Atra knew the importance of cleanliness from her ti on the battlefield.
Of course, for transcendents, the likelihood of getting sick from poor hygiene was low. However, morale could plumt, and physical performance could still degrade in unsanitary conditions. Not to ntion, if a monster with a unique ability involving disease or poison erged in such environnts, defeat could co before the battle even started.
There were indeed cases of this happening.
One such instance was the Twin-Headed Venomous Dragon, a Rank 3 Alpha monster that appeared in ancient China. While it was a powerful creature, the real reason it decimated the region was due to the nature of its poison and the unsanitary environnt that aided its spread.
In any case, Atra had beco particularly strict about cleanliness.
Gag...
That day had further reinforced her habits.
The imnse psychological shock she had suffered had hit her hard, and since then, she hadn’t touched a cigarette.
Before bringing Lee Hayul to her residence, she had ventilated the place multiple tis, casting purification magic to ensure no odors lingered.
And for herself... especially the area on her chest where Hayul often buried his face, she made sure to clean ticulously.
Click.
The hologram on the ceiling shut off, and the shower’s water flow ceased.
After drying herself with a towel, Atra donned the indoor clothes she had prepared and stepped out of the bathroom.
The warm, steamy air from the shower mixed with the cool air from outside, brushing against her skin.
Tapping her hair dry with the towel, Atra headed towards her room.
Tap tap tap.
“Hm?”
She stopped halfway.
There was a rhythmic tapping sound, a sizzling noise, and the unmistakable scent of food in the air.
Atra blinked in confusion before changing direction, her hair still damp, and headed towards the kitchen.
What greeted her was a unique sight.
Hayul was standing at the counter, one hand holding a knife as he finely chopped ingredients on a cutting board.
Behind him...
The artifact known as Cheonui, which typically floated around him like a cloak, had split into multiple tendrils, so adjusting the frying pan, others holding spatulas and tongs, expertly preparing food.
Fire spirits hovered near the pan, seemingly adjusting the heat as well.
“......”
It was a peculiar sight. It reminded Atra of those performance-based restaurants where superhuman chefs would put on similar displays.
Hayul, sensing her presence, turned his head. He wore a simple white apron, and upon seeing Atra, he smiled apologetically, bowing his head slightly.
[Did you finish your shower?]
[Sorry.]
[Just a little longer.]
[It’s almost ready.]
“Y-yeah.”
Atra, at a loss for words, mumbled a reply.
A short while later, just as Hayul had said, the food was finished, and the plates were set on the table.
[I made sothing simple.]
Hayul explained as he hovered near her, watching for her reaction.
Atra looked at the table.
White plates, with steam rising from freshly prepared food.
Perfectly grilled bacon and sausages, golden scrambled eggs and small fried eggs, crispy hash browns.
On another plate, there was a neatly arranged salad with dressing and so bread, perhaps intended for sandwiches.
“......”
It really was simple. The kind of breakfast one might have in the morning.
Atra, being from the British region, had grown up eating als like this.
Grown up.
Before she attended the academy... she had eaten breakfasts like this with her family.
Staring blankly at the food, Atra slowly turned her gaze towards Hayul.
He wasn’t sitting across from her. Instead, he was standing nearby, glancing at her with a mix of hope and worry.
Realizing what he was waiting for, Atra picked up her fork and took a bite of the sausage.
She chewed for a mont, the flavors filling her mouth. The sausage was perfectly cooked, neither too greasy nor overcooked. It was just right—tailored to her tastes.
“It’s good...”
“......!”
Those two simple words—"It’s good"—were enough to send a wave of relief and happiness across Hayul’s face. His smile blood like a sunflower basking in the sun, pure and joyful.
Atra could clearly see that smile.
The innocent expression of a child who was genuinely delighted just from hearing a few kind words.
‘...Oh dear.’
She almost let out a sigh but swallowed it back, rembering the events of the previous day.
Still, she couldn’t stop the inner sigh from welling up inside.
‘How am I supposed to teach him...?’
Teaching soone how to fight was easy.
Atra was reminded of this once again...
The eting point with Baek Ahrin was at the central fountain in the comrcial district.
The comrcial district, true to its na, was lined with restaurants, entertainnt venues, and large shopping centers, much like any bustling city.
The eting ti was noon.
I arrived at 11:30, thirty minutes early.
After looking around for a bit, I sat on a bench near the fountain, using my Observation ability to scan the area.
‘...Quite a few people here.’
As I often felt at Shioram, despite the large and impressive facilities, there were relatively few people.
But that made sense. Shioram wasn’t densely populated to begin with.
There were staff, faculty, and students, as well as the people who ran the shops in the comrcial district. That was about it.
But today, there were more people than usual.
It wasn’t like a bustling city where people were packed tightly together, but there were enough to make the area feel lively.
It was the first weekend after the midterm exams, so many students had poured into the comrcial district to relieve their academic stress.
Most weren’t wearing their uniforms but casual clothes, though many of them were familiar faces—classmates or upperclassn I’d seen before.
It wasn’t just students who had co out.
Staff, who had been burdened with planning and running the midterms, had also flooded out to enjoy the break.
With everyone gathering, the place felt noticeably more populated.
‘Hmm...’
There were indeed many people around.
Naturally, there were many glances and whispers directed my way, but I had grown accustod to the attention by now. It didn’t bother anymore.
If this were before, I might have run ho in embarrassnt, but now I felt a sense of growth.
I sat on the bench, swinging my legs as I waited for Baek Ahrin to arrive.
‘Sigh...’
Thinking about Baek Ahrin, I couldn’t help but recall the advice I had received from Hong Yeonhwa and my master about this eting.
There had been a flood of missed calls and ssages from Hong Yeonhwa.
Panicked, I had hurriedly sent her a ssage to let her know I was okay.
She replied almost instantly, asking if sothing had happened, worried because I hadn’t answered.
That led to a brief conversation.
I explained that I had fallen asleep, and that my device had been on silent mode, which is why I hadn’t noticed the calls. I apologized.
She responded that she had been worried, but was relieved to hear that everything was fine. Then she asked if I had fallen asleep in the dormitory.
I told her I had fallen asleep at my master’s place.
...Her response was a bit more inquisitive, asking why I had been there and if sothing had happened, but the conversation soon turned to my upcoming eting with Baek Ahrin.
It was a welco topic, as I had my own questions about it.
▶Hong Yeonhwa: If she tries anything weird, just punch her.
▶Hong Yeonhwa: You don’t need to hesitate, don’t hold back.
▶Hong Yeonhwa: Got it?
In the end, I didn’t learn much. It was mostly just advice to reject anything strange, which was, of course, common sense.
Even Hong Yeonhwa didn’t seem to know why Baek Ahrin had made this strange bet with .
Before I left my master’s place, I received similar advice... or education.
I found it strange. Why keep emphasizing things like that? Did they think I didn’t know how to protect myself?
But since both Hong Yeonhwa and my master had made these points out of concern, I nodded along.
I was still sitting on the bench, swinging my legs and scrolling through magic books on my hologram when I sensed sothing at the edge of my Observation field.
Baek Ahrin had arrived.
Her footsteps echoed clearly amid the other sounds around the fountain as she approached.
After glancing around briefly, her gaze t mine, and she smiled brightly before walking towards .
“I thought I’d be early by arriving 20 minutes ahead, but it seems I’m late.”
[It’s okay.]
[I just got here myself.]
I waved off her apology, shaking my head as I took in her appearance.
Her long, neatly tied blue hair, as always.
A plain white t-shirt with no adornnts.
A denim jacket over her shoulders and jeans that accentuated her long legs.
There was nothing particularly flashy about her outfit, but her tall, graceful fra made her look stunning regardless.
“Have you had lunch yet?”
[Hm?]
[Didn’t you say we’d be eating together?]
“Oh, you rembered. Good.”
Baek Ahrin grinned as she said this and, without warning, held out her hand.
“?”
I tilted my head in confusion before realizing what she wanted and feeling a bit odd about it.
A pristine white hand.
A hand that could summon hundreds of ice spikes if she wanted to.
Of course, I didn’t think she would do that here.
It was Shioram, after all. I had no reason to be particularly wary.
Cautiously, I extended my hand, and Baek Ahrin clasped it.
My hand, covered by a black sleeve, t her pale, bare hand.
It wasn’t warm—it was cool.
Beep.
As I processed the sensation, a tir appeared on Baek Ahrin’s smartwatch.
A holographic display popped up with a countdown tir.
[23:59:57]
“Alright, the 24-hour tir starts now.”
[Huh?]
I looked at her in confusion, wondering what she ant, and Baek Ahrin casually explained.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m claiming a full day of your ti.”
“???”
Realization dawned on .
A full day.
24 hours.
I stood there, mouth agape.
‘No way.’
As if to confirm my thoughts, Baek Ahrin simply smiled and swung our joined hands gently.
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