, yes, I have."
The A-rank Black Dragon Clan guild. They often showed up at major gate incidents, were active in rescues and donations, and had a great image. Some trainees who awakened and trained with guilds beforehand attended the academy, and Yu-jeong senior seemed to be one of them.
"The Black Dragon Clan is super interested in Ichigaya Ichie. So, they asked me, her mentor, to check her out this time. That's how I ended up mentoring. I'm not great at teaching others."
Yu-jeong senior grumbled cutely and grinned. I grinned back like an idiot and nodded. Then I bowed my head again.
"Ah, yes. Looking forward to working with you."
"Sure thing. Same here. I'm 'Kim Yu-jeong' Kim Yu-jeong."
"Yes, um..."
I froze trying to say my nickname. My mouth wouldn't move, like I was cursed. I just twitched my lips and gave an awkward smile. Seeing me stop mid-introduction, Yu-jeong senior looked puzzled, then opened her electronic pad to look me up.
"Why'd you stop?"
"Huh? Oh, well... My nickname is a bit..."
"Pfft, what's wrong with nicknames? Mine's 'Kim Yu-jeong' too. People tease me about it outside."
She mumbled that while picking up her pad, clearly planning to check it herself. Seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes, I couldn't bring myself to stop her. Instead, I started rambling excuses before she found it.
"Please don't misunderstand. It's not like I normally think or act that way. I was drunk, no real thought behind it! It was like an act of God in my weakened state. I regret it too."
Yu-jeong senior lowered her pad and looked up. She grinned at my desperate face. She seemed like someone who smiled a lot, true to her first impression.
"You're cute."
Her words made my heart pound. I took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed.
"Let's see..."
Her smiling face lit up even more when she found "Jeong Su-hyeon." But as her eyes shifted sideways, the brightness vanished instantly. A strange, awkward expression lingered like the afterimage of her smile. Her trembling fingertips and wandering eyes were crystal clear.
Whew.
Fuck.
Silence fell.
"Uh..."
After a long silence, her first words were right on cue. Her eyes stared into space, an awkward smile on her face, nodding as if agreeing with someone invisible.
"I mean, it happens. Names aren't everything, right? Yeah?"
She was trying to encourage me, buying my drunk excuse. I nodded with an awkward expression.
The warm atmosphere from moments ago had shattered with my one nickname. She still wore a relaxed smile, scrolling her pad as she spoke to me.
"It happens. People want unique nicknames sometimes. I get it. Do you know why mine's 'Kim Yu-jeong'?"
No clue. Was the Black Dragon Clan a real-name guild? I shook my head.
"No idea."
"The Black Dragon Clan assigns nicknames to new recruits. My classmate got Iron-Blooded Fist King, and I was 'Plum Blossom Beauty.' Felt good at first, but thinking I'd live my whole hunter life as 'Plum Blossom Beauty' Kim Yu-jeong? Horrifying."
Not my place to say, but their naming sense seemed stuck 30 years in the past. Forcing wuxia nicknames on young twenties. No wonder their guild interviews were always old guys.
"So... you went with your real name?"
"And I excused it as mistaking the name field for the nickname one."
Yu-jeong senior stuck out her tongue playfully. I couldn't help but laugh. Seeing me laugh, she smoothly changed the subject.
"Now that we've met, let's keep it simple. I even brought a Japanese conversation book, but guess we don't need it."
She flashed the book from her bag. Then she placed a hand on her chest.
"Good thing I didn't practice much Japanese."
I laughed again. Talking with Yu-jeong senior made me smile a lot.
"Ah, yes. Looking forward to it."
"Don't be so nervous. Mentoring's nothing weird. Just a quick school tour, some advice on tomorrow's classes. That sort of thing?"
"Ah, yes."
As I answered, she narrowed her eyes.
"Too stiff. Like, 'Understood~.' Or 'Got it, I'll do that~.' Ugh, brighter than that. Friendly. Like, 'Got it, senior.' Something warm."
I scratched my head at her request. Talk to a girl like that? Too high difficulty. On the flip side, with my 'Ada Bomber' nickname, this might be my last shot at being friendly with a girl. I smiled.
"Ah, got it, senior."
"Hahahahaha!"
She laughed like it'd been the funniest joke. Her eyes crinkled into crescents, showing she was genuinely amused. Brushing back her hair, she covered her slightly open mouth. Her even, white teeth gleamed.
"Ah, so cute."
She murmured softly, then started fiddling with her electronic pad.
"First, I'll show you how to use the school map. Got your pad?"
"Ah, yes."
Teacher Jeong-ah had told me to take the pad when I was leaving. Thanks to that, my bag now held one with [Ada Bomber] displayed in the top right corner.
Fuck.
"In the capability enhancement program, check the facilities section for the map. I'll explain based on this. Map on?"
"Yes."
I hurriedly followed her lead to open the map. A 3D virtual graphic popped up on the pad. It was so intuitive and flashy that I couldn't help widening my eyes. Yu-jeong senior laughed at my reaction.
"Everyone's like this first time. That's why we do mentoring."
She spun the map around, explaining key areas one by one. The Hunter Academy main building looked like a big lunchbox from outside, but the interior facilities were surprisingly complex.
"The first-floor cafeteria is open to outsiders too, so eat on the second floor unless you have to. Reporters swarm the first floor. Getting caught in weird news hurts no one but you, so second floor. Got it? Especially after hunter incidents—never the first floor."
"Infirmary. Super important, memorize the location. You'll visit often. Free health checks too, get one before graduating."
"Training rooms are reservation-only. First-years won't have time anyway. Peek once to know the layout, I'll tell you how to book later. Actually, wanna go now? You won't get chances soon. Let's go."
"Yes?"
She suggested heading to the training room while I scrambled to keep up.
And nodded to herself, urging me with her eyes to agree quickly.
My first mentor was like the wind.