Hunter Academy’s Battle God

Chrip!

Birds chirped within the green forest. In contrast to the coldness of the ice castle, warm sunlight shone over Adela.

"I showed you something I shouldn’t have." Adela's voice was calm.

Unlike before, there was warmth in Adela's smile.

"I didn’t know I was such a sentimental person…" Although she spoke calmly, her cheeks were flushed. It seemed like she was embarrassed about having cried in front of another person.

That was understandable. After all, it was the first time she'd cried in front of someone else.

YuSung smiled at Adela. "It's okay. Everyone has moments where they want to drop everything and cry…"

He stared at her and said, "Just because you're strong… doesn't mean you can be that way in every situation."

Everyone had moments of weakness and days when they wanted to cry. Adela had forgotten that simple fact.

She’d been deceiving herself. It wasn’t natural. The clock that had been broken ten years before began to mend.

"I see…" Adela looked over the green forest and smiled. The tip of her nose hurt, but she didn't find it weird.

'So I just wanted to cry.'

She accepted her feelings and looked at YuSung, who was sitting next to her.

She began wondering what he was looking at. She imagined that he was also definitely looking over the forest, but he was looking at her.

For some reason, she felt her heart tickle.

Adela opened her mouth. "Thanks for today…"

They looked each other in the eyes and expressed their thanks.

She was able to figure out how she really felt due to him being by her side.

"Thanks to you, I was able to figure out how much I liked them…" It felt weird for her to say that, but she felt close to him at that moment.

Just looking at him made her heart beat faster. It was the first time she felt her heart race just from looking at someone, but she didn’t find the emotion unpleasant.

Instead, she wished time would stop.

'How weird.'

Was she still broken without any way to fix herself?

Still, she didn’t express the way she was feeling to YuSung. She didn’t want to hear more about herself at the moment. Rather…

"There's something I want to know…"

"What is it?" YuSung asked, a kind smile on his face.

"Do you also have moments when you want to drop everything and cry?"

YuSung had said that even a strong person had moments of weakness when they just wanted to cry.

Was that why she began wondering if YuSung also had moments like that?

"Yes, I do." YuSung answered faster than she'd expected. Adela looked at the forest and fell into thought. How much time passed like that?

"Then… YuSung, if something like that happens… Call me."

It was something she would have never said before.

"Just like you stood before me as I cried, I'll also stand next to you."

Her words could be easily misunderstood, but she said them like she was stating the obvious.

"As expected… that sounds good. That would make thinking easier."

Adela seemed satisfied and nodded at his answer.

"Yes. I'll be in your care if that happens," YuSung said, returning the nod.

* * * *

Since it was a weekday, Sumire had begun cleaning the Gaon Academy club room.

"Haru ni naru to~ hanami! (Flower viewing~ When spring comes!)"

Sumire cleaned while humming a Japanese children’s song, and EunAh made a bothered expression from the sofa.

"Why… isn't he coming?"

She was still bothered that he hadn’t returned yet.

She continued to look annoyed while Sumire cleaned the area.

EunAh narrowed her eyes at Sumire. "Sumire, aren't you curious? We're both here, so why hasn't YuSung returned yet?"

Sumire smiled at EunAh's question. "I'm sure YuSung is busy. Maybe something else happened?"

"Then he could've visited the club room and left again…" EunAh's eyes suddenly widened. "Ah! That's right! Why don't we buy a portal that leads to the club room? That should fix it."

Opening a portal had an astronomical cost. EunAh had said something a normal person wouldn't have been able to fathom as if it were nothing, but since she was the heir of the Shinsung Group, it didn't feel like a joke.

"What? O-opening a portal… in the club room?"

"Yes. The initial cost of installation would be quite high, but we’d be able to use it for a while."

To think she’d say the price was ‘quite high’ when it would probably take a few million.

'As expected… Your concept of ‘expensive’ is something else…'

Sumire used to buy the discount food on menus in restaurants during her childhood to save up money, so she couldn't follow EunAh's words.

Sumire looked at EunAh as if she were her mother.

'EunAh has changed quite a bit…'

To think she'd be able to express she missed a party member like that. It seemed like she hadn't noticed the change in herself.

That was proof that EunAh had fully become a party member. Sumire was happy YuSung supported her and that she had become important to EunAh.

"You… why are you looking at me like that?" EunAh noticed something strange and narrowed her eyes at Sumire.

"I was just wondering! EunAh, what would you do if I didn't return for a few days?"

"I'd obviously go find you. You're my partner, after all," EunAh said as if it were obvious.

Sumire seemed moved by those words. "So that's obvious…"

It felt like she was being consoled.

EunAh sighed at Sumire, who seemed to have been moved.

"Yes, so don't say anything dumb. Also, could you prepare me some tea? Haven’t you cleaned enough?"

Despite her way of speaking, EunAh was preparing dessert for two people. Sumire nodded while making a satisfied smile.

'As expected, you’re honest with yourself… which makes you cuter.'

* * *

* * *

Adela could use her Trait to fuse her mana with the cold air around her. Thanks to that, she was able to make a special refrigerant.

Swaaa.

Blue light began shining between Adela and the sculptures. The coldness from the sculptures was being gathered into a certain shape.

Swoosh!

She was trying to diminish the coldness within the sculptures of her parents a bit.

Slide!

Adela put more of her mana in the condensed sphere.

Fwoosh!

The mana surged, and a huge wind began blowing. Adela frowned and kept condensing the refrigerant.

Pang!

"Ugh!"

She had used so much mana that she was grimacing, but one more step was required for her to obtain the cold’s blessing.

"Could you hand me the egg?"

When he saw Adela sweating, YuSung quickly handed the egg to her.

Adela had to keep up her concentration for as long as possible and slowly began pouring her mana into the egg.

Swoosh!

Enchanting a living being with coldness was a difficult thing. It was as if Adela was using her Trait to engrave her skill on matter. What she was trying to do was on par with a dragon’s magic.

"Haa… Ah…" She was breathing heavily after finishing that difficult process. She’d used all of the mana within her body, so her legs were trembling, and she found it difficult to stay standing.

"I'm sorry. If it's this much, it should be… Ah?!" She began to fall. Even in the middle of her surprise and confusion, she hugged the egg to ensure she didn't damage it.

She closed her eyes after she realized what was about to happen, but…

Tap.

YuSung was fast. He grabbed Adela before she could fall.

"Ah…"

Being held in his arms, she looked at him up close.

"Are you okay?"

As always, he had a kind expression on his face.

YuSung was quite surprising to her. She felt that everything would turn out okay if she were next to him.

‘He’s reliable…'

She basked in YuSung’s warmth and softly hugged the egg. Unlike before, the heat of the egg felt pleasant.

Badump. Badump.

Adela was holding her breath. Her previously cold self felt hot, and her heart was itching again.

"It feels weird…"

She couldn't understand her emotions. She looked at YuSung and said, "When I'm with you, my heart beats faster… Why is that?"

She asked something she hadn't been able to before.