Shar smacked Yeon-woo with magic power, knocking him unconscious as he continued running while humming Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. He woke up again at 11 AM. Fortunately, he had only been out for about an hour.
But that didn't mean an hour was a short time. Damn, what a waste of time.
[It's a good thing I absorbed a lot of magic power during that hour. Otherwise, you might have had some trouble moving.]
"What? Was I that close to danger?"
Shar bobbed up and down in front of him. Oh... I've never pushed myself that far while exercising. I see. It felt like I was constantly on the verge of reaching my limit because you were returning magic power to me whenever it got dangerous.
"I should go wash up, eat lunch, and head to class... Shar, what do you want to eat?"
[Cheese cutlet!]
Despite not being born yet, she already has the palate of a fine lady. But it's okay. I'm still at an age where I can eat a lot, so no one will suspect anything if I order two sets.
Yeon-woo used Shar's magic to evaporate the sweat that had soaked his tracksuit and then touched the "End Use" button on the panel next to the door.
Around this time, there were bound to be other students using the facilities, and some might be curious to know who had been using the training room for so long since early morning. It would be nice if they could hide the usage time, but why wouldn't they?
As Yeon-woo pulled his hood down and headed outside, someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. What the...? He tried to shake them off by channeling magic power, but their grip was so strong that he couldn't budge.
Confused, Yeon-woo looked around and saw that people were indeed staring... but it seemed like they were more focused on the person dragging him than on him...?
Might as well go with the flow. Yeon-woo decided to give up resisting. It seemed like that would attract less attention to himself.
Dragged to the back of the training room, Yeon-woo looked up at the girl who had spun around to face him.
She was a lively girl with high-arched eyebrows that seemed to reflect her personality and passionate red eyes. Fortunately or unfortunately, Yeon-woo recognized her.
She had a different vibe than her brother, who had a more refined appearance, but perhaps good genes ran in the family. She was a beauty with a cheerful aura.
It was Kim Hyunsoo's younger sister, Kim Yumin
"...Do you need money?"
If Kim Yumin was trying to rob him, he would just give it to her. It was an unexpected turn of events that made him resolve to comply.
"Money? Why would you suddenly ask about money?"
Yumin frowned, looking confused.
I see. It's not about money.
"It's nothing. So, what's going on? You just dragged me here without any explanation. Can you at least tell me why?"
Yeon-woo pretended to be calm as he rubbed his wrist where she had grabbed him. A bright red mark was clearly visible. Is that even human strength?
"...Um, well, I just..."
If his memory served him right, Kim Yumin was a very bold, straightforward, and lively person. Maybe she was a bit less so when she was younger? If Kim Hyunsoo was the leader, she was the vanguard. This hesitation was something he had never seen in his past life.
Hmm, this is tricky. After a moment of thought, Yeon-woo came up with a way to loosen Kim Yumin's tongue. She had probably been working out in the training room too, so it should be fine.
"I'm hungry. Can we talk while we eat? Let's go together."
"Huh? Yeah, sure. Actually, I'd love to!"
Yeon-woo, completely clueless as to what she was so happy about, led the grinning Kim Yumin to the student cafeteria.
* * *
"Choi Yeon-woo, I'm so touched by your passion for training in the training room from four in the morning..."
The sight of a ponytail-wearing pretty girl shedding tears like a baby while chewing on chicken breast was enough to make anyone dizzy. Crying while ensuring her protein intake to prevent muscle loss? What kind of gym rat was she?
"Is that so..."
Yeon-woo was happily munching on his spicy stir-fried pork set meal and cheese cutlet set. Shar was doing a fancy windmill spin above his head, as if to confirm that their taste buds were indeed connected.
Isn't that going to make me go bald?
"Will you be my training buddy...?"
"If you need a friend, just say you need a friend. Don't overdo it."
Yeon-woo sighed softly as he watched Kim Yumin flinch and shudder as if he had read her mind. Both Baek In-hwa and this girl... did the most promising talents of this year all have trouble making friends? Namgung Seong and Jegal Seongryong seemed to get along well, though.
No, it's still fifty-fifty...!! Which category would the other famous freshmen fall into? It was a nail-biting situation...!
"Then it's our first day today!? I'm marking it as an anniversary on my calendar!?"
"People are going to misunderstand!"
This is crazy, really. When Kim Hyunsoo said his sister was a step ahead, he meant her talent, but it seemed like her personality was also included in that statement.
"Just kidding, just kidding. Friend jo-ke."
"Whether people take it as a joke is another story, you idiot..."
But hmm... Befriending Kim Yumin was an unexpected outcome, but it was quite positive. Kim Hyunsoo's words about his sister being a step ahead might have sounded like a joke, but they were anything but.
She would soon become one of the top Hunters he knew. Even a glimpse of her talent at this young age was not to be underestimated.
There were dozens of incidents that Yeon-woo could recall happening in Harmony City, and it would be frustrating if he couldn't resolve them all because he only had one body.
Recruiting talented individuals should always be a top priority. This isn't the Three Kingdoms period.
"Anyway, please don't do anything that would cause people to misunderstand. I'm weak, so I don't want too much attention."
"You work so hard in the training room. You'll get stronger soon."
"I wasn't asking for comfort. I'm just saying it's a bit troublesome."
Yeon-woo grumbled, and she nodded in understanding. At least she wasn't completely clueless.
"I need to shower before class starts, so I'll go first."
Normally, he would have showered before coming to eat, but somehow the order got reversed. It should be fine since he wasn't the type to sweat a lot.
Leaving Kim Yumin behind as she devoured her mountain of chicken breast salad, Yeon-woo headed out of the cafeteria. He made his way to the shower room in the Hunter department building.
