“Ahahaha… This is just… something I shouldn’t see in front of a student…”
Professor Shin Jae-yu chuckles awkwardly while handing a can of energy drink over, looking a bit embarrassed.
Being served an energy drink instead of tea feels slightly strange.
I take a moment to glance around.
It’s apparent that boxes of the same brand as the can in her hand are piled high in various corners of the office.
“My sponsor sends so many, you know… it doesn’t seem to decrease no matter how much I drink… Huh…”
She pulls out a can with droplets of condensation and flops her body onto the sofa.
“Wanna take a box later?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Why not? This stuff is really good. It comes in various flavors, and it has all sorts of vitamins and essential nutrients…”
“I don’t really like drinks…”
“Oh? Then there’s nothing I can do about that…”
The professor looks genuinely disappointed at my refusal, as if she were a shady merchant who failed to sell a product.
She pops open the can and gulps it down before getting straight to the point.
“So, what kind of consultation does our rumored young master want?”
“Before that, I have a question.”
“Huh?”
There was something I needed to clarify before addressing my doubts.
“By any chance, what kind of relationship do you have with our head… the heir?”
“What?”
Her eyes widen in surprise, clearly not expecting the question.
Then she suddenly bursts into giggles.
“Oh my. I was wondering what kind of consultation you wanted…”
I felt anxious, wondering if she wouldn’t answer.
However, Professor Shin responded with a tone full of intrigue.
“Well? What kind of relationship do you think we have? Wanna take a guess?”
“Huh? How can I know that…”
“Come on, think about it. Isn’t it more fun? Huh?”
Leaning slightly forward, she gives me a predatory look, as if preparing to pounce.
I quickly turn my head away from her shirt which naturally droops under gravity.
“…”
I never imagined I’d end up in such a situation.
I never guessed she could have this side to her.
Regardless, I racked my brains.
From her reaction, it seems they know each other well.
She seems to be around the same age as the head and his sisters. A wild one, a lecherous one, the head has various nicknames, and there are still his sisters who follow him around.
Putting that all together…
“Um… do you perhaps like the head…?”
“Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!”
As soon as the words left my mouth, she started shaking her shoulders and choked on a strange laugh before breaking into uncontrollable giggles.
Then, without warning, she gives me a playful slap on the head.
“You cheeky little brat. How dare you say that to a professor?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Puhuh… It’s fine. What do you have to apologize for? I asked first. You’re killing me here, really…”
Before she finished speaking, she erupted into laughter and waved her hands dismissively.
“We were just close friends, you know. At first, we weren’t really that close, in fact, it was the opposite.”
Professor Shin Jae-yu once again settled onto the sofa comfortably.
She opened her eyes groggily, searching her memory.
“That guy was really tough to deal with. Just because he came from a prestigious family, he treated everyone like garbage and would harass the girls recklessly… you know?”
“…”
I didn’t know that.
So that wasn’t just a malicious rumor but the truth?
“Huh? You really didn’t know…? Oh dear.”
The professor looks puzzled at my reaction.
But then she continues her story with a “whatever” expression.
“Well, that was a time long ago. We’ve dueled a few times. He picked on my friends a lot.”
She finishes the drink remaining in her can and tosses it behind her.
With a clank, the can rolls on the floor instead of reaching the garbage can, causing her to frown.
“…Oh dear. Anyway, after all those scuffles, things just turned out like this. Gradually, he started to wise up. It’s weird to think about it again; how did that reckless punk turn into…?”
“So do the sisters know too?”
“Of course. We served in the military together up north. I was a classmate of Jin Yeseo. You know Jin, right? The other two are my seniors.”
She’s probably talking about Chaewon and Sehwa.
After this conversation, I had enough confidence to conclude.
If he’s spent time hanging around with the head or his sisters, then he must know about the girl from my dream.
After all, they’ve taken photos while being so close to the head.
Yet, I still struggled with the unsettling memory.
The dream where strange women gathered and had incomprehensible conversations about Polaris and Spica.
At first, it felt so blurry I couldn’t think straight.
But a photo I saw in the Heukryeon mansion resurrected those memories.
It’s bizarre to dream of someone I’ve never seen before, and even more so when I realize she’s a real person who’s actually close enough to drape her arm around the head’s neck…
I was left at a loss.
The girl from my dream had an expression that was almost grotesquely evil.
Yet in the photo, she bore an unexpectedly sweet and bright smile, with wide eyes full of innocent light.
This stark contrast only added to my confusion.
The investigation I asked Mu-young to conduct was meant to resolve that peculiar discomfort.
I sincerely hoped it was nothing, but that made it even more important to investigate.
Maybe today I’d finally be able to answer those questions.
I swallowed hard and tossed my inquiry toward her.
“So, do you happen to know a person named Seol Yujeong?”
“What…?”
But the moment I uttered the name written on the photograph, the warm atmosphere soured instantly.
*
In just a moment, I could feel everything shift.
My mouth, which had felt light as if floating on water, suddenly felt like it was locked shut.
Professor Shin Jae-yu, who had been sitting silently for a moment, turned to me with a piercing gaze.
“…If you’re asking me, then you probably haven’t heard anything directly from that person?”
“I… haven’t…”
“Oh? Then I guess we should end our talk here for today.”
The professor suddenly sprang up from the sofa with exaggerated movements.
I was left stunned by the abrupt change in her demeanor.
“Huh?”
“Well, I’m quite busy right now. We’ll have to continue the consultation another time, I think?”
“Wait, what do you mean…?”
“Come on, get out quick. Always stay healthy, and work hard for those duels!”
–Bang!
“…”
When I finally gathered my wits, all I saw was the firmly closed door of her office.
I contemplated knocking again, but her expression swiftly surfaced before me, showing no intention of answering.
Ultimately, I turned away in defeat.
The feeling of unresolved discomfort clung to my mind.
While the questions thickened, one thing became increasingly clear; there was something.
What should I do about this?
Professor Kwon Chanyul seemed even more tight-lipped.
Then, suddenly recalling something, I halted in my tracks.
That person named Seol Yujeong… wasn’t she the Student Council Vice President?
Then perhaps I could check her records in the cradle’s archives.
“…”
However, going through the tedious access procedures at the archives would take time, and I had other pressing matters to address.
The Nakseongil Festival, my duel with Jin Yeseo, and the ranking matches right ahead.
For now, I had to set it aside, at least temporarily.
*
There was a noisy commotion and vibrations filling the air since morning.
The excitement surrounding the Nakseongil Festival being held in the capital reached all the way to the Cradle.
This year, starting from early on, a series of incidents had stirred things up. With deteriorating security and food shortages, the underlying sentiments were on the verge of exploding.
While there were criticisms that it was a waste of funds, everyone would agree that a grand festival was the most cost-effective way to soothe those sentiments.
And for Minha, the reason she considered that was simply that she found herself unexpectedly joining in on the excitement.
“Alright, alright…”
With weary eyes, Minha let out a breath of relief.
Before her sat a tray filled with sticky lumps covered in white sugar powder.
They varied in size, color, and shape.
And these were just the best results she’d managed to refine.
She looked around wearily.
Burnt pots all around, sticky messes covering everything, kitchen tools strewn chaotically.
“Hah… seriously…”
Frustrated beyond belief, Minha subconsciously clenched her fists.
As she did, the wooden spatula she was holding splintered as easily as paper.
She had never even cooked before, let alone baked anything.
Yet, she couldn’t just waltz into the baking club.
During the Nakseongil Festival and the National Foundation Day, that place was packed with one-time learners.
The Nakseongil Festival was for girls, while the National Foundation Day was for boys.
There was absolutely no way she could join that superficial crowd.
Buying pre-made candy was also out of the question, no matter how high quality it was.
The candies given during the Nakseongil Festival always had an unspoken rule attached.
It was fine if it was merely a friend but… if someone wished to express feelings or emotions beyond that, they would need to make it themselves.
“Why am I doing this… Hah.”
Minha grumbled to herself.
It was an utterly ridiculous, nonsensical, and disheartening rule.
Of course, this didn’t mean she had any options left.
With no time to spare, Minha began wrapping the candies.
At least the wrappers made them look decent, which was a small comfort.
With half of her heart filled with expectation and the other half with worry, Minha calmed her racing heart and left the kitchen.
She carefully hid the wrapped candies in her pocket and made her way to the main building casually.
It was around the time he would be attending his Monsters class.
It had been a long time since she memorized his semester schedule.
As more students began to pass by, the sweet scent grew heavier in the air.
Minha decided to wait for him under the lecture building.
With a nonchalant, casual touch and tone, she’d offer him the gift.
“…?”
Just as she was replaying her plan in her mind, a movement detected by the spirit made her tilt her head in confusion, frowning.
Although spirits have no eyes, they could detect the energy forms they originated from.
She had strategically placed the spirit at the front of his locker where he always went during his practical classes.
The spirit did its job well, as it refrained from approaching him. However, it revealed to her that round energy forms were ceaselessly moving in front of his locker.
“These wretched girls have the audacity to…?”
Realizing the implication, Minha muttered under her breath, brimming with rage.
Using the festival as an excuse to approach or build a connection with an attractive peer was a common occurrence.
She disconnected from the spirit and hurriedly ascended the stairs.
Her impulsive actions fueled by anger.
She felt a burning desire to tear apart anything that dared come between her and him.
With every girl passing her from the opposite direction, she shot them piercing glares.
Among those girls, surely one of them would be the shallow-minded ones putting candy in his locker.
“…?”
But just as she was about to turn at the last staircase, Minha abruptly froze.
Though she could only see the back, something that shouldn’t be seen somehow made its way into her field of vision.
Someone with black hair was rushing down the stairs on the opposite side from where Minha stood.
She could even clearly see the glint of golden light in their eyes.
The hallway was filled with an essence that clearly belonged to someone else, not hers.
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