That Familiar Technique
After the friendly match ended, "...See you next year."
Jang Suwon made it clear he intended to challenge me again next year, then returned to his own class. ...He was a decent enough guy. Good-looking, skilled, talented, and with a solid background to boot. He'd probably grow into a fine hunter one day. But he still fell short of being my daughter's partner.
Returning amid the thunderous cheers of my classmates, I immediately sat down with Min Soyeon to fill out our partner application form. ...Ability? Magic... Name... Yu Jihwan...
As I scribbled away, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze boring into me. I glanced over and locked eyes with Min Soyeon, who had been glaring in my direction.
"...What?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she looked away and began peering at my application form. ...What was with her today? Ever since the friendly match ended, Min Soyeon had been acting strangely.
Just as I resigned myself and tried to focus on the form again, her voice reached me.
"...You..."
"...Your ability is 'magic'?"
It seemed she'd read what I'd written. "Yeah, that's right."
"Why?"
"...Huh?"
Her question caught me so off guard that I let out a dumb sound. ...What was I supposed to say to "why"? The truth was that I was actually Min Sungjae, who'd died and somehow woken up as Yu Jihwan, and my abilities just happened to be the same. How could I possibly explain that? Even if I told her, getting her to believe it would be nearly impossible. I couldn't even make sense of it myself...
Then Min Soyeon, still watching me, asked another question.
"...What was that technique you used earlier?"
"...What?"
"You lit your hand on fire and threw it."
"Oh... that was just me wrapping my fist in mana and igniting..."
Min Soyeon didn't wait for me to finish. She cut me off and pressed ahead.
"...Did you create it?"
"...Huh?"
Only then did I realize why she'd been interrogating me so persistently. The Fire Punch I'd used earlier was a technique that Min Soyeon and I had created together. More precisely, we'd copied it from a cartoon. When she was very young, she'd been obsessed with a show called Core Ranger and insisted on playing it constantly. The hero always finished off villains with a flaming fist, and I'd recreated the move for her. It proved surprisingly useful as a feint, so I'd kept using it over the years...
She must have recognized it.
"...No."
"Then?"
She seemed genuinely curious, relentlessly pressing me for answers.
"...I saw someone use it a long time ago. It looked cool, so I copied it."
At my words, the look in Min Soyeon's eyes wavered slightly, as if she'd been shaken. "..."
She hesitated several times, clearly wanting to say something, but in the end she pressed her lips tightly together and returned to filling out the form.
...
The girl who had ignored me at every turn until now had gone out of her way to speak to me because this bothered her that much... Seeing her like this made my chest feel as heavy as if a stone had been placed on it.
Because of the completely different person my daughter had become in the three years since we'd last seen each other, I'd assumed she'd forgotten me. But... it seemed that had been my mistake.
*
Becoming partners with Min Soyeon didn't bring any dramatic changes. We simply spent more time together and talked more often. Considering how things were when we first met, that was significant progress.
After another dull morning of classes, it was time for combat practice again.
"...Everyone, gather back here in one hour!"
At Lee Daesan's booming command, the students scattered in every direction. The first hour was for individual training, and the remaining time would be spent coordinating with partners under the instructors' guidance. Since this was free training time, students could rest or train as they wished. Though almost no one actually chose to rest...
I immediately began looking around for Min Soyeon.
"..."
Amid the groups of students pulling out their weapons, I spotted her solitary figure heading toward a corner of the training ground. ...Was she planning to slack off again today? I'd never once seen her actually train, and it looked like today would be no different. But I couldn't just leave her to it.
I quietly walked over and approached her side.
"..."
She glanced at me as I drew near, then immediately looked back down at her phone. By now, her blatant disregard had become familiar. Pretending not to mind, I casually took a seat beside her.
"...Not training again today?"
She flinched slightly at my question. She must have felt a twinge of guilt. Most students who had awakened their abilities came to the Academy to become hunters. Some attended only because it was mandatory. But what about Min Soyeon?
When she was little, she'd dreamed of becoming a cool hunter like her mom and dad. At least, she had until I died. But... something must have happened during the past three years. Min Soyeon had become an entirely different person. She showed no interest in any of her classes and responded to everything with indifference. She even smoked. Smoking, at her age...!
From what I'd learned online, she was currently in a transitional period. Adolescence. Teenagers in puberty were like soft, malleable clay. Poke them and the mark stayed. Stroke them gently and that mark remained too. In other words, depending on how those around her treated her, she could become either a devil or an angel.
In such a crucial time, I had no idea what that woman called her mother was doing. The last news I'd heard was that my wife, Ju Yeonhee, had retired two years ago. After that, there'd been complete silence. She'd loved her daughter so much... so what on earth was she doing to let her end up like this? She'd even retired, so she should have had plenty of time to spend with her...
"..."
The frustration made me let out a deep sigh. Shaking off my complicated thoughts, I abruptly stood up. ...Right. There was no other choice. I just had to do my best from where I stood.
"...This won't do."
Min Soyeon, who had been leaning against the wall fiddling with her phone, glanced up at me.
"Soyeon. Let's train together."
She averted her gaze slightly and muttered, "...It's still free time..."
"It's free training time."
I emphasized the word "training" and let the sentence hang. Min Soyeon immediately shot me a glare. Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits, sending me an icy look. She reminded me of a cat with its fur standing on end. Pushing too hard here might backfire, so I decided to coax her gently.
"...We'll have to do it again soon anyway. We might as well get it done now and then take it easy later. Yeah?"
She kept glaring at me for a moment, her eyes darting around as if considering it, before slowly rising to her feet.
"..."
...Success. I gave her a bright smile and created some distance between us.
The best way to build synergy with a partner was to spar with them. You needed to know what techniques they used and what patterns they followed so you wouldn't overlap in real combat. In an ever-changing battlefield, there was no time to discuss tactics on the fly.
I gradually raised my mana while watching Min Soyeon.
"Just once. Let's try it once."
She let out a short sigh as if she had no choice.
"...Just once."
Then she touched one of her earrings and began drawing up her mana. The earring flashed briefly before transforming into a long sword in her hand. It was her weapon—a double-edged blade. As an Academy-issued item, it had no special functions beyond its convenient shape-shifting form for easy storage.
Min Soyeon had inherited her mother's unparalleled talent for the sword. Thanks to my genes as well, she showed similar talent for magic. Her ability combined both into Magic Swordsmanship—one of the finest aptitudes a hunter could possess.
Perhaps because it had been a while since she'd last held a sword, she adjusted her stance several times before finding a comfortable position. Then she spoke.
"...Here I come."
I answered her with a smile. Min Soyeon glared at me, lowered her stance, and in an instant closed the distance, swinging her sword. She stopped at a distance where it would barely miss me. That alone showed just how frightening her talent was.
I wrapped mana around my fingertips and lightly flicked the tip of her blade away.
"...!"
Min Soyeon froze for a moment in surprise, but quickly recovered and attacked again, aiming for an opening. She swung boldly, taking advantage of the fact that I had no weapon. Though her strikes seemed reckless, they followed a clear pattern. The only disappointment was how little mana manipulation she used, which made the "magic" part of Magic Swordsmanship feel lacking. Even so, her attacks were plenty effective.
...As expected of my daughter. She was good.
I dodged her strikes this way and that, carefully studying her attack patterns.
"...Hah!"
Frustrated by the prolonged exchange, she began attacking in earnest. Mana swirled wildly around her as she refused to be pushed back like before. Her speed was steadily increasing too.
...This should be enough. She'd gotten a little fired up. This was the perfect point.
Her sword thrust toward my solar plexus. I covered my skin with a thin layer of mana and didn't dodge. Since a direct hit could cause real impact, I slightly curled my body in preparation, but...
...Hm?
I felt no impact at all. When I lifted my head, I saw her sword stopped just inches from me.
...Oh...
I was quietly admiring her skill when she withdrew her sword and gave me a clearly displeased look.
"...Why are you going easy on me?"
She seemed to think I'd held back, and her expression showed wounded pride. Oh no...
I quickly schooled my features into a serious expression and spoke carefully.
"...Are you kidding right now?"
"...What?"
I grabbed her shoulder firmly before she could fully process her confusion.
"Me going easy? That's not wrong, but that's not what's important here."
"...Going easy..."
"Do you still not realize what you just did? When I knocked your sword down, what did you do?"
"...No, right now..."
"You immediately shifted your stance and attacked again. Does that make any sense?"
"...Huh? What?"
My relentless questioning left her looking thoroughly flustered.
"...This won't do. Let's do it again."
"...What did you say?"
I released her shoulder, slowly raised my mana again, and stepped back.
"Just once. One more time, and then we'll rest for real."
Min Soyeon stared at me in disbelief and answered grumpily.
"No. We agreed on just once from the..."
"Here I come!"
I ignored her protest and took a stance as if I would charge at any moment. She hurriedly prepared her weapon.
"You crazy ba..."
"Hah!"
Cursing is bad! The moment she corrected her stance, I burst forward with explosive speed. The uncertainty in her eyes vanished, replaced in an instant by a fierce glare. She read my attack immediately and thrust her sword straight at me.
I lightly knocked her blade downward and waited for her reaction.
Tap—
The instant her attack missed, Min Soyeon stepped forward smoothly and flowed into her next strike. Her movements were fluid and seamless, like water. This was her true talent.
It was different from Ju Yeonhee's. This was Min Soyeon's own unique gift. I felt like I'd discovered a treasure.