Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Delinquent Girl and the Total Loser (Not) (3)
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It was a fantastic pose.
Yoo Harin was stepping on the head of the man collapsed on the ground while grabbing another thug by the throat and hoisting him into the air.
It was like a scene straight out of a painting.
Click.
It was a moment you couldn't resist snapping a photo of.
"I took it too hastily. Let me get another one, Harin-ah. Say cheese~."
I wanted to properly capture and preserve this moment, so I flashed my smartphone again.
Click!
It wasn't something I'd planned from the start.
Yoo Harin hadn't come back after a long time, so I'd had no choice but to go look for her.
Even if it was fake, if her fake boyfriend didn't go searching for her, who would?
"Hmm, this one's pretty good."
Taking the photo had been unavoidable too.
Yoo Harin using her abilities on ordinary people.
She wouldn't just let me, the witness, walk away scot-free.
This was purely to protect myself.
In other words, justice was on my side.
Sophistry?
Yeah, pretty much.
I was already thrilled at the thought of using this photo to blackmail Yoo Harin if things got dicey.
"You...".
Right on cue, Yoo Harin opened her mouth, glaring at me with shock still etched on her face.
If you want to blame someone, blame Choi Si-hyeok, not me, Harin-ah.
That guy's a total piece of trash.
You know how you've managed to stay a virgin? And why Choi Si-hyeok hasn't touched you yet?
He's waiting for you to spread your legs on your own.
He wants to keep the upper hand.
That way, he can openly screw around with other girls while dating you.
That's the level of trash that bastard is.
"Partial Beastman Transformation, right? Looks like a really convenient ability."
I flashed a grin, inwardly vowing revenge on Choi Si-hyeok once more.
"You saw? No, you took a picture?"
A split second later, Yoo Harin snapped out of it and bared her teeth at me.
Thud crash!
Of course, only after she'd flung the thug in her grip aside.
"Hold up."
I calmly raised my hand like I was taming a wild beast.
"I already sent the photos to Sia. If anything happens to me, she won't sit still. She's got connections at the Management Bureau, so she could report it straight to the higher-ups."
And then I continued.
"Y-You're blackmailing me right now?"
"Anyone overhearing might get the wrong idea. Let's just calm down and talk this out rationally."
"......"
"Let's start from the top. Hunter Surveillance Division from the Management Bureau will swarm here soon after detecting your mana."
"Got it, uh......"
"I'll cover for your friends. But what about these three?"
I glanced at the three men sprawled unconscious on the ground.
"Dad, or rather, our guild will handle it."
With that, Yoo Harin released her ability and made a call somewhere.
I broke into a cold sweat inwardly at the sight of her wielding her power to the fullest.
'Definitely, if I hadn't taken those photos, I'd have been screwed too.'
The best defense is a good offense.
And this situation called for exactly that.
"Oh, right."
"What now?!"
As I spoke up like something had just occurred to me, Yoo Harin snapped irritably, having just ended her call.
"We agreed by today, remember? For pretending to be my girlfriend."
"......Fuck. You telling me not to touch you?"
"Nah, just let me touch your tail once."
I can't resist a tail.
* * *
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning.
Bang! Bang!
Someone with a foul temper pounded rudely on the front door.
"Is the doorbell just for show?"
I opened the door and scolded Yoo Harin, who was pulling a sour face.
"......Didn't see it."
"Oh, you didn't see it. Gotcha. Guess I should understand then."
"Your tone is seriously annoying."
"Yeah?"
"Anyway, I'm busy. Spit it out. Why'd you call me here first thing in the morning?"
"Let's talk inside."
I sat Yoo Harin in the living room and fiddled with the coffee machine before just mixing some instant instead.
She glanced around the house and remarked,
"Lousy hospitality. For someone living in a nice place."
Her words were laced with thorns; clearly, last night's events had left her seriously pissed.
"Someone raided my wallet, you know."
"......"
"Not that it matters now, but your delinquent crew—it's not like you guys are poor. Why bother extorting money from others?"
"Poor delinquents are the ones who do that. Not me."
"I see."
"Some of 'em just don't get enough allowance. Ugh, why am I even talking about this shit with you?"
Yoo Harin grumbled lightly and sipped her instant coffee.
I stared at her intently before getting to the point.
"What happened after?"
"After what?"
"Didn't they take you to Surveillance for questioning?"
"It was just a formality. Lucky for me, it got ruled as self-defense."
"No other witnesses, so it was easy for your guild to negotiate with the Bureau, right?"
"......Yeah."
"World's a dirty place, huh?"
"Don't rub it in."
Her icy glare and every word cut right into me; she was clearly holding a grudge.
To be fair, she couldn't exactly say anything nice.
I'd been needling her since yesterday, and given our positions, it was inevitable.
Taking her bratty attitude into account(?), I decided to correct it gradually later and first showed her my tablet screen.
"What's this?"
"An article I drafted. 'Students Abusing Powers Indiscriminately—Is This Okay?' Pretty big headline, huh? And the photos turned out nice too."
Yoo Harin's face twisted at my obvious intent.
"You fucking bastard!"
"No swearing."
"You dog bastard!"
"You gonna actually leak this to the media?"
"You're a bad bastard!"
I couldn't help but laugh at how her curses were gradually getting tamer.
"Drop the 'bastard' too."
"Ugh, you jerk! What did I ever do to you?!"
Finally losing her temper, Yoo Harin shot up from her seat and yelled.
"You asking 'cause you don't know? You told me everything yourself yesterday. Stepping on my head and bullying me—you already forgot?"
"......Ha, so this is your revenge? You think you'll come out unscathed if you publish that?"
"Not planning to roll in the mud with you."
I closed the tablet, leaving room for compromise.
She didn't seem eager for an all-out war either, slumping back down with deflated energy.
"What do you want? A sincere apology? Hell, should I crawl under your legs or something?"
"Not even thinking of apologizing."
I chuckled and tossed her an apron.
"......What's this?"
"Make me some food first. Ingredients are all in the fridge; just cook."
"......"
"After breakfast, do the cleaning and laundry too."
"You don't mean......"
"I do."
Yoo Harin's bewildered expression drained of color.
At least it wasn't a naked apron.
"Vacation starts in about 20 days? Come here every day till then. Do what Sia used to do."
I lightly shook the tablet in my hand.
"F-Fuck......"
"Take care of me. Then I'll delete this for good. Simple, right?"
It sounded simple, but it was anything but.
How much housework could Yoo Harin, spoiled rotten under her powerful father's thumb, have ever done?
But kids like her often think chores are easy, so she accepted(?) my terms readily enough.
"......Just till vacation ends, right?"
After confirming multiple times with a suspicious look.
"Yeah, really just vacation."
"Cynthia? Just the housework she did, yeah?"
"Why so distrustful?"
"You look trustworthy? You're a real dog bastard."
"Want a contract then?"
"Yeah! Write one!"
Yoo Harin only relaxed after stamping her fingerprint on the contract.
It was a hassle, but better than last night's slip-up blowing up in the news.
That seemed to be her reasoning.
'Doesn't want to bother Dad or the guild more, or let Choi Si-hyeok find out.'
Yoo Harin stomped irritably toward the kitchen.
I smirked at her retreating back.
'Contracts aren't meant to be signed lightly.'
It didn't take long for her to taste the bitterness(?) of the world.
Crash!
After breaking several dishes, Yoo Harin peeked at me like a cat that had trashed the house.
Her cautious expression was kinda cute, different from her usual icy demeanor, but I had zero intention of letting it slide quietly.
"Argh, fuck! Again?! I told you to do housework, not destroy the house!"
"I-I'll buy replacements...... And stop swearing......"
"Fine for the broom, but how the hell are you gonna replace that exact set?!"
"If I can't find exact matches, similar ones......"
"What about this cup you broke? It was from my late mom, brought from her parents' home!"
Lie.
I had no idea where those dishes and furniture I'd arbitrarily sentimentalized came from.
"S-Sorry......"
But Yoo Harin, clueless, bowed her head with a miserable face.
"Sorry doesn't end your service, or the contract term! Do it right for once! Right!"
"But I'm trying hard......"
"Not hard—properly! Properly!"
"Ugh......"
Finally, Yoo Harin couldn't take my nagging and slammed the duster down.
"I'm done!"
Yoo Harin, who'd lived like a princess or queen, teared up at her first taste of power-tripping.
How's it feel? Like shit, right? That's what you get for bullying weaklings like me.
"Done? You're doing it. Where's this attitude coming from?"
"Hey! Kang Woo......"
"Forgot the contract? Violate clause whatever, and the term doubles. See? Your fingerprint's right there."
In reality, such an unfair contract would be voided easily.
She had no real freedom to decide anyway.
But sadly, she didn't know that.
"Waaah!"
All Yoo Harin could do was bawl her eyes out.
And so.
After spending the whole day drilling hierarchy into her, I stopped her as she tried to leave.
"Where you going?"
"Wh-Why? More?"
Visibly cowed, Yoo Harin mumbled dejectedly.
"What else is left? Cooking, cleaning, laundry—all done. I canceled my plans because of you. Let me go already."
Meanwhile, I calmly revealed my true goal.
"Relieve me once before you go."
I phrased it as euphemistically as I could for "give me a handjob."
"Like Sia did."
Of course, Sia had never actually handled my sexual needs, but she had no way of knowing that.
"Wh-What?"
Doubting her ears, Yoo Harin's face froze solid.