The Matchmaker's Miscalculation
Time flew like an arrow. From dawn to dusk, Yujin was always chased by the clock. Between the Academy's curriculum and his grueling after-school training, his days vanished in the blink of an eye.
As the weekend drew closer, Yujin struggled to calm his racing heart. Had he not poured all his focus into training, time would have crawled at an agonizingly slow pace. To shake off his restlessness, Yujin pushed himself even harder, driving his body to its absolute limits.
In that regard, Angelica's return was a massive relief. He felt a bit sorry for the temporary instructor, but their training sessions had been far too lukewarm. The summoned beasts were laughably weak compared to Angelica's golems, and the sheer intensity of the workouts fell miserably short.
It wasn't that the temporary instructor was weak or lacked teaching ability. As the assistant homeroom teacher of Class D—the class responsible for supervising the problem children—their skills were actually quite formidable. The real issue was simply that Yujin had grown too strong.
Having successfully stepped into the realm of Awakening, Yujin possessed power rivaling that of active heroes—specifically, a level of strength capable of going toe-to-toe with high-ranking monsters. For the Class D assistant teacher to properly instruct Yujin, they would have to go all out, which would completely disrupt the class. Since it wasn't a one-on-one private tutoring session and other students had to be taught, Yujin couldn't be given special treatment.
But Angelica was different. She was a fully awakened being, one 'Close to God.' There was a vast, undeniable chasm between her and Yujin, who had only just crossed the threshold of Awakening. For her, tailoring a special curriculum to match Yujin's level while simultaneously managing the other students was child's play.
Thanks to her, Yujin was never bored. Her brutal, relentless lessons—seemingly designed to beat down any trace of arrogance from his recent growth—left him so utterly exhausted that he had no energy left for idle thoughts.
And so, time marched on. The sun set and rose, then set and rose again. Once two days had slipped by, the calendar page turned to a bright red number.
Over those two days, he and Lucia had barely spoken about their weekend plans. Yujin was not a man of many words, and Lucia, despite her eccentricities, was surprisingly quiet in daily life. Consequently, their interactions consisted of only a few casual remarks. None of those brief exchanges touched upon their upcoming appointment.
It got to the point where Yujin began to worry if she had forgotten about it entirely. Yet, bringing it up first felt incredibly awkward. To put it bluntly, he was simply too embarrassed.
Of course, Lucia was not the type of thoughtless person to forget her own invitation. Yujin pulled out a slip of paper, now slightly crumpled from how many times he had unfolded and read it. It was a note Lucia had handed him after class yesterday. Written in a small, adorable script were the time and location of their meeting.
“The Cherry Blossom Festival…”
Yujin let out a bittersweet smile. He had gone there once with Yui when they were children. The pink petals dancing in the wind had been so breathtakingly beautiful. Yui had loved flowers. Not just a specific kind, but every single variety. She used to pore over books, memorizing their names. Perhaps influenced by her, Yujin had grown to appreciate them too—though nowadays, he avoided them because they only served as painful reminders of his sister.
But he couldn't cling to the past forever. Yujin folded the note neatly and slipped it into his pocket. Though there was still plenty of time before their meeting, he decided to head out early. It was far better to arrive first and wait than to make her wait for him.
Yujin frowned as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Is a school uniform really appropriate for a day like this? But he had nothing else to wear. Yujin was a guy who cared absolutely nothing for fashion. To him, clothes were meant to be functional and easy to move in. Because of this purely practical mindset, his wardrobe contained nothing suitable for a casual outing. He certainly couldn't show up in a tracksuit.
He should have prepared something in advance. He regretted his lack of foresight, but it was too late now. The most decent outfit in his closet was, ironically, his school uniform. After agonizing over it for a long while, he had no choice but to put it on.
Double-checking to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Yujin's gaze drifted to his desk. His sword lay there—a specially crafted weapon issued by the Academy. He had never let it leave his side, but… today was an exception. He was going to meet Lucia, not to fight. Besides, this was a date—cough, cough. Well, whatever it was, he was going out to have fun, so a weapon wasn't necessary. Even if something did happen, his current self would easily be able to handle it.
“Still, considering what Instructor Angelica said…”
Yujin slipped a dagger he kept as a backup weapon into his inner uniform pocket, finally completing his preparations. Their destination was a park in the 4th District where the Cherry Blossom Festival was being held. Since the Academy was located in the 2nd District, it would take about an hour by bus. The meeting time was exactly 9:00 AM. It was currently 8:30 AM, but there was no need to rush. They weren't meeting at the park, but at the Academy's main gate.
Yujin reached into his pocket and toyed with the note. The memory of Lucia's shy, embarrassed smile when she handed it to him flickered before his eyes. A soft smile spread across his face. If his lips hadn't tugged upward, he wouldn't have even realized he was smiling. She could have just told him in person. Was she too embarrassed? Thinking about it that way made him feel a strange, warm sense of closeness to her.
With a fluttering heart, Yujin stepped out of the dormitory. The weather today was spectacularly clear, without a single cloud in sight. Just looking up at the vast blue sky made his chest feel light and free. The pleasant sunlight poured down, and a cool, refreshing breeze brushed against his collar.
Yujin walked toward the main gate with a light step. Although it was quite a distance from the dormitory to the gate, walking at a leisurely pace brought him to his destination in no time. Fortunately, he had arrived before Lucia. Grinning, he felt glad he had left early. Perhaps because his heart was so full of anticipation, he couldn't stop the smiles from bubbling up.
He checked his wristwatch. There were still fifteen minutes left until their meeting. That would pass in a flash. It was barely any wait at all. Just as he was staring blankly up at the blue sky with that thought in mind—
“Yujin?”
A clear, melodious voice rang out. Yujin slowly lowered his head. Looking in the direction of the voice, his mouth parted slightly in spite of himself.
Lucia was walking toward him, waving her hand enthusiastically. Yujin's eyes instinctively swept over her. She wore a simple white shirt. The oversized fabric fluttered behind her with every step she took. Form-fitting black skinny jeans perfectly traced the curves of her hips and legs. Her hair, tied back in a high ponytail, swayed beautifully.
It was a simple outfit, but because it was the first time he had ever seen Lucia in casual clothes, Yujin couldn't tear his eyes away. An outfit that wasn't a school uniform. Just a change of clothes, yet everything about her looked entirely new.
“You're early! Have you been waiting long?”
“Ah, no… I just got here myself.”
Suddenly, he felt incredibly self-conscious about his own attire. Why didn't I prepare some casual clothes beforehand? Wearing a school uniform on a day like this makes me look so half-hearted. But his embarrassment quickly faded, drowned out by the thunderous pounding of his heart.
Lucia was smiling brightly, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as if she were genuinely looking forward to this. At the sight, Yujin opened his trembling lips. He wanted to say something, but his mind was a complete blank. So, he simply gathered the raw feelings swelling in his chest and tried to put them into words.
“Lucia, those clothes. They really suit—”
“Let's hurry up and go! Aris is super excited too!”
“...?”
His words cut off mid-sentence. Only then did Yujin notice the girl standing right behind Lucia. Normally, he would never make such a lapse in awareness, but his attention had been so utterly consumed by Lucia in casual wear that he had made a ridiculous oversight.
A girl in a yellow sundress toddled forward, clutching the hem of Lucia's shirt. It was Aris. She stole a quick glance at Yujin before leaning her body against Lucia.
Dazed, Yujin looked back and forth between Lucia and Aris. Then, a sudden realization struck him.
Lucia had never once said they would meet up alone. And she had certainly never said this was a date.
“...”
An inexplicable wave of hollow disappointment washed over him. Lucia offered him a bright, innocent smile, completely oblivious. Forcing his trembling lips to move, Yujin managed to smile back. But his smile carried a strange, empty hollow.
Alright, the first step is a complete success! I couldn't help but let out a silly grin, unable to hide how incredibly proud of myself I was. I'd put a lot of thought into this, after all. I'd racked my brain trying to figure out the perfect place to help these two bond, and the conclusion I reached was a spot that held deep meaning for Yujin while offering a brand-new experience for Aris.
The Cherry Blossom Festival. Yujin had visited it in the past with his late younger sister. Going there again with Aris would surely stir up some deep, nostalgic emotions. It was the same for Aris. Aside from when she was a tiny child, she had never been to a festival like this, so it would be a wonderfully fresh experience for her. Honestly, even I have to admit this was a brilliant idea.
I'd been worried lately because Aris seemed so down. Even when I suggested we go out together, she hadn't seemed very thrilled, but thankfully, she looked a bit excited today. Hehe, is it because she's going out with Yujin? I've caught her stealing glances at him quite often lately, so she definitely has feelings for him. I don't know what triggered it, but... well, she is the main heroine, after all!
Aris was still clinging tightly to my side, probably because she wasn't fully comfortable around Yujin yet. Yes, yes. You're just shy. I completely understand. I'll make sure to give you two some alone time later, so gather your courage then!
Yujin also seemed thrilled that Aris was here, judging by that smile on his face. Mhm, mhm. I know, I get it. You've been dying to get closer to Aris, haven't you? A girl who looks exactly like your deceased little sister. Even if you know they're different people, you can't help but care. You'd better thank me! I'm the one who set up this golden opportunity for you!
I kept it a secret on purpose to make it a surprise. Seeing him look so happy, I definitely made the right call. I feel so incredibly accomplished. I'm just glad everything is working out so smoothly.
To be honest, I was a little worried beforehand. In the original novel, Yujin occasionally stood people up. It wasn't intentional, of course. He would just mix up the meeting spot or the time and end up in some completely random place. He was competent at everything else, but he was a total klutz when it came to things like that. While those mix-ups usually led to chance encounters or new plot events, we absolutely didn't need any of those unnecessary detours right now.
That's why I wrote everything down on a note this time so he wouldn't get confused. If Yujin misremembered and didn't show up on time, Aris might have been disappointed. I know exactly what kind of guy Yujin is, but Aris doesn't. It would be a disaster if she misunderstood him.
Now then, shall we get going? The date of these two... starts now!