Friend 4

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Why not?”

The words that formed on Michaela’s lips were a refusal.

“Is it patriotism? For your homeland that has never produced an S-class awakened?”

“No. That’s not the reason.”

Michaela had no intention of getting caught up in factional logic.

She was a swordsman.

Far from being a politician or diplomat.

“I just wondered if the country you’re going to create will truly make people happy.”

Michaela had no sense of purpose.

While she had no sense of purpose, she knew that innocent and good people deserved protection.

That’s why she made the decision to refuse.

“Are you saying my country, this beautiful Republic of Korea, is not a happy country?”

“No. It is a happy country. There probably isn’t another country in the world this happy.”

This country is a happy country.

It’s a fact that can be understood just by looking around the streets for a moment.

Civilization was flourishing.

The cities were crowded with buildings, and smiles of people were everywhere.

A country safe from the threat of Gates and monsters.

There was no other country this beautiful.

“But your country inevitably forces unhappiness on some people.”

At the same time, there was no other country this unhappy.

The strongest Hunter nation that made meritocracy its national policy.

There was no place for the small minority of the weak to set foot.

“At least the friend I saw wasn’t happy in your country.”

She recalls the beginning of the semester.

When she first met the girl.

The assigned dormitory was a shabby shack.

Bullying from students continues.

The professors don’t stop it.

“Is it because of student Han Seoyeon?”

“It’s not just because of her.”

What about the slums?

That place that forces a life like garbage on children in ruins, using incompetence as an excuse.

“During my one year stay in this country, or more precisely during the nearly two months, I’ve seen various sights. Your actions as principal were admirable. I even saw them in movies. I think they’re worthy of respect.”

The desperate struggle of the old Hunters.

She had no intention of disparaging that process.

Often, conspiracy theorists would babble about human experiments when seeing Korea’s development today, but Michaela was far from such conspiracy theorists.

“That was all. I just didn’t like the result very much.”

However, she didn’t like the result of that process.

“So, I don’t want to become your subordinate, Principal.”

Michaela couldn’t agree.

With the happy country Lee Yeon spoke of.

“Huh…”

Lee Yeon inadvertently snorted.

“You young thing, what do you know to speak like that?”

A serious smile with all playfulness gone.

“I gave a liar a chance for atonement. If you refuse the offer, I have no choice.”

Killing intent boils up.

Almost simultaneously, Michaela’s body reacts.

[Block it.]

It’s a spear.

A spear that appeared in the air at some point.

It was shot at Michaela at supersonic speed.

She drew the sword at her waist.

Michaela’s sword deflected the shot spear.

King, kwang─.

The deflected spear stuck into a corner of the room with an explosion-like impact.

“I have no choice but to use force.”

A tone mixed with sticky anger, yet feeling relaxed.

The sharply honed eyes were as fierce as the tip of a spear.

Lee Yeon just took one step forward.

With that single motion, the building where Michaela and Lee Yeon were located turned into blue particles and disappeared without a trace.

The reason was simple.

The building was created by Lee Yeon’s ability from the beginning.

The earth rose up.

An enormous circular arena, incomparable to the room just now, where only the two of them were located, was formed.

A spear was already in Lee Yeon’s hand.

Not just in her hand.

Countless spears were embroidered in the air.

The direction the spear tips were pointing was Michaela.

Her skin trembles.

Just looking at it, she can feel it on her skin.

The ridiculous quality and quantity of mana imbued in each and every spear.

Orderly and all at once, the spears wait for the command.

Like hunting dogs led by a hunter.

Ready to pierce the prey at any time.

“Well then…”

There was not a shred of doubt.

“Would you show me too? That Sword of Winter.”

It was now a battle between the strongest in the world view.

Playing with a friend.

For half the world’s population, the so-called ‘insider’ type, this should be as easy as eating cake.

For insiders, playing with friends is like breathing.

It’s just part of daily life, and it’s foolish to even question it.

However, for those at the opposite end, the outsiders, this was undoubtedly one of the most difficult things in the world.

What does it mean to play specifically?

What do you have to do together for it to constitute what society calls playing?

“…”

Han Seoyeon, born in the slums and without peers her age, naturally had no way of knowing this.

The only play she knew was pretending to be a Hunter to entertain young children.

Han Seoyeon doesn’t have such girly hobbies, nor is she that type of personality.

Therefore, she didn’t know what high school girls do when they get together to play.

“…”

This point wasn’t much different for Baek Da-eun, who had invited the guest.

Baek Da-eun also had never spent time alone with a friend.

Her daily life at home was just leisurely tea time.

She had never experienced any cultural life beyond that.

Of course, neither of them knew what to do when meeting a friend.

“…”

This is a big problem.

At this rate, the awkward atmosphere will continue all day.

The anticipated scene is both of them awkwardly fiddling with their smartphones with nothing to do, ending in silence and parting.

‘…No, anything but that!’

It’s a chilling scene that comes to mind involuntarily.

Han Seoyeon didn’t want such an ending at all.

Two beautiful girls getting together only to fiddle with their smartphones and then part ways.

Where else in the world is there such a waste!

“Hey!”

“Um!”

They both opened their mouths at the same time.

“Ah, it’s okay. You go first…”

“Yes…!”

Their voices overlap, and their tongues get tied.

“If, if you don’t have anything particular to do, would you like to do that together?”

“That…?”

“You know, that thing!”

Was it because of nervousness?

“The thing you do with your body!”

“Bo-bo-body…?”

Baek Da-eun, with her tongue tied, couldn’t pronounce the words properly.

“You know, the thing two people do together, with their bodies, sweating, that!”

“Wh-wh-what…!”

If she kept explaining, it would come to her.

Baek Da-eun continued speaking according to her stream of consciousness.

“D-Don’t tell me that thing is something where you get excited and moan?”

“Huh…? Well, I suppose you might moan if you do it? Since it’s a physical activity.”

“Th-th-that kind of thing!”

Well, if you use your body a lot, you might get red from excitement, and moan from exhaustion.

“Ah, w-wait a minute! Even so, I, I’m not mentally prepared yet…!”

“Fitness! Yes, fitness! I finally remembered the name.”

“…What?”

Han Seoyeon blinked for a moment.

She felt a little embarrassed for getting ahead of herself unnecessarily.

“…I’m sorry. This is my first time playing with a friend, so I don’t know what normal friends do for fun. So.”

Baek Da-eun was a hard worker.

One who spares no effort to embody the noblesse oblige she desires.

As much time as she invested in that effort, she was ignorant about what kind of daily life ordinary girls lead.

“…Is it strange after all, for girls to do fitness together?”

“No, I think it’s good!”

Fitness.

It was something Han Seoyeon wished for too.

Come to think of it, she had rarely done fitness using exercise equipment.

Her body was more of the practical type.

“But is there a gym around here?”

“Around here, you say?”

“Yeah. You need specialized equipment to do proper fitness, right?”

“…Why is there a need to go outside?”

“…?”

For a moment, Han Seoyeon blinked blankly.

“We have a gym at home, you know.”

“…Oh.”

Baek Da-eun was rich.

Very, very, very rich.

Physical strength doesn’t necessarily correlate with the strength of abilities.

Because of this, some Hunters often neglect physical training.

Awakened ones whose ability is to strengthen their body are strong without separate training.

Awakened ones who can hunt monsters from a distance don’t need physical training for hunting.

This is an arrogant misconception.

In actual combat where anything can happen, physical training was essential to increase the odds of victory even slightly.

Han Seoyeon, born and raised in the slums, naturally couldn’t help but train her body.

Rather than training, it was closer to not having excess fat due to lack of food.

Han Seoyeon entered the changing room.

“Wh-what…!”

And then, she was shocked.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-no, nothing!”

Her gaze was directed at the outfit Baek Da-eun had changed into.

“Th-that! Isn’t it a bit… shameless…!”

It’s an incomprehensible statement.

Baek Da-eun looked at the full-length mirror in the gym.

A sports bra and dolphin shorts.

…Was there something strange about how she was dressed?

“Y-your stomach is all exposed! A g-girl in such an embarrassing outfit…!”

“It’s comfortable, so it’s good, isn’t it?”

This is a private gym.

There’s no need to be conscious of others’ eyes.

Only women are here.

Certainly, it was a light outfit if anything, but between women, there’s nothing to say about this much, right?

“I see. It seems this is your first time doing fitness.”

Unlike Baek Da-eun, Han Seoyeon’s outfit covered everything that needed to be covered.

It showed that she hadn’t done fitness before.

The chest is an area where sweat accumulates a lot.

With a cup size larger than her peers, it would be extremely uncomfortable during intense activities.

If she didn’t do this much, it would be difficult to exercise comfortably.

Even big ones have their drawbacks.

“Shall we start with stretching?”

It’s right to warm up before starting full-fledged exercise.

Baek Da-eun moved towards the treadmill.

It shakes.

As a light warm-up exercise, she ran.

“Ah, ah…!”

Han Seoyeon screamed.

It was a sweet scream.

Her eyes were being treated.

However, if she fell for it, it would be no different from malicious temptation.

‘Clear Mind and Still Water, Clear Mind and Still Water, Clear Mind and Still Water!’

Thus, Han Seoyeon could only desperately call out for Clear Mind and Still Water.