—…Not bad.
“Ah, but did you get a definite answer that he’d join?”
That was the problem. Had Kim Hajin decided to join Geronimo’s Mercenary Group?
—I received a positive reply.
“…Really? What did he say?”
—Mm… one moment.
The captain fell silent for a while, as if searching through the messages on his smartwatch.
—I received a text that said, “I’ll contact you later when I have time….” Hm. I’d say that’s extremely positive.
The moment Jane heard that, all the strength drained from her body.
“No… come on, man…. When did you receive that message?”
—The day I gave him my business card.
“Then it’s already been almost two weeks.”
—Yes. Which means the time for him to contact me is near. So fix that mission in place.
The captain said only what he wanted to say and hung up.
Jane let out a sigh heavy enough to make the ground sink. Was it because he had never properly experienced society, or had he been born like this? He was too dense, far too dense.
“Tsk.”
Still, there was nothing she could do. If she was told to do it, she had to do it.
Jane placed the mafia assassination request into the “Confirmed” folder for now.
End
“…Hm.”
Thursday, right after regular classes ended.
I was standing in front of the entrance to the second dormitory grounds.
The second dormitory was the area where the female cadets lived, so I’d thought I would never have any reason to come here in my life.
Still, I couldn’t help it. If not today, it would be too late. The class competition started tomorrow, and from the week after next onward, everyone would be busy with midterms and all that. Not me, but the person I wanted to meet.
After taking a deep breath, I stepped through the pretty entrance to the second dormitory grounds.
But before I had walked very far, I ran into an unexpected person.
She had already changed into comfortable clothes, and seemed to be on her way to the library. I waved at her cheerfully.
“Rachel-ssi!”
Rachel, who had been trudging along, spotted me. She froze on the spot for an instant, then gulped. Since she didn’t seem to intend to move from there, I approached her first.
“Are you going to the library?”
“Y-Yes… What brings you here?”
“Oh, just. I have something to do.”
I answered with a smile. Then I quietly looked her over.
Sure enough, now that I looked, Rachel during exam season was somehow different. Her hair seemed a little more disheveled, or should I say dry and frizzy. Maybe because of a competitor like me, she seemed to be pushing herself harder.
“Oh, right. But Rachel-ssi, you haven’t been asking me anything lately.”
“…Because I think it’s also important to try solving things on my own… And Hajin-ssi, you should study too.”
“Oh, really? Still, if it really doesn’t work out, ask me. I don’t mind.”
Rachel nodded without answering.
If I had my way, I would have liked to go with her to the library, but I was short on time too.
“Then go study. See you tomorrow.”
“Yes….”
Rachel trotted past me. Her steps as she headed toward the library somehow felt hurried. Did she want to study that badly?
After that, I advanced deeper into the dormitory.
The meeting place was a pavilion near Building 201, and one person was already waiting there. I approached her. Soon, she seemed to notice me as well and gave me a light wave.
“You’re here?”
Yoo Yeonha said with a bright smile. As always, her casual clothes were all black. A black blouse and a black skirt. Since her skin was so pale, it suited her well.
“Yeah. I am.”
“So, what might have made you call me here?”
Yoo Yeonha asked, studying me with interested eyes.
The reason I had come to find Yoo Yeonha was simple.
Wild ginseng.
The wild ginseng I’d scored when I went to Suwon with Kim Suho. A five-year-old wild ginseng. I’d gotten it by luck for now, but I was a little troubled over how to use it.
I wasn’t going to sell it. I wasn’t short on money anymore.
The best method would be to make an elixir out of the wild ginseng, but I didn’t have the connections or facilities for that. Just in case, I had tried to use Stigma’s magic power as well, but two streaks were nowhere near enough.
“You started a pharmaceutical company, didn’t you?”
“……”
At my straight-to-the-point question, Yoo Yeonha flinched. But finding out that much was easy. To begin with, the rumor that “Yoo Yeonha is running a business” was already widespread even within Cube.
“…It’s been about two months. Anyone who knows me knows that, but why bring it up all of a sudden?”
Of course, Yoo Yeonha’s pharmaceutical company was destined to succeed someday.
But according to what I had asked Hoseop to look into, the current situation wasn’t all that good. She had found researchers and prepared facilities, but apparently, she didn’t have the ingredients.
At a glance, it was understandable. For Yoo Yeonha as she was now, even finding a proper ginseng digger would be difficult. All the skilled ginseng diggers were tightly held by giant pharmaceutical companies, and those pharmaceutical companies were major players that wouldn’t be swayed by the name Essence of the Strait.
However, in this worldview, the “pharmaceutical” industry was enormous, so Yoo Yeonha would not give up.
In the end, in only ten years, she would rise to third place in the world. Thanks to the power of the “connections” Yoo Yeonha had been obsessively clinging to.
“Here.”
I tossed the wild ginseng to her. Yoo Yeonha caught it with a puzzled expression. Then, after confirming what the object was, her mouth fell open.
At this point, couldn’t I be considered one of her “connections” too?
“T-This is….”
“It’s five-year-old wild ginseng. Use it for research for now, then make it into a high-quality elixir and pay me back.”
I said that.
The talent possessed by Yoo Yeonha’s closest aide in charge of pharmaceuticals was probably… “Researcher,” was it?
In any case, he was the sort who never forgot a technique once he learned it, so if I waited a little, at least an upper-intermediate elixir or better would be born.
Yoo Yeonha looked back and forth between the wild ginseng and me, then put the wild ginseng into her arms without refusing.
“But how did you get something like this? These days, wild ginseng is in short supply even on the Market….”
Yoo Yeonha realized her mistake after saying it. By the Market, she was essentially referring to the black market, the Violet Banquet. A bit of cold sweat gathered at Yoo Yeonha’s temple, but I merely chuckled.
“You can do it, right?”
“…Ah, yes. Of course I can. I can return it to you with interest. It will take some time, though.”
“Okay.”
I curled my thumb and index finger into a circle. Yoo Yeonha calmly looked at me, then for some reason made a mischievous smile.
“…By the way, did you prepare your song properly for this time?”
“Yeah. I chose the song, and I even practiced with the accompaniment this morning.”
“This morning?”
“Yeah. I skipped homeroom, remember?”
Cube had also hired musicians for this class competition, and since they all had music-related talents, they were genuinely amazing. In just one hour, they had arranged the song I picked incredibly well.
“Hehe. Then I suppose I can look forward to it?”
For some reason, Yoo Yeonha seemed to be mocking me, but I responded with full confidence.
“Yeah. Look forward to it all you want. It’ll be beyond your imagination.”
Just then, Yoo Yeonha’s smartwatch vibrated. It was a call. Yoo Yeonha glanced at the watch and then looked at me.
“I’ll go first.”
“Yes. Thank you. I’ll repay what I received today twofold, threefold, someday.”
When I tactfully stepped aside, Yoo Yeonha answered the call through her earphones.
But suddenly curious about its contents, I pricked up my ears in that direction. My talent, “Observation and Reading,” activated, and Yoo Yeonha’s call was engraved into my ears.
—…Yes. I’m at Daehyun Hospital right now. A rumor that Chae Jinyoon’s finger moved has been spreading among the nurses, so I stopped by to check.
The moment I heard that voice, my steps abruptly stopped.
I hurriedly turned around and looked toward Yoo Yeonha.
“Is that so?”
—Yes. However.
“Ah, one moment.”
Yoo Yeonha paused the call and glanced at me. Without worrying about being discreet, I asked.
“…What call is that?”
“Uh, well. Just. Managing my connections.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. But… what’s wrong with your face?”
I turned around without answering.
A stabbing pain suddenly came to my temple. I walked blankly and thought.
Chae Jinyoon’s finger moved.
His finger moved.
Of course, it could simply have been a misunderstanding, or just a simple convulsion. But even though that was all it was, my heart was now surging violently.
“……”
As I walked, a bench appeared. I sat down there.
Half out of it, I thought.
The point when the seed germinates.
I had to know the exact point.
Only after the fire had fallen at my feet did I think of the “Book of Truth.” I opened the Book of Truth and asked it.
“When will the devil’s seed coiled within Chae Jinyoon germinate?”
The Book of Truth did not give me an answer. As expected, it meant Stigma’s magic power was insufficient.
I asked a little more vaguely.
“Tell me the approximate progress of how much the devil’s seed coiled within Chae Jinyoon has germinated.”
This time, all two streaks of Stigma were sucked in.
And soon, on one page, the number 89% was engraved in small letters.
89%.
If the minimum incubation period of five years was set at 100%, that meant half a year remained.
Half a year.
Six months.
Before winter ended, and before spring came again, only until then…
There wasn’t much time left.
With a hardened face, I lifted my smartwatch.
The captain’s message—“When will you contact me again?”—was clear before my eyes.
* * *
—We will now begin Cube’s first-year class competition!
The class competition the first-year cadets had waited and waited for finally began.
The morning of the first day of the competition was a soccer tournament, so all of Veritas Class came out to the soccer field to cheer for the starting eleven. While many cadets were delighted by the mere fact that there was no Phenomenon Realm Analysis class, the soccer match began with the sound of a whistle.
“…Wow.”
After watching that soccer for about twenty minutes, that was my impression.
Thank goodness I’m not in there.
That was how intense the soccer was. Though the use of magic power was prohibited, cadets were beings whose physical abilities surpassed humans from the start. They were monsters who could run 100 meters in the three-second range if they were fast, so how could an ordinary game unfold?
I watched the literal Shaolin soccer, where the ball flew and the players flew around as well, as though it were a movie.
Then at some point, Rachel, who was beside me, poked my shoulder.
“Hm?”
When I turned around, Rachel mumbled while looking at me.
“Um….”
“Yes.”
“Today’s song….”
“Yes, yes.”
“What song….”
“You’re asking what song I’m going to sing?”
Rachel nodded. For some reason, her face looked slightly worried and frightened. Was she worrying that I might not be able to sing? How kind of her.
I answered with a smile.
“Do you perhaps know ‘If’?”
“Pardon?”
Rachel looked like she didn’t know it. Well, of course she wouldn’t. This was a song released in 2008.
Perhaps because I had mentioned the real names of a few singers back when I wrote this novel, thankfully, “Taeyeon” existed as a singer in this world as well, and “If,” which she sang, existed exactly as it was.
Though it was a woman’s song, the lyrics about how “because of the parting that may come one day, even meeting is frightening” somehow seemed to fit my situation, so I chose it without hesitation.
“You probably wouldn’t know it, Rachel-ssi. It was released in 2008.”
“…2008?”
“Or maybe not? Anyway.”
I inevitably had to lower the key, but the musician handled that and arranged it amazingly. They even complimented me, saying I sang really well.
“Waaaaah!”
Just then, a huge shout suddenly erupted from the stands. When I looked, Kim Suho had scored a goal and was celebrating. Well, this class competition had originally been a device to make Kim Suho stand out.
“……”
Then I noticed Chae Nayun cheering with overflowing fighting spirit in the front row.
One corner of my heart felt uneasy.
Did Chae Nayun know the news right now? Did she know that in half a year, her older brother would awaken?
At that moment, Chae Nayun turned her head. Our eyes met. I only smiled weakly and turned my gaze away.
······Time passed a little longer, and the 90-minute soccer match came to an end.
The result was, of course, our class's victory.
Kim Suho and Sin Jonghak scored three goals and two goals, respectively, and thanks to I Yeonghan's astonishing saves and Gim Horak's rhinoceros-like defense, not a single goal was conceded.
* * *
After the outdoor competition that lasted until 5 p.m. ended, the cadets moved to the indoor auditorium. It was to watch the final event of the day—the singing competition.
In the auditorium with a capacity of nearly four thousand, not only first-year cadets but also quite a few second- and third-year cadets could be seen.
"Ah, right. Since the class competition is only between first-years, that's why there are so many upperclassmen?"
Chae Nayun, who had been looking around in wonder—wondering why there were so many upperclassmen—had just realized it. Yu Yeonha answered simply.
"Yeah. Starting from second year, they can't do these things even if they want to. They're just here to watch."
"But is our representative really confirmed to be Gim Hajin?"
As she spoke, Chae Nayun glanced around. Gim Hajin was not here. He was probably in the waiting room, and Chae Nayun felt slightly worried.
No matter how much she thought about it, he didn't seem like he could sing well. He totally looked tone-deaf. Wouldn't the whole class be utterly humiliated at this rate?
"Yeah. He seemed confident. He told me to look forward to it myself, so I'm trying to as well."
Yu Yeonha giggled as she looked toward the stage.
Just then, the MC appeared.
After exchanging brief small talk with the audience, the MC started the singing competition at exactly six o'clock.
The first performer was an American female cadet named Naili from Nuri Class.
"I... have chosen a song called 'Promise.'"
True to her American background, Naili selected an R&B soul song called "Promise."
"Ooh, I know this one."
It was a song Chae Nayun quite liked as well, so she had been looking forward to it, and indeed.
She brought the house down with explosive high notes and vibe.
"...Hey. She's first place, no question."
"Right? She sings incredibly well."
This was the response of Kim Suho, who had approached her side at some point.
"What. Kim Suho, when did you get here?"
"Just now. But what number is Hajin?"
"I don't know either."
Next after Naili was a Chinese cadet named Jin Harim from Doya Class. He chose a song called "A Sad Day," which likewise featured prominent high notes.
The same was true for the next performer after Jin Harim.
All the cadets selected as representatives chose songs in high registers, or at least songs with high notes at the climax, in order to compete for victory and to imprint themselves on the audience.
And so the performances continued, until exactly the ninth.
"Ugh, my ears hurt."
It was around the time when several audience members, including Chae Nayun, were growing weary of the continuous high notes.
Thud, thud.
Accompanied by clear footsteps, Gim Hajin walked onto the stage.
Unlike usual, Gim Hajin was dressed quite well. The black jacket and modern jeans suited each other, and above all, perhaps because he had worn insoles, he looked considerably taller.
"Oh, what's with Hajin~"
Kim Suho's mouth stretched to his ears as he looked at Gim Hajin. Chae Nayun stared at Kim Suho as if he were being ridiculous.
"Please introduce yourself."
The MC spoke to Gim Hajin.
Up until that very moment, the audience was still rowdy. Perhaps because the previous performer had sung so well, they were busy chatting amongst themselves without paying much attention to Gim Hajin.
But then.
"I'm Gim Hajin of Jinri Class."
The moment Gim Hajin spoke those words, those voices suddenly fell silent. It was because his tone, resonating through the microphone and speakers, was unexpectedly pleasant.
"I have prepared a song called 'If.'"
"Excuse me? 'If'?"
"Yes. Most of you are probably unfamiliar with it. It was released in 2008."
At that, the audience began to buzz.
"What's with him."
"If it's from '08, isn't it trot?"
"Is he an attention seeker?"
2008.
It was the year the first-year cadets were born. The cadets already seemed to have decided that song from the distant past was tacky.
However, Gim Hajin calmly announced the beginning.
"Then, I'll begin."
The lights darken, and a monotonous piano accompaniment flows softly. Soon, Gim Hajin's short breath seeps into the piano, and...