Chapter 46 : Rumors (4)

It had been three days since Yang Woobin and Fuyuno Tsubaki were promoted to the Jincheon Class.

The Jincheon Class, infamous for incidents and accidents occurring almost daily, had surprisingly remained peaceful for a whole three days.

On the third day of Jincheon Class’s accident-free streak—a stretch of peace that would normally leave the original members of the class too uneasy to sleep—Yang Woobin and Fuyuno Tsubaki were going about their usual routine.

While the content of classes and training had become more advanced, the shape of their daily life remained the same.

Attending classes together, training together, eating together, and spending all their time together until returning to their separate rooms—this daily routine had become so natural it was almost a given.

Seeing the two constantly stuck together from morning to night, the other Jincheon Class cadets would gossip about them every day.

“Is that what it looks like to be promised to someone for the future…?”

“At this point, it’s not a political match—it’s romance, right? Don’t tell me they didn’t get set up by their families, but just fell for each other on their own.”

“If they stick together like that, they might end up graduating from Daecheon as a whole group of one.”

Rumors, like snowballs rolling down a slope, only grew larger and faster as they went.

What started as simple gossip about two childhood friends dating had now grown into a tale of them being in a formally approved engagement with the blessing of their families.

“Ehehehe…”

“What is it? Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

The person most delighted by these ever-growing rumors, naturally, was none other than Fuyuno Tsubaki.

“Oh? I just suddenly felt happy…”

“Well, if you’re happy, that’s good. I like that you’re optimistic.”

“Ehehe, thanks, Woobin.”

Fuyuno Tsubaki adored the subtle way Yang Woobin looked out for her, seeming indifferent yet paying close attention.

She was endlessly grateful to him—he had brought happiness to someone like her, once considered the weakest superhuman in Daecheon, the shame of the Fuyuno family.

Just seeing his back made her heart flutter, and walking beside him made her feel like she was walking on air.

Just having him by her side made her feel like she had the whole world.

“Oh right. Hey, take this.”

“Hm? Oh, okay, Woobin. But what is it?”

“Chocolate. I made it myself, so don’t leave any—eat it all.”

“Hieee…”

Fuyuno Tsubaki stared wide-eyed as she received a box of chocolates, so neatly wrapped it looked like it came from a luxury confectionery shop.

Just being beside him made her feel like she had everything—and now, he had even made her a gift like this, despite her being such a nobody.

Overcome with emotion, she held the chocolate box to her chest and hugged it tightly.

“Thank you, Woobin…”

“If you’re thankful, do well. You doing well makes my life easier.”

“Y-Yeah! I’ll do my best! I’ll do everything!”

Fuyuno Tsubaki had become completely addicted to Yang Woobin—so much so that she couldn’t even imagine life without him.

“Uh, Woobin, I’m just gonna run to the bathroom for a sec…!”

Overwhelmed with boundless gratitude and joy—a symptom of her “Woobin addiction”—her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst, so Fuyuno Tsubaki jumped up and ran off to the restroom.

“Uuuuugh…!”

The restroom, long a refuge from the world that often oppressed her, had always been one of her few sanctuaries.

Of course, unlike in the past, this time she was simply too happy and needed a place to calm her racing emotions.

As soon as she entered, she glanced toward the stall at the far end.

But it was already occupied, so she turned back and entered the first empty stall instead.

Thud.

“Hoooo…”

Sitting on the toilet lid inside that sanctuary, Fuyuno Tsubaki let out a giddy breath, her heart still fluttering.

After about three minutes of deep breathing, her heart, which had been heated to the brink of boiling over, returned to its usual calm.

Now, she felt like she could face Yang Woobin again and somehow manage to endure it.

Having calmed herself in her sanctuary, she stood up and placed her hand on the doorknob.

Clunk.

“Hey, did you just see what Fuyuno Tsubaki and Yang Woobin were doing in the hallway?”

“Of course I saw it. I mean, how much do you have to like someone to act like that?”

But as the restroom door opened and the voices of two cadets entered, Fuyuno Tsubaki froze with her hand still on the doorknob.

It was because the topic of their conversation was none other than herself and Yang Woobin.

“Is today some kind of anniversary? The guy even made her chocolate.”

“Wait, could it be? An engagement anniversary?”

“A guy who makes handmade chocolate for an engagement anniversary… that’s really something.”

“I’m jealous of Fuyuno Tsubaki. I guess when you’re from the Fuyuno family, you can pick a guy like that.”

Hearing the conversation from the direction of the sinks, Fuyuno Tsubaki almost smiled, but then quickly pressed her lips together and let the smile fade.

Regardless of how happy she felt, she knew exactly what kind of effect rumors like these could have on a guy.

In the world of superhumans, the greatest value a male superhuman held wasn’t strength—but chastity, in other words, purity.

A male superhuman, having only one mana core, lagged far behind female superhumans in both potential power and growth rate.

So the only real merit a male superhuman had was his purity, and once rumors like these spread—rumors that he was already taken—it was obvious they’d come back to bite him later.

“…”

That’s why, as the rumors grew and her joy increased, so did Fuyuno Tsubaki’s guilt.

It felt like she was the one ruining the brilliant future that should be awaiting Yang Woobin.

But even so, she didn’t burst out of the stall and shout, “That’s all nonsense! Woobin and I haven’t even known each other for two months!”

Because… the joy she felt every time she heard such rumors made her guilt fade away.

Because someone like her, who had never had a meaningful relationship with anyone, got to feel—even just for a moment—like she was something to the amazing Yang Woobin.

‘W-Woobin said it was fine too. If Woobin says it’s okay, it’d be weird for someone like me to butt in and try to stop it. Yeah.’

So, even though Fuyuno Tsubaki knew full well how damaging these rumors could be for a guy, she used Yang Woobin’s “it’s fine” as an excuse and chose to stay silent.

“…Heh.”

And quietly, she let that hidden smile rise back to her lips.

***

Click—

“I stayed too long. Woobin must be waiting—I have to hurry…!”

Tap tap tap tap—

The two cadets who had been chatting at the sinks left the restroom, and about thirty seconds after they left, Fuyuno Tsubaki rushed out like a puppy running off to find its owner.

The only one left in the restroom was the person who had entered the farthest stall first.

“…Hoo.”

It was none other than Jin Sejeong, the head of the Daecheon disciplinary committee, and Yang Woobin’s real childhood friend.

“Haaaaah…”

It was only after the restroom had completely emptied that Jin Sejeong lowered her head and let out a deep sigh, one she had been holding back as if the world was about to collapse.

“How did it end up like this?”

Unlike Fuyuno Tsubaki, who was floating on air from the rumors spreading around Daecheon, Jin Sejeong felt like her face was being scraped across the bottom of hell—an unbearable, soul-crushing pain.

She had liked him for ten years, missed him desperately for seven, and now… not only had her childhood friend found another childhood friend, but the two had apparently promised each other their futures.

The sheer emptiness she felt—as if all the years she spent sweating and bleeding to reunite with Yang Woobin in her best form had been for nothing—tore her heart into shreds.

“Just three days ago, I was so happy. Every day waiting for Woobin was so wonderful… So why am I like this now, hiding in a bathroom?”

For someone who was supposed to be a respected head of the disciplinary committee, she looked completely pathetic right now.

“Still… over the past three days, through my stalking—no, uh, special surveillance conducted under the authority of the disciplinary committee—I did find out one thing.”

From the day the rumor started from Go Yeoryeong’s lips—”Yang Woobin and Fuyuno Tsubaki are childhood friends”—Jin Sejeong had been conducting special surveillance (stalking) on the two.

Of course, as the busy head of the disciplinary committee, her time for surveillance (stalking) was limited—but even that much had been enough.

“The two of them didn’t seem like some deeply affectionate couple who had promised each other the future. At best, they looked like friends… Yeah, just that.”

It hadn’t taken long to figure out that the two weren’t nearly as close or intimate as the rumors made them out to be.

“And the chocolate… he probably just gave her some leftovers. Woobin’s always been good at cooking anyway.”

Of course, when Yang Woobin handed the chocolate to Fuyuno Tsubaki, her heart had plummeted and her whole body froze to the point she had to flee to the bathroom—but after about ten minutes of deep breathing, she was able to collect herself.

“Whew, alright. It’s time to act now. I’ll ask Woobin directly. What kind of relationship do they really have? Whether they’re actually… that kind of relationship.”

And so, Jin Sejeong ended her surveillance and, determined to use the direct approach she was best at, opened the restroom door and stepped out.

It was ten minutes before the “Elimination Round” began.