Side Story 3. Hot Spring Trip (1)

The beginning was clearly just a simple pleasantry.

“Hey, come visit Busan to celebrate me becoming SS. I’ll treat you to whatever you want.”

Under the public declaration of Oracle, who visited from the Round Table, and Gawain, who came to Korea after resolving the lull in dimensional gates in China, Korea’s strongest Hero, Spirit Seok Harang, who had newly registered their name with the Round Table, ended the call with a joke.

“What delicious things might there be in Busan?”

Phoenix asked Deokbae while processing a civil complaint ordered by Ryu Cheon-seong. Except when only executives were present, Phoenix insisted on maintaining their previous public persona, and Deokbae, despite being disgusted by it, searched for good restaurants in Busan.

“Hey. It seems like they’re going to Busan to eat something, do any of you know a good place?”

Deokbae sought opinions from Jihwa and Gaeul. Jihwa put their heads together with Yooishin and stayed up all night looking for restaurants that suited the tastes of the Azure Syndicate executives, and Gaeul planned to go all out and party, even booking accommodation since they were going to Busan anyway.

“In that sense, is there a good place to stay?”

[Are you an idiot? How many hotels does Yuseong own in Busan?]

Yuha seriously began searching for the best accommodation among the hotels they owned. Should it be a hotel, or a quiet pension? While Yuha and Gaeul were debating, the couple, who were busy catching up and hadn’t been apart for a moment, recalled old memories.

“Do you remember before? When we rented a room and played on a southern island. That hot spring was really good.”

“It was mid-June, wasn’t it? I think we paid extra for cleaning back then.”

Taking the couple’s opinion into account, Yuha considered a hot spring trip in addition to their own accommodation. However, perhaps due to the influence of Moby Dick, all existing accommodations with hot springs had temporarily ceased operations, and Gwanggeom and their spouse, along with Yuha, fell into contemplation while eating hotel breakfast.

“Hot springs? If it’s about that, I’m an expert.”

Himeji Hayate, who had just come down for breakfast, recommended a hot spring they knew. Hayate, having rejected all the hot springs Yuha had selected, eventually revealed a secret place only they knew. Fortunately, it was in operation, but the specific dates or times were unknown.

“Huh? Is there a problem with that? Can’t we just hack it? If they take reservations on their system, I can do it. Oppa, you suffered because of me, so this much is nothing.”

Himeji Hikari offered a very simple solution, and Hayate boasted that in return for providing such a good accommodation, they should just leave the hot spring reservation to them.

In the end, the story flowed backward again, even becoming a formal agenda item at the Azure Syndicate’s executive meeting. Phoenix pondered the sudden vacation talk before nodding thoughtlessly.

“It would be good to have something like a team-building retreat.”

Unintentionally, the Azure Syndicate’s Busan workshop was set.

* * *

6, 2020, 10:00 AM, Seomyeon Padre Juan.

“You actually came down just because I told you to, you crazy bastard?”

“I came to rest, you idiot.”

Phoenix spooned their strawberry smoothie. The weather had become quite hot, and it was already early summer with daytime temperatures approaching 28 degrees Celsius, and Phoenix, dressed relatively lightly, subtly tugged at their shorts that were caught on the chair. Seok Harang asked while drinking an Americano with plenty of sugar cubes dissolved in it.

“Then where are you sleeping? Are you perhaps going to sleep over at my place?”

Harang seemed quite expectant. After reaching SS-rank, Harang now treated Phoenix affectionately, like a close friend. Of course, Phoenix also decided that it was better for the future, and let go of all past grudges.

“…That’s a bit difficult.”

But they couldn’t bring themselves to even mention the option of sleeping over at Harang’s house. It would require immense courage to say such a thing with that foolish couple, disguised and with their mana suppressed to the floor, sitting in the corner behind Harang.

Tremble tremble. A golden blade appeared on the plastic knife the man was using to cut the cake. The woman opposite quickly kicked the man’s knee with her shoe. Harang, who had been fiddling with their smartwatch for a moment, frowned.

“…I felt a familiar mana from somewhere.”

“Because I didn’t come alone.”

Jingle jingle. The cafe door opened, and a familiar blonde woman entered. Despite the heat, she insisted on wearing a suit. She sat next to Phoenix and took off her sunglasses and mask.

“It’s been a long time since we met in person, Harang-ah.”

“Indeed. Yuha unnie.”

Harang’s tone was slightly cold. Yuha glared at Phoenix out of the corner of her eye, and Phoenix shrugged, drinking their smoothie.

“There’s no longer any reason to hide it.”

“Still, thank you for letting me prepare myself mentally.”

Yuha was about to snap at Phoenix but held back, and turned her gaze to Harang. Yuha hesitated for a moment before bowing her head.

“I’m sorry. If possible, I wanted to hide it forever. I didn’t want to be at odds with you either. It’s just-”

“An apology is enough.”

“……?”

Yuha was, on the contrary, flustered. At Harang’s nonchalant attitude while drinking coffee, Phoenix clicked their tongue and scolded them.

“You’ve gone and read someone else’s emotions again.”

“If they’re openly giving off such strong vibes and you don’t know, then you’re an idiot.”

“……What are you talking about right now?”

Phoenix pointed at Harang and themselves, then explained.

“It’s like an SS-rank privilege. It’s like a ‘mind’s eye’ that reads the true intentions of ability users with a lower rank than me.”

“So what I’m saying is, I’ve known your true feelings since unnie walked in. Why would you even think of kneeling over that? It’s all that guy’s fault.”

Harang created and shot an ice spear, and Phoenix conjured flames to intercept it. The couple far away seemed disappointed for a moment, but Yuha couldn’t help but be flustered by the sudden situation.

“Uh…. So….”

“It means you can just be comfortable like before. All misunderstandings have been cleared up, so unnie, if you have any difficulties, you can consult with me like before. I’m a member of the Round Table now, you know.”

Harang smiled brightly, and Yuha, overwhelmed with emotion, covered her face with both hands. The moment she had spent agonizing over how to convey a sincere apology to Harang, running dozens or hundreds of simulations, felt both unfair and fortunate.

While Yuha was composing herself, Harang took a bite of their share of cake and fell into thought for a moment. Then, they immediately poked Phoenix’s knee with the tip of their flat shoe.

“Now that I think about it, why are you lying? Snow Moon Flower, my ass. A more messed-up epithet got attached, didn’t it?”

“It’s not a lie.”

Phoenix extended their other leg and poked Harang’s hamstrings. Harang slammed their fist on the table, enduring the pain. Phoenix sent a sharp glare to the couple staring at them, then stirred their smoothie and continued speaking.

“There’s only a difference in order, but both are your epithets. Since Snow Flower Spirit came out first, your Mythic rank will probably be Flower.”

“……Can’t I lobby those high-ranking people at the association to change it?”

“It’s fate. Accept it.”

Harang sank, clutching their head with both hands. Yuha, who had barely managed to compose herself, struggled to maintain her usual composure, and demanded an explanation from Phoenix.

“Then do I also have another epithet?”

“……Of course you do.”

Phoenix spread three fingers. Yuha was astonished, but in a different way than before.

“Me, really…?”

“There are exactly 11 people in the entire world. ‘People’ who can reach SSS-rank.”

Phoenix pointed at Harang and Yuha. Harang quickly realized they were being talked about and lifted their head. The couple far away also held their breath and pricked up their ears.

‘Is what that trash is saying true?’

‘If they’re talking about that, then perhaps….’

Although they were whispering quite bothersome things, Phoenix forced themselves to suppress their anger and poured the smoothie into their mouth. Rusalka and Anastasia, just like Changyeom, had no intention of giving them any information.

“I’ll have to get a cube quickly.”

“Cube?”

“A fragment of an Otherworld God’s Core.”

Pffft! Anastasia spat out her coffee. If it hadn’t been for the separate seating arranged by Juan, Harang would have noticed immediately. Fortunately, Harang didn’t pay any special attention to Phoenix’s rapid-fire explanation.

“Simply put, separate from awakening spirits, you have to collect those separately?”

“In the current situation, yes. Originally, all six of us would have recovered all the cubes and gathered here, but….”

“So we have to search for them separately because they’re active earlier than that? Then, customer-nim, do you happen to know their whereabouts?”

Phoenix shook their head. Harang narrowed their eyes and glared at Phoenix, but Phoenix pressed down on Harang’s knee with their slipper.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……Tch, fine. I get it.”

Harang raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. Yuha seemed somewhat unconvinced, but didn’t press further.

Jingle jingle. Other customers entered, and Phoenix hastily cleared their throat.

“Let’s stop talking about work here. We came here to rest, so I’m going to rest really thoroughly.”

“……You really go out of your way to suffer, don’t you?”

“Of course, I’m no match for you, who tries so hard not to use dialect.”

“Hey, come out. Let’s have a round.”

Harang, who had chugged their Americano in one go, put on their discarded cardigan and cracked their neck left and right. Phoenix also obediently stood up. Yuha nervously scanned her surroundings. The cafe was utterly peaceful.

“Um, if you fight here-”

“We are going to fight, but it’s not that kind of fight.”

“Unnie is such a worrier. Hehe, unnie, join us too.”

“…Huh?”

At the outrageous behavior of the Spirit and the half-human, half-spirit, Yuha couldn’t collect herself.

* * *