Confession(?)

The group of Chinese people faded into the distance. Sure, at first they'd been villains pulling voice phishing scams. But look at them now. Somehow they'd transformed into good Chinese citizens who loved peace. And the best part? No cleanup required on our end. The authorities would handle making them even more upstanding from here on out. This was the perfect example of using barbarians to defeat barbarians.

Hating on them? I actually like China a lot. If we're measuring how much I like or dislike the place, I'm firmly in the pro-China camp. That's why I pray every night before bed—for the China I like to expand. Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms sounds about right.

With the job finished, I was about to grab some lunch. Except...

"Could we order the four-person set? Our budget's tight, so it's cheaper that way."

"Sure, go for it."

The staff member explained they could only do the four-person set. I thought about who to invite and naturally ended up calling Kyoko.

While we ate, I gave her a quick rundown of the morning's events. Suddenly Kyoko started grumbling.

"Why is watashi the only one getting ijime!! This is Korea but there's still ijime!!!"

"Heh heh. Ijime isn't just a Japanese thing."

"Young lady, it was because the situation could have been dangerous-so."

Jeong Ayeon tried to reason with her. But Kyoko wasn't backing down.

"Still no!! To get into art university, watashi needs to see more art desu!!!"

"Dude, what are you on about art for when we're beating the shit out of those Chinese bastards?"

"After watching Hyeji-chan, watashi realized!!! Explosion is art desu!!!"

"Oh my, Kyoko. You've finally seen the light!"

Hye-ji stopped eating mid-bite, her face overflowing with emotion as she pulled Kyoko into a hug. Kyoko grinned brightly in Hye-ji's arms and kept going.

"Watashi will go to art university and create even more splendid art than Hyeji-chan!!!"

"Fuck, I thought she was the Generalissimo but she's Deidara."

"Then starting today we're friendly rivals. Looking forward to it, Kyoko."

"Watashi will show explosions bigger than Little Boy or Fat Man!!!!!!"

"Yeah, Kyoko. I won't lose either. Bring it."

Out of nowhere, Hye-ji and Kyoko shook hands mid-meal. To an outsider it might have looked heartwarming, but to us it was two crazy girls plotting world domination.

"Young lady? Is such a massive explosion truly necessary-so?"

"What watashi wanted to blow up was this rotten world desu!!!"

"Don't drop lines that sound like they belong to the bread-baking uncle in here."

"......Could this one possibly be witnessing the beginning of World War III-so?"

I was wrong. Trying to compare Kyoko to something as small as a Generalissimo. She was on a completely different scale.

Well done, Kyoko. Go ahead and destroy the world with your own two hands.

After the meal, Kyoko suddenly told us to follow her. The place she led ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠us to was one of the academy's on-campus recreational facilities.

"There are so many things to play with www Academy students are so enviable www."

The facility had everything—arcade, park, all kinds of shops. They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were undeniably impressive. Of course, the users were limited. Just a handful of academy students and the majority being exchange students. Which made sense.

"Shinu, did you know this place existed?"

"First time I've heard of it."

"......Is this one to believe this place is truly meant for students-so?"

We hadn't even known it existed. It really was nice, though. Most facilities were free or cheap, and anyone could see they were incredibly generous. Hell, it was suspicious how much of a loss it must be running at. As I wondered why they hadn't told us about it, a voice echoed in my head.

Fuck, this academy is actually brain-dead. They only saw students as either research subjects or fighting dog candidates. What a piece of shit academy. Road Tailor Kim Shinu will rip you apart, you bastards.

Since it was our first time here, we were excited and started playing everywhere. It wasn't all smooth sailing, though.

"Hye-ji, young master, please calm down-so!!! It's just a game-so!!!"

"I'm a girl, you fucking idiot!!!!"

"Understood, young lady! Please just hold back-so!"

Hye-ji was throwing a tantrum at the punch machine. Apparently she didn't like the low score it gave her.

"This is still my strength! Just one! I'll tap it lightly!! Just once!!"

"Hye-ji, you're not a kid. Don't be so childish. I'm actually disappointed."

"......Was I too much? Sorry."

Hye-ji slumped at my words, hanging her head. Jeong Ayeon, who had been trying to stop her, let out a sigh of relief. Of course...

"Since we're adults, we should at least break two."

"As expected of the boss. I believed in you!!"

"Young master!!!! Please stop encouraging her-so!!"

"Hyeji-chan!! Since watashi is a minor, please make just one desu!!"

That relief didn't last long. That said, Jeong Ayeon wasn't exactly well-behaved either. This time it was Hye-ji trying to hold Jeong Ayeon back.

"You dare toy with this one? How laughable. This one shall definitely pull it-so!!"

"Hey! You were normal when you were stopping me earlier! Why are you suddenly going crazy!!"

"Step aside, young lady. Even if it is a machine, it must pay the price-so."

What had angered Jeong Ayeon was none other than the claw machine. We'd all gotten what we wanted, but only Jeong Ayeon kept failing. It must have built up resentment because she was fuming.

"To miss something I had perfectly in my grasp! This demands judgment-so."

"If you just summon shit your eyes are basically a magnet!! Shinu, do something about her!"

"Jeong Ayeon, move the claw a bit more to the right. Let's snag an iPhone too."

"Heh, as expected of the young master."

"Fake martial artist!!! Watashi demands a Canon camera from the Great Japanese Empire desu!!!"

In the end, we got caught by the staff and had to submit reflection essays together. The charges were property damage and theft. The silver lining was that Kyoko, as an exchange student, only got lightly scolded.

"Fuck, if I'd known this would happen I would've broken more stuff."

"I agree-so. We should have just cleaned the place out-so."

"These two really have different mindsets."

I dragged the grumbling, teeth-grinding Hye-ji and Jeong Ayeon back. We'd played pretty rough, but it was still calmer compared to earlier. Well...

"This is fucking weak! It broke already!"

"It cannot even endure this much-so?"

Thanks to Hye-ji, levers and buttons got destroyed. And thanks to Jeong Ayeon, several machines started malfunctioning. Still, it was a pretty fulfilling day of fun.

The next evening, we were seeing off the group of exchange students returning to their home country. Before boarding the bus, Kyoko came over to give us her final goodbye.

"Hyeji-chan! Shinu-chan! See you again desu wwwwwwwww"

"......Do not leave this one out-so."

"Fake martial artist has a difficult name desu wwwwww"

Kyoko burst into laughter while Jeong Ayeon clutched her head. I grabbed Kyoko's shoulder and gave her some serious advice.

"You saw what happened to my coins, right? Don't buy Dogecoin."

"The old blue was on Shinu-chan's phone wwwwwwwwww"

"Yeah, fuck. Sanji's probably on his way."

Kyoko turned her back on us and climbed onto the bus. Then she leaned out the window and waved.

"Kyoko, see you next time! I'll text you often!"

"Next time let's meet somewhere other than this shitty academy."

"Heh! When I return next, this one shall show you the true terror of a martial artist-so."

"Thank you everyone www See you again wwwwww"

We waved back at Kyoko, each calling out our own farewells. After that, the bus grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely. It was goodbye.

Once Kyoko was no longer visible, we stopped waving. At that moment, Hye-ji sidled up to me.

"Still, Shinu, you did get her that Canon camera, huh?"

"Fuuuck, it ended up costing more than the retail price."

"Young master, why did you do such a thing-so."

"Ah, I thought it would work this time."

I'd definitely had it, but the machine forcing the claw open at the last second was too much. Hye-ji gave me a look of pure pity.

"That's how you blew all your pulls on the last gacha and got completely wrecked too."

"That shitty game, fuck. The gacha rat keeps showing up."

"......Please return the touching feeling of farewell this one felt just moments ago-so."

Anyway, we'd seen Kyoko off. With nothing else to do, we decided to split up. Then I suddenly remembered something I needed to tell Hye-ji and grabbed her.

"Shinu? What is it?"

"Hye-ji, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Hye-ji tilted her head in confusion.

"I want to talk just the two of us. Want to go somewhere else for a bit?"

"Y-yeah!!! Where do you want to go?"

"Just follow me for a second?"

Hye-ji's expression changed instantly. It was the face of someone expecting something. I led her to the empty dueling arena. She'd followed quietly the whole way, and once we arrived she spoke softly.

"Shinu? Can I know what this thing you want to tell me is?"

"So, the thing is. I actually..."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll wait as long as you need to say it."

Hye-ji's face was slightly flushed. Looking at her expectant expression, I whispered quietly.

"...I think I awakened an ability."

"......Huh?"

Suddenly Hye-ji's eyes darkened at high speed. Her entire expression froze over coldly in an instant.

"It happened while fighting that ear guy, but I don't know what the ability is."

"......"

"So I called you here to ask if you could help me check what it is."

"......"

Hye-ji glared at me without saying a word. Killing intent slowly started rolling off her. Of course, I didn't notice and kept talking.

"I didn't want to tell anyone else, so I only told you. You're the only person I'm close to, after all."

"......Hey."

"I've already gotten approval to use the dueling arena. Can you help me out?"

"Hey! You fucking bastard!!!!!!!!"

Hye-ji exploded. Intense fury surged forth with her.

"Hye-ji? Why are you suddenly getting mad?"

"You son of a bitch!!!! Getting my hopes up and then pulling this shit!!!!"

"What did I even say to make you react like this?"

"Fuck!!!! I'm the idiot here!!!!!"

Hye-ji stomped her feet, growling fiercely. Then I remembered one more thing I needed to tell her. I really was stupid for forgetting this.

I smiled and beckoned to her.

"Hye-ji, come closer. I have one more thing to say."

"Huuuuu. Okay, this time it's for real, right?"

"Just come here first."

The sun had already set. Now was the perfect time. Hye-ji instantly calmed her anger and approached obediently. She was right in front of me now. I smiled faintly and pulled her closer. She didn't resist, leaning her body against mine.

"W-what are you trying to say that you need to pull me this close?"

She was completely in my arms now. Her face was so red it was visible even in the dark. When our eyes met, she slowly started to close hers. So I quickly lifted the front of my coat.

"Look at this! It's a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur!!"

"......Huh?"

I showed her the glow-in-the-dark dinosaur before she could close her eyes. The toy sparkled in the darkness, reflecting in Hye-ji's pupils.

"It's not completely night yet but you can still see ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, right?"

"......"

"Did you know you could engrave stuff like this on the inside of the Defensive Coat?"

"......You pulled me here just to show me this?"

Hye-ji's voice had somehow become ominous.

"Isn't it cool? What else should I get engraved? Can you give me some recommendations?"

"Can you let go for a second?"

Hye-ji was smiling brightly. Except for her eyes. Her face was deathly pale, and now that I looked closer, it seemed like she was forcing the corners of her mouth up.

She stepped away from me and immediately activated the dueling arena system.

"You said you wanted to know what your ability is, right?"

"Yeah? You'll help me?"

"Of course I'll help."

Hye-ji immediately activated her ability. It looked like she was going to teach me through real combat. Except...

"Even if you don't want to know, I'll make sure you do."

"Thanks for helping. But isn't this a bit much?"

The number of materialized weapons was way too high. No matter how you looked at it, this wasn't a suitable number for practice. It looked more like she was about to thoroughly destroy someone.

"I need to make sure you know it properly. Don't you think?"

"....Hye-ji? You're smiling, right? Your eyes look dead though?"

At that moment, Hye-ji's expression twisted. She ground her teeth and poured out her rage.

"If you're capable of noticing that, then why the fuck did you act like that earlier!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hye-ji, I'm sorry. But can I say one more thing?"

"Speak."

Hye-ji looked at me quietly as if giving me one last chance. A very faint spark of hope flickered in her eyes.

"There are too many weapons. Cut it in half."

"Just get beaten to death already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Of course, that hope vanished immediately. The moment Hye-ji finished speaking, the gun in her hand and the countless cannons she'd materialized opened fire. The deafening gunfire that made my eardrums want to burst. The thick smell of gunpowder so dense I worried it might paralyze my nose. And the rain of bullets that filled the entire space, refusing to allow even the slightest gap.

"Ack!!!!! It hurts so much!!!!!!"

"I made it hurt on purpose, you son of a bitch!!!!!!!"

"Go a little easier! I'm gonna die at this rate!"

"Just please die already!!! Don't even breathe!!! Just die!!!"

It was completely one-sided violence. All the way until the dueling arena's usage time ran out. Even after the coat's defense limit was exceeded, Hye-ji didn't stop. If anything, she seemed glad and fired her guns even more fiercely.

That day, instead of learning about my ability, I learned two things.

One. White phosphorus bullets hurt like absolute hell.

Two. Don't mess with Hye-ji.

Fuck. Five-hundred-won white phosphorus bullets. Thousand-won white phosphorus bullets. They hurt so much.

The moment the dueling arena's usage time ended, Hye-ji turned on her heel and marched straight back to the dorms. She still looked pissed. I wanted to stop her, but my body was numb so I couldn't say anything. After Hye-ji left and my body recovered somewhat, I returned to the dorms too.

After a quick wash, the moment I lay down in bed, a voice echoed in my head.

I got absolutely destroyed in a one-sided beatdown.

No, you should at least hold back a little. Even Tekken doesn't beat up newbies that badly.

There were clearly no wounds left, but my body kept throbbing as if I was experiencing phantom pain.

What feelings?

The voice chuckled, mocking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me. Listening to it made irritation well up.

Really? Then I'll make it boring for you too.

What a pathetic loser. So this is HAL gaslighting. Thank you, Han Daeri.