Ch.66Episode 13. Yoo Ari’s Request (End)

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‘What should I do? I’m going crazy…! What should I do…!’

Yoo Ari felt dizzy from Jin’s warm body heat and scent.

Even though she had been embracing him for an hour already, Ari couldn’t fall asleep.

The more she breathed in his scent, the more her tipsy sensations seemed to evaporate completely.

With each breath, her rising chest and pounding heartbeat made her breathing grow rougher and her excitement increase.

“……”

She slightly lifted her head and peeked. Ari confirmed that Jin’s eyes were closed. She swallowed hard while listening to his rhythmic breathing.

Though she remained motionless like a statue for fear of waking him if she moved, internally she was walking a dangerous tightrope with the impure desires creeping up inside her.

A space with just the two of them.

A man and woman on a bed.

They were so close that they could feel each other’s breath and body heat. It couldn’t possibly be easy to maintain rationality.

In fact, it was remarkable that she had maintained her composure until now.

‘I want to touch him. I want to share affection…’

But Ari desperately held back.

She interpreted his restraint—not touching her despite her blatant advances—as a sign that he treasured her deeply.

But that was her misunderstanding.

Jin simply wasn’t the type of scoundrel who would take advantage of a drunk Ari.

‘I’m incredibly! Tremendously! Happy that he seems to cherish me…! But what can I do about this disappointment…!’

In truth, she had prepared everything.

Thinking he would understand her intentions, she had even ordered condoms online and brought them along. She had mentally prepared herself for her first experience.

But her excessive, indiscriminate drinking had ruined everything.

‘Ahhh… really…! Ari, you idiot! You drank way too much…!’

Ari had thought she could handle alcohol well, so she kept drinking the soju Jin offered, and ended up completely wasted.

At some point, she had been so drunk that her memories became hazy.

Thinking she must have laughed foolishly and said nonsense in front of Jin, she felt like crying from embarrassment.

“…Ari?”

“Eek!”

When her eyes met Jin’s—whom she thought was sound asleep—she jumped back in surprise.

“As I suspected, you’re still awake.”

“No, no… why, why are you still awake?”

“How could I sleep when you’re hugging me and constantly trembling?”

‘You were even making small moans, I thought you were masturbating…’

He erased the vulgar thought, having considered pouncing on her even now.

He checked the time on his phone placed on the drawer. It had just passed one o’clock.

“At this rate, we’ll oversleep tomorrow.”

He put his phone back on the drawer and said to Ari.

“Th-then isn’t it good that we can stay like this longer?”

‘So she’s saying it’s better this way…’

Ari saw Jin’s bitter smile as she slowly approached and snuggled back into his arms, as if that had been her place from the beginning.

“Yoo Ari.”

“Call me Ari.”

“…Is that your second request?”

“Y-you called me that before falling asleep.”

Ari, feeling somewhat resentful, protested.

She failed to realize that being in Jin’s arms was already an act of sharing affection.

“That was… well. Something like a service.”

“Th-then give me that service…!”

“Quiet. Keep throwing tantrums and I’ll turn around.”

“Uuugh…”

With no response to Jin’s threat, Ari could only pout while staying in his arms.

After a few seconds in Jin’s embrace, her expression quickly changed to a silly grin. She had forgotten her dissatisfaction from moments ago.

‘Still, I feel somewhat upset…’

Clinging to Jin, Ari smacked her lips sullenly. Then suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

“Instructor.”

“Go to sleep.”

“…Instructor, you want me to become a hero, right?”

Jin tried to ignore her and go to sleep, but he couldn’t dismiss the sudden mention of heroes. After all, his purpose was to make her a hero.

“That’s right.”

“Why do you want me to become a hero?”

“Why did you enter the academy in the first place? Didn’t you want to become a hero?”

“I-I asked first. No answering questions with questions.”

She squirmed up and was about to rest her head on Jin’s pillow but retreated.

‘T-too close…!’

Unable to look directly at Jin from such proximity, she buried her face in his chest again.

‘I’m too shy to face him but fine with hugging him?’

“S-so, what is it?”

“Just… I don’t want you to go down the wrong path. That’s all.”

“…The wrong path?”

“…That time. When you tried to attack that student, what do you think would have happened if I hadn’t stopped you?”

“That’s…”

She couldn’t answer Jin.

Ari was aware that she had lost her reason and tried to kill someone in a fit of anger.

“I’m not trying to scold you. Everyone has moments they can’t endure. My job is to help you not go astray in those moments. That’s why.”

“Yes…”

“Ari. You’re a talented kid. As you develop your abilities, even S-class heroes might come to fear you someday. Then you could live a life without lacking anything. Maybe… even your parents might eventually realize you weren’t a bad child.”

If nothing else, the suggestion that her parents might change their minds was a cruel hope.

Jin knew this as he said it.

He knew such false hope could become a person’s driving force, so there was no reason not to use it.

“What if they don’t see me that way?”

“Then I’ll comfort you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll comfort you all day so you won’t think about your parents. While holding you tight.”

“Heh. Then I’ll look forward to it.”

‘Silly instructor. I only need you now.’

If someone asked whether she had no lingering attachment to her parents, that would be a lie.

However, even if her parents opened their hearts to her now, it would be impossible to treat her as they did before the incident.

Knowing this, Ari no longer had expectations.

“Since we’re on the topic…”

“Hmm?”

“If I become a hero, will that make you happy?”

“I wonder.”

“What do you mean, you wonder…”

“That’s a scene I haven’t imagined yet. Or rather, couldn’t imagine…”

“Why not?”

“Because I want to see it in person.”

For some reason, his words felt unfamiliar to her.

As Ari was about to consider what he meant, Jin added:

“But if I had to say… I think I’d be the happiest.”

Staring at him as he stroked her head, Ari suddenly sat up. She looked down at him as if about to climb on top of him.

“I…! I-I’ve thought of my second request.”

“…Oh? What is it?”

“When you’re at your happiest… I-I want to be at my happiest too!”

She said, gripping the bedsheet tightly.

Jin alternated his gaze between Ari, who was showing strong determination, and the deeply wrinkled bedsheet.

Perhaps he had a rough idea of what her request might be.

He couldn’t immediately ask the question.

He feared his intuition might be correct.

But Jin had to ask.

This could potentially be the catalyst for Ari deciding to become a hero.

“…So what would make you the happiest?”

“That’s…”

After hesitating briefly, she took a deep breath.

“My second request is… that until I become a hero, Instructor Jin doesn’t enter into a ‘romantic relationship’ with anyone.”

“What?!”

Startled by the outrageous request, Jin sat up. He calmly spoke while facing Ari’s unwavering eyes.

“…Do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

‘Does she really understand what she’s answering?’

“That kind of request is something you make when you can take responsibility for someone’s life.”

“From now on, I’ll become someone who can take responsibility. By becoming a hero.”

Jin frowned at her unreasonable statement.

Facing the stubbornness of an inexperienced child who hadn’t experienced the world, he automatically let out a frustrated sigh.

“That’s not the only issue. Feelings aren’t constant. They can disappear overnight. There’s a reason couples break up after just a few months.”

“It’s okay. We’ll be different.”

‘That’s what they all say at first!’

It was a common claim among late teens and early twenties—living with the conviction and fantasy that their relationship would last forever.

But human relationships could break much more easily than expected. Especially between men and women with different brain structures.

Jin had realized this early on.

“…Sigh. Then let’s set a condition.”

“A condition?”

“The condition that you never give up.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t answer so simply.”

Jin scolded her.

This truly wasn’t something to answer so casually.

“Even if your feelings change and you want to forget this request, you’re forbidden from giving up on becoming a hero. Once you start, you can’t quit. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then I won’t enter into a romantic relationship with anyone until you become a hero. Including you, of course.”

Jin couldn’t understand why Ari had requested that he not enter into a relationship with anyone, rather than asking him to be in a relationship with her.

But this resolved Jin’s anxiety.

Ari would now become a hero no matter what.

“Is that satisfactory?”

“Yes.”

“Good. It’s late, so let’s sleep now.”

Jin stared at the ceiling with a troubled expression before closing his eyes. Ari embraced him and smiled silently.

‘Jin. You are mine. I won’t give you to anyone. For that, I’ll first need the strength to not lose you to someone else…’