Monster Zoo # 7
Monster Zoo # 7
With the instructor's final shout, we stepped outside.
Either way, this incident is over.
—Whump-whump-whump-whump!
Attack helicopters still thudded through the sky, and soldiers hustled everywhere. So this is what a government response looks like? And since the rescue targets were hero cadets, of course they'd roll out this many troops.
Hell, all the ordinary infantry not wearing powered suits were decked out in crisscross camouflage...! As if that farce weren't enough, the army's antics didn't stop there. I have no idea what those lunatics thought they'd hide from in the middle of downtown, but some of the bastards had stuck actual branches onto their helmets.
From the look of it, some had branches and some didn't, so the platoons or companies must be different. I don't know what's going on, but I bet the photos will come out awesome.
"Look at those soldiers running their asses off. Ugh, I'm wiped. You guys, shall we head back now?"
"Yeah, let's. Haah, seriously. I'm fucking exhausted. First time I've ever fought like this."
Yu-ri answered while stretching. First time, huh. Well. She's a student too, even if she is Yu-ri. She's probably never had to fight for her life in tight quarters against enemies using warp tactics.
"Nngh."
"..."
But she's looking pretty disheveled. As she moves through her stretches, her defined 11-line abs are clearly visible... I mean, how much do you have to work out to get 11-line abs like that?
"Hey! Where are you looking!"
"Wha—! No!"
She's calling me out on something I hadn't even realized!
She's the one who showed them off!
"Who told you to stretch right here!"
I shouted in alarm, and Yu-ri grinned.
"Just a joke, you moron. Heh. Still, our Kim Geun-cheol? You really put in the work today. Teaching you swordsmanship was worth it. How'd you learn to fight so well? Huh?"
Scared the absolute shit out of me.
Yu-ri actually poked me in the chest with her finger as she asked.
"Heh-heh, you think so? Well, I guess I did fight pretty well."
"You only took down E-rank worker monsterkin, but from what I saw, your combat spirit seems solid. You didn't freeze up like the old sparring days, either. Actually, you charged in boldly first and grabbed a hostage, right?"
When you pile on the praise like that, it stops being flattering and just gets embarrassing.
"I'm saying you've got potential, you've got potential. Anyway, good job today. Kim Geun-cheol fought really well. During the scrap earlier, I figured I could leave the trash mobs to you."
"Wait, so you were saying I was dependable... as the trash-mob guy?"
"What else?"
Well, that is basically true.
"This is something else. To earn recognition from Woo Yu-ri of the Woo family... I'm swelling with pride here."
"Why are you emphasizing the family name? Anyway, I'm so tired, I'm heading out. You two get back safe too."
"Yeah, sure."
I gave Yu-ri a quick goodbye. She turned around with the utmost chill, gave a wave, and went on her way.
What a free spirit. But man, what she taught me really was a huge help. If I hadn't learned proper sword technique, my stamina efficiency would've been way worse, and I wouldn't have taken down nearly as many.
"Haah, Geun-cheol. Let's hurry back too."
Si-hoo said, sounding just as exhausted.
We're neighbors anyway, so I'd be walking with Si-hoo regardless.
"Yeah, let's. Go back and rest. Uh, Leona?"
"..."
But Leona was standing there, spacing out as if deep in thought. I grabbed her shoulder and gave it a little shake.
"Leona?"
"Huh, wha?"
Leona answered in a daze before snapping out of it.
"Aah!"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Oh... Ah! Let's go back now! Kim Geun-cheol! And Lee Si-hoo! It's late, so I'll give you a ride!"
"Come to think of it, we came by bus—do they really just send the bus back without us?"
Now that I thought about it, we all came here together on a bus, and after all this chaos, being told "get home on your own" is pretty funny. They probably forgot they needed to send us back in all the confusion.
"So they're just telling us to figure it out ourselves?"
"They'll probably cover something like transportation costs. But since I'm taking you, that's unnecessary. Anyway. We need to get back fast and rest, so hurry. Kim Geun-cheol? Come on."
"Gah!"
—Grab!
Leona immediately seized my wrist and pulled me along, and Si-hoo followed after us.
As we walked, her flying limousine was already waiting. She must've called it ahead earlier.
"Get in."
"Yeah, okay."
Leona opened the door, packed Si-hoo and me inside, and climbed in herself. I swear, I think this every time, but Leona is way too strong. Even her thigh pressed up beside me right now feels incredibly solid.
"Well, then, I'll gratefully catch a ride again today."
"Oh, please. You were amazing today. You caught the hostage perfectly, Kim Geun-cheol. We're alive thanks to you. Congratulations on the big performance."
"Wouldn't call it a performance."
"It was a performance."
Leona smiled as she acknowledged it again.
"Well, sure, grabbing the hostage was a big deal. But, Si-hoo, Leona. What do you think would've happened if I hadn't done that?"
Si-hoo rubbed his lips before answering.
"Hmm... We'd probably have been badly hurt. Weak as those things were individually, in a situation like that, it would've been dangerous. We were surrounded. Honestly, Geun-cheol, when I first saw what you were about to do, I had no idea what you were trying."
"That sounds a bit disapproving."
"It was."
"Ah, man!"
"Heh, still, I'm glad it worked out. We all survived. I never even thought of taking a hostage."
"I just realized it in the moment, too. They were cutting through that glass wall, right? So what does that tell you? The bastard inside was their objective."
I just judged the situation and acted fast, that's all. I couldn't have held off that sheer volume with my own strength anyway.
If my judgment had been wrong, it would've been a total disaster. Good thing it worked. No, actually, it's definitely correct. Would they have sacrificed that much to rescue him if he wasn't important?
"Your powers of observation are impressive. Anyway, Geun-cheol, a hundred points. Today, you're a hundred points."
"Come on, Si-hoo, be honest. Has there ever been a time when I wasn't a hundred points?"
"Kim Geun-cheol, your test-score average is twenty-six points! You're letting it go to your head again!"
"Oof!"
Leona's scolding left me with zero counter-argument...!
"Still, you did well today, so I'll let it slide. For now, go in and rest. We've got school tomorrow anyway. Let's use lunch to write up the report together."
"Sounds good."
"Yeah."
I don't care about the rest, but that report is the most important. Write it properly, submit it, and we'll get rewarded. Now that's what I call a wholesome school life, isn't it?
"Ah, we've arrived."
We reached the dorm. After saying goodbye to Leona, Si-hoo and I went inside together.
"The second we get in, I'm starting with a bath."
"Geun-cheol, what exactly are you emphasizing 'bath' for."
"Huh? I didn't mean anything by it—why are you acting like that?"
"Quiet!"
Anyway, let's get inside and rest.
I need to allocate my stats, too.
* * *
Leona let out a breath as she entered her room.
"Haah."
She had fought hard today. She'd been caught in a sudden gate incident and thrown straight into combat. No matter how superhuman you are, exhaustion is inevitable.
But the discomfort in her chest.
It probably wasn't from being tired.
—Plop.
Leona threw off her jacket and slumped onto the sofa.
"..."
The words she had heard earlier kept echoing in her ears.
"R-Romance...?! It's not like that at all!"
The remark Instructor Lee So-ra had made. Hearing it had made her feel strangely embarrassed. It's not as if she and Kim Geun-cheol are dating or anything.
"I just simply!"
The more she sees him, the more she feels this urge to look after him because he seems so pitiful. That's all. The guy is so pathetic it's hard not to pity him every time she looks at him.
But.
"Hmph!"
Nonetheless, Kim Geun-cheol is completely mismatched with Leona Kainus, the eldest daughter of the Kainus Family—one of the pillars of Mister Dominators. Beauty and the Beast. Princess and the pauper.
"D-Dating Kim Geun-cheol? I, I've never even thought about it...!"
Leona muttered that to herself for no reason, leaning back against the sofa and covering her eyes with her forearm.
As her vision darkened, that scene from earlier came to mind.
—...
Kim Geun-cheol is, in a sense, like a student.
Someone who needs her guidance.
He's overflowing with motivation, but he has a foolish side, so she simply can't leave him alone. If left to his own devices, he'd definitely go off course or wander down some strange path. On the other hand, with someone like Kim Geun-cheol, as long as there's a person beside him to lead the way, he'll manage just fine.
Even today's fight proves it.
Didn't he fight well because he learned swordsmanship properly?
The whole 26-point general-subject exam average was a bit over the top... but in the end, once she taught him how to study, she managed to drag his scores all the way up to 68.
Just like that, Kim Geun-cheol has his foolish side, so someone has to lead him. And as the class president, she is the one who must fill that role.
That's why she called him something like a student.
But Kim Geun-cheol.
About her.
'Leona is like a mother to me!'
He said she was like a mother.
He said it.
"Sniff!"
She couldn't hold back the tears.
"What did you even mean by that...!"
Like a mother!
"Was my kindness truly that moving?! Yes! Kim Geun-cheol!"
—Thump, thump, thump!
She pounded the sofa with her left fist!
The kindness and her duties as class president that she had given him! Kim Geun-cheol had received them and felt so happy! So happy that he called her a mother-like figure!
Just thinking about it made her chest feel ticklish and deeply moved at the same time.
Her inhale trembled, and her exhale carried a shaking voice.
"Did he yearn for a mother that much...?!"
She might very well be the first person to have treated him so warmly. That could be why Kim Geun-cheol said such a thing.
She more or less knows Kim Geun-cheol's past.
The problem child of the orphanage. The ping-pong transfer. The time bomb. The Orphan Crusher who beat up other orphans half to death. No-parents? Get-the-hell-beat-out-of-you. The scumbag. Every single one of his nicknames is violent and brutal, but the Kim Geun-cheol she knows is nothing more than a kind-hearted fool...! A fool carrying deep wounds!
"Hnk!"
Sunk in sorrow, Leona ruminated over her feelings for Kim Geun-cheol.
And then.
—Ding.
Her phone went off.
"Hm? Ah."
It was a notification that the mobile game she had pre-registered for had launched today. Leona wiped her tears with her forearm and immediately downloaded the game.
Leona is the type who occasionally picks up eye-catching games and plays them very lightly. She opened the downloaded game and waited through various patches.
[Please choose a character nickname.]
It was time to decide on a nickname.
"..."
Leona thought about it for a moment.
"...Ah."
—Tap, tap, tap.
She entered a nickname.
[Geun-cheol's Mom]
"Kim Geun-cheol, seriously...! Why do you keep making me sad?!"