As the class-versus-class match that had lasted through the morning came to an end, afternoon class time arrived.
The students, rejoicing in victory or grieving in defeat, scattered to attend their classes or have lunch.
Since Yeon Haneul, Go Eunbi, Min Arin, and I all had no classes during fourth and fifth period on Monday, we decided to have lunch together for the first time in a while.
By then, Min Arin’s condition had stabilized to some extent.
“Don’t get all smug just because you beat me. Just you wait. Next time, I’ll definitely win. Yeon Haneuuul… are you listening to me?”
“…”
The moment she came to her senses, Min Arin hid behind me, clung to my arm, and pointed a finger at Yeon Haneul.
Coincidentally, the words she rattled off didn’t stray from my expectations.
I looked down at her, using me as a shield against Yeon Haneul, and chuckled.
Just then, I felt a gaze from beside me.
“…What is it?”
“Nothing, just. You were laughing while looking at Arin, so I wondered if you were having fun. Do you like it?”
“…”
What, am I not allowed to laugh while looking at someone?
Just because we hadn’t seen each other for a few days lately, wasn’t she getting a bit too meddlesome?
Sensing that I’d get scolded by Yeon Haneul if I answered like that, I quietly shook my head.
With a somewhat displeased look on her face, she gently tugged on my arm as if to oppose Min Arin.
Then she answered the finger-pointing.
“I’m listening to you just fine, Arin. If I think about fighting you, I’ll have to be even more nervous next time. But we probably won’t meet again in the first-semester class competition, so if we’re going to meet, it’ll have to be in the second semester, right? Your class got placed in the losers’ bracket.”
“If your class loses, you’ll be placed in the losers’ bracket too, you know!?”
“Even so, wouldn’t it be hard for us to face you again? I guess we’ll have no choice but to wait for the second-semester class competition. That gives you plenty of time to prepare. Though our class will win again anyway.”
“Yeon Haneuuul… keep acting so arrogant and then lose to me…”
“Mm, my grades are better.”
“Y-you, what did you just say…!”
Min Arin, who had gone out of her way to pick a fight, ended up getting counterattacked instead.
Yeon Haneul, who was especially provocative and forceful with her, had pointed out the truth without fail.
Faced with the plain truth, Min Arin was too worked up to continue speaking.
She could only sigh in disbelief, muttering, “Wow, Yeon Haneul, you really… wow… you shouldn’t do that. Just you wait…”
Min Arin nitpicking, Yeon Haneul tearing her down, and Min Arin taking a hit had become a familiar pattern by now.
It was then that Yeon Haneul added another remark.
“And Arin, Gyeonu looks uncomfortable, so could you let go of his arm?”
“What? Then why are you holding on!?”
“That’s why I’m saying it. If both of us hold on, he can’t use his arms at all.”
“No, excuse me? I’m the one who held on first, not you, so why should I…”
“Ah, I suddenly want rice cakes.”
“…”
“If you want rice cakes, you have to pound them, right? Don’t you think so, Arin?”
“I-I’ll let go, okay, I’ll let go!”
Min Arin’s eyelids abruptly trembled, and she whipped her hand away from my arm.
Then she clung to Go Eunbi’s arm and ground her teeth.
It seemed the shock from Yeon Haneul still hadn’t worn off.
As Go Eunbi comforted Min Arin, she coaxed her, saying, “Arin, did Haneul bully you? Should I scold Haneul for you? But you know you have to grant my wish, right?”
Looking at Go Eunbi patting her, I could see from her face that she was happily pondering what wish to ask for.
And Yeon Haneul, who had somehow ended up hugging my arm, was full of bright cheer.
“You had a hard time because of Arin, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Yeah…”
If I said it didn’t really bother me, I felt like I might get pounded into rice cake too…
Unable to say what I really thought, I nodded.
‘Well, I do like this better with Haneul anyway.’
All’s well that ends well.
I came to a simple conclusion.
* * *
Since we hadn’t had the time to eat leisurely because of preparations for the class competition, we decided to have lunch outdoors and get some fresh air.
Also, with summer growing lush, there weren’t many chances left to eat outside this semester.
With our thoughts aligned, we each bought whatever food we wanted and headed to a nearby lake.
“It’s been so long, everyone! You’ve all been busy every day, so do you know how much I missed you?”
“You all finished your matches well, right? I assume none of you entered the losers’ bracket from the very beginning!”
“Haerang, Gyeonu and Haneul’s class had their match today… Watch what you say. So, Gyeonu, Haneul, your match… how did it go?”
“Nom… I won too.”
Besides us, our friends whose class matches had also ended and who happened to have free time gathered as well.
Friends like Nam Yuri, Yong Haerang, and Park Sagun were glad to see us after such a long time.
Cha Eunsol was glad to see us too, and promptly snatched away the pork cutlet I had brought…
In any case, we spread a mat on a hill overlooking the lake and sat down, catching up with one another.
As we did, we shared updates on the class competition.
Unfortunately, the only classes that had lost their first match were mine and Min Arin’s.
‘I thought there’d be at least someone else besides us who lost in the class competition…’
I never imagined even the triplets’ class and Cha Eunsol’s class would end up in the winners’ bracket.
I couldn’t help but feel complicated emotions toward Cha Eunsol, who had stolen yet another piece of pork cutlet and was stingily refusing to share with me.
Because with her lazy personality, I’d assumed she wouldn’t participate actively in the match.
And yet, the fact that she had taken part in the match unlike her usual self meant…
‘Did her homeroom instructor lure her in or something? They probably promised to buy her food.’
It was almost certain.
I observed Cha Eunsol as she sampled everyone else’s lunches one after another.
Then, noticing my gaze, she swallowed the food in her mouth and asked,
“Do you have something to say to me? Nom.”
“Something to say? I do. How about you stop stealing my pork cutlet? If you’re going to eat it, give me something too.”
“I don’t have much to eat either…”
“Hey, you think I do?”
“Fine. Then I’ll give you this at least.”
“…”
Cha Eunsol reluctantly handed me a piece of food, as if she had no choice.
It was a gimbap with its side burst open.
‘To think this is all I got in exchange for three pieces of pork cutlet…’
It was an act that clearly violated the fundamental principle of alchemy: equivalent exchange.
Cha Eunsol’s character was definitely burst open too.
Seeing her shamelessly put the gimbap to her mouth, I let out a sigh despite myself.
In that situation, the triplets excitedly got on my nerves.
“Do Gyeonu’s a loser! You lost!”
“We won, though! We’re in the winners’ bracket! Even if we do badly, our score will be better than yours!”
“I came! I saw! I conquered! Do Gyeonu went! Got done in! And lost!”
“Fine. Your dice of fate have already been cast. Prepare yourselves once the class competition is over.”
“…!”
“G-Gyeonu! I think our joke went a little too far!”
“You know it was all a joke, right? Hey, we’ll go buy drinks! What do you want?”
“Go buy strawberry milk and run back right now, if you want even the slightest chance of surviving.”
“Okay! Executing!”
“Loyalty! Loyalty!”
“Woof woof!”
The triplets, who had been cackling and mocking me until just moments ago, hurriedly changed their expressions and sprang to their feet.
I saw them off as they ran to buy drinks, then claimed the lunches they had been eating.
Yeon Haneul gave a wry smile as she watched me pick at their side dishes.
“What do you think? This is the treasure of the Black Magic Oh Family I got this time! Isn’t the crow ornament amazing?”
“Hanbyeol, you should finish swallowing your food before you speak. Don’t rush.”
Meanwhile, Gang Hanbyeol also seemed to have finished the class competition without any trouble.
He was in the middle of recounting his heroic tale and showing off the staff he had taken from Oh Junsik.
At a glance, he looked to be in a very good mood.
I brought up a message to appraise the staff.
[Soaring Crow]
◆ Equipment Classification
—Staff
◆ Detailed Description
—A treasure of the Black Magic Oh Family.
—A staff crafted using a crow wooden statue discovered in the red gate “Wanderer’s Island V” as its material.
—It contains the yearning of wanderers who roamed endlessly in search of utopia.
—The young Fighting Demon Gang Hanbyeol plundered it from Oh Junsik of the Black Magic Oh Family.
◆ Detailed Effects
—Magic Power +4, Luck -2
—When equipped, increases the effects of black magic-type skills by 10%.
—When equipped, raises the level of black magic-type skills by 1.
—When forming a black magic contract with a demon of three-star rank or lower, substitutes for one acquisition condition.
—Skill 「Curse of the Mirage」
‘As expected, there was no need to worry.’
Its performance was identical to the artifact Gang Hanbyeol obtained in the game.
In any case, since the Oh Junsik episode had also ended safely, this meant the groundwork leading into the final exam episode had been laid.
For me, who personally thought the final exam episode was absolutely necessary, it was a good thing.
After all, it was practically the episode that announced to the world the full-fledged rise of the Demon Society.
‘No, should I call it a revival? They’d been in decline for a long time because of Grandfather’s generation.’
For the sake of us, who would become seriously entangled with the Demon Society starting in the second semester.
And for the sake of the people of the world, beginning with the Ten Great Families, recognizing their threat.
When you thought about it, the final exam episode, which presented the direction of the remaining story, was essential.
So…
‘I need to pay attention to Oh Junsu’s movements from now on and make sure nothing goes wrong.’
The Black Feather of the Black Magic Oh Family, also known by another name as the scoundrel Oh Junsu.
I decided to wait for him, the core of the final exam episode, to encounter Gang Hanbyeol.
* * *
“Arin! Then don’t forget to come to my room later, okay!? It’s a wish, so you don’t have the right to refuse, all right?”
“I got it! I said I got it, so go already!”
“I’ll prepare lots of pretty clothes and wait for you!”
Before we knew it, two hours had flown by.
The friends who had classes starting from sixth period chatted by the lakeside, then left one by one.
Go Eunbi, who had used her wish ticket to negotiate a cosplay photo shoot with Min Arin, also got up.
Min Arin huffed at her as she disappeared while waving, then headed in the opposite direction.
“Gyeonu, let’s go too before we’re late.”
It was about time for me to move as well, since I had a beginner swordsmanship class scheduled.
Right on cue, Gang Hanbyeol, who took the same class as me, spoke up.
But I turned down his offer.
“I’m going to skip class today. Hanbyeol, you go on your own.”
“What? You’re not going to class… Did you maybe promise to train with your classmates?”
“It’s not that… I have something to do, so I’m going to skip today.”
When the class competition match ended, I had made a promise with Yeon Haneul.
That we would stay together for twenty-four hours after leaving the gate.
So I planned to be absent from class and go sit in on whatever classes she was taking.
Of course, since the condition “as much as possible” was attached, it was possible to interpret the wish flexibly, but…
‘I don’t want to go to class. I’ll just watch Haneul and rest today.’
It wasn’t as if I didn’t feel that way.
The world wasn’t going to suddenly end just because I skipped class for a day, so wouldn’t it be fine?
Feeling embarrassed, I shrugged.
“Something to do? What something? Ah…”
Meanwhile, Gang Hanbyeol, who had been puzzled at first, soon recalled my circumstances and seemed to understand.
He gave a helpless laugh.
“Got it. Then I’ll make up a decent excuse for Instructor Suhoguk. If possible, submit a proper reason later too.”
“That’d be great for me. Thanks.”
“We live by helping each other, don’t we? In return, if I ever have to skip class later, cover for me too.”
“Of course I’ll help then.”
“I’m going to be late for class. I’ll get going! Have a good time with Haneul! Bye, Haneul!”
Gang Hanbyeol turned around without hesitation.
I saw him off as he quickly started running toward the academic building.
Yeon Haneul seemed dissatisfied with me.
With a sulky expression, she scolded me.
“When did I ever ask you to skip class and stay with me? If you do this, Hanbyeol will look at me strangely.”
“Hanbyeol knows our situation well, so what misunderstanding would he have? He’ll just think I’m deliberately skipping class because I want to be with you.”
“Still… what are you going to do if you’re marked absent because of me?”
“What do I care?”
“You should care. It’s your grades.”
“As long as I don’t get held back, it’s fine. I don’t care about grades.”
“Honestly… Wasn’t one of the classes you had today Master’s class? Master will definitely scold you…”
“The Witch’s class? That’s fine too. The Witch owes us a debt, so she won’t be able to say much for a while.”
"A debt? What do you mean... ah...."
"The Witch helped you with your succession, so I got an earful from the kids. I factored that in too, so don't worry too much."
"But that's...."
Still looking completely unconvinced, Yeon Haneul pouted her lips.
With a look that said, *You know you messed up, right?*, I asked her as she poked my side with her finger.
"So you hate being with me?"
"Huh?"
"Should I go to class right now? Leave you behind? Abandon you?"
"…."
"Should I really go?"
"No, that's not what I meant... I'm saying don't do this next time."
Even though this was what she'd end up saying anyway.
I looked at Yeon Haneul, shaking her head in surprise, and let out a short laugh.
"Then let's go officially audit a class. Aren't you going to be late? Hurry up and lead the way. I'll just watch you take your class from the side, so you study hard."
"You really are the worst. And it's not officially auditing, it's crashing the class. Official auditing requires advance registration."
"Can't I apply now?"
"Same-day registration isn't allowed?"
"Then I'll have to crash the class instead."
Yeon Haneul tapped my stomach with a fist that held no strength.
I accepted the hit without resistance and went with her to class.
"Yeon Haneul."
"Yes."
"…."
Since this was an unofficial visit where actually taking the class was not permitted.
Yeon Haneul, who usually sat in the front row, sat in the very back out of consideration for me, trying her best not to stand out.
When attendance was called, she urged me to keep my head down in a quiet voice, to the point that she herself seemed even more nervous instead.
Sitting beside her, I found it amusing to observe her like that.
*But, Haneul....*
*I think we've been found out.*
I pricked up my ears at the sounds coming from around us.
Yeon Haneul, whose hearing was even better than mine, must have heard them too.
"What? Isn't that Do Gyeonu?"
"Do Gyeonu? From the Divine Sword Do Clan? What's he doing here...?"
"This is a Magic Track class. But why is he here?"
"Obviously because of Yeon Haneul."
"It seems like the instructor noticed too? Maybe they're overlooking it because he's from the Divine Sword Do Clan... or maybe because they like Haneul."
"Ugh, it really makes me sick...."
"Should we report it?"
"Report it to who? The instructor is turning a blind eye too."
"If we report it to the Solo Brigade or something, wouldn't they take action?"
"Are you crazy? You want to pick a fight with Do Gyeonu?"
"They should be paying attention in class, not flirting...."
"…."
As it turned out, it was a required major course for the Magic Track with over a hundred students enrolled.
Because of that, we couldn't help but draw attention from many students.
Yeon Haneul's face flushed completely red, and she couldn't lift her head the entire time.
"Ugh... how am I supposed to take this class without dying of embarrassment next time...."
"What's the big deal? At the end, the instructor told me to come officially audit next time, so it seems they have no intention of scolding you."
"That's not the problem.... Ugh, I want to change majors."
"Since it's come to this, want to just switch to the Swordsmanship Track instead?"
"What? No way."
When class ended, we fled the classroom as if escaping.
After that, we caught our breath for a moment before heading to the next class, where we once again received people's attention....
Afterward, we ate dinner at the restaurant alley near the academy back gate, took a walk to help with digestion, and ended up having drinks at a suitable spot.
"What time is it now? Ah... it's already this late?"
"Right. Time flew by before we knew it.... You said you need to go back and prepare for tomorrow's match too."
"Aren't you preparing?"
"Our class has Arin; she'll take care of it."
"Me too... there's not much left for us to coordinate with each other, and Eunbi said she'd cover for me today."
"Then... shall we have a bit more?"
"...Yeah."
Was it because I was hanging out with Yeon Haneul after so long?
No, even before, time always seemed to fly by like a lie whenever I hung out with Yeon Haneul.
But even taking that into account, today felt like time had passed especially quickly.
When we left the pub, it was late at night.
Naturally pressed close together, we walked the night streets toward the dormitory.
[14th floor.]
"…."
It was regrettable, but it was time to part ways.
We had ridden the elevator in silence, and when the doors opened, we had to separate.
I gave my farewell to Yeon Haneul, who was getting off on the 14th floor.
"Good night, and do well in tomorrow's match."
"Yeah, you too...."
"…."
She shifted nervously.
Yeon Haneul responded to my farewell but couldn't actually step out of the elevator.
She just stood with her back to the 14th floor, head lowered, fidgeting with her fingers.
Then, she spoke up like she was acting spoiled.
"Um, you know...."
"Yeah."
"It hasn't been 24 hours yet...."
"…."
"There's still... a little over ten hours left...."
With a face that seemed to be hoping for something.
Yeon Haneul glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
I had been holding the button to keep the elevator from closing, and I blinked blankly.
I wasn't completely oblivious.
So....
Choosing my words as calmly as possible, I suggested to her,
"Then shall we sleep together today? Like last time."
"…."
"No, I don't mean it in a weird way, just... let's hold hands while sleeping...."
...Could it be that this wasn't what she wanted?
Yeon Haneul didn't answer.
With her head ducked down and her face hidden by her hair, I couldn't gauge her expression.
I suddenly grew afraid that I might have upset her.
It was right then that I heard her voice.
"Yeah... let's sleep together, just holding hands...."
"...I'll go up and wash up right now."
"Yeah, I'll wait...."
"…."
The elevator doors closed.
Just what was so special about sleeping together....
Was it because of the alcohol?
My head and heart were pounding like crazy.
Momentarily dazed by Yeon Haneul's answer, I bumped my head against the elevator wall.
And a short while later, the elevator doors opened upon arriving at the 15th floor.
[15th floor.]
I dashed straight to my room.
If it meant I could spend a little more time with Haneul, I'd have to wash up at super-high speed.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss