Ominous Feeling (2)
It should have been obvious what I needed to say.
Thank you.
That was the right answer. I kept telling myself that over and over, and yet, for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.
Missing an opportunity like this was stupid. I understood that in my head, but I couldn’t help feeling flustered by the way my body seemed to reject the idea outright.
I have to accept.
I repeated it to myself again and again, but in the end, my mouth betrayed my expectations.
“I… uh….”
“Yes?”
“A-after class, I have some… o-other things to do. S-sorry.”
“Ah….”
Jung Hayan Instructor’s expression, heavy with disappointment, came into view.
Her drooping face looked exactly like a puppy that had just been abandoned by its owner. The corners of her eyes dipped slightly, and her big eyes were full of hurt.
For a brief moment, I even wondered if I should apologize for my stupid choice. But even as I tried to think about why my body had reacted like that, I couldn’t find an answer.
The way Jung Hayan kept muttering something under her breath was irritating, but I had no choice except to avert my eyes.
I have a bad feeling about this.
I didn’t think she’d go that far, but there was a very real chance this was some kind of trap set by that fox bastard.
Given how petty he could be, it wasn’t like the possibility was zero.
And besides…
Just keeping up with class is already hard enough.
Learning something new was fine and all, but the homework and assignments I was already drowning in were enough to make my head split open.
I had my reasons, but there was no denying I had made a foolish choice.
Still, I didn’t particularly want to correct it. My breathing was slowly returning to normal.
Right on cue, the bell announcing the end of class rang, and Jung Hayan Instructor, who had been muttering to herself in a low voice, slowly made her way out of the classroom.
Her back looked so miserable that I briefly considered calling after her, but I didn’t raise my hand. The other students from my class were already crowding back toward me.
“T-that’s really amazing, unni….”
“Ah….”
“Not just the class, but who would’ve thought Jung Hayan Instructor would make an offer like that?”
“Th-that so?”
“Yeah. Considering the atmosphere in class today, I was sure that alchemist had said something to her behind the scenes…. Once your ability showed itself, I guess the instructor wanted a piece of you too. She is a senior Blue official, after all. Maybe you’ll get an offer from Blue soon?”
One of the hangers-on at my side immediately chimed in.
“Unni Sora said she wasn’t going to go, so it doesn’t really matter whether the offer comes or not. Didn’t you see how she turned down the instructor’s offer without even blinking?”
“Ah… right.”
“Jung Hayan Instructor seemed a little desperate too….”
“Really?”
“She looked shocked….”
“That was when Sora unni succeeded, right?”
I could hear them talking back and forth among themselves, but for some reason, none of it really sank in.
That expression I’d seen on Jung Hayan Instructor’s face kept coming back to me, along with the strange feeling I’d had earlier.
As I casually brought the subject up again, their eyes turned back toward me.
“Could it be….”
“Yes? Unni Sora.”
“Do you guys not feel like something was strange?”
“What are you referring to?”
“Jung Hayan Instructor. Didn’t she seem a little odd today?”
“She did look a little unwell. A bit irritable… kind of tired, maybe? Something like that….”
“No, not that. I mean she felt strange somehow.”
“She was a little slow, yeah.”
That wasn’t quite the answer I wanted.
One of the hangers-on answered without hesitation.
“Hey! Someone might hear you. Pfft. Though, honestly, that’s not exactly wrong….”
“Isn’t it true? I mean, there was always a little of that feeling from the start…. Back then I just thought, oh, she stutters… that kind of thing. I didn’t know geniuses were all like that, but didn’t she seem like she had some kind of disability?”
“Are geniuses all like that?”
“If that’s what genius is, then I don’t want it at all. B-b-b-b-b… b-b-b-b-b… idiot, right?”
“What the hell! That imitation is perfect! Do it one more time.”
“Y-you’re all stupid! What kind of people just bark like dogs all the time like that… pfft. I guess they don’t realize they’re only making themselves look dumber.”
“That is seriously hilarious!”
“I guess that’s why she hangs around some guy with a few screws loose. I know someone like that too—people who have trouble communicating with others. The kind who grew up without learning proper behavior in a decent household. No matter how you look at it, they’ve probably got a few traumas.”
“That’s a little harsh, but it’s funny. She’s not actually slow, is she?”
“Who knows? Maybe she was normal once and just went crazy from studying magic too much… right, Sora unni?”
Was I taking this too seriously?
Watching them laugh and joke so carelessly, I suddenly felt stupid for having thought about it so seriously.
Maybe she wasn’t feeling well.
They hadn’t noticed anything strange. Thinking back, my own body really had felt off at the time.
Even the way she kept grinning and stammering seemed pretty absurd now that I thought about it.
The imitation the hangers-on were doing in front of me was already funny enough to make me laugh despite myself, so I didn’t really need anything else.
She really did seem a little off somehow….
Deciding that maybe their words were right after all, I added casually, “Well… I guess it’s not impossible. That’s usually how it is in movies, right? People who are a little off in the head. There are even cases where people with autism have amazing memories. It’s not impossible in magic either, I guess. In Jung Hayan Instructor’s case, she seems to have an innate affinity for mana….”
“Oh, really?”
“Maybe she really did go crazy. Haha. There are people who develop aphasia from trauma in the Tutorial Dungeon, aren’t there? Couldn’t that be the case here?”
“Ah. Unni, you’re finally laughing. Just a minute ago you had such a serious look on your face.”
“It’s because you guys are so funny. I really did start thinking that way without realizing it. A slowpoke. Haha. Just thinking she might actually be like that makes me feel so stupid for looking up at her in admiration. Who cares if she’s a genius? She still stutters, doesn’t she?”
“Exactly. If two people are equally capable, the guild would obviously prefer the one with a sound mind—or at least someone who can speak properly.”
“Right? In that case, maybe I should go to Blue and swallow it whole. There’s no guarantee I’m not a genius myself… and once I grow a little, they’ll prefer me over that stammering idiot bitch, won’t they? The Blue Guild Master isn’t stupid.”
“If it’s unni, you could do it. If you really end up there, don’t forget about us, okay?”
“Why would I forget you? Even if I end up in another guild, we can still keep in touch. If I get into Blue and catch the Guild Master’s eye, I might even put in a word to have you brought in as a low-level party member.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Probably. Blue isn’t even a top-tier guild or anything….”
“I really hope that happens. It’d definitely be different from the other big guilds. Once the influence starts growing… and looking at what that alchemist is doing right now, it’s pretty convincing. If you do end up joining Blue, what are you going to do about him?”
“Someone like that doesn’t belong in the guild I join. He’s nothing but baggage hanging off Jung Hayan Instructor’s side anyway. If the two of them break up, that’s the end of it….”
“Right now?”
“Ruining some wage-slave’s life is nothing. If he says he was sexually harassed, what’s he gonna do about it? Jung Hayan Instructor—no, that slowpoke bitch—would probably lose interest in him too, and Blue, which already sees him as an eyesore, might just toss him out in delight. If I can play the victim for a moment and get the guild’s support, isn’t that a win?”
“You’d go that far? Wait, if anyone hears you say this….”
“Don’t worry. I cut off the sound with mana from the moment you started talking about that slowpoke thing.”
“Wow….”
“If you’ve got nothing, you’ve got to survive however you can. Ability matters, sure, but sometimes you need the wisdom to live a life that goes easy on itself.”
“Somehow, unni, I really think you’re going to succeed….”
“The important thing is to use any means necessary. Being a frail woman is an excellent weapon in society, after all.”
“I feel like I just learned something.”
“Oh? Unni, it looks like someone’s coming over.”
“Who?”
We were right in the middle of a conversation that was actually starting to get entertaining when I glanced back and saw a man quietly raising his hand.
Changryeol Oppa?
Among the assault party I’d worked with, he was one of the more difficult people to deal with.
That was because he didn’t talk much and had a somewhat cold impression.
I had no idea why he’d come looking for me, but his unreadable expression made it hard to figure out what he wanted.
“I’ll be back in a minute to talk.”
“Yes. Go ahead, unni.”
Of course I should move. Compared to the people I’d been chatting with to kill time, the man in front of me was clearly someone more important.
Why does he still wear that mask?
He was still an impossible person to understand.
But there was no way I could show that. As I quietly approached him, he was the first to speak.
“Let’s talk for a minute.”
“What is it, Oppa? Ah! Come to think of it, didn’t you say you met with the Blue Guild Master recently?”
“…….”
“Is there an entrance test there too? Is your acceptance already guaranteed? No, wait—how much were the signing bonus and salary?”
“…….”
“Our worth should be decided by us, not by them. If we get our stories straight, we can negotiate for a much higher salary and signing bonus….”
“I’m not here to hear that, so shut up. Lower your voice too.”
“I… really… then say it quickly.”
“I’ll be honest. I don’t like you.”
“That’s fortunate. I don’t like you either, Oppa.”
“That said, it’s not as though I feel nothing at all. We did go through the assault party together, after all. There was also what happened in the Tutorial Dungeon.”
“Don’t say things like that and just give me something useful.”
“I don’t know what you plan to do from here on out, but… stay away from Blue and live as quietly as if you were a mouse.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“This is a warning. Don’t do anything unnecessary. Just keep to yourself. And don’t pull any half-assed tricks like you did in the dungeon.”
“What? What did I even do in the dungeon….”
“Don’t think I don’t know. You’re too greedy.”
“Could you skip the useless remarks and give me something helpful instead….”
“That’s all I can tell you. I don’t want to get deeply involved with you, and I don’t want to create the image that I’m loose-lipped. Frankly, even telling you this now is unpleasant… it’s annoying.”
“What information do you have?”
“This is the information I’m giving you. Keep your mouth shut and stay quiet.”
“No, seriously, just tell me… is the Blue admission settled or not?”
“I’m leaving. I’ve made myself clear.”
“What the hell? Changryeol Oppa!”
After finishing the conversation, he put his mask back on and walked away. It was a sight to behold. The talk had been short, but my irritation couldn’t help boiling over.
If you have something to say, just say it clearly.
He’d spoken in vague half-sentences and then expected me to just obey him—of course that was annoying. My face twisted on its own, and before I knew it, I was muttering to myself.
“What a damn scam. If you’re gonna give information, at least give it properly. Who the hell asked for that?”
After letting that out, I turned back, and the hangers-on were still chatting away.
Apparently they hadn’t noticed I was approaching, because they were raising their voices with great enthusiasm among themselves.
I was curious whether they were talking behind my back, so I focused a little mana into my ears, and their voices became clearer. Naturally, they weren’t cursing me out.
“But is it really possible for unni to get into Blue? Didn’t it already end when she ignored Slowpoke Hayan’s offer?”
“I don’t know…. I don’t think so? Even if that were the case, if unni’s plan succeeds then the admission is practically guaranteed, and it’d be nice to see that stupid alchemist get knocked down a peg, right? Wage-slave bastard….”
“If unni goes to Blue, does that mean we might have a chance too?”
“I doubt it…. But unni would probably look after us and give us some help, right? And that slowpoke Instructor doesn’t seem like she’s planning to give up either—looks like unni really caught her eye.”
“Why?”
“She kept muttering as she left the lecture hall.”
“What was she saying? I didn’t hear it….”
“What was it again… definitely.”
“…….”
“…….”
“C-ca-calm down… ah… there’s still p-p-plenty of time… you can do it.”
“That impression is fucking hilarious.”
“I know, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.”