Birthday
Today, as always, I went to the academy and ran through Illusion Dungeon practice.
The subjugation drills went smoothly enough. We weren't facing unknown monsters—we were going in already armed with the strategy guides left behind by previous generations of hunters. On top of that, it was only an F-grade dungeon, and the instructor stuck close the entire time, so nothing ever went wrong.
Well, it was an Illusion Dungeon anyway. Aside from a little mental strain, there wasn't really anything you'd call an "accident."
Once dungeon practice was over, Class 3 headed back to the lecture room for the rest of the day's lessons.
"Carrot. Being a hunter is no different from being a hero who risks their life to protect the world. That's why every hunter on the planet is granted all sorts of benefits. Of course, the privileges you enjoy differ by rank…"
At the lectern, Professor Santoto opened a book and read from it in her soft, unhurried voice.
Only a handful of students were actually paying attention. More than half the class was nodding off. A few had even given up entirely and gone face-down on their desks.
"Carrot. Starting from B-grade, hunters are permitted—unlike ordinary people—to practice polyandry as well as polygamy…"
Santoto kept reading without missing a beat. On any other day she would have been mercilessly pelting the sleepers with carrots, but today she seemed inclined to let it slide. The material wasn't that critical, and everyone was worn out from the subjugation practice anyway.
She was more flexible as a teacher than she looked.
While listening, I glanced sideways.
There was Seo I-eung, diligently following the lecture as always.
Does this girl have steel for stamina? She never dozes off even once. Always so focused.
She even had fire in her eyes and was taking notes. Apparently she wasn't tired at all.
I looked away from her and checked Isabella's seat for a moment.
Isabella's eyes were half-closed. Like the rest of the class, her body was probably about ready to give out. But every time sleep started to pull her under, she pinched her own thigh and drove it off again.
She's working hard too…
I'd been thinking of just sleeping through it like everyone else. I was starting to get drowsy myself. But watching Seo I-eung and Isabella gave me a little push.
…I should pay attention too.
I slapped my cheeks a couple of times to clear my head, shifted my gaze to the lectern, and focused on the lesson.
Time drifted by without end.
"That will be all for today's class. Carrot."
At last, the endless lecture came to a close. Santoto shut her book, swept her eyes over the students still dozing, and raised her voice.
"You little brats! Class is over!"
"Hwah—?!"
"Hic…!"
"Ugh… I just dozed off for a second… Is class already done?"
"Mmm… Hahwi, you can't touch me there… Wait, no, actually you can…"
"What the hell kind of dream is this crazy girl having? Her sleep-talking is filthy."
"Let's tell Hahwi and sue her."
Every sleeping student jolted awake.
"Not even trying to hide it anymore—just sprawled out cold… Anyway, good work today, all of you. Go home and get some proper rest. Carrot."
As soon as Santoto gathered her things and left the classroom, the students began rising one by one and packing up to head home.
And then—
Once she'd made sure the others were filing out, Isabella checked left and right, then slowly approached me.
"Kang Hahwi."
She stood in front of my desk and called my name in a lowered voice. I looked up at her. Maybe it was the practice I'd done in my angel form, but holding a short eye contact wasn't hard anymore.
"What is it?"
"It's your birthday today, right?"
Santoto and Suptoto must have told her separately. Isabella was in the same club as me, after all. I nodded.
"Fine for me, but why didn't you say anything to I-eung? Do you know how upset she was this morning?"
"I never—!"
Seo I-eung, sitting in the seat beside mine, shot back at once. A glance showed her face had gone tomato red.
Isabella gave her a fond look, then turned back to me.
"Anyway, Kang Hahwi—do you have any plans today?"
"I don't. Why?"
"If you don't, hang out with us. It's your birthday. Just going straight home without doing anything feels kind of wrong, doesn't it?"
She was trying to celebrate with me. Until now, I'd firmly turned down every invitation like this. But…
"…Alright."
"Huh? Wait, you're saying yes right away? That's unexpected. I figured you'd bounce it back a few times like a rubber ball…"
Today was different. I had decided to start properly working through my trauma. And as Isabella said, I didn't particularly want to spend my birthday alone and lonely—spending a fun day with friends was even on my bucket list.
Besides, the one doing the inviting was Isabella herself. Unlike other beautiful girls I barely knew, Isabella and Seo I-eung—whom I'd already faced in my angel form—didn't weigh on me nearly as much. Being in the same space as a pretty girl usually left me feeling stifled, but they were the exception. It was almost like being around cute animals.
Isabella, Seo I-eung, and I headed into the city.
Our first stop was a coin karaoke booth.
"Kang Hahwi, you ever been to a place like this?"
Seo I-eung asked, one corner of her mouth lifting. It didn't sound like she was looking down on me—just that she'd decided someone like me wouldn't have any connection to a place like this. Fair enough. I didn't exactly give off the vibe of someone who went out for fun.
Still, she was wrong. I might have been a shut-in, but even someone like me had been to coin karaoke before.
"Of course."
"R-really? I figured you'd never set foot in a place like this…"
Seo I-eung looked flustered, her face openly surprised.
"Who'd you come with? Couldn't have been a girl."
"Alone."
"Huh?"
"I said I came alone."
"Ah… yeah… Same as me, then…"
She scratched her head at my answer, cleared her throat, and held the remote out to me.
"You go first? I'm a little nervous about starting."
Not nervous—embarrassed, more like. I took the remote anyway, then glanced at Isabella. She might have wanted to sing first.
"Mmm, mm~"
Isabella had an earbud in one ear and was staring hard at her phone, diligently memorizing lyrics. Prepping in advance. If the song she wanted wasn't coming back to her, that made sense.
Either way, she wasn't ready yet either, so I decided to pick first.
What should I sing?
The moment I actually had to choose, decision paralysis hit. After a short struggle—
…Maybe that one.
A song I'd listened to before bed the night before came to mind. Something I'd sung alone in karaoke a few times before.
Digimon Adventure — Butter-Fly
The accompaniment of one of my favorite songs began to play.
*
*
*
Butter-Fly. Our Dream. A Cruel Angel's Thesis…
I just kept singing anime songs. After a while I started to feel a little self-conscious. One track was fine, but if every single pick was an anime song, would they call me an otaku?
Fortunately, Isabella and Seo I-eung didn't make an issue of my choices at all. If anything, they kept staring at my face with open admiration.
After about ten songs, we stepped out of the karaoke building. Isabella was still wearing that impressed look.
"Kang Hahwi, you're seriously good at singing…"
"Right? Honestly, I thought you'd be terrible."
I wasn't sure I was actually that good. This was the first time anyone had ever given me a real reaction. I'd vaguely known I wasn't bad, but finding out I was good enough to make someone gape was news to me.
They wouldn't just be saying that to make me feel better… right?
Judging by their faces, it didn't seem like empty praise. If it was, they were good enough actors to go pro.
"My ears are spoiled. I-eung, next time we go to karaoke, we're dragging Kang Hahwi along."
Yeah. With Isabella going that far, it couldn't have been empty.
Next we visited a place called Life Four-Cuts—a photo booth, apparently. Isabella half-dragged us there, insisting nothing beat photos for making memories.
Couldn't we just take pictures on our phones? Why pay money for this…
The thought crossed my mind, but I didn't bother saying it out loud.
Seo I-eung browsed the free props set out beside the camera, then picked one up.
"I'm using this."
A cat-ear headband. Isabella, standing next to her, grabbed one too.
"Then I'll take this."
A dog-ear headband. With the cat ears and dog ears on, both of them turned their eyes to me.
"Kang Hahwi, you put one on too."
"Yeah. They're all free—it'd be a waste not to."
"……"
I just stared blankly at their faces. Something about them wearing those headbands made them feel even more approachable, somehow.