Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: After the Puppy Love
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"Th-then, I'll be going! It was fun today!"
Thud thud thud.
After the deep kiss had ended.
Airi completely ignored all the plans that followed and bolted after leaving those words behind.
'What kind of push-pull game is this?'
When their breaths mingled and their lips finally parted, her tongue lingered just a bit too long, leaving behind a single transparent thread of saliva.
The moment it snapped...
Airi was gone.
I'd been utterly immersed in her intoxicating scent, swimming in it, only for the source to vanish right before my eyes.
It felt exactly like being bewitched by a ghost.
'Forget dating—this first kiss blew everything else out of the water.'
I'd originally planned to grab some food, hit a café, and do all sorts of other stuff.
But that one kiss had skipped straight past every single step, leaving only the intense aftermath.
She probably couldn't handle facing me now and bolted.
Truth be told, I was the same.
My memories from before entering the novel were hazy at best. And in my first playthrough, I'd never even dated.
So, this was my first kiss during a date too.
'Is this why people fall in love?'
I'd never gotten what they meant by "sweet enough to rot your teeth."
But that kiss made me understand romantic feelings crystal clear.
'This is insane.'
It wasn't just about mixing tongues during sex—it was that breath shared when hearts intertwined.
I finally realized how insanely arousing it could be.
"But man, it's way too early for this..."
Crunch crunch.
Pondering what to do next, I slowly made my way into a quiet alley where fewer people passed.
The bustling noise of the main street faded away, and cigarette butts I'd never noticed before started appearing one by one.
"You can come out now, right?"
I scanned my surroundings and addressed the blatant killing intent pressing in on me.
"...When did you notice?"
"Just now? I ignored it on purpose during the date—I didn't want to deal with distractions."
"Arrogant, just like they say. Do you even grasp the situation you're in?"
The killing intent, no longer hiding, revealed its owners.
Even at a rough count, there were over ten of them filling the alley, encircling me like a fence.
It was obvious they weren't here with good intentions.
I even had a pretty good guess who sent them.
"If you're in foreign lands, you should just sightsee quietly. Why mess with the Tiger Bride and blow everything up?"
The Tiger Bride, of course, referred to the Mountain Lord's mate.
But it wasn't just any mate.
The sole being who could bear his heirs, the spiritual pillar of the Mountain Lord to be cherished with utmost nobility.
Thus, touching the Tiger Bride meant touching the Mountain Lord himself.
'Kim Jang-seok adopting me was a special case. Normally, they'd wait for her to give birth.'
I wondered briefly why Kim Jang-seok had adopted me of all people.
But I shook off the stray thought and focused on the moment.
"You're the one who blew it up. And we're not looking to tangle with the Mountain Lords. We just want to settle our grudge with you."
"Oh, playing it like that? Bunch of cowardly punks."
They weren't looking to tangle with the Mountain Lords. Why? Because it'd be an obvious loss.
But letting me walk away scot-free? That'd be humiliating.
An awkward spot where defeat was certain, but losing face wasn't an option.
The solution? Shrink the group's issue down to a personal one.
"We didn't touch the Tiger Bride. We're just delivering righteous punishment to the daughter of the family that committed those crimes..."
Crack.
"Guhk!"
"Hey, watch your mouth."
Don't you get why those kids earlier ended up as bloody messes?
I grabbed the fool's jaw, crushed it, and stomped his instep to pulp.
Thud!
At the theater, there were eyes everywhere, Airi was there, and I didn't plan to kill anyone, so I'd held back a lot.
Here? No onlookers, no Airi, and nothing but disposable trash.
"Every word out of your mouth better be thought through. I'm in a pretty good mood right now, so I might let you live."
Though surviving unscathed would be tough.
If you plan to face me, come prepared to break.
To prove it, I wrecked the idiot who'd slipped up as an example.
Crack, crunch, craaaack!
"Gaaaaahhh!"
The raw sound of bones shattering echoed through the alley.
Not a soul dared step forward despite his agonized screams.
'These guys aren't from the same outfit.'
Probably dispatched separately from the families of those lowlifes I'd smashed earlier.
Their cohesion was so weak, unity wasn't even on the table.
That's why their faces stayed calm even as their comrades lay half-dead.
"If you wanted to settle this one-on-one, shouldn't the principals have come instead of sending trash like you?"
"...Don't you think you're going overboard? A slip of the tongue doesn't warrant that much."
"Wrong."
For people staying calm and choosing words carefully, that wasn't the right pick.
"If you'd really thought it through, you'd have said you were sorry to Airi."
No intention to apologize, huh.
Guess I can't save you lot then.
Kraaaah!
Spare me! Spare me, please! Mercy!
Uwaaak! My arm! My aaaarm!!
Please! Forgive us! I beg you like this! I apologize like this!
Mercy! Mountain Lord! On your behalf, I apologize for the harm done on your territory...!!!
Hell on earth.
The silent back alley, devoid of people moments ago, had turned into a nightmare.
Not a single one left with all limbs intact—most crumpled helplessly without mounting any real resistance.
Watching it all from the rooftop, the overall overseer Persis felt terror grip him.
'...Isn't he supposed to be the Mountain Lord's wastrel son?'
Of course, he knew about the giant he'd slain, but shouldn't that change the fundamentals?
How could anyone call that a wastrel?
'We can't win.'
An elite squad gathered on orders to make those who touched the brand child pay dearly.
Not the absolute best, but still heavy hitters from their families.
Yet they were dropping like weeds, pathetic and empty.
'Should we escalate this further?'
Kim Geon-ho was a demon.
Even these so-called elites were dying without landing a proper hit.
Throw more bodies at that demon to catch it? It'd be like burning down the house for one flea.
Hell, even that might not catch the flea.
"That much hesitation?"
"Guhk?!"
Wham!
By the time Persis reacted to the sudden voice, his throat was already in my grip.
Just a few seconds where I'd looked away from the situation.
'In that short time, he took out all the elites and pinpointed my location?'
Did that even make sense? How was this the level of a first-year at Hero Academy?
Even for Hero Academy, this power was way beyond the pale.
"Keep it simple. If you want to crush me, bring the principals and more numbers."
Squeeze.
"Kek, guk, kehk...!"
With every ounce of pressure, Persis's face turned redder, ripening like a tomato.
To survive, he slapped at the arm choking him while his dangling legs thrashed wildly like he was swimming in air.
"But if you don't want to blow this up bigger, have the principals apologize to Airi directly."
"S-spare... guk...!"
Craaaack!
"No proxies, no letters. No settling with material compensation either... Got it? Nod if you do."
Nod nod.
Persis nodded harder than he ever had in his life.
He wanted to live so badly, he didn't care that he'd wet himself.
Pissing his pants was a small price for survival.
"And don't apologize to me—it's gotta be to Airi."
Snap, crack.
Something snapped in his neck.
It almost sounded like the death rattle of life breaking.
Just as I thought Persis was done for and let go...
"And if your side takes too long to decide..."
I'll come find you.
Kim Geon-ho finished his own sentence.
Boooom!!
"Kahak...!"
Business done, Kim Geon-ho casually flung Persis to the ground like shaking water off his hand.
That single motion sent Persis crashing from the rooftop, smashing through walls all the way to the basement.
'I... have to report... now...'
Persis clung to his fading consciousness with everything he had.
What kind of monster Kim Geon-ho was, what he'd done, how dangerous he truly was.
He had to report it all.
This was the moment the grudge between Kim Geon-ho and the brand child truly began.
After the date ended.
Time flew by, and Monday rolled around again.
Hahaha!
Hohoho!
Huhaha!
Euhaha!
As everyone headed to school, sharing and laughing about their weekends...
Bang!
A massive explosion rocked Class 1-1 of the first-years.
"...What did you just say?"
"What did you do with my husband...?"
"Kissed a playboy. That's the gist."
The bomb who'd set it off was none other than...
"Oh yeah, it was super intense."
Airi.
"...I made my uterus and glans kiss too?"
Marren.