Punishment
The principal's office.
With the door closed, a long silence stretched between them.
Yu-ryeon crossed her arms and scrunched her face.
"So that bastard did something shitty first, then?"
Her aunt's voice was calm and low.
Yu-ryeon smirked, curling her lip.
"That's right. That little fuck asked me how much he'd have to spend to get his face slapped."
Her aunt opened her eyes just a sliver.
"Inside the academy, raise your voice. So are you saying you did nothing wrong?"
Yu-ryeon snorted.
"Well, yeah, I did go a little hard on him, but I never started it. I'm honestly pissed."
Her aunt let out a long breath.
"What did I tell you at orientation?"
Yu-ryeon kicked the floor with her toe, looking sour.
"Study hard, succeed in life... something like that."
"Didn't I also say don't fight other students until they're dead?"
"...Oh, right. I think I did say that too."
Cheonghwa quietly averted her gaze, and Seolhye leaned against the wall, eyes half-lidded.
Yu-ryeon's voice rose again.
"But that kid really touched me first, okay! If he hadn't lost his mind, I wouldn't have lifted a finger!"
Her aunt was firm.
"Even so, the fact that you used your hands is the fact. Everyone there saw you light the fire."
Yu-ryeon turned her head away.
"...Yeah. But I'm still pissed about it."
Her aunt tapped the desk with her finger.
"You get twenty hours of community service on campus.
He gets ten days' suspension, one hundred hours of community service, and twenty hours of sex education.
The disciplinary action ends here."
Yu-ryeon's mouth fell open.
"Wait, why do I...!"
Her aunt cut her off immediately.
"That's the school code. You think you can set students on fire at the Academy? Normally I'd punish you harder, but I'm going easy because of Hwanhyeon. Be grateful."
Yu-ryeon turned her head to the side with a huff.
"...I know, but that bastard started it first... I'm really pissed though..."
Her aunt cut her off.
"I don't want to hear excuses. Go back now."
The matter-of-fact Yeryeong dismissed her with quiet finality.
"Ah. Hwanhyeon stays."
Everyone but me.
—Clank.—
The sound of the door closing echoed through the room. In the space cut off from the outside, it was just the two of us. Her aunt sighed and softened her expression.
"...It's been a long time."
I forced an awkward smile.
"It's only been a month."
"You never once came to visit me in that time."
"Well... I figured you'd be busy, Aunt..."
"Don't give me that nonsense. Don't you know why I stay in the Human World?"
Right. Because of my mother's request.
Whether her words of 'protect him' had grabbed me by the ankle, or whether there was simply nothing else to hold onto.
Thinking about it, my aunt had raised me with her best effort.
I nodded.
A short silence. Only the ticking of the clock was clear.
"You are the child I raised with my heart.
Even if there's no blood relation, you are my family, and that won't change."
My chest stung.
Even words like that were something I could only be grateful for.
"...Thank you, Aunt."
Her aunt nodded softly.
She stared at me for a while, then after a moment gestured for me to leave.
"I held on too long. Go now. If you need help, come anytime. It's fine even if you have no business."
"Yes. I'll go."
"Ah, one more thing."
"Cheonghwa. Watch that girl."
"Yes?"
"The Blue Dragon Hall owes loyalty to the Hwan house."
"...?"
With that enigmatic final remark, I was ushered out of the principal's office.
"Master, I've been waiting. We should head to the assembly time."
The moment I stepped out, the one I ran into was Cheonghwa, the very person I'd just been warned about.
Watch over Cheonghwa? Why exactly?
"...Ah, yeah... let's go."
"Was something happen inside? Your complexion isn't good."
"No, it's nothing. We'll be late. Let's hurry."
"I'll go find Jinyeol and bring her. It's said that if you don't show your face on the first day, the rest of your school life will be lonely."
I gathered Cheonghwa and Yu-ryeon who were waiting outside, and headed for the orientation location of the First Platoon.
The whole way, my aunt's final words circled through my mind.
Meanwhile, inside the principal's office.
"You raised him well. He looks just like his father."
Geum Yeoryeong gazed at the firmly shut door with a distant look in her eyes.
**********
"And that concludes the orientation. Do your best and achieve good results."
The orientation was truly over in the blink of an eye.
The instructor had put down the guide booklet in under ten minutes, said something vague, and left immediately.
"What was her name again..."
Yu-ryeon muttered, staring at the booklet.
"Instructor Wi Seoyeon. It says she was an A-rank close-combat hunter."
Cheonghwa answered, quickly flipping through the guide booklet.
"A-rank? Then she's a precious resource that big guilds would try to recruit."
Yu-ryeon's expression flickered with surprise.
"That's probably why too. I don't know how much the Academy pays, but it can't match what a large guild offers."
Cheonghwa said it very calmly.
"...So it all comes down to money."
I let out a dry laugh.
"Well, it's all about eating and living, so what can you do."
Cheonghwa gave a slight nod.
"So, what do we do now?"
I glanced at the clock.
Only quiet sighs drifted around us.
So now what.
We'd finished way too early, and I had no idea what to do.
The training grounds were at an awkward time, and
if I went to exercise, more people would start showing up soon.
I just didn't feel like doing anything.
"I need to go do some community service or something. I'll be back around dinner. Ugh...! So frustrating!"
Yu-ryeon grumbled, kicking the floor with her foot, then after finishing her sentence leaned against the wall for a moment before sighing and heading outside.
"I'm going to exercise. Lately, I haven't been able to exercise properly because I've been running Master around in circles... I mean, training him."
Seolhye stretched her body expressionlessly and walked toward the direction Yu-ryeon had gone.
She really only takes care of her own business.
"All that's left are Cheonghwa and Jinyeol, then..."
I awkwardly scanned the remaining people.
"I have a regular report to submit to the Blue Dragon Hall today."
Cheonghwa explained calmly.
I sighed inwardly. 'Even Cheonghwa...'
"I'm sorry."
Cheonghwa bowed politely and, after leaving only a brief greeting, slipped quietly out of the classroom.
In the end, it was just me and Jinyeol.
An awkward silence lingered in the classroom.
We just exchanged glances, saying nothing for a long while.
"...Jinyeol."
I spoke first, quietly.
"...Y-yes...!"
Jinyeol answered in a small voice, startled.
"Um... want to go get something to eat?"
I asked, trailing off.
"O-oh... that... yes... I'd like that..."
Jinyeol gave a quick little nod.
It's said that eating together is the best way to get closer to someone.
I walked toward the door first, slowly.
Jinyeol followed wordlessly, keeping a slight distance behind me.
When we stepped out of the classroom, a quiet tension still hung between us.
Jinyeol held her hamburger tightly in both hands and carefully took a bite.
"Mmnn... mmm..."
I glanced at Jinyeol eating and offered an awkward remark.
"You okay? I said let's go eat something good, but I brought you here, so I'm sorry about that."
Jinyeol glanced at me with her cheeks full and nodded.
"...It's okay..."
"Really okay? If the taste doesn't agree with you, you can leave it."
Jinyeol answered with her head slightly lowered.
"...It's delicious..."
"Is this your first time eating something like this? A hamburger?"
"...Yes... I've never had Human World food before..."
I offered her the fries, feeling guilty.
"Try these too. I bought them so we could eat together."
Jinyeol carefully picked up a fry.
"...It's hot... but... it's crispy..."
I took a sip of cola and hesitated.
"If it's uncomfortable, say so right away. It might be unfamiliar at first."
"...Yes..."
Jinyeol just quietly ate for a while.
I wanted to keep the conversation going, so I deliberately added more words.
"Is the atmosphere here okay? If you're worried about people's stares or anything like that, we can go somewhere quieter next time."
Jinyeol slowly shook her head.
"...This place is fine... it's okay..."
I kept catching myself glancing at Jinyeol's face... well, honestly, my gaze kept drifting lower on its own.
The problem was that I couldn't actually look at Jinyeol properly.
With every bite she took of the hamburger... honestly, my line of sight kept getting in the way.
Until Jinyeol finished her meal, I kept stealing glances at her chest.
This is... an irresistible force. Yeah, that's all it is.
Once the meal was over, Jinyeol suddenly looked straight at me.
"...F-from the start... where were you... keep... staring...?"
"No! I didn't look at anything!"
Jinyeol's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Y-you're lying... my... my chest... you were looking at all of it..."
"..."
"...D-do you mean... you're going to... like with Yu-ryeon... slowly... make me... do lewd things... at the end...?!"
"What?!"
What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jinyeol-ya...
"I'm sorry for staring at your chest, but I wasn't planning anything like that!"
Jinyeol's face was getting redder and redder.
"Y-you say that... but eventually... I'll also... become like the others... begging for your cock... like...!"
I was at a loss.
Starting today, I was certain of it.
The four divine heirs I summoned were, one by one...
completely sexually depraved.
Jinyeol shook her head and threw out one more sentence.
"I... later... I'll also... wear Yu-ryeon's outfit... like that... slutty clothes... strutting around in front of everyone... and enjoy watching me be embarrassed...!"
"No, Jinyeol! I'm really not doing that!!"
Murmuring sounds came from around us.
Right now, the only thing I had to do was grab Jinyeol and run back to the dorm as fast as possible.
**********
"Contact with Yu-ryeon has been lost."
Contact with Yu-ryeon has been lost.
The community service for the day was over, and there was still time left.
Yu-ryeon hadn't come back.