Chapter 40
Exam Ticket [Illustration]
“I deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused. It was a clear mistake on our part for not checking the computer system in advance.”
The hotel owner, who had received the news from the front desk staff, came to us and politely apologized.
After that, the front desk staff all bowed their heads in unison.
‘What’s going on…’
Seeing their embarrassed expressions, I clicked my tongue.
To think that our reserved room had been double-booked.
It was quite a ridiculous situation.
During this time when the city of academies was bustling with people coming for exams, it was not unheard of for occasional system errors to occur due to the surge in accommodation reservations.
Although the city of academies was known for leading in science and magic, I had jokingly brushed off the idea of such mishaps happening.
Little did I know that such a thing would happen to me.
‘Even if that’s the case, I didn’t choose a place with poor facilities, and I even selected a reputable location in District 23, yet an IT error occurred?’
It didn’t make sense.
But then again, the city of academies was a place where common sense didn’t always apply.
With a combination of the city’s unique atmospheric mana and dimensional instability, occasionally inexplicable phenomena occurred beyond common understanding.
Perhaps even the IT error happened for such reasons.
…Could that really be possible?
‘Am I just unlucky?’
Such thoughts crossed my mind unnecessarily.
My current luck index was 32.
Younghaen’s luck was even lower than mine.
So, it was conceivable that our intertwined low luck might have led to this situation.
“Hey, maybe we’re just not meant to be.”
“…What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Just kidding.”
Of course, even if the guess was correct, I had no intention of distancing myself from Younghaen.
I would rather bear the misfortune.
In place of the absent-minded Younghaen, who found herself in the same room, I decided to talk to the hotel owner.
“So, what will you do to make up for this?”
“…We will immediately process a refund for the accommodation fees you both paid and provide complimentary use of our hotel services. Additionally, we will also offer discount coupons that can be used at commercial facilities in District 23…”
“Is there only one room available now? Even if we have to pay extra, can’t we book another room?”
“I’m sorry. Besides the reserved room, we are fully booked, so it seems difficult to arrange another room.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Upon hearing the hotel owner’s explanation, it was mentioned that due to the large number of people here for exams, they had not been able to prepare extra rooms as usual.
In the end, there was only one room available.
I sighed.
‘Even if I try to find a room now, everywhere will be fully booked.’
It was a predictable situation.
Even if by some stroke of luck there was a vacant room, it would be quite a hassle to find it.
There was no better option than staying in the one remaining room.
At that moment, the owner added,
“Fortunately, our hotel has spacious beds, providing enough room for two people to sleep comfortably. Additionally, there is extra space on the bed, so if you wish, we can adjust the size for you.”
“….”
If that’s fortunate, is it really fortunate?
After making up my mind, I quickly decided to ask Yeonha about her preferences.
“Yeonha, what do you think?”
“Well, what should I think?”
“Don’t you think it’s better to share?”
“Uh…”
Hesitation lingered on Yeonha’s face as she couldn’t make a decision right away.
Finally, she spoke up.
“Yeah….”
* * *
For a studio apartment, the room was surprisingly spacious.
It seemed like there wouldn’t be any issues living together for a week.
“The bed seems adequate as it is… There’s no need to increase the bed size, right? That would just reduce the space for our luggage.”
I placed my suitcase in a suitable spot and sat on the edge of the bed.
As Yeonha entered the room….
“This is crazy, crazy, crazy….”
“….”
She still hadn’t fully regained her composure.
No, her state worsened since we took the elevator together.
“….Even so, how can two grown adults share a room and sleep together? Not for a day, but a whole week. This is insane, insane, insane. What if something happens…?”
“Hey, we’re not technically adults yet, right? Well, once we enter high school, we’re legally recognized as quasi-adults….”
“This is like something out of a drama. No, dramas these days don’t unfold like this!”
“How do they unfold these days?”
“First, they just…! You wouldn’t…?”
“What’s with that look?”
“….No, you wouldn’t do that.”
“….”
After playing the fool alone for a bit, Yeonha suddenly shot me a cold, piercing stare.
‘What’s going on? Feels like I’m being ignored.’
That gaze seemed to scratch at one’s pride subtly.
Feeling annoyed, I decided to retaliate.
“Ouch! Why are you suddenly doing this!? You wouldn’t really…. I, I’m ready….”
“I don’t know what kind of delusion you’re having, but can you please stop now?”
I tightly grabbed the rabbit ears.
Startled by the sudden strong stimulus, she struggled to break free from me.
I continued to torment her until she collapsed onto the bed, unable to move a muscle.
“You really… “
“Well, really.”
“I’ll tell Mom.”
“Is that so? Then one more time…”
“Sorry, I won’t do it.”
“Sigh, you should have started like that from the beginning… Did it hurt a lot?”
“Hmph, I don’t know!”
After a brief scuffle, things calmed down.
Her eyes, raised from the bed, were moist with tears.
Unlike a little while ago, I cautiously touched her ears.
She quietly accepted my touch.
“We used to sleep together when we were kids, why make a big deal out of it now?”
“We were elementary school students back then. Is it the same as then? Plus, Eunyi slept with us back then.”
“If you become a hunter, you might end up sleeping on the street or living with people of different genders, who knows.”
“Well… that’s true but…”
“Do you not like sleeping with me?”
“Huh?”
“Well, if you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do. I can just sleep somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else? Where?”
“I could stay at the sauna, or crash with other guys. There are plenty of places to stay.”
It might not be without its discomfort, but if that was the solution, then so be it.
I thought about spending time in a way that wouldn’t burden Yeonhae.
And then it happened.
“I don’t dislike it…”
“…”
Just as I was about to get up from my seat.
Yeonhae tightly held onto my clothes and wouldn’t let go.
As if creeping in, she said.
“It’s not that I dislike it… really, really, really, it’s not that I dislike it…”
Yeonhae nudged her head against my forearm.
Beneath her light blue hair, her blushing face peeked through intermittently.
‘Is she doing this because she’s afraid I might leave?’
Looking down at her like that,
I felt an urge to play a prank for some reason.
“So, is it okay then?”
“What? No, okay is…”
“Isn’t it nice? Then do you dislike it?”
“No, it’s nice… Huh? Oh, no, that doesn’t mean it’s nice like that…”
“Hmm, oh, ah, yes.”
“…You’re teasing me right now.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re really…”
Just a moment ago, she was hesitating.
Now, the younger sky was looking up at me with a puzzled face.
Her hand that was holding onto my collar was now pinching my arm.
I was taken aback by the situation.
“So, you want to sleep with me?”
“What? When did I say that? It’s not that I don’t want to sleep with you, but I’m okay with it…”
“That’s what I meant.”
“What do you mean by that? Not at all…”
“Or are you really going to the goblins? You can have the room to yourself, we’ll meet at the exam hall later.”
“…”
“Is that okay?”
“…Not at all?”
“Really?”
“It’ll be cramped with them.”
“Probably.”
“Their room must be really dirty, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“You can tell by their personalities.”
“They probably won’t clean the room.”
“And they probably won’t bother with ventilation or laundry…”
“So?”
“Compared to that, this room is much spacious. Even if I use it alone, there’s space left.”
“It’s a studio apartment though?”
“…Just go to them if you want, do as you please. I don’t know anymore.”
“Really? Then I’ll stay here, whatever.”
“…”
“Where else would I go other than here? It’s better for me to share a room with you than with the goblins, right? Isn’t that so?”
“You should have said that earlier…”
“Hey, Haneul, I’m in pain right now, can you stop pinching me?”
“You know I’m exaggerating, right?”
As if seeking revenge for playing a joke.
Not only did she pinch my arm, but she also tickled me relentlessly.
Now, her hand was even reaching my side.
“You’re being too annoying right now…!”
“Hmph, when did I?”
Cowardly.
I hadn’t even touched the rabbit’s ear until I raised my inner mana.
I writhed my body to break free from the firm grip.
In the process, I didn’t hear the faint muttering from the next room.
“If I knew it would end up like this, I would have brought some nice clothes… Instead of just worrying about the exam and packing plain stuff.”
—
“I’m going to wash up! Just try to peek.”
“I won’t peek.”
Unpacking the luggage from the suitcase,
Yeonhae swiftly grabbed the clothes to change into and rushed into the bathroom.
Soon after, she poked her head out from inside, emphasizing to me repeatedly.
“Just try to peek, just try to peek, just try to peek….”
Yeonhae, with determination in her red eyes,
Her piercing gaze was fixed.
I chuckled at her reaction.
“I’m not looking, I said I won’t look, I won’t look, okay?”
“Really, really, you won’t look for real?”
“If you keep saying that, you might just find yourself storming into the bathroom in anger.”
“Just try to do that….”
She spoke as if she were letting her guard down, but there was a subtle hint of nervousness in her demeanor.
Yeonhae shut the bathroom door with a determined face.
I tried to turn my head away from the bathroom she entered.
Tried to turn away.
But then, my gaze froze.
“….”
The bathroom directly in front of me while sitting on the edge of the bed.
The bathroom wall happened to be made of semi-transparent glass.
As a result, Yeonhae inside appeared as a blurry silhouette….
‘I’m sorry, Haneul.’
I didn’t see anything.
I only caught a faint silhouette that was barely distinguishable.
No, I didn’t even see the silhouette.
I quickly turned away to avoid seeing the bathroom.
Swoosh.
After a while, the sound of water was heard.
That sound seemed to create an inexplicable tension.
“I tried not to be conscious of it, but I keep becoming conscious of it unconsciously…”
I let out a sigh.
Although I had been trying to remain indifferent, I was just as bewildered by the situation of having to share a room with her.
I was just not showing it.
If I felt embarrassed, then Yoonha would feel even more embarrassed.
So, even though I was trying to act nonchalant around her, I never expected to be taken by surprise out of the blue.
“Don’t be flustered by such trivial matters. Even if you become an academy student right away, there will be a lot of experiences of homelessness or living alone, so getting flustered over something like this…”
Still, except for extreme cases, sharing the same bed would not happen.
I scratched my face as my thoughts spiraled out of control.
I needed to regain my composure somehow.
“I should wait until Yoonha finishes washing up and then resolve this.”
At that moment, my exam ticket attached to my chest caught my eye.
I took off the exam ticket.
“I was told to do it this way.”
I infused my body’s mana at the bottom of the part labeled ‘Geumgang’.
As a result, the mana I infused at the bottom rose up as translucent pieces.
“…”
Maintaining a certain range on the exam ticket.
The mana turned into floating pieces.
There seemed to be dozens of them.
“Are these pieces supposed to be matched?”
There was no explanation regarding the problem.
It seemed that examinees had to directly look at the problem and deduce.
I examined the floating pieces and paid attention to their shapes.
Some pieces seemed naturally inclined to fit together.
It was a three-dimensional puzzle.
Convinced, I reached out towards the pieces.
“The puzzle fits.”
Two pieces merged.
There was no visible seam as if the pieces had been one from the beginning.
I continued to match the pieces in that manner.
The tiny pieces that were as small as fingertips gradually grew in size.
It seemed like almost half of the pieces out of the dozens had been reduced.
The real problem arose then.
“There are too many pieces with the same shape.”
I furrowed my brows.
The pieces had no subtle differences between them.
I tried overlapping them to confirm, and they matched perfectly.
“Can I just ignore these identical A, B, C pieces?”
And there are D, E, and F pieces that can be combined into three pieces.
In this case, would it be possible to complete the puzzle with any combination?
Of course, that was unlikely.
“There’s no way the test would be this easy.”
I decided to refresh my thoughts.
There must be a different approach.
Without relying on the naked eye…
“Ah.”
Why was I only looking with my naked eye?
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Immediately, I manifested my internal mana to enhance my vision.
It was to see mana phenomena that couldn’t be confirmed with the naked eye.
“My thoughts were right.”
Although they appeared as simple pieces on the surface, they contained mana circuits inside.
Even if the pieces had the same shape, the mana circuits inside were all different when examined closely.
It was like a double puzzle.
“It was a problem to solve using both the naked eye and mana perspective.”
Then there was no need to hesitate anymore.
Different-shaped pieces should be viewed with the naked eye, and same-shaped pieces should be matched using the mana circuits.
Of course, it was possible to solve the puzzle by only looking at the mana circuits.
But recalling the overall pattern of mana circuits through scattered pieces was not easy.
“There’s no need to make it more difficult than it is.”
It was a test that asked for basic qualifications.
Surely, the Gyeonggang Academy did not intend to create problems like that.
Only the basic abilities needed to be shown.
Before long.
“…Done.”
I completed the three-dimensional puzzle.
A form with many facets was slowly rotating in the air above the exam ticket.
It strongly resembled a diamond.
No, it must be a diamond.
“…”
The symbol of the Gyeonggang Academy was indeed a diamond.
My internal mana activated, and I stared blankly at the diamond emitting a blue light.
The feeling of having my mana nested inside was indescribable.
At the bottom of the exam ticket, where there was a blank space, my exam number appeared.
I checked my exam number.
“Congratulations on solving the problem.”
“Oh, my goodness.”
At that moment, seemingly out of nowhere,
Yeonahee approached from behind.
A subtle fragrance emanated from her, dressed in a white gown.
“When did you arrive?”
“It’s been a while. But I was waiting, not wanting to disturb you while you were solving the problem.”
“I see.”
I converted the mana I had sprinkled on the exam ticket back into my body.
The diamond, shimmering with a blue light, turned into particles of mana and disappeared.
Yeonahee seemed disappointed.
“Oh, you should have left it a bit longer. It was beautiful.”
“The mana consumption was quite subtle. And I need to take a bath now.”
“Well, then, there’s nothing we can do. I’ll solve some problems while you’re bathing.”
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
“You have to be out in an hour. We need to keep attaching the exam tickets now.”
“I know.”
Now that I think about it, there was an advantage to sharing the same room.
While one person was bathing, the other could make sure the exam tickets weren’t stolen.
Having entrusted the exam ticket to Yeonahee, I decided to go take a bath.
“Oh, my goodness.”
“What’s wrong?”
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Half-exposed in the bathroom, I said to her, sitting on the bed, “Don’t peek.”
“I won’t peek!”
“Really? I trust you.”
“There’s no way I would peek, so stop worrying and go bathe… Whoa…”
Splash.
Hmm, oh, ah, yes.
I hummed a tune.
From Noble mtl dot com