After Yu-jin, Shia, and Alice left, Yu Jung-cheol slumped heavily into the sofa, feeling exhausted. His head throbbed.
‘To defeat Ninomiya and beco the top S-rank…’
What would happen if Yu-jin reclaid the title of the world’s strongest from Ninomiya? Even he couldn’t fully anticipate the repercussions, but one thing was clear: Yu-jin would once again shake the entire world, achieving sothing far more monuntal than his previous accomplishnts.
Naturally, the prestige of Clan Cheonhwa would skyrocket as well. From a group unable to surpass Ninomiya to a clan known worldwide for housing the strongest Awakener.
For Yu Jung-cheol, it was an irresistible vision, one he would gladly support Yu-jin to achieve.
‘The solo gate challenge isn’t a big issue, but…’
Yu-jin had made two requests:
First was the solo gate challenge. He wanted to tackle any gates that appeared on his own to quickly increase his stats.
This wasn’t a problem. Yu-jin was already ranked 7th among S-ranks and had experience leading an S-rank gate raid in the U.S. Any gate that appeared could be entrusted to him without worry.
‘But creating a katana for him... that’s another matter.’
The second request involved a weapon.
Until now, Yu-jin hadn’t been too particular about weapons. He was accustod to using the standard-issue katana provided by the academy, finding comfort in its simplicity over weapons of uncertain quality.
But his opponent this ti? Ninomiya Aika, the undisputed strongest of the Awakeners.
Facing his ntor with a basic katana was reckless. Beyond its impact on the odds, it was simply improper as a challenger.
So, for the first ti, Yu-jin requested a high-quality weapon — a “premium edge.” This showed how serious he was about his match with Aika.
‘As clan leader, of course, I should fulfill this request…’
It wasn’t an unreasonable request. After all, Clan Cheonhwa also developed weapons for Awakeners. It was well within their responsibility to support their mbers. Yu-jin was comfortable enough with the clan’s resources to make this request.
**[“It doesn’t need to be the best, just sothing that looks cool enough.”]**
**[“A katana, you say?”]**
**[“Yes, sothing… reasonable.”]**
‘As if I could make anything half-heartedly. Not to ntion, I’ve never crafted a katana before.’
But Yu Jung-cheol wasn’t entirely at ease with this request.
If the katana broke during his match with Aika, Cheonhwa’s stocks would likely plumt alongside it.
He couldn’t half-heartedly create a weapon for one of his own. Cheonhwa would have to do its utmost.
However, putting forth maximum effort didn’t guarantee the best result. Cheonhwa’s efforts would likely result in a diocre katana at best.
A katana — notoriously fragile and with the highest death rate among rookie Awakeners — wasn’t sothing Cheonhwa had much experience in crafting.
The lack of expertise would undoubtedly affect the quality.
‘If we could thoroughly research it and bring in a specialist from abroad, it wouldn’t be an issue…’
- Sigh.
‘But Cheonhwa’s researchers are currently focused on the Saintess Project.’
One more issue arose: Clan Cheonhwa was currently focusing its resources on researching the Saintess, in partnership with the U.S. They hadn’t made any breakthroughs yet, but still.
Yu Jung-cheol found himself torn between two priorities: preparing for an uncertain cataclysmic event in the future or assisting Yu-jin with the imdiate request for a katana. Choosing between the future and the present wasn’t an easy task, even for him…
- Ding.
"Hm? A ssage from Yu-jin... Hah."
But his worries were soon dismissed. He let out a dry laugh as he read the ssage, realizing his concerns were unnecessary.
**[Father-in-law, I thought it over and realized it’s probably best to ask Suguru about the katana. I’ll reach out to him directly, so please disregard the katana request…]**
‘Only you would call the Japanese Pri Minister “brother.” Yu-jin.’
Yu Jung-cheol was once again reminded of Yu-jin’s impressive network.
---
Having concluded his requests with his father-in-law, I returned to the academy right away.
"Yu-jin, what did you an earlier? You’re really going to challenge Ninomiya?"
"Are you aiming for the top S-rank position?!"
"Well, um, it’s a long story, but there’s soone nad Paimon…"
Actually, “right away” wasn’t entirely accurate. I was bombarded with questions from my wives on the way back.
They grilled about the festival, about why I was challenging my ntor to a match. By the ti I finished explaining, I was drained, unaware that I had missed sothing important.
I only realized it after I returned to my room.
"Disciple, you did well today… Disciple?"
"I have so work related to a special mission, so I’ll train a little later!"
- Zoom.
I hadn’t yet told my ntor about the festival or the match. I wanted to finish the festival docunts first, so I quickly headed to my room…
- Creak. Ding.
**["??? welcos you back with a gentle smile, asking if you’ve returned safely."]**
**["??? comnts on how comfortable the ride was."]**
"…."
‘Saintess, why are you playing with the robot vacuum?’
There she was, riding around on top of a robot vacuum with her mouth shaped like a little “ω.”
- Rumble rumble.
**["Hypno-chan hops around, saying her mom looks super cool!"]**
**["Hypno-chan sparkles with excitent, asking for a similar toy."]**
‘What are you doing now, Hypno-chan?’
Trailing behind her was a tiny, useless creature, waddling around after her. It reminded of a kid trailing behind a fumigation truck.
My hurried mind eased up a bit.
"Seriously. I’m busy to death, and here you are, taking it easy…"
- Pause.
"Oh, right. The Saintess Project."
That’s when it hit . I had assigned the Saintess Project to the clan. And here I was, asking them to make a katana.
In my previous life, the clan could make a katana easily, so I thought it would be fine… but this is only the first year of my reincarnation. Cheonhwa doesn’t have the technical knowledge for katana-making right now.
No wonder my father-in-law looked a bit uneasy.
I quickly realized my mistake.
‘I’ll send a ssage right away. I’ll handle the katana through Suguru; they can just focus on the gates...’
- Tap tap.
I swiftly corrected my error, texting my father-in-law to cancel the katana order.
- Tap tap tap.
**[Brother Suguru, it’s Seo Yu-jin. If you know any katana masters in Japan, I’d appreciate an introduction.]**
I also reached out to Suguru, the Japanese Pri Minister.
It was an abrupt request, but I was sure he would respond positively. If I used a “Made in Japan” katana, he could ride the national pride wave, and he’d get to boast about his connection to .
Although, if he knew it was for a duel to dethrone my ntor, his reaction might be a bit mixed. But as long as I kept it under wraps, there shouldn’t be an issue.
Just as I expected, his reply ca swiftly.
**[Suguru: Yu-jin, do you need a new katana?]**
**[Yes, the one I have is standard-issue, so I’m looking for sothing a bit more impressive.]**
**[Suguru: Couldn’t you borrow one from Ninomiya? I believe she has hundreds of fine swords.]**
"..."
Of course. Suguru didn’t know I intended to keep this duel a secret from my ntor, so to him, it was only natural to suggest asking her directly.
**[Disciple, or rather, Seo Yu-jin. I will grant you a sword as a token of your complete mastery. Take this sword and cut down with it…]**
‘Asking for a sword from my ntor holds a much deeper aning.’
Even if I did ask, I doubted she’d give one. Receiving a sword from my ntor would signify “nkyo kaiden,” the ultimate recognition of a disciple’s mastery of their ntor’s teachings.
Usually, one receives that only right before defeating the ntor… but , the second-life Yu-jin?
In truth, I hadn’t learned anything from her! She’d just made train relentlessly, saying my swordsmanship couldn’t keep up with my physical prowess.
There was no way my ntor would bestow the symbol of mastery upon .
And besides, the duel was ant to be a surprise for my ntor, a gift for her as the world’s strongest. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by asking her for a sword.
**[There’s a reason, so I want to get one secretly. Please keep it a secret from her.]**
**[Suguru: Ah, I see. Are you trying to impress Ninomiya? Show her your manly side?]**
**“Ack.”**
He was on to .
Suguru’s ssage was bursting with enthusiasm. I could feel his excitent through the awkwardly translated Korean.
He’d definitely figured out my feelings for my ntor.
**[Please, keep it secret from her,
Suguru…!!]**
**[Suguru: Ah, youth! Ninomiya will surely appreciate it.]**
**[Thank you! So please find a katana, sothing of decent quality, but mostly stylish. I want sothing that will make her fall for it!]**
**[Suguru: Leave it to . I’ll arrange a sword as a secret gift for you.]**
Suguru agreed without hesitation. His generosity reminded of how he had supported my marriage to my ntor in my past life.
With my mind eased, I sent my thanks.
**[If it works out with my ntor, Suguru, I’ll never forget your help.]**
**[Suguru: No need to worry about . Just look after Ninomiya. There’s no patriot quite like her.]**
**[Yes!]**
After finishing my ssages, I picked up a piece of paper to begin drafting the festival proposal for the final exams, as requested by the chairman.
‘Alright, let’s start with an outline…’
- Rumble rumble. Peek.
"...?"
Soone approached . Turning to look, I saw it was the Saintess, now with Hypno-chan perched on her head.
"What? You want to see this too?"
- Nod nod.
**["??? smiles gently, saying that she can no longer clearly see the future involving you."]**
**["Hypno-chan bounces along, chirping, ‘Owner’s fully ripened!’"]**
"…Alright, take a look."
Feeling a bit whimsical, I showed her the paper, squatting down and explaining it in detail.
"There’s a troubleso creature nad Paimon…"
**["??? expresses sympathy, calling Paimon a poor soul entangled in our battles."]**
"And so, we’re going to hold a festival. After I defeat my ntor, I plan to confess to her."
**["??? chuckles, saying that you’ve always enjoyed unnecessary endeavors."]**
"The festival... will be on the 15th week of the academy term, about five weeks from now."
- Freeze.
Suddenly, the Saintess’s cheerful expression froze upon hearing my last words, as if sothing important would happen on that day.
"Huh? What’s wrong?"
**[“???” shakes her head, smiling gently as if it’s nothing.]**
But only for a mont. The Saintess smiled again, this ti more like a proud parent admiring a child.
She grabbed my wrist firmly and…
- Squeeze, squish.
**["???" sends a heartfelt cheer your way.]**
**["Even if you can’t let go in the end, I won’t hate you. I just hope that, in the end, you and your loved ones find happiness. Think carefully."]**
"...?"
She suddenly guided my hand to squish her cheek.
The soft, warm feel of her skin made my mouth drop open. It was as delicate and plush as mochi.
- Bloop bloop.
**["Hypno-chan bounces around, saying it’s unfair that only Mom is getting attention! Hypno-chan demands cheek squishes too!"]**
‘What’s gotten into her?’
Though Hypno-chan was being a bit annoying, I…
- Squeeeeeze.
‘For so reason, this is really satisfying.’
For reasons unknown, I found myself a bit annoyed, and so I pulled on the Saintess’s cheek.
I didn’t know what to say, but sohow, her treating like a precious child had irked . What did a dumpling-like creature think it was doing, treating like a precious one?
- Wiggle wiggle.
**["???" wriggles, protesting that it hurts.]**
**["Hypno-chan stomps her feet, pouting that it’s unfair she’s not getting cheek squishes too.]**
‘Ah, that feels refreshing.’
Seeing the Saintess flustered for once was a pleasant sight.
I continued my “revenge” by rubbing her cheek for a while.
- Pause.
‘—Wait a second. Why can I touch her?’
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