He definitely wanted to save Shinozaki Rin, but it was an act born out of his own self-loathing and kindness that he couldn’t.
So he asked for help from his only friend and roommate.
To save the abused Shinozaki Rin.
According to him, the only thing that could fix the messed-up heart of the Association President was Kurosawa’s divine sword.
Yuuji thought this way.
“You’re acting like it doesn’t matter, but you were worried about Shinozaki too, Kim.”
The fact that Shinozaki Rin had feelings for Kim Deok-Sung was so well-known in the academy that almost no one was unaware of it.
It was only natural, given that she had publicly confessed in the classroom.
Yuuji knew Rin’s feelings and, because she was a precious childhood friend to him, he secretly cheered for her wish to be with Kim Deok-Sung.
But honestly, he felt a little resentful that Kim continued to push her away despite Rin’s determined affections.
But that was just Yuuji’s misunderstanding.
Kim Deok-Sung was also concerned about his childhood friend Rin.
If not, there would be no reason for him to tell her about his situation.
“Kim, you’re a good friend.”
A smile drew across Yuuji’s face.
He was indeed a guy worthy of making Rin swoon.
In that case, he deserved Rin.
Yuuji thought that way.
“I should tell Shinozaki, who likes Kim, this happy news.”
Imagining that Kim would freak out and absolutely forbid him to do that, Yuuji scrubbed a bowl with a sponge.
It was an evening where dreams were growing deeper in a shared dream world.
I really was a messy girl, huh?
“Get up, Kim Deok-Sung.”
A familiar voice echoed from afar.
“It’s your turn for the night watch.”
Night watch?
Suddenly memories of military life flooded back, and I was instantly wide awake.
My eyes popped open.
“You’re up.”
Inside the spacious but dark tent, there stood Rin, a beautiful girl with a navy ponytail holding a small flashlight.
Of all things, it had to be a flashlight.
It reminded me of the military.
“…Right, I was the one on watch today.”
In my foggy mind, I remembered that today I was on watch duty, and poor Rin was right in front of me.
The worst time to be on night duty in the army was right before and after the main watch, and here I was stuck in that spot.
“Good job, Rin.”
Today, Rin seemed especially pitiful.
I unzipped my sleeping bag and got up.
“Th-thank you…”
Rin’s face turned red.
I put on my shoes and stepped outside.
It was early dawn rather than night, probably because it was my watch time.
The crisp night air filled my lungs.
“Ugh.”
Stretching, I plopped down in front of the campfire that was crackling away.
I plopped down in front of the campfire, the flames dancing as I flicked on the flashlight.
Whoosh!
The vibrant crimson flames reflected in my eyes.
The chilly dawn air mixed with the warmth of the campfire, creating a perfectly cozy temperature.
Ugh, thinking about chopping firewood with Ishihara and Kurosawa was such a pain.
‘Guess there won’t be any big events until the last day.’
The original storyline popped into my mind instinctively.
Of course, like any light novel, there are plenty of daily events between yesterday’s lucky escapade and tonight’s courage training, but none that really impact the story.
As long as I keep riding this wave, I’ll be fine.
‘Courage training…’
An unmissable event at Imgan School.
And since [The Weakest Hero] isn’t just a slice-of-life but an academy battle story, courage training isn’t just a simple scare fest.
The Student Council sets up a large magic barrier that restricts sensory perception, known as the Illusion Mist, and inside that, the goal is to reach the destination while avoiding various obstacles and phantoms.
It serves as a test of the cadets’ senses.
Like a true light novel, it all starts when Rin clings to the protagonist, scared, which leads to a lucky escapade but actually…
“Kim Deok-Sung.”
I heard Rin’s voice as I was lost in thought.
Holy cow!
I looked up and there she was, standing awkwardly.
“What’s up? Can’t sleep?”
“Well… it’s just that it’s an awkward time for me to be sleeping.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
I nodded in understanding.
After all, I’ve had nights right before work when I didn’t sleep at all, so I get her feelings.
Rin wiggled her fingers and nervously asked, “Is it okay if I sit next to you?”
“Since when did you need my permission? Just do as you please.”
To be honest, considering it’s right before work, I felt a bit sorry for her.
It’s not a big deal if she sits next to me.
“Really? Thanks!”
Rin sat down beside me.
*
So there we were, Kim Deok-Sung and Rin, surrounded by awkward silence.
Rin munched her lips.
‘Good grief, what kind of person am I…’
Her fingers fidgeted restlessly.
Thump thump.
Rin’s heart was racing like it was about to explode.
Yesterday, after realizing her feelings in the cave, she had been in this state ever since.
It was too embarrassing to bear.
Out of the blue, memories of her public confession in the classroom resurfaced.
‘How did I ever manage to do something that embarrassing back then…’
Rin lowered her head, her ponytail swaying in the wind.
Now that she’s aware of her feelings, there’s no way she could pull off an act like that again.
Not only that.
Every ridiculous stunt she’d pulled under the guise of charm replayed in her mind.
From creating that weird dish to flaunting her bust size and virginity.
‘I really was a mess… It’s no wonder he might not like me…’
Rin bit her lips, recalling their first meeting.
He wouldn’t acknowledge her skill in beating Olivia and didn’t buy into the emotional baggage Kurosawa and she shared.
She’d demanded a duel out of nowhere.
‘There had to be other ways besides a duel.’
Honestly, it didn’t even need to come to a duel.
Yet her insistence stemmed solely from her own inferiority complex and stubbornness.
Even after that, Rin kept provoking him.
‘He had every reason to dislike me. I was that kind of girl.’
She realized that fact all too late, just yesterday.
Even if she were Kim Deok-Sung herself, there’s no way she’d like a guy who’s as bad at being a gentleman, cooking, and has no manners as she was.
‘Yet, you, a man… you’re doing all this… to save me…’
Rin bit her lips.
It was only through her conversation with Yuji, the previous night watchman, that she realized the truth.
Kim Deok-Sung.
He had asked Yuji to resolve things with the Association President for her sake.
[“He asked me to do that for you, Shinozaki. So how about you apologize to Kim for what you did?”]
Yuji’s words echoed in her mind.
Her heart raced.
‘He thought of me… for me…’
On the surface, she pretended like it didn’t matter, but behind the scenes, he was treating her kindly.
Truly a bad guy.
Rin muttered to herself while calling for Kim Deok-Sung.
“Ki-Kim Deok-Sung…”
“What?”
“Uh…”
His dark eyes turned toward her.
Rin lost her words.
Her face turned red.
She averted her gaze and lowered her head.
“…I’m sorry. All that I’ve done to you… was just… shameful behavior. Insisting on a duel with you… provoking you… I want to apologize for all of this right here. I’m really sorry, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Rin’s hands trembled.
“I’m such a headstrong woman that it’s only natural for you to hate me… However, even so, I don’t want to remain a scoundrel in your eyes until the very end.”
Tears flowed from her eyes.
She didn’t want to be hated by him.
But she almost certainly would be.
Rin buried her head between her knees.
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of burning firewood echoed in her ears.
*
Suddenly, it was fine that Rin was apologizing.
But why was she crying?
This was confusing.
Rin wasn’t the type to have such extreme mood swings.
Then again, this was reality, not fiction, so it made some sense.
A sigh escaped her internally.
Honestly, Rin still felt unlikable, but if she didn’t accept the apology in this kind world, who knows what would happen?
Clutching her aching heart, she awkwardly spoke.
“…You did well with the apology.”
“Are you really going to accept this crazy apology…?”
Rin sniffed and shed more tears.
Sure, the protagonist is also dense, but there are way too many people who can’t tell bad acting apart.
So when a cross-dressing heroine shows up later, everyone confuses her for a guy.
“Yeah, I’ll accept it, so stop crying, will ya?”
I was worried someone might see.
“Ugh… okay, got it.”
Rin wiped her eyes with her sleeve and lowered her head.
“You’re really a bad guy. Kim Deok-Sung. The worst of the worst.”
Rin murmured.
That kind of talk she heard from Kasumi so often it didn’t even faze her.
“…Here. I brought this Kirimochi for you.”
Rin handed me two sticks of white rice cakes skewered on a wooden stick.
Kirimochi.
A must-have for Japanese campfires, grilled sweet rice cake over an open flame.
This time, for some reason, she had prepared thoroughly.
“U-Um, I hate to ask, but could you grill my share too…?”
Rin mumbled with a red face.
“I feel like I’d burn it if I did it…”
“Then from now on, just say it plainly. That you can’t cook.”
I interrupted Rin’s sentence and snatched the two sticks of Kirimochi from her hand.
I snatched two skewers of rice cakes from her hands as I cut off her words.
“······Ah, I see.”
Rin smiles.
She likes being teased, huh?
I still can’t figure out why she’s acting this way since yesterday.
I roast the rice cakes on the skewer over the campfire.
The white glutinous rice cakes puff up round and golden-brown as they grill.
The savory smell of the cakes fills the air.
“Here.”
I hand one of the perfectly roasted rice cakes to her.
“Th-thank you.”
As I hear her words of thanks, I take a bite of the rice cake.
The rice cake stretches like cheese.
Surprisingly, it tastes pretty good.
I guess this is why people enjoy late-night snacks.
“It’s delicious.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I think it’s tasty too. Maybe it’s even better because you grilled it for me······.”
Rin takes a bite, smiling lightly.
Her rice cake stretches as well.
She really looks pretty for some reason.
It’s true that food made by others always tastes better.
“This is the second time someone has grilled rice cakes for me······.”
The second time, huh?
Come to think of it, rice cakes are Rin’s soul food.
Her guardian and adoptive father, Ichiro, made her grilled rice cakes too, but it was the first and last time because of a minor backstory.
Was that the reason she prepared the rice cakes?
As I listen to Rin, I tear into the rice cake.
A moment of silence passes before Rin speaks up.
“Kim Deok-Sung, have you heard about that?”
“What story?”
“I heard that there’s a night of terror once a year when otherworldly beings go wild here. They call that time ‘The Night of a Hundred Ghosts.’ It’s a legendary tale, but······.”
Rin fiddles with the skewer as she talks.
“I’ve heard of it.”
I respond, still chewing on the rice cake.
It’s not just something I’ve heard about.
The Night of a Hundred Ghosts.
That’s not just a legend; it’s a real phenomenon.
The last night’s courage training.
That bizarre phenomenon that strikes students is none other than the Night of a Hundred Ghosts.
On top of that, the villain “Priest,” affiliated with the Cult, controls the Night of a Hundred Ghosts and the illusion fog for courage training through the artifact “Divine Symbol,” turning courage training into a chaotic reality in an instant.
“I figured you’d have heard about such a famous legend. Hmmm.”
I finish the rice cake while listening to Rin.
I can see dawn breaking far off.
It’s about time for breakfast and to set out for today’s weekly exploration.
*
After the torrential rain on the second day, things went as I expected—smoothly without any major events.
Finally, the last night of Imgan School arrived.
In front of the temporary teacher’s building at Imgan School, the playground.
All the students, including me, have gathered.
“Students! Did you enjoy your time at Imgan School?”
Mayuzumi-sensei shouts with a smile from the inspection stage.
Just like in the anime.
“Then, let’s start the big event for the last day at Imgan School—courage training!”
Following that, the usual warnings follow.
The purpose of the courage training is to test the students’ awareness, and as explained in the anime, passing entails overcoming the interference of illusion fog to reach the destination beyond the mist.
“Always contact the teacher using your Hunter Watch in an emergency!”
If the Priest shows up, the Hunter Watch goes dead.
We’ve already prepared for that, so it shouldn’t matter.
“······Then let’s start the courage training by groups now!”
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