Chapter 175 – Don’t Laugh. Hurry Up.

Suddenly, a text from Si-heon arrived.

– Can you talk now?

There was no way Si-heon would have contacted me without a reason. Most likely, it was about Flower or Lee Se-Young’s story.

“Just a moment. I got a call from someone I know.”

If it’s urgent, I should answer it.

After ending my conversation with Heaven, I exited the dormitory through the front door. I left the main gate and found myself in a quiet, deserted alley. Once again, I took out my phone and called Si-heon.

[Hello. Yes, is this Si-heon?]

Soon, Si-heon’s voice came through the phone. It wasn’t the flirtatious tone reserved for a boyfriend, as before, but rather calm and composed.

“What’s going on?”

[Yeah, well, I didn’t want to call you about this matter either.]

“Flower?”

I wondered if Se-Young had encountered some kind of trouble.

I felt apprehensive about the future I knew, but if she had genuinely been harmed, her voice should have been more melancholic.

Flower.

Perhaps the stars want to discuss that point.

[Yes, I have a favor to ask.]

I leaned against the wall of the alley, bent my knees comfortably, and sat down next to the telephone pole.

…Could it be that Heaven has followed me?

As I expanded my magical power to sense any presence, I could only see a few students who had indulged in alcohol, but not the person on guard.

‘…Do I have to hide what I’m doing from my Master?’

Such a thought struck me, yet I was unsure.

I would resolve matters through dialogue if possible, but at the moment, the problems were so intricately entwined that it wasn’t easy to address them.

I shook my head as if to clear it, like a wet puppy. Eventually, I gathered my thoughts.

As Heaven had her own affairs to attend to… I, too, had a task I needed to fulfill.

I couldn’t rely on my teacher’s help forever. Cheondo was far too susceptible to my requests.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“What is it?”

“[…Well, there’s one good news and one bad news. Which do you want to hear first?]”

“I’d prefer the bad news.”

“[Hmm… I just received this information. It seems the terror will start again soon.]”

The terror of Flower.

It is an organization that is currently causing global concern, and even the World Tree and Hunter’s Association are said to be unable to confront the organization directly. I listened intently to the phone and closed my eyes, gazing at the night sky. With a flick of my finger, I raised the volume two notches. The voice then echoed a bit louder.

“[So… We’re short on manpower, and there’s something only you can do right now.]”

“…Just skip the explanation. I was the one who advocated taking down Flower anyway. There’s no need for contracts or anything like that. Just tell me what it is.”

[We need someone to participate in the Forest Keeper Selection. The official announcement hasn’t been made yet, but you’re already confirmed.]

Forest Keeper Selection…
I sighed inwardly.

It was true that the event held global importance, so it wasn’t unusual for the term “Flower” to be involved. But were they trying to kill a young apprentice like me? There was nothing more sensitive than the death of young people.

[No, that’s not it.]

The Star immediately refuted my suspicions, reciting in a voice trembling with stress.

[…In the location where the Forest Keeper Selection takes place, there are numerous young saplings and World Trees.]

“…”

So it’s not people but trees? Damn tree enthusiasts.

[If that place is targeted for an attack, it’s really the end.]

“If someone intends to attack such a place, wouldn’t it be difficult for me to stop them on my own?”

[I’m not asking you to prevent it. That’s the role of other hunters and clergy. But the most important thing is to be prepared in advance, right? If there’s someone suspicious, please report it. We can’t trust all the cadets participating in the Forest Keeper Tournament.]

That makes it sound like I’m at least a trustworthy person.
Even if I were wrapped in a bean pod, it would be tightly sealed.

I hate Flower to death, but I equally despise the World Tree.
Honestly, I’m not too fond of the Hunter Association either… Perhaps if there’s an anarchist in this world, it might just be me.

I summarized Star’s request and reignited the conversation.

“…So, in short, you want me to infiltrate the cadets and root out the terrorists?”

[Exactly… As expected, Si-heon!]

Star’s voice instantly grew more animated.

[I’ll make sure to prepare a proper reward! Yes? As the vice president of the association, I can take good care of you, right?]

Vice President of the Association… How could someone as impish and Maltese-like as this be just below the Association’s President?
Come to think of it, the immense energy I felt when I was in Dowon belonged to the Association’s President.

“Then, isn’t she quite strong too?”

I don’t know because I’ve never fought before, but she’s probably quite strong.

[What should be a good compensation?]

I snorted excitedly, ignoring the star’s attempts to persuade me, and continued to the next topic.

“Let’s think about the compensation later. No, instead of that… Can you tell me something else?”

[Huh? Um… Hold on.]

[What kind of information? It’s a bit too confidential, but… Since Siheon is asking, I’ll tell you as much as I can.]

“The current location of the Flower… and the suspected location of the terrorist activity. Can you tell me this much?”

[…Why?]

Star asked back in a surprised tone, as if my request was something unexpected.

From her perspective, my inquiry was akin to asking for utterly useless information.
What purpose would it serve for an ordinary cadet to know the location of the Flower? It’s not as if I planned to infiltrate it.

However, that was not the case.

For me, the location of the Flower held more importance than any other piece of information.
Whether I intended to break in and wreak havoc from within,
Slowly tighten my grasp from the outside,
Or relentlessly torture those who had come to terrorize until their demise,
I had no intention of discriminating between means and methods in my quest to destroy the Flower.

“Do you need a reason to go after a villain? I have a personal grudge, if that helps.”

[…All right, since Si-heon is asking, I’ll tell you. I’m flying over there tomorrow, so I plan to hand over the files as well.]

“Understood. I need to see my mentor off tomorrow, so let’s meet in the afternoon.”

For now, a momentary pause.
I set down my phone for a short while to regain my composure before resuming my conversation with Star.
There was still good news to be had.

“But what exactly is the good news?”

[The good news? Hehe.]

The star laughed once. Within a few seconds, she spoke to me in an exaggerated, cartoonish voice, as if she had prepared her lines in advance.

[From today… I get to work with Byul~?]

It felt like she was saying that it was good for her rather than for me. I chuckled and agreed.

“Yes, that’s good news.”

[Right, right~! A new game came out this month, let’s play it together!]

“We should be thinking about work. What game is it? I hope you’re not a gaming addict.”

[You’re right~ I am a gaming addict~ And I’m not ashamed!]

The call suddenly became lively. There were still many more things I wanted to ask, but it wasn’t too late to inquire later. I was only able to enter the dormitory after exchanging a few words with Byul about the new game’s information.

* * * * * * *

[Uh-huh. Sleepy.]

“…Going to sleep again?”

[Every time I eat, I get drowsy. Hehe.]

9 PM.

As the well-behaved child Cheondo dozes off, it’s about the time when Hwangdo and Baekdo start their activities. Perhaps because it was just before leaving the dormitory, Hwangdo, who had feasted on an abundance of delicacies, ultimately succumbed to sleep first, leaving Baekdo behind.

Baekdo fumed as she looked at the remaining food in front of her and Lee Si-heon.

“Ah, jeez… If it was going to be like this, I should have said I’d eat first.”

Who could have known that Si-heon would be on the phone for such a long time?

Si-heon would eat with Hwangdo or Cheondo. She had planned to leisurely enjoy a meal and a peach tea time all by herself, but that wonderful plan dissipated into nothingness in an instant.

– Grrrumble.

The food laid out before her was too good to waste by not eating.

A heap of hard peaches, suited to White Peach’s taste, was piled among the various types of peaches. All the other foods were equally luxurious, the kind they would have devoured until they were bursting on any ordinary day.

‘…What if he doesn’t eat? No… his taste preferences align too well with mine.’

If things continued this way, they would undoubtedly end up eating together. That despicable womanizer was sure to tease her with his mouth again, irritating her nerves.

White Peach scratched her head and sighed. Today, the scar running from her palm to the back of her hand seemed to burn.

Wouldn’t it be better to eat quickly?

It would be enough for Lee Si-heon to eat alone. If she kept her distance from Lee Si-heon as much as possible, while Shiba was also fast asleep after having eaten her fill, the last night in the dormitory would be nothing short of fantastic.

There was still plenty left of the manga magazine she had been reading. She just needed to eat quickly.

Just as White Peach raised her hand, the dormitory door opened, and her face hardened.

“Oh? You were eating first.”

“……”

Truly.

Such an utterly clueless man!

Water worms are of no help in this world. White Peach exhaled and regained her composure.

Her speech was refined, her actions akin to a master. She imitated Heaven’s demeanor and shot him a piercing glare.

“What about the others?”

“They’ve already eaten. It was a party atmosphere. Where did you wander off, leaving your girlfriend behind?”

“Excuse me?”

Trash. Womanizer.

Beneath her cold expression, White Peach was seething with anger. What on earth did anyone see in a man like that? She couldn’t comprehend how Zodiac, who had always preached the importance of choosing a good man since childhood, could be so infatuated with such a man.

If she had her way, she would separate the two of them… But doing so might cause Zodiac to become angry for the first time in years, so what could be done?

White Peach steadied her breath and tapped the table in front of Lee Si-heon’s meal.

‘Alright… There’s a saying that goes, “Give an extra rice cake to the hateful person.”‘

If you observe closely, as if scrutinizing an ant, there seems to be a hint of cuteness to it. His behavior is nothing but disrespectful and detestable, yet… after attending the retreat, hasn’t his face changed just a bit, appearing slightly more mature?

Lee Si-heon smiled as he took a seat.

“So it’s just the two of you?”

Pointless words, once again.

“…Shut up and eat.”
“Did you buy this?”

The food had been ordered by Zodiac and delivered using spatial magic. Occasionally, White Peach would order from the same ‘Delivery Zodiac.’

Lee Si-heon glanced at White Peach before starting his meal. White Peach also let out a sigh and began to eat. Their chopsticks both aimed for the same dish.

Barbecue pork ribs. Cooked to the point of falling off the bone, with a strong scent of ketchup-based sauce, this dish was White Peach’s top pick for this meal.

As their chopsticks collided, irritation arose.

‘Things like that happen too.’

Baekdo held her chopsticks with a serene expression, reaching for another pork rib. The issue was that both of them were overly considerate, causing their chopsticks to collide once more.

At this point, anger flared up for the second time.

‘……’

Somehow managing to separate the food and put it in her mouth, she found the meal to be quite delicious. The second dish she tried was japchae… but upon seeing Lee Si-heon’s chopsticks, she immediately switched to bulgogi.

‘…Why do I have to struggle so much just to eat?’

She pondered that thought for a moment. As they continued eating, Lee Si-heon’s chopsticks moved towards her direction.

“Oh, try this! It’s really tasty. I usually don’t like it, but it’s good here.”

It was braised lotus root. Initially, Baekdo disliked the unique flavor that emerged as she chewed, masked by the soy sauce.

The sight of the braised lotus root staining her white rice irritated her.

‘Just doing unnecessary things…’

Despite that, she put the food in her mouth. Oh?

Surprisingly, the crispy texture was quite enjoyable.

“…Tasty.”
“Right?”

A face that looks at oneself with a teasing smile. Unlike her, Lee Si-heon seemed to be genuinely at ease in this moment. White Peach felt her heart becoming unsettled.

‘…Am I too sensitive?’

That thought crossed her mind. Lee Si-heon’s actions… there weren’t many that truly crossed the line. It was just more irksome because, of all people, it was that man who had said it.

“Ah, try this one too.”

A side dish placed back on top of her rice. She wasn’t thoughtless, but she always seemed to pick fights, and yet she did these playful, teasing things without any reservations.

‘…Isn’t it bad that we’re alone together?’

A sudden thought nestled in her mind. However, the thought didn’t linger.

‘What am I even thinking! He’s just a womanizer… Trash.’

And then, water striders, sea anemones, and the idiocy of Bennet’s disease.

At that time, he merely touched himself, but did not engage in significant acts, clearly proving he was a eunuch.

“What are you doing, not eating?”
“So, what?”
“…What?”
“Ugh, shut up. It’s impolite while eating. Don’t say anything when you eat in front of your teacher.”
“Ah, who cares? It’s the last time.”

Baekdo, who had been internally cursing Lee Si-heon, seemed moved by his words and nodded her head.
Yes, well… it’s the last time.
The future is uncertain, and who knows when they’ll meet again?

With that thought, this moment felt too precious to waste.
Wouldn’t it be alright to not be so sensitive, just for today?

‘…’

*Whoosh.*

Baekdo placed the last remaining pork rib on Si-heon’s rice.

“Last one… Eat it or not, do as you please.”

A clear change in her attitude was evident in her eyes.
Did this man notice that too?
Of course, he must have. He’s someone whose thoughts only seem to work in the most useless corners.

Lee Si-heon’s eyes widened as he looked at White Peach and smirked.

“Would you like a drink too?”
“…I’m craving it today.”
“So, how long are you going to use that tone? Alcohol is fine, right?”

With a bitter smile inside, White Peach spoke to him in a slightly more relaxed tone.

“…Fine. Give me a drink.”
“Hehehe.”
“Don’t laugh… hurry up.”

Trash is trash, but maybe it’s the kind of trash that can be recycled.

-*pop*-

White Peach took a delicious sip of the beer Lee Si-heon handed her after opening the can. The slightly chilled beer was refreshing, and for some reason, it tasted even better while drinking it in front of a man.