Collecting the Wager
Why were all the members of the Swordsmanship Club like this?
Walker, that bastard.
Just as I thought, he was hiding right here in the Swordsmanship Club.
If he assumed I'd stay away because I felt uncomfortable around the club, he had miscalculated. If I were that terrified of what other people thought, I would have dropped out of the academy and slunk back to my hometown a long time ago.
I came to a halt in front of the Swordsmanship Club Training Ground.
Street shoes were forbidden inside; you had to wear specialized training footwear. I'd thrown mine out last year, after Erika warned me that the upperclassmen in the club were sick of seeing my face around here. I had no use for them after that anyway, and buying a brand-new pair just to drag Walker out felt like a complete waste of money.
Looking at Walker trembling in the distance at the sight of me, I almost felt like tearing up—from pure amusement.
"Hey, Walker. How've you been? You were nowhere to be found in the classroom. Hiding in here, were you?"
"W-Who says I'm hiding!"
Even as he sputtered the words, he was steadily inching backward toward the far corner, as far away from the shoe racks as he could get.
Not a single strand of Walker's hair had changed since yesterday. If anything, it looked glossier than usual. Did the threat of losing it make him cherish it even more, driving him to groom it with maniacal devotion?
"I see you haven't shaved it. I told you to come back completely bald. Didn't you hear me?"
"Anything but my hair, please! You know how much this means to me. It's practically my entire identity!"
"You're the one who promised to grant a wish. You said you'd do whatever was within your power."
"I can't part with this hair! Asking me to shave it is like asking me to die! Han Yoosung! What do you even gain from making me cut my hair? You get nothing out of it!"
"Actually, I do."
"You do?"
I smirked.
"A wish fulfilled."
"I'm begging you, please! I'll do anything else! If there was a girl you liked among the ones I was hanging out with the other day, I'll hand her over to you. If you want both, you can have both!"
Did this idiot forget the fit those girls threw when he made that exact same offer last time? There was no way he'd forgotten, but in his panic, he was simply blurting out whatever crossed his mind. It painted a pretty clear picture of how he viewed women on a daily basis.
"No thanks. Other than your hair, there isn't a single thing about you that interests me."
"Why are you so obsessed with my hair?! If I lose it, I won't be able to go on living!"
"I never asked you to go on living. I just came to claim my prize."
There wasn't the slightest reason for me to show him mercy. Back when I was looking at the tournament bracket in the hallway, he was the one who brought up my father and sneered that I was the son of a traitor, all while puffing his chest about who was truly worthy of representing the academy.
"So you're saying you don't care if I die?!"
"You talk as if there's some kind of deep connection between us."
If we had any relationship at all, it was strictly as enemies.
"Besides, knowing how much you flap your gums, you'd never have the guts to pull something like that on your own."
Guys who acted like him always treasured their own skin above everything else. Why would I take the word of a coward who was throwing a hysterical tantrum and running away just over getting his head shaved?
"Walk out here right now, and I'll keep it to clippers. But if I have to go in there and drag you out, I'm plucking it down to the roots."
"That's not shaving your head, that's torture!"
It seemed he had no intention of coming out voluntarily. Nothing for it, then.
I was just about to slip off my shoes and step inside, even if it meant getting my socks dirty, when—
"Hold on."
A voice cut me off.
It was Erika, who had been standing nearby the entire time. Ever since she told me to pretend we didn't know each other, I'd been returning the favor by ignoring her completely. Now, she stood squarely in my path, gripping a practice sword in one hand.
"Han Yoosung. If you're not a club member, you can't come in here."
"Outsiders can't enter? I don't recall such a rule."
"It's the Imperial Festival period right now. Special rules have been put in place."
"You were standing right there listening to everything. That guy broke his promise and fled in here."
"I know."
"Then drag him out here for me. I'll wait right here."
"I can't do that either."
"What?"
"Just go back for today."
"Go back? You stood there watching me shout my lungs out, and that's what you have to say?"
If she was going to stop me, she should have explained that from the very beginning. What kind of logic was it to watch me argue for minutes on end before piping up? Not that I would have backed down anyway.
Erika spoke again.
"I'll talk to Walker myself."
"I was literally just talking to him. What difference does it make if you talk to him?"
"Han Yoosung. Why are you so angry? Just calm down."
"Did you already forget that you told me to forfeit because Walker was going on about crushing me?"
"......You won, didn't you? Isn't that enough?"
"Enough because I won?"
"In the end, you weren't hurt, and you won the match. Walker suffered a pathetic defeat in front of the entire student body. His reputation is already in free fall as we speak."
"So that makes everything square?"
"There's no need to complicate things any further."
I never expected Erika to take his side like this. What was her angle? Wasn't she currently going out with Rowell, the club president? Then again, if you swing swords together every day, I suppose feelings could develop for someone else. No point overthinking it; I could just ask.
"Lend me your ear for a second."
"Huh?"
"It's not really something other people should hear."
Erika looked puzzled for a moment, and then, for some reason, a blush crept onto her face. I leaned in and whispered softly into her ear. After all, one had to respect personal privacy.
"Do you like Walker or something?"
At that, sheer horror washed over Erika's face. She recoiled, glaring at me as she snapped:
"Stop talking utter nonsense! How could I possibly?!"
"Nonsense? I put some genuine deduction into that."
"Deduction?! Don't make me laugh!"
"Then why are you taking his side?"
"I am not taking his side!"
"Then what is it?"
"If you really want to drag Walker out of here that badly......"
"If I do, what? Why stop mid-sentence?"
After a brief silence, Erika looked straight into my eyes and said:
"Can't you just let it slide this once, for my sake?"
"......?"
"Walker is reflecting on his actions. He promised he won't cause any unnecessary commotion in the club from now on. If he settles down, it's good for the Swordsmanship Club. And that means... I won't have to worry nearly as much."
I blinked blankly at her.
"So in short, you want me to let it go because it makes life more comfortable for you?"
"I'm not asking for a favor for free, of course. As it happens, my schedule is open this weekend."
A faint crimson began to color Erika's cheeks once more.
"If you'd like, I could spend some time with you then. I heard an interesting movie came out recently...... If there's something you want to see, we could watch it together."
"Why...?"
The dazed question slipped from my lips before I could stop it.
"What do you mean, why? We used to do that all the time."
Had this girl completely forgotten that she was the one who told me to pretend we didn't know each other at the academy, drifting away from me ever since?
"I haven't the faintest clue why you're bringing up the past. Besides, weren't you the one who wanted to avoid giving people the wrong idea? Aren't you dating Rowell?"
"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?!"
"You two seem attached at the hip every day."
"That's...... that has nothing to do with what we're talking about right now!"
"Well, I'd rather not get on Rowell's bad side for no reason."
"Han Yoosung!"
"Also, the Imperial Festival is right around the corner. With that level of effort and resolve... even if you managed to become an academy representative, you'd get knocked out in the preliminary round."
Back during our first and second years, Erika used to say all the time that her dream was to represent our academy at the Imperial Festival. At this point, I had no obligation to give her advice, but letting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away due to half-hearted dedication would leave a bitter taste in anyone's mouth.
Erika glared at me.
"I never asked for your advice."
"Fine. I'll keep quiet. Now go bring Walker out. Otherwise, I'm going in."
"I'm asking you like this, and you still won't listen?"
Erika scowled with deep displeasure.
Just as I opened my mouth to call out her sheer shamelessness—
"That's enough."
Another voice cut into our conversation.
Erika and I turned our heads at the same time. It was the Swordsmanship Club President, Rowell. I had no idea how long he had been standing there listening.
The moment he appeared, the scowl that had been directed at me melted seamlessly from Erika's face.
"Rowell...... When did you get here?"
"A moment ago."
With that curt answer, Rowell turned his gaze toward Walker.
"Walker. How long do you plan on hiding behind Erika?"
Singled out, Walker hurriedly protested.
"Hiding? I was never hiding!"
Rowell, however, knew exactly what kind of person Walker was and refused to entertain his excuses.
"It was a promise you made yourself. If you run away now, what does that do to the reputation of our club? You are the Vice President. Don't you even have the resolve to honor your own words?"
"Rowell! Dammit, you know how much I treasure this hair! It's a priceless treasure to me!"
"Then you should have won. The only reason your complacency was tolerated until now was your skill. But as it turns out... you've actually regressed."
"Regressed?!"
"You have too many excuses. If that weren't the case, how could you have lost to someone like him?"
Oho.
I hadn't expected him to throw shade at me like that. Then again, blowing a fuse and picking a fight right here would only be more exhausting. How much time had I already wasted just trying to give one guy a haircut?
"Rowell! We're friends, aren't we? Help me out here! I swear I'll be diligent with club activities from now on!"
"You seem to be mistaken about something. We are third-years now. The moment we fail to participate in the Imperial Festival, everything is meaningless. There are no second chances."
Rowell coldly shut down Walker's desperate, screeching plea. He addressed the surrounding club members.
"Bring him out here."
A moment later, two club members seized Walker by both arms.
"Wait! Hey, let go! Do you even know who I am to lay your hands on me?! You bastards!"
"Vice President, please stay still."
"It's the President's orders."
"Rowell! We're in the same club, how can you do this to me?!"
Rowell didn't even dignify him with a reply. And just like that, Walker was dragged right in front of me.
"Thanks."
If they'd cooperated like this from the start, we would have been done ages ago. Look at how much time I'd squandered here.
"Walker? Good to see you. Now, let's make sure we don't let go of each other's hands, okay?"
I gripped his hand tightly and turned to leave, but Rowell called out to me from behind.
"Hey. Black-hair."
There was no way he didn't know my name, which made the petty slight all the more obvious.
"Talking to me?"
"I understand you're feeling good after beating Walker, but don't come all the way to the Swordsmanship Club Training Ground to cause a scene."
"......I didn't come to cause a scene. I came because your club member broke his promise and hid in here. Besides, it's not like this is your private property."
"I know what you're trying to say. However, outsiders are not authorized to visit here—especially during the preparation period for the Imperial Festival."
"Ah, is that so?"
"From now on, if an issue arises regarding club matters, submit a formal request through the academy administration. This is not a place for you to stroll in and stir up trouble as you please."
"Understood! Crystal clear, Captain!"
As I dragged Walker away, a conversation drifted from behind me. I didn't need to look back to know whose voices they were.
"Erika."
"Yes?"
"I know the history between you and that guy. But there's no need for you to deal with him yourself. Don't let yourself get needlessly entangled with him; come to me next time."
"......All right. Thank you for looking out for me, Rowell."
It sounded entirely different from the sharp, hostile tone she'd used on me.