Chapter 154: 2nd Semester (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: 2nd Semester (8)
It was an exceptionally refreshing morning.
I hadn’t woken up once during the night.
I stretched with satisfaction and sat up in bed.
No interruptions, no intruders, nothing to disturb me.
Just a perfect night’s sleep.
“…Huh?”
Contrary to my expectations, however, the door to my bedroom was wide open.
For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.
Hadn’t I locked it?
I was sure I’d locked it and even wedged it shut.
How in the world did they open it?
As if in a trance, I got out of bed and walked through the open door.
The time was 7:00 AM.
A bit early for a weekend, I suppose.
As if to prove it, the other girls were still fast asleep in the pile of blankets spread out in the living room.
I approached them and quietly watched.
Cheon Yeo-wool was hugging my clothes, which she must have found somewhere; Ha Sion was curled up like a shrimp; and Yu Hana and Kang A-rin were sleeping with their backs to each other.
It was rather cute, seeing them all huddled together like that.
But one person was missing.
“?”
I turned my head.
And there, at the dining table in front of the kitchen, I found Yoon Chae-ha, sitting stiffly with her back ramrod straight.
She had been looking at something on her watch and quickly hid it behind her back.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
It was obvious she was the one who had unlocked the door.
At the sound of my voice, she flinched, her shoulders trembling.
She couldn’t even meet my eyes.
I walked over to her, leaned over the table, and braced my hands on it.
The distance between us closed in an instant.
“What were you up to?”
Her reaction was suspicious…
“No! I didn’t see anything!”
What do you mean, you didn’t see anything?
I never asked what she saw.
She waved her hands in a panic, but her face was already the color of a ripe tomato.
I raised my hand to her forehead, feigning a flick.
Yoon Chae-ha squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced.
She looked like a child flinching before getting a shot.
“……”
“……?”
Cute.
Swoosh.
Instead of flicking her forehead, I gently stroked it once before pulling my hand away.
“Ah…”
A tiny, languid breath escaped Yoon Chae-ha’s lips.
Finding that cute as well, I stroked her cheek.
Strangely, ever since that crying incident, I couldn’t bring myself to be mean to Yoon Chae-ha.
I felt like I wanted to take care of her a little.
What could she have possibly been up to?
I decided not to press her further.
That was my simple conclusion.
Then, I spoke to Yoon Chae-ha, who was looking up at me with a blush.
“Could you start waking the others up?”
“Huh?”
Time to eat.
I stood up, stretched my stiff body, and headed for the kitchen. I had made them a promise last night.
It was time to show off my skills.
*
In the dorms last semester, the very act of ‘cooking’ something was next to impossible.
There was no kitchen, and the refrigerator wasn’t exactly spacious.
We had no choice but to rely on the school cafeteria.
It was a good thing Gaon’s cafeteria food was decent.
But this dorm was different.
A huge refrigerator and state-of-the-art cooking appliances.
So, I had stocked up on all sorts of ingredients.
I’d always enjoyed cooking for myself anyway.
I opened the fridge and started pulling out usable ingredients.
Onions and… maybe some zucchini?
I was thinking of making a simple stew.
“Uuungh…”
It was then.
From behind me, along with a drowsy voice that sounded like it was still half-asleep, something soft and warm carefully wrapped around me in a hug.
My body instinctively tensed up.
“You’re up?”
“Mhm… What are you making…?”
From the voice, I could tell it was Kang A-rin.
The problem was, I was only wearing a thin, short-sleeved T-shirt that I used as pajamas.
And she, too, was in thin sleepwear that revealed the curves of her body.
Her soft skin pressed against my back, making me aware of her every contour.
I tried my best to act nonchalant and held up the onion in my hand.
I doubted Kang A-rin would want soybean paste stew first thing in the morning.
“Omelets. Want one?”
“Yeah, I’d love one…”
At my words, she tightened her arms around my waist and rested her chin on my shoulder.
“Huuuh…”
Then, she let out a contented sigh, like a cat that had just woken up.
I chuckled and reached my free hand behind me to gently tickle her chin.
“Ah… ah…”
A breathy, flustered sound, as if she were trying to hold back the ticklish sensation, escaped Kang A-rin’s lips.
Her body twitched, and she hugged me even tighter.
I gently stroked her chin once more before finally letting go.
“Alright, I need to use a knife now. It’s dangerous.”
“Okay…”
She rubbed her face against my back, as if reluctant to let go, but obediently released her arms.
I held up the new knife I’d acquired.
It was an artisan chef’s knife I’d found in Gaon’s secret armory yesterday.
I’d secretly stolen this, too. I needed it, so what?
Its cool gleam flashed, reflecting the kitchen light.
Seeing it, Yoon Chae-ha, who was resting her chin on her hand nearby, quietly muttered.
“...Seems longer than that one...?”
“Hm? What did you say?”
“Uh?! No, I just—that it’s big and impressive!!”
Her face was beet red. It sounded like she was spouting nonsense again, so I just ignored her and started cooking.
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
Just six servings.
I’d cooked for even more people back at the Vanquisher dorms.
About thirty minutes passed.
Soon, a savory aroma filled the kitchen.
I plated six perfectly shaped omelets.
Six steaming plates of omelets were ready.
“Enjoy.”
The moment I finished speaking, the girls, who had gathered like hyenas drawn by the smell, surrounded the table and started digging in.
“What is this…? Why is it so good?”
That was Yu Hana’s exclamation of awe.
The other girls also began to eat, so focused they might as well have buried their faces in their plates.
It felt good that they liked it. Just as I was about to take a big spoonful myself…
Cheon Yeo-wool, sitting across from me, savored the omelet, then murmured with a satisfied sigh.
“I guess… I won’t have to cook when I get married.”
I replied nonchalantly while chewing on my omelet.
“I prefer women who can cook.”
Clink.
Cheon Yeo-wool dropped her spoon.
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to her.
“I… I can cook…”
Cheon Yeo-wool protested in a voice that was barely a whisper.
“Really?”
“……”
Her blue eyes wavered intensely.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s cooking skills were a disaster of epic proportions.
I knew that for a fact.
After rambling incoherently to herself, she finally blushed and lowered her head in defeat.
It was a very peaceful and satisfying morning.
*
Thud.
After finally sending Cheon Yeo-wool out and closing the door, silence at last fell upon the penthouse.
I sat on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
I practically had to shove them out the door as they protested leaving.
‘Eeeh…’
Acting all disappointed when they’re just going to sneak into my bed at night anyway.
Now, I could finally have some time to myself.
I closed my eyes and began to plan my next steps.
Although it was the middle of the semester, there was still a fair amount of time before the midterm exams, which would likely be replaced by missions.
If I used my time well, it didn’t seem too difficult to achieve several goals at once.
Broadly speaking, there were two.
First, unlocking the expanded Authority of my Fragment.
Ah… this one. I felt like I was getting a handle on it.
But it felt like something crucial was missing.
This wasn’t a problem that could be solved through forced training.
So, this was a matter that time would solve, and there didn't seem to be anything more I could do about it right now.
That left the second goal: the swift acquisition of Fragments.
Originally, this was something I had planned for the next vacation, but the situation had changed.
The information I’d obtained from the Vatican. The Evil God’s range of awareness had expanded far more than I had anticipated.
Fragments weren’t just materials for growth.
They were strategic resources and core elements that had to be secured above all else.
So, the most practical thing I could do right now was the second option: acquiring Fragments.
And, a few days ago, I’d heard a major piece of news through Kang A-rin.
‘The Pentagon has halted its research.’
The reason was an uncontrollable variable that had emerged during the research process.
Given how unstable Fragments are, it was a plausible event.
This presented me with two choices.
I zoomed in on the world map on my watch.
Two red markers were already pinned on the map.
The first was Hunan Province in China.
The place where Yu Hana’s Fragment lay dormant.
And the second, the Pentagon in the USA. The place where Kang A-rin’s Fragment lay dormant.
It was a place that once felt like an impregnable fortress, but things were different now.
Considering my position as Bulgaram’s Successor and Kang A-rin’s existence as the heir to the Glory Group, sitting down at the negotiating table with them didn’t seem entirely impossible.
However…
I swiped my finger over the Pentagon’s marker, deleting it.
This place is better.
Starting negotiations with the US right now could become incredibly tiresome.
They would undoubtedly demand many things from me in exchange for allowing access to the Fragment.
Most importantly, Yu Hana’s Fragment was currently dormant in the mountains without any protective measures.
Which meant that while I could easily obtain it, on the flip side…
‘It’s dangerous.’
It meant that the Mines, too, could easily snatch it away whenever they pleased.
Therefore, it was a place I had to get to quickly, now that the Fragment’s existence had been exposed.
Of course, I probably still had a little time.
The Evil God’s forces were busy preparing for his revival, so they weren’t in a position to move freely.
I, too, could take my time and acquire the Fragment at a leisurely pace.
Still, this clarified my priorities.
‘Hunan Province.’
It would be my next destination.