Predator (3)
The girl led the boy to a high hill blanketed with blooming white cosmos. There wasn't a single sign of anyone else around. The sky was flawlessly clear, and a pleasant breeze wafted gently up from the base of the hill.
"Close your eyes, hurry...!" the girl urged in a flushed voice. A faint, inexplicable blush colored her face.
"Ugh, why do I have to close my eyes...? It's okay if you don't give me a birthday present, you know..."
"I-I already prepared it... Close your eyes, quick...!"
"Just what are you planning to give..."
The boy grumbled but closed his eyes as she asked. There was no way he could refuse a request from the girl he loved.
Yet even after a long time with his eyes closed, there was no indication she was about to present the gift. The only sound was the rustling of cosmos stems swaying in the wind.
"Maybe you're just messing with me..."
It was just as the weary boy, tired of waiting, was about to open his eyes.
Suddenly, he felt something moist and soft touch his right cheek.
- Chu
The strange sweetness and warmth he'd never experienced before made the boy turn his head to the right to identify it.
"Huh...?"
What filled the boy's vision was a pair of large, clear eyes like a deer's. They were so close he could see every eyelash and feel her breath.
"Hoo... hoo..."
The girl's face, now meeting his gaze, flushed as red as a steamed carrot.
"Th-this is...?"
"I told you to keep your eyes closed...!"
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, the girl whipped around and hid her face.
But the boy was no less embarrassed. His face too was filled with a throbbing and tickling sensation he'd never felt before.
"Idiot... You're a real idiot..."
"...Sorry. I didn't realize the present was this..."
"I kept telling you to keep your eyes closed... Hoo..."
All the boy could do was repeat short apologies.
The two sat side by side in silence for a long while.
Finally, the girl broke the long silence.
"...Did you like it...?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you liked it... my birthday present for you..."
The boy turned his head again. The black-haired girl was looking at him with her face buried in her knees. A faint hope glimmered in her eyes.
Again, all the boy could offer was a short answer.
"...Yeah. I liked it... I really did..."
"...I'm glad..."
Only then did the girl release her tension and melt into a puddle. Then, with a look of determination, she gazed at the boy once more.
"If... if you liked it... can I do it to you too...?"
"Huh...? Isn't today my birthday...? You said it was my birthday present..."
"Still... I'm curious too... Can't I...?"
Faced with the unexpected request, the boy's face filled with panic. But the conclusion was always the same. Refusing the girl he loved was impossible.
"...Alright. Then close your eyes."
"...Okay."
The girl closed her eyes immediately. The corners of her mouth were on the verge of reaching her ears in happiness.
Though hesitant, the boy faithfully performed his duty. Up close, the girl's cheek was trembling faintly with tension and excitement.
The boy pressed his lips to it.
"...Hngh."
The moment his lips touched her cheek, the girl shuddered violently and let out a strange sound. The boy pulled away soon after, but the girl kept her head bowed without a word.
Had he made a mistake? Just as the boy was about to sink into worry—
Suddenly the girl leaped into his arms. Naturally, she ended up nestled in his embrace.
The girl wore the expression of the happiest person in the world.
Only then did the boy feel relieved and speak again.
"...Did you like it?"
"...Yes. I really liked it. I was so happy..."
"...That's a relief..."
The two remained tangled together, lying in the flower field for a long time.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, the girl spoke.
"Hey..."
"...Yeah?"
"By any chance... do you want to try somewhere else too...?"
"Huh...?"
The boy, lying down, suddenly looked down at his chest. There, he saw a pair of moist eyes and something that looked like a sweet berry.
It was tempting enough to stir impure impulses, but the boy easily overcame the desire.
"...No thanks."
"...Why?"
The girl asked back in a dissatisfied tone.
The boy simply smiled and brushed her hair aside.
"Kissing on the lips is something only adults do. Let's wait a bit."
"...Tch."
The girl puffed her cheeks lightly, making a pouty face for a moment.
"Well, no need to rush things."
But soon she seemed to change her mind, smiling happily again as she burrowed deeper into his arms.
"After all, I'm yours. Body and soul, everything."
"...That's right."
"And you're mine too, after all."
"That's right."
The girl had a way of saying embarrassing things without batting an eye.
All the boy could do was give short answers.
The girl stared up at him. The air was filled with the scent of grass and sweet forget-me-nots.
Her small lips finally parted.
"I love you."
Haa... Haa...!
When I opened my eyes, it seemed to be just before dawn. The entire area around me was drenched in sweat, and rough breaths kept spilling from my mouth. I looked like someone who had just woken from a nightmare.
"Ugh... Urk..."
A wave of nausea with no clear cause rose from within. I got up, pulled out the water bottle, and drank deeply for a long time. Only after half the large bottle had emptied did I finally regain my senses.
Tomorrow we would head to the Cheongong Basin for the exam, but sleep had already fled long ago. The leader's claim that diligent attendance in meditation classes would calm the mind was clearly a lie.
Since falling back asleep was out of the question, I decided to stay up through the night and organize my thoughts. I switched on the dim sleep light and sat back down on the bed.
My top priority right now was to achieve a score within the top ten percent in the upcoming exam and name Yeon Minha as my mentor. Then, by any means necessary, I would build a connection with her, help her regain her standing, and restore the tilted scales of balance at least partway.
At first the task had seemed utterly daunting, but now I had at least grasped a few clues.
The biggest reason Yeon Minha had lost her position was, naturally, her rotten personality. Of course, it could have been something she was born with or acquired later. But if the account I had read in the journal from the past was accurate, the most likely cause was the overwhelming talent as a spirit mage that Yeon Minha possessed.
Because the 'path' had opened and she was constantly exposed to things she should never have seen, she had endured relentless mental stress and become twisted. And if my authority—Blockade—could suppress the movement of particles in the surrounding area, it might be able to ease those side effects. After all, the primary cause of a spirit mage's adverse reactions was communication with spirits mediated by those very particles.
Keeping the authority active all day would obviously be impossible, but creating even brief moments of respite might leave room for improvement.
Fortunately, Yeon Minha had no issues with skill. In fact, her talent was so excessive that it had become the problem. Mage society and the cradle fundamentally valued ability above all. If her personality—the greatest obstacle—could be corrected, she stood a real chance of regaining her influence.
From what I had heard from Yena, Yeon Minha's name had not once left the lips of the influential upper-rank students. Most of them had already attended the social gathering with Baek Seoyeon last time. Since Baek Seoyeon had won their hearts first, they would have little desire to create an awkward situation by naming Yeon Minha as mentor instead.
That fact also meant Yeon Minha's public image was poor and her position was steadily shrinking. The guy named Choi Woojin had oddly expressed interest in naming her as his mentor, but since each mentor could take up to two mentees, that wouldn't pose a major issue.
Still, that did not mean every problem had been resolved.
First was the possibility that Yeon Minha's personality had already warped beyond repair. After more than ten years of continuous exposure to such a harsh environment, unless her mental fortitude was exceptionally strong, the odds were high that she had already crossed a river from which there was no return.
The reason so many direct descendants of the Yeon family had died young was the collapse of their mental barriers caused by excessive communion with spirits, along with the various psychological problems that followed. Given Yeon Minha's abundant talent, she was likely suffering side effects even more severe than any her ancestors had endured.
If the damage was already irreversible, then I had no means to correct her. On top of that, there was still no trust between Yeon Minha and me sufficient for me to reveal my authority. To the leader or my sisters it might be different, but right now Yeon Minha was nowhere near their level in my eyes. Far from any human bond, the reality was that she held only unpleasant impressions of me.
"...Haa."
I let out a sigh in the middle of my thoughts. Perhaps because of the dream I'd just had, the conversation with Baek Seoyeon from last week kept replaying in my head. At least we hadn't run into each other since then, so I had managed to regain some mental stability.
Even so, the current me was already as good as marked as Baek Seoyeon's enemy. I had wondered whether the rumor that I came from the 66th unit had been spread by that side, but surprisingly no such talk had reached my ears. Still, given that hostile attitude, it felt less like mercy and more like she was waiting for a more decisive moment.
Baek Seoyeon had already forgotten me and was living her own life. I, too, could not turn my back on what I had to do. Even if old memories clung to my ankles, even if sorrow made my heart ache.
For the me of right now, there was only the path forward. Therefore, helping Yeon Minha in the current situation had already become inevitable. She needed to regain her power so the scales could be rebalanced, to prevent any harm from reaching the leader and my sisters, and to fulfill the leader's order that I graduate from the cradle with excellent grades and return.
Yeon Minha might not realize it yet, but she and I were now essentially a community of fate. I had no choice in the matter.
I would somehow secure a score in the top ten percent in this exam. Then I would name Yeon Minha as my mentor, approach her, and correct her by any means necessary—even if it required harsh methods.