Chapter 34 : Silent Yin Body (1)

“Alright, from today on, we’ll be training here after school.”

“H-here…?”

“This is a cafeteria. What kind of training do you do in a cafeteria?”

Agreeing with Ryu Jia’s opinion,Fuyuno Tsubaki looked at me with a curious expression.

Under their puzzled gazes, I started with the obvious.

“Well, since we’re at the cafeteria, we should eat first.”

“Yay! Food! What is it today? Seafood fried rice? Ham fried rice? Kimchi cheese fried rice?! Vegetable fried rice?!”

“…Food?”

Unlike Ryu Jia, who was completely absorbed by the idea of food,Fuyuno Tsubaki, who had never seen me cook before, tilted her head and still looked at me with confusion.

It didn’t take long for the puzzlement in her blue-grey eyes to be replaced by awe and surprise.

“Alright, it’s done. Today’s special is seafood fried rice with oyster sauce, so enjoy.”

“Yesss! Thanks for the food!”

“W-wow…”

Unlike Ryu Jia, who had grown used to eating my cooking, Fuyuno Tsubaki stared at me with her mouth half-open in shock.

Since the real challenge would begin after they ate, I told her to hurry up and fill her stomach.

“Don’t just stare at it with that dumb look. Eat it before it gets cold and loses its flavor. It’s only proper to eat food as soon as it’s served.”

“Ah, r-right! I’ll eat now, Woobin!”

“Mhm.”

Startled by my words,Fuyuno Tsubaki picked up her spoon and, with a hand that trembled for some reason, scooped up some fried rice and put it into her open mouth.

“Mmm?!!”

The moment she chewed the rice once, it was like she got struck by lightning — her whole body shook with a boing, and she stared at me wide-eyed.

Still in that state, she chewed and swallowed the rice, then spoke in a trembling voice.

“I-it’s really delicious…!”

Hearing that heartfelt admiration straight from her chest, I couldn’t help but smile.

As I smiled and wiped the frying pan, I spoke to Fuyuno Tsubaki.

“Then don’t leave a single grain. Eat it all.”

“Okay! Got it, Woobin!”

As if she would’ve done that even if I hadn’t told her, she began scarfing down the rice just like Ryu Jia, who was already devouring it beside her.

Seeing those two eat so heartily made me feel good as the cook.

“Phew… That hit the spot again today.”

“Thanks for the meal…”

“Captain, since we’ve eaten, can you do me a favor?”

I replied to Ryu Jia, who had finished the fried rice in an instant.

“A favor? What kind of favor?”

“Can you buy me a big block of ice? I need it for something.”

“Huh? Ice? You need it? Is it for the training or whatever? Hmm… But I’m not your servant or anything. Just because you ask doesn’t mean I have to buy it…”

Just when I thought things were finally settling down, Ryu Jia tried to assert dominance again, maybe because Fuyuno Tsubaki was still next to me.

“I’ll make you shaved ice.”

“Whoa, shaved ice! I’ll be right back! I get to pick the toppings myself!”

But with my next words, her furrowed brow and fierce demeanor instantly softened, and Ryu Jia giggled as she left to buy ice and toppings for the shaved ice.

“I’m back! Getting the ice was easy, but I couldn’t decide on the toppings, so I just grabbed everything I could see! Hehe.”

She returned three minutes later.

A huge block of ice, as big as a concrete brick, and a mountain of assorted toppings piled up on the kitchen table.

“Thanks. Alright, I’ll make the shaved ice.”

“Wow! But do you even have a shaved ice machine?”

“Nope. I’m going to shave it with a knife.”

As I said that, I placed a bowl underneath and brought the kitchen knife in my right hand to the block of ice.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-gaak—!

“Whoa, damn…”

“Uwaaah…”

With my skillful knife work, the angular ice block was rapidly shaved down, and as the ice flew through the air, Ryu Jia and Fuyuno Tsubaki could only gape in awe.

“All done. I just threw on the toppings the captain brought in a way that kinda looks nice. Enjoy.”

“Thanks! I’ll eat it well, rookie!”

The moment I handed her the knife-shaved ice, Ryu Jia happily accepted it and began digging in with the spoon I gave her.

But Fuyuno Tsubaki, despite being handed her own bowl of shaved ice, didn’t dig in as eagerly or happily as Ryu Jia.

“U-Um, Woobin… I, uh… I don’t have a spoon…”

It was because I hadn’t given her one.

But even after hearing her, I didn’t hand her a spoon.

“No, I gave it to you properly.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“You’re supposed to eat the shaved ice without using your hands. That’s your training.”

Because I had intentionally given her only the bowl.

To move up to the Jincheon Class after the midterm evaluation,Fuyuno Tsubaki needed to at least be able to control her own power.

This “no-hands shaved ice eating” was essential training for that, and would be key to helping her control the mana of her Extreme Yin Limbs, whose seal had been partially released through the Dragon Seal Ring.

Honestly, no one but a reverse-isekai action legend genius like me could’ve come up with such an incredible training method.

I closed my eyes and silently praised myself… but then I noticed something odd—there wasn’t a single sound in front of me.

Huh?

Why is it so quiet?

Even Ryu Jia stopped eating her shaved ice?

Confused, I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Ryu Jia frozen mid-bite, spoon in hand, her mouth half open with a disgusted expression and eyes full of judgment.

“Wow… I mean, I’ve done some delinquent stuff in my day, but this… This is next level…”

“Sorry, what?”

I couldn’t understand her reaction and was starting to think something might be off—when I saw a head of ashen-gray hair next to her nodding in determination.

When I turned slightly to see whose it was, I saw  Fuyuno Tsubaki with both hands on the table, leaning in with her mouth wide open, about to faceplant into the shaved ice.

“Aaahhh—”

“Wh-Whoa?! Hey—hey, what the hell are you doing?!”

Whoosh!

Truly shocked, I snatched the bowl of shaved ice away from Fuyuno Tsubaki.

Then she lifted her head—previously bowed to eat the ice—and looked at me with eyes full of inexplicable determination as she said:

“I—I can do anything if Woobin tells me to…!”

“…What?”

“Even if it means eating with my face in the bowl like a dog without using my hands! It’s embarrassing, but… if that’s what Woobin wants…”

Her eyes, as she said she’d give up her dignity for my sake, burned with loyalty and resolve, just like a loyal dog’s.

“No, what the hell are you saying?! I don’t want that!!”

But that strange display of devotion was just way too much for me to handle, so I shouted in a panic.

“Wow… I should’ve known when you said she wasn’t just a friend but your precious underling or whatever. Training your peer like a pet? I mean, I’ve had my thug moments too, but damn, I can’t compete with you. Why don’t you be the Vice Captain of the Exploding Dragon Team instead?”

“I don’t want it! What are you even talking about!?”

“Pet dog…”

“Tsubaki, why aren’t you against this?!”

Watching Ryu Jia click her tongue in exasperation and Fuyuno Tsubaki blush while shyly repeating the word “pet dog” nearly drove me insane.

Only after this chaotic mess of misunderstandings finally died down was I able to clear things up.

“So what you’re saying, rookie… is that this precious underling of yours has the ability to control cold, and that weird training was supposed to awaken it?”

“Yes. I’ve said that like five times now.”

“I mean, I get it if that’s the case… but your explanation seriously sucked, kid.”

I had nothing to say to that, because she was right.

I had worded it in a way that made misunderstandings inevitable.

But even so, if something sounded weird, shouldn’t you ask questions first?

I mean, how is diving face-first into the shaved ice a better reaction?

Still, Fuyuno Tsubaki’s behavior was definitely not normal.

Her silent obedience to whatever she was told was great for training, but there had to be a limit.

At this rate, it was seriously starting to feel like, “If I told her to die, would she just do it?” and that kind of freaked me out.

So I turned to her, ready to say something.

“Hey, uh…”

“Hrrrnnggg…!”

But when I saw her tightly shut eyes, lips tucked inward, and cheeks puffed up like a balloon as she focused with all her might in that bizarre expression…

…the words just died in my throat.

It felt like interrupting her now would only mess up her training.

So I decided to wait until she found her rhythm before saying anything, silently closing my mouth again.

“Hrnnnnngh…!”

“…Anyway, I’ve eaten, so I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow, rookie. And you too, precious underling.”

“Yes, good night.”

About thirty minutes later, Ryu Jia, having had enough of the cafeteria, gave a casual goodbye and left.

And so, the two of us remained in the cafeteria for a long while, but Fuyuno Tsubaki couldn’t move even a single flake of ice—not until the shaved ice had melted into water five times over.

***

“Hey rookie, are you sure this is working?”

Even after six days, her lack of progress remained unchanged.

It was the day before the midterm evaluation.