Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: 82. Who's Ahead? (2)
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“Is that even something to brag about?”
Yeoreum thrust her forearm forward.
Even on what seemed like a slender arm, sharply defined muscles stood out. From the forearm, biceps, and triceps all the way to the sharp, squared-off shoulder line.
And moreover, scars and wounds dotted her arm here and there. Her pale hands looked especially rough—anyone could tell they belonged to a seasoned fighter. Yeoreum wore them like badges of honor, never bothering to heal them away, just like any superhuman would.
“Who do you think would win?”
“...Hmm.”
“What are you even thinking about? Yoo Gaeul’s one punch to the noggin. Okay?”
Winter couldn’t argue back with her fist shoved right up in his face. He muttered reluctantly.
“...Okay.”
But ending it there felt unsatisfying.
This time, Winter turned to Gaeul. To ask who was stronger.
“Huh?”
“...Who’s... stronger?”
“Aww, didn’t Unni say Yeoreum Unni’s stronger?”
“...You two ever fight?”
“Uh, no?”
“Ha, this kid. Seriously... You gotta fight to know for sure?”
“...Then?”
“Obviously I’d win.”
“...Hmm.”
“Hey. Think about it. Metaphorically speaking, Yoo Gaeul’s the guy sitting back firing cannons. Heavy hitters, but they miss a lot. Me? I’m an eagle. You think you can hit an eagle with a cannon?”
Winter pictured it. A golden cannon firing at a red eagle. Not easy. Hitting a bird with a round hunk of metal seemed tricky.
“If I swoop in from behind and smack her skull, her head’s cracking open. Right?”
“...She could just... teleport away with magic?”
“You think I’m just gonna stand there? I can sense the traces of a teleport point. I’ll disrupt the mana flow if she tries it. Blink? She’d pop right next to me, but I can close the gap with footwork too.”
“...She could block it?”
“Hey, wanna try blocking my fist with your arm? See who breaks first?”
“...Sorry.”
Meanwhile, Gaeul tried to nibble on the chick’s wing with her mouth, completely ignoring them. Peep peep! The startled chick flapped away in panic. “Waaah, my chicken wing!” Gaeul cackled and chased after Peep.
Yeoreum clicked her tongue in pity.
“Look at her. Look. What’s the point of fighting a kid like that?”
“...You’re a kid too, Unni?”
“I’m not.”
“...How old?”
“Like eighteen or so. Six times your age.”
Still, Winter’s doubtful expression irked Yeoreum a bit.
Maybe it was the Red clan daughter’s pride, chafing at being compared in front of the Blue clan heir.
“Hey, Yoo Gaeul!”
“Huh?!”
“Wanna spar with me today?”
“Huh? Why?”
“This kid’s curious who’s stronger.”
“Pfft, I’d obviously lose!”
Yeoreum shot Winter a triumphant see? look. To him, that smug grin was annoying.
But Gaeul’s follow-up wiped the smile away.
“Against mages or protecting personnel from monsters, or defending bases against beasts? I’d be better.”
Yeoreum’s triumph faded.
The shift was subtle. Winter, oblivious, asked again.
“...Just you two?”
“Pfft, then yeah, I’d lose.”
“...Group fight?”
“Hmm... Who knows?”
“...So 2:1?”
“Oh, really? Yoo Gaeul. What do you know?”
“Why? I studied it in first and second year too.”
Studies in the Lair meant military training.
And Gaeul had faithfully completed two years of it.
Even so, Yeoreum couldn’t concede. She figured the know-it-all was just showing off her big brain.
“That confident?”
“Huh?”
“Block this.”
Yeoreum’s hand moved. She grabbed a cushion—or so it seemed—then hurled it. Straight at Peep.
It wasn’t that fast. But startled by something flying at Peep, Gaeul reflexively surged her mana. The cushion bounced off mid-air. A mistake. Her inexperienced control sent it cannoning back—the opposite way—right at Yeoreum’s head.
This one was cannonball fast.
Yeoreum flinched and twisted away. She thought she’d dodged, but mid-flight, the cushion started expanding.
No—it burst from the impact. Poof! Shredded stuffing smacked her face. Some even flew into her mouth.
“Ugh, pthoo pthoo!”
As the startled Yeoreum spat out the fluff from her tongue and mouth—
Winter’s eyes went wide.
What just happened?
Gaeul was just as shocked. “S-Sis!” She rushed over, flailing in front of Yeoreum.
“S-Sorry! You okay!?”
Yeoreum glared at her while picking fluff off her outstretched tongue. A faint smirk tugged at her eyes. To Gaeul, that made it scarier.
“My dear little sister. What do you think you’re doing?”
“N-No...! I didn’t think it’d hit your face!”
“Is that a good excuse?”
“It’s true!”
“Dozens of directions it could’ve bounced. And it nails my face? Coincidence? That’s your excuse?”
Gaeul felt wronged.
“Wh-What! Then you shouldn’t have thrown the cushion in the first place!”
“Oh? That your real feelings? I joke around a bit, and you mess with your big sis?”
“I said it was an accident...!”
Next instant, Yeoreum flung the shredded cushion at Gaeul’s face.
“Eek! Pthoo pthoo!”
Her mouth happened to be open. Gaeul spat out the fluff and shrieked at Yeoreum.
“Unni!!”
Yeoreum’s reply was priceless.
“Oops. My bad.”
Gaeul trembled, clenching her fists. Yeoreum glared back, displeased.
Sparks flew between them.
“...”
What the hell’s wrong with these two all of a sudden?
That was Winter’s honest thought.
“Sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
“But honestly, you started it.”
“What? No I didn’t? Oh... fine...”
Yeoreum raised her fist, and Gaeul backed down. But her lip stuck out a mile after.
“Fix that face. Huh?”
“What! What’s wrong with my face!”
“What’s wrong↗?”
For some reason, her voice was terrifying.
“N-Nothing. Hehe...”
Forced smile. But when she turned and met Winter’s eyes, Gaeul shot Yeoreum a glare and mouthed off silently.
Pretty harsh stuff.
“...Sigh.”
Winter clicked his tongue.
These two unnis weren’t acting like adults at all.
Were they maybe even more childish than him?
The squabble carried over to mealtime.
Yoo Ji-tae and Bom had brought back the famous dongpo pork set from a top Chinese place in the Lair. Thick pork steeped in dark soy, mildly spicy, moist, and meltingly tender!
One bite of fried rice. Wrap it with the accompanying cucumber salad—pure bliss. Sweet-salty perfection.
During this meal.
Gaeul, who’d been meekly taking it, snatched the dongpo pork Yeoreum was reaching for.
“...?”
Yeoreum’s chopsticks hovered. Gaeul crammed the pork in her mouth and chewed happily.
“Mmm, so good.”
A subtle jab.
Yeoreum looked dumbfounded, then yanked the plate from in front of Gaeul to her side.
“Hey! What’re you doing?!”
“What.”
“I wanna eat dongpo pork too!”
“Who said no? Eat, you golden pig.”
But now it was farther away—harder to reach.
Every time Gaeul’s chopsticks darted out, Yeoreum snatched one first and popped it in her mouth.
“What the hell, Unni! Seriously!?”
Gaeul fumed.
“Wow, this is freaking delicious. Huh? Melts right in your mouth.”
“I wanna eat too!”
“Yeah yeah, eat already, Gaeul.”
Gaeul’s chopsticks moved again. Futile. Yeoreum beat her to it three times.
As Gaeul’s chopsticks hovered, Yeoreum shoved three pieces in at once.
“Ahh♥ It just vanishes in my mouth♥ Why won’t you chew, little sis?”
“Ughhh! Unni, you devil! What’s wrong with you!?”
“Hey, hey.” Unable to watch, Yoo Ji-tae pulled the plate to the center. Both turned sharply.
“Ajusshi!”
Gaeul yelled. Yeoreum glanced at Bom and switched.
“Honey. Uh... Teacher!”
“She keeps talking back. What do I do?”
“What’re you saying! Ajusshi! Look at this! Unni keeps bullying me!”
“What a joke. She messed with my food first, then plays victim?”
“You bullied me earlier!”
Yeoreum glared. But Gaeul held firm this time.
“Oh? Not backing down now?”
“Wh-When eating, even dogs don’t get bothered!”
“Ha. Fine, fuck it. Straight up. Ajusshi. If she and I fought, who’d win?”
Yoo Ji-tae hesitated, then asked back.
“...Huh?”
“Right, Ajusshi! Be honest! In more varied scenarios, wouldn’t I be better?!”
“You got no shame?”
“I do!”
“You laze around all day and wanna compete with me!”
“But you only know how to fight!”
“That’s all a fighter needs, you idiot!”
“Superhumans protect people! Right, Ajusshi!?”
They looked ready to lunge.
Did the pork do something wrong? Yoo Ji-tae couldn’t figure why they were suddenly at each other’s throats.
He’d meant to pit them competitively. Had it overheated? Bom—Yoo Bom, chair of the overcompetition prevention committee—shook her head. No issue yet.
“Yeoreum would win.”
Gaeul looked like the world ended. Yeoreum stared down stone-faced, subtly crossing thumb and index for a hidden heart shot at her—out of Gaeul’s sight.
That’s when things shifted.
“Why? I think Gaeul would win.”
“Huh? Hey. Yoo Bom.”
“Yeah?”
“How could you say that to me?”
I keep your secrets, always take your side—shouldn’t you take mine?
That’s what Yeoreum meant.
Bom laughed it off.
“Competition’s about brains, not heart. Logically, I think Gaeul wins.”
“...”
True enough, but Yeoreum scowled.
Gaeul nodded vigorously at Bom, beaming love in her eyes.
Breakfast had five members.
So their gazes turned to Winter.
He’d been meticulously folding his cucumber salad exactly half white, half green. He looked up blankly—four pairs of eyes on him.
“...Huh? What?”
Yeoreum’s chopsticks moved. She placed meat atop his salad.
“Our cute little Winter.”
“...?”
“Heard what Unni said earlier? Who do you think wins?”
Winter got chills.
Yeoreum smiled warmly, like at something precious. He’d assumed she’d win—but that expression backfired.
“...Gaeul Unni.”
“You little shit.”
“Kyahahaha! Babies can’t lie, right Unni!?”
Gaeul grabbed Winter’s hand and shook it up and down. Winter grinned too.
Now 2:1. More predicting Gaeul’s victory!
Yeoreum abruptly stood, dragging in the Guardian—who’d been doing morning yoga watching TV in the living room.
“Hey. Janitor ajusshi.”
“Grrr...?”
“Me or Yoo Gaeul. Pick one.”
“...”
The Guardian’s red eyes flickered.
“Pick. Hurry.”
“Hm. On what basis? Beauty? Or who’s nicer to me?”
“That a question? Beauty’s obviously me!”
His eyes narrowed to dots.
A blink. Silence fell.
About to pick Gaeul—still salty about Yeoreum kicking his trash can—
“No. Who’s stronger?”
Ah. That.
Even then, Guardian didn’t know.
He paused, pondering.
His words burst the kids into laughter.
“Show some sincerity.”
As Yeoreum lunged to break his cleaning tools, the Guardian dropped the joke and judged fairer than Solomon.
2:2.
That afternoon.
Yoo Ji-tae loaded the kids into the car and headed topside. Bom peeked in the rearview from shotgun. Yeoreum and Gaeul both in back. Not a word the whole ride.
Sandwiched Winter giggled at the hilarity, eyeing them.
“Oh yeah. Where we going?”
“Told you. International Superhuman League Korea branch.”
“Why there?”
“Actually, on the way back from applying for your first-semester ‘autonomous class participation term’ at the admin office this morning.”
Gaeul—and even Yeoreum—stared at Yoo Ji-tae’s headrest.
“Huh?”
Autonomous class participation term.
From third year, cadets could do limited external activities. If grades allowed.
Yeoreum and Gaeul’s did, obviously. Yoo Ji-tae planned to let them out—limitedly.
“Why?”
“League’s official superhuman world rankings update end of year.”
“Wh-What?”
Yeoreum bolted upright from her seatback.
“World rankings?!”
No cadets in the Lair could match them.
The gap was already vast.
Yeoreum was that desperate.
Gaeul that genius.
As the kids froze at the unexpected—
Yoo Ji-tae drove it home.
“Time you kids got on the world rankings.”