The snow hasn’t fallen yet, but the outside air was cool enough to feel it.
Lunch had long passed, and it was still too early for dinner. The cadets emerging from the evaluation hall moved on, each experiencing the winter weather in their own way.
Among them was Hong Yeon-hwa.
Unlike others, she didn’t feel the cold at all.
The body of a superhuman is naturally robust. While the sensitivity threshold isn’t excessively high, her durability has clearly increased, allowing her to withstand more than an ordinary person.
Due to her Gop-hwa lineage, Hong Yeon-hwa’s body is fiery. Unless a disaster like the trials of Gop-hwa occurs, she could maintain her warm body temperature even if dropped in the middle of a snowy wasteland.
Even during her childhood, while gathering combat experience traveling the territories of Changhae, when others were freezing to death from the cold, she alone remained warm.
“Yeon-hwa, Yeon-hwa.”
But the warmth Hong Yeon-hwa felt now was different.
Her left hand, held firmly, was tugged slightly. Turning her gaze to the side, she saw Lee Ha-yul shaking a cup that he was holding.
With a sneaky smile, Lee Ha-yul gave the cup a gentle jiggle.
“Thanks for your notes. I brought this from the café. Would you like some?”
“What is it?”
“It’s iced chocolate. You tend to feel hot even on days like this. Unless you prefer hot chocolate?”
“Oh, thank you.”
Her mouth felt dry at that moment. Hong Yeon-hwa happily accepted the iced chocolate.
The refreshing chill wrapped around her hand, and she immediately tipped the cup to her lips. The pleasant aroma of chocolate that brushed against her nose filled her mouth and slid down her throat.
“Ugh… it’s sweet. That’s good.”
“Hehe, did you do well on the exam?”
“…uh…”
Savoring the sweetness left in her mouth, Hong Yeon-hwa flinched at Lee Ha-yul’s innocent question.
‘… Am I going to lose my second place this time…?’
From a few days back, they had all gathered at the mansion to study. During the simulation tests, Lee Ha-yul shockingly got perfect scores multiple times.
And with plenty of time left. Everyone was astounded by how quickly he surpassed even Baek Ahrin.
‘And the practical test…’
She had lost every sparring match before. Not using her unique ability, she had still been overwhelmingly defeated with just basic skills. Thinking about that, she felt he was very likely to surpass her in the practical test too.
As those thoughts came to mind, her eyelids fluttered anxiously. It was a strangely bitter feeling.
What should she say? Her pride was oddly bruised… feeling overshadowed by her exceptionally talented husband, even in her specialty…
“…No, um… I just managed.”
“Aha.”
Seeing Hong Yeon-hwa’s evasive reaction as she avoided eye contact, Lee Ha-yul nodded without prying further.
Of course, he didn’t think she had bombed it. Although Hong Yeon-hwa wasn’t confident, she had ranked high in the first semester.
“Hehe.”
Amid her thoughts, she couldn’t help but keep smiling. Every time her eyes caught that bright red scarf, her lips curled.
Yet, a small anxiety crept in.
Lee Ha-yul gently tugged at their held hands. While Hong Yeon-hwa was in the midst of drinking, she turned her gaze. Lee Ha-yul asked in a small voice, gazing into the foggy distance.
“How’s the scarf…? Is it not uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. It’s super comfortable. There’s nothing inconvenient even outside, and it’s really soft.”
“Really?”
Hong Yeon-hwa replied without hesitation. It wasn’t just flattery. There truly was nothing uncomfortable about it.
The texture was so soft and just the right warmth. It wasn’t too long to be bothersome, nor too short to be insufficient.
Though many mistook her light demeanor for casualness, Hong Yeon-hwa was accustomed to luxury.
This wasn’t just any expensive item; it was truly made with premium materials and care.
As the precious heir of the Gop-hwa Clan, Hong Yeon-hwa had come across such luxury and could confidently say this scarf was very comfortable.
Considering that Lee Ha-yul personally crafted it? For her, it was a priceless treasure beyond measure.
“Ehehe, I’m really glad you say that.”
She didn’t reveal her thoughts fully, but just that made Lee Ha-yul beam with the brightest smile.
As her hidden anxiety eased somewhat, that smile became even brighter to the point it could light up the surroundings. Even Hong Yeon-hwa, who had grown accustomed to Lee Ha-yul, momentarily held her breath.
It was beautiful. That word instantly came to mind.
Beauty standards differ from person to person. Over the ages, across regions, and cultures, perceptions of beauty have always varied.
But Hong Yeon-hwa was certain anyone would consider Lee Ha-yul a beauty.
In truth, he could easily clean up at a beauty pageant without breaking a sweat.
It felt like she was being forced to come to a conceptual realization of beauty. Yet, there was no resistance to it; she simply accepted it.
‘… His unique ability?’
She was unsure. She didn’t even know if he had that kind of unique ability. What was important right now wasn’t that.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Before long, a silence enveloped them. No familiar noises or footsteps could be heard.
Cadets walking in the same direction from the evaluation hall, and passersby approaching from the opposite direction.
All of them stared wide-eyed at Lee Ha-yul, whose bright smile illuminated the place.
‘Tsk.’
That attention was a bit uncomfortable. Especially the gaze from the female cadets felt like being pricked by thorns.
You could think it was being overly sensitive, but with Lee Ha-yul, one couldn’t let their guard down.
There wasn’t anyone unaware of how defenseless Lee Ha-yul was towards goodwill.
A kind-hearted person with a large bust could casually reach out, and he might let his guard down and follow them around.
To be blunt, there was even a chance he could be kidnapped or, conversely, end up bringing a kidnapper back to the mansion.
How many girls had entered the mansion just now?
Hong Yeon-hwa, Baek Ahrin, Elia, Arianna, Artra… not to mention, Ji-yeon, who occasionally sneaks in and naturally stays overnight.
Recalling these names made Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression tighten.
With a tongue-click in her mind, she drew Lee Ha-yul closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulder possessively.
“Hmm?”
“Eh.”
They both opened their mouths at the sensation they felt. Lifting and lowering their gazes, they blinked at each other’s eyes.
“…Hurry, let’s go.”
“…Okay!”
Just a moment of surprise, and then beaming with a bright smile, Lee Ha-yul stuck close to Hong Yeon-hwa.
– Swoosh…
The wings wrapped around her waist tightened even more.
“Could you step aside?”
“Ah, yes, yes! Sorry!”
The people who had stopped mid-conversation were startled and moved to the side.
It was especially the female cadets. Judging by their yellow ties, which symbolize autumn, they were third-year students.
Hong Yeon-hwa wrapped her arm around Lee Ha-yul and maneuvered through the crowd.
Though their gaze lingered on Lee Ha-yul until the very end, she felt a sense of superiority with the envy in their gazes shifted towards her.
“Yeon-hwa?”
“It’s nothing.”
Lee Ha-yul tilted his head, looking up at her, but Hong Yeon-hwa mumbled and pulled him deeper into her embrace.
“…Is it uncomfortable walking?”
“Not at all. I could lean in more.”
“Uh… it’s nice and warm.”
Relieved, Lee Ha-yul snuggled closer to Hong Yeon-hwa, burying his face into her softness.
“…Uh, Ha-yul, why did you come to pick me up?”
As she petted Lee Ha-yul’s head, Hong Yeon-hwa finally voiced the question she had been holding onto.
It wasn’t unusual for someone to come to pick her up, but they all had plans to meet at the café after finishing their exams today.
He could have easily gone straight to the café instead of coming to pick her up.
“Yeah, I had something I wanted to talk about.”
“Okay, what is it?”
Indeed, it seemed like he had business with her.
As Hong Yeon-hwa asked, a hint of tension creeping into her voice, Lee Ha-yul looked up at her and started to speak.
“Why have you been uncomfortable with me since some time ago?”
“I, me? When?”
Feeling a jolt inside, Hong Yeon-hwa hesitated and mumbled her words.
“Did I do something wrong…?”
“No, not at all.”
But immediately, seeing him looking downcast made her shake her head quickly.
“Then why…?”
“Hmm…”
With a shaky voice, he looked up at her. As Hong Yeon-hwa was lost in thought, contemplating what she had been agonizing over the past few days, she finally said what had been on her mind.
“Remember the elixir I gave you ages ago? Did you take it?”
“Yes, I took it before the exam.”
“Did anything happen then?”
– Flinch
Lee Ha-yul trembled slightly, just a hint. Even Hong Yeon-hwa, with her sharp senses, almost missed that small quiver. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Uh… nothing strange happened.”
“Really? No lying, right?”
Hong Yeon-hwa lowered her head. With her serious expression filling his vision, Lee Ha-yul shifted his gaze away.
“…Uh, well… there was a tiny, tiny thing, but eventually, there was no problem at all.”
‘Damn.’
A little, just a small incident.
Lee Ha-yul was evasive in his words, but it ultimately suggested something had happened.
In that instant, Hong Yeon-hwa’s mind went blank. Her stomach churned.
She personally was wearing the gift Lee Ha-yul had given her, but he was now saying he had issues after consuming the elixir she had given.
Problems arising from the elixir. That doesn’t sound good at all.
If an incident occurs due to the elixir, it usually means there’s a problem with the core or circuits, which can even risk one’s life…
Seeing Hong Yeon-hwa wobbling slightly, Lee Ha-yul rushed to her side, panicked.
“I-I swear! I was a bit surprised at that time, but in the end, it only worked to my benefit! There were no problems at all! Didn’t you see at the Tower of Growth? I became incredibly strong!”
Lee Ha-yul rushed to explain. While that mildly eased her worries, her head spun even more.
Pulling Lee Ha-yul, who was wriggling in her embrace, tightly, Hong Yeon-hwa said,
“Ah… Damn it, Ha-yul, I’m really sorry…”
“P-Please don’t say bad words… And really, it was okay…”
“I’m sorry…”
“It was really okay…”
Even though gazes were drawn to them, Lee Ha-yul only focused on Hong Yeon-hwa, restless and shaking his feet.
“Ah! Well, how about this—if you admit you made a tiny mistake, you can give me a little compensation.”
With his mind racing for an answer, Lee Ha-yul suggested, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s dimmed gaze shifted to him.
“Compensation… right, anything I can do, I’ll do it…”
Her voice echoed, soaked in gloom. Lee Ha-yul couldn’t hide his surprise at how downcast Hong Yeon-hwa looked.
“Um… a-kiss?”
And so, the unfiltered words slipped out.
In an instant, a glimmer returned to Hong Yeon-hwa’s dimmed eyes.
“Yeon-hwa…? W-Wait a moment! Not here! Right in the middle of the street…!? Squeeze, ack, choke…”
[Happiness]
A small voice echoed quietly above the now quiet street.
*
The day after the written exams came the practical evaluations.
Unlike the grandeur of the first semester, it wasn’t as extravagant.
While the first semester had hosted a tournament, inviting outsiders and broadcasting it, this second semester would simply involve practical evaluations.
The practical exam I’ll be taking involves combat specialization, where cadets are randomly matched and spar three times each.
‘Who will I be matched up with?’
The location for the practical tests was the fighting arena, which had many sparring facilities.
True to its name, it was equipped with all sorts of sparring setups, a facility used when many cadets need to spar during mid-term evaluations.
On the third basement floor of the fighting arena early in the morning, I entered the sparring arena assigned to me and waited for my opponent.
Since it was mid-term evaluation, I figured I would be matched with another freshman. If I’m lucky, it could be Baek Ahrin or Hong Yeon-hwa.
…As I hurriedly ran to avoid the gazes around me since early morning, bumping into Hong Yeon-hwa again might be a little awkward.
Fortunately, my opponent was not Hong Yeon-hwa.
Instead, an unexpected figure entered through the opposite door.
“Katsuki Yusei, it’s been a while since the last roll call. Let’s have a good match.”
A male cadet with somewhat gloomy silver hair and eyes.
He was a member of the Sanhyeonggeom, a representative force from the Japanese region. In the future, he would become a key figure, likely the leader of Sanhyeonggeom.
‘Hmm…’
I observed him as he approached from afar, wearing a peculiar expression.
I had intended to build a bit of rapport with him, but somehow hadn’t managed to connect properly up until now.
All I had was getting hit like a baseball during the freshman welcome event and receiving a simple apology afterward.
Since then, we had only exchanged greetings during roll calls for Ipchun Class.
[Yes, let’s have a good match.]
I nodded slightly in greeting.
Looking back, he was indeed a fitting opponent.
It was an opportunity for revenge for that long-ago incident when a baseball shot my way and knocked me out.
The heavy impact that had struck me suddenly and the stars that burst into my blackened vision were still vividly etched in my memory.
He had no fault in it, but still.
In fact, it was big for testing my skills.
This was my first opportunity to engage in combat with someone I had witnessed in awe.
…Plus, at this moment, I simply wanted to clear my mind through sparring…
Waving away the heat rising to my face, I drew the training sword strapped at my waist.
-Swish…!
The cold resonance that came as the sword was drawn snapped my attention to its sharpness.
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