Light Everyday Life (2)

Following Shin Heeyoung through a maze of corridors, we finally found ourselves standing before an enormous door.

She laid her hand on the locking mechanism.

Click—

Blue mana bloomed outward, unraveling the security systems one by one…

Whiiirrr—

A moment later, the door began to move with the whirring of some intricate magical apparatus.

"Shall we go in, then?"

We stepped into the vault behind Shin Heeyoung, and the sight that greeted us was a glittering sea of treasures.

"Whoa…"

So that's why the Cult cleaned this place out so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fast.

Even top-tier guilds wouldn't dare flash their business cards in here…

"We've got plenty of time, so take a good look around. One item each."

…Only one from a place like this? We could walk out with ten apiece and nobody would even notice.

"If there's anything you don't recognize or are curious about, feel free to ask."

Just looking at the scenery was enough to make greed sprout and flourish, and my mind started churning with hard choices.

I snuck a glance at Yeon Hajin and Baek Woohyun…

They were making a show of browsing, but it was obvious they already had their rewards picked out.

Well, they probably already knew what was in here, right?

…If you know, you could at least throw me a recommendation.

It's not like pretending you know is going to get you in trouble at this point.

Grumbling to myself, I wandered the vault until my feet carried me toward a cluster of skill books.

System windows cascaded open one after another.

Most of them were passive skills—stat boosts and the like. A few active self-buff skills that temporarily raised stats were mixed in as well.

Then one skill caught my eye.

"…Huh?"

An offensive skill book—rare even among already scarce skill books.

The grade was low, sure, but it had excellent synergy with skill amplification, so that didn't seem like a real problem for now.

I was standing there with the Magic Missile skill book in hand, eyes sparkling, when Shin Heeyoung drifted over and spoke up.

"Ah, that's right. Cadet Yu Haneul has an unusual skill, doesn't she?"

"Uh, yes. I've got one that amplifies skills when I fire them through a gun…"

"Hmm…"

She seemed to mull it over for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"Then shall we throw that in as a bonus?"

"…Excuse me?"

"I mean you're free to pick one more item from here, on top of that skill book."

"For real?!"

Shin Heeyoung smiled at my reaction with pure grandmotherly kindness.

…She really does feel like a grandma. Even though she looks young.

"That skill book isn't particularly useful to anyone but Cadet Haneul anyway. It's extremely rare, but in practice it's a white elephant."

She wasn't wrong.

For an ordinary Awakened, picking up a single E-grade attack skill wasn't going to change their life overnight. Even if a healer used it, an E-grade skill wouldn't produce anything spectacular.

I was only considering it because of my skill amplification.

"Items should go to the people who truly need them, don't you think? And this is an academy, after all."

"Thank you!"

Shin Heeyoung was still smiling softly when she suddenly seemed to remember something and added,

"…Ah, come to think of it—the other two might complain that Cadet Yu Haneul is getting special treatment. Should I ask them?"

"No no no! I'll handle those two myself! I can talk them into it!"

And what are you gonna do if they don't buy it?

What exactly can you do about it?

"Anyone with a problem, raise your hand!"

"……."

"……."

I actually asked the two of them. Yeon Hajin looked a little sour about it, but I managed to get a "fine by me" out of both of them.

While I was at it, I glanced over what they'd chosen—each of them already seemed to have their picks locked in.

Baek Woohyun held an A-grade sword. Yeon Hajin had an A-grade artifact that raised Strength and Agility by a fixed amount proportional to his Magic stat.

Of course, the vault did have a few S-grade items as well…

But S-grade items started in the hundreds of millions, and depending on their effects and specs the prices could skyrocket into the stratosphere. Even for the academy, handing those out was probably a bit much.

My eyes lingered on that pie-in-the-sky S-grade ring for a moment before I let the longing go and started browsing again.

Hmm… I've got an offensive skill now, so I'd like something in the elixir or survival category.

As I wandered the vault, item info windows packed my vision solid. Reading every single one would eat up an entire day, so I called Yeon Hajin over.

"Hey, recommend something that suits me."

"…Why me?"

"I just get the feeling you'd know this kind of stuff."

I clapped him on the back a couple of times, and he sighed and turned his gaze outward.

Despite the look on his face, he scanned the vault interior with genuine seriousness. Before long he picked up a bracelet and held it out to me.

"How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about this?"

"A defense artifact?"

"Yeah. I looked through everything while picking mine earlier, and this seemed like the best fit for you."

…This guy was the same during the last dungeon practical. Why is he always so desperate to slap a barrier on me?

Still, this is pretty solid.

I took the bracelet from Yeon Hajin and headed over to Shin Heeyoung.

"Principal, can I ask you something?"

"What would you like to know?"

"I was wondering if you know how strong this barrier is."

She examined the bracelet resting on my palm for a moment, then answered with a small smile.

"Ah, this one. It should block most attacks up to A-grade, so unless you run into an S-grade, you don't need to worry about the barrier breaking."

"And once a barrier triggers, how long does it last?"

"About ten seconds per stack, so it should feel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pretty generous in practice."

"Oh."

Nice.

"It seems like a good match for Cadet Haneul. This bracelet doesn't activate against light attacks that don't threaten the wearer's life."

"Wow, really?"

"In effect, it only stops attacks that would be fatal, so it should pair wonderfully with healing skills. And it's sparkly and pretty—suits Cadet Haneul perfectly."

"Heheh, thank you~"

With cross-verification from Shin Heeyoung herself, there was no reason to overthink it further.

I scooped up the skill book and the bracelet and headed out of the vault.

"Hey, what do you think? Pretty, right?"

I walked up to Baek Woohyun and thrust my bracelet-adorned wrist under his nose. He huffed a quiet laugh.

"…It is."

"Oh? What's with the tone?"

Baek Woohyun, speaking like a normal person for once. I thumped him on the back as I kept going.

"Yeah~ That sounds so much better~ Let's keep it that way, okay?"

"……."

"Look at you, not answering when your noona is talking."

"…Unbelievable."

We were bantering our way back to the classroom when I realized there was still a good chunk of time before first period, so I ducked into the restroom to check a mirror and wash my hands.

Except…

"—Hey, but honestly, Yu Haneul… am I the only one who feels weird about it?"

"Pfft, what if someone hears you~"

"No, but I'm right though~ Does it even make sense that a healer took down a boss?"

"Okay, I thought the same thing. There's gotta be something going on, right?"

The moment my hand closed on the restroom door handle, the voices from inside came through clear as day.

…Have these people lost their minds.

"Yyyyyeah, and it turns out she actually—"

I'd heard enough. I shoved the door open, and the friend who'd been chattering away so happily cut off mid-sentence.

"……."

"……."

"……."

Three familiar faces stared at me, reading the room and clamping their mouths shut. All classmates from my homeroom, by the looks of them.

I hadn't bothered memorizing their names, though.

"……."

Whooosh—

I walked straight past them to the sink, turned on the water, and started tidying my bangs. Then, through the mirror, my eyes met one of theirs.

"……."

Her pupils trembled the second our gazes locked. I snorted a quiet laugh, rinsed my hands, turned around, and shook the water off while looking at them.

Then I tapped the shoulder of the friend who'd met my eyes and spoke.

"Friend~ That's why you shouldn't say things you can't say to someone's face~ Let's be more careful with our mouths from now on, okay~?"

It didn't really matter who'd started talking first.

From the tone of the whole conversation, they'd all been thinking the same thing anyway.

They opened their mouths like they wanted to say something, then shut them again the moment I stared them down.

"……"

I started to leave, then turned halfway back toward them.

"Oh, by the way—what were your names again?"

"…What?"

One of them echoed it back, flustered—or maybe a little offended. I looked her up and down, then added with a soft, mocking smile,

"Hmm…. Never mind. On second thought, I don't think I'll need them."

"……."

"Anyway, keep working hard on that makeup, everyone~"

I gave them a little fluttering wave and walked out of the restroom.

…Is it because it's the start of the semester? All sorts of nobodies are latching on.

When I walked into the classroom, a cluster of kids had gathered near my seat, so I headed that way.

"Haneul's here?"

Han Yeoreum greeted me warmly. I naturally melted into a hug as I answered.

"Yeoreum~ Are you close with the kids in our class?"

"Huh? Um, a little? Why all of a sudden?"

I let go of the hug, sat down like it was nothing, and continued casually.

"No reason~ I just went to the restroom and some kids were talking behind my back~"

"…What? Who?"

Yeoreum's expression hardened as she asked again. I dug through my memory and explained.

"Hmm…. They seemed like our classmates, but I haven't memorized everyone's names yet…. Do you know the three who are a bit short and chubby with heavy makeup?"

"…Yeah. I think I know who you mean."

Fortunately, Yeoreum seemed to have a pretty good idea.

"I heard them talking and my delicate little heart almost burst into tears, you know~"

I put on a deliberately fragile act and whined about it, and Chae Yujeong, sitting nearby, cut in.

"…You?"

A furrowed brow and a voice thick with disbelief.

"What? Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden, Chae Yujeong? Just a few days ago you were so worried you were stripping the clothes off someone who said she was fine."

"Hey, when did I strip anyone's clothes?!"

"Everyone here is a witness, so what are you talking about."

I snorted at Chae Yujeong, who seemed to have cleanly deleted every memory that put her at a disadvantage, then turned my eyes back to Yeoreum.

"…I'll talk to the kids about it."

"Wow, really?! Thanks so so much, Yeoreum~"

Yeoreum laughed and chatted lightly with us most of the time, but she was still a kid raised as the successor of a major guild. Something on this scale, she'd handle just fine on her own.

With the situation more or less settled, I pulled Chaea—who'd been sitting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nearby—onto my lap.

"Wouldn't the world be so much better if everyone were as cute as Chaea? Right, Chaea?"

I rested my chin on her shoulder as I said it, and Chaea flinched and protested.

"…I'm n-not cute."

"Pfft, right~ Chaea's not cute, she's cool. I mixed that up for a second~"

I giggled at her overwhelming cuteness, and Chaea squirmed in place.

"…Don't tease me."

"No, I'm serious! When you protected me in front of the boss that time, you were so cool I almost fell for you~"

She went quiet for a beat, then asked timidly,

"…Really?"

"Really!"

Chaea stayed silent a moment longer, then let out a tiny laugh.

"…Heheh."

Ah, I can't take it.