According to the game’s progression.
Baek Jimin enters the Grand Ranking Tournament and becomes Gang Hanbyeol’s opponent in the finals.
So running into her wasn’t all that surprising, but…
“Hey, you traitor.”
With a chill seeping off her.
The way she picked a fight with me out of nowhere was extremely bewildering.
I had been about to greet her warmly, but I had no choice but to falter.
‘What’s with her? Did I do something wrong? Traitor? What did I betray…?’
Baek Jimin looked displeased.
I watched her expression and tried to guess what was on her mind.
Then I realized.
‘Ah, no way….’
Just then.
Baek Jimin mentioned it herself.
“One minute you were saying we should help each other out, and then suddenly, what got into you that you decided to start dating? You didn’t even properly explain it to me, your cooperation partner. You practically just gave me a one-sided notice.”
“Sorry, about that…”
“No, wait. There was a flaw in what I said. You did say you’d explain properly. That you’d contact me in a little while. But… just how long is ‘a little while’ supposed to be, that you still haven’t contacted me? I was waiting and waiting for you to reach out, but before any message came, I ended up seeing you in person like this.”
“…”
Baek Jimin smiled coldly.
I had nothing I could say in response.
Unable to meet her eyes, I merely forced out a bitter smile.
‘If I confess that I completely forgot… she’ll try to stab me with her rapier, won’t she?’
When I decided to start dating Yeon Haneul.
I informed Baek Jimin, as well as my family, friends, and the people I was usually close to.
After that, it was only natural that I was bombarded with messages asking what had happened.
Because I had been so overwhelmed by that, I had ended up neglecting my contact with Baek Jimin.
It was unmistakably my mistake.
I decided to apologize honestly.
“I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you all this time. It might sound like an excuse, but I’ve been really busy lately…”
“I’m sure you were. Busy dating. I understand. It must have been wonderful.”
“…”
Baek Jimin spoke sarcastically.
I couldn’t continue and had no choice but to close my mouth.
‘She seems pretty angry.’
It didn’t look like this would be resolved easily.
Then what should I do?
I worried inwardly.
Fortunately, contrary to my worries, Baek Jimin, who had been glaring at me for a while, soon reined in her momentum.
“There are a lot of people watching, so I’ll be generous. Don’t do it again.”
After letting out a deep sigh.
Baek Jimin relaxed the tension in her shoulders.
The corners of her eyes curved gently.
Only then could I feel relieved.
“Thanks. I won’t do it again.”
“You’d better not, unless you plan to ignore me twice.”
“It wasn’t my intention to ignore you. Anyway, I’ll be careful.”
“Putting that aside, I didn’t think the Singles Alliance would end this quickly… What happened in the meantime?”
“It’s not really something to explain here… It’s just… I didn’t want anyone else to take her from me.”
“Mm… Haneul is right behind you, and you still say something like that so boldly. I’m the one feeling embarrassed for no reason. Fine. I do want to hear the details, but I’ll hear them separately next time. If you try to let it slide again…”
“I said I won’t. Trust me. The fact that you’re here means you’re participating in the Grand Ranking Tournament, right? I’ll contact you as soon as the ranking tournament ends, so let’s meet and talk then. Focus on the ranking tournament until then.”
“After the Grand Ranking Tournament ends, huh… All right. Keep your promise. But you’re not participating?”
“I’m planning to just cheer for my friends and watch comfortably.”
“That’s strange. You must have heard that this year’s prize for winning is the Egg of Bond… Weren’t you tempted? I guess you’re surprisingly not materialistic.”
“I didn’t really feel like it.”
“That’s a shame. I was secretly looking forward to facing you.”
“Instead, if the matchups work out, you might get to fight Hanbyeol.”
“…He’s participating, then. That’s good. If I keep winning, I’ll meet him in a match eventually.”
When I brought up Gang Hanbyeol’s name, a peculiar light entered Baek Jimin’s eyes.
As if her competitive spirit had been stirred, she nodded.
“Oh, look at the time. I have to prepare for the opening ceremony, so I’ll get going. See you later.”
“Yeah, take care. I’ll cheer for you too. See you after the ranking tournament.”
Baek Jimin turned around.
I waved at her as she left with her friends.
Just then.
“Ah, right.”
Baek Jimin stopped walking.
As if she had remembered something she wanted to say, she looked back at me.
“Congratulations on getting together. You too, Haneul.”
Baek Jimin waved her hand with a bright smile.
After receiving her congratulations, I let out a small laugh and lifted the corners of my mouth.
I thanked her as she disappeared into the crowd.
Yeon Haneul, who had come to stand beside me at some point, also replied in a small voice.
Then she asked, sounding probing.
“But what do you mean, help each other out? What did you decide to do with Jimin?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“And what was that Singles Alliance in the middle?”
“…”
With a suspicious gaze.
Yeon Haneul looked at me primly.
I scratched my cheek.
* * *
After the Grand Ranking Tournament opened, time flowed on and on.
Gang Hanbyeol overcame countless strong opponents and finally advanced to the finals.
The opponent he would face in the finals was…
Baek Jimin, just as in the game’s progression.
‘Is it today? The Fiendish Lady, the Iron Dragon, and the other enemies… They must be hiding somewhere, waiting for their chance.’
The finals would begin shortly.
Perhaps because of that, the Battle Arena before the match was at a fever pitch no matter where one went.
The people passing by spoke excitedly about the finals.
Letting those voices wash past me.
“You okay? Be careful not to bump into anyone.”
“…Yeah, thanks.”
To make sure she didn’t get jostled by the crowd.
I paid special attention to Yeon Haneul, who was beside me.
When I pulled her shoulder toward me, she smiled bashfully and pressed herself close to me.
A soft sensation touched me.
‘I really can’t get used to this….’
My senses sharpened instinctively.
I decided to do my best not to be conscious of it.
With Yeon Haneul beside me like that, I looked for a nearby café.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Mm, I’ll have… grapefruit honey black tea! Iced.”
“Got it. I’ll go order. You wait over there.”
Not long after.
The drinks I had ordered for our other friends as well came out.
Since it was too much for one person to carry alone, Yeon Haneul and I decided to split them between us.
And so, holding carriers in both hands, we returned to the spectator seats…
“Gyeonu.”
“Yeah?”
We were walking down a quiet corridor.
Yeon Haneul suddenly called my name.
I turned my head reflexively and…
‘…Huh?’
I was ambushed with a peck by Yeon Haneul, who had risen onto her tiptoes.
“…”
“I stole it from you.”
As if her prank had succeeded.
Yeon Haneul, who had stolen my lips, looked utterly triumphant.
She teased me by licking her own lips with her tongue.
After staring down at her blankly, I soon burst into laughter.
The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
“What are you, a thief? Why are you stealing from me?”
“Hmph, it’s the fault of the person who got robbed. If you’re upset, then take it back.”
“Oh, really?”
Yeon Haneul was deliberately provoking me.
I decided to answer that provocation.
Taking one step closer, I lowered my head and pressed my lips to hers.
She did not refuse.
‘It’s inconvenient that I can’t use my hands….’
If I hadn’t been holding the carriers, I would have wrapped my arms around Yeon Haneul, so it was a shame that I couldn’t.
Yeon Haneul probably felt the same.
In the end, we had to soothe our disappointment by lightly exchanging kisses in turn.
It was then that I felt a gaze.
‘….’
Someone was glaring at us.
As if they wanted to kill us.
It wasn’t my imagination.
I had been focused on Yeon Haneul, but I hurriedly turned my head.
‘Who is it?’
I scanned the crowd.
Unfortunately, however, finding the owner of that gaze among them was almost impossible.
Perhaps the other person had withdrawn their gaze, because I could no longer feel it.
Just then.
‘Huh?’
Far away, a woman walking away with her back turned caught my eye.
Judging by her school uniform, she seemed to be a student.
And as if proving she was a beastkin, above her head…
‘A rabbit?’
Animal ears had sprouted.
Black rabbit ears.
At that moment, I felt an inexplicable familiarity from her.
Was it simply because I liked rabbits?
No, that wasn’t the reason.
Rather, it was as if…
‘Ah.’
Had she perhaps felt my gaze?
The woman with black rabbit ears suddenly stopped walking.
She tried to look back.
I strained my eyes to see her from afar.
However…
‘Damn it.’
Of all things, she was hidden by the crowd passing in front of her.
And when the crowd disappeared, the woman with black rabbit ears had vanished from where she had been.
I had missed her.
‘I wanted to check her face… For some reason….’
Should I go look for her even now?
I shook my head inwardly.
Since I had no idea where she had gone, finding her seemed unlikely.
On top of that, the finals would be held soon, and the enemies would take the stage.
I couldn’t waste time just to satisfy a personal curiosity.
Most of all.
“Gyeonu, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly looking over there…?”
I couldn’t even explain it openly.
And I didn’t want to leave Yeon Haneul alone.
It would make her anxious.
The same was true now.
I reassured her as she looked worried.
“It’s nothing. I just… thought it was someone I knew, but I must have been mistaken. Let’s go. At this rate, the finals will start.”
Even so.
Strangely, the lingering regret of not having seen her face remained.
* * *
Whenever Baek Jimin swung her sword, snow and ice whirled about.
Amid it, with her hair streaming, she looked at times as mysterious as a fairy, and at times as eerie as a witch.
And when an opening appeared, she thrust her sword swiftly, possessing skill proficient in both attack and defense…
Gang Hanbyeol could not avoid struggling against her.
However.
‘There’s no way Hanbyeol will lose.’
Through my arrangements.
Gang Hanbyeol had grown by bringing out the optimal efficiency possible from the game.
The current him surpassed Baek Jimin.
In fact, though he had been unable to go on the offensive, he gradually adapted to her sword and began pushing through the snowstorm.
And at last.
‘Well done.’
Gang Hanbyeol’s sword grazed Baek Jimin’s cheek.
From that moment on, the tide of battle reversed.
Seizing the flow, he rode his momentum and drove Baek Jimin back.
Overpowered in the contest of strength, she had no choice but to retreat again and again.
In the end.
“…I lost.”
The match was decided.
With the sword reaching right before her eyes, Baek Jimin finally admitted defeat.
It was Gang Hanbyeol’s victory.
Wiping the sweat running down his neck with his collar, he looked extremely happy.
I and my friends, who had been watching the match, couldn’t help feeling the same.
But…
‘It’s still too early to be happy.’
I calmed my excitement.
If things followed the game’s progression, the enemies would attack the award ceremony to steal the Egg of Bond.
So I waited for that moment.
Before long, the award ceremony proceeded…
[The winner, student Gang Hanbyeol, will be awarded the Egg of Bond as an additional prize. The Egg of Bond is…]
By the time Gang Hanbyeol’s turn came.
The Egg of Bond, which had been under strict management until now, entered the award ceremony hall.
‘I want one too….’
An egg that glittered densely with light, as if the universe had been compressed into a sphere.
Everyone who set eyes on the extraordinary egg let out exclamations of admiration.
Then how must Gang Hanbyeol, who was facing the egg up close, have felt?
‘He’s completely bewitched. Bewitched.’
With a face overflowing with emotion.
Gang Hanbyeol was staring at the Egg of Bond almost in a daze.
I felt sorry for him, but…
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
‘Here it comes.’
It is the protagonist’s lot to be caught up in incidents.
The venue suddenly shook, and finally, the ceiling came crashing down.
A gigantic serpent had broken through the ceiling and fallen into the hall.
As the startled people fell into chaos because of it.
“So this is the Egg of Bond. It’s pretty. If that person hadn’t coveted it, I’d have wanted to keep it for myself.”
“It’s certainly enough to make one greedy.”
The dust that had thickly filled the surroundings slowly cleared.
And within the coils of the gigantic serpent.
Two figures revealed themselves.
A woman with long hair, an arrogant impression, and a skirt slit open on both sides.
And a sturdily built old man, almost bare from the waist up.
They were two of the Demon Society’s Six Demons: the Fiendish Lady Sim Jieun and the Iron Dragon Tak Wonho.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Middle Boss