I walked up to Ao.
“You said you had sothing to ask ?”
“Yes.”
She looked slightly nervous.
“What is it?”
“Well…”
After a mont of hesitation, Ao finally spoke.
“Yein, do you… know Mayor Cheon Jiwon personally?”
Huh?
For a second, I wasn’t sure I’d heard right. I stared at her, and she grew flustered.
“Or… maybe not?”
“Why would you think that?”
“I once saw you at Platinum Wings with the Mayor. I thought maybe… you were acquainted.”
Ah.
That. Early sumr break, when Lumina was away in London. iling had insisted on tagging along despite saying it was for “work,” and we’d gone to Platinum Wings together. A crowd had gathered out front, and then Jiwon himself appeared, catching completely off guard.
“Yein?”
Ao’s voice pulled back from the mory.
“Ah, sorry. No, it’s not that.”
“Is it sothing you can’t tell ?”
Well… it is awkward.
That day, Jiwon had visited Platinum Wings to gather intel on Persilla, the Arms Collector—the craftsman-killer. But Persilla was already dead by then, thanks to our squad.
“There isn’t really any personal connection,” I said carefully. “The Mayor was looking for soone and thought we might have seen them. That’s all.”
“Soone…? Oh. You an the Mystery Craftsman?”
I gave a wry smile.
“That’s a secret.”
“Ah, I see. All right. I won’t pry.”
Relief washed over .
“Then… why ask?” I countered.
She hesitated, then admitted, “If you really were close to him, I wanted to know how. I guess… I hoped to learn.”
Oh. That’s it.
It finally clicked.
Kobayakawa Ao.
Second-year at Martial God Academy. Polite, kind, a natural leader. She wasn’t just president of Martial God’s student council but also head of the Seoul Hunter Trainee Union. A heavyweight among students.
Her stats: Strength A, Energy B, Mind S. Respectable attack power, but her resilience and recovery were what stood out. Her ability was versatile, too—Ao was a must-have companion in the Martial God route of the ga.
Her flaw? Her fixation on Cheon Jiwon.
“You… want to be close to him, don’t you?” I asked.
She jolted. “N-no. Just… I’d like to speak with him, even briefly. But he’s a busy man. Why would soone like ever get that chance?”
“You’ve already t him. At City Hall.”
“That was…” She sighed. “Honestly, I didn’t want it to be that way.”
“So when you opposed city policy, you didn’t an it?”
She shook her head, eyes serious.
“What I said then was my honest opinion, and my team’s consensus. But I’ve always respected the Mayor. I think Seoul remains just because of him. He embodies the justice other cities have lost.”
“I didn’t realize you felt that way,” I said.
Ao smiled faintly. “You must separate public duty from private respect. If you can’t, you have no right to represent others.”
That’s Ao for you. Born to lead.
“In any case, I see now—it was just my mistake,” she said.
I hesitated. It was true that Jiwon had acknowledged and Lumina after the terrorist incident, told us to contact him anyti. But I had no reason to introduce Ao now. Eventually, they’d et naturally.
“Anything else?” I asked, ready to leave.
“Yes.”
Huh? More?
“Yein, would you ever consider becoming student council president?”
“…President?”
“Yes.” Ao smiled. “You know the Union is made up of twelve mbers, each academy’s president and vice president. I’d like you to join as a full mber.”
? Why?
I nearly said it aloud but bit it back.
“Not interested, then?” she guessed from my silence.
“Representing others is a heavy burden.”
“Really? I thought it suited you. Yein, with your strength and achievents, you’d be perfect.”
“Achievents?”
“You helped the Mayor prevent further incidents by giving him the Weight of Phase Fixation. You stood against terrorists at the Porter Departnt Store. And now you’re leading Gwangcheon as the top team at HAUT.”
She stepped closer.
“So… how about it? Take over as Union leader after ?”
Not just a mber. She wants to be the leader?
“If you’re willing, I’ll back you completely. Better to prepare early.”
“I’ll pass.”
My refusal was firm.
“…I see.” She bit her lip, then nodded. “If you’re set against it, I won’t press.”
I asked, “So… you actually want to step down?”
“Not now. But I’ll graduate in a year, and soone has to succeed .”
“Why not soone already on the council?”
“Most are third-years about to graduate. And among my year, no one else wants it.”
“…I see.”
“Well, I’ll wait. Sorry for keeping you so long.”
“Not at all. I’ll head back.”
As I turned toward the dorm, I glimpsed movent—three shadows slipping away into the night.
That night, I dread.
I listened to a voice.
Enough. I don’t want to hear any more.
I turned away.
Yet even with my back turned, I could still see his face.
His eyes were tired. His lips moved.
“I trusted you.”
At those words, sothing inside crumbled.
“…”
I woke and looked around.
Still dawn.
Bluish light spilled in through the dormitory window. I glanced around once more, just to be sure.
Jin Cheongryong was lying flat on his back, posture as stiff as if he were standing at attention, while Tobi had curled up beneath his blanket, head completely covered. I let out a breath of relief.
This is why I hate being here.
I lay back down, but sleep never ca.
Because we’d finished our reports the day before, Sunday was a true holiday. The atmosphere across the academies was unusually relaxed.
Click.
“Hmm.”
Click.
“…Tch.”
Wooden pieces clacked against a board. Tobby and Rio were playing a ga of baduk with a set they’d bought at the campus store.
Cheongryong sat in ditation, eyes closed, while Zen, who had barely woken up, was already sprawled on a mat, asleep again.
As for Jang Taeil—he wasn’t around. Off visiting his squad, no doubt.
Nothing to do.
Funny. I’d thought preparing for HAUT was tough, but sohow this place gave more free ti than ever.
I trusted you.
I shot upright in bed, shaking off the dream, and stepped outside. Sitting idle only made the words echo louder.
I wandered the grounds, hoping a walk would clear my head, but the opposite happened. Every abandoned guard post, every empty drill field reminded of that dream.
Better than this…
I headed for the main building and down into the underground ntal Strength Training Hall.
“Oh?”
A small voice greeted .
A petite girl with bright red hair—Rune.
“You ca to use this place?”
Her surroundings were empty of the usual “training devices”—contraptions that looked more like torture racks than exercise tools. Either she had just arrived or, like , she’d simply co for solitude.
“Not really. If I’m intruding, I’ll leave.”
“Wait.” Rune stopped .
“What is it?”
“That thing a few days ago—when your squad spread snacks around the dorms. That was your idea, right?”
“Everyone was struggling. It didn’t feel right for us to eat what we bought at the store while others went hungry.”
“I see.”
She folded her arms, lips pursing thoughtfully. The gesture reminded of another small girl with twin black pigtails.
“And that’s all? No other reason?”
“You think I had so ulterior motive senior?”
I called her “senior,” since she was a second-year. Her lips twitched despite herself. She clearly liked the sound.
“Of course. You wanted to change how people saw you.”
“Maybe. We’re competitors here, but who knows where we’ll et again? And it’s uncomfortable to glare at the sa faces every ti.”
“If that’s the case, then you really only need to keep one person under control, don’t you?”
“…The duels start tomorrow.”
My words wiped the faint smile from her face.
“You’re right. Best keep that one under control. No accidents, no one getting hurt.”
“Didn’t expect you to admit it so bluntly,” Rune said.
“Well, it’s hard not to be biased toward your own.”
“Then we’ll soon see if your talk is just bluffing. I’ll be watching.”
Rune left the training hall.
I pressed my palms together in a quick Namo Amitabha.
I rembered the ti iling nearly clashed with the Rune-Zen twins.
‘You’ll find out soon enough whether I’m just a spoiled rich kid, or if I deserve to be here.’
‘No need to wait. Once your head catches fire, you’ll know for yourself.’
Up until now, iling had been restrained by , by Seo Yui, and by the fact that Lumina was Rune’s roommate. But in the duels? Her limiter would be gone.
I really do need to talk to her. Tell her to keep it moderate.
I waited long enough not to cross Rune’s path again, then left the hall and headed for Room 3, where iling stayed.
Just as I arrived—
“Tch.”
Damn.
Iris. I’d forgotten she was in Room 3 as well.
“What are you doing here?”
“Visiting a teammate. What else?”
“Hmph. Who knows? There’s always so sly snake coiled up inside you.”
I bit back a retort. Pointless to spar with her tongue when it would only escalate. I ignored her and went inside.
“Oh? Yein?”
Seo Yui looked up from her bed. She was the only one there.
“What is it?”
“I ca to talk to iling, but she’s not here.”
“She went to the store.”
Figures. I must’ve missed her on the way over.
“What did you need to say?”
“With the duels starting tomorrow…”
Seo Yui nodded, understanding instantly.
“Want to co with you?”
“Please. Easier with you there.”
Handling iling alone was exhausting. Might as well bring Lumina too—the best antidote for her.
Soon enough, the three of us were on our way to the store.
I felt confident we wouldn’t miss her this ti—until Maria ca running toward us.
“Yein! Perfect timing!!”
One look at her face, and my stomach sank. Maria, usually the bright mood-maker, only looked that grim when things were seriously bad.
“Hurry! To the store! iling and Zen are…!”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I bolted.
“Wait—!” Maria’s voice trailed behind .
But all I could think of was the penalty: not just lost points, but expulsion.
And after all we’d built up—losing first place to sothing so stupid was unthinkable.
(End of Chapter)
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