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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Perhaps because it was Friday, Graford City was bustling.
Academy students and Defense Brigade members were all out on leave.
On top of that, the city was packed with Graford residents and tourists who had come for the weekend academy tours.
The academy tours offered temporary access to parts of the academy for the public during the weekends.
It was a promotional strategy to attract talented individuals.
Since the academy was located within a military protection zone and designated as a level 1 national critical facility, normally inaccessible to civilians, the tours were quite an attractive tourist product.
Graford City on a Friday night, crowded with people, many of whom I knew.
I preferred not to attract unnecessary attention, but there was nowhere else to go.
As I mentioned before, the academy was in a military protection zone, so there were no other significant urban areas nearby besides Graford City.
Traveling to the other nearest city would take far too long.
While Chae Ga-yoon might have wanted to go somewhere far away and “inevitably” stay overnight, I didn’t.
This dinner was simply a thank you for her help.
As I slowly drove around, looking for a parking spot, I saw the spicy stir-fried intestines restaurant was swarming with people waiting in line.
It was a popular, long-standing establishment that hadn’t expanded.
How were we supposed to get in…?
I parked the car on the side of the road a bit further away and walked to the restaurant with Chae Ga-yoon.
“So, that son of a… Oh, sorry. What the administrative head said was…”
Chae Ga-yoon chattered non-stop beside me.
She hadn’t stopped talking since we left the academy gates.
Anyone would think she was ostracized in the administrative office and never got a chance to speak.
Well, she was ostracized.
Or rather, the staff were too afraid to talk to her.
Chae Ga-yoon, known for her foul mouth and strong personality, was nicknamed “The Pet.”
There was a reason for such an unexpectedly cute nickname.
It’s because she rejects every half-hearted document like a pet pushing things off a table.
There were various variations of the nickname, such as “Unvaccinated,” “Rabid,” and “Potty-Mouthed.”
While it was a pain for her subordinates, Chae Ga-yoon’s work ethic was a great asset to the academy.
Minor errors that often occurred in other administrative offices never happened in ours.
That’s probably why she had risen to the position of administrative director, just below the head, at such a young age.
She might look haggard from being overworked and constantly pulling all-nighters, but Chae Ga-yoon was actually one of the most powerful figures in the academy.
“Huh? There are so many people! We’ll have to wait over an hour!”
Chae Ga-yoon exclaimed, looking at the long line in front of the restaurant.
“Just wait a moment. They reserve seats for academy professors.”
Having been here twice before, I bypassed the line and spoke to a staff member inside.
“Oh, Professor Kyo! Please come in!”
The staff member, recognizing my face, ushered me in, pulling me by the arm.
To think I would become a regular at a spicy food restaurant…
I even had a loyalty card in my coat pocket.
Ten stamps earned a free serving of spicy stir-fried intestines and steamed eggs.
Chae Ga-yoon was overjoyed that we could skip the line.
“This makes it seem like you reserved a table for me in advance, Professor Kyo.”
“They don’t take reservations here.”
“Oh, right… Just saying…”
After we were seated, Chae Ga-yoon ordered three servings of spicy stir-fried intestines and two bottles of soju.
“Steamed eggs and corn cheese for Professor Kyo, right?”
“Haha… Yes.”
I replied, slightly embarrassed by the staff member’s familiarity.
“Ha… The smell is amazing… My mouth is watering…”
Chae Ga-yoon smacked her lips, taking off her coat and hanging it on the back of the chair.
With her sleeveless turtleneck and hair down, she looked very different from her usual appearance at the administrative office.
Can a person really change that much?
I thought she was a dry, frizzy broom like me, but it turned out she was a high-quality reed broom.
“So, you come here often?”
“I’ve been here twice.”
“You must like spicy food.”
“Not really… I came once with other professors and once with my students.”
“Your students? You mean Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha?”
Chae Ga-yoon rounded her eyes in surprise.
“Yoo Hee-won comes to a place like this? From what I’ve heard, I thought she wouldn’t even glance at anything less than fine dining.”
“Hee-won suggested it. She said she didn’t get a chance to eat this kind of food at home.”
“Heh… is that so? She must be living in a completely different world. After all she is not just a silver spoon, but a diamond one.”
“Well… I don’t know. She doesn’t usually flaunt her wealth, so it’s not that noticeable.”
It was true.
Yoo Hee-won had the typical personality of a rich, only child, but she didn’t brag about her money or anything.
If I hadn’t known her background, I would have just thought she was a spoiled, ill-mannered, high-achieving brat.
The soju arrived with the side dishes, and Chae Ga-yoon picked up the bottle and started doing something strange.
She shook it, then tapped the bottom with her elbow… What was she doing?
“This makes it taste better.”
“Really? I’ve never seen that before.”
She placed a soju glass in front of me and filled it.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t drink. I’m driving, and I don’t drink alcohol in general.”
“Really…? Why would you come here if you don’t drink? You should have gone to Kimbap Heaven then.”
“Well… there’s no designated driver service to the academy, so I’ll just have some grape soda.”
“Are you trying to get me drunk and do something to me? Hehe.”
Chae Ga-yoon chuckled, filling her own glass.
She seemed to be in a great mood even before having a drink.
“Then how about this, Professor Kyo? Let’s have a drink.”
“Okay.”
“And then let’s go to a motel.”
“And then?”
“You sleep on the floor, and I sleep on the bed.”
“I think having delicious grape soda and sleeping in my own bed is a much better option than drinking something that doesn’t agree with me and sleeping on the floor.”
“Ha… Then I guess we’ll have to share the bed…”
Chae Ga-yoon dramatically rubbed her forehead, then giggled, as if amused by her own words.
Test the waters, and if it works, great. If not, just laugh it off as a joke.
It seemed like I only attracted assertive women.
It was a bit overwhelming for an introvert like me.
Some might say it was ungrateful of me to reject women who approached me so directly.
But I didn’t feel anything, not even when Professor Jin Se-young did it, or when Chae Ga-yoon pretended to tie her hair and exposed her armpits.
That included sexual desire.
It was all because of my passively activated Mental Barrier.
It kept me calm and collected, but the side effect was that I had difficulty experiencing intense emotions.
Of course, I wasn’t completely emotionless; I felt basic joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, but not intensely enough to act on them.
Pretending not to notice Chae Ga-yoon blushing from embarrassment at her own boldness, I called over a passing staff member.
“Excuse me, could I have some grape soda first? We need to make a toast.”
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Meanwhile, having arrived in Graford City, Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha, dressed in their academy training clothes, were wandering around the downtown area.
“My… legs hurt…”
Han Min-ha, whose hair was a mess, muttered as she trudged after Yoo Hee-won.
After scaling the academy walls, Yoo Hee-won had flown at an extremely low altitude, almost skimming the ground.
It was an unauthorized flight, so she had to avoid detection by the Defense Brigade’s air defense network.
The flight had been incredibly risky and acrobatic, and as soon as they landed on the outskirts of Graford City, Han Min-ha threw up violently, almost bringing up her breakfast.
Unlike Han Min-ha, who looked like a beggar after being battered by the wind and vomiting, Yoo Hee-won was perfectly composed.
More than composed, she was radiant under the neon lights of the downtown area.
Even in her training clothes, she was so beautiful that everyone turned their heads to look at her.
“She’s gorgeous. Are they academy students?”
“Why are they here at this hour? And dressed like that?”
Some of the academy staff recognized her.
“Isn’t that Yoo Hee-won?”
“Oh? Really?”
But Yoo Hee-won, unfazed by the attention, clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Where the hell is he?!”
“Hee-won… how are we supposed to find him in such a crowded place? He might have gone to another city.”
“Idiot. If he was going to another city, he would have left much earlier. Where else could he go at that time through the main gate?”
“That’s true, but… if he’s planning to stay overnight…”
Han Min-ha quickly covered her mouth.
Professor Kyo going out alone with Chae Ga-yoon and staying overnight?
That was like pushing Yoo Hee-won’s berserk button.
Fortunately, the loud music on the street seemed to have drowned out Han Min-ha’s words.
“Hmm… Where could he be? He hates spicy food, so he wouldn’t go to the spicy stir-fried intestines place… If they’re together, they’d be somewhere quiet…”
“But what are you going to do if you find him?”
“I’m not going to do anything! I’m just going to see what he’s doing!”
“I don’t see the difference… Oh! Wait a minute! Hee-won!”
Han Min-ha grabbed Yoo Hee-won’s sleeve.
Thinking she might have spotted Professor Kyo, Yoo Hee-won whipped her head around.
“Where? Where?”
“Can we get a hotdog? I didn’t have dinner, and I’m starving. I think I’m going to faint…”
Han Min-ha pointed at a street vendor selling hotdogs and fried food, swallowing her saliva.
“I didn’t bring my wallet. And if you’re hungry, just metabolize some of that fat hanging off your chest!”
“Oh… I don’t have any money…”
Han Min-ha reluctantly turned away from the food stall and followed Yoo Hee-won.
“Are you two alone?”
“Fuck off. Don’t want to end up in jail for messing with minors.”
Yoo Hee-won sharply rebuked the men who approached them, then suddenly stopped and rubbed her chin.
“Hey, Han Min-ha.”
“Yeah?”
“On second thought, we should check that spicy stir-fried intestines place.”
“But Professor Kyo hates spicy food.”
“No. He’s a stingy bastard, so he might have gone there to get his loyalty card stamped. He might be there, mixing rice with steamed eggs.”
“Really? He might be.”
Yoo Hee-won started walking briskly towards the restaurant.
“Let’s go…!”
Her pace quickened into a jog, and Han Min-ha hurried to catch up.
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A short while later, the two academy students reached the street where they could see the sign for the spicy stir-fried intestines restaurant.
“There are so many people.”
Han Min-ha remarked, looking at the long line of people still waiting.
Despite having run quite a distance, she wasn’t panting or crawling on all fours, drenched in sweat.
Yoo Hee-won took note of this subtle change.
“Let’s go. If Professor Kyo and the administrative director are inside…”
“If they are…?”
“If they are, they are. Let’s go.”
Just as Yoo Hee-won was about to step forward, a chill ran down her spine, and she stopped.
Han Min-ha, who had bumped into her back, stepped back and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
Ignoring her, Yoo Hee-won quickly scanned her surroundings with sharp, snake-like eyes.
“What was that just now?”
“What is it, Hee-won? You’re scaring me with those eyes…”
“Shut up.”
A faint golden Aura started to emanate from Yoo Hee-won’s body.
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