Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Wrong Encounter (2)
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In the past, the sole criterion for ranking the اnoble families was martial prowess.
The superhumans were beasts drunk on power, and wars never ceased as they fought for more.
But as eras passed and technology advanced into the modern age, even those rigid superhumans began to shift their values bit by bit.
The standards for ranking noble families became more nuanced. While a family's martial strength still held the greatest weight in evaluations, it was no longer possible to claim the top spot with raw power alone.
Yet there will always be outliers who defy the tide of the times.
The Ryu Family, ranked 5th among the world's noble houses, was one such exception.
They valued martial prowess as the one true measure of human worth, and it was through that accumulated might alone that they secured their position at 5th in the global rankings.
And Ryu Ji-ah was the one who had boldly claimed the successor's seat in that very Ryu Family, relying solely on her own strength and talent.
"Who are you?"
"Hngh... ugh..."
Having been raised in such a household, Ryu Ji-ah took an instant dislike to the gray-haired girl trembling and huddled tightly behind Yang Woo-bin's back.
A woman hiding feebly behind a man, not even showing her face properly?
To Ryu Ji-ah, such a creature didn't deserve to be treated like a woman.
She wanted to blurt out right then, "Hey, if you're gonna hide behind that guy, at least detach those tits first!" But since it was their first meeting and the girl seemed to be Yang Woo-bin's friend, she barely held her tongue.
"Um, well, she's..."
But her piercing gaze hadn't softened a bit. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Yang Woo-bin opened his mouth to lighten the mood.
"Newbie, I wasn't talking to you. The one hiding back there—answer for yourself. Who are you?"
"Eek...!"
But Yang Woo-bin's efforts were effortlessly dashed by Ryu Ji-ah's icy voice, forcing Fuyuno Tsubaki to face her sharp aura head-on.
Just confronting her made Fuyuno Tsubaki realize that the rumors about Ryu Ji-ah circulating at Dabcheon were actually understated.
A true predator, incomparable to posers like Sun-hee or Jin-sook.
Under the gaze of a top-tier apex hunter reminiscent of the Fuyuno Family's current head, Fuyuno Tsubaki's vision blurred and her entire body began to shake uncontrollably.
"It's okay. She's a bit rough around the edges, but not a bad person. Say hi."
"O-okay... uh-huh."
But as Yang Woo-bin's large, warm hand settled on her shoulder and his gentle baritone whispered into her ear, the trembling suddenly stopped and the fear faded away.
It felt like magic. Startled by the sensation, Fuyuno Tsubaki nonetheless followed his lead and greeted Ryu Ji-ah.
"H-hello! I'm F-Fuyuno Tsubaki...!"
"Fuyuno...? That Fuyuno?"
"Y-yes? Oh, y-yes... uh-huh..."
But the follow-up question instantly vaporized the brief surge of courage she'd mustered.
It wasn't strange. Courage born from others never lasts long on its own.
"Why'd a Fuyuno come to Dabcheon? Your country has its own academy. Don't Japanese superhumans usually go there?"
"W-well, that's..."
"Ehehe! Vice-captain, what era do you think this is? Academies don't discriminate by nationality anymore. Plenty of foreigners at Dabcheon anyway."
Stumped by the awkward question, Fuyuno Tsubaki was relieved as Yang Woo-bin stepped in once more. From behind him, he seemed to glow with a halo.
"W-Yang Woo-bin..."
He was the first person in her twenty years of life to step forward and help her whenever she was in a bind, so she called his name, her voice thick with emotion, just like always.
"Yeah, there are lots of foreigners, but Fuyuno should go to the one in Japan... Wait, what?"
That was a mistake.
"What did you just call the newbie? W-Yang Woo-bin?"
In superhuman society, strength came first—lineage second.
In a world where talent was inherited through bloodlines, the value of good seed rivaled that of a thousand gold.
Even in this modern age, noble families prioritized chastity education over teaching secret arts, resulting in freshly debuted superhumans being extremely conservative about relationships.
Of course, the longer they spent at the academy, the more they'd pair off naturally. But first-year newbies were typically so straitlaced they barely even spoke to the opposite sex.
"What are you two? Calling each other by first names, dropping the family?"
To Ryu Ji-ah, it was unimaginable for newbies—just a month out of their families and into the academy—to address each other by given names alone.
Using just first names between men and women was reserved for childhood friends who'd grown up together or fiancés arranged by the family.
Well, not exactly to that extent, but that's how Ryu Ji-ah saw it.
"What exactly are you two? Don't tell me... she's that one and only friend you mentioned before, the one you're prepping midterms with?"
Based on the chastity ideals drilled into her since childhood, Ryu Ji-ah had assumed Yang Woo-bin's "one friend" was definitely a guy.
Because that's how it usually went. In superhuman society, studying was something you did with same-sex friends.
Her gaze toward Yang Woo-bin sharpened inevitably.
"Uh... well."
"W-Yang Woo-bin? Am I your one and only friend?"
"Ah."
Ryu Ji-ah's crimson glare was trouble enough, but with Fuyuno Tsubaki's gray eyes sparkling expectantly from behind, Yang Woo-bin was doubly cornered.
Knowing silence would only deepen the misunderstanding, he quickly gathered his thoughts and responded.
"I'll answer one at a time. Fuyuno Tsubaki, your question first."
"Fuyuno Tsubaki?! Hey, newbie, you...!"
"Ow! Vice-captain, quiet! She's not some kid—what's with nitpicking every title? Calling her by name doesn't mean you've knocked her up!"
"Wh-what...?"
She was a girl, so that fit, but Ryu Ji-ah couldn't retort.
It was the first time she'd heard a man say he'd "get her pregnant."
Pregnancy was something where the woman mounted the man and declared, "Hehe, time to get pregnant"—a word where the woman took the lead. A man saying "I'll impregnate you" was utterly shocking.
"..."
The shock Ryu Ji-ah felt rippled outward to Fuyuno Tsubaki as well, silencing the previously noisy hallway in an instant.
In the hard-won quiet, Yang Woo-bin addressed Fuyuno Tsubaki's question first.
"First off, Fuyuno Tsubaki. You asked if you're my friend? No. You're not my friend yet."
"Ah... I-I knew it..."
The two, stunned by his answer, snapped back to reality.
"Huh?"
While Fuyuno Tsubaki nodded in dejected acceptance, Ryu Ji-ah looked utterly baffled.
"You said you had one friend and were prepping midterms for them. So if this Fuyuno Tsubaki or whatever isn't that friend, then what is she?"
"I did say I was prepping midterms for my one friend. But that's not Fuyuno Tsubaki. She's got a long way to go before she qualifies. Right now, she's my precious tagalong. Isn't that right, Fuyuno Tsubaki?"
Yang Woo-bin grinned at the slumped-shouldered Fuyuno Tsubaki.
"P-precious... ehehe... Yeah."
Miraculously, as soon as he spoke to her, her gloomy mood lifted, and she found herself smiling back.
"What the hell is a 'precious tagalong'...?"
The two giggling at each other looked every bit like close friends, leaving Ryu Ji-ah as the only one baffled by the scene.
But having heard the answers despite her confusion, she could finally cross her arms and pose the question she'd meant to ask from the start.
"So. Why'd you bring your precious tagalong here? To show her off?"
"Nah. She doesn't have anything worth bragging about."
"...Even if it's true, saying it to her face is a bit much, don't you think?"
"It's fine. I have a daily quota of harsh words to fill anyway. Plus, starting today, I'm gonna spend the next week helping her find something to brag about. Hey, Fuyuno Tsubaki. Let's head in."
"Y-yeah!"
The pair brushed past Ryu Ji-ah and entered the Blast Dragon clubroom.
Still not fond of Fuyuno Tsubaki, she briefly considered blocking their path but decided against it in the end.
"Helping her find something to brag about... What weird stunt is he planning this time?"
Over the past week, Ryu Ji-ah had become utterly captivated by Yang Woo-bin's displays of skill.
She could no longer bring herself to chase away the man who had turned her boring days into something fun.