Chapter 52 : Thinning Out (4)

At Jin Sejeong’s cautious question, Fuyuno Tsubaki momentarily doubted her ears.

‘Don’t tell me… the reason she’s been following me so persistently without saying a word was just to ask that?’

They had clashed before in a battle of nerves, but to Fuyuno Tsubaki, Jin Sejeong was an overwhelming figure—so far above her that she couldn’t even glimpse her no matter how high she looked.

After defeating the 15th-ranked fighter in the Jincheon class, Tsubaki had gained a bit of confidence.

But the moment she grabbed Jin Sejeong’s wrist, she realized—painfully—just how much of a frog in the well she truly was.

Had they actually fought, she was certain she wouldn’t have even realized she was under attack before being taken down.

That was the level of skill difference between them.

‘Grabbing her wrist and confronting her like that… I only did it because I lost it when she tried to take Woobin away without explanation… If I had to do it again, even for all the money in the world, I couldn’t. That was a suicidal move…’

Fuyuno Tsubaki was terrified of Jin Sejeong.

As the head of the disciplinary committee, a symbol of power and order in Daecheon, and someone deeply respected and admired by countless students—Jin Sejeong was a terrifyingly influential figure in Tsubaki’s eyes.

And yet, this fearsome person who had kept her mouth shut all this time finally opened her lips, only to ask: “You and Woobin… you’re not, like, a thing, right?”

Fuyuno Tsubaki was so flustered that she unconsciously blurted out, “What?”

‘Wh-what did I just do? At a time when I should be answering as kindly as possible, I just acted like I couldn’t believe what she said… What if she gets annoyed and stabs me with that sword on her waist? Woobin’s not even here…!’

Shocked by her own response, Fuyuno Tsubaki’s face turned pale.

She repeatedly muttered “I’m doomed.” inside her head as she glanced sideways to gauge Jin Sejeong’s reaction.

“Hmm, that was a dumb question, wasn’t it? I already got an answer once, but here I am asking again…”

Thankfully, Jin Sejeong didn’t seem bothered by Tsubaki’s attitude.

Instead, she reproached herself for asking something so silly.

“Let me rephrase the question. So, uh… Woobin said you’re like his servant and he’s your master… Is that really all there is?”

Just like Tsubaki had done earlier, Jin Sejeong now carefully gauged her expression as she asked another question.

“……”

For someone with overwhelming strength, someone who could do anything she wanted in this “Culling,” to be tiptoeing around like this—it didn’t make sense to Fuyuno Tsubaki.

To her, power meant the freedom to live however one wanted.

That’s why the strongest first-year in Jincheon class, Jin Sejeong, stumbling over a single question seemed utterly bizarre to her.

“Y-yeah… I’m just Woobin’s errand girl.”

Even if she didn’t understand Sejeong’s behavior, the fact remained that not answering her question might very well lead to being stabbed—so Tsubaki gave an honest response.

“…I thought so.”

Jin Sejeong nodded as if she had expected that answer, then turned her head to look Tsubaki straight in the eye.

“Fuyuno Tsubaki. You lied to me before, didn’t you? Just to look good in front of Woobin, back when everyone was watching.”

“Wh-what?”

Just moments ago, Jin Sejeong had been avoiding eye contact, acting withdrawn—but now she was staring directly at her and talking about lies.

Tsubaki was so caught off guard that her words stumbled.

Of course, she stammered even when she wasn’t nervous, but this time, the stammering was from being flustered.

“Lied? What are you even talking about…?”

Fuyuno Tsubaki couldn’t understand what Jin Sejeong was saying and asked her again in a confused tone while facing her.

Jin Sejeong let out a small, dry chuckle at Tsubaki’s reaction and continued speaking.

“I’m talking about when you said, in front of everyone, that there was nothing more important to you than doing your best to be of help to Woobin. That bold statement you made with him right next to you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jin Sejeong’s interrogation suddenly made Fuyuno Tsubaki feel wronged.

Her loyalty toward Yang Woobin was pure, something no one could take lightly or mock.

That’s why—even though she knew the person standing in front of her was a monster who could crush her with one hand—Fuyuno Tsubaki still proudly spoke of her conviction.

“It wasn’t a lie…! There really is nothing more important to me than repaying Woobin for saving me!”

Tsubaki shouted so forcefully that her voice echoed through the cave.

It was a passionate cry straight from the depths of her heart—one so sincere that it could make anyone listening nod in agreement.

If Yang Woobin had been there, he might have even teared up from how moved he was by her loyalty.

“Heh, is that so?”

But even after hearing that impassioned declaration right to her face, Jin Sejeong merely gave a hollow laugh, raising the corner of her mouth ever so slightly. She clearly didn’t believe a word of it.

Because she had already confirmed it—several times over.

“So, as Woobin’s lackey, your only goal is to repay him… that’s it?”

“Y-Yeah! That’s all I care about—”

“Then if Woobin confessed to you, would you not go out with him?”

“I’d totally date him!”

“There.”

“Huh?!”

The fingers that secretly clutched the hem of Woobin’s clothes… and that possessive tone when she called herself Woobin’s only lackey—those were signs of an obsession that couldn’t be hidden.

“You’re just overflowing with impure thoughts.”

Jin Sejeong’s eyes, dark and deep as the abyss, glinted ominously as she stared at the trembling Fuyuno Tsubaki.

“You creepy little pervert.”

It was the beginning of her counterattack.

***

“Phew… Finally found you. Hey! I know you’re in there, so come on out already!”

After four days of tracking down the final target, I had finally located where he was hiding.

Considering it only took me three days total to hunt down the other four, it was fair to say that finding this one guy had been more trouble than the rest combined.

Of the five most likely spots he could be hiding, of course it had to be the last one.

Talk about bad luck.

“…You’re Yang Woobin.”

The figure who silently emerged from within the rocky cave at my call slowly drew the twin daggers from both sides of his waist.

Ranked 20th in the Jincheon Class—Yasuri Yaiba.

Among all my targets in this elimination round, he was the strongest and trickiest—one of the elite holders of the dark blue Jincheon Card.

“You’re alone.”

With daggers held in reverse grip in both hands, Yasuri Yaiba confirmed that I was alone and lowered his stance quietly.

He was ready for battle.

“Tch.”

That was exactly what made this guy so annoying.

He didn’t care whether his opponent was male or female—if he saw you as an enemy, he would fight with everything he had.

Like a machine, utterly devoid of emotion.

“Well, I figured it’d come to this anyway.”

Yasuri Yaiba wasn’t just a cut above the others I’d faced so far in terms of skill—he was also far more important in the grand scheme of things.

“So let’s have a real fight.”

That’s why I, as a seasoned veteran, decided to face him by the book—properly and seriously.

“Come at me, punk.”

As I lightly clashed my fists together in a taunt, shhk—his figure suddenly vanished from my field of vision.

***

‘Yang Woobin, the mysterious cadet hiding his true strength.’

Yasuri Yaiba circled around Yang Woobin in erratic movements, swiftly recalling everything she knew as she analyzed him.

‘The sword he showed during the promotion match was a bluff. The real weapon is his fists. Probably a martial artist. Has some kind of explosion-related ability.’

She didn’t know much about Yang Woobin, but having been trained as a weapon since childhood, she pulled together whatever fragments of information she had and organized them in a way that could help her in this situation.

‘His presence, his stance—none of it is to be taken lightly. Assume he’s at least on my level.’

Yasuri Yaiba’s greatest weapon was her refusal to ever let her guard down.

Like a machine, she completed her analysis and moved into a probing skirmish to gather more data.

‘Let’s start light, for now.’

Pop—!

Perched atop a tree behind Yang Woobin, Yasuri Yaiba threw one of her daggers like a shuriken.

Forged through blood, sweat, and brutal training, the blade pierced the sound barrier in silence, flying straight toward the back of Woobin’s head.

“Hup.”

Thud.

But as if he had anticipated it, he casually turned around and caught the flying dagger by the handle with ease.

“Hm, pretty light.”

“…”

She had thrown it lightly, just for probing.

But hearing the word “light” come out of her opponent’s mouth somehow made something boil inside her.

“Hoo…”

Still, only for a moment.

With a short exhale, Yasuri Yaiba calmed herself and quickly, silently shifted position for her next attack.

‘Projectiles won’t work. In that case, close-quarters combat.’

Earlier, she had confirmed that Woobin couldn’t follow her movement the first time she shifted.

Using that knowledge, she slipped behind him again—quietly but quickly.

It was a perfectly controlled rush, with not a single trace of presence.

Yang Woobin didn’t even react, allowing her to get into range.

‘Go for the hamstring.’

Closing in from behind, Yasuri Yaiba swung the reverse-grip dagger at the back of his knee.

“Huh?”

CRACK—BOOOOM!!!

A fist suddenly filled her vision, followed by an explosion that sent her flying in the same direction she had charged from, slamming her into a tree.

“So you can be baited into a pattern.”