Icebreaking
The Dream Hotel, lobby.
When Go Eunbi and I entered the lobby, we found Yeon Haneul sitting by the window.
She had been gazing out at the garden beyond the glass, but when she noticed us approaching, her rabbit ears perked up.
“You’re here?”
“Haneul, did you get my heart? I worked really hard collecting those! We did good, right?”
Go Eunbi ran over to Yeon Haneul and promptly claimed the seat beside her.
Then she gently hugged her and rubbed her head this way and that.
“Mm, you did well….”
“Ah, this is nice! It feels healing.”
Yeon Haneul flinched in surprise when her waist was suddenly seized, but she did not make any particular effort to push Go Eunbi away.
She merely looked troubled as she accepted her affection.
‘Looks like she’s taken a liking to Haneul.’
She looked just like a puppy asking to be praised with a pat on the head.
Since Go Eunbi was shorter than Yeon Haneul, she looked even more that way.
Apparently, I was not the only one who thought so.
“There, there. You worked hard….”
“You worked hard too, Haneul!”
With the hand she had been awkwardly groping through the air, Yeon Haneul carefully patted Go Eunbi on the head.
At that, Go Eunbi immediately offered up her head and quietly enjoyed the touch.
Seeing that, I chuckled and sat down across from them.
“Nobody followed you?”
“They did. A lot of them. Do you have any idea how hard it was dealing with them?”
Still patting Go Eunbi’s head, Yeon Haneul turned her gaze to me and puffed out her cheeks.
Just as Go Eunbi had done with her, she was sulking at me to praise her.
Her face was simply adorable.
“But I trusted you to handle it. If you hadn’t been there, we couldn’t even have thought of a plan like this. Good work. You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Hmph. I’m not hurt. What about you?”
“I’m fine too.”
“Me too!”
“The chips? Did you exchange them all?”
“I exchanged them all before you got here. Eunbi, just a moment.”
“Aw, it felt so nice….”
Yeon Haneul gently peeled Go Eunbi off.
Then she took the chips from the pocket at her waist and placed them on the table.
We counted the chips.
“133.”
We really had gathered a lot.
Running around the forest had been worth it.
“Good. Then, as promised, let’s split the chips now.”
“Okay.”
The number of chips needed to secure a suite was 50.
I pushed five stacks of ten chips toward Yeon Haneul, and three stacks toward Go Eunbi.
It was enough to secure a deluxe room, two grades below a suite.
That was because she had promised she would only take enough chips to secure a deluxe room.
“This is your share, Eunbi. But are you really okay with this?”
“That’s right. It might take a little longer, but you could get a room higher than a deluxe….”
With just seven more chips, she could secure a premier room, one grade higher.
Yeon Haneul and I asked Go Eunbi again to make sure.
She answered while twirling her brown hair around her finger.
“I’m fine. I’m satisfied with this. I know my own ability too.”
“…”
“If I got help from you two, I probably could get a suite. But my skills aren’t at a level where I can handle a suite, and if I recklessly take the highest-grade room, I might end up ruining the fourth practical exam. So I’m satisfied with this. Thanks for worrying about me!”
Just as she had said at the beginning, Go Eunbi politely refused again.
Her words did have a point.
I did not know what the fourth practical exam would be, but it was clearly a test where one chose the difficulty level oneself.
Rather than blindly choosing a difficult exam, one also needed to know how to match it to one’s own level.
‘At Eunbi’s level, a suite might be hard, but she could probably take a premier room one grade lower….’
But if that was what Go Eunbi wanted, I intended to respect it.
I decided not to urge her any further.
Yeon Haneul also seemed to accept it.
She opened her mouth.
“If that’s how you feel, then it can’t be helped. Then what should we do with these?”
Me, 50. Yeon Haneul, 50. Go Eunbi, 30.
Even after distributing the chips that way, three chips remained.
We no longer needed them.
“True. What should we do? How about just leaving them here, or giving them to someone else? Maybe later on, we might get help from that person.”
“Or should we give them to the twins? They seemed to be struggling to gather chips too….”
“No way. How could we give away what we worked so hard to collect?”
“…”
What should we do with these chips?
There was no need to think about it.
I grabbed the chips in front of me.
Then I put strength into my hand and crushed them.
“If we don’t need them, we should destroy them. Why should we do something that benefits others? As for the twins, they can train a little more.”
“Wow, you really are….”
“So it turns out you were an evil person?”
Yeon Haneul and Go Eunbi clicked their tongues.
I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard.
* * *
There was an evaluator at the lobby desk collecting chips.
After submitting our chips to the evaluator, we secured our rooms.
“Congratulations to all three examinees on passing the third exam. Please take your keys.”
The evaluator handed over the room keys.
Each of us received the key corresponding to our assigned room.
“Once you enter your room, you will find an information sheet on the table. It contains the rules you must follow while staying at the Dream Hotel today, so be sure to familiarize yourself with them. If you break the rules, you will be subject to the corresponding measures.”
“…”
“Also, it will be written on the information sheet as well, but please make sure to attend the banquet at seven o’clock. There will be an explanation of the fourth practical exam at the banquet. Failure to attend will be considered a declaration that you are giving up the exam.”
The evaluator spoke as though issuing a warning.
After listening to his explanation and nodding, we headed to the elevator.
The elevator doors opened.
“What do you think?”
“You mean the exam?”
“Yeah. What kind of exam are they going to make us take in this hotel?”
“Good question….”
The elevator rose.
We watched the floor numbers change and sank into thought.
Even after thinking about it, nothing came to mind.
Before long, the number displayed in the elevator stopped at “6.”
“I’ll be going, then! You both worked really hard today. If we get another chance to cooperate, let’s do it together.”
“Yeah, see you.”
“See you.”
Go Eunbi, who had secured a deluxe room, got off the elevator.
Yeon Haneul and I waved back at her as she waved from beyond the closing doors.
After that, the elevator arrived at the top floor where the suites were without stopping again.
“Where are we supposed to go?”
“Ah, there’s a floor guide over there.”
“Hmm… I’m to the right.”
“I’m to the left.”
“Then let’s part ways here. They said the banquet is at seven in the evening, so how about we each rest in our rooms until then?”
“I agree. Should we meet here ten minutes before? Or I can come find you.”
“Why go through the trouble of coming all the way to my room? Let’s just meet here.”
“Okay. I guess we can wash up in our rooms, right?”
Judging from the fact that the third practical exam ran until 7 p.m., the fourth practical exam would probably take place after that.
So until then, it was rest time.
After checking the floor guide, Yeon Haneul and I decided to spend our time freely.
I headed down the right corridor toward my room.
‘This must be it.’
My room was at the end of the corridor.
Using the key I had received at the desk, I opened the door and went inside.
“It’s huge.”
The room was divided into a bathroom, a restroom, a bedroom, and a reception room.
It was so spacious that even several people could have used it with plenty of room left over.
For one person to use it alone was nothing short of luxury.
‘Haneul must be surprised.’
I naturally pictured Yeon Haneul’s reaction.
Letting out a laugh without realizing it, I calmly looked around the interior.
There was nothing missing from the room.
It seemed almost everything needed for daily life was prepared.
It was worthy of being called a suite.
‘…They have these too.’
In the bathroom, there were shampoo, body wash, towels, robes, disposable toothbrushes, razors, and…
Something that looked like vitamin C.
‘I won’t have any use for this.’
The hotel where Yeon Haneul and I had stayed had also prepared these.
But because I had been conscious of her gaze, I had not had the chance to investigate it.
At some point, it had also disappeared.
Yeon Haneul had surely thrown it away.
I had not seen it since.
“…”
But right now, Yeon Haneul was not here.
At last, to satisfy my curiosity, I peeled off the wrapper.
Then I made a water balloon.
“Oh….”
The water balloon grew endlessly larger.
If I tried to put any more water inside, it felt as though the water balloon would burst and cause a disaster.
Just before that happened, I turned off the faucet and let the water inside flow out.
My curiosity was resolved.
It seemed there were many fascinating things in this world.
Many thoughts came to mind, but the moment one tried to express them, enlightenment tended to fade.
Still, I could say this much.
Truth lay somewhere both far away and very close.
Having glimpsed a fragment of truth that was too early for me, still a minor, I decided to keep that realization in my heart and never forget it.
“By the way, what’s this painting?”
Coming out of the bathroom, I approached the painting hanging on the wall opposite the bed.
The painting depicted an old man with hair reminiscent of a musician from the Baroque era.
“He’s ugly.”
His skin was as white as a sick man’s, and he was scrawny to boot.
He was a shabby-looking old man.
“I shouldn’t age like this.”
Staring intently at the portrait,
I made that vow.
Fortunately, the blood of my grandfather, known as the Beast King, flowed through my body, so I would probably never age like that.
I also intended not to slack off on training.
I might not become a muscular old man like my grandfather, but I would still age with a reasonable amount of style.
After spending quite some time having a staring contest with the old man in the portrait, I turned around.
“Is this the information sheet?”
There was a laminated sheet of paper on the table.
I checked its contents.
[Dream Hotel Usage Guide]
1. All examinees using the hotel must attend the banquet at 7 p.m. The banquet will be held in the grand banquet hall on the fifth floor of the hotel.
2. A temporary food storage room has been prepared on the first basement floor of the Dream Hotel. Examinees may use the temporary food storage room at their own discretion. The temporary food storage room is free to use.
3. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., passage is strictly prohibited until further instructions are given. Examinees must not leave their rooms during this time. Depending on the circumstances, you may be eliminated or have points deducted.
4. Items provided in the rooms may freely….
I could not find anything strange.
If there was anything questionable, it was that a curfew existed.
Was it related to the fourth exam?
I was not sure.
“I’ll think about it after washing up.”
* * *
Ding-dong.
Around the time I finished washing off the sweat from running all over the forest, the doorbell rang.
I had a guess as to who had come.
‘It’s Haneul, probably.’
After roughly drying my hair and putting on some clothes, I opened the door.
Sure enough, Yeon Haneul was standing outside.
She looked up at me and asked.
For some reason, she seemed flustered.
“…Were you washing up? Should I come back later?”
“I just finished. I only need to wipe off the water. What did you come for?”
“We haven’t even eaten lunch yet. It said there’s a food storage room in the basement, so I came to ask you to go with me.”
“I was just about to go find you anyway. Come in. Wait inside.”
“Okay… And it’s getting embarrassing to keep seeing that, so could you do something about your buttons?”
“Buttons? What buttons?”
“Your shirt buttons.”
“Ah, I put it on in a hurry and forgot. But why are you making a fuss over something like this? We saw all sorts of things while living together in Academy City.”
“Umm… Could you not say things that other people might misunderstand if they heard them? What do you mean, all sorts of things….”
“But you did see my upper body.”
“Th-that was an accident….”
“Was it? How many times has that been now?”
“Ugh….”
“You’re sneaking glances even now.”
“I-I’m not looking!”
“I can’t believe my childhood friend was a pervert.”
“Why am I a pervert!”
“Anyway, come in and wait. The reception room is really spacious.”
“Ahem! Excuse me.”
Teasing Yeon Haneul was fun.
I let the flustered Yeon Haneul, her face flushed, into the room.
I had her wait in the reception room and finished getting ready.
“Let’s go see if there’s anything worth eating. We should eat and then get some sleep.”
“What if we miss the banquet?”
“Then wake me up so I don’t miss it.”
“I’ve been waking you up since elementary school, even in middle school…. How would you live without me?”
“I couldn’t live without you.”
“…Tch, empty words.”
“But what floor did you say it was again?”
“They said the grocery warehouse is on basement level one.”
Yeon Haneul and I took the elevator down to basement level one.
Soon, we headed toward the makeshift grocery warehouse.
“Wow…. It’s bigger than I thought? I figured it’d be the size of a middle school snack bar….”
“Right? It’s almost at supermarket level.”
It felt like entering a warehouse-style store.
I figured they’d only have simple ready-to-eat stuff like retort pouch meals, but we could even find frozen meat and fish.
It truly lived up to its name as a makeshift grocery warehouse.
We looked over the food in sight and couldn’t help but marvel.
“They probably have that strawberry milk you like.”
“Ah, they probably do? I should look for it.”
“Let’s take a quick look around first.”
“Yeah!”
There were shopping carts nearby, too.
I pulled a shopping cart and slowly looked over the shelves.
“Once curfew hits, we won’t be able to go outside, so we should stock up on food.”
“Even though there’s a banquet later?”
“You won’t be hungry at night?”
“Well… I will be hungry. But I’ll gain weight.”
“Hunters use a lot of energy by default, so snacking at night won’t make you gain weight.”
“You think so?”
“Put in anything you want. Everything.”
“You make it sound like you’re buying.”
“Today, it’s on me.”
“Yes, yes, thank you for the meal—. Ah! I think that over there is the dairy section?”
“I’ll be looking at what ramen to pick, so go ahead.”
“Okay!”
Does she like strawberry milk that much?
Having spotted the dairy section, Yeon Haneul perked up like a rabbit and ran off.
I left her behind and pushed the shopping cart toward the ramen section.
“There are so many types of ramen….”
Someone had arrived there first.
The woman standing in front of the shelves seemed deeply lost in thought.
‘…So I see her here.’
Striking blonde hair and blue eyes.
The woman with long braided hair resting over her left shoulder exuded dignity and an exotic air.
That was only natural.
Because she was the Imperial Princess of the Empire.
The Empire of Grace, which had assimilated into this world from another.
“But this… how do you eat it? Water 550ml? Two cups and three-quarters? Hmm….”
Lisa Grace.
In the game, she was a character who took up quite a bit of the story, second only to Gang Hanbyeol.
You could even call her the main heroine.
‘That was just her role, though. The person Gang Hanbyeol liked was someone else.’
At the same time, she was also a party member of the support class.
Toward such a person….
‘What perfect timing. I should strike up a conversation. It’s not like she’s dangerous like Nam Yuri.’
I stepped forward.
She was narrowing her blue eyes at the recipe attached to the shelf.
“Jjyapa…guri? How do you make this? Mix Chapagetti and Neoguri? …Neoguri? No way….”
“That’s not actually a raccoon.”
“Excuse me?”
“Neoguri is this. Chapagetti is this.”
“Ah… so Neoguri is a type of ramen.”
“For your information, it’s just called that. They didn’t put real raccoon in it.”
According to the game’s setting, having lived a life where she was only cared for as an Imperial Princess, she had almost no immunity to or experience with the ways of the world.
‘She gets better as the story progresses, but not right now.’
At a point before the story had even begun, she was nothing more than a flower that had just stepped out of the greenhouse.
There was plenty of room for me to work my way in.
“Thank you for telling me. Then I’ll just take these.”
“But if I recall, Jjapaguri isn’t made with just those.”
“Excuse me? Is there… more?”
“You have to add sirloin.”
“Sirloin?”
“I think the frozen meat is over there.”
“Ah…. That has to go in too.”
“Can you measure the water properly?”
“550ml? There’s a measuring cup in the room, so if I use that….”
“You need to get the water just right.”
“….”
“And the timing too. If you miss the timing with ramen, it gets soggy.”
“Ah… that’s right.”
“Can you do it? It’s no good if it’s soggy.”
“…I think ramen might be too difficult for me to make.”
Rustle.
Lisa tried to put back the bags of ramen I had picked out for her.
I stopped her.
“I was actually about to eat ramen myself.”
“….”
“Do you happen to have someone to eat with?”
“…No.”
“Then perfect. Since it came to this, want to come eat ramen at my place?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll make Jjapaguri for you.”
Lisa blinked her blue eyes.
She was trying to figure out my intentions.
I was about to push forward like this….
Right then.
From afar….
“Gyeon… u… ya?”
Yeon Haneul was approaching, strawberry milk and chocolate milk in hand.
But for some reason, she seemed angry.
‘Why is she like that….’
I didn’t think I did anything wrong.
Strangely, I felt guilty for no reason.
Keeping my guard up, I cautiously stepped back.
“H-Haneul… did you pick everything?”
“What did you just say?”
“Did you pick everything?”
“Before that.”
“H-Haneul…?”
“Stop joking around.”
“…I’ll make you Jjapaguri?”
“That’s a problem too, but before that. Why do you keep pretending not to know?”
“…Want to eat ramen at my place? Ah, Haneul, this girl is eating with us too….”
“Gyeon… u… ya?”
“….”
Just then, a savior appeared.
“Haneul! Gyeonu! We meet again! You guys came to find food too! Since it turned out like this, why don’t we eat together? Ah, there’s so much ramen here!”
“….”
“Are you guys going to eat ramen? I can boil ramen deliciously…. Haneul, want to come eat ramen at my place? I’ll make rice and eggs for you! And kimchi!”
“….”
“…But why is the atmosphere like this?”
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss
(58) [Illustration]
“From what I heard, Gyeonu was in the wrong. How can you suddenly ask someone you just met, ‘Want to eat ramen at my place?’ Even kidnappers don’t do that these days.”
“Sorry, it was too sudden, right? He’s not usually like this, but he has his moments. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
“No. I’m perfectly fine, so you don’t need to apologize. It’s okay. And please don’t be too angry at him either. I think he was just trying to help because I didn’t know how to make it….”
“Right, my intentions were pure….”
“Gyeon… u… ya?”
“Gyeonu was wrong!”
“….”
I thought Yeon Haneul would be fine since we’d just be eating together in the room….
Yeah, well, I admit it.
In my desire to create a chance to get close to Lisa, I had gotten too far ahead of myself.
Having received such a sudden proposal from me, she must have felt confused and burdened inside.
Still, fortunately, things worked out.
Thanks to Go Eunbi.
“Wow, but your hair is really pretty. It’s not dyed, right?”
“Ah, I inherited this hair color from Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Her Majesty?”
“Ah, that’s….”
Go Eunbi appropriately mediated the atmosphere.
She didn’t stop there and even led the situation toward what I had wanted.
“It’s awkward to keep standing here, and we’re hungry, so why don’t we eat and talk together? Didn’t Gyeonu suggest eating ramen in his room? I’m in favor!”
“Ah, I….”
“Do you have plans to eat with someone?”
“No, that’s not it… but it seems you three know each other. Wouldn’t I ruin the mood by tagging along?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“What about you, Haneul?”
“I… yeah, it’s fine. Let’s eat together.”
“Awe-some! Then what should we eat?”
“He said earlier he wanted to eat Jjapaguri.”
“Ah, anything is fine with me!”
“Jjapaguri? It was trending for a while, so it’s been a while since I heard it. Let’s go with that?”
“You absolutely have to add sirloin.”
“Oh, as expected, a young master from a rich family eats differently!”
“There’s no way you wouldn’t eat meat. I saw the meat over there earlier, so let’s go look.”
Yeon Haneul, who had been glaring at me the whole time, sighed in resignation.
She seemed to have a lot to say to me, but with Go Eunbi and Lisa present, she seemed to decide to let it go.
That was a relief for me.
I was inwardly relieved.
‘I’m scared when she gets angry….’
And the scariest thing is when I feel like I did something wrong even though I don’t know what I did wrong.
If I blindly apologize to gloss over the situation and get counterattacked with “What did you do wrong?” it becomes even worse.
It is both the beginning and the continuation of a vicious cycle.
‘Eunbi, thank you.’
I felt grateful to Go Eunbi for helping prevent the vicious cycle from starting.
So I simply packed some late-night snacks and followed them without complaint.
The shopping cart I was pulling was stacked with food.
Having gathered the food like that.
“I think we’ve picked everything we need, so shall we go to Gyeonu’s room!? I’ve actually been curious what the suite looks like! Ah, should we introduce ourselves while we eat?”
We left the makeshift grocery warehouse and headed to the elevator.
I volunteered to carry the bags.
By then, Yeon Haneul’s foul mood seemed to have lifted.
“Why are you trying to carry everything by yourself? It looks heavy, give me one.”
“It’s fine, I can carry it.”
“Give it here when I’m asking, hurry.”
“Then carry the lightest one.”
Yeon Haneul, having boarded the elevator, held out her hand with a deliberately stern face.
I pretended to be unable to resist her insistence and handed her one of the bags.
Then the other two stepped forward as well.
“What, then we look like the bad guys. We’ll carry some too!”
“Yes, that’s right. I felt sorry that you’ve been doing all the hard work since earlier. I’ll carry some too.”
“You don’t have to…. But I won’t refuse. Here, Eunbi, you take the heaviest one. Li… you take this.”
“Huh? Gyeonu? Why are you treating only me like this? Aren’t you going too far?”
“Just kidding. Take this.”
The elevator stopped and the doors opened.
We entered my room.
“Wow! The room is really big! It doesn’t even compare to mine? It’s so nice!”
“Excuse me.”
“We can eat in the reception room inside. As for the ramen….”
“Give me the bags. I’ll boil it.”
“Yours does taste the best. Then I’ll leave it to you. Call me if you need any help.”
“Then just set the table.”
Go Eunbi marveled at my room, while Lisa quietly looked around.
Yeon Haneul, having declared she would boil the ramen herself, rummaged through the cabinets and took out utensils.
She tied a pink apron around her waist and began cooking.
Having finished setting the table in the reception room, we waited quietly for her.
In the meantime, Lisa started a conversation.
“Come to think of it, there’s a portrait hanging in this room, too.”
“Huh? A portrait? There was one in my room, too. But the portrait in your room, Gyeonu, looks scary. Wouldn’t it bother you when you sleep?”
“You guys have one in your rooms too?”
“There was a benevolent-looking woman hanging in my room.”
“There was a deer in mine!”
Lisa, who had taken the Premier Room.
Go Eunbi, who had taken the Deluxe Room.
It seemed portraits hung opposite the beds in both of their rooms as well.
“There was one in my room, too. An old lady who looked kind of scary…. I figured she’d bother me when I slept, so I took it off the wall entirely. You should do the same, Gyeonu.”
Yeon Haneul, who was boiling the ramen, also poked her head out and said.
I fell into thought.
‘So the paintings in the rooms aren’t different by grade, but different for each room?’
Something bothered me.
But I had to stop thinking.
Because Yeon Haneul had finished cooking.
“Enjoy. I added the sirloin, too.”
“Waaah! It smells so good! It looks appetizing just from the sight? Haneul, you’re good at cooking.”
“It really looks delicious. But… this isn’t the ramen I know? Is this… jajangmyeon?”
“It’s not jajangmyeon, it’s Chapagetti.”
“Ah, that’s right. Chapagetti.”
“Jjapaguri is what you get when you add Neoguri ramen to Jjapaghetti.”
“Wow, it’s so good!”
“Here, Haneul. This is for you.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Go Eunbi was the first to reach out and take some Jjapaguri.
After that, I filled a plate and handed it to Yeon Haneul.
Her face lit up.
Meanwhile, Lisa was staring intently, as if she found the whole method of taking as much food as one wanted unfamiliar.
Then again, before coming to Academy City, she probably had never eaten like this.
It made sense.
I held my hand out to her too.
“Give me your plate. I’ll serve you.”
“Ah… thank you.”
Lisa thanked me and handed over her plate.
I served her food as well, then took my own portion.
‘It’s good. Haneul really can cook.’
Everyone ate in a different way.
I stuffed my mouth full and chewed away.
“Mmm! It’s good, it’s so good….”
Go Eunbi seemed to be expressing the taste with her whole body, utterly delighted.
“If there isn’t enough, don’t hesitate to say so. I can just make more.”
Yeon Haneul chewed each bite carefully, as if calmly savoring it.
“It’s my first time trying this, but it’s really delicious.”
And lastly, Lisa, who had swept her braided hair behind her shoulder, ate carefully so that nothing would get on the corners of her mouth.
When she bit off the noodles, she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Come to think of it, we were so focused on eating that we haven’t introduced ourselves. Should we do that now? I’ll go first. My name is Go Eunbi. I live in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul….”
Under Go Eunbi’s lead, we introduced ourselves while eating.
The turn went from Go Eunbi to me, then Yeon Haneul, then Lisa.
Before long, it was Lisa’s turn.
“My greetings are late. I am Lisa Evangel, applying for the supporter track….”
“….”
After Lisa’s name, befitting royalty, several middle names followed.
And when her name ended at the part “Grace.”
“Grace, as in….”
“Royalty….”
Go Eunbi and Yeon Haneul couldn’t continue.
The two realized that the girl they had been eating Jjapaguri with was an imperial princess of the Grace Empire, and they became visibly flustered.
So much so that their attitudes changed completely.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were a princess and acted so casually…. My jokes went too far, didn’t they?”
“If we were rude to you, please allow us to apologize.”
The two hurriedly showed proper courtesy.
Lisa gave a bitter smile.
She shook her head.
“Please don’t do that. Raise your heads. Even if I am royalty, right now I’m an examinee, just like all of you. And this isn’t Grace, either. So please treat me comfortably, like before… yes, as you would an equal friend. I’m asking you.”
“She’s right. What’s the point of being formal? Once we enter the Academy, we’ll be taking classes together anyway, and skill will matter more than status. Just treat her casually.”
“Gyeonu… you really don’t look it, but you’re surprisingly bold….”
“But she’s still royalty….”
“Then I’m from the Divine Sword Do Family. Are you going to be formal with me too?”
“Huh? That’s true too.”
“…It is. Then I’ll treat you comfortably. Still… is that okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then me too! Princess—no, Lisa, you can speak casually to us too!”
“I’m more comfortable speaking like this… if you don’t mind, may I continue?”
People with authority usually tended to have a sense of privilege and superiority.
That was especially true of those who were born with authority and had lived their lives taking it for granted that others would hold them up.
However, the character known as Lisa Grace was outside that general category.
She did not discriminate by status, emphasized obligation over the rights of the privileged, and loved her homeland, the Grace Empire.
Go Eunbi and Yeon Haneul also seemed to realize what kind of person she was and relaxed.
“I’m going to eat snacks! Who wants some!?”
“Didn’t we just eat a meal?”
“Ahem! There’s a separate stomach for meals and snacks!”
“That’s not wrong. I’ll go get them.”
“Ah, Gyeonu, I….”
“I’ll bring strawberry milk too. What do you two want to drink?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
After that, we continued chatting comfortably, just as Lisa had wanted.
The incident happened in the middle of that.
“I’m going to use the restroom for a moment.”
Lisa, who had been enjoying the conversation while eating snacks, stood up to go to the restroom.
And when she came back.
“Um… this was on the sink. What is it?”
“….”
…I must have forgotten to throw it away after we stopped playing with it.
Lisa was holding something that had been removed from its wrapper and looked like a vitamin C tablet.
It dangled in the air.
Silence fell over us.
“That’s… that, right? It’s my first time seeing one. So that’s what they look like….”
“….”
“But what did you do with that? Hm? I’m curious. Tell me, Gyeonu! Hurry!”
“What is this, for everyone to react like that?”
“Gyeon. U. Ya?”
Go Eunbi grinned.
Lisa tilted her head.
Yeon Haneul was smiling.
I subtly averted my gaze and answered.
“…It’s a water balloon.”
For real.
I’m not lying.
“Ah, really? So this was a water balloon. It reminds me of when I was little and made water balloons to throw at people in secret, only to get scolded by my nanny. How nostalgic….”
Only Lisa believed me.
* * *
After chatting for a while, we each returned to our rooms to rest.
There was still time left until the banquet began.
After sending off Yeon Haneul, Go Eunbi, and Lisa, I decided to get some sleep.
How much time had passed since then?
“Gyeonu, wake up.”
“Mmm….”
“It’s time to go to the banquet.”
When I opened my eyes, Yeon Haneul was there.
She had climbed onto the bed and woken me up.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up.
“What time is it?”
“It’s 6:30. Hurry and get ready.”
“Just ten more minutes….”
“And then you’ll keep sleeping?”
“What is there to get ready for? I can just go like this.”
“Without even washing your face?”
“I can handle it with cleaning magic.”
I used cleaning magic.
Being able to wash one’s body with a single spell—honestly, I wondered if it wasn’t the most indispensable magic humanity had ever created.
It didn’t even consume much mana.
‘Oh, wait.’
Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Cleaning magic was a spell that removed dust, grease, bacteria, and the like from the surface of the skin.
So if one used this magic properly.
‘Couldn’t it remove anything?’
I voiced the thought that came to mind.
“You rely on cleaning magic for everything…. Keep that up and you’ll become a lazybones. Besides, magic doesn’t feel like washing at all. Your hair is still a mess too.”
“Haneul.”
“Hm? What?”
“If cleaning magic could be strengthened, couldn’t it be used in combat too? Like removing monsters….”
“I don’t think the idea is bad, but wouldn’t it be difficult?”
“Why do you think so?”
“Fundamentally, cleaning magic is something you use on yourself. Every being that contains mana has, without exception, a property that resists mana—mana resistance—but you don’t resist your own magic. That’s why when you use cleaning magic on someone else, the effect decreases.”
“You’re saying if I used cleaning magic on a monster, it would resist.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t it? Besides, if it were cleaning magic modified for lethal purposes, the resistance would probably be even greater. Resistance grows stronger the stronger the force is.”
“Then I just need to modify the spell so it’s stronger than a monster’s mana resistance.”
“I’m not sure…. Wouldn’t the efficiency be bad?”
“Why? It doesn’t consume much mana.”
“The reason it consumes so little mana is because its target is waste matter on the surface of the skin. That can’t possibly be the same as erasing a living being.”
“I guess not.”
“In that case, I think it would be better to develop a spell that consumes little mana and has high killing power. Still, I don’t think the idea itself is bad. More importantly, we’re going to be late at this rate. Hurry and fix your hair.”
“It’s a pain….”
“Phew…. Sit still over there. I’ll fix it for you.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
I had thought it was a groundbreaking idea, so it was a shame.
Feeling inwardly disappointed, I entrusted my hair to Yeon Haneul.
She touched my hair and tidied it with magic.
“There, done. Let’s go, hurry.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The banquet was about to begin.
After finishing my preparations, I left the room with Yeon Haneul.
The banquet hall was crowded with examinees who had arrived before us.
“Examinees, please take one of these.”
“Please take a drink as well.”
An assistant standing at the entrance handed us each a card and a pen.
An assistant carrying a tray of drinks also passed in front of us and offered us glasses.
“What’s this?”
Having received a glass before I knew it, I checked the front and back of the card.
The back was painted with a design that looked like something you’d see on a playing card.
On the front, there was a chart drawn.
What were we supposed to do with this card?
I decided to look around while waiting for the evaluators’ explanation.
The banquet hall was laid out with appetizing food, and small tables where people could sit and eat were placed here and there.
Seeing some examinees occasionally putting food in their mouths, it seemed we were free to eat.
“….”
However, most of them were not trying to fill their stomachs and, like me, were watching how things unfolded.
While drinking from their glasses.
“…It’s good.”
“It is. It’s fizzy and sweet. But this isn’t alcohol, right?”
“It’s probably non-alcoholic.”
Yeon Haneul and I also drank.
It was a champagne-like beverage.
It went down smoothly and tasted good, so as we sipped it, our glasses emptied in no time.
“Would you like another?”
“…Thank you.”
Each time that happened, an assistant with a tray replaced our glasses.
Since it felt awkward just standing around, we took new glasses.
“Oh! Do Gyeonu! And… Yeon Haneul!”
“…So he was assigned to this exam site too.”
That was when Yong Haerang called out to us.
With hair that looked as if he had just woken up, he approached us happily.
Yeon Haneul quickly hid behind me.
“We meet again. I assume you got a room?”
“I got a suite. What about you?”
“I got a suite too! The room was quite spacious! I trained there and then passed out, and by the time I woke up, it was this late! I almost ended up being late. You there, Yeon Haneul behind him, you got a suite too, right?”
“Tell him I got a standard room.”
“Haneul says she got a suite.”
“Ugh, Gyeonu, you….”
“As expected! I knew you’d be in a suite too! I’m really looking forward to entering the Academy!”
Yong Haerang laughed energetically.
A competitive spirit glimmered in his eyes.
It seemed he was itching to spar with me and Yeon Haneul.
“Speaking of which, if you have time later, in my room… or yours is fine too, we could have a light match….”
He even subtly proposed a spar.
Of course, I pretended not to notice and declined.
“Ah, I need to maintain my weapon later. I haven’t taken care of my sword after fighting those Ghost Rabbits in the afternoon.”
“Then instead, with Yeon Haneul….”
“I-I have to maintain my weapon too….”
“She says she’s really tired. Right, Haneul?”
“Mhm….”
“I see. It can’t be helped, then. Yeon Haneul, take good care of yourself. If you’re a man, you have to pay attention to your health! Your health! Or I have some medicinal ingredients I brought from home. Should I share them with you? They’re good for enhancing virility and restoring vitality….”
“Tell him I’ll just accept the thought.”
“Haneul says she’ll gratefully accept. I’ll pick them up on her behalf later.”
“When did I say that!”
Yeon Haneul protested in a small voice and hit my back.
However, the Chivalrous Dragon Family had many elixirs and medicinal ingredients that were good for the body.
Since Yong Haerang was willingly offering them, it was better to take them.
‘Maybe they’ll be medicinal ingredients good for building muscle….’
Of course, I had no intention of eating them alone.
I wasn’t such a selfish, bad guy that I would monopolize every fortuitous encounter.
I intended to share them with Yeon Haneul too.
Just then, the evaluators went up onto the stage.
“We sincerely congratulate you on passing the third practical exam. This banquet has been prepared for the examinees who worked hard taking the exams yesterday and today. So I hope you can set aside your worries about the exam and enjoy the banquet at ease.”
“….”
An evaluator with a kindly face spoke in a benevolent tone.
‘Enjoy the banquet at ease, huh….’
There was no way I could take those words at face value.
Yeon Haneul, Yong Haerang, and the other examinees all seemed to feel the same way I did.
In that situation…
“The fourth practical exam is nothing special. You simply need to enjoy this banquet, this day you’ll spend at the hotel. In truth, you could say the fourth practical exam exists to help you recover your physical and mental fatigue in preparation for the fifth practical exam. Just enjoy yourselves.”
The evaluator spouted complete nonsense.
All the examinees in the banquet hall had no choice but to stir.
“However, even if we tell all of you, who have been competing until now, to relax and enjoy the banquet, it will probably be difficult since you’re awkward with one another. So, although it won’t be reflected in your scores, we’ve prepared a simple icebreaking game to help you build camaraderie.”
“…”
“As you all entered the banquet hall, you should have received this card from the assistant supervisors. From now until the banquet ends, you examinees will walk around the banquet hall and spend time introducing yourselves to ten other examinees!”
The evaluators turned on lively music.
Dudum-chit, dudum-chit.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
I began to wonder if I had come here to take an exam, or to attend a training camp.
‘At this rate, aren’t we going to end with a campfire or something? They’ll make us say we love our parents waiting at home and force out fake tears…’
I sipped my drink.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Middle Boss