Training [Illustration]
Was it because I had overworked my body with my Gift?
Not only could I barely put strength into my body, but whenever I tried to move, I felt a throbbing pain.
In the end, I had to return home that day half-supported by my father.
Naturally, my mother, who had been waiting at home, couldn't help but interrogate us.
"Thank goodness you aren't seriously hurt, but what on earth did you do to come back so weak the child can't even hold a spoon?"
"Ah, honey… no, dear. It's always like that at first…."
"Tell me honestly. Or you'll find yourself sleeping alone tonight."
"…."
Just as my father had predicted beforehand, he got an earful from my mother for putting me in danger.
"Gyeonu, you're the same, you know."
"…I'm sorry."
Of course, I got scolded too.
Even so, they didn't berate me too harshly since I wasn't in good condition.
"I wanted to see the goblin too…. Sneaking off without me is cheating."
Meanwhile, Yeeun grumbled upon belatedly hearing the story at the dinner table that day.
Having anticipated this, my father and I had to buy a cake on the way home to lift Yeeun's spirits.
If a single cake could soothe our household Ppisuni's mood, it was practically a bargain.
And then….
"Ugh…."
"Goodness, your fever is 38 degrees."
The day after the real combat.
I came down with a terrible case of body aches.
When I opened my eyes and got up that morning, my body felt heavy and chills ran through me.
The backlash from drawing out strength I didn't normally use via my Evasion Instinct had arrived in full force.
I never imagined the backlash from using Evasion Instinct would be so severe.
'I should avoid maximizing my Evasion Instinct as much as possible….'
If I didn't moderate my Gift properly, it felt like my body wouldn't survive.
I spent the entire day being nursed by my family, making that vow.
"Hoo…."
Perhaps thanks to resting so thoroughly for a day.
My condition had improved greatly compared to the day before.
My body temperature had returned to normal now, and moving my body wasn't difficult anymore.
But I couldn't purely rejoice in that situation.
'The weekend is completely gone.'
Before I knew it, a new week had begun.
Monday morning.
Having spent all of Sunday lying in bed, unable to enjoy a proper weekend, I had to go to school whether I liked it or not.
'If I'd had even a little bit of a fever, I could have skipped school today….'
Were there really people in this world who liked going to school?
At least, I wasn't one of them.
The me from my previous life was no different.
As a child I had hated going to school, and as an adult I had loathed going to work.
Especially on Mondays, when the week began, I felt terribly depressed.
'Come to think of it, if I add up my previous life, doesn't that mean I'm attending elementary school for the second time?'
Damn it, I shouldn't have thought of that.
Thanks to recalling my previous life's memories, classes had become easier to understand, but that thought didn't make me happy at all.
"Haah…."
Class 3, Grade 5, Raon Elementary School.
The moment I entered the classroom and sat at my desk, I flopped straight onto it.
Was it because the body aches lingered?
Or because I had come to school?
My body felt drained of energy.
I sighed while lying face-down.
Just then, a thud sounded from the seat beside me.
"Why are you like that? Are you sick?"
"Ah… it's Haneul. Hey."
I lifted my head.
Yeon Haneul, who had placed her bag on the desk, was looking down at me with a worried expression.
Seeing her for the first time in two days, I let out a bitter smile.
Then I motioned for her to sit.
At my gesture, she stopped taking out the books from her bag and sat down.
"I was a bit sick yesterday. I came down with severe body aches."
"Suddenly? How? Did you take medicine? Are you okay now?"
Yeon Haneul asked, startled.
Her red eyes went wide and round, and her ears perked straight up.
She was so surprised that she showered me with questions.
Her unexpected reaction put me in a strangely good mood.
"Actually, I had real combat over the weekend."
"Real combat? What's that?"
"Fighting monsters."
"Ah…. Is it okay for us to do that at our age? Isn't it dangerous?"
"Well, I'm from the Singeom Doga. All my cousins my age have done it; I was the only one who hadn't yet."
"Still… it must have been very dangerous. You didn't get hurt anywhere?"
"I got grazed in a few places, but most of them were healed with healing magic, so they're gone."
"Why most? Can't you heal all of them with magic?"
"Um… Healing magic is, in a way, borrowing your future recovery ability. So you shouldn't rely on it too much, and for wounds that don't interfere with daily life, they told me to wait for them to heal naturally."
"Let me see."
"…Here, this spot."
Yeon Haneul leaned toward me.
As if checking whether I had been hurt anywhere, she examined me this way and that.
Unable to refuse her, I showed her the wound on my arm.
It was long but shallow.
Yeon Haneul touched the wounded area and opened her mouth.
"I have bandages and ointment in my bag; want me to at least put some on?"
"I'm fine. The wound has already healed. But you carry that stuff around?"
"I used to get hurt a lot."
"…."
"Not these days, though."
She avoided detailed mention, but I could vaguely guess why she used to get hurt often.
The bullying seemed to have stopped since she started hanging out with me in fifth grade, but it appeared she had gotten hurt from being bullied in the past.
To be considerate of her, I pretended not to know.
Then, she rummaged through her bag and took out bandages and ointment.
"Come here. I'll do it."
"You don't have to."
"This will help it heal faster. Hurry."
Yeon Haneul spoke as if scolding me.
Unable to overcome her insistence, I held out my injured arm.
She grabbed my arm and began applying ointment to the wound.
"I should disinfect it too, normally."
"It's already healed, so why…?"
"Tsk. Listen to me."
"Fine, do whatever you want with my arm."
I really didn't need it.
I quietly looked down at her with her rabbit ears visible, head bowed.
She was so focused on the wound that she didn't notice my gaze.
It wasn't long before….
"All done. Finished."
Yeon Haneul straightened her upper body.
A bandage with a white rabbit on a pink background was stuck to the wound.
* * *
"So how did you end up with body aches?"
"Well, you see…."
Later, again.
I briefly explained the circumstances that had led to my body aches.
After hearing the whole story, she let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad you're better now. Be careful not to get hurt when you fight from now on. How are you now?"
"How do I look to you?"
"You look a bit listless."
"Yeah, I think so too."
"Did you take your medicine?"
"I took it this morning. This is for lunch."
"Don't forget to take it later."
"Then remind me when the time comes."
"Geez…."
Practically sprawled over my desk, I took the medicine out of my pocket and shook it.
Yeon Haneul, who had opened the book to read during the morning assembly, pursed her lips and glared at me.
Soon, she relaxed her expression as if resigned.
"Fine. I'll remember."
"I'd appreciate it."
"Tell me if there's anything else I can help with. You really look sick, so I'm only listening to you 'just for today, as a special exception.'"
Just for today, a special exception, huh….
Resting my head on the pencil case, I focused on Yeon Haneul's words, which she had spoken emphatically while putting on airs.
My gaze soon turned to the rabbit ears proudly asserting their existence atop her head.
"…."
At that moment.
Curiosity and mischief welled up.
"Then."
"Yeah, if you have a request, just say it."
"Then let me touch your ears."
"…What?"
Yeon Haneul, who had been holding her chin up proudly at the thought of granting my request.
Immediately upon hearing my words, she froze as if her thoughts had stopped.
She stared at me.
"W-what did you just say?"
Her flustered face was vivid.
"I asked you to let me touch your ears."
Her reaction was amusing, so I decided to push forward.
I was thinking, if she says no, so be it, but if yes, great.
"Y-you want to touch my ears? Why?"
"I feel like I'd get energy from touching them."
"…."
"I've thought that since the first time I saw you, that I wanted to try touching them at least once."
"Did you hang out with me just to do this?"
"What are you talking about? I hang out with you because it's you. Why would I hang out with you just to touch your ears? If I wanted ears, Mongshil has them too."
"…."
"Can I touch them?"
Startled, she flushed red.
With both hands, Yeon Haneul grabbed her long ears and pressed them flat against her head.
I held back the laughter threatening to burst out at her reaction.
On the other hand, I had to be disappointed.
'Seeing how embarrassed she is, I guess I should give up on touching them.'
Should I have waited until we were closer?
I decided to pass it off as a joke depending on what she said next.
But the words she stammered out were beyond my expectations.
"I-if I let you touch them…."
"…."
"Will you really get energy?"
"Uh… of course?"
"Why is that a question?"
"Because I haven't touched them yet."
"…."
"No. I'll definitely get energy if I touch them."
Yeon Haneul's expression was scrunched up.
I quickly tried to take back what I had said and change her mind.
Whether my efforts worked.
"…Fine, I'll let you touch them. Go ahead."
Permission fell from Yeon Haneul's lips, even as she pressed her ears against her head warily.
"Really? I can really touch them?"
"But don't go back on your word later. If you say it didn't give you energy… you'd better watch out."
"That won't happen, don't worry. I promise."
"And you're only touching them for a moment. You can't touch them for too long, got it?"
Yeon Haneul repeated emphatically.
I nodded unconditionally.
An opportunity to touch rabbit ears bigger than Mongshil's had finally arisen; there was no reason not to comply.
Soon, I stretched my hand toward her, stiffening my shoulders as she shrank back.
Finally, my fingertips touched her rabbit ears.
"Oh… they're soft, and fluffy."
"Ugh…. Don't squeeze so hard, touch gently. They're sensitive."
"I think I might get addicted to this?"
"Still no. Now sto—ahn!"
Yeon Haneul let out a protesting sound.
I pretended not to hear and indulged myself freely with her rabbit ears.
* * *
Embarrassing. So embarrassing.
Somehow, having ended up letting Do Gyeonu touch her ears until the morning assembly began, Yeon Haneul was too mortified to raise her head properly.
'Why is he so good at touching them?'
She didn't feel that way when she touched them herself.
Nor when the people at the orphanage occasionally touched them out of curiosity.
When Do Gyeonu touched her ears, it felt somehow different.
Was it because he raised a rabbit?
There was something indescribable in Do Gyeonu's touch—skilled yet delicate and gentle.
So enthralled by that touch….
'I nearly got carried away without realizing it.'
For a moment, Yeon Haneul had almost lost control and surrendered her head completely.
Fortunately, she made eye contact with classmates sitting in the front row right then.
No, calling it fortunate was somewhat inaccurate.
Because her classmates had heard the sound she made and were staring blankly.
'Embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing….'
She wanted to hide in a rabbit hole if one existed.
Recalling the incident again, Yeon Haneul felt her face grow hot.
So she buried her face in her textbook to hide.
Meanwhile, she glanced sideways at the culprit, Do Gyeonu, who had reduced her to this state.
"Ah, I'm stiff."
While she was dying of embarrassment, Do Gyeonu was listening to class with his chin propped on his hand, yawning.
'Annoying.'
Of course, she didn't truly hate him.
If she did, she wouldn't have let him touch her ears from the beginning.
'But it seems he did get his energy back.'
Soon, Yeon Haneul smiled slightly, covering her mouth with the hand holding her mechanical pencil.
Do Gyeonu, who had looked listless that morning, seemed to have brightened up after touching her ears.
He wasn't concentrating on the lesson, but at least he wasn't dozing off in class anymore.
To tell the truth, Do Gyeonu had simply perked up because lunchtime was drawing near, and after sleeping nonstop since yesterday, he just wasn’t sleepy anymore.
But having lost her composure to embarrassment, she believed all of it was thanks to her.
And that made her feel strangely pleased.
‘Maybe I should let him touch them every now and then.’
She even went so far as to think that.
It was then that Do Gyeonu spoke to her.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Huh? When was I?”
“You’ve been looking at me for a while.”
“I wasn’t looking….”
“Oh, yeah? Guess I was mistaken.”
“…”
Had she been staring too openly?
In the end, Do Gyeonu had caught her.
Not having expected Do Gyeonu to talk to her during class, she flinched in surprise and hurriedly pretended to be doing something else.
At that, Do Gyeonu didn’t press her further and let it pass with a thoughtful hum.
Yeon Haneul felt that Do Gyeonu’s response was oddly mature.
‘Is it because he seems so relaxed?’
She wasn’t sure.
Now and then, despite being the same age as her, Do Gyeonu would give off that kind of air.
On the other hand…
“I was thinking, Haneul. How about becoming a Hunter with me?”
“What?”
Very occasionally, now and then… no, often.
Do Gyeonu would also give off the air of a little troublemaker who blurted out something completely out of nowhere and left people flustered.
Just like now.
“…”
Become Hunters together?
For deciding someone’s career path, his tone was far too casual.
Yeon Haneul could only blink, unsure how to answer.
Perhaps feeling that his explanation had been somewhat lacking, Do Gyeonu belatedly added more.
“I think you have more than enough talent to become a Hunter.”
“Talent? How would you know?”
“I’m from a prestigious family, so I can tell just by looking.”
“…”
Somehow, it sounded like he was lying.
Still, curious as to what he would say, she decided to hear him out.
“First of all, you’re a demi-human, so your physical abilities should be better than most people’s.”
“Hmm… Any other reason?”
“You seem like you’d be good at handling magic. Judging by the mana you usually let flow outside your body, it feels pretty dense.”
“I’ve never let any mana flow out….”
“All living things unconsciously let mana flow from them.”
“…”
“And since I know how to handle mana, I can sense it.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Hmm…”
It doesn’t seem true….
Yeon Haneul narrowed her eyes and tried to dig into his true thoughts.
But she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
In the end, she returned to the original topic and pondered Do Gyeonu’s suggestion.
‘A Hunter, huh….’
It wasn’t as if she had never thought about it.
Twelve years old.
Seven years from now, when she turned nineteen, she would have to leave the orphanage.
At her age, old enough to understand things to some extent, and with her being a demi-human on top of that, the chances of her being adopted in the meantime were absurdly low.
So she had to prepare a way to live on her own for seven years later.
In that sense, being a Hunter was realistically the job through which she could earn the most money and receive the best treatment.
In truth, for a demi-human to live what this society called a successful life, the range of choices was extremely narrow.
‘It’s not like I haven’t thought about it….’
Of course, Yeon Haneul had considered it too.
If she were lucky enough to receive sponsorship, she might even be able to reduce the costs needed to become a Hunter.
The problem was…
“Can I do well?”
That was precisely it.
Since she had not yet become a middle school student, where mana control was taught as a required subject, she had never handled mana even once.
So she could only feel anxious.
Could she really do well?
Moreover, Hunters had to fight monsters in battles where life and death hung in the balance.
She couldn’t help but worry whether she truly possessed the mental strength to engage in such fights.
At that, Do Gyeonu spoke as if it were nothing.
“You can do it.”
“…”
“I guarantee it. Besides, if you become a Hunter, you’ll be doing it with me anyway.”
“I… guess so?”
“I’ll be right there by your side, so even if you’re not good at it, you don’t have to worry. I’ll take responsibility for everything.”
“…”
Just what part of her was he looking at to make such a guarantee?
She stared blankly at this friend whom she could and could not understand.
And yet, strangely, when she heard his words, it felt like things really would turn out that way.
For no reason, a corner of her heart felt reassured, and she found herself trusting him.
She wanted to rely on him, to lean on him.
Fiddling with her rabbit ears, Yeon Haneul replied in as indifferent a tone as she could manage.
“Fine, then. You’ll have to take responsibility.”
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss