Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Group Project (1)

Weekend morning─the hour when people were at their laziest.

In the quiet predawn, while everyone else was still asleep, An Seri was jogging through the academy grounds.

"Whew......"

Calling it jogging was generous─it was closer to an all-out sprint. She reached her destination, and her feet stopped.

A morning exercise routine she'd maintained ever since she was old enough to know better.

Today, too, An Seri's day began with water against the backdrop of a sunrise.

"Two hours until the meeting time...... that should be plenty."

Enough to take it easy.

An Seri returned to her dormitory.

The heavily renovated space was so alien from a typical dorm room that it was hard to believe they were in the same building.

Expensive furniture and lavish decorations.

The bed, in particular, was a custom-made top-of-the-line model, designed for An Seri who struggled to fall into deep sleep. And at the edge of the bed, a teddy bear as tall as she was.

The room revealed An Seri's personality in all sorts of ways.

An Seri quickly stripped off her training clothes and stepped into the bathroom.

Neat by nature, An Seri hated staying in sweat-soaked clothing.

Naturally, the bathroom had been renovated too─the tub was outfitted with spa and massage functions, among others. No other dorm room even had a bathtub to begin with.

After a leisurely wash, she checked the time and found the meeting hour was approaching. She finished coordinating her outfit quickly and headed out.

Arriving earlier than the appointed time was a basic courtesy of modern life.

─User authenticated.

The Florian Academy training grounds.

Now that teams had been formed, she'd set up this gathering so the members could practice together.

The early call didn't sit well with the members, but with time running short, there was no choice. The first practicum evaluation was just two weeks away.

"Scheduling us this tight for no reason. Honestly."

She'd thought she'd be the first to arrive, but someone had beaten her.

Familiar brown bob─it was Seo Dayun.

"Morning, Seri!"

"Hey. You're early."

"I figured I'd get here first and warm up."

An Seri nodded approvingly.

What a great attitude.

If only the others were this cooperative. She could only hope.

While An Seri and Seo Dayun were chatting, the third member appeared.

"Good morning. The sisters have arrived first, I see."

The self-proclaimed Israeli. The craziest one of the bunch.

Still, arriving ten minutes before the meeting time was at least praiseworthy.

"Abraham...... right? Good morning."

"Indeed."

An Seri marveled at how Seo Dayun could chat so casually with a nutjob like him.

A background check on the guy had revealed his real name to be Lee Bongnam. Calling it a "background check" was generous─she'd simply asked Cha Eunwoo.

He seemed to much prefer the name Abraham, though.

As the meeting time drew near, the next person arrived.

"Yo~! Hi, hi."

A man whose appearance always screamed danger.

Gold Sun─no, Gam Miseong waved with a dopey grin. His smile looked so shifty that An Seri nearly got goosebumps.

But Seo Dayun greeted him with a perfectly unfazed expression.

"Hey, morning."

"May the Lord's blessing be upon you, brother."

"Uh? Uhh."

The meeting time was nearly up.

One person short.

Nam Hyeju. She'd been vocal about her complaints from the very first scheduling.

An Seri felt irritation welling up.

Then, about ten minutes later, the training grounds' door opened.

Nam Hyeju arrived after the appointed time.

"Hi."

And yet she greeted everyone with a face completely devoid of remorse.

Building a disciplined team required both carrot and stick.

But a leader should hand the stick to a second-in-command rather than wielding it herself, then offer the carrot personally. A strict leader struggled to earn the team's respect.

The problem was that there was no one here to play that role.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Oh, sorry for being late."

When An Seri shot her a look, Nam Hyeju finally offered a half-hearted apology.

An Seri wasn't satisfied. If only someone would tell her off in her place.

Seo Dayun and Abraham didn't seem to care much, and Gam Miseong appeared to be holding back because those who'd arrived before him weren't speaking up.

Forget it. What did she expect from these people?

"Now that we're all here, let's get start─"

"Hold on."

Nam Hyeju cut An Seri off.

Late, and yet acting like she had speaking rights.

"I've had a problem with this since we first set up the meeting. Seriously, where does any team start prepping group projects in the second week of class?"

"So you don't want to do it?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have come in the first place. But I did, right? So, team leader─give me a prize."

Nam Hyeju flashed an unnerving grin.

Madness seeped from her expression.

What's this bitch about to pull?

"Hmm, what do you want?"

"Fight me."

It was a sudden proposal, but one easily turned into an opportunity.

Fine, let's do it.

This was a chance to establish the pecking order once and for all and put her on a leash.

An Seri flashed a smile and replied.

"If that's what you want."

"Ohh, generous."

Nam Hyeju seemed surprised that she'd accept so readily.

Caught off guard by the turn of events, Gam Miseong shifted from foot to foot.

These two were supposed to be here to train─why were they fighting? He didn't understand.

He tried talking to Seo Dayun beside him.

"Shouldn't we stop them?"

"If it's Seri, she'll handle it."

What? This girl's weird too.

That unconditional trust made Gam Miseong think:

I'm the only sane one in this party.

"Hey, team leader. You sure about this?"

"About what?"

"You got all dolled up just to get beat like a dog."

Nam Hyeju bared her white teeth in a smirk.

An Seri answered with a smile instead of words.

Though the smile didn't quite look like a smile.

"You said your weapon is the sword, right? Let me see......"

Then An Seri picked up a training bokken.

Seeing that, Nam Hyeju frowned.

"Your weapon isn't a sword─it's a bow, isn't it?"

"How did you know that?"

"Fourth on the entrance exam, daughter of a mega-guild─you'd have to be a spy not to know. But here's the thing: you ace one little test and the whole world looks easy, huh? Let me teach you. The real deal isn't some neatly arranged exam."

"I look forward to it. Show me."

CRASH─!

Before the words had settled, Nam Hyeju swung her sword.

A fast, heavy strike─like a wild animal swiping with its forepaw.

Her rough swordsmanship seemed to mirror her personality perfectly.

"Hraaah!"

Even under the barrage of follow-up attacks, An Seri stuck purely to defense.

Nam Hyeju grinned.

This woman is dead wrong.

Did she think playing defense would tire her out? Unfortunately for her, Nam Hyeju was supremely confident in wars of attrition.

"Are you a snapping turtle with its head pulled into its shell? Keep hiding behind that block forever, you turtle bitch!"

CRASH─!

Under the heavy consecutive strikes, An Seri was visibly being pushed back.

Each time, Nam Hyeju's excitement grew and her sword swung faster.

Abraham and Seo Dayun watched with interest, while only Gam Miseong fretted.

"The red sister is incredibly fast."

"Right? It's reassuring that she's our ally."

"Um...... won't An Seri get seriously hurt at this rate? We should stop─"

"Why would Seri get hurt?"

"Why? She's obviously being pushed back!"

"If it's Seri, she'll handle it."

Gam Miseong clutched the back of his neck.

There were two fanatics here.

Meanwhile, Nam Hyeju and An Seri continued their spar-disguised-as-a-brawl.

More precisely, Nam Hyeju was unleashing a one-sided assault.

"Team leader! If your plan is to drain my stamina, bad choice. I only get stronger the longer I fight!"

"I've seen enough. Time to end this."

"What kind of non─ Huh?"

CRASH─!

What? What just happened......?

She'd clearly been winning. No─she'd been dominating.

Yet somehow, when she came to her senses, her bokken was lying far away and Nam Hyeju was staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Wh-What the......!"

"See? I told you Seri never loses."

Gam Miseong's jaw dropped, and Seo Dayun puffed up with pride.

Nam Hyeju mumbled in a daze.

"What...... was that?"

"A bit underwhelming for all your trash talk, but you're not too bad to work with. Looking forward to the semester."

One exchange.

The match had been decided in a single stroke.

She couldn't even tell what had happened. It was a sword path she'd never seen in her life.

"I......"

For the first time ever, Nam Hyeju felt humiliation and, at the same time, a massive wall.

A bow user who didn't even specialize in swords was this strong?

She'd always been called the best among her peers.

She'd beaten many adults older than her. Even at Florian, she'd believed she could beat anyone in a one-on-one fight.

But the world was far, far wider than Nam Hyeju had thought.

"Don't take it too hard. You were up against me."

An Seri tried a playful jab, but Nam Hyeju just stood there like her soul had left her body.

Did I go too far?

She'd seemed like the prideful type, so An Seri had tried to break her decisively─but it might've been overkill.

After a while, Nam Hyeju came back to her senses.

"You......"

Nam Hyeju stared at An Seri like a broken doll.

Her eyes were unfocused, her voice slightly trembling.

This girl─did I completely shatter her?

"I understand the frustration, but this is reality. Let's accept the result and get on with our group proje─"

"You're amazing."

"......Huh?"

Something was off.

Looking again, Nam Hyeju's face had a faint blush.

Flushed cheeks, trembling body.

She'd thought it was a mental breakdown, but now it looked more like someone who was aroused.

"H-Hyeju?"

"I'm into you. You're mine from now on."

Oh, for the love of─

An Seri looked at Nam Hyeju with undisguised revulsion, but Nam Hyeju plowed right on.

"My whole body's tingling. I'm so excited I could lose my mind. You have to take responsibility for what you've done to me."

"What are you even─"

"If I spend all day tangling with you, body against body, I feel like I'll reach something. Then I can break through my wall and step onto the next level."

The team reacted more intensely to Nam Hyeju's declaration than An Seri did.

"Uh, is this something I should cheer for? Feels like it's not......"

"Of course not! Wh-What kind of confession is this......?"

"Heresy! As the Lord has spoken, this is an abomination!"

Seo Dayun looked bewildered, Gam Miseong went red in the face as if it were happening to him, and Abraham was incensed.

An Seri replied, straining to stay calm.

"......I don't have hobbies that involve other girls."

"Ha, what kind of bullshit interpretation leads to that? I don't want that either! That's not what I'm talking about!"

Nam Hyeju blushed furiously and snapped back.

She'd phrased it in a way that invited the misunderstanding, yet she was the one getting angry.

So it hadn't gone quite that far after all.

Sounds of relief, louder than An Seri's own, came from around her.

"Then what are you proposing?"

"Spar with me. I feel like if I keep fighting you, I'll reach it."

"No."

A firm, instant rejection.

There was nothing to gain from Nam Hyeju, and An Seri didn't care even if she threatened to be uncooperative on the group project. Cha Eunwoo would handle it wisely in that case.

Unexpectedly, Nam Hyeju took a submissive approach.

She dropped to her knees and began begging An Seri.

"Please! Even just once every time I do well in a practicum evaluation would be fine...... Please spar with me."

"Even if you put it that way......"

Ugh, what a pain.

Seeing Nam Hyeju grovel didn't stir any particular feelings, but the other team members seemed to be softening.

Their view of Nam Hyeju had shifted from "lunatic" to "mentally unhinged but not a bad person."

The terms she'd offered weren't a big deal anyway.

Making a concession here wasn't such a bad move. It was an opportunity to build the image of a magnanimous leader who offered carrots, strengthening the team's unity.

"......My standards will be high. Even so?"

"Absolutely! I won't let you down!"

Nam Hyeju beamed like a child and threw her arms around An Seri in a tight hug.

The pressure against her chest was uncomfortable.

Having entertained strange thoughts earlier didn't help. It gave her an odd feeling.