6 – Spoon in the Drawer (5)
The warm sunlight gently pouring down. The cold breeze still carrying the scent of winter. Green leaves sprouting from the branches.
All were signs of spring.
Spring. At this point, not long after the start of the new semester. Soon, danger would befall the once peaceful Hanyul Military Academy.
The break would happen precisely.
It wasn’t just what was seen in class; real monsters would appear.
Not that there was a need to be overly frightened. The opponent was just a C-class monster. Unlike civilian areas, this place was a hero training school teeming with monsters. It wouldn’t pose a significant threat.
However, the worrisome point was the fact that the monster appearing this time was a mutant. Without careful consideration, a great disaster could occur.
The special ability possessed by this mutant, appearing this time, would lull the opponent into a deep sleep through song.
Think of it as a creature resembling a Purrloin.
So, I’ve prepared my own countermeasure. Earplugs obtained from the infirmary. Wearing these would free me from the creature’s sleep magic.
Now, all that’s left is convincing others.
Will they easily believe my words about needing to wear earplugs?
Especially in the midst of a battle?
“Hey. Tattooed guy in the back.”
“What, Spoon.”
In the classroom, I called the tattooed guy sitting in the back. Today, too, he was busy with his phone.
“I’ll confess something special to you. I can actually see the future.”
“You’ve been babbling nonsense since the morning. You can see the future?”
“That’s right. A break is going to happen around this school soon. By the way, the guy causing it is a mutant using sleep magic.”
“You’re talking nonsense with your pierced mouth. If you can see the future, why don’t you teach me some lottery numbers, huh?”
As expected, conveying future events that haven’t happened yet to others is difficult. As anticipated, the tattooed guy didn’t believe my words.
Perhaps others would react similarly. They would think it’s all nonsense.
“Arna! Good morning!”
“Yes, hello.”
There’s no need to convince everyone. It’s enough to persuade key individuals.
The target is, of course, Arna.
The hero who will stop this break. The protagonist of ＜Tir One＞. There’s no one else but Arna for times like these.
Let’s go to Arna right away and ask for a favor.
“Arna, it’s been a while. How about we go smoke a cigarette together?”
“Long time no see…! And…! I wasn’t a smoker to begin with…!”
Strange. When I suggested going out for a smoke at work, everyone readily followed along.
Seems like Arna still finds me a bit awkward.
I should probably do something to improve the rapport.
***
Arna Kristindottir, an S-rank Awakener who appears once in a hundred years, has been feeling a headache lately.
“Heh heh… Arna….”
The cause? It’s because of Sin Yoon Sung from the same combat unit. Although he occasionally picked fights since last year, lately, it feels like the frequency has increased.
“I brought the pizza bread and the picnic you ordered. And as promised, I left 500 won. “
“Anyone could think I placed that order…! I never did, so refund it right away…!”
“Sorry. Seems the pizza bread was too cold. I’ll warm it up right away. Was it the usual 20 seconds?”
“For heaven’s sake…!”
….
….
This isn’t the end. Even during the next lecture…
“Arna, this session is for mobility training. The equipment is all set here.”
“Why are you continuously casting me as a troublemaker since earlier…! Others might get the wrong idea…!”
“Well, my bad. I forgot to polish things up overall before putting them in use. Can you forgive me just this once?”
“Listen to what people are saying…!”
….
….
Continuing into lunchtime…
“Arna, let me get lunch. Do you happen to like beef soup?”
….
….
Even during the afternoon lectures…
“Arna. This is your seat. I’ve kept it warm 30 minutes before the lecture started.”
….
….
Even after personal training had ended…
“Arna, you did well in training today. Are you going to take a shower? Where should I put my underwear? I just bought it.”
“Kyaaah! This is the women’s changing room! Why are you boldly coming in here?”
“Now you notice me. You didn’t say a word from the middle, and I wondered if you might hate me.”
“I still hate you plenty! And how do you know my underwear size?”
Shin Yoon-seong said, holding a bra.
“Arna, I know more about you than anyone else. Even your bra size…”
“Just dieee!”
***
“Hey, senior. Over there…”
While moving medical waste boxes outdoors, a junior pointed somewhere.
Choi So-eun, from the medical corps, looked in the direction the junior was pointing.
“Arna, you can have me. This body, my spoon, everything is yours.”
“Kyaaah! Why are you suddenly taking off your clothes? Go away!”
Blond girl Arna, running away with cold sweat pouring, chased by Shin Yoon-seong.
Both are familiar faces.
Arna, originally the idol of Hanyul Military Academy, is known to almost everyone, and Shin Yoon-seong came to the emergency room not long ago.
It’s strange not to know.
“Doesn’t it look like they’re on good terms?”
Well, I don’t know if that’s a good relationship. It seems like one side is unilaterally obsessed.
Choi So-eun knew better than anyone. With difficult-to-handle bouquets, she used to receive passionate pursuit every time.
“How long are you going to do this? Are you planning to follow her to the bathroom?”
“Arna, gladly if you want.”
“I’ve never wanted it, really!”
But now there is no such thing. Recently, Shin Yoon-seong made a promise with Arna. No more bringing bouquets.
“…”
Come to think of it, it was strange. To suddenly give up what he had been doing for over a year without any hesitation.
What kind of wind blew into him?
“Could it be…”
The reason Shin Yoon-seong’s feelings changed in an instant, as if turning over the palm of his hand. Could it be because of Arna running over there?
Is it because he has now fallen in love with Arna?
It’s ironic. I distinctly remember that the two of them didn’t get along well. It was Shin Yoon-seong, who was always frustrated for not being able to catch Arna.
If she didn’t like it, she didn’t, and he never thought she liked it.
Since when?
Did they develop some strange affection through their fights?
“Okay… There’s no need for me to be concerned anymore.”
After all, Shin Yoon-seong is now someone else. There’s no need to dwell on it.
Choi Min-soo nodded subtly and decided to continue the task she had been working on.
***
From Noble mtl dot com
Arna had been tormented by Shin Yoon-seong all day. No matter how she tried to escape, he was everywhere. Even in front of the women’s restroom entrance.
It was pure terror.
In the end, Arna gave up everything and pleaded with Shin Yoon-seong.
“I give up… I lost… So please stop this joke now.”
“What joke are you talking about? All of this is actions I’m taking for you, Arna.”
“Geez! What are you doing for me…! It clearly looks like nothing but a bad joke…!”
Normally, she would have countered if he started a quarrel. But she didn’t know how to respond to this unfamiliar goodwill. It was a pattern she had never seen before.
In a sense, it could be seen as more malicious.
“Why are you doing this to me… What do you want from me?”
“I want something. Something you want, Arna.”
Shin Yoon-seong fell silent for a moment. After some thought, he revealed the meaning he had been hiding.
“I have one. Something you want, Arna.”
“So, what is it…?”
I don’t know what it is, but he should listen quickly and end it. This insane obsession shouldn’t continue until tomorrow. Otherwise, it might really drive me crazy.
“Just once, I want you to trust me.”
“What? Trust you… Me?”
Shin Yoon-seong nodded.
“Just once is enough. I want you to follow my words for that moment. That’s all.”
“Is it like a wish or something…?”
“You could roughly see it that way.”
So far, there hasn’t been a single time when she gracefully accepted his words. She just got involved in pointless things and fought for no reason.
Naturally, suspicion was the first reaction.
“Are you trying to play another weird prank again?”
“No. This time, I’m serious too.”
Thud.
Unexpectedly, Shin Yoon-sung knelt down in the middle of the street.
Arna, flustered, extended her hands toward him.
“Why, why are you…! Why are you suddenly kneeling down…! Get up, quickly…!”
“I won’t get up from here until you say you understand, Arna.”
From last year until now, there had been 23 evaluation matches with Shin Yoon-sung. Through those numerous matches, Arna had learned one thing.
He was never the kind of person to kneel lightly.
If he fell to the ground, he stayed down, realizing his limits, but there was not a single instance where he knelt.
Shin Yoon-sung never gave up. If he fell, he would come back the next day and challenge Arna again. He would charge like a zombie.
That was the Shin Yoon-sung that Arna knew.
But now…
“I understand! I understand, so please get up! People are watching! Are you really going to make a spectacle of yourself like this!”
Only then did Shin Yoon-sung rise from his spot.
Why did he have to kneel on the street in the first place?
Was the situation really that desperate?
“So, what do you want me to understand?”
“Well, that…”
Wee-ee-ee-ee-eeeng—
Just as Shin Yoon-sung was about to speak, sirens blared throughout the entire correctional facility.
An emergency signal.
“This is an announcement from the central control room. The current time is 20:17, according to the western gate. Unidentified break confirmed approximately 2 kilometers southwest of the school grounds.”
“Students and staff, please evacuate to the nearest underground facility or room. Initial response units, assemble quickly in front of S1 control room.”
“Repeating the announcement.”
The broadcast echoed.
It was an alert about the appearance of Maw, outside the school.
“Maw… Let’s head to the control room for now.”
They could talk later. Arna hurriedly moved.
But Shin Yoon-sung looked in the direction of the dormitory, not the control room.
“Go ahead first. I’ll briefly stop by the room.”