episode_0130

Imperial Year 525, May 29th.

Special Training, Day 14.

The beginning didn’t seem bad. Yes, only the beginning. You probably know what this sentence means without me having to explain it, right?

Originally, I would naturally wake up in the morning because Jjaek-Jjaek was so noisy, but yesterday I left Jjaek-Jjaek with Professor Alicia, so today I had to wake up on my own. It was annoying and hard to try and get up by my own will after a long time.

What? You’re asking if I can just ask the spirits to wake me up if Jjaek-Jjaek isn’t around?

The sleepyheads who are half-asleep on my shoulder or Hogu’s shoulder even on the way to school?

Just this morning, I was the one who woke up the spirits, and you want me to ask those spirits to wake *me* up? We’d definitely end up arriving at school during lunchtime.

They say most ordinary spirits stay in the spirit realm and only appear when a spirit user fights, but our spirits are the opposite. They stay by my side all day, and only once a day, for about 5 minutes, do they go to the spirit realm and return.

Of course, I don’t dislike that at all. Honestly, I prefer it. The spirits are precious friends who always keep me company whenever I’m lonely.

Anyway, I woke up these sleepy spirits and happened to meet Hogu again this morning, so we went to school together. Thankfully, he had sprayed the perfume I gave him again today. It was just perfume, but for some reason, the corners of my mouth automatically tried to curl upwards.

Thinking about it now, I should have naturally told him then, while we were going to school, to let me know right away if he ran out of perfume. Next time, I need to keep it simple and try to say it as if it’s an offhand remark.

So, with Hogu, I headed to the special class in the basement… Before that! Of course, we stopped by the faculty office first. You know why without me having to say it, right?

Naturally, to see Jjaek-Jjaek, whom I left with the professor yesterday. So Hogu and I entered the faculty office… and I was truly surprised.

Until yesterday, Jjaek-Jjaek had grown so fast it was heavy when it sat on my head……….

Now, on the contrary, it had grown so much that I could even ride on Jjaek-Jjaek’s back! Does that even make sense?! No matter how fast it grows, is it possible for it to grow several times bigger in just one day?

According to the professor, Jjaek-Jjaek is a divine beast that was destroyed in some incident long ago. But why was the egg of a divine beast that was destroyed long ago left in a corner of the academy?

Professor Alicia said she didn’t know the reason either. The professor said that if I raise it well, it will definitely be a great help. But I don’t know………

Although I was briefly surprised by the mention of ‘divine beast’, the only thought that came to mind when I saw the huge Jjaek-Jjaek was:

If it’s this big, can I even raise it?

If it keeps growing several times bigger overnight like this, it’ll be hard to raise.

But thankfully, Jjaek-Jjaek can control its size on its own. Right now, it’s small enough to sit on my head without being a burden.

Honestly, I was a little… no, very flustered, but even up to this point, it wasn’t bad. No, I think it was good even until all the special class students and I attacked Professor Alicia together.

Because thanks to the mask Hogu lent me, I could feel myself getting stronger every day.

My mood slowly started to worsen after Professor Alicia’s class ended. Yes, to be precise, it was from the moment Hogu started talking to Clara.

When Professor Alicia’s class ends, most students are so physically and mentally exhausted that they collapse onto their desks or lie on the floor, half-unconscious. But Hogu, like a fish in water, walks around the classroom by himself, going up to the already half-unconscious students and chatting about this and that.

Of course, there’s no set order for who Hogu talks to, but he usually chats with Lucas or Kuran, who are in the closest seats, and then he talks to the other boys. And of course, he chats with me too.

After chattering away, he usually approaches Clara, who’s reading a book by herself or slumped over her desk, and starts saying this and that next to her.

Even if I just eavesdrop, Clara either ignores Hogu’s words or, if she does answer, it’s just a curt reply.

If it were a normal person, they’d probably leave or avoid the situation. But Hogu, what is it about Clara’s curt replies that he likes so much? He’s always smiling goofily and striking up conversations! At this point, isn’t he really a pushover?

Why does he bother talking to Clara, who only gives curt replies? He could pay attention to me instead at that time… No! No! I’m writing too much based on my stream of consciousness!

I need to go take a cold shower. I’m going to collapse from anger like this.

A cold shower seems to have cleared my head a bit. Good, let’s write calmly with this momentum. Let’s see, where was I?

Right, I was talking about Hogu continuously talking to Clara. Thinking about it makes me angry again, doesn’t it?

Of course, this alone is annoying enough, but let’s just let it slide for now! He’s always talked to Clara like that.

But what truly annoyed, dumbfounded, and angered me began when all the special class students had rested enough, and just before we went to lunch, someone knocked on the classroom door.

It was rare for anyone to come to the special class, so after exchanging glances, Lucas, as our representative, said, “Come in,” and that woman entered.

Platinum blonde hair tied up for ease of movement, a body with not an ounce of excess fat, and a beautiful face that looked innocent but was pretty even to a woman’s eyes…………

No, no, more importantly! Is it okay for a second-year to just enter a first-year classroom as they please? Shouldn’t something like this be blocked by school rules?

Although Johanna Freya suddenly came to the classroom, all the special class students could tell why she was there. She must have come to see Hogu, obviously. She’s come to see him a few times before.

When someone suddenly shows up, a normal person would be flustered, but Hogu, this guy, what’s so good about it? He spotted Johanna Freya and immediately ran up to her, exclaiming, “Sunbae!” Ha! Anyone would have thought he was a dog meeting its owner.

It was already quite a sight, but their subsequent conversation was even more spectacular.

“Sunbae, what brings you here? Ah! Don’t tell me you missed me in such a short time?” “…… Let’s eat.” “Oh? Your face is red. But since I’m a considerate gentleman, I won’t point it out. How about that? Are you impressed by my quick wit?” “……………” “Hahahaha! Just kidding. But why aren’t you eating with the other disciplinary committee Sunbae-nims today, and instead giving me such an undeserved invitation?” “…… Because I wanted to eat with you today….” “Only today? That means you didn’t want to eat with me normally! Sniff, sniff, I’m hurt. A huge waterfall has already formed in my eyes.” “………………. Because I want to eat with you today as well….” “Kuh! That’s it! That’s really touching.”

“That’s really touching,” he sits there saying! How much of a nuisance is it to suddenly show up and ask someone to eat! And Hogu just happily accepts it right away! And what? Her face is flushed? To me, she looked the same from beginning to end. Is Hogu not clueless, but actually blind?

Of course, his actions up until now were annoying, but the subsequent actions were even more outrageous, I tell you.

Johanna Freya stared intently at Hogu, then started stroking his head without saying a word. How surprised the other special class students were to see that. And so was I, of course.

Ha! It’s so absurd, I still get furious thinking about it now.

Hogu has issues too! He’s not a dog who likes being petted, so if someone suddenly strokes his head, he should say he dislikes it or swat their hand away! There’s no need to bend his knees happily and make it easier for Johanna Freya to pet him!

But Johanna Freya, who kept stroking Hogu’s head with an unreadable expression, regardless of who was watching, suddenly furrowed her brows as if something displeased her.

So, did the frowning Johanna Freya pull away from Hogu?

No! If only she had, I would have had no other wish. Far from pulling away, she clung to him even more. Then she suddenly started sniffing Hogu. And she didn’t even sniff normally! So how did she sniff?

At first, she turned Hogu’s body around a few times to sniff, but then she just buried her face in Hogu’s neck and openly sniffed him?

Hogu whispered something to Johanna Freya, and she did pull away, but if Hogu hadn’t managed to get Johanna Freya off him……

Hogu, having detached Johanna Freya from his neck, quickly glanced at the flustered special class students, then said, “Um… enjoy your meal?” and left as if fleeing.

Of course, I immediately ran to the cafeteria to look for Hogu, but there was no sign of him in the cafeteria.

It wasn’t just that he wasn’t in the cafeteria; Hogu, who usually ate and then immediately came back to the special class to “photosynthesize” as he called it, if nothing special was happening, still hadn’t returned to the classroom even 5 minutes before lunchtime ended.

Thankfully, he did return to class right before lunchtime ended.

From the returned Hogu, there was no scent of the perfume I gave him at all; it was covered by a different smell.