Chapter 30
Letter
The weekend spent at the family home was fulfilling.
As a result, even though it was Monday, my steps to school couldn’t help but feel light.
Upon arriving at school,
I first looked for Yeonhae.
“Seems like Haneul hasn’t arrived yet.”
By the classroom window, at the back.
Yeonhae’s seat was empty.
Seeing no bag, it seemed she hadn’t come to school yet.
I wanted to tell her about what had happened at the family home, but I couldn’t help it.
I decided to wait for her to arrive at school and pass the time on my smartphone.
“Oh?”
I received a message from Dosieun.
It seemed like she sent it on her way to school.
“What’s up with this sister?”
Since we hadn’t contacted each other for a while, it was surprising.
But I’m not sure if she’s okay.
Thinking of her limping away from the training ground, I checked the message.
[Dosieun]: Did you have a good weekend?
[Dosieun]: Let’s spar next time.
[Cityeun]: 😸
The animated emoji sparkled like Cityeun, not the Cityeun I knew, but lively and cute.
Does she like these emojis?
Thinking of her making the same expression as the emoji made me chuckle involuntarily.
On one hand, it was obvious.
“Does she really want to challenge me like that?”
There was no reason not to accept Cityeun’s suggestion; after all, there was hardly anything we couldn’t do.
Our levels were similar, so we could help each other a lot.
[Me]: Yeah, sure 😄
From Noble mtl dot com
[Me]: But are you okay, Nuna? Not hurt?
I sent a message to Cityeun.
It seemed like she was texting too, as the ‘read’ indicator disappeared quickly.
[Cityeun]: I’m feeling better as time passes.
[Cityeun]: Thanks for worrying.
[Cityeun]: …Are you okay?
[Cityeun]: 😼
I felt sorry for Cityeun, but I couldn’t adapt to the emojis.
Suppressing a chuckle, I continued texting with her.
Before I knew it, the conversation kept flowing.
“Who are you texting with?”
“Oh, hey.”
It was when Yeonhae arrived at school.
She sat down, placed her bag down, and looked over my smartphone.
Raising my head, I noticed her with her lips slightly pursed.
Seeing the rabbit ears after two days was quite pleasant.
I casually replied, “I was texting with my cousin.”
“Your cousin? The guy from the video you sent me? The one flying with the wings?”
“No, not him, my cousin sister.”
“Hmm… I see. I thought you didn’t get along well with your cousins, but I guess there are some you do get along with.”
“I’ve become close to this sister recently.”
“Oh, really? How old is she?”
“She’s two years older than us, 14. You might see her at the academy city too.”
“…Is she pretty?”
“Hmm, pretty, right? Quite.”
Most characters in the game boasted attractive appearances.
The city, me included.
By the time one enters the academy city, they would have grown just like illustrations.
Yeonnaneul was no exception.
So, I could answer her question right away.
“Hmm… I see.”
“… “
However, Yeonnaneul seemed upset by my answer.
Her eyes narrowed, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Above all, her rabbit ears perked up once, then drooped.
“Must be nice. Becoming friends with a pretty unnie.”
“Uh… well, yeah. Being pretty doesn’t exactly put food on the table… Or does it, actually?”
“You seemed like you were about to say something else, just finish what you were saying without bothering with someone like me.”
“… “
With a snort.
Yeonnaneul quickly turned her head.
Naturally, her rabbit ears also shook vigorously.
‘Why is she acting like this?’
As if trying to ignore me, Yeonnaneul took out a book from her bag and started reading.
Yet, she kept stealing glances at me.
I was taken aback by her reaction.
It seemed like she was upset, but I couldn’t figure out why.
‘Is it because I said she’s pretty?’
That can’t be it.
What does it have to do with Yeonnaneul getting upset if my cousin praised her beauty?
Still, you never know.
I cautiously added.
“You’re pretty too.”
“…What?”
“You’re pretty too. Especially your rabbit ears…”
Thump thump thump!
…Did I just ask for trouble?
Out of the blue, Yeonnaneul, with her rabbit ears shooting up to the sky, smacked me with a thud.
“Why did you suddenly hit me?”
“Because you said something like that!”
“Did I do something wrong? Even if I did, is hitting me like this necessary?”
“No… It’s not you who’s at fault, it’s me. I’m sorry for hitting you out of the blue. Even so, if I say that in front of everyone, what will happen? Not a single word about me being pretty.”
“Alright. I won’t say those things in the future…”
“Who told you not to say it?”
“….”
What in the world is this rhythm?
I shrugged and gazed up at the light sky.
Her face was blushing red.
“See, this… It’s about the atmosphere, the mood. Um… What am I even saying… Anyway, don’t do it when there are other people around.”
“Oh, uh, okay.”
“You’re just pretending to be indifferent, right?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Lies.”
Yeonha, who was putting rabbit ears on her head with her hands.
I chuckled at her rambling.
Her reactions were truly amusing.
“Well, at least it feels like the tension is easing.”
To cool down her reddened face.
Yeonha fanned herself with her hand.
I handed her a notebook from the side.
Then I handed her what I had brought to school today and placed on the floor.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“A sword I brought from home.”
“A sword?”
“Yeah. Since you’re also learning swordsmanship, I thought it would be nice for you to have your own sword for personal practice.”
“….”
A sword wrapped in black cloth.
Her eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
I unraveled the cloth so she could see the sword and raised it up.
Shing.
As the sword was drawn from its sheath, Yeonha and the classroom scenery were reflected in the chilly air.
“If we’re going to learn, isn’t it better to learn with a good sword? The sword used in the Swordsmanship Hall isn’t bad, but still, it’s not as good as the ones delivered to our home.”
“Are you giving this to me?”
“Yeah, for your personal practice.”
“Thank you. I always receive things. I’ll make good use of it.”
Yeonha cautiously accepted the sword.
She carefully checked the sword’s condition like I did and smiled broadly.
That was when it happened.
“Can we see it too!?”
“Me too! I want to see too!”
“I want to touch it!”
The kids in the classroom had been watching us all along.
Some of them even came up to me and earnestly made requests.
Most of them were children born in ordinary families, showing curiosity about the sword.
I could vaguely understand their feelings.
“After all, it’s not like it’ll wear out from being seen, and there’s nothing I can’t show. Instead, just look. You might cause trouble if you touch it for no reason.”
“Wow! Thank you so much!”
I raised the sword high so that all the children could see.
In an instant, the children flocked around me.
“Are you going to be a Hunter too?”
“Have you also trained in swordsmanship?”
“Oh, me….”
“Wow, that sounds amazing!”
As the children cheered for the sword, they also showed interest in Yeonha, who seemed quite taken aback by the unexpected attention.
Despite her slight discomfort, she shyly answered the questions, not entirely unwilling.
“Unintentionally, is Yeonha finally starting to interact with half the kids?”
A smile bloomed on Yeonha’s face.
Her appearance was truly lovely.
Bringing the sword to school was a good idea.
I looked at her, engaging in conversation with the girls, as if admiring her.
It was then that the homeroom teacher entered.
“Gyeon, Woo, Ya?”
“Oh, teacher.”
“You’re not supposed to bring a sword to school. And a real one at that… it’s dangerous, so put it away quickly, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Luckily, being a person of high swordsmanship, I didn’t get upset.
“Why did you have to be assigned to our class… Other teachers said they had well-behaved students, what’s so well-behaved about them. Let’s endure for just one year. Sigh….”
As the homeroom teacher sighed, I decided to pretend I didn’t hear.
—
Yeonha and I had lunch quietly.
And then, to aid digestion and pass the time until afternoon classes started, we took a walk around the school grounds.
Today was no different.
Then, a call came from my father.
“Oh, Gyeon.”
“Dad? What’s the matter at this hour?”
“Well, you see, Hong Ye-na, the Witch of Five Colors, just contacted me.”
“Oh, I see.”
I stopped in my tracks upon hearing the name.
There was a bench nearby.
“Let’s go sit over there, under the sky.”
“Sure, let’s.”
[Is Ha-nyul sitting next to her? They’re always together.]
“We were eating and taking a walk.”
“Why are you telling me that!?”
[A very nice moment.]
Ha-nyul’s soft voice pierced through.
I seated her on the bench and took the seat next to her.
It was a good spot.
The tree shade blocked the direct sunlight, and the breeze was refreshing.
From there, we could watch the children playing below.
“What’s this about Hong Yena and Hunter?”
“They said they came up to Seoul today and can be seen tomorrow. Do you have time tomorrow?”
“It’s the day I go to the Swordsmanship Institute… It’s not a day for formal lessons, so skipping a day should be fine.”
“Should we say we’ll meet tomorrow then?”
“Just a moment. Ha-nyul, do you have time tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? I’m fine.”
“Ha-nyul is okay too. Then let’s meet tomorrow.”
“Alright, got it. Make sure to say that.”
After thanking my father, I hung up the phone.
Ha-nyul, who had been quietly sitting there, asked.
As Ha-nyul leaned forward, her bunny ears moved along.
“Was that about the instructor we talked about before?”
“Yes. It was a call asking if we could meet tomorrow.”
“So, we’re meeting tomorrow… Who is this person?”
“Her name is Hong Yena, deeply knowledgeable in the five elemental magics. She’s known as the Witch of Iridescence.”
“She must be remarkable?”
“Handling one element is challenging, let alone five. So, she’s truly exceptional.”
When Gahng Hanbyeol entered the Academy City, she was called the Witch of Seven Colors.
But that was something Ha-nyul couldn’t mention.
Yet, Ha-nyul seemed worried about it nonetheless.
“Learning from such a person… Can I do well?”
“You can. Don’t worry.”
“Okay… I’ll try my best, me. But… why are you touching my ears?”
“It’s to calm you.”
“Not me, you must be calming yourself.”
Ha-nyul gazed at me intently.
But even though she grumbled, she didn’t say to stop touching.
I decided to touch her ears enough so that she wouldn’t dislike it.
“Now that lunchtime is almost over, let’s rest here for a bit before going.”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
Feeling the wind and watching the kids playing on the playground from under the shade, I touched the rabbit ears.
It seems like this isn’t peace.
We sat on the bench like that, and as the time for afternoon classes approached, we headed back to the classroom.
“What’s the fifth period?”
“Ethics.”
“Why do we learn that? I’m a moral person even without learning it.”
“It doesn’t seem like it…”
“Where can you find someone as kind as me?”
“Are you confident you’d get a perfect score without studying?”
“Of course.”
Having such a conversation, we searched the desk drawer to take out the ethics textbook.
That’s when it happened.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“…”
There was a letter in the drawer.
Holding the letter, I examined the front and back of the envelope.
There was no name written on it.
“Who put this in? I don’t think I saw it before lunch…”
The letter envelope was extremely plain.
It only had three stickers stuck at the entrance.
Gold, silver, bronze heart stickers.
“Heaven, are you teasing me?”
“…”
“Heaven?”
“Oh… uh, yeah… what did you say?”
“Are you teasing me or not?”
“No, I’m not…”
“… “
What’s up with this kid again?
With my gaze fixed on the letter, Yeonha was causing a stir.