Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: This Isn't a Catfight
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Eventually, at Erina Esnatia's urging, they ended up at the restaurant she recommended.
"Is this really a restaurant...?"
The people below looked like ants. No, they were so tiny from this height that they were barely visible.
It was a view that seemed to encompass the entire Seoul skyline.
"Insane..."
"Feast your eyes on it! Si-woo KIM!!"
"It's pretty normal, though? What's got you so shocked?"
Baek A-rin didn't seem fazed at all.
What can you do?
I'm just a country bumpkin.
A view like this would knock someone like me out cold.
"The prices here must be ridiculous."
"Prices? That's something a commoner like YOU doesn't need to worry about! If you want, I'll bring you here anytime!"
"Erina! Erina! Erina!"
Baek A-rin gazed out at the scenery and said,
"Not bad here."
"You've been before?"
"Of course. Though I never imagined I'd come with you. Especially not with her tagging along."
Baek A-rin pointed at Erina Esnatia as she spoke.
She'd been on full alert since earlier.
"ME? Did you call me?"
"No, nobody called you."
"SHIT! I know you're talking behind my back!!!"
"What's her deal now?"
Is she really turning into a class rep type?
Is it because of me?
Just then, a sharply dressed waiter approached as if to guide them.
"Sorry, we don't accept walk-ins without a reservation..."
"WHAT..! No way...!"
"Erina, that's what you get for bragging."
"SHIT!!! As if I'd bluff! Do you think I'm some con artist like YOU!!"
"Tsk, con artist? Watch your mouth. You're the one caught red-handed right now."
"Un... Unjust... DA...."
This is fun.
The waiter asked Erina once more.
"Ah! If you're VIPs, could you please tell me your name so I can check?"
"Kyahaha! Yes! VIP.. name is..."
As Erina was about to say her name, the waiter spotted Baek A-rin and exclaimed in surprise.
"Ah!! My apologies, Ms. Baek A-rin. I didn't realize you had company. Right this way to a private room."
The waiter recognized Baek A-rin's face and immediately moved to escort them to a private room.
"No... Ah.. It's fine...."
Baek A-rin seemed caught off guard and flustered as she followed the waiter to the private room.
"...You must come here a lot."
"Worried I'd lie about it? What do you take me for."
She said that while pointing to the brand name under the restaurant's title.
"Snow Mountain..."
For real.
"If... if this were America.... ME too..."
Erina Esnatia ground her teeth, instantly sinking into gloom.
"I know, calm down."
"Shit! You really know? Si-woo kimchi!"
"I know. Erina's amazing."
"YEAH!"
Erina Esnatia perked up instantly at the soulless praise.
What is she, exactly?
"...."
Baek A-rin's expression looked much the same.
'What the hell is she?'
Baek A-rin was flustered. She'd thought Kim Si-woo was a gem buried in the dirt.
But now, the reality was hitting her that she might not be the only one who noticed.
'Esnatia... If that family's daughter is approaching him, does that mean she sniffed something out?'
The Esnatia family.
Baek A-rin knew they were one of America's top families, even if not in the absolute elite.
'Her goal is Kim Si-woo? Why? How? Does she know there's something special about him? Even if so, how did they get so close? I haven't even bought him a meal yet.'
Baek A-rin's thoughts about the relationship between Erina Esnatia and Kim Si-woo were growing more tangled by the minute.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
Erina Esnatia smiled and asked Baek A-rin.
'And that girl. She's weirdly conscious of me... No, wary of me. Definitely.'
Baek A-rin couldn't see Erina—who was closing in on the Kim Si-woo she'd marked—in a good light.
But she had no reason to restrain Kim Si-woo, so there was nothing she could do.
"So, how did you two meet?"
"Well..."
As Kim Si-woo tried to brush it off vaguely, Erina Esnatia smiled and said,
"Si-woo KIM saved ME!"
"Saved you?"
"YES! From a massive boss monster! He heroically rescued ME when I was in danger!"
Erina Esnatia brazenly covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed.
Kim Si-woo thought as he watched her.
'Well done! Fan the flames in Baek A-rin's heart even more!'
"So what exactly happened? A boss monster?"
The incident was recent, and the academy had deliberately downplayed it, so it hadn't reached Baek A-rin's ears.
"A boss monster appeared in Professor Sin So-ah's class dungeon. Erina and I are both in her class."
"A boss monster appeared?"
"YES! Exactly! It was incredibly strong!"
"Then Professor Sin So-ah took care of it herself? What's this about you saving her?"
Baek A-rin asked with a look of disbelief.
"No! It appeared when it was just ME and him! Si-woo KIM saved ME when I was about to die! It was super strong, but Si-woo risked his life to save me!"
Erina Esnatia stuck to the facts while slyly phrasing it to get under Baek A-rin's skin.
But Baek A-rin latched onto something else.
"Then who... took down that boss monster?"
"You asking 'cause you don't know?! Obviously Si-woo KIM!"
Baek A-rin's pupils trembled.
'Kim Si-woo took down a boss monster...? By himself?!'
Baek A-rin didn't doubt the fact itself.
She was just shocked that he was an even bigger deal than she'd thought.
But what worried her was something entirely different.
'Erina Esnatia knows about Kim Si-woo's abilities!'
Baek A-rin had thought she was the one who discovered the gem hidden in the mud.
But Erina had already seen it sparkle.
"Is that why you're sticking to Kim Si-woo...?"
Baek A-rin struggled to maintain a poker face as she asked in a trembling voice.
"WHAT...? 'Cause he's a strong MAN, obviously...?"
Erina Esnatia brushed it off casually, not fully grasping the implication.
Or rather, she thought she was brushing it off because she hadn't fully realized her own feelings.
And Baek A-rin...
'Erina Esnatia is after Kim Si-woo.'
Completely misunderstood.
I didn't even need to stir the pot—Erina Esnatia was already setting Baek A-rin's heart ablaze.
"Erina forever! Erina forever!"
"S... Suddenly?! YEAH!!! That's right, KIMCHI!"
Sneak praise attack.
Erina Esnatia. She more than deserved it.
Baek A-rin's pained expression was just a bonus.
"Let's eat first..."
Baek A-rin let out a deep sigh.
At the same time, dishes were placed before them along with the staff's explanations.
"We'll start with the amuse-bouche."
Bouche?
The only bouche I know is a bush.
"They put bushes in food?"
Can't understand the minds of the rich.
"You know a lot about food, huh?"
"Basics."
Looks like I was mistaken.
In Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy, I thought Erina and Yoon So-ah handled the brute force, while Kang Hwa-yeon and Baek A-rin were the brains.
Not putting bushes in food is beyond basic—it's common sense.
"Quit yapping and eat it already! Si-woo KIM!"
At Erina's words, I put the food in my mouth.
Damn.
It's straight-up damn good.
"This is food...?"
"YES! This is what they call food!"
"C... Can I eat this too?"
I pointed at the new dish the staff had just brought.
"Of course! Si-woo KIMCHI! Eat up!"
"Erina! Erina! Erina!"
"Kyahahahaha!"
Erina Esnatia covered her wide-open mouth with her hand as she laughed.
My jaw dropped.
This was closer to artwork than food.
Even a food newbie like me could tell a top chef had poured hours into it.
"C... Can I really eat something like this?"
"Of course! Si-woo KIM! You'll be eating like this a lot from now on, so don't hold back!"
"Again?"
"If you want!"
Damn.
Too damn good.
Erina Esnatia.
Is she a goddess?
"...Good?"
Baek A-rin watched me and Erina Esnatia with her head tilted.
Oh crap. Maybe I should've toned it down in front of Baek A-rin.
My bad.
Why does being next to Erina Esnatia make me feel like my IQ drops too?
"The main..."
A new dish arrived.
What the hell is this one!
"Here, try this too! Savor the flavor and be amazed! Si-woo KIM!"
At Erina's urging, I picked up fork and knife, cut a piece lightly, and put it in my mouth.
...!
Not easy.
My vocabulary isn't enough to describe this taste with words I know.
Complex, subtle.
The heavy meat flavor enveloped my tongue, then a briny sea scent brushed past my nose.
Like the shock when early humans first cooked meat after discovering fire.
"Wh... What is this..."
"What's wrong?"
Baek A-rin looked puzzled at my words and took a bite herself.
"It's normal."
Th... This is normal?
Baek A-rin, Erina Esnatia.
What kind of food do they usually eat to call this normal?
"By the way, you don't seem like a first-timer here either."
Me?
No way.
"SHIT! What are you saying! Our Si-woo KIM can't come to places like this. Best he can do is Grandma's home-cooked Chi... GUEEEEE!"
Why's she choking on her own words again?
"Your fork and knife work... table manners are on point. I had a rough guess."
What rough guess?
She's convincing herself of something weird again.
I just learned it from a part-time job back in the day.
Now that I've had a delicious meal...
All that's left is meeting the legendary blacksmith Mura.
Just then, Erina scooped up a big portion from the plate and brought it to my mouth.
"Si-woo, eat big!"
"Ah!! I was saving some!!!"