Chapter 16: Please Take Care of YukinonI'm a piece of trash.
Even though I had a chance to save Seo Yeon-woo, I abandoned him because I put myself first.
How am I any different from the Organization members I loathe so much?
"Yukinon, is something wrong?"
"Huh? No… nothing…"
"What, did you not sleep? Tsk, tsk—don't tell me you and Yeon-woo had a wild night?"
Mary must have noticed me spacing out, as she approached with a worried look.
Am I even someone who deserves such warm concern? If Mary ever found out my true nature, she'd probably pull away in disgust…
"The fact that you're speechless is suspicious. Yeon-woo isn't here yet, either. Just how much did you guys do?"
Class was about to start, but seeing Yeon-woo's empty seat, Mary giggled and teased me.
He won't be coming.
Because I let him die.
There's been no word from the Organization. That's only natural. I'm just a tool to them; they have no reason to report the results of their work to me.
Because of a selfish human who knows how to cherish her own body and her own sibling but not others, a person who lived a normal life—someone who might have made the world a more beautiful place—was sacrificed.
Just how many people do I have to sacrifice to survive?
"Hey, Yukinon. Seriously, is something wrong? Are you sick?"
"I…"
"Ayyy! Made it on time!"
At the sound of that flippant voice, my head turned instinctively.
Why?
Didn't they say they were going to take care of him yesterday?
Seeing him look so perfectly fine, my mind went blank, and my thoughts stalled.
"Aw, man, I worried for nothing. Look at her eyes go wide the second her boyfriend shows up."
Mary chuckled, completely misunderstanding the situation.
But it shouldn't be possible for him to be alive.
No, it's not that I wanted him to die, but… how?
Perhaps his mana barrier had been breached, as there were a few small bandages on Seo Yeon-woo's cheek.
He was likely hurt far more than what was visible.
The Organization's attacks aren't so dull that they'd end with just a few bandages.
"Huh? Did your mana barrier get pierced? Why are you hurt?"
"Today, the hope of the world suffered a scratch."
Because I was focusing, the conversation between Rio and Seo Yeon-woo reached my ears.
Eavesdropping on others is rude, but I couldn't help my curiosity.
"What are you even talking about? I'm asking about your face."
"I'm talking about my face, too."
"…Forget it. It was probably something stupid again. Go train. Your mana barrier is full of holes."
"My mana barrier is as thick as pig skin. But my face has nothing to do with a pig."
"I feel like I'm losing my mind whenever I talk to you."
Ah.
I see…
He's intentionally acting fine so as not to worry anyone.
Even though he almost died because of me, he's pretending nothing happened and even changing the subject.
So that's what it means to be noble…
He is a noble person, the kind I thought didn't exist in my world.
"Hey, come here."
When I flicked my finger, the cat living at the shrine looked at me with an expression that said, 'What is this moron?'
This little brat sees my face all the time, yet he treats me like a stranger every single time.
As soon as I pulled a container out of my bag, the cat approached with an arrogant stride as if he were used to it.
He really thinks he's the boss.
But I can't help it. He is the boss.
The shrine staff just treat him like a stray cat living nearby, but he's actually a spiritual creature.
Specifically, he played a huge role in making me rich.
Actually, it wasn't just a big role—he did everything.
When I opened the container and offered a fish, he snatched it up as if it were his birthright.
This game has fishing content, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
In the game, it's just a click of a mouse, but here, you have to cast the bait and wait for ages; you're lucky if you catch one or two.
In the end, I have to buy all the fishing rewards with money.
You might wonder why I'm making a fuss over a fish, but this isn't Earth—the sea here produces all sorts of bizarre creatures.
Naturally, they become ingredients for elixirs or magical tools, so they're obscenely expensive.
For the record, the fish I'm feeding him costs about 200,000G.
In Korean terms, I'm feeding a 2-million-won fish to a stray cat.
Man, I'm doing things even a dedicated cat mom wouldn't do.
So, why is he a spiritual creature?
He raises your Luck, the most important stat in the game.
This shrine—it's not Japan, but since it's a Japanese game, it looks exactly like a Japanese shrine—is where you can draw your fortune for the day.
If you pull Great Luck, you sprint straight to the casino. If you pull Great Misfortune, you might as well offer condolences to yourself for the rest of the day.
But this cat is some kind of local deity? I'm not sure, but anyway, if you offer him a sacrifice, the probability of pulling a good fortune goes up.
I haven't been here lately because I've been busy, but today is the day I wipe the beginner hunting grounds off the map, so I need to pull Great Luck to make sure nothing goes wrong.
"Eat up. Eat a lot, and let's pull a nice Great Luck."
When I patted his head, he dodged it as if it were a nuisance and glared at me.
Don't touch you? That just makes me want to touch you more.
Even if he's a spiritual creature, he's still just a cat, so he's not threatening. His goofy face just makes me want to tease him more.
As he buried his face back in the fish, I poked his side with my finger.
"Kyang!"
"Gah! Okay, okay! You're so damn sensitive."
The cat freaked out, jumped up, and started batting at me.
It wasn't a dignified look, but since he's the one who decides my luck, I had to surrender without any resistance.
If you weren't cute—no, if you weren't a spiritual creature—you'd be dead meat.
He really is a spiritual creature, though; his claws managed to leave scratches on my face.
My mana barrier didn't even drop, so how did he do that? Is this cat the strongest being in the world?
Did I just mess with something I shouldn't have?
"Ah, Mr. Cat. Even the way you eat is magnificent~"
I suddenly became polite and started acting cute, but the cat ignored me and kept eating his fish.
I'll bring you some Churu next time! Loyalty! Loyalty!
Satisfied with the Great Luck I pulled from the fortune drawing, I sprinted toward Yggdrasil.
I'm going to be late at this rate. The shrine is way too far from Yggdrasil.
In the game, I could just use fast travel, but in reality, I have to spend the actual time.
I arrived at school, admiring the fact that I still looked damn cool even with bandages on.
Yukina was there, but the homeroom teacher, who belonged to the Geukryu Society, didn't show up. Another teacher came in and said he was subbing because of personal circumstances.
They failed to kill me, so they must have run away.
But do you really think you can run?
Anticipating the moment I'd wipe out the Geukryu Society, I engaged in some pointless banter with the Comedy Duo and studied hard to keep up with the curriculum. Time flew by.
"Can I… talk to you… for a second?"
Wow! For a moment, I thought she was a different person.
Unlike her usual self, Yukina called out to me with a timid, completely deflated vibe.
You must have heard how awesome my mana barrier is, huh? There's no way you didn't. The Geukryu Society must be in an uproar right now.
I followed Yukina up to the rooftop again.
Seeing her throw away the sound-blocking magical tool just like last time, I instinctively puffed out my chest and took a position that made it easy for her to grab my collar.
"…?"
"Ah, sorry. Force of habit."
Embarrassed by Yukina's blank stare, I relaxed my posture and waited for her to speak.
Seeing Yukina hesitate to say what was on her mind was actually pretty cute.
The gap between this and her usual cool behavior is amazing.
It's like a cool, dignified hunting dog that caused trouble and is now gauging its owner's reaction.
Just as I was debating how many hits I'd take if I patted her head, Yukina spoke.
"I'm sorry."
I see. Starting with an apology, are we? Since the Geukryu Society is scared, she must be feeling the pressure too.
In times like this, I need to show the composure of the strong.
"It's okay. It wasn't a big deal."
"How are you ali—no, you were hurt because of me…"
"Eh? Oh, this? I got hurt because of a stupid cat."
Your organization is so pathetic they couldn't even leave a scratch.
But why again? What did I do to make you look so angry?
"It's because of me!"
"…I got hit by a cat."
"You can tell me the truth! It's because of me! You were hurt because of me…"
…??
Even when I tell her the truth, Yukina doesn't believe me.
Well, I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't know he was a spiritual creature. Ah, I can't even explain this.
"How can you be… so noble…"
"…?"
Ah…?
Are you a cat mom too?
Yukina looked at me with a face that seemed ready to burst into tears.
Her moist blue eyes looked like they would spill over at any moment, and then Yukina suddenly hugged me.
"I'm sorry… and… I'm so glad. So glad…"
She smelled so good as she hugged me… no, no. I froze, caught off guard by the sudden embrace.
The apology must be for the Organization attacking me, and the "glad" part… is she glad I survived messing with the cat?
No, wait. Yukina wouldn't even know there's a cat at that shrine.
Does she mean she's glad I'm safe even after being attacked by the Geukryu Society?
… …
I felt a brief flutter in my heart, but I quickly calmed down.
There's no way Yukina, who hated me until now, would suddenly start worrying about me.
In the first place, clearing Yukina's route isn't finished just by destroying the Geukryu Society. The Geukryu Society is just the stage for getting Yukina as an ally and opening her route.
Until the Geukryu Society is crushed, Yukina's affinity system doesn't even unlock. Right now, Yukina and I are complete strangers.
That's why I have to build affinity with Haruna first and then work on Yukina once her route opens.
Then there's only one answer.
It's because I'm so damn handsome.
As I nodded at that perfectly logical reason, Yukina flinched and pushed my chest, pulling away.
Her face was slightly flushed, perhaps because she was embarrassed by the hug.
Yes, you look prettiest when you have that embarrassed face. I'll make sure to make you feel very embarrassed from now on.
"Don't worry so m—"
"I'm leaving."
Yukina cut me off and ran away.
So shy.
Kyah—to think I'd break the game system like this. My face really is something else.
Savoring the memory of Yukina's face—which I wished I could have taken a picture of—I returned to the classroom and finished the rest of my lessons.
"What the heck? Why are you the only one who won? I've never won once."
"Because I'm the Man of Great Luck. Can't you tell just by looking at my face? I was born with this face because I have good luck."
It's a bit petty to call a 'One More' mark on an ice cream stick 'Great Luck,' but Great Luck influences the entire day.
It's a day where everything goes my way.
As I was teasing the dejected Masayoshi, Mary approached.
"Oh, Mary. What's up?"
She clearly has a crush on me, and we've become quite close, so I greeted her warmly.
Naturally, the Comedy Duo lowered their heads and said nothing.
Mary usually loved seeing my smile, but right now, her expression was stiff.
"Yeon-woo… have you heard from Yukina?"
"Huh? Where did she go?"
Looking behind her, I saw that Yukina's seat was empty.
Mary wouldn't have this kind of expression just because Yukina was out of sight for a moment.
"She got a phone call earlier, and then she suddenly got this scary look on her face and disappeared…"
"… …"
"Nothing's wrong, right? She was acting a bit strange this morning, too. She won't pick up no matter how many times I call. Can you try contacting her?"
Mary was genuinely worried about Yukina.
In the game, she was just a faceless extra who hung out with Yukina, but she's a good friend.
I opened my phone and checked Yukina's location.
She had already left Yggdrasil and was heading toward the Geukryu Society.
Those Geukryu Society bastards—they're a criminal organization, yet they're running away just because they're scared of me?
It's probably more because they're scared of Yggdrasil than me, but they really are cowards.
I don't know why they called Yukina, but seeing as she left in such a hurry even though classes weren't over, she probably doesn't intend to return to Yggdrasil.
I stood up, gave Mary's shoulder a reassuring pat, and headed for the door.
"Don't worry. I'll be back."
"Where are you going?"
I turned back to Mary's question and flashed a smile.
"To go get Yukina."
Who said you could leave Yggdrasil without my permission?
There's no way I'm letting that happen. Not after all the effort I've put in.
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