Ch.361356 – Journey to Japan

It’s clear that Principal Park Tae-seok is the kind of passionate character you’d only expect to find in youth manga – anyone who talks with him for just a minute would know this.

I easily secured the second recommendation letter by packaging my words in ways he’d appreciate.

‘At least I didn’t lie.’

I was contemplating who to get the final recommendation letter from.

After leaving Aspen Academy, I was wandering near Busan Port when I sensed a familiar aura.

An aura spreading densely like a spider web.

Someone had artificially created it to detect the surrounding terrain.

I could easily find the owner of this aura.

‘Isn’t that Ban So-wol?’

When you see a familiar face in a foreign place, you naturally feel happy.

I ran over to her and greeted her.

“Hello, Sis So-wol. What a surprise seeing you here.”

“Huh?”

“It’s me, Name. NoName.”

Ban So-wol examined my face and gently pinched my left cheek.

“So this lovely lilac scent was you. Nice to see you after so long. Are you here in Busan for fun?”

“I had some business with the principal of Aspen Academy.”

“Business? With Teacher Park Tae-seok?”

I explained the series of procedures related to becoming a high-ranking mage.

Ban So-wol listened with interest and nodded.

“Hmm, I see. You’re the type who goes looking for trouble.”

“That’s what everyone says. But I just need one more person. By the way, are you visiting your family home? Your outfit looks more like travel clothes.”

I tapped her red suitcase with my finger.

Ban So-wol smiled and put on her black sunglasses.

“Sharp eye. I’m taking a boat to Japan this evening.”

“Japan?”

“Yes. My family home is actually in Fukuoka. My mother is Japanese.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. But why take a boat instead of a plane? Didn’t you come from Korea University?”

“Why? Busan to Fukuoka isn’t that far. A boat is more suitable than a plane.”

“You’re not flying directly from Seoul?”

“Hmm…? Ah…!”

I could see Ban So-wol’s eyes widen behind her sunglasses.

“I’ve always gone by boat, so I never even thought about it!”

“Hahaha.”

“I’ll definitely take a plane on the way back. Oh, Name, do you want to come to Japan too?”

“I should probably head back to Seoul.”

“My father is also a high-ranking military mage.”

“What?”

“You said you needed a recommendation letter, right? I could ask my dad to write one for you.”

“Are you serious?”

At first, I thought she was joking.

“My father is Ban Il-kwon, former Busan Metropolitan Police Commissioner and current Consul General in Fukuoka.”

When I learned this fact, I found myself heading to the ticket office as if in a trance.

“There’s a National Exchange Competition preliminary in Fukuoka. Want to watch it together?”

“Oh, you’ve already decided to go? I’m always in favor.”

“Okay. I’ll go get boat tickets right away. What time is yours?”

“I really like your attitude, Name. It’s the JF412 at 5:30. I’ll wait for you here.”

I decided to leave a message for Principal Park Tae-seok.

When I left his office earlier, I noticed his battery was at 2%.

I thought if I contacted Professor Cheon now, he might fly all the way from Seoul to Busan.

* * *

[We will arrive at Hakata Port at 7:20 PM after crossing the Korea Strait. Today’s weather in Fukuoka is clear, with expected wave heights of 1 to 1.5 meters.]

As soon as we boarded the ship, we went straight up to the third-floor observation deck to enjoy the view.

Our hair fluttered in the strong sea breeze.

The tall cranes of Busan Port gradually grew smaller.

Just then, I received a call from Professor Cheon.

“Hello.”

[NoName! Where are you right now?!]

“I’m on my way to Fukuoka to get my final recommendation letter.”

[You’re on a boat right now?]

“Yes. I’m with Ban So-wol, whom I met at Korea University before. I’m going to watch the National Exchange Competition with her while getting the recommendation letter, so you don’t need to worry too much about me.”

[Sigh…]

It had been a while since I heard such a deep sigh from him after the bombing incident.

[Have you found a place to stay?]

“I’ll be staying at So-wol’s house.”

[How long are you planning to stay?]

“Since I’ve come all the way to Japan, shouldn’t I at least stay until the finals?”

[Finals? You’re going all the way to Tokyo?]

“Yes. It’s right next door.”

[Tokyo is a whole 1000 kilometers away! 1000 kilometers!]

“But it’s only 2 hours by train.”

“Pfft…!”

Ban So-wol burst into laughter listening to our conversation.

It was impossible to reassure Professor Cheon with just a few words, but it’s always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

“I’ll bring back lots of delicious things. Royce chocolates and konjac jelly. Oh, they sell those in Korea too? Then I’ll have to think harder about what to bring.”

Now that I had “permission,” we went back to the first floor and spent time browsing the souvenir shop.

“It doesn’t seem like you actually got permission… hmm, I know nothing about this!”

“They’re even selling keyrings of the Katsuhata school’s hereditary sword. This looks much prettier than the real thing.”

“The Six Paths Hereditary Sword? That’s a family treasure that not just anyone can see.”

“Emika showed it to me once. I met her when she came to Korea last year. I even saw it just two weeks ago.”

“Really? How did you become acquainted with the Katsuhata heir?”

Ban So-wol raised her voice slightly when she asked.

This perfectly drew the attention of people enjoying chicken and beer at a round table.

“Did she just say Katsuhata?”

“Oh my, isn’t that her? You know, that famous girl from Korea!”

“It’s NoName! Wow, amazing!”

It seemed like almost all the Koreans on board recognized me, and even some Japanese people were starting to notice.

I simply bowed my head slightly to greet those who made eye contact with me.

“Emika must be really famous in Japan.”

“Well, ‘famous’ might not be enough… People here genuinely believe the heir trains on dew alone.”

I guess their belief in the organization has reached religious levels.

Even when Walpurgis was at its peak, they didn’t dare touch Japan, so it makes sense that the citizens give them unlimited trust.

“But you personally know the heir?”

“Yes. Should I give her a call since we’re going to Japan?”

The preliminary match is the day after tomorrow, so she’s probably managing her condition rather than training.

I didn’t think calling at this hour would be particularly disruptive.

Ring ring-

A slightly drawn-out connection tone.

I patiently waited until the ringtone played twice.

[Hello. This is Katsuhata Emika. Name, is that you?]

A young girl’s voice came through.

Ban So-wol flinched slightly and crossed her arms.

“Hi, Emika.”

[It’s good to hear your voice! Did you call because you know my preliminary match is the day after tomorrow? If so, thank you so much.]

“Yes. That’s why I’m on my way.”

[On your way? Where to?]

“Where else but Fukuoka? I’m going to watch all of your matches.”

[What! W-wait, really?]

“I need to see the level of my competition firsthand if I’m going to compete next year.”

[Oh! You saw the interview. How embarrassing.]

“You made quite the provocative statement. You’re not going to get eliminated in the preliminaries after saying all that, are you?”

[Do I look like I would? I’m more confident than anyone else this year.]

“That’s good. I hope you can back up that confidence with skill. Fighting!”

Since her time is valuable, I deliberately ended the call early.

Afterward, I spent time telling Ban So-wol about incidents from my training camp.

In return, Ban So-wol taught me a lot of useful information to know before watching the National Exchange Competition.

She mentioned that last year, there was even a racial discrimination incident where someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the hotel where an Indian participant was staying.

“The Academy Competition felt more like everyone enjoying some friendly trash talk, but this seems much more intense.”

“With national titles at stake, everyone takes it seriously. Other countries conduct their selection process very fiercely.”

Currently, no one in Korea wants to participate in the National Exchange Competition.

The honor of being selected as a national representative is far outweighed by the criticism received when losing to a supposedly inferior country.

The perception that you can’t even break even unless you win has long made Korea the odd one out in a competition everyone else enjoys.

But other countries are different.

The Hungarian boy who defeated Emika and reached the semifinals last year received the highest honor, the Order of Saint Stephen, from the president and became a national hero.

The additional sponsorships from the government and corporations were just a bonus.

“I definitely shouldn’t mention this in front of Emika. Might trigger her trauma.”

The Emika I knew had a fragile mentality.

Even looking at last year’s match, she strangely failed to demonstrate her full capabilities in actual competition.

“Oh! Should I tell you this? If you go to the LiveBetInfo channel, you can check the odds. It’ll help you get a rough idea of who the favorites to win are.”

Well, gambling is inseparable from sports competitions.

“Looks like Europe is dominant?”

For reference, the United States doesn’t participate in the National Exchange Competition as they feel it doesn’t align with its purpose.

“The main users are European, so there might be some bias. The winner has always been a longshot anyway.”

“France, UK, Switzerland, Switzerland, Egypt. Got it.”

I felt sorry seeing Emika stuck down at 11th place.

‘It seems last year’s shocking defeat has been factored in.’

Meanwhile, an announcement came through the speakers that we would soon arrive at Hakata Port.

The fierce cries of seagulls, undimmed even by the sound of waves, confirmed our approach to land.

Outside the window were long concrete buildings and scattered mountain ranges.

The evening sun was painting the coast red.

The long beam of sunset light crossing the sea looked as appetizing as pork belly on a hot plate.

“I’m hungry.”

My first thought upon seeing this beautiful scenery was simply that I was hungry.

I clutched my empty stomach.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything today.

“Do you like eel rice bowls? Mom said she’s making eel rice bowls and fried shrimp for dinner tonight.”

“I love it. Can’t wait to try it.”

“When I told Mom you were coming, she decided to make dishes she rarely cooks. You can look forward to the taste.”

Ban So-wol confidently gave a thumbs up.

The boat arrived safely at the port with a slight jolt.

While she got up to gather her suitcase, I firmly held her hand across from me.

“Shall we go? I don’t know the way well, but I can guide you to the exit at least.”

Ban So-wol smiled and swung our clasped hands back and forth.

“Let’s go shopping for clothes first. That would be good, right? You don’t even have underwear to wear tomorrow.”

* * *

We stopped by the department store in front of the port to buy children’s clothes.

“How does this look?”

“So cute! Like a spring chick!”

“Please add this too.”

Ban So-wol swiped her card for everything I tried on, giving me no chance to refuse.

I thought I should take pictures later to show what I looked like in virtual reality.

“Thank you! Have a nice day!”

The store clerk’s Korean was quite fluent even without using a translator.

The moment I truly felt I was in a foreign country was when the elevator announcements came in Japanese.

By the time we arrived at Ban So-wol’s family home by taxi, it was already 8:30 PM.

Ding dong-

A middle-aged woman wearing an apron opened the door.

“I’m home.”

“So-wol! Oh, you must be tired from your long journey! And who’s this?”

“Hello.”

“Waaaah, so you’re the legendary Name! Welcome to our home! Is it hot outside? Come in, come in!”

“I’m sorry for the sudden visit. It must have been inconvenient for you.”

“No, no! You’re always welcome here.”

“Then excuse me.”

“Name, you can leave your bags in front of my room at the entrance.”

I took off my shoes and left all the shopping bags in front of Ban So-wol’s room.

“Are you hungry? Auntie will make dinner right away!”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

“So-wol, you’re back?”

A gruff male voice came from the living room.

It must be her father.

I followed behind Ban So-wol with small steps to the living room.

“Good job! Oh, my daughter has made a Korean friend! But isn’t your friend quite young?”

The man smiled at me kindly.

“Hello. I’m NoName.”

“Ohhh, nice to meet you too. I hear Korea goes crazy whenever you appear? I wonder if our house will turn upside down too, hahaha!”

“Dad, do you not care about your daughter at all?”

“No, no, So-wol, I’m very happy to see you too! Good job finishing the semester. Here, I’ve laid out cushions, so sit down. Would you like some oranges?”

“Honey! The kids need to eat dinner!”

“Ah right, they haven’t eaten yet.”

Ban So-wol sat next to her father, and I awkwardly took the empty seat across from them.

Somehow I felt I should kneel rather than sit cross-legged in Japan, so I chose the former.

“You can sit comfortably, haha. By the way, *slurp* I have a small favor to ask.”

“Yes? A favor?”

Ban So-wol’s father rolled up his right sleeve and said with a very serious expression:

“Name, would you like to arm wrestle with me?”

“What…?”

I could only respond with a stunned expression to this unexpectedly serious request.

Is this a family trait?