*
"You were here. I don't think I've heard an answer yet."
Park Hye-ji was more persistent than I thought. I didn't expect her to keep following me like this.
"I told you I'd think about it some more, no?"
"Hasn't it been enough time to think about it? I want a definite answer. Why are you even hesitating in the first place?"
Well, it's because your reactions are so good?
Actually, that's part of the reason, but Min-ji and Seo-ah also got nominations from the Reaper Guild.
I expected Seo-ah to get nominated, of course, but I didn't think Min-ji would get one too.
In Da-eun's case, a guild related to her grandfather nominated her, and in Jeong Soo-ah's case, a guild that specializes in training healers nominated her.
Going with Min-ji and Seo-ah isn't a bad idea, so I was thinking about it.
'Well, I wouldn't have complete freedom of action... but that's the same for Park Hye-ji.'
If I take a request from the Reaper Guild, I feel like I'd have to be pretty careful.
I didn't know it back then, but Jia Unnie is a pretty high-ranking person in the Reaper Guild.
Since someone like that is calling Seo-ah "Agassi," I feel like something big will happen if I make a mistake during the request.
"Hey. Are you listening?"
"Si-woo...?"
I turned my head at the familiar voice and saw Seo-ah with a blank face, staring at me blankly.
"Yoon Seo-ah? What are you doing here?"
"Si-woo... what are you doing here?"
Seo-ah lightly ignored Park Hye-ji's words and walked towards me.
She approached with light, quick steps and a blank face, then hugged me.
"Why... are you here?"
Was it time for a secret rendezvous in a place like the supply warehouse?
It seems Seo-ah came looking for me because she couldn't see me. Should I be glad that only Park Hye-ji is here?
"Euhm...?"
"Someone was bothering me."
"Who is it...?"
"Wait, what was that reaction just now?"
Park Hye-ji seemed shocked by Seo-ah's expression of not knowing who she was and started to introduce herself.
"Isn't it strange that you don't know me? We even sparred directly!"
"I don't... know who you are..."
"Wh-what..."
Park Hye-ji's face looked like she had taken a strong shock, but Seo-ah didn't seem to care and started pulling me away.
If it were the usual Park Hye-ji, she would have followed, but she seemed to be greatly damaged by Seo-ah's reaction and just stood there.
"Why... are you with Park Hye-ji?"
Was she pretending not to know while knowing? Well, there's no way she wouldn't know.
I felt like she was a little angry that her time was being disturbed.
I need to answer well in times like these.
"I had something to talk about because of the nomination request this time."
"Nomination... request...?"
"A nomination request came in for Choi Tae-soo-nim."
"What... are you going to do...?"
Seo-ah was looking up at my face with her eyes wide open like a cat looking up.
"You're going to do it... with me... right...?"
I didn't expect Seo-ah to come out like this, so it was more destructive than I thought.
I was planning to refuse appropriately and accept Choi Tae-soo's request, but I couldn't help but scratch my head.
"Si-woo-ya...?"
"That is..."
Seo-ah's cheeks started to puff up like a hamster with a lot of food in its mouth.
"I should say that what Choi Tae-soo-nim tells me is helpful... so..."
"The Reaper Guild... can do it too..."
Even if I tried to make eye contact with Seo-ah, she turned her head away.
The staring contest with Seo-ah continued. It seems she thought we would definitely do it together.
As the number of people increased, I didn't know what would happen later if I didn't resolve it in advance.
As I thought about what Seo-ah liked, she seemed to like it every time we went on a date.
"That's... I'm sorry. How about we go on a date after the request instead?"
"Date...?"
"Yeah. Is there anywhere Seo-ah wants to go?"
"There is..."
Seo-ah, who was avoiding my gaze, carefully turned her head.
Maybe it's because of her cute appearance, even though she has no expression, but every action was lovely.
"Then let's go to the place our Seo-ah wants to go."
"Okay..."
Her mood improved, and the atmosphere was better than before.
Well, I'm glad that things are somehow resolved on Seo-ah's side too.
Just as I was about to leave, a small hand grabbed my collar.
"Seo-ah?"
"The break... isn't over yet..."
With those words, she pulled me in. Seo-ah actively burrowed into my arms.
"Seo-ah?"
"..."
She didn't answer my words and just pulled on my collar.
Seo-ah's eyes were moist, was she asking for a kiss?
__Chuup..chuup..
The awkward feeling from the beginning was nowhere to be found, Seo-ah's movements had become familiar.
Seo-ah's skin was cool, soft, and squishy.
Well, the break is still left, after all.
*
The rankings for this survival assessment have been decided. The names from 1st to 3rd place were all recognizable.
There were many people who questioned the name in 4th place. It was the same in Every Week, the representative community of the Korea Academy.
[Kim Si-woo is 4th place, is that right?]
Kim Si-woo, who was ranked 4th in the survival assessment.
[Isn't something wrong with this?]
[No, is this speed even possible? I don't think even Choi Tae-soo-nim grew this fast.]
[Isn't it rigged? It seems like the Academy is openly pushing Kim Tae-hwan because he awakened his abilities.]
[I admit he's gotten stronger, but honestly, this is too much.]
While some people denied it as nonsense, opposing opinions began to emerge one by one.
[I'm in the top 50, and I really couldn't do anything against Kim Si-woo;; He's not just a regular student, he's a monster]
ㄴ [What if there's no proof?]
ㄴ [I also started in the snowy area, but when I was eliminated, it turned out to be Kim Si-woo ㅅㅂ]
ㄴ [You too? ㅅㅂ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I was about to have a great time in the snowy area, but I got caught]
ㄴ [Are you guys collectively rigging it?]
As vivid experiences from people who were directly affected were posted, the evaluation of Kim Si-woo began to change.
[So what are you trying to say? Honestly, I don't like him because he looks unlucky.]
ㄴ [Looks like he's acting like that because he's uglier than Si-woo]
ㄴ [ㅇㅈ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
ㄴ [He looks so gay, what's so handsome about him?]
ㄴ [Honestly, I don't think that's true;;]
I can feel that people no longer ignore me, even though they don't acknowledge me as 4th place yet.
Besides, I also received a reward.
[Scenario Quest]
[Survival Assessment!]
[Final Rank: 4th Place]
[A rank that others can't even dream of! A high rank that you can't help but acknowledge! But if you had done a little better... a slightly disappointing rank!]
[Reward: Fate Points + 2000]
'It's reassuring just to look at it.'
It would have been better if I had swept up some Death Knights at the end, but I'm satisfied with this.
I seem to have a lot of leeway, should I do some gacha?
"What are you looking at with such a smile?"
"No, there's just something funny."
I turned off the status window and got out of the car. It was the middle of a mountain road where people rarely pass by.
"We have to go up from now on. Try to keep up. You're not going to say it's too hard, are you?"
When I raised my head, I saw the dizzyingly high mountain. Is that old man some kind of immortal that he lives in a place like this?
Beyond the broken path that wasn't even halfway up, I could see the winding mountain path.
It was a place where people didn't come, and there didn't seem to be a path that could be called a mountain road.
That's why I arrived late last time.
"What are you thinking about by yourself?"
"It's nothing."
I ignored Park Hye-ji, who was still narrowing her eyes as if she was using some kind of mind-reading ability.
Today, I came with Park Hye-ji to carry out a dispatch mission.
If it's a mission that ends quickly, I'll be able to rest. Since the mission content is different for each person, the duration is bound to be different.
So, once you finish the mission, the dispatch mission period is like a holiday.
Since it's reflected in the grades, there won't be any guys who finish easy missions carelessly and rest, but well, maybe there are some guys like that.
"Don't lose your way and follow me closely!"
"Who do you think I am, a kid?"
I started to take the mountain path, following Park Hye-ji, who was taking the lead and going up.
Even if I ignore the uneven floor, the part where I had to climb over rocks that were almost cliffs was a difficult path that ordinary people couldn't even attempt.
"It's okay to speed up even more, right? Keep up!"
I don't know why she's so fired up with a competitive spirit, but well, I have no intention of losing either.
I started climbing the mountain, following Park Hye-ji, who was leaping while stepping on places where there was no foothold, as if she was performing acrobatics.
It's a pretty difficult path, but seeing her climb skillfully, I guess there's a reason why she's 3rd place.
'That reminds me, I wonder if she knows...'
I don't know why she came wearing a skirt while climbing a mountain path like this, but if she runs around like that, it's bound to be seen naturally.
The cute teddy bear kept waving hello from under the fluttering skirt.
Seo-ah doesn't even wear things like that, her taste is really unique.
"Hoo... hoo... It's okay to go faster, right?"
Even if she's a superhuman, she's bound to get tired if she runs around like that on this slope.
There are many places where you can fall if you make a small mistake, so concentration was also needed, and as a result, Park Hye-ji seemed to be breathing a little roughly.
I'm not having a hard time either, but I felt a little tired.
"You don't have to push yourself so hard."
"You're not saying it's hard, are you?"
Park Hye-ji raised the corners of her mouth as if she had won.
"I'm not having a hard time at all."
"Ha. I'll look forward to how long you can keep that face!"
Park Hye-ji shouted that and jumped up.
'Goodbye, teddy bear. It seems we'll be seeing each other a lot.'