After the practical training ended, Yeowoo started sticking close to me and pestering me more often.
And by pestering me, I meant mostly things like……
“Hyunwoo! Mana Orbit is going well, but I can’t get that ‘fixation’ thing you mentioned to work. What am I supposed to do?”
“Hyunwoo! When I keep the mana orbiting, I start sweating and my heart pounds. That’s normal, right?”
“Hyunwoo! Then what about the Circle…….”
“Sis! Enough!”
I was seriously getting sick of it now.
I pressed both hands against my forehead and sighed.
“The source of magic is enlightenment. Pestering me isn’t going to change anything. You have to figure it out yourself.”
“But still……”
“If I had to give you one tip, though, inscribe the Circle at your navel no matter what. Don’t inscribe it at your heart.”
“Huh? Why? All the Magic Department professors said we’re supposed to inscribe it at the heart.”
“The training method you’re using right now is for inscribing it at the navel.”
“Whaaat? Really?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have told her.
Yeowoo pestered me even more after that.
Why had I inscribed mine at the navel? Why was I teaching her to inscribe hers at the navel? How had I inscribed mine there? How had I managed to do it in only one minute?
Yeowoo kept tormenting me until my head started throbbing, so I finally just ran away.
***
I held a completely blunted practice rapier in one hand and thrust it toward the abdomen of a fourth-year senior who was keeping a certain distance from me.
“Too slow.”
The fourth-year senior leisurely dodged my thrust and tossed a small piece of wood at me.
“Ow.”
The piece of wood struck me squarely between the eyebrows and fell to the floor with a clack.
Huh……? That’s annoying.
“A rapier lives and dies by speed. Try moving a little more sharply. How are you going to manage if you can’t even dodge a little piece of wood like this?”
The senior smiled and clasped his hands behind his back.
We were in the small auditorium, right in the middle of a Hunting Club session.
If you asked me why we were holding swords and sparring in the Hunting Club, I didn’t know either.
Maybe there simply weren’t any suitable animals to hunt. Or perhaps the Academy officials were stopping us from hunting because they were afraid we might go out into the fields beyond the Academy, get caught by local residents, and end up plastered across the newspapers under a huge headline like, ‘Academy Students Gone Wild — Animal Abuse.’
Anyway, there would be no actual hunting in the Hunting Club for the entire first semester.
At most, our practical sessions involved learning things like how to throw a snare or how to place bait and wait.
And even that was extremely crude.
……Then again, the people teaching us were Academy students themselves.
“Put a little more effort into it. Is it because you’re a mage? You’re way too sluggish. Hehe.”
The club members had each chosen partners and were practicing martial arts under the guise of hunting exercises.
Everyone except my partner.
Seong Bonggyu, a fourth-year Martial Arts Department student and a close friend of the club president.
There wasn’t anyone here from a year close enough to mine to partner with me, nor was there another member whose skill level was as low as mine, so the others took turns facing me.
Today’s opponent, as I’d said, was Seong Bonggyu.
He was toying with me as if I were some adorable little kid.
I gritted my teeth.
Wanting to land at least one hit on that irritatingly relaxed face, I put everything I had into another rapier thrust toward Seong Bonggyu’s abdomen.
“Oh~! That almost got me.”
Seong Bonggyu laughed as he dodged my thrust and tossed another piece of wood at me.
This time, instead of stupidly letting it hit me, I swung my rapier and knocked it away.
“Oh?”
An opening.
There’s an opening.
Seong Bonggyu had left himself open.
I didn’t miss it and immediately closed the distance.
Then I unleashed my take-this-and-die thrust straight at Seong Bonggyu’s solar plexus.
“Ghk—!”
It must have landed properly, because Seong Bonggyu’s eyes widened.
Hehehe.
I felt wonderfully refreshed, as though something that had been clogging up my chest had suddenly gone down.
“Ah. That hurts…….”
Seong Bonggyu backed away, clutching his solar plexus with a grimace.
“Then should I get serious too?”
Apparently I had made him fairly angry, because Seong Bonggyu drew his main weapon with a serious look in his eyes.
A heavy iron sword.
Of course, its edge had also been completely blunted, but the way he swung it through the air was extremely threatening.
Threatening enough to send cold sweat running down my back.
If Seong Bonggyu seriously attacks me right now, I don’t think I’ll get away with merely being knocked flat……
As I stared at Seong Bonggyu with my entire body tense, someone approached his side.
Light brown hair and pale skin.
A high nose, tightly closed lips, and even a cold expression.
It was Oh Jisun.
“Senior.”
“……Huh?”
The moment Seong Bonggyu’s eyes met Oh Jisun’s, his face reddened slightly.
“W-What is it, Jisun?”
“May I spar with Hyunwoo? I don’t think I’ve had the chance even once yet.”
“Uh…… Y-Yeah. I don’t mind.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Oh Jisun dipped her head slightly.
Seong Bonggyu’s face turned red as he grinned stupidly.
I stared blankly at Oh Jisun as she approached me.
“You’re with me from now on.”
“……Ah.”
Come to think of it, I remembered now.
This girl said she’d buy me spicy rice cakes or something, but she hadn’t contacted me even once afterward.
For some reason, she never acknowledged me in the club, and once the club sessions ended, Sia and Yeowoo were always waiting outside, so I hadn’t had a chance to speak to her privately either.
This was the first time we had spoken since then.
“Here I come.”
At Oh Jisun’s words, I nodded and raised my rapier.
But something felt strange.
When I first met her, she’d seemed…… not nearly as quiet as she was now.
Or am I remembering wrong?
“Gasp!”
Oh Jisun charged straight at me.
I had prepared myself as much as I could, but her sword strike showed no mercy.
It was, quite literally, lightning-fast.
We had exchanged only a single blow, yet my balance was instantly broken.
Then came a thrust toward my abdomen.
I couldn’t block it in time.
I hurriedly used magic to form a partial Shield over my abdomen.
The Shield stopped Oh Jisun’s rapier once before shattering.
“…….”
“Magic?”
Oh Jisun frowned.
I swallowed and carefully considered why this girl was acting like this toward me.
I had absolutely no idea.
The other Martial Arts Department seniors who had sparred with me had never been this rough.
“Jisun.”
“What?”
“I, um…… I don’t really want to spar this seriously.”
Oh Jisun said nothing and looked down at me.
Then she spoke.
“Raise your sword. I’m only teaching you martial arts.”
I silently stared into her eyes.
There seemed to be no emotion in them.
They looked like an empty abyss.
I felt a slight chill.
What kind of fifteen-year-old has eyes like that……?
“First, calm down. It looks like you’re putting your emotions into this.”
“……You.”
Oh Jisun’s cold expression changed.
She looked conflicted, as though she couldn’t decide what to do.
We stood facing each other at a fixed distance for a while.
I kept swallowing nervously as I watched her mood.
She closed her eyes once, then opened them again.
Her expression had softened somewhat compared to before.
“Whew. Yeah. Sorry. I got a little emotional. I’m sorry.”
“…It’s okay.”
“But raise your sword anyway. This time I won’t put any emotion into it. I’ll actually teach you martial arts.”
“Yes.”
I raised my rapier.
Oh Jisun raised hers as well.
She curled her fingers toward herself and spoke.
“Come at me. Just come at me with everything you’ve got.”
“Like this?”
I thrust my rapier toward her chest.
She easily deflected my attack and gave me some advice.
“You’re putting way too much strength into your lower body. If your attack gets blocked like that and your opponent counters, you won’t be able to respond easily. Well, you’re from the Magic Department, so you probably won’t need to use a sword very often…… but it won’t hurt to know.”
“Okay. Then where should I put the strength?”
She thrust her rapier toward me.
Startled, I hurriedly blocked it with mine.
The hand gripping my rapier tingled from the impact.
“Your upper body. More precisely, your waist. But it isn’t easy. Beginners usually put too much strength into their arms. It can take years if you’re slow, and even if you’re fast, it still takes a few months before you can easily control where you’re putting strength in your body.”
“…I see.”
“You’re from the Magic Department anyway, so try mixing magic into your attacks. That’d be much better.”
“Is that okay?”
“It’s fine. Try it.”
I hesitated awkwardly, but at her urging, I began mixing magic into the spar.
The match became much more enjoyable after that.
***
I sweated buckets throughout the martial arts sparring session.
Oh Jisun was fairly strong, someone I couldn’t beat at my current level even if I went all out.
Still, it had been pretty fun.
For some reason, Oh Jisun had seemed quite sullen at first, but fortunately, after that she guided me properly through the spar.
“Ugh, I feel gross…….”
I wanted to hurry home and wash up.
I could have used magic, but I didn’t have any usable mana left.
More importantly, right now I wanted to soak myself in warm water.
I left the Hunting Club with my body drenched in sweat and checked my phone.
Two messages had arrived.
<Today’s an outdoor activity day, so I don’t think I can go with you. Don’t wait for me. Go with Yeowoo~>
<Sender — Sia >
<I think I’m going to be late today. I’ve got a debate scheduled with the Academic Club? So I’ll be later than usual. Go back with Sia first!>
<Sender — Hyunwoo’s One and Only Big Sis Yeowoo>
What a coincidence.
I chuckled and slipped my phone away.
Just as I was about to walk back to the dormitory alone, someone grabbed my shoulder.
I turned around.
It was Oh Jisun.
I flinched in surprise.
“W-Why? Why? What is it?”
“You. Those little kids who usually go with you aren’t around today?”
“…No. It just worked out that way.”
“Then you’re going back to the dorm by yourself?”
“Yes. Why?”
Oh Jisun grinned, started fiddling with my cheek, then raised her voice.
“It was hard, wasn’t it?”
“N-No. I’m fine.”
What’s with this person?
She was like this the first time we met too, but I can never tell which direction her personality is going to fly off in.
“Then I’ll be going first.”
I hurriedly tried to leave, but Oh Jisun grabbed my shoulder again.
She was holding on with enough strength that I couldn’t shake her off.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“I told you last time that I’d buy you something tasty, right? I’ll buy you something today.”
“Uh, I’m really fine…….”
“I’ll buy it for you. If I say I’m buying, then eat. You’re not actually going to refuse, are you?”
Her eyes suddenly turned cold.
A chill ran down my spine.
How can someone’s expression change that drastically?
Without even realizing it, I ended up nodding.
“…Okay. I’ll eat.”
“Good choice. Let’s go eat some delicious spicy rice cakes!”
Oh Jisun beamed brightly and pinched both my cheeks over and over.
My cheeks stung, and I groaned.
“Oww…….”
Soon afterward, I took Oh Jisun’s hand and walked toward the snack bar.
***
[Miracle Snack Bar]
I stared blankly at the store’s name.
I had only just thought that it sounded old-fashioned when Oh Jisun greeted the owner with a cheerful smile, acting as though they were close.
“Boss~! I’m here!”
“Jisun’s here? Who’s the kid next to you?”
“He’s in the same club as me. Isn’t he cute?”
“He is. The kid’s really cute. He looks like he could be in Harry Potter. Is it because he’s wearing Magic Department clothes?”
People inside the Academy seemed to have a tendency to see the Magic Department as something special.
And there was good reason for that.
For starters, the Magic Department had only about one-fourth as many students as the Martial Arts Department.
There was also a Technology Department that I had never encountered even once, and apparently it had as many students as the Martial Arts Department, if not more.
That made the Magic Department feel relatively rare within the Academy.
Even in this snack bar…… there wasn’t a single person wearing a Magic Department robe.
They were either from the Martial Arts Department or the Technology Department.
The Martial Arts Department uniforms had red piping, the Technology Department had blue piping, and the Magic Department had gold piping, so it was easy to tell them apart even without their robes.
“Two servings of spicy rice cakes, please. Do you want a drink?”
“…Yes. I do.”
If I’m getting it for free anyway, I might as well get as much as I can.
After all the hits I took, I’d feel cheated otherwise.
“Then, Boss, two Cokes and two servings of spicy rice cakes for our table! Two servings that look like three. You know what I mean~?”
“Haha. All right. Go sit down.”
“Okay~!”
We sat and waited.
The owner really did bring us two servings of spicy rice cakes that looked like three, along with two glasses of Coke.
The portions were enormous.
“Eat plenty.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Oh……
I picked up a piece of spicy rice cakes with my fork and ate it.
The sauce had soaked into it nicely, and it wasn’t overly spicy.
It was delicious.
“Hyunwoo.”
“Yes?”
I had been happily eating when Oh Jisun suddenly addressed me with a serious expression.
“Is it good?”
“Yes. It’s good.”
Why is she acting like this?
She’s making me nervous……
She nodded and muttered, “I see,” to herself.
Then she repeatedly looked as though she wanted to say something, only to close her mouth again.
I couldn’t stand my curiosity anymore, so I spoke first.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“Ah…… Uh.”
“What is it?”
“Well. Um…… You know.”
I silently looked at her.
Apparently embarrassed, she began twisting the piece of spicy rice cakes on her fork around and around as she spoke.
“I gave you my phone number, didn’t I? Why didn’t you contact me?”
“……What?”
“No, I mean. It’s been a few weeks already, so why haven’t you contacted……”
“Huh? Hyunwoo!”
Someone cut off Oh Jisun.
My head turned at the familiar voice.
The girl approaching me happily was the senior who taught me in the Archery Club.
Jeong Seunghui.
Was she a fourth-year?
“Oh. Seunghui?”
“Fancy seeing Hyunwoo here. But the person next to you is…… Huh?”
Jeong Seunghui looked at Oh Jisun and visibly startled.
Oh Jisun recognized her as well, and her expression stiffened.
“Jisun?”
“Hello, Senior. It’s been a while.”
Oh Jisun stood and bowed politely.
Jeong Seunghui looked flustered as she returned the greeting.
“Uh, yeah. It has. But Jisun, how did you end up eating spicy rice cakes with Hyunwoo?”
“We became close through the club.”
“Ah…… I see. I’ve already finished eating, so I was about to leave. Enjoy your food.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
“Hyunwoo, you eat plenty too. I’ll see you at the club, okay?”
Seunghui stroked my head before leaving.
Oh Jisun sighed, dropped heavily back into her seat, and ate the spicy rice cakes on her fork.
“Do you see Seunghui often at the club too?”
“Yes. We’re in the same club, and she’s the senior assigned to guide me.”
“…I see.”
Why does the mood suddenly feel gloomy?
I scratched my head and finished the rest of the spicy rice cakes.
Neither of us spoke in the meantime.
Then, just as we finished all the food.
“Hey. Enter it.”
She handed me her phone.
The dial pad was open, so I supposed she wanted me to enter my number.
Without saying anything, I took it, typed in my phone number, and handed it back.
“At least you listen well.”
Oh Jisun grinned and stood up.
“Hey. And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t do that again. You’ll be in trouble.”
“…Do what?”
She didn’t answer my question and instead walked over to the owner to pay.
All the way back to the dormitory, I racked my brain trying to decipher what she had meant.
But in the end, I never figured out what exactly I wasn’t supposed to do again.