She dipped a plastic fork into the seasoned chicken and popped it into her mouth.
Watching that scene, I poured cola into a paper cup and took a sip.
“Well, it’s not bad.”
She said, wiping her lips with a napkin.
That meant she liked it.
It didn’t take long for Olivia’s whole box of seasoned chicken to disappear.
After devouring all the chicken, I teamed up with Olivia to hit the books.
“So, that’s not it. Let me explain it all from the top. I’m the friendliest person in the world, you know!”
Studying wasn’t easy, to say the least.
It took a whole half-day before I could wrap my head around the lesson.
“That’s it for today.”
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped me as the intense study session came to an end.
The sunset was already painting the sky outside.
Is it really that late already?
I stuffed my textbooks and handouts into my bag and started tidying up the study room.
“You actually teach pretty well, you know. Surprisingly useful.”
I was serious.
Olivia surprisingly had a knack for teaching others.
Seems like I made the right choice in having her as my long-term pawn.
“W-well, saying such obvious things doesn’t really make me feel grateful!”
Olivia scratched her cheek as she replied.
But with the way her mouth corners twitched, it looked like she was thrilled by my compliment.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her overly committed character.
“What’s that? Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Nothing, let’s just head out.”
Ignoring her urging, I exited the study room.
I could see Olivia chasing after me, shouting, “Wait, don’t leave a lady behind, that’s just rude!”
Those cheesy lines were now familiar.
I brushed off her reaction and looked straight into her bright blue eyes.
“From now on, I hope you can help me with reviews every weekend.”
There was no way around studying if I wanted to avoid flunking.
If I failed, not only would I face various disadvantages at the academy, but there would also be immense pressure back home—like a flaming warning sign.
There was no need to willingly walk that thorny path.
Ah, I wish the status window would stop popping up.
“W-wait… What’s with you all of a sudden?!”
Olivia’s eyes widened.
“Y-you have this bad habit of speaking so bluntly without thinking…”
She covered her mouth with her hand fan and glanced over at me.
Her brows furrowed.
I just wished she could catch on the first time I said something nice.
“Are you going to do it or not?”
“Why do you always ask so suddenly…!”
“What’s your answer?”
“Right now, I’m your personal maid… If you give me an order, I have no choice but to follow it. Alright…!”
Olivia rambled on, justifying herself for so long that she finally clenched her fists as if she had made a big decision and nodded.
“Great. I look forward to working with you.”
“Really, I have no other choice. Just to be clear, I’m not saying I dislike it!”
Who said what?
While I left Olivia, who replied with a feigned grumpiness and a twitching smile, I hurried towards the dormitory.
*
Right after parting ways with Olivia.
On my way to the dormitory.
As I walked between the cherry blossom trees, I came face to face with her.
“The black-haired one… You must be Kim Deok-Sung?”
A tall beauty with a chilly aura, navy ponytail, and navy eyes.
Shinozaki Rin.
She stood in the middle of the tree-lined path, throwing me a frosty glare.
“Why does everyone I meet keep calling me black-haired?”
I muttered in Korean, wrinkling my face.
Shinozaki, not understanding Korean, twitched her navy eyebrows.
“What did you say?”
“I said I’m Kim Deok-Sung.”
She pursed her lips.
She didn’t seem convinced, but whatever.
One step.
I approached Shinozaki Rin.
“So, what does the top student and the esteemed lady of the Shinozaki family want from me?”
Of course, as a former fan of the [Weakest Hero], I have a rough idea of why.
But there’s a big difference between guessing and hearing the reason directly from the other person.
The former is a speculation, while the latter is a certainty.
There’s no chance Shinozaki Rin would lie.
I’m not worrying in this kind world.
“I heard it from Kurosawa.”
Just as I suspected.
“Did he tell you not to hide your power?”
“…Yeah.”
Shinozaki flinched slightly.
Seems she didn’t expect me to be so straightforward.
I already anticipated that Yuji would share our conversation with Shinozaki.
So there’s no reason to be flustered.
“Of course, that’s not the only reason. Just so you know, the top student and the cadet who defeated the Platinum Knight Princess is you, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Predicting that her character, driven by inferiority complex and competitiveness, would bring up Olivia’s matter was within expectations.
There was a slight tremor in her voice when she said “Platinum Knight Princess.”
“So?”
“I have to test you. Your sword.”
Shinozaki placed her hand on the hilt of the katana hanging at her waist.
Her navy eyes turned cold and still.
She shook her head.
“Why? Is it because you can’t accept that I defeated Olivia in a duel and that I know all about your relationship with Kurosawa?”
I answered with a hint of sarcasm.
Shinozaki’s eyes seemed to shake as if there was an earthquake.
If Olivia is a prideful narcissist and a tsundere, then Shinozaki Rin pretends to be a cool dere but is actually filled with severe self-loathing, need for recognition, inferiority, and competitive spirit.
The only thing she shares in common with Olivia is their obsession with the position of the top hero candidate in the Great Game and the Crown Prince.
“How could you…?”
“Did you realize my feelings? Is that really so important?”
“Did you understand that? Is it really that important?”
She crosses her arms.
“It’s just so… that you’re merely a tool of the family…”
“Shut that mouth of yours.”
Shinozaki’s eyes sharpen.
A faint dark blue magical wave emanates from her body.
A tool of the family.
It’s a word that perfectly describes her situation, the keyword for Shinozaki Rin’s salvation, and the root of all her negative emotions.
Shinozaki Rin is not a blood relative of the Shinozaki family, nor is she the biological child of the current head.
She was adopted from an orphanage after being evaluated for her suitability as a super weapon.
An outsider to the family. An outsider to the clan.
Just a tool to uphold the Shinozaki family’s prestige instead of the dim-witted biological children.
“Fine. If that’s what you want. But suddenly coming over to pick a fight? Why should I even bother fighting you? It’s so exhausting.”
Well, that’s her problem.
That doesn’t give her a reason to come over and start a fight out of the blue.
“That’s…”
Shinozaki stumbles over her words.
In a situation where she can’t ignore her rudeness, she doesn’t have the heart to act like she’s unaffected.
That’s why Shinozaki Rin has become a mute who’s swallowed a mouthful of honey.
A smirk forms on my lips.
“Olivia bet heavy on our duel for the relic of Five Crowns, the super weapon Durandal… and her position as a maid.”
I lightly tap the hilt of Durandal at my waist with my right hand.
Her gaze shifts to my waist.
“What are you going to wager, Shinozaki Rin?”
Shinozaki’s eyebrows twitch.
“Are you proposing to gamble over this ‘test’ against me?”
“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”
I wave my hand and pretend to walk away without a care.
Considering Shinozaki’s personality, she’ll want to grab me back anyway.
One step, two steps. I move forward.
“… What do you want as a reward? Kim Deok-Sung.”
I hear her voice from behind.
Perfect.
She took the bait.
I stop in my tracks.
“If I pass your ‘test,’ I want to receive one item from your family’s treasure trove…”
“If it’s something ridiculous, I’ll refuse.”
“That won’t happen because… what I want is the Black Stone.”
Shinozaki’s eyes widen.
A look of disbelief.
It’s to be expected.
At this moment, the Black Stone is being treated as a worthless antique, a burden.
I smile at her.
I alone know the truth about the Black Stone lying dormant in the Shinozaki family’s vault, unearthed from the ‘Great Gate’ thirty years ago, that it is the ‘Incomplete Philosopher’s Stone.’
‘Better to secure it before those New World League guys take it.’
Looking back at Shinozaki, she responds in a slightly astonished tone.
“I don’t know why you want that junk, but fine. I’ll provide it as a reward for passing the test.”
It’s a catch.
Well done.
“Deal established.”
A laugh escapes me.
Shinozaki’s eyes chill.
“Is this enough? Now draw your sword.”
She says in a low voice.
I slowly shake my head while looking at Shinozaki.
“You want to fight right now? Not interested.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Shinozaki’s eyebrows twitch.
A look of confusion.
“A week.”
I cut her off.
“During the duel class next week, I’ll designate you. Let’s fight then.”
“In class, I’ll point you out. Let’s agree to fight then.”
“······Sounds good.”
Shinozaki nods.
The oppressive aura that had been suffocating me dissipates.
It’s because she withdrew her magic.
“Let’s see then.”
Shinozaki resolutely turns her back and leaves.
I take a breath while watching her retreating figure.
‘So far, the picture seems to be painted nicely.’
Things got a bit tangled in the bathhouse, but it’s going smoothly.
‘If I can just get my hands on the Black Stone······.’
The Black Stone.
The final boss of the original work and the head of the New World League, Messiah.
The item he covets.
In the original story, Messiah sought the Philosopher’s Stone as a key catalyst for the New World plan, and in volume 16, he ransacked Shinozaki’s home and seized the Black Stone.
It was a historical moment where the protagonist and the final boss would face off directly for the first time, but since it’s a light novel, the final boss that they barely defeated with the help of the protagonist and supporting characters was a mere illusion, and the real one had already snatched the Black Stone and disappeared quietly.
‘Just thinking about it makes my head throb.’
It’s exhausting to contemplate the later developments.
This world is dominated by the heroic battle genre typical of boys’ manga.
Naturally, it’s not a genre where a munchkin protagonist does everything alone like in web novels.
Effort, friendship, victory, bonds, dreams, youth—those cringeworthy values are important here.
It’s a damned world where it’s hard to cheat and take shortcuts alone.
So, the final boss must be taken down through teamwork, not solo.
Which means I have to pay attention to other supporting characters as well.
I shake my head.
No matter how meaningless the original may have become, it’s still a distant future.
No need to worry about it now.
Let’s focus on the Black Stone.
“A week, huh.”
My brow furrows.
I mumble low in Korean.
Seven days.
Neither long nor short.
I need to prepare ways to defeat Shinozaki Rin and study, so I have to move quickly.
I shift my previously stopped steps.
*
The next morning.
Before the actual classes begin, it’s HR time.
In front of the sliding door of the 1st Year A-Class Classroom.
A pink-haired female teacher, Mayuzumi Mayu, dressed in a suit and holding the attendance book and a pointer, looks at me and says,
“Kim Deok-Sung. Have you thought about what to say for your self-introduction?”
“Yeah. Something.”
A self-introduction at this age, huh.
“Great! I believe in you, Kim Deok-Sung!”
A lackluster response.
But it seems she likes that too, as she beams at me.
I sigh inwardly.
“Alright, let’s go in!”
Creak.
The sliding door opens.
As the homeroom instructor appears, the students’ chatter quickly settles down.
Click-clack.
Mayuzumi steps up to the podium, her heels echoing.
“Today, Kim Deok-Sung, who has been absent due to health issues, is finally here!”
As she opens, the students’ gazes all focus on me.
“Kim Deok-Sung? That’s him?”
“Where exactly is Korea?”
“It’s right next door, you idiot.”
“He looks like a bad egg.”
I can hear the students’ whispers.
Every single word.
Thud.
Mayuzumi slams the attendance book on the podium.
The classroom falls silent as if cold water has been splashed on it.
“Now, Kim Deok-Sung, please introduce yourself.”
I take a step forward and scan the classroom.
Kurosawa Yuji, Olivia, Shinozaki Rin, and…
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