"Russ?"
"Why is that person here?"
"What's going on at our school?"
When the name of someone they had forgotten since the math trip came up, the kids buzzed with curiosity. Sihyun narrowed his eyes, recalling his last meeting with Russ. It was because of the determined look in his eyes, the intention to defeat all Irregulars.
"I don't know why he's here. In my opinion, maybe he's here to scout Sihyun?"
"Huh?"
"...."
At Haewoon's words, the kids' attention shifted towards me. It seemed reasonable for everyone to blink their eyes and nod in agreement.
"That could be a possibility."
"Yeah, we failed in scouting last time."
"If that's the intention, he wouldn't stay quiet from the Redem side."
With cautious voices, Sihyun blinked his eyes. For now, he was bound to Redem by a contract. Considering Hahyeok's personality, he wouldn't easily yield to someone else. Agreeing with Seowoo's words, Down and Jihae exchanged glances.
"Why from Redem?"
"Oh, Sihyun signed a contract with Redem!"
"Contract?"
The girls' gazes stuck to me as if asking why I hadn't mentioned this earlier. Seeing Down's suspicious eyes as if demanding a detailed explanation, I realized I had to be careful, considering my contract with Redem. So, I nodded in agreement with Seowoo's words, and Down and Jihae grinned.
"Why did you sign a contract?"
"There was a reason."
Since explaining the details would involve revealing the events of the day, I vaguely murmured, and Down, looking at Sihyun with suspicion, turned her head towards Haewoon.
"Did you hear anything else besides that? Why Russ's name came up now, I don't think you'd know."
"I don't!"
"...?"
With a confident declaration, Down put on a casual expression.
"My voice was too soft, and the teachers quickly moved away, so I couldn't hear. But it didn't seem like something urgent or immediate."
Not certain. Haewoon added while picking up a staff from the floor. Despite my attempts to explain with enthusiasm, I seemed to be at a loss since I didn't have much to say.
"Anyway, it doesn't seem like something to worry about right away, so let's focus on training! I gained a new skill during this break!"
The topic of conversation quickly shifted. The kids, who had worn ambiguous expressions, sighed in relief and responded appropriately to Haewoon's rhythm.
"What kind of skill is it?"
"A skill that allows me to use skills without mana consumption for a certain period? And during that time, the damage dealt to the opponent is doubled!"
"Doubled?"
"What's that? Isn't that a scam?"
The kids were surprised, and Hamin, whom everyone expected to be the most impressed, unexpectedly spoke with a somewhat disheartened tone. Sihyun also nodded, looking at Haewoon. If Haewoon's words were true, honestly, that buff was quite an overpowered skill. Even though I knew this wasn't a game, it seemed like I had played too many games with Hamin, becoming fascinated with discussions about balance.
Amidst suspicious and jealous glances, Haewoon smirked, saying, "It's not a scam, right?"
"If the duration is more than 10 minutes, it might not be as bad as dumping all mana, but the duration is less than 3 minutes. It seems possible up to a maximum of 5 minutes, but with my proficiency, maybe 12 seconds? That might be the limit."
"Not a scam."
"Really?"
"Then try using it. How many people can it affect at maximum?"
Doubling the damage might not be a big deal for other Awakened individuals, but for combat-type Awakened, it was an exciting prospect. Down urged Haewoon and, with eager eyes, everyone looked at him, stopping Haru, who had been throwing knives swiftly at an iron scarecrow, and even Geonu and Hamin subtly raised their swords.
Only Gunwoo and I remained indifferent, turning our heads. As I turned, I saw Gunwoo, who had been resting against the wall, his white skin maintained as if he hadn't gotten any sun during the summer break.
Turning my gaze back, Haewoon confidently mentioned that he could probably affect up to 10 people.
"Then, are you going to use it?"
Haewoon, who shouted this, swung the staff.
A dazzling light covered the kids as if it would shine brilliantly.
Sihyun furrowed his brows.
Then everyone collapsed to the ground.
***
"Really, really sorry!"
Haewoon apologized for the fifth time due to a skill miss caused by his lack of proficiency. The sleep skill, which had even put Haewoon, the caster, to sleep, presented the gift of evening to the Class A kids when they woke up. Because of this, unable to do proper training and heading to the cafeteria, the kids had awkward expressions. Except for Gunwoo, everyone seemed bewildered.
"It's okay, Haewoon. You can make everyone fall asleep like that. I've raised my proficiency in the sleep skill a lot. Who would have known that one wrong skill could give a good 6-hour sleep?"
"Did you at least give a warning? Then maybe resist or something."
"Next time, if your proficiency is that low, tell me in advance. If it was a different debuff instead of sleep, we could have gotten hurt."
Throughout the way to the cafeteria, the kids continued to mock Haewoon for his misuse of skills. Having received a lot of curses, Haewoon, who had eaten a lot of leftovers, felt guilty for his committed crime. Seeing Haewoon apologizing and reflecting was an uncommon sight, so it was interesting to watch, and quickly, they arrived at the cafeteria. Due to the delay, when Sihyun, who hadn't had lunch due to his nap, looked inside, he swallowed hard.
Thinking of just eating a little to avoid standing out, the uncomfortable feeling from the intense gazes of the kids, more focused than usual due to that damn school uniform model, already made me uneasy.
As I entered, the kids' excitement started. At the end of the first semester, they had become accustomed to themselves doing their thing, regardless of whether they were eating or not. But with the start of the new semester, even that seemed to have been reset.
Avoiding the clinging glances, I turned my head and picked up a tray. Hearing something like "Seohyun said something," my name being mentioned made me slightly uneasy. Even celebrities get annoyed when bothered during meals, and I wasn't any different.
As my complexion darkened rapidly, Hamin, who was next to Sihyun, frowning, spoke up.
"Why is your expression like that when you came to eat?"
"What's wrong with my expression?"
"It's like a freshly beheaded fish."
"...."
What kind of expression is that? Sihyun thought he looked a bit pale, but if Hamin said something like that, maybe he was making a strange expression. He paused in the middle of picking up food, feeling his face with his hand. Hamin laughed at him with a wry smile. Sihyun, not feeling anything in particular, looked at him as if to ask why he was laughing.
"Did you see that guy's picture? He looked so gay."
At the sudden comment, Sihyun's hand, which was picking up food, paused for a moment.
Did I hear it wrong?
Thinking that he might have misheard because he was sensitive, he turned his head to check behind. There were a group of guys laughing, patting each other on the shoulders and chatting.
"Oh, that uniform?"
It didn't seem like he had misheard. If the person talking had been aware of his surroundings, he might have lowered his voice, but it didn't seem like that person was considerate. The voice was quite loud. It wasn't loud enough to be heard by people far away, but it was clear enough for Sihyun, who was not too far from where the voices were coming from.
Trying not to pay attention, Sihyun tried to pick up food again, but this time, the conversation was more explicit and lower quality than before, catching his hearing.
"He's pretty, isn't he? I actually find it attractive."
"Are you crazy?"
"...."
Sihyun released the tongs he had been holding, repeating the motion of gripping and letting go. The conversation behind him seemed to be related to him, but there was no clear evidence, so it was ambiguous to say anything.
Thinking to ignore it, he tried to pick up food again, but a conversation with more explicit and lower quality language caught his attention.
"He's kind of pretty. I'd do him."
"Hey, but he's a guy."
"You can't tell by just looking at his face."
Maybe because his attention was focused on his hearing. The conversation became clearer than before. Although his name wasn't mentioned, Sihyun was convinced that the 'he' they were talking about was him and swallowed hard.
It would have been better if they just talked openly.
If they had openly said something like 'Sihyun looks so gay, would you hang out with him?' Sihyun would have hit them on the head with the tongs. But now, with the conversation slyly avoiding mentioning his name, he couldn't express his anger without clear evidence.
As Sihyun stood still without moving to another section in the buffet, the eyes of the Class A kids were fixed on him. Since he was staying silent without moving, those who were chatting began to make jokes, wondering who would choose to be with him if there was a guy who looked like him. Finally, others seemed to catch on and cautiously observed Sihyun's expression.
"If it were me, I'd be with him."
"Hey, but he's a guy."
"You won't be able to tell just by looking at his face."
Whether it was because his attention was on hearing or not, the conversation became clearer than before. Although his name wasn't mentioned, Sihyun was convinced that the 'he' they were talking about was him and swallowed hard.
It would have been better if they just talked openly.
If they had openly said something like 'Sihyun looks so gay, would you hang out with him?' Sihyun would have hit them on the head with the tongs. But now, with the conversation slyly avoiding mentioning his name, he couldn't express his anger without clear evidence.
If I walked back there and slapped them on the back of their heads, I'd be called a psycho and taken to the office. If it stopped there, it would be fortunate, but because of the Quadruple-Class position, distorted rumors would spread through the community, and there might be articles like 'Quadruple Personality Disorder' circulating within the school.
They say three times of patience saves you from murder. As he silently endured and regulated his breathing, there was a moment when he thought of that saying.
"Oh, do they think only they can use the cafeteria? Their voices are so loud."
"...."
An annoyed voice resonated through the cafeteria. Sihyun widened his eyes and looked at Hamin. Hamin, who received his gaze, casually asked, "What's wrong?" in a tone that was indifferent to the irritated voice.
"Are you crazy?"
"Who, them?"
"...."
He turned toward the group of guys behind him and boldly spoke. Sihyun closed his eyes at Hamin's audacious behavior. A voice from the side commented, "Are you in a hurry?" Hamin's audacious actions seemed to have received a warning, as the guys who were laughing and chatting in the back quieted down. It seemed they caught on and were cautious.
"...Thanks, but don't do that. It could make the news."
Concerned about Hamin's position, he spoke, and the guy, with a smirk, showed a cheeky gesture as if to say he wanted to be hit. It was a pitiful sight, so Sihyun picked up a piece of meat and placed it on his tray as a kind of thank you.
After that, an awkward incident occurred.
"Chanwoong, heard you broke up with your girlfriend. Seems like you're feeling lonely. But I understand why you broke up."
Seowoo, who was going to find a seat after filling his tray with food, approached the group of problematic guys, patted one of them on the shoulder, and said that. Judging by the way he called him by his name so familiarly, it seemed like they knew each other superficially. Just as he said that, Chanwoong's face wrinkled.
"Oh, sorry! My mistake! I'll get you a new one!"
While following Seowoo, Haewoon, who had been walking, lost his balance in the middle and spilled the food from his tray onto the guys' trays.
"Hey, sorry about that."
Down, with an unapologetic face, apologized to Chanwoong, patting him loudly on the shoulder. From then on, Haru and Geonwoo also lightly bumped into them, or gave them meaningful glances. Witnessing all this while walking by, Sihyun blinked his eyes. It seemed like the guys who were hit didn't feel great about it.
"What's going on here?"
He mumbled in disbelief at the unbelievable sight happening right in front of him.
"I was the most normal one here. Aren't you guys ashamed?"
Hamin, lowering his head from behind, murmured quietly. To the brazen whisper, Sihyun chuckled. It was somewhat relieving.
With a slight murmur, Hamin shrugged his shoulders. Somehow, all the buzzing and burdensome glances were gone, and the meal of the day ended quite satisfactorily.
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