An Unexpected Clue
It's already been a week since Professor Magnus personally asked for his help. Among the first-years, rumors about Mana Up had begun to spread, yet not a single story had surfaced about anyone actually seeing the app.
"......"
The same was true for Togun Masao—the very student the professors had predicted would discover it first. He stared fixedly at his smartphone, waiting with burning hope for the Mana Up app to appear today as well. But once again, there was nothing. At this point, it would have been perfectly reasonable to dismiss the whole thing as fake news or baseless gossip, just like the other students, and conclude that the professors had been mistaken.
Yet because it was a request from Professor Magnus—the one person who had believed in him—Togun couldn't bring himself to look away from the device.
"What, did you get hooked on some interesting game? Feels like you've been glued to that phone lately."
Hemming set the food down in front of him with a worried frown. Today's main dish was stir-fried pork. Knowing Togun couldn't handle spice, Hemming had used less chili powder and added extra sugar to create a special sweeter version.
"Ah, thank you."
The meat glistened as if coated in glaze, making his mouth water instantly. The moment Togun lifted his chopsticks, unable to wait any longer, Hemming spoke again, his voice laced with concern.
"Playing games is fine, but don't get too absorbed."
Was he worried because Togun already struggled to keep up with the academy's demanding pace? Even during the busy dinner rush, Hemming lingered at his table far longer than usual.
It wasn't that he'd fallen into a game, as Hemming feared. Still, the matter had been weighing on him so heavily that he struggled to focus in class these days.
"Don't take it like I'm nagging. Actually... I guess it is nagging, huh? Lately my son's been obsessed with playing on my phone, and it's started to worry me. Guess it reminded me of that, so I stuck my nose in a bit."
"Not at all. I know you're saying it because you care. I'm actually grateful."
"Thanks for taking it that way."
How could he not understand the kindness behind the words? He wasn't foolish enough to twist them. If anything, it showed he'd grown up faster than most boys his age.
"Anyway, you come here every day? I'm grateful since you always play with Andy, but is that okay? You're not forcing yourself just for my sake, are you?"
"No, it's not like that. I come to eat too. The food here is so good that it's way better than anything at the dormitory."
"Still, eating out every day has to add up."
Even though they'd told him he could eat for free, Togun always insisted on paying, saying he'd feel burdened otherwise. When Hemming asked out of concern, Togun shook his head as if to brush the worry away.
"It's fine. My family sends me more than enough money."
Though he'd come to the capital almost like a runaway after his dream of becoming a mage was dismissed, he was still the sole direct descendant of the Masao family and the rightful heir to their sacred heirloom artifact. That was why the family deposited a generous sum into his account each month. Food costs were hardly a burden. Besides, the prices here weren't expensive enough to cause any real strain.
"So I'll pay for today's meal too, for sure."
Togun spoke quickly, cutting off any protest before it could start. Hemming sighed in defeat and raised his hands.
"All right, all right. Do as you like."
Just then, a customer called for Hemming. He answered hastily and hurried off.
Can I finally eat now?
Even though their conversation had dragged on longer than expected, the food was still steaming. Togun picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and set it on his rice. He was just about to scoop up a spoonful of the sauce-soaked grains when—
"Ppa!"
With Hemming gone, his son Andy appeared to interrupt the meal. As usual, the boy greeted Togun with that strange little word and patted his leg. Then, without asking permission, he naturally climbed onto the chair beside him.
"Eat fast! I'll wait right here!"
Normally Andy would sit with him and eat together. Had he already eaten early? Or maybe he wasn't very hungry. Since neither Anna nor Hemming had urged the boy to have a meal, it was probably the former.
"Yeah, just give me a minute. I'll finish quick and play with you."
"Okay!"
Togun put the spoon—already loaded with rice and pork—into his mouth. The chewy meat and savory-sweet red sauce blended perfectly with the rice in a fantastic harmony. As expected, it's delicious. From there, he began devouring the food, savoring each side dish with eager bites.
Then he glanced sideways to see what Andy was up to.
"......"
Had he started right after saying that? Andy was staring intently at the smartphone, completely oblivious to Togun's gaze. The boy didn't even blink. Watching him, Togun finally understood why Hemming had looked at him with such worry earlier.
So that's what I looked like.
Come to think of it, Hemming had mentioned Andy was obsessed with playing on his phone lately. Was that Hemming's smartphone, then? Andy had just turned six, yet he handled the device with surprising skill. Frankly, he seemed far better at it than his mechanically challenged father.
"Hmm?"
Maybe he'd felt the stare. Andy looked up and met Togun's eyes. He tilted his head curiously, then broke into a bright smile.
"Hey, look at this."
What he held out was Hemming's smartphone. Wondering if there was a funny video, Togun glanced at the screen—only to see the family wallpaper. Hemming, Anna, and Andy smiling warmly together. The photo radiated love.
"It's a really nice shot."
"......"
Andy’s face fell into a pout, clearly not the reaction he'd wanted. Oh. He wasn't trying to show off the family photo?
"Not that—this!"
Realizing his mistake, Togun watched as Andy pushed the phone even closer. The boy pointed at a spot on the screen.
"This black thing."
"Huh?"
It was an unnamed app icon.
"I'll show you something cool."
Andy long-pressed the app and tried to delete it. The icon vanished from the home screen for a moment, only to reappear in the exact same spot.
"See? Isn't it cool?"
"Yeah, it really is."
In truth, it wasn't particularly surprising. He was just playing along to make the boy happy.
No way Uncle Hemming set that up. Must have been Aunt Anna.
She'd probably made the app undeletable so Andy wouldn't accidentally remove anything important while playing.
"Right? It's cool, isn't it?"
Delighted by Togun's response, Andy's eyes sparkled as he kept talking.
"I don't know when it got there, but it was just on Dad's phone one day! There's no way Dad could install something like this!"
"......"
Uncle... even your six-year-old son is calling you a mechanical disaster? If Hemming had heard that, he probably would have smiled bitterly.
Oh. He heard it.
When Togun glanced toward the counter, their eyes met. Hemming's shoulders slumped noticeably as he turned away to serve a customer. It was the bitter back of a father whose wish to be seen as a perfect superhero by his young son had just been shattered.
"I didn't install it either, so I asked Mom, but she said she doesn't know anything about it!"
Completely unaware of his father's mood, Andy continued excitedly.
"Dad said he doesn't know either. It doesn't do anything when you tap it. I tried to delete it, but that didn't work."
"......That really is strange."
The more he listened, the more curious he became.
But isn't that kind of dangerous?
It sounded like the phone had been hacked. Maybe clumsy, tech-illiterate Uncle Hemming had accidentally installed some virus-ridden app. If so, his personal information was probably already in a hacker's hands. Should he tell him to report it to the police?
Togun frowned, tilting his head.
"An app that appeared even though no one installed it?"
That sounded familiar. Very familiar. The moment the connection clicked, Togun's eyes flew wide open.
Crash!
He shot up from his seat so fast the chair toppled backward with a loud clatter. The noisy restaurant fell silent in an instant, as if someone had dumped cold water over everything. Every eye turned toward him.
"Uncle!"
Oblivious to the stares, Togun spun toward Hemming with urgent energy. He snatched the smartphone from a bewildered Andy and hurried over.
"This app—it just appeared out of nowhere one day, right?"
"What?"
Hemming looked at the screen, clearly startled by Togun's unusual intensity.
"Ah, this one?"
"Yes! You didn't download it by mistake or anything, right?"
"No, at least I don't think so..."
What is it that has the kid so worked up? Hemming unconsciously took a step back from the sheer force of Togun's presence. But Togun closed the gap in two quick strides, eyes blazing as he looked up at him.
"Uncle! If you have time tomorrow, let's go see Professor Magnus together!"
He wanted to go right this second, but Hemming was busy with the restaurant, and with the sun already set, he wasn't sure if the professor would even be at the academy.
"Well, I don't mind."
There was no room for refusal. At Togun's decisive statement—less a question and more a declaration—Hemming answered with a bewildered look that refused to fade.
So what the hell is this about?
Why was the boy so excited? And why had Professor Magnus's name come up? He couldn't follow the situation at all. One thing was certain, though: Togun wouldn't act this way without a reason.
Yes!
At Hemming's approval, Togun clenched both fists in silent triumph.
I finally found it!
Clues always appeared in the most unexpected nearby places. It wasn't just Togun Masao or Jeon Raydel. Hemming—who had enrolled in the academy at a late age because he longed to become a mage—was also a perfect target for the culprit.
I got lucky.
That was all he could think. The fact that Hemming was so bad with technology he'd never even touched the app. The way Andy had discovered it by chance and proudly shown it off.
"Ah."
Only then did Togun snap back to reality. He looked around and flinched at all the eyes fixed on him.
I'm in trouble.
His mind went blank. His pupils trembled. His breath caught in his throat as cold sweat trickled down his back.
"I'm sorry for causing a disturbance during your meal!"
He bent forward at a perfect ninety-degree bow. His voice rang out through the entire restaurant. Still bowing in every direction, he hurried back to his seat.
"Are you okay?"
"No."
Too embarrassed to lift his head, he handed the smartphone back to Andy and began picking half-heartedly at his food. Seeing this, Andy stood on his chair and patted Togun's back with his tiny hand.
"Cheer up, big brother."
"Thanks."
The adorable scene melted the earlier silence. Warm smiles spread through the restaurant. Everyone there was a father with children waiting at home. Perhaps the sight reminded them of their own childhoods, because Togun's blunder didn't seem annoying at all. If anything, they found it endearing. Some even bought him drinks to enjoy with his meal.
So embarrassing...
With his head still lowered, the sound of their laughter made Togun's face burn even redder. And the more it did, the louder the uncles' laughter grew.