Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: You Too?
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You too?
Running laps on the sports field.
It was something we did every day before vacation, but even familiar routines start feeling strange after just a week off.
Forget a week—I'd skipped a whole month. We usually ran about 20 laps in the morning anyway.
Now I had to run twice that: 40 laps. No problem, though.
Because I've changed. I'm not the old me anymore.
"Watch closely. This is the new me."
[Dummy nya.]
I ignored the cat yawning lazily on my shoulder. How could she be so nonchalant when her owner was about to suffer?
I treat her so well usually. She's trying to make me feel neglected. And she's not the only one.
The idiots who smirked when I got kicked out.
Especially Sophia and Raphael.
I'm really hurt by those two. If Raphael had told me sooner and Sophia hadn't ignored my texts?
I wouldn't be here. I'd be yawning in class, wondering what to do with Revatein after school.
"Is that how you show concern?"
And that one bit of concern didn't even come from a maid. Only Shin Chae-yeon was looking at me worriedly.
Isia? Who's that? I don't know her. The maid glaring like it was my own fault? No clue.
"Time to tighten up maid discipline starting today."
I need to drill it into them that I'm the master.
[Quit nagging and run nya.]
No worries there. Just like Lachesis said, I started running. The first lap was a light jog to warm up.
At the end of the first lap, passing my starting point, I took a light breath in.
It wasn't unnecessary. It was essential for mana circulation.
The inhaled mana flowed to my heart. My heart, the mana tank, pulsed, refining the mana.
Then I could feel it spreading through my body. At first, sensing it was hard.
Because I had no mana back then. Of course I didn't know how to use it. Couldn't cast spells, so how could I manage something advanced like circulation?
"Not the old me anymore."
But one of my maids comes from a family renowned for meditation and circulation.
Almost the entire first semester of early mornings was worth it.
I suppressed the mana spreading through my body, gathering the warmth it brought to every corner into one spot and strengthening it.
That's the basics of mana circulation.
I strengthened my leg muscles, of course. They sped up instantly and resisted fatigue even during long runs.
Was that all? No. I still had a man's romance.
"I call it 'Pure Step'."
[That's not the name nya.]
Quiet. What do you know? Have you even seen Pure Step? No real man could hate it.
It's cooler than some murky sentence spilling out.
[Dummy nya.]
I ignored the noisy cat and finished explaining. It included footwork from a swordsmanship clan.
It looked like normal walking, but it wasn't. You could advance surprisingly fast.
Think of it like a ghost you can't shake no matter how fast you run.
In short—
"40 laps? Piece of cake."
That's right. I'd gotten stronger.
I used to think like that back then. I figured 10 laps would be fine.
20 laps? No sweat. At 25, I started thinking something was off. By 30, I knew something was wrong.
Now at 35 laps. I couldn't even run anymore. I was just pretending, slower than a turtle.
Call me Snail Seong-hoon. Fine by me.
"I'm gonna kill them."
What's the point of leg reinforcement? Speed? Less leg fatigue?
My stamina stat is trash. My whole body's exhausted—what good is less leg fatigue?
Speed? It just burns stamina faster.
Pure Step? It requires focus, draining mental energy even more.
"Definitely gonna kill them."
Who?
[Nyaaang~]
It's obvious. The blonde waving from the window far away.
And the silver-haired one clasping her hands apologetically.
"Gonna kill them for sure."
We'll talk when I get back.
But that didn't happen. Of course, I wasn't really planning to kill them. Even without that, it didn't pan out.
The reason was simple—
"Who are you planning to kill?"
My eyes, blazing with murderous intent after finishing 40 laps, met the white-haired idiot's.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"Then what are you doing?"
"Hey now."
That's invading privacy. Don't ask.
Personal privacy. People have circumstances they can't share.
Angels shouldn't be so careless.
"I don't know what it is, but it looks like you got kicked out again for doing something stupid."
"........."
Do angels have mind-reading as a passive skill?
Whatever. However it happened, a meeting's a meeting. Whether by chance or on teacher errands.
A meeting's a meeting. They say constant coincidence becomes fate. Not for us, though.
I just figured I could pull this off. Yeah. This much is fine.
Thinking that, I turned on my phone screen and held it out to the white-hair.
Wallpaper was, naturally, Revatein. Cute shot of cream from a cream bun smeared everywhere as she ate.
"...?"
I expected an "aww," but got a puzzled look and tilted head instead.
"Ahem."
Can't force it on someone, so I quickly tapped to the point.
Phonebook open. Adding contact.
That's right. I was asking Michael for his number! Might seem weird to others? Whatever.
I trusted Michael would understand. He knows everything, after all?
Demons are on the move, vampires lurking. More firepower the better, even one more.
Sure, I've gotten stronger, and Benia will be out soon. But "just in case" exists for a reason.
To live normally, blocking threats while going to school, I need force.
With that intent, I looked at Michael—but
"You're asking for my number right now?"
Michael looked flustered. I nodded a couple times, and he glanced around with the same expression.
"What're you looking for?"
"Oh, nothing. But isn't this a pickup line? Even without Raphael, it's too blatant."
"Hmm."
Absurd claim stated so concretely—hard to respond.
What to say? Anything leads to "Don't hit on me."
His mouth was already forming words, lips weirdly pursed.
So I had to change the subject. Only fools chase predetermined dead ends.
I'm a seasoned hunter.
"Why haven't you come eat lunch lately?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, it's nice seeing the kids sometimes. Better than eating alone. Lilli's been cooking a lot lately. Come eat."
Michael's expression turned strange. The master of blank faces, who hides emotions instantly.
But he couldn't hide his bewilderment at my words.
"And drop by to see Raphael sometimes. I think it's fine if I see you often. Or we could eat breakfast or dinner together every day—"
I planned to keep going like that. Use family as bait, invent reasons to snag the number.
Devilish tactic, but effective. Michael's number was sweet.
Call anytime, make him handle annoying stuff. Michael's strong. Leagues above that blonde.
So eventually, give me your number for easy contact—
That's what I was about to say. But it didn't happen. Mid-sentence, Michael snatched my phone.
Punched in his number briskly, then handed it back.
"Asking like that is cheating."
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Makes it seem real."
It is real. Using family is scummy.
But? I got the number, so win-win.
[Raphael won't like it nya.]
Don't care. That's out of my control. More importantly, compensating every call sounds annoying.
Got the number, but doing favors is a hassle. Lunch was the price.
Free labor? Maids, Raphael, and my familiars only.
"Hmm."
What to do. Staring at that annoyingly pretty white hair—maybe because she's Raphael's sister—I figured it out.
"Wanna be a maid too?"
"Is that a roundabout way of saying you want to die?"
Ah.
That won't work.
[Think it'll fly? Nya?]
You demon. Didn't it all work out?
Fine or not.
"Seong-hoon, good people don't get punished."
"If you'd warned me, I wouldn't have."
"Warned you? Me?"
Maybe lack of sleep messed with my memory. Ignoring giggling Raphael, another voice chimed in.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. You were in on it too, you sent me first? But I ran alone? It's okay. These things happen."
Truth is, I wanted to rage. Flick Raphael's forehead, make Sophia maid it up.
"Don't do it again. Tell me if something's up."
Can't, though. For second semester, Sophia's like she has a [Super Class Rep] item.
Meaning, forgiven no matter what. Can't scold a girl who might rampage.
Might trigger it. So I just patted her head.
Please don't rampage.
"........."
Ignoring scary-faced Raphael beside me, a teacher walked out and spoke.
—Today, to prepare for tomorrow's training, we'll measure combat abilities.
"What kind of training is this? Theory lectures and measurements on day one—nothing they won't do."
"Right? Don't they know moderation?"
—Naturally, some worked hard over vacation, others slacked.
"Slack off on vacation. Who works then? Only shonen manga protagonists."
"Agreed."
—This measurement is to give the slackers a sense of crisis and goals. Receive it with reverence!!
Everything from one to ten was nonsense, but we couldn't skip it.