Chapter 62: Fox
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Fox
14
And so, a few days at the academy passed.
After what happened that night, Eunnamu treated me as if nothing had occurred, just like always.
The only difference was that the next day, a bandage and some ointment for my wound had somehow appeared on my bed. Otherwise, she was the same.
So I treated her as I normally would, and we got along without any trouble.
Occasionally, she would look at me with a strange gaze, but it was always fleeting, vanishing the moment I turned to look back.
But that aside, I had another problem.
I had a stalker.
Well, to be honest, calling her a stalker was a bit of a stretch.
The stalker was Jo Si-a, who had started running away the moment she saw me ever since I’d asked if she liked Seo-ho.
Why she was tailing me so persistently, I couldn't fathom.
“It’s because she’s worried you’ll tell Ha Seo-ho, obviously.”
“Ah, right.”
I hadn’t thought of that.
I nodded, admitting he had a point.
“So what should I do?”
“Just do what you did to that incontinence woman.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
A second Catherine was the last thing I needed.
“How should I know? Figure it out yourself.”
It seemed even an all-powerful regressor was useless in situations like this.
‘I just want to talk to her somehow.’
Since Jo Si-a was an S-rank hunter, I couldn’t catch her if she decided to flee with all her might.
This created a stalemate where she wouldn’t approach me and I couldn’t catch her. I was mulling over this dilemma when someone arrived.
“Manager, I’m here.”
It was Si-ho, who had texted me after finishing breakfast.
Today was Sunday.
The academy’s training schedule ran through Saturday, so Sunday was the only day off.
Si-ho had heard this from me and had timed her visit accordingly.
“It’s been a while.”
“You were here just a few days ago. How has it been a while?”
“Even if I see you every day, it feels like it’s been a long time.”
I let out a small laugh at her words and offered her a chair.
As I sat down opposite her, Si-ho began to stare at me intently.
Seeing her reminded me of what Eunnamu had said.
That Si-ho probably liked me.
I considered asking her directly, now that the thought was in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask something like that.
If I was wrong, I’d never be able to face her again.
‘With Ji-eun, I could tell right away.’
Life would be so much easier if everyone was as obvious as Ji-eun.
“Si-ho.”
“Yes, what is it?”
She had been watching me silently, but she answered with a bright smile, as if just being called by me made her happy.
Si-ho had certainly changed a lot from my first impression of her.
“Do you, uh, know someone named Jo Si-a?”
Deciding it was better to ask about something else first, I posed the question. Si-ho tilted her head.
“You mean the person who likes Ha Seo-ho.”
So Si-ho had known all along.
Hearing her answer, I scratched my head.
“Well, that Ms. Jo Si-a is here at the academy right now.”
“She must have followed Ha Seo-ho here.”
“That’s about the gist of it.”
Si-ho’s expression suggested she wasn’t surprised.
“So, what about her?”
“Seo-ho came to the academy because of me, right? I guess she found that out and took an interest in me. And you know my situation, right?”
“Yeah, it’s related to the returnees.”
Since Eunnamu wasn’t in the room, Si-ho answered easily.
She knew well that matters concerning returnees were difficult to discuss openly.
“So, to get Ms. Jo Si-a to back off a little, Eunnamu told her that I’m your boyfriend.”
“Really?!”
In that instant, Si-ho shot up from her chair.
I froze for a moment, staring at her as she grabbed both my knees, her eyes sparkling.
Realizing I was staring, Si-ho quickly let go of my knees and darted her eyes around.
“So what did you do, Manager?”
“Sorry, I just went along with it for now. Thanks to that, Ms. Jo Si-a seemed to accept it, but…”
As I spoke, I watched Si-ho’s reaction.
She had sat back down, but her feet were now swinging slightly up and down, as if she were excited.
Being called the girlfriend of an old guy like me should be unpleasant, so why was she so happy?
‘Because she likes me.’
Damn it. After hearing that from Eunnamu, it was the only conclusion my mind would jump to.
But if Si-ho really did like me, that would mean two minors liked me. Honestly, it was weirder to think that was actually reality.
I tried my best to calm down.
“Anyway, it seems Ms. Jo Si-a is following me because she’s worried I’ll tell Seo-ho that she likes him.”
Si-ho seemed to ponder this for a moment before looking back at me.
“So we just need to get her to leave you alone, right?”
“It is a bit inconvenient. It would be nice to get some advice.”
Hearing my words, Si-ho seemed to make a decision, placing her small, cute fists on her knees.
“Manager, did you know that Ha Seo-ho was never really fond of women to begin with?”
“Was he?”
“Yes. Si-ho can’t understand it, but all the girls like Ha Seo-ho. He’s had stalkers show up at our house, so he’s a bit wary of them.”
That I could understand.
If I were a woman and saw Seo-ho’s face, I might find myself following him in a daze, too.
“And then there was that recent incident.”
She must have been talking about Kwak Sa-yeon.
From Seo-ho’s perspective, that was an event that could make him completely fed up with women.
“I’m a little worried about Ha Seo-ho because of that. I’m afraid he might start hating all women and push everyone away.”
“That… could happen.”
Her reasoning was perfectly sound.
Even as his younger sister, it was natural to worry if her brother was acting that way.
“So, I was thinking, what if Jo Si-a-unni and Ha Seo-ho got together before it gets any worse?”
They were both S-rank hunters and high school classmates. Plus, while Seo-ho seemed annoyed by her, he didn’t seem to dislike her.
It was certainly not a bad suggestion, especially for Seo-ho’s sake.
“That’s a good idea.”
“So you and I, Manager, will give her advice.”
“Me? I’ve never even been in a relationship.”
For some reason, Si-ho seemed to clench her fists even tighter.
“It’s okay. Si-ho knows Ha Seo-ho well, so I can help you.”
If we could resolve this, Jo Si-a wouldn’t have to worry about me telling Seo-ho.
And we might even be able to help Seo-ho with his trauma at the same time.
“That’s a great idea. Let’s do it.”
At that moment, the corners of Si-ho’s lips curved into a smile.
“So, am I your girlfriend now, Manager?”
“Ah, sorry. That must be unpleasant for you.”
“Not at all. Si-ho is happy.”
Huh? Wait a minute, does this mean…
“Wow, I’ve seen it all now. A little kid acting like a fox.”
I glanced at Baeksan, who was staring at Si-ho with an expression of utter disbelief.
Is that what this is?
Is this that kind of situation?
I looked back at Si-ho.
Her innocent eyes met mine, and she gave me a bashful smile.
But for some reason, I could almost feel a fox tail swaying behind her back.
…If what Eunnamu and Baeksan said was true, I might start to be a little scared of Si-ho.
‘Whatever. We’re only doing this in front of Ms. Jo Si-a. Let’s just go with it for now.’
I decided to leave this problem for my future self and immediately began to look for Jo Si-a with Si-ho.
Finding her wasn’t very difficult.
Because not long after I left my room, she started following me again.
She could phase through walls at will, so sometimes it was hard to know where she was.
But I had Baeksan, a regressor who could also phase through walls.
So, her location was quickly revealed to us.
“She’s here.”
As soon as Baeksan spoke, I turned to Si-ho.
“Si-ho, she’s behind the pillar behind us.”
“Okay, got it.”
Si-ho nodded and grabbed my collar.
In that instant, our vision shifted.
We appeared right next to Jo Si-a, who was still looking in the direction we had just been.
Simultaneously, we grabbed her arms from either side.
It all happened in a flash, and Jo Si-a was caught. But we had overlooked one crucial fact.
She had the ability to make any part of her body intangible if she chose to.
“Too bad for you!”
The moment she said that, my and Si-ho’s arms passed right through her.
If she ran with all her might, we had no way of catching her.
In that case, we had to try a different method.
“Si-ho! We’re teleporting to Seo-ho right now!”
“Ngyah!”
The moment I shouted, Jo Si-a let out a scream and deactivated her ability.
Seeing our chance, Si-ho and I quickly grabbed her arms again.
A look of defeat was written all over her face.
“…Threatening me with Snow Mountain Wolf is just too cruel.”
“You would have just run away again otherwise, wouldn’t you?”
Hearing my words, she gave a bitter smile and looked toward Si-ho.
“So you brought your girlfriend along, too?”
“That’s…”
“That’s right. Si-ho is Manager’s girlfriend.”
Before I could answer, Si-ho jumped in, her eyes sparkling.
I glanced at her for a moment before I could only nod.
That was the plan, after all.
“Are you two really dating?”
Right.
I wouldn’t believe it either.
“Yes, we are. Should I show you proof?”
With that, Si-ho suddenly leaned her face toward me and closed her eyes.
I could see her small, shy face.
Her pink lips, slightly parted, stood out, and I knew what she was implying.
“…Sorry, I believe you. Just… could you not do that in front of me?”
Jo Si-a said with a slightly repulsed expression, as if she couldn’t bear to watch a couple’s PDA.
“Si-ho, she said she believes us.”
“…”
Si-ho slowly opened her eyes and shot Jo Si-a a look of discontent.
“I won’t run away, so could you two let me go?”
She wiggled her hands as if to say it was hard to talk like this, so I released her arm.
Si-ho followed suit.
Instead, she came to my side and hugged my arm.
I flinched for a second, but since we were pretending to be dating, I figured it would look natural and stayed still.
For some reason, I got the feeling that Si-ho was taking full advantage of the opportunity she’d been given, but I forced the thought away.
“So, why did you catch me?”
“You follow me around every day, so I figured I might as well give you some advice.”
“…You knew I was following you?”
If it weren’t for Baeksan, I wouldn’t have known either.
“Advice, you say.”
“On how to get on Seo-ho’s good side. You like him, don’t you?”
As soon as I said that, Jo Si-a’s face stiffened again.
She started whistling and casually turned her head to the side, but it was painfully obvious.
Anyone could see she liked Seo-ho.
“I-I’m just trying to join the team he’s supposedly making. It’s not like that.”
“Is that imaginary team still a thing? There is no such team.”
“Why lie? Would it kill you to let me in?”
No, it doesn’t exist.
“Why do you like Ha Seo-ho?”
Si-ho looked up at her with a genuinely confused expression.
Well, that’s how siblings are.
To me, Seo-ho had many charms that women would find irresistible, but to Si-ho, he was just Seo-ho.
“Why are you dating Trainee Kang Ha-chan?”
“He’s Si-ho’s prince.”
“Prince?”
“Si-ho likes her prince. I like him more than anyone in the world.”
After saying that, Si-ho looked at me.
Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks, I remembered what she had said back then.
「Si-ho really likes the princes in fairy tales.」
「So lately, I’ve been wondering if you might be my prince, Manager.」
Could it be that what she said back then was her own way of expressing her feelings?
But at the same time, my mind was a mess, since we were only pretending to be dating to convince Jo Si-a.
Maybe Si-ho was just trying really hard to play the part…
“I can hear the gears in your stupid brain grinding all the way from here. Stop trying to think, you blockhead.”
I got an earful from Baeksan.
“So it’s true…”
Meanwhile, Jo Si-a was staring at Si-ho with a shocked expression.
Then she turned to me, her face clearly asking, ‘How on earth…?’
Don’t look at me.
I don’t know either.