Chapter 120: First Love (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: First Love (2)
Returning to the present for a moment.
Boss interrupted my story, looking bewildered.
“…? Didn’t you say you got confessed to?”
“Yes.”
What a relief.
At least he wasn't flying into a rage over breaking the rules of the academy he had founded.
It suddenly occurred to me that the rule against dating might have been added later.
“Hmm.”
Boss crossed his arms, lost in thought.
His bulging forearms looked like they were about to explode.
Terrifying.
“From the sound of it, you’re the one who confessed.”
“……”
“Am I wrong?”
Man, this guy... sharp as a tack. No wonder he went bald. Anyway, it is what it is.
“Sigh.”
Still, though.
“Don’t you remember what you used to say all the time, Boss?”
“Which thing?”
Figures.
“…You said so many things you don’t even remember yourself.”
“Now where did I put my fist of love? Ah, right here!”
I hastily backed away.
“‘You have to listen to a Korean sentence all the way to the end’—that’s what you always told me.”
“Ah, that.”
“Though, as usual, you don’t own the copyright to that saying either.”
“Hahaha. You little brat.”
“Stop!”
I raised both arms to fend off the impending violence.
In front of Boss, Kang Geomma—the Heavenly Sword—was reduced to a gentle little lamb.
“A-anyway, it’s because it wasn’t an official confession.”
“Is there official and unofficial when kids date?”
I shrugged.
“Considering who the two people involved were.”
“Hmm.”
He looked intrigued.
Fun.
I deliberately looked up at the night sky as I continued speaking.
The sky lantern had already flown so high it was indistinguishable from the stars.
*
Side Episode: First Love
My relationship with Ryozo caused a massive stir.
Let me emphasize that.
A massive stir.
My expectation that it would end with a minor disciplinary action... was far too optimistic an outlook on the future.
Was Chloe the problem? No.
Well, she wasn't entirely blameless.
Chloe, who was on scene, grabbed her forehead and fainted the moment she witnessed 'that scene.' Even as Weapon squeaked his recorder frantically, she didn't regain consciousness. She was hospitalized just like that and vanished from sight for a while.
Then was it the disciplinary action? Not that either.
We did receive punishment, but Medea didn't make a huge fuss about the issue.
—Rules are rules, so we can't avoid disciplinary action. But with the Council of Elders gone, there's no one left to really make a fuss about it. Besides, the Academy is hectic in all sorts of ways right now anyway, isn't it?
When we were eighteen years old.
The trauma of the 2nd Human-Demon War had not yet left Joaquin Academy. Since it was a period of redevelopment for the practically devastated academy, the faculty didn't have the leeway to apply strict standards to the cadets. They were so short-handed that the staff themselves had to haul expansion materials. Because the Human-Demon War was a global catastrophe that left scars everywhere, support was also meager.
—Still, it's a bit of a shame. If I knew it'd turn out like this, I would've disguised myself as a cadet like my sister and actively flirted too.
Let's ignore Medea's random remark.
The faculty at Joaquin Academy generally seemed to accept our relationship. Conservative professors weren't particularly thrilled, but since I was the Heavenly Sword of the Seven Stars, they turned a blind eye.
However, from then on, the professors laid down the law for all students except me. Using the vicious tactic of threatening to wreck their grades if any cadets dared to date...
Sorry, guys.
Either way, the internal disciplinary trouble that Ryozo and I had worried about seemed to fizzle out into nothing.
A naive thought.
The real eye of the storm wasn't inside Joaquin Academy; it was lurking on the outside.
* * *
The catalyst of the incident was an article written by a reporter.
======================
[EXCLUSIVE] The Heavenly Sword of the Seven Stars ♥ Dating the Daughter of the Archery Saint
======================
At a Starbox located in Wonju, Gangwon Province.
Ryozo and I put our heads together to read the article.
The disciplinary action Joaquin Academy gave us was about two weeks of house arrest.
Normally, we would have had to stay locked in the dorms, staring at the ceiling in reflection. But thanks to Medea's consideration, we got to spend time together outside the Academy.
“It was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode sooner or later,” I muttered.
To save me from embarrassment, Ryozo chimed in.
“…True. But who gets the ball rolling changes how people react. There's a reason they say well begun is half done.”
“That's true……”
The combined sighs of the two of us hit the smartphone screen, fogging it over with condensation.
“We should read it, right?”
“…Yeah, so we can prepare a response. Know your enemy and know yourself, right?”
“…Mm.”
A groan slipped out involuntarily.
Something felt... off.
Ryozo read my mind.
“Look, my name might be Japanese, but I'm practically Korean. I have every right to quote a historical Korean Departed Hero.”
“Yeah. You're completely right.”
I quickly shifted my eyes back to the smartphone screen.
======================
(Young Sports News, Reporter Kaito)
On the 5th, news of the romantic relationship between the Heavenly Sword of the Seven Stars and Saki Ryozo, daughter of the Archery Saint, was made public, sparking widespread discussion. It is an unprecedented move that breaks Joaquin Academy's 700-year-old 'no dating' rule. Public reaction is sharply divided. While some opinions express support, saying "I root for them," "It gives a dose of dopamine in hard times," or "It's a flexible response rarely seen in Joaquin's rigid framework," the overwhelming majority remain skeptical about the romance between Heavenly Sword Kang Geomma and Saki Ryozo.
======================
“Unbelievable, honestly!”
Ryozo frowned.
“An overwhelming majority? Wait, is there anyone actually complaining about us dating?!”
…Well.
Before speaking, I swept my eyes across the cafe. Glares from the female patrons were raining down on Ryozo.
“The daughter of the Archery Saint? With Lord Heavenly Sword?”
“Talk about unbelievable. We're the unbelievable ones.”
The customer-brats whispered just loud enough to be heard.
“I feel like my face looks better.”
“…Don't be ridiculous. Say what you want, but that girl's face could slap an idol's face a hundred times over.”
“Seriously!”
People really did have a lot to say.
Ryozo was the only one who didn't care.
Aside from this article, Ryozo had seemed incredibly at ease since our relationship went public. One day, she was so excited she was literally bouncing around.
This uncharacteristic excitement of hers was, in a sense, an overflow of emotion. Perhaps because she was experiencing joy for the first time after having been so indifferent to everything, her threshold for expressing emotion had lowered.
This new side of Ryozo was quite cute.
Sensing my gaze, Ryozo snapped her head back toward the smartphone.
“What else did they write below?!”
Meanwhile, under the table, her fingers twitched.
With a hand covered in bandages, she stealthily tried to interlace her fingers with mine.
“…Um.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
I continued reading the article.
======================
Negative sentiment is particularly strong in Saki Ryozo's home country of Japan. The Archery Saint was a national hero and Prime Minister of Japan. Despite one year being too short a period for the waves of mourning to recede, the deceased's daughter is busy playing around with romance... (omitted).
======================
“…Are they insane?”
I turned off the phone.
Ryozo's face reflected on the black screen.
She was expressionless.
I glanced sideways at her.
On the surface, she seemed entirely impassive. Because of this, rumors circulated in some circles that Ryozo was lacking in emotion—a so-called psychopath.
Those fools didn't know.
Ryozo wasn't emotionless.
Absolutely not.
Teenage Ryozo was simply clumsy at expressing her feelings.
Because she had never received love.
Saki Kojima treated his daughter as nothing more than a successor. Ryozo was talented enough to fill the endless abyss of the Archery Saint's inferiority complex.
Ryozo was good at everything from the start.
Because she was so far ahead of the rest, she was never praised for any achievement.
Ryozo had been designated as the successor, and Kojima always demanded more.
Pouring water into a jar that would never be filled was a fool's errand.
Once upon a time, Ryozo had tried hard to win Kojima's approval.
But all she received from her father was a cold, distant glare.
...Ryozo, or Kim OO...
Her background and mine in my past life were worlds apart. Yet I felt the nature of our emotional deprivation was similar.
Neither of us had ever experienced love from a family. That's why we didn't really know how to give it either. Even if we tried, it probably looked clumsy to others.
I understand.
Because I grew up as Kim OO.
As my sympathetic gaze brushed against her cheek, Ryozo looked over at me.
“Well written,” she said with a soft smile.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. It's written so well it really grates on your nerves. His name was... Kaito? I thought it sounded familiar...”
“Looks like you know him.”
“He contacted me a few times via Insta DM. At first, it was for an interview, but later on, his tone changed a bit.”
This bastard.
“Should I go meet him?”
“Covering up an issue with a bigger issue. I'm touched that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for me, but you shouldn't literally sacrifice him. Besides, is he the only guy like that out there?”
“Still.”
“It's fine. Vixbig is already reverse-tracking him and hacking all his personal information and suspicious activity.”
Whoa.
Guess I didn't need to worry.
“Honestly, I feel relieved.”
Ryozo stretched her upper body with the lithe grace of a cat.
“Negative opinion about me is the mainstream in my home country? That's actually great. I was hesitating a bit because of the Archery Saint's final actions, but now I can shake it all off completely.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Mmm.”
Ryozo pursed her lips, avoiding a direct answer.
“You'll find out in about a week.”
“You could just tell me.”
“I'm worried it might be too overwhelming for you.”
What is it?
Terrifying.
“Let's get going, Geomma.”
“If it's because of people staring, don't mind them.”
“I'm just hungry, hungry. Maybe it's because I've been getting criticized all day, but I feel even hungrier.”
“Then let's go eat something delicious.”
“Let's eat Kimchi stew.”
“I'd prefer rice balls, though.”
Ryozo pinched my cheek.
“…You.”
When Ryozo tried to pick up the empty cups and tray, I took them from her. Seeing the band-aids printed with rabbits on her hands made my chest ache.
“It was the most intense meal of my life,” I said as I sorted the trash.
“You still won't say it was delicious to the end, huh?”
Ryozo grumbled cutely, though she still helped me.
The surrounding onlookers created a distinctly stunned atmosphere.
The daughter of the Archery Saint—the very Saki Ryozo considered the most likely candidate to become Japan's next Prime Minister—was recycling trash.
Shocking.
Yet an even more shocking development hit everyone, including myself, a few days later.
About five days later, a phone call came from Ryozo's older sister, Saki Hina. Her voice was urgent, as if she were about to faint.
—L-Lord Heavenly Sword!
“Ah, I was thinking of calling you at some point.”
—That's not it!
“What isn't?”
—This isn't about your dating relationship!
Saki Hina caught her ragged breath.
—Ryozo...
“Ryozo?”
—An hour ago, Ryozo sent an official statement to every government office in Japan announcing she won't take the post of Prime Minister! To the Diet, the executive branch, the Imperial Household Agency, every prefecture...!
“What?!”
—Could her computer have been hacked or something?!
If anyone was doing the hacking, it would be her.
Ryozo wasn't someone who'd get hacked.
“…Please calm down first.”
—H-How can I?! At this rate, I'm going to end up becoming Prime Minister!
Saki Hina had relinquished any ambition for the title of the Archery Saint's successor a long time ago. She had been planning to move to Korea for some reason(?), when this bolt out of the blue struck her.
—Please! Please convince Ryozo!
“I don't know about convincing her, but I'll talk to her.”
—Pleease!
As soon as I ended the call, I headed to the cafe where Ryozo was likely to be.
It was a cafe tucked away in the mountains, offering a panoramic view of rugged peaks. Sure enough, Ryozo was typing away on her laptop.
“Did you see?”
Those were her first words to me as I stood there panting.
“What on earth were you thinking?”
“Just because.”
Her tone was offhand.
“Better that I forsake the world than let the world cast me aside.”
A classic Ryozo line.
* * *
“She really is something else, that girl.”
That was Boss's one-line summary.
Looking at me with a stern, piercing gaze, he asked, “If you call that a confession... you know what it means, right?”
“Yes.”
Of course I did.
Ryozo had stubbornly pressed forward with her refusal of the prime ministership. Naturally, she took a severe beating from public opinion. Unfiltered criticism flooded in, denouncing her actions as an insult to the Archery Saint.
Yet she didn't bend her colors for a moment.
“Kang Geomma, she swallowed up all the negative public sentiment that was heading your way, didn't she?”
“Pretty much.”
“Ha, man... What does she see in a guy like you to turn her back on an entire nation?”
Boss let out an incredulous breath. I asked him once more.
“So, does this count as being confessed to?”
“Yeah, you punk. It counts, it counts.”
“Now you see why she has me wrapped around her finger, right?”
“Bah! Of course you should be! You freeloading husband!”
Okay, that's a bit much.
“You treat her better, you hear?”
“Yes. I will.”
I'll protect her.
No matter what storm comes our way.
“Because after my Late Father, she's the first person to give me everything without expecting anything in return.”