episode_0006

6

Why is this person here doing this?

After briefly considering hundreds of possibilities, I soon pulled out the most plausible answer from among them.

Lee Ji-yoon, this bitch—must’ve been a troublemaker in her school days.

So even though she came here for supplementary classes, she snuck in here to skip them.

But then I saw her outfit, and my thoughts changed.

The nameless girl I saw earlier was clearly wearing the academy’s uniform, but Ji-yoon was dressed in plain civilian clothes.

A soft, milk-colored knit that exposed her collarbones, paired with a pitch-black H-line skirt that tightly hugged her waist from the hips down.

Looking at the skirt, it kind of resembled a high school uniform—or maybe not.

Either way, it wasn’t the academy’s uniform. The color was slightly different from what I’d seen earlier.

So, is she a new student?

Ji-yoon is definitely a hero from Miren, after all. I just don’t remember her age well.

But would a new student have any reason to be here, skipping class and listening to music while napping? I couldn’t think of any.

It’s still February, not even the middle of the semester—what reason would a new student have to be here like this…?

On the other hand, maybe she’s not a new student but someone who already graduated and just came back to visit the academy for a while.

But she still looks closer to a high schooler. Her skin, the way she dresses, all sorts of things.

Hmm. Staring down at her like this won’t solve the mystery.

After a brief hesitation, I reached out.

“Mmm…?”

I lightly tapped the pillow.

Just enough to wake Ji-yoon, who was sleeping defenselessly.

Ji-yoon is a gemstone incomparable to the nameless hero-in-training I met earlier.

If left alone, she’ll naturally bloom her talent and make that face known to the entire nation.

And now, I have the chance to wedge myself into that process—to leave my mark, my claim, on her.

Instead of acting rashly, I had to be as cautious as possible.

If I got greedy and touched her body, only for her to wake up—

The aftermath would be a guaranteed bad ending.

“Hey.”

“Nngh.”

A mere gesture wasn’t enough to wake her, so I raised my voice, and Ji-yoon’s eyes shot wide open with a strange noise.

Even in the photos I’d seen before, her eyes had an incredibly rude look to them.

The kind of eyes that made some men clamor online about wanting to be stepped on and insulted—

The kind that made others want to tighten a leash around her neck and force her to submit—

Those eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Me?”

“You look like an outsider. What are you doing here?”

Since I’d become an insider about 20 minutes ago, I asked boldly.

If I could find even the slightest leverage to threaten Ji-yoon with, it’d be a huge gain.

But what followed was a brief silence.

A short silence, just long enough to take a couple of light breaths.

Is she thinking of an excuse? Really?

Given the situation, it’s not like she committed some serious crime.

Amid the complete lack of sound, I maintained a stiff, businesslike expression as I looked down at Ji-yoon.

Her large, deep green pupils stood out. They were the same color as the girl I’d seen earlier.

Should I ask if they know each other? The thought crossed my mind briefly.

After cautiously glancing up at me, Ji-yoon ultimately chose to avoid answering by looking around instead.

“……”

The uniquely warm evening sunlight streamed into the infirmary, stretching the silence even longer.

I wouldn’t mind if this kept up, but what about Ji-yoon?

Having given her enough time, I took a step closer to her.

Just one step.

The three-step distance between us shrank to two.

Objectively speaking, breaking this suffocating atmosphere and establishing a comfortable relationship would be more beneficial in the long run.

But honestly—

My heart was a little too excited for that.

“Did you not hear me?”

“Ah, no. I, uh…”

Like this.

The experience of cautiously cornering a national-level hero I’d never even made eye contact with before—

The experience of hearing Ji-yoon’s trembling voice—

If I don’t seize it now, I might never get another chance.

Especially since the target is Lee Ji-yoon—

Famous for never speaking to anyone, whether they were fans,

villains,

reporters,

or even fellow heroes.

…I expected it to feel good, but the thrill running down my spine far surpassed any petty expectations.

Is this the pleasure of secretly having a private conversation with a celebrity?

That flustered expression of Ji-yoon you could never see, no matter how much you snapped photos of her with your camera—

I’m seeing it up close, right here, with my own two eyes.

“I, uh, I mean…”

…But no matter how young she is, I didn’t expect her to be this incapable of even saying who she was properly.

This is the same Ji-yoon who, right after cleaning up villains, would bite her lower lip and avoid cameras when citizens annoyingly shoved them in her face.

Maybe she’s just the type who struggles with conversations in general.

Or maybe she particularly struggles with talking to men.

Still, left to her own devices, Ji-yoon gradually relaxed.

Unlike before, her voice sounded noticeably calmer—after another awkward silence passed.

“…Actually, I’m a new student here.”

“Okay.”

Fidgeting with the earbuds she’d just pulled out, Ji-yoon hesitantly met my eyes as she spoke.

Her voice no longer trembled, as if she’d composed herself, but her gaze was still awkwardly unsteady.

Probably the type who looks down rather than making eye contact when talking to people.

“I was looking around and got curious about what this room was for… Sorry.”

“So that’s why you were sleeping so soundly?”

“Ah, no. I have chronic headaches, so I was just lying down for a bit while listening to music…”

Tilting my ear, I could faintly hear music from the earbuds Ji-yoon was holding.

It was Yesterday by The Beatles.

“My unni’s supplementary classes are ending soon, so I was just resting a bit before heading back…”

“Unni?”

“Yeah. She’s a second-year.”

The fact that she didn’t naturally give a name showed a faint hint of wariness.

Maybe she noticed me noticing.

Unlike her earlier flustered rambling upon waking up, traces of the Ji-yoon I knew were starting to show.

Stiff.

Cold.

Indifferent.

…All perfect traits to break.

“As you can see, this is the infirmary. More accurately, an unused one.”

“I thought so. There’s nothing on the desk.”

“We’ll be filling it up bit by bit. Now that I’m here.”

Though it’ll probably be more light novels than medical books.

When I vaguely hinted at my identity, Ji-yoon’s eyelids fluttered rapidly a few times.

For some reason, it felt like I was looking at an expensive cat.

“Are you the school nurse?”

“Something like that.”

“…? If you’re the school nurse, then you’re the school nurse. What do you mean, ‘something like that’?”

“Health committee member.”

“Huh?”

“Health committee member. Don’t you know?”

Only after saying Don’t you know? did it occur to me—I’m not entirely sure either.

Is it a concept from Japan? The term definitely sounds like it.

“…A student who’s kind of like the school nurse.”

Ji-yoon’s deep green eyes stared up at me intently.

As expected. She didn’t get it.

“I’m a healing-type transcendent.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did she let out a short exclamation and stare at me intently.

Probably trying to confirm who I was.

Not that she’d recognize me, though.

Most of my photos online are from when I was a kid.

Hmm. Letting out a short sigh, I pulled out my phone and showed her a news article I’d saved earlier.

Finally, the suspicion in her eyes completely vanished.

Oh, so you’re not some weirdo—you’re the real deal. Her expression practically said it.

…That look feels familiar. Must be my imagination.

“……”

“……”

Soon, another silence settled in—one I was all too familiar with.

The what do I do, what do I do cuteness from when we first met was long gone, leaving only the ‘conversationally challenged’ Ji-yoon I knew.

…I wonder what expression I’d have seen if I’d pushed her a little harder.

Saving the fun for next time, I moved my lips.

Dropping the tense atmosphere, I spoke lightly.

“By the way, you mentioned having chronic headaches earlier, right?”

“…Ah, yeah.”

“Since we’ve met like this, should I treat you?”

“…Huh?”

A faint flush briefly colored her stiff face.

Of course, it was very brief.

“But money…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m the health committee member.”

Money again.

The exact same words I’d heard earlier today spilled from Ji-yoon’s lips, leaving me momentarily stunned.

Struck by a strange sense of déjà vu, I thought back to that country-bumpkin hero-in-training and absentmindedly repeated what I’d said then.

“And you don’t need to speak formally. I’m a new student too.”

“No. I prefer this.”

“Then suit yourself.”

…That’s the exact opposite of what the puppy-like girl said earlier.

Could the unni in second year be that hero-in-training from earlier?

Staring at those strikingly similar deep green eyes, I let out a small sigh and carefully reached out.

Having just seen my ability and activation conditions in the news, Ji-yoon was surprisingly docile even as a stranger’s hand approached her.

She still hesitated, but she didn’t pull away.

Even as my hand gently brushed against her snow-white hair, she remained still.

The only reaction was a slight flinch—just a hint of discomfort.

Ji-yoon quietly stared at the white curtains hanging over the infirmary bed.

“You said you have headaches, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“You might feel a little tired after the treatment. But since you just took a nap, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“……”

Keeping my hand on her head, I plopped down beside Ji-yoon.

I thought I’d sat a reasonable distance away, but before I knew it, the gap between us had widened by half a handspan.

At this point, I wondered if she just disliked me…

But I quickly brushed it off.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Hiding a smile, I slowly began channeling magic into Ji-yoon’s mind.

…However.

This time was different.

I never intended to fully heal her from the start.

“Feeling okay? Anything strange?”

“…Not really.”

Calmly asking about her condition, I didn’t completely shatter the hard impurities my magic touched—instead, I left the deeper layers intact, carefully chipping away only the surface.

Based on experience, this would make the pain disappear.

To be precise, only the pain would disappear. The injury would remain. Only the pain.

If it were a wound with natural healing potential, this would still help (like a painkiller). But what about chronic headaches?

The result is simple.

They’ll slowly worsen again, never healing on their own.

If the root cause remains, it’ll eventually fester and rot all over again.

And when Ji-yoon suffers from throbbing headaches once more—

She’ll come knocking on the infirmary door.

Like an addict craving drugs.

Of course, if I keep this up until I slip up, she’ll get suspicious.

But she won’t notice for the first few times.

“……”

As the pain subsided, Ji-yoon’s previously stiff expression visibly relaxed.

Good. The groundwork is laid.

Now, while I’ve got my hands on her, I should at least get a rough idea of what kind of tastes she’s hiding—

“Is she here?”

That’s when it happened.

The firmly closed infirmary door swung open forcefully, and a familiar female student walked in.

“Ah. Ji-yoon. There you— …Huh? What? I thought you weren’t a new student here?”

“…Hey. Lee Ha-yoon. Shut— Just be quiet for a sec…”

“Are you getting your headache treated by Woo-jin?”

“How do you even know his— …Ah. Wait.”

“How is it? Amazing, right?”

“……”

“I was shocked too, you know? I waited a bit, and it was just… gone.”

A familiar face.

Unlike Ji-yoon’s snow-white, neatly trimmed bob, this girl’s pitch-black, tightly tied ponytail swayed energetically.

Unlike Ji-yoon’s clean, well-put-together casual clothes, her uniform was sloppily worn, sleeves barely stuffed in.

In other words—

The one I’d nicknamed Puppy.

“Anyway, hey. Seo Woo-jin.”

“Yes. Unni.”

“Didn’t you tell me earlier you hadn’t even submitted an application? So why are you here like this? And why is this the infirmary?”

“…I wasn’t lying. Things just turned out this way.”

Judging by Ji-yoon’s reaction, her name is Lee Ha-yoon.

Judging by Ji-yoon’s reaction, she really is Ji-yoon’s unni.

I mentally stick a new post-it note onto the information I’d jotted down.

“You weren’t lying, but things just turned out this way?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“…Really? No lies, honestly?”

“Why would I lie about something like this?”

“Hmm… Suspicious… So suspicious…”

“What is?”

“Well… I’ve heard it happens a lot—falling in love at first sight with the hero who saved you in a crisis.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Be honest. What did you like about me? Want a hug as fan service?”

“…Sorry about her. She’s embarrassing.”

“……”

“The sense of responsibility… sacrificing school hours to save civilians…?”

“……”

“The fighting spirit to charge in even if your ankles break…?”

“……”

“Or was it just my looks…?”

Ha-yoon, who’d started rambling more in this one conversation than Ji-yoon and I had exchanged the entire time.

While dealing with her, my hand still resting on Ji-yoon’s head, I focused all my energy on calming my pounding heart.

…Ji-yoon.

Her tastes are, well.

Not what you’d expect from her appearance.

The parts she secretly pinched and scratched at herself were shallow, but—

The spots that could be called weak points…

Like her unni,

they were

deep.

And intense…