Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

Although the white tiger was on my mind, I couldn’t fault him for smiling on such a good day, so I ignored the uncomfortable feeling and continued enjoying the celebration.
In fact, after that, there was a congratulatory performance by the black tiger, which meant there was no time to focus on the white tiger.
When the black tiger took the stage, the attention of the True Clan members in the audience shifted to a serious tone.

The few True Clan members who had lived during the same era as the black tiger looked at him with nostalgic eyes, while those seeing him for the first time watched with curiosity and a bit of wariness.
Since the Hojo family was known for being aggressive, the reappearance of someone once feared by the Ung family made sense that they would be cautious.
However, that wariness quickly disappeared, as the black tiger was too kind and fragile for anyone to seriously fear.

‘Thanks to the Spirit Herb’s elixir, his energy has stabilized quite a bit, but compared to the True Clan members present, his energy is weak. The black tiger would probably lose to the students of Eungwang High who are here.’
The students from Eungwang High were among the strongest in the school, so it was understandable, but if one had to pick the weakest person here, anyone would choose the black tiger.
Though the black tiger was weak, he was far from someone to be dismissed.

Soon, the black tiger would prove his worth on the stage.
Despite his evident nervousness, the black tiger hesitated for a moment on stage but then steadied himself after seeing Kim Shin-rok. It seemed like his desire to play a beautiful piece for the protagonist of the 100-day celebration gave him courage.
When the black tiger began to play, everyone held their breath, listening intently.

‘It feels like my ears are being refreshed.’
This was an indoor setting, yet the performance felt as though a cool breeze had suddenly swept through the room.
The sound created by the reed flute, like the wind, transformed into a rich melody that spread through the air like red silk.

It was as if the performance represented Kim Shin-rok’s name ‘Shin-rok’ and the ‘red silk’ given by his parents.
Though the performance was short, it left a deep impression on everyone present.
“Are you telling me he made such music with just leaves? Incredible.”

“It’s not a magical instrument, and there’s no special power behind it. What a rare talent.”
“It’s amazing. I didn’t know anyone in the Hojo family could play like this.”
Both the True Clan members and even Kwon Je-in praised the black tiger’s performance.
It was only natural for the black tiger’s beautiful, rare, pure, and kind performance to receive such praise, but it was especially poignant for those who had heard about how the black tiger was treated in the Hojo family before.

Time had passed, the era had changed, and values had shifted, but it was clear that more people were beginning to recognize the true worth of the black tiger’s abilities.
Gong Cheong-hwon, who was listening to the performance, didn’t hold back his praise either.
“I see the master who taught my students to play the reed flute is here. It’s a beautiful performance.”

To recognize it just by hearing the music—truly, he was godlike.
The black tiger, perhaps not expecting this level of response, was surprised and stood with his mouth slightly open.
As applause, praises, and requests for an encore followed, the black tiger kept turning his head nervously, unsure of how to respond.

Just as he seemed flustered, surprisingly, Yang Je-gun made a host-worthy comment for the first time in a while.
“Black tiger, everyone seems to be expecting more, want to play another piece?”
“Really? Is it okay?”

“Of course. Everyone’s waiting for the next piece, so go ahead and sit down.”
It seemed like even Yang Je-gun found the performance impressive.
The black tiger, now excited, put the reed flute to his lips again.

The piece he chose for the encore was one that captured his own joyful and excited mood.
It included parts that seemed like an arrangement of the first piece he played, possibly expressing the feeling of wanting to play with a growing child.
After the genius performance, as dinner time approached, the black tiger came over to ask for feedback.

“How was it? Did I do well?”
“Yeah, it was amazing.”
Words like "amazing" hardly seemed enough.

The presence of the black tiger was now firmly etched into the memories of everyone who participated today.
Even if Huang Jiho had gone through the trouble of organizing such a large event and introducing the black tiger carefully, those who had {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} attended wouldn’t have remembered the black tiger so clearly.
‘The black tiger made his presence known through his own power. Incredible. I’m proud of him.’

Though I struggled to find the right words to express his genius, as I listed the words that came to mind and praised him earnestly, his expression grew brighter.
Seeing the black tiger smile shyly yet happily made me feel warm inside.
“You’re not just taking care of your juniors at school, Yi-shin.”

“...Do you think it’s fine to lump the Hojo family members from the mythical era with my juniors?”
“If Yi-shin wants it, it’s fine to do so. Seeing Yi-shin getting along with the Hojo family members makes me think I need to work harder as a Youhye-ye.”
“What do you mean by that?”

Just then, I heard voices from some of the seniors from Eungwang High nearby.
Yu Sang-hee and Do Won-woo sat side by side, while Yeom Jun-yeol and Cheon Dong-hak sat across from them.
The black tiger seemed to be a bit sensitive when those around my age mentioned my name, as he lightly tugged at my sleeve and asked.

“Do you know these people? Introduce me!”
“Yeah, I’ll introduce you.”
If the black tiger wanted it, of course, I had to introduce him.

Since some of the students from Eungwang High were already nearby, I decided to introduce the black tiger to them.
There were some familiar faces, like Yeom Jun-yeol, whom I had seen before, but there were more people I didn’t know.
Perhaps someday we’d end up involved with each other, so it wouldn’t hurt to introduce them in advance.

Considering the future, I was likely going to owe Yu Sang-hee a favor.
‘I need to make sure that doesn’t happen.’
I hid my heavy thoughts and introduced the black tiger to the group.

Somehow, I ended up meeting the True Clan leaders who were waiting behind the Eungwang High students for introductions.
They were the heads of the 12 Zodiac True Clan, and they had an imposing expression.
There was no one among the invited guests who would be intimidated by their pressure, but since the black tiger might be surprised, I hoped we could handle this delicately.

“Rather than hearing it from Huang-ho, I thought it would be more meaningful to be introduced by you.”
“I feel the same way. It’s important to invite you to key events as well.”
There were more than just the Black Demon and Jecheon Daeseong.

Gullinbursti and Seodol were also present.
“Oh, I want to introduce myself to not just the black tiger, but also to the humans who seem friendly with you all!”
“I wanted to get closer to Jeho today, but the guard is tight. Why is the Youhye-ye clan hindering things? There’s been so many interruptions, so I came to greet Jo Yi-shin first.”

When the 12 Zodiac clan leaders had their meeting, Gullinbursti seemed a bit nervous, but now, seeing him, there didn’t seem to be any issues.
On the other hand, Seodol, who was speaking formally, seemed to have problems.
It seemed like Seodol was now openly targeting Kim Shin-rok, and I worried that this might strain relations with the Hojo family.

‘Seodol’s laziness is why the ‘eye’ problem hasn’t been solved yet. The plague he deals with is also troublesome.’
I managed to handle the 12 Zodiac clan leaders appropriately.
Though I only exchanged greetings and introduced the black tiger, I also finished introducing the Eungwang High students who were nearby.

Except for Jecheon Daeseong, whom I already knew from the irregular luncheon, most of the 12 Zodiac clan leaders were meeting me for the first time, yet not a single Eungwang High student seemed intimidated.
Perhaps they liked how confidently I was interacting with them, as the 12 Zodiac clan leaders showed their approval.
What caught their attention the most was Ahn Da-in, whom I had introduced as a member of the Hojo family.

“An ordinary human, but Huang-ho and that couple both called this child a member of the Hojo family.”
“If Huang-ho declared it, we should treat her like a member of the Hojo family, or else it would mean we’re looking for a fight.”
“She’s quite impressive, but her energy is so clear... a bit…”

“It’s an energy that doesn’t fit a rat.”
When the 12 Zodiac clan leaders shifted their focus to Kim Yu-ri, the black tiger’s disciple, a dazzling energy approached so closely that it felt as if red flowers were blooming in front of my eyes.
Jeok-ho and Ung-nyeo were coming toward us.

‘They really do look great standing together, smiling like that.’
It seemed like everyone else felt the same way, as they paused to look at Jeok-ho and Ung-nyeo.
The two had been talking with the Hojo, Youhye-ye, and Tok-yeok, but as soon as they finished their conversation, they headed straight to us.

Jeok-ho and Ung-nyeo bypassed the 12 Zodiac clan leaders and spoke directly to me.
“Jo Yi-shin, thank you for coming. Sorry for the late greeting. Have those who’ve been troublesome to you been dealt with? I feel like they’re right in front of us, but I’ll ask anyway.”
“Today’s a good day. No one’s going to try anything funny, right? Plus, I’ve got Baek Ho-gun right here.”

“Baek Ho-gun’s just watching from over there. He’s no help.”
Listening to Jeok-ho and Ung-nyeo, I raised my head and caught the white tiger’s gaze as he was leaning against the wall, looking at us.
The white tiger had probably just been observing, as he hadn’t been involved with all the trivial requests I had been receiving like introducing Jo Yi-shin’s friends, inviting them to places, offering guardian animals, and asking if they wanted gifts or wanted to go anywhere.

Had he really just been observing? The white tiger nodded and grinned.
Though it made me feel a little bitter, I forced myself to suppress the feeling and reminded myself that it was still the 100-day celebration.
‘But why does Ung-nyeo’s voice sound like a warning?’

No matter how many people were attending, Ung-nyeo had the insight to know what was going on.
It sounded like she was targeting both the white tiger and the 12 Zodiac leaders, but I decided to act as though I didn’t notice.
“Thank you for the invitation.”

“We should be the ones thanking you. We’ve yet to properly thank you for the cake you gave Ung-nyeo and me.”
“What? I want cake too!”
“So do I!”

Just then, Okto-yeon showed up and started squawking, and the black tiger also joined in.
Okto-yeon liked rice cakes, and since no one could match the Rabbit in making them, whenever there was something to thank for, I made sure not to give food as a gift.
But seeing him say that, I guess I’ll have to get a cake next time.

“Do you have to make your closeness so obvious?”
“It’s a shame. I’d love to exchange gifts too.”
“If I become the ambassador for Nuru, I could proudly sponsor…”

Even the 12 Zodiac leaders had something to say.
If they really wanted the cake, I guess I should just buy one and send it.
As I was looking around, I noticed the raven perched on the chandelier above me fluttering its wings.

Soon, the contractors of Siderentiem would be making cakes for the 12 Zodiac leaders to enjoy.
‘But where is Kim Shin-rok?’
I had expected Jeok-ho and Ung-nyeo to continue taking him around, but it was surprising to see they only came by themselves.

I scanned the hall for Kim Shin-rok.
It didn’t take long.
I spotted Kim Shin-rok, sneaking out quietly with Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young.

‘Seong Guk-eon, Jeon Mu-young, Kim Shin-rok...’
It seemed like Kim Shin-rok planned to reveal everything to Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young today.
As I silently supported him in my heart, the support soon turned into worry.

‘Yang Je-gun!’
Following behind the three of them, Yang Je-gun was grinning.
Just before they were about to leave the hall, Yang Je-gun turned his head.

When our eyes met, his grin widened.
It seemed like he was challenging me to follow if I wanted to stop him.