Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Storm of the Golden Sun (9)
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"Blocking the cafeteria entrance and standing there with a stone-cold face to create an awkward vibe? Don't you know you don't mess with people when they're eating?! Just how tactless are you...!"
Turning toward the commotion, I spotted Baek Woo-jin and Yasuri Yaiba, who was trembling and hiding behind him.
Baek Woo-jin especially stood out, his fist clenched tight and shaking with rage.
I'd been dazed from the shock of the kid I basically raised and Fuyuno Tsubaki avoiding me, but seeing the protagonist's fuming face snapped me back to reality.
"H-Hey, look at that. Baek Woo-jin's picking a fight with Yang Woo-bin...!"
"Hasn't that guy heard the rumors lately? Yang Woo-bin's got Ryu Jia backing him...!"
"Baek Woo-jin isn't the type to care about that. Whenever something happens, he charges in without a second thought."
"True. He's got guts...!"
Once my head cleared, I started noticing the stares and murmurs around me.
Most of the whispers were praising Baek Woo-jin's courage for confronting me.
Ryu Jia's name really carried weight. She wasn't even here, but just the thought of challenging her supposed sex partner—me—earned him props for bravery.
The rumor that I'd slept with Ryu Jia was the most effective one I'd spread so far.
I'd have to keep hanging out with her and milking that Ryu Jia coin for all it's worth.
Confirming my infamy spreading on its own just by standing there helped me shake off the sting of the kid and Fuyuno Tsubaki ditching me.
I could just ask them later why they did it. We'd see each other in class soon anyway.
"Alright, Baek Woo-jin. Enjoy your meal. You still haven't fully recovered from our last scrap, so eat up to heal faster."
"W-What?"
"Guess I'll grab some food myself."
I gave Baek Woo-jin's shoulder a couple friendly pats, then headed into the cafeteria in high spirits.
Eating alone couldn't be helped, but with my rep growing just by existing, a solo meal wouldn't dent it much.
Deciding solo dining was fine, I strode to the center of a long table and dug into a hearty pork jjigae donburi like nobody's business.
By the end of lunch that day, the rumor spread: "Ryu Jia's turreting Yang Woo-bin to keep girls away from him."
After finishing lunch and settling into the classroom for class, I heard frantic footsteps approaching from behind.
Only one person I knew ran with that kind of hurried patter, careful not to bump into anyone.
Once the steps were close enough, I called out to their owner in a low voice without turning.
"Hey, Tsuba...!"
"W-Woo-bin!"
"Uh, yeah?"
I'd planned to grill my lackey about ditching me earlier and reassert some authority, but Fuyuno Tsubaki's desperate cry cut me off.
Her voice carried even more urgency than her footsteps, nearly making me forget my stern words.
But letting it slide would undermine my Golden Sun authority, and she'd think she could keep slithering out of line.
Our dynamic was thug and lackey, so I pulled myself together, reminded her of the hierarchy, and growled again.
"Ahem! Hey, Tsuba...!"
"Hiiing...!"
"Uh, huh?"
But her offbeat, merciless sob preempted me again, leaving my words unsaid.
Normally, I'd push through tears to restore discipline, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to be that harsh with Fuyuno Tsubaki.
"Sigh. Just sit in your spot first."
"H-Huek. U-Ung."
I let out a light sigh, decided to handle discipline later, and guided her to her assigned seat.
Her assigned seat meant the one next to me.
"U-Uuu... Hiiing...!"
Once seated as I said, Fuyuno Tsubaki wore an utterly heartbroken expression, tears streaming down her face.
Her pitiful look tugged at my heartstrings, so I prioritized stopping the waterworks and placed a hand on her ash-gray hair.
"Hii! A-Aaah...!"
I gently stroked Fuyuno Tsubaki's head, feeling like it had been ages since I'd last touched it.
The moment my hand met her hair, she flinched, her skin flushing red from neck to crown.
Her beet-red face was anything but normal, but at least the tears stopped, so I asked the corner-of-her-mouth-twitching girl.
"So why'd you start bawling the second you saw me? Spill it."
"Uh, yeah? Oh, that... Euht."
At my question, Fuyuno Tsubaki's upturned lip corners drooped right back, her face clouding over with sadness again.
"W-Wait? Don't cry? You're crying again?"
"N-No, I won't cry...!"
I panicked thinking she'd burst out again, but luckily, she held back and answered first.
Her loyalty seemed solid still, so what was with lunch?
"Hic, I h-heard. From the Student Council President."
"Heard what."
"That you... you cried, Woo-bin..."
"...What?"
Fuyuno Tsubaki's choked, tearful answer was utterly out-of-left-field, something I'd never imagined.
"What nonsense is that? You think I'm you? Crying like a faucet."
"Uuuwu...!"
I said it out of genuine disbelief, but it must've hit her tear button—her lip drooped, lower lip jutting out, on the verge of a meltdown.
"No, seriously, what's your deal?! What did that kid say to make you like this just seeing my face?!"
"H-How can you... Hic. Act like nothing happened...!"
"Huh?"
"After going through that... Pretending you're fine... For my sake. Even though that woman made you eat alone... Huek...!"
"No, what."
Me eating alone today was because you two avoided me.
The more we talked, the less sense it made—like we weren't communicating at all.
Fuyuno Tsubaki gazed at me like some tragic protagonist bearing the world's sins in self-sacrifice, her face full of pity.
The absurdity irked me enough to snap back, but suddenly her arms wrapped around my neck.
Wa-lak! Squeeze-!
"Wub?!"
Her usually hunched shoulders had hidden their full glory, but now her ample breasts pressed firmly against my face.
She was hugging my head tight.
"I'll... I'll save you, Woo-bin... No matter what it takes, I will. It might be tough right now, but just hold on a little... I'll do my absolute best...!"
Without permission, she'd sexually harassed my face with her breasts, whispering in a small but resolute voice.
It seemed like she was doing this for me, but without a proper explanation, it just felt like bullshit.
I'd have lost it if not for the pleasant scent wafting from her soft chest.
"...Courage charged."
I was silently enjoying the facial from her squishy breasts when, fully charged, she ended the hug and shot up from her seat.
"Wait for me, Woo-bin. I'll come get you for sure."
She wiped the tears from her eyes with a finger, then marched out of the classroom with the sturdy stride of a general heading to war.
"...Huh."
From her debut to this very moment, I'd never once predicted her moves.
As a veteran of Reverse Hero Tale reincarnated into this world, this was the first time I'd felt this flustered since the Vow of Impotence—cautiously revising my view of Fuyuno Tsubaki inwardly.
"Gotta keep her on a tight leash, or she might turn around and bite."
From loyal retriever to a faithful but dangerously directed guard dog.
The Student Council President's office was dim, lights off.
Creeeak—click.
Jin Se-jeong, seated at her desk, asked without looking up at the entrant.
"...How was Woo-bin?"
"As expected. He seemed totally fine."
"Kuh... Figures...!"
Jin Se-jeong twisted her face at Fuyuno Tsubaki's gloomy reply.
To her, Yang Woo-bin seeming unfazed meant he was pretending for their sake, not wanting to worry them.
Of course, it was a ridiculous misunderstanding—Yang Woo-bin really was fine—but that truth was invisible to them now.
"...Fuyuno Tsubaki, let's start right away. Time's critical. We don't know... how long Woo-bin can hold out."
"Yeah."
Fuyuno Tsubaki agreed without hesitation to Jin Se-jeong's words.
"Capture Ryu Jia. Operation starts now."
After that, no one at Dabcheon Academy saw those two until finals season.