Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Paparazzi
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The next morning after the reporters had shown up and caused a commotion.
Brüel came to visit.
It was closer to dawn than morning, but since I woke up early for photosynthesis anyway, it didn't really matter. In fact, I was right in the middle of it.
"But what's with the rice cakes?"
"I heard that in Korea, when you move in, you share rice cakes with your neighbors, so I tried making some."
"You made them? This early in the morning...?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Her words and actions were still impossible to pin down. Was this at least somewhat normal?
It had been ages since I'd last had steamed rice cakes like this. Sharing rice cakes when moving in was an old custom that hardly anyone followed anymore—neighbors barely interacted, and plenty of people didn't even like rice cakes, treating them like unwanted leftovers. I wasn't picky about food, though, so it was fine by me.
"They're delicious."
"Really?"
I'd said it half out of politeness, but she seemed genuinely thrilled.
Seeing her smile like a child, she looked every bit the pure elf.
Ah, but that didn't mean the rice cakes weren't tasty.
They weren't quite professional bakery level, but they were quite good.
Freshly made and still warm and soft, too.
"So you came this early just to give me these?"
"Oh, no, that's not it."
With that, Brüel pulled out a stack of papers from somewhere.
"Could you take a look at these?"
"What are they?"
Photos...? A ton of them.
"These are all the suddenly leaked info on Su-hyeon from yesterday."
"Huh...?"
Leaked info on me? What for...?
I cleared away the steamed rice cakes I'd set on the living box and checked the bundle of photos Brüel handed me.
My "info" wasn't much to speak of, really. It'd only been a month since my body changed like this, after all.
Looking at them like this, though, it really hit me how much had happened.
Busier than the last three years combined, in just one month. It felt like flipping through a photo album of memories—kind of nostalgic.
Minor issue that none of them were taken with my consent, though.
The photos were sorted from most recent at the top.
A shot of us heading out to eat together yesterday, the group photo taken for the department intro...
This one's me escaping the exhibition hall? Zoomed in, it looks straight out of an anime. Honestly, it was pretty thrilling.
...Wait, they even have footage from my stream? Didn't the elves say they'd wiped it?
Me focusing hard on the game, eyes intense. The chat's a total mess. Me fumbling the mouse because it's too big. Chat's a mess again.
Ah.
And then me in an oversized white tee, sprawled out asleep in the chair.
......Embarrassing.
"If I had to pick one, I'd choose that. Especially that angelic cuteness... it's just..."
"Pick what!?"
I covered my face at the sleeping photo, and that's what Brüel said. Stunned, I tossed it aside and checked the rest.
Huh? But this footprint-shaped sprout photo... what's this? First time seeing it.
"Brüel, is this my photo too?"
"That's a trace from when Su-hyeon was still unskilled at controlling your power. Judging by the date and location, it must be from the day you first met your friend Ga-eun."
Something like this happened...?
I must have unwittingly greened up the surroundings without realizing.
My power was weak then, and it being flower season might've made it less noticeable.
And finally, the outdoor vlog stream where I'd appeared with Ga-eun, claiming it was a vlog.
"Oh, there's more...?"
Wait a sec? Aside from the chicken run, wasn't that my first time going out?
Flipping further, there were shots from the department store disaster.
The back of my head while asleep in Ga-eun's arms.
The news captions had cleverly covered it, so it wasn't visible then.
This must be the unedited original.
Next, scenes of me wandering around with Ga-eun.
And the exhibition photo with the mosaic removed and upscaled.
Sigh, what is all this?
Looks like I've got a paparazzi now.
No, wait—these include shots that were buried or edited before posting. A hacker...?
All the photos Brüel showed me were the past info the elves had supposedly blocked.
From streams, communities, or news—edited versions that had aired.
The elves had been quietly scrubbing them without drawing attention, but somehow they'd all leaked at once.
Most got blocked again quickly, but news photos were impossible to fully suppress, so people were sharing those and gossiping.
In the process, it spread to the Korea University community, revealing I was already quite famous, which drew the reporters last night.
Pretty crafty.
But seriously, all this blowing up in just one day...?
"Take a look at this."
"Yeah?"
Once I'd gone through all the photos, Brüel shoved a tablet in my face.
What is this, some nationalist YouTube channel...?
The screen was filled with thumbnails sporting sensational headlines tailored for a certain audience.
[Youngest S-Rank Candidate Emerges!? Terror at Exhibition and Department Store Disaster Were Foreseen? Hunter Powerhouse Korea Deploys in Advance! America Watches Nervously, China Wooing, Japan Frets...]
All the content looked similar—did they have a template or something?
Or self-replicating?
The issue was the thumbnails using photos of me with my face censored.
Behind them, a small shot from escaping the exhibition hall. And my back-of-head during the department store disaster with Ga-eun.
But youngest S-Rank candidate...?
Me...?
I decided to head to school with Brüel today.
The YouTube channels were already shut down and videos taken offline, but she convinced me it was best to prepare for any contingencies.
The videos were just clickbait thumbnails with wild speculation and forced connections—nothing worth worrying about.
I even checked the comments just in case, but they were all just about my looks...
Yeah, S-Rank isn't some random dog name popping up like that.
It'd be more believable if the neighbor next door turned out to be a secret agent from a superpower.
A tall blonde beauty with beyond A-Rank combat power who pants at the sight of a green girl-child?
Ha ha ha.
But those were the videos that brought the reporters yesterday...?
No, makes sense, right? Better to check "just in case," and if it's real, jackpot.
Even hitting A-Rank would be huge—not S-Rank.
A-Ranks get media blackouts upon registration, so they probably can't cover them otherwise.
From what I knew, the youngest S-Rank record was 19, from our country. Breaking it here would be massive bragging rights.
But with my current kindergarten-kid looks, no way.
Wonder if the reporters thought I had dwarfism or something, since they bought the 23-year-old line.
I shook off the brief thoughts and descended the stairs with Brüel.
There was a motorcycle parked in front of the stairs that hadn't been there yesterday.
"So we're riding this to school...?"
"Shorter travel time is always better. During ops, transit is always a top vulnerability..."
Brüel had brought a seriously pricey-looking bike.
It was only a 30-minute walk—why a motorcycle...?
"Isn't it too conspicuous?"
"I picked the darkest color possible."
"Yeah, it's pitch black, alright."
Which ironically makes it stand out more, doesn't she know?
"It's for Su-hyeon's sake. Please..."
"Fine, just don't kneel anywhere begging..."
"Thank you."
In the end, I gave in to her persistent pleading.
Hmm, it does look pretty cool, though. Kinda exciting.
With my stubby limbs, though, I couldn't even reach the accelerator or brake, let alone climb on.
Eventually, I got on with Brüel's help.
"Wear this."
She pulled out a bright mint-green kids' helmet.
The design matched hers, but the color was tuned to my hair.
I let her put it on me.
"Haa..."
Pat pat
"How's it fit?"
I tapped it with my palms to check and looked up at Brüel.
Unlike hers, the ends of my hair poked out the back.
"Heh... Ador—er, extremely well-suited. Worth agonizing over the design."
'Sentimental even over useless stuff...'
Since she liked it, I didn't say it aloud, lest I hurt her feelings.
Did Brüel actually like motorcycles? The helmets suggested as much.
Confirming mine was secure, she swung her long leg over stylishly and mounted up.
I slotted right inside her body like a puzzle piece.
"This thing's pretty heavy... Whoa!"
The helmet's weight made me wobble back for a second.
Squish
Gasp...!
Something soft touched the helmet.
No skin contact, but the bouncy sensation transmitted vividly.
This is, uh... th-that...
"U-um...?"
"Pardon me for a moment."
I started to speak, worried she might be upset, but she wrapped me in an X-band and pulled me tight against her.
"Eek!"
"Bear with it even if it's unpleasant. It's for Su-hyeon's safety."
As she gripped the handlebars, I was surrounded by her perfectly toned body on all sides.
The psychological comfort was no joke.
"N-no, it's fine. Really good..."
Firm yet soft, so comfortable.
I felt the tension drain from my body even as blood rushed to my face. Thank goodness for the helmet.
"D-doesn't it bother you, Brüel? You know what I looked like before..."
...Guilt was creeping in.
After all the prep, she tilted her head and replied.
"Not at all. Heh heh, if anything, it's nic—er, nothing."
"......"
Sigh, figures.
Feel like I worried for nothing.
Anyway, with Brüel's help, I made it to school.
But upon arrival, I hit another unexpected snag.
"Then, Su-hyeon, have a good day!"
"Please! It's embarrassing, so don't yell. And stop waving..."
"A master receiving their vassal's farewell. It's only natural—no need to be embarrassed."
"Natural for you, maybe, but not for others?"
Getting dropped off at college by a guardian on a motorcycle at my age.
And morning classes meant tons of students heading in...!
I blended in fine due to my size, but Brüel was tall, her outfit eye-catching, and the bike flashy—drawing all eyes our way.
Naturally, attention shifted to me, the one being escorted.
Everyone passing by stopped to stare!
"Su-hyeon! Fighting today too!"
"Argh, seriously! Enough!"
I ignored the persistently waving Brüel and dashed into the building.
I told her to drop me at the entrance!
For some reason, she'd refused and insisted on riding me all the way.