episode_0039

The name of this virtual dungeon was ‘Ruined Sanctuary’. That was its official name, but students usually just called it ‘Temple’.

Numerous ancient pillars stood tall, supporting a ceiling with a wide-open center, through which soft moonlight poured down.

Among the dozen or so virtual dungeons encountered during ranking matches, this one was considered the most mysterious due to its artificial scenery.

Its special feature was that by intentionally striking and breaking a pillar, the ceiling could be brought down, allowing entry into the temple’s underground area…

Back when I was a first-year, whenever this place was chosen as the battlefield, two of us would team up to break the pillars first. But now, the enthusiasm of the 9th-year students had all died down.

As such, it was usually the case that upon meeting, like in any other ranking match, they would silently assume their stances without much ado. However,

This time, it was a highly exceptional situation. Far from attempting to deplete each other’s health bars, one side had lost the will to fight and quickly expressed their intent to surrender (?).

I couldn’t help but be extremely flustered.

Such situations weren’t entirely absent during ranking matches, of course. Often, mid-tier players who had bad luck with matchmaking and encountered top-tier opponents would concede without a word.

But… this wasn’t such a case, was it? While I was indeed ranked 1st, at the very top of the rankings, my opponent was also a formidable 4th. Truly top-tier.

During my first year, there were a few times I lost to Kanzaki, so if one were to flip it around, this gap wasn’t insurmountable.

Baek Ayun’s current attitude. What in the world was that? A girl who was supposedly Gwon Hwang’s granddaughter wasn’t even thinking of trading blows; she was bowing her head. She had even knelt!

If Gwon Hwang Baek Muyeom himself were to see her like this, a girl hailed as the sole new star of the fading martial arts world…?

I had only seen his face once from afar, but it wouldn’t be strange for that emotional old man to grab me by the collar.

He’d probably say something like, ‘What did you do to my precious granddaughter?!’

Even if that were the case, normally I would have to express my injustice.

‘It’s chilling…’

Right now, I couldn’t possibly do that. No, I was in such a predicament.

First of all, I was not at fault. Objectively, it was Baek Ayun who had made a mistake.

But what was the point of distinguishing between right and wrong, between fault and innocence, in such a common-sense way? All that mattered now was the fact that a small girl was prostrating herself deeply before me.

Even someone who didn’t know the situation would naturally exclaim, ‘How could someone do such a cruel thing…?’ and I myself wasn’t at ease.

Perhaps it was because the virtual dungeon’s background was set at midnight. Baek Ayun shivered, as if slightly cold, yet showed no sign of getting up.

At least I, even if she had truly tailed me last weekend…

My heart wasn’t so cold as to leave a girl in such a position in the chilly outdoors late at night.

I sighed and approached her.

Despite surely hearing my footsteps, Baek Ayun didn’t budge.

She simply stiffened slightly, then bowed her head even deeper, as if ashamed.

‘No.’

…Even if the matter was serious, was it serious enough to warrant *this*?

I looked down at her in bewilderment for a moment, then sighed and spoke.

“…Baek Ayun.”

“…”

She startled.

The wild Baek Ayun flinched her shoulders. Pitiful, but this was proof that she could properly hear a human voice!

I briefly considered extending my foot to poke her, but decided it might be rude, so I simply knelt on one knee.

Crouching down roughly, I gently tugged on Baek Ayun’s iconic… ash-gray twin tails that cascaded down.

This was usually Baek Ayun’s most dangerous sore spot. She especially wouldn’t forgive anyone playing with her pigtails.

Even with some familiarity, I, who mostly had an antagonistic relationship with her, should have been even less tolerated when touching her hair.

In fact, I wasn’t sure about stroking her hair, but she had always been sensitive about her twin tails until now.

“…”

But look at her now. The Baek Ayun who would growl and try to bite my hand whenever I so much as touched her twin tails, was now yielding to my touch like a tamed wild wolf.

Her hands, neatly placed in front of her forehead, occasionally flinched, suggesting she wasn’t entirely comfortable.

Yet, the fact that she had no reaction at all meant she had truly come with a purpose.

What was this? Perhaps this was her own way of apologizing.

I tied knots in Baek Ayun’s long hair, and even attempted to play string games with my clumsy hands… Anyway, I played with her twin tails as if they were my toy.

By now, she should have been unable to endure it and reacted. Anything at all.

I subtly glanced at Baek Ayun, who still had her forehead pressed to the ground, and then, with a ‘Still not answering?’ kind of feeling, I finally turned her twin tails into my scarf.

“…Seriously, what are you doinggg…!”

Finally, a bite. Baek Ayun suddenly lifted her head with a tearful expression, and I gave her a satisfied thumbs-up.

Baek Ayun, looking flustered, let the corners of her eyes droop.

I lightly shrugged my shoulders.

“Because you didn’t answer.”

“Ugh, what do you mean by not answering?! How can you just fiddle with someone else’s hair like that… Don’t you have any respect for others?!”

Baek Ayun started to retort fiercely, returning to her usual self, but I had the ability to suppress her with a single phrase.

I deliberately put on a blunt expression and tilted my head slightly.

“And you had respect for me when you stalked me?”

“…”

As expected, Baek Ayun was instantly struck dumb.

Changing her fierce expression back to a pitiful one, she hung her head low.

“Well, that, that’s…”

“Yes, why did you do that?”

“…So…”

“Yes, tell me.”

“…”

Baek Ayun stopped her hesitant attempt to speak and looked up at me reproachfully.

Nothing else, she just didn’t like my tone, which was like I was talking to a child.

Her expression was saying exactly that right now.

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Baek Ayun’s face immediately flushed red.

“Why, why why why! Don’t laugh! Am I that funny?!”

“A little.”

“Ugh…! You’re really annoying!”

At that point, I intentionally stiffened my expression. And seizing the moment Baek Ayun flinched, I looked directly into her eyes.

“That’s not what you should be saying right now, is it?”

Baek Ayun furtively moved her head to avoid my gaze. Rotated left, then rotated right again.

When I followed her gaze, she would fix her eyes completely on the ground.

“I-I don’t know what you mean.”

She mumbled timidly, and I narrowed my eyes pointedly.

“An explanation or an excuse… at the very least, confess everything and apologize. You weren’t really planning to just let it slide without a word, were you?”

“…T-That’s not true! D-Didn’t you see the message? I clearly said I’d come find you right awayyy…!”

“Then you should have come sooner. Before we ended up encountering each other like this in the ranking match.”

“Th-That’s…!”

Baek Ayun suddenly lifted her head, about to retort instinctively. But, knowing she had nothing to say and that my words were correct, she quickly lost spirit and tucked her tail.

Immediately, looking completely deflated, she hugged her arms and mumbled softly.

“…I’m sorry…”

“What?”

“I-I’m sorry…!”

She mumbled in an almost inaudible voice, so I asked again, and this time she screamed at the top of her lungs without reservation.

But the unfortunate thing was that we were too close. Hit by the Sound Arts at close range, I felt my eardrums throb for a moment…

“I-I must have been crazy for a moment. Curiosity led me to do something I shouldn’t have. To you, and to Seeun in the first year.”

Of course, Miss Baek Ayun seemed oblivious to such things. She just kept her head bowed about 45 degrees, fidgeting with her hands, and rattling off what she had to say.

Even then, her thoughts seemed disorganized, and she was clearly rambling.

“…I’m truly sorry, Hyunjin-ssi…”

Well, even so, the single phrase she ultimately arrived at was a sincere apology.

It had been a long time since this girl called me by my name instead of ‘you’…

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes slightly and look down at Baek Ayun.

There was no hint of falsehood in her apologetic demeanor.

She would subtly lift her bowed head, and if her eyes met mine, she’d startle and slump her shoulders with a perfect (T^T) expression.

Then, her rolling her eyes as if uncomfortable with the silence, felt quite insignificant.

‘Hmm…’

I muttered inwardly and slightly lifted my head.

I looked up at the black sky beyond the open ceiling of the temple, the sanctuary.

Though invisible to the naked eye, it was likely the third eye observing us from up there.

In other words, the ‘cameras’ directly connected to the arena within the academy campus.

About five minutes had already passed in the 20-minute ranking match. On the monitors observing us, the strange standoff between Baek Ayun and me must be being broadcast.

Unless we were shouting really loudly, our conversation wouldn’t be picked up by the microphones.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. It seemed we couldn’t have a normal ranking match anymore, and the conversation also felt incomplete to end here.

For that very reason, the thought of quickly bringing this situation to a close came to mind.

“Baek Ayun.”

I called her name in a low voice.

“…Yes?” she sniffled softly, yet swiftly lifted her head.

Crackle!

And I gathered cold energy in my right hand, forming a spear of ice.

Baek Ayun’s complexion suddenly turned pale.

“H-Hyunjin-ssi?”

“Are you free this evening?”

“Ye-Yes?”

“Even if you’re not free, clear your schedule. Let’s have a meal together today.”

“W-Wait a moment, what do you mean by…”

“Wait in front of the main building after this.”

Did she anticipate the tragedy (?) that would soon follow, her own future? Baek Ayun, turning pale, hastily moved her mana to strengthen her raised arms, but.

CRACK!

In front of a mage given ample time to prepare, there was no such thing as a guard or anything of the sort.

I thrust the ice spear straight forward, and Baek Ayun instantly became an ice statue.

[Freezing], the most basic of ice magic. However, even such a technique varied wildly depending on who wielded it.

If someone could barely freeze water in a paper cup, Lee Hyunjin could freeze people, and Seol Hayeon could freeze the ocean…

There’s always someone better, unfortunately.

[Left: Lee Hyunjin (1135 points) vs. Right: Baek Ayun (955 points)]

[Lee Hyunjin: 100%]

[Baek Ayun: 0%]

[Lee Hyunjin Wins]

And so, the ranking match ended.

*****

5 PM. As the sun slowly began to set a bit early, Cheon Soyul had to show a slightly bewildered expression in front of Lee Hyunjin.

“…With Ayun?”

“Yeah.”

The reason was simple. She had suggested having dinner together after a long time, only to be rejected because he had a prior engagement.

In truth, that alone wasn’t a big problem, but what was more crucial was the other party with whom Lee Hyunjin had an appointment.

None other than last weekend… Baek Ayun, who was presumed to have had some sort of ‘something’ with Lee Hyunjin along with this year’s freshman representative named Ryu Seeun, was the one he had a prior appointment with.

Cheon Soyul repeatedly opened and closed her lips with an ambiguous expression.

Perhaps because they usually spent so much time together, even though it was only this one time their schedules clashed, she felt a little disappointed.

…And beyond that, a suspicion, not exactly a suspicion, couldn’t help but arise towards Lee Hyunjin.

Cheon Soyul bit her lip for a moment, then grabbed Lee Hyunjin’s wrist.

Lee Hyunjin’s eyes blinked.

“What is it?”

“…Come here for a moment.”

Lee Hyunjin seemed flustered but didn’t actually resist her touch. Feeling a slight sense of relief from his reaction, Cheon Soyul pulled him towards a secluded corner of the hallway.

It was generally a rarely used place, and even if someone passed by, they wouldn’t notice unless they paid close attention—a perfect spot for discreet actions, one might say.

Thud!

“You.”

Cheon Soyul, who had quickly pushed Lee Hyunjin against the wall, lowered her voice slightly.

Lee Hyunjin, who had been blinking his eyes wondering why she was acting this way, grew even more flustered.

Cheon Soyul continued, undeterred.

“Are you going to sleep with Ayun tonight?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you going to do it? Sex.”

Leaving Lee Hyunjin to involuntarily retort in his confusion, Cheon Soyul continued to interrogate him in the calmest voice she could manage.

“You’re not just planning to eat and then part ways, are you?”

“…Well, we’ll probably drink too…”

“And then you’re going to take her to a motel?”

Lee Hyunjin’s expression turned bewildered at Cheon Soyul’s immediate and direct remark.

“I wasn’t thinking of…”

And he quickly tried to protest, his eyes showing his wronged feelings, but.

“I can’t hear you.”

Cheon Soyul cut him off, silencing Lee Hyunjin by pressing her own lips against his.

Cheon Soyul, her expression cold, deepened the kiss, letting her saliva flow past his throat, as if leaving a mark.

“…Hoo…”

After separating her lips and creating some distance, she looked at Lee Hyunjin’s agitated face with considerable satisfaction.

It was a face she liked. Especially because he was completely focused on her.

Licking away the saliva that threatened to run down her chin, Cheon Soyul uttered a short sentence.

“You’re going to pounce on Ayun tonight.”

“…What?”

“I can tell just by looking. Your face tells me so.”

“No, what in the world are you…?”

Lee Hyunjin couldn’t finish his sentence once again. It was because Cheon Soyul had kissed him again, as if telling him not to say anything more.

Suddenly, she began to mix her tongue boldly, actively, and more sensually.

It was several tens of seconds later that their lips finally parted.

“Phew…”

Cheon Soyul was the first to gasp for air, but Lee Hyunjin wasn’t given the chance.

Cheon Soyul, pressing her body closer, now let her tongue touch his nape.

“…”

She calmed him with her hand as he startled and flinched, then smeared her saliva on the soft bare skin near his neck, shoulder, and collarbone.

“…”

After a moment of thought, Cheon Soyul gently closed her eyes and bit his neck.

With a nip, not strong, but just enough to sting slightly.

Lee Hyunjin’s expression briefly furrowed then relaxed. Cheon Soyul also soon pulled away, lightly wiping her lips with her sleeve.

The two, panting heavily, gazed at each other with heated eyes.

Then Cheon Soyul hesitated for a moment. Her heated gaze fell upon the bulge in Lee Hyunjin’s student uniform pants.

…He’s aroused. Cheon Soyul muttered to herself, swallowing a dry gulp.

‘I want to do it.’

To be honest, she wanted to be intimate with him right then and there.

The fact that this was school didn’t even matter.

She wanted to press bare skin against his, use mood and atmosphere as a shield, and whisper words of affection from her heart…

But not now.

Cheon Soyul, having managed to suppress her urges, looked up at Lee Hyunjin with a crooked expression.

A hint of expectation was visible in his expression. Cheon Soyul let out a snicker.

Well, it was a pity to say after teasing him so much, but what could she do?

She had no intention of touching him.

Cheon Soyul shrugged and casually tossed out her words.

“Go on.”

“…What?”

Lee Hyunjin’s bewildered retort. Cheon Soyul tried to hold back her laughter and put on the most natural, innocent expression she could manage.

She turned away as if she had no regrets, only tilting her head back slightly.

“I said, go now.”

“…”

“Don’t you have a dinner appointment? With Ayun.”

‘Have a good time!’ Cheon Soyul added spitefully.

“Ah.”

Then, as if something came to mind, she spun around with a playful laugh.

“If you really can’t hold back… you can take care of it yourself here before you go.”

“…Hey, you.”

“Want me to lend you a handkerchief?”

Lee Hyunjin’s expression hardened, and Cheon Soyul, who had been holding back her laughter as if waiting for that reaction, chuckled quietly with satisfaction.

With her lips twitching, she took advantage of the momentum and attempted something a little bolder: she slightly lowered her skirt.

Rustle-

Barely visible.

Her pristine bare skin was revealed.

Specifically, her waistline and hips.

Pulling down even her underwear, she gave a relaxed look and a charming eye-smile.

“I guess I’ll… yeah, have to console myself alone today after a long time. Since Hyunjin-ssi is busy. Right?”

Cheon Soyul subtly shifted her gaze, stealing a glance at Lee Hyunjin, whose face was flushed exactly as she expected, and who was covering his mouth with his sleeve.

Smiling sweetly, she gave a light wave of her hand.

“See you tomorrow.”

*****

After being subjected to Cheon Soyul’s unexpected, extremely sudden and suggestive actions (?).

I tried my best to quickly sort through my chaotic mind.

First, a promise was a promise, so I had to be on time. Having done my best to extinguish all distracting thoughts, I dragged Baek Ayun, who was waiting in front of the main building, towards a BBQ restaurant outside the campus.

Then, I ordered a bottle of beer and soju each, and first took a light sip of beer.

The ordered meat was still being grilled… But there was nothing for it.

It was my intention to resolve this stifling inner turmoil, which was a 50/50 mix of Baek Ayun and Cheon Soyul, even if it meant relying on the power of alcohol.

I tilted the glass and gulped down the beer.

“I liked you, Hyunjin-ssi.”

“Puh-ha!”

Startled by Baek Ayun’s sudden confession, I spat out the water I had momentarily held in my mouth, right in front of me.

Baek Ayun’s pristine white top, which had taken the full blast, slowly began to get soaked.