Chapter 05
Bet (1)Bet (1)
In the middle of an exciting dream.
Suddenly, I started hearing birds chirping, and my mind gradually became clear.
"…"
When I quietly opened my eyes, I could feel a subtle warmth floating around the room.
…When did I fall asleep?
I felt a bit tired, and it seems I dozed off while fiddling with my phone.
"Ugh…"
Stretching and slowly getting up, I saw the dishes from last night's dinner still scattered around.
…Ah. I need to clean up.
Blinking, I sat there blankly for a moment, then picked up my phone from the floor to check the time.
"…"
It was 7:24 AM, almost time to get up.
I'll have to leave the dishes for my afternoon self to handle.
…
Having woken up early, I leisurely prepared for school and finished getting ready quite early.
Though I had time to tidy up the house, I didn't particularly feel like it.
I thought it would be better to leave a bit early, so I headed out.
On the way to the academy.
Walking absentmindedly, I soon found myself at 'that' alley.
"…"
Maybe Min So-yeon. would be there.
I quietly moved my steps and peeked inside the alley.
…
The scent that touched my nose was not the musty smell of cigarettes but the cold smell of dust.
Min So-yeon was nowhere to be seen.
I couldn't tell if this was good or bad.
I then turned and headed for the academy, arriving slightly earlier than usual.
The usually bustling campus was quite empty, with only a few students around. It was still early.
I leisurely wandered around the campus before heading to the classroom.
When I arrived and peeked inside, a few students were already there.
…Diligent.
Impressed by their diligence, I quietly headed to my corner seat, only to make eye contact with a female student sitting in the middle.
"…Oh, hi, Ji Hwan."
It was the girl who had baked me muffins before.
"Hi."
I greeted her with a slight smile, and her cheeks flushed a little.
With nothing much to talk about, I was about to leave quietly when she spoke again.
"…You came early today?"
"…I woke up a bit early. Do you always come at this time?"
"Yeah! My house is a bit far…"
She said she lived about an hour and a half away from the academy.
After chatting with the girl for a bit and then sitting in my corner seat, students started filling the classroom.
However, Min So-yeon was not among them.
…Why isn't she here…
Feeling slightly anxious, I fidgeted with my phone.
How long did I wait?
Just as the bell rang to signal the start of class, the door swung open, and finally, she appeared.
It was the eagerly awaited Min So-yeon.
…Thank goodness.
Relieved that she had arrived without any problems, I finally relaxed.
But the reality that I had to be so anxious just to confirm her attendance was a bit disheartening.
If I had her contact information, it would have been resolved quickly.
Even yesterday.
If something sudden happened to her, I had no way to find out.
This way, we're really just strangers.
"…"
I need to find a way.
As I racked my brain for ways to get closer to Min So-yeon, my phone caught my eye.
…Oh.
A good idea came to mind.
*
It was time for combat practice again.
While the students were each warming up, I quietly approached Min So-yeon, who was sitting in the corner, and spoke to her.
"Are you not going to warm up?"
She glanced at me with an annoyed look and curtly replied.
"…I'm skipping training today."
Her tone made it clear how much she didn't want to do it.
As expected, but I flinched a little.
I casually took a seat next to her and spoke nonchalantly.
"…Really? Well, can't be helped then."
She started looking at me strangely as I quietly accepted it.
"…I was going to make you a good offer. Maybe next time."
When I glanced at her while dropping a hint, Min So-yeon just looked at the students as if she had no interest.
…This is difficult.
I tried again.
"…Aren't you curious about what I was going to say?"
"No interest."
"…Really? You'll regret it…"
No matter how many times I spoke, she thoroughly ignored me, not even bothering to respond.
It seems I've really upset her.
But I can't back down now.
Min So-yeon has been competitive since she was young, just like her mother.
I still vividly remember how she would run crying to her mother after losing at rock-paper-scissors.
She didn't care much about things she wasn't interested in, but she hated losing in areas she was interested in.
That might have changed as she grew up, but I wouldn't know without trying.
I decided to bait her a bit.
"…If you win, I'll do whatever you say."
"…What?"
She looked at me incredulously, as if she couldn't believe what she heard.
The bait was taken.
"If you don't want to train, we won't. If you want me to fetch water, I'll fetch water. If you don't want me to talk to you, I won't."
She looked at me as if I was talking nonsense, but she seemed a bit intrigued.
I subtly set the terms.
"I'm not suggesting anything strange, just a simple bet… Wanna hear it?"
Min So-yeon narrowed her eyes, looking suspicious.
"…What's this simple bet?"
She asked.
Unable to hide my smile, I told her.
"Tag."
"…Tag?"
The condition was this:
We would play rock-paper-scissors to determine who would be 'it'. If 'it' touches the other person, the game is over.
There's a 5-minute time limit, and you can use weapons and abilities.
For Min So-yeon, there could be no better terms.
"…What do you think? Sounds doable?"
After a moment of hesitation, she glanced at me and said,
"This game favors the one who's 'it'."
She seemed ready to accept the challenge.
It was true. No matter what, if you touch the other person, it's over, so the one dodging is at a disadvantage.
That's what I was aiming for.
"It is, but rock-paper-scissors is a skill, and so is dodging."
I had a backup plan in case she had complaints, but she seemed to accept my reasoning.
Whether you're 'it' or not, if you win, it's a win.
I nudged her again to seal the deal.
"…So, want to try?"
"…I'll let myself be fooled once."
And so, our bet was made.
*
Before her interest waned, I quickly got things ready.
Since we didn't need a large space like in the friendly match with Jang Su-won, we settled in the far corner of the practice field.
Seeing Min So-yeon suddenly move after being still, the other students' attention turned to us.
This wasn't anticipated, but it might work in our favor.
I told her we should decide who's 'it'.
"…"
With rock versus paper, I won.
…This worked?
Min So-yeon had a habit of starting with scissors in rock-paper-scissors since she was young.
I was half-doubting if it still held true, but she really threw scissors.
Having lost in rock-paper-scissors, Min So-yeon seemed unsure if she should be happy or sad about being the favored 'it'.
We set a timer on our phones and distanced ourselves to start the game.
The distance between us was about 10 meters.
She was already glaring at me, weapon in hand.
…She's fierce, just like her mom.
She reminded me of my wife, who used to be hot-tempered.
Lost in memories, I shivered.
Ring~
The timer signaled the start.
In an instant, Min So-yeon crouched and leapt at me.
It was supposed to be a tag game, but she swung her sword as if intending to knock me down.
Dodging her sword, I smiled at her.
Realizing she missed, she quickly adjusted her stance and tried a thrust.
Changing the direction of a fully-powered sword wasn't easy.
Impressed by her talent, I quickly gathered my magic and deflected her attack.
She glared at me as if asking if it wasn't cheating.
"…It didn't touch."
"…Tch."
Irritated, she gathered her magic slowly and started attacking with increased speed.
Clang! Clang!
I was glad I had fortified my magic, as the sound of clashing metal echoed.
…This is tough.
With my limited magic, I had to use it efficiently.
I gathered my magic into fist-sized clumps to block where the sword would strike.
It wasn't difficult with experience, but the efficiency was poor.
Clang! Clang!
About two minutes passed.
Her magic visibly dwindled.
I had a rough estimate of her magic capacity.
Three minutes.
Clang! Clang!
Her speed slowed noticeably as her stamina waned.
Four minutes.
My magic was depleting rapidly, but her attacks were slowing down significantly.
"Haaa!"
Desperate to win, she mustered all her strength for a final swing.
I wanted to let her strike me and praise her, but the situation didn't allow it.
Focusing my magic on my palm, I struck her sword down hard.
Clang!
A dull sound as the sword lost power.
Her stance broke.
Then, the timer signaled the end.
Ring~ Ring~
With her stance broken, she stared at me, stunned.
Her bangs soaked with sweat, eyes devoid of intensity, and tightly bitten lips showed how much effort she put in.
"…Good job."
Sadly, I won.
She dropped her sword and plopped to the ground, glaring at me.
"…Ha."
Frustrated by her loss, she bit her lip and seethed.
After catching my breath, I offered her a hand.
"…As you know, it was close."
She didn't like my consolation, ignoring my hand and standing up abruptly.
"…You jerk."
…Uh, okay?
She seemed to feel wronged.
After a moment of catching her breath, she sighed deeply and spoke to me.
"…So, what do you want me to do after tricking me into this?"
She's definitely holding a grudge.
But a bet is a bet.
As the winner, I had the right to ask her for anything.
"…What I want you to do is…"