I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 49

EP.49 The Frontlines with Grim Rumors (2)

“How’s the mood among the students?”

“In our class, no one lost family members, but unfortunately, it’s different for other classes. Everyone’s sad. Many are scared too.”

Most siblings of their age would likely be soldiers. Some might have been lucky enough to survive this disaster, but others weren’t so fortunate.

“It must feel like a funeral.”

“Quite a few students have returned to their families.”

They would return to the academy after the funerals, but whether they could regain their previous motivation was uncertain.

Their family members had died in the military.

‘They must be scared. They don’t want to die.’

Everyone feels that way. It’s natural to want to live rather than die.

“They must have mixed feelings.”

“The contamination has started moving again. According to sources from my family, they plan to extend military service time.”

“They’ll probably recall the reservists soon.”

“It feels like everyone’s scrambling because it happened so suddenly.”

“How about you?”

The students in Shine’s year would likely be the most burdened by the threat of contamination. They were about to graduate and enlist in active duty.

As in the past, the immense resources and manpower required to combat the contamination were unimaginable.

It meant that people would start dying in large numbers again.

“Aren’t you worried about enlisting soon?”

“Of course, I’m worried. I’m human too, how could I not be?”

Shine surprisingly admitted his concerns straightforwardly.

“But instead of fear, terror, or dread, I feel more eager to get to the field and showcase my abilities.”

“Are you serious? Students your age usually don’t want to enlist.”

“No, it’s not just me. All my classmates think similarly. We’ve been told by our parents about our duties since we were young. Being scared now is too late.”

Her attitude was more mature and composed than expected. It would be great if other students could emulate this mindset. Reality, however, wouldn’t be so accommodating.

“Oh, speaking of classmates, there’s a student in our class who’s being bullied.”

“Bullying in Class A? That’s hard to believe. Isn’t it more likely that they’re bullying you?”

“Hmm… they seemed very gentle and kind. They might come off as a bit gloomy, but they didn’t seem like someone who dislikes making friends.”

“Then why bring them up now?”

“I don’t know how to treat them.”

“You don’t want to befriend them, but ignoring them feels like you’re siding with the bullies, right?”

“Ugh… I guess so. I don’t really know my own feelings. I don’t want to see anyone being bullied, but it’s also hard to approach them.”

Just as life is similar for everyone, so are the issues that arise in a classroom. Watching someone get bullied is uncomfortable, but stepping in to befriend them is daunting.

“Isn’t this a bit too much to discuss with a general store owner?”

“Oh, just listen, will you mister? Who asked you to solve it?”

At that moment, the door to the general store suddenly opened. Shine stopped talking, thinking a customer had arrived, but I knew we rarely had customers, so I checked to see who it was.

Seeing the visitor, I thought it was a perfect opportunity. I had planned to introduce them eventually, and now that they had met by chance, it seemed like the right time to introduce them and let them get acquainted.

“Mister… Oh? Sorry, I didn’t realize you had a customer.”

“No, it’s fine. Come in. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Sorry I couldn’t visit sooner. I had some things to take care of.”

“You must have been busy. I understand.”

There must have been a lot to do. The biggest task would have been dealing with the Church, and I was very curious about how that went. But with Shine here, I couldn’t ask about it.

“Seeing your face, it looks like you’ve been doing okay.”

The kid didn’t look too well before, but now it seemed like they were eating properly.

“It’s all thanks to you. You’re my benefactor. Thank you.”

Some might have already guessed. The person who walked through the door was, of course, Fran.

This was the first time I’d seen her since she borrowed the holy relic from me. Seeing her safe and sound suggested she had successfully used the relic to take control of the Church.

‘I’m really curious about what happened with the Church leader.’

Knowing Fran, I doubted she chose to kill the Church leader. She likely just prevented him from acting publicly. I planned to ask her later about the extent of the restrictions she imposed.

“This is perfect timing. I have a friend I wanted to introduce to you.”

“Huh? A friend? For me?”

It seemed odd that Shine was so surprised at the idea of me introducing someone, but suddenly, she pointed at Fran, startled.

“You!”

“!!”

Shine was the first to be surprised, but it seemed to spread to Fran as well.

It appeared they knew each other. It turned out I didn’t need to introduce them after all.

“What? You two know each other?”

“How do you know her, Mister?”

“How do I know her? Just by knowing. This is a general store, after all.”

A place where anyone could come. That’s what a general store is.

“How do you two know each other?”

“Uh…”

“Um….”

Even though they acknowledged knowing each other, they hesitated when asked how they knew each other.

“What’s the deal?”

Not knowing the details, I could only shrug my shoulders.

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“You’re the one being bullied?”

“What?!”

“Hey, Mister!”

Was it too shocking that I asked so bluntly if she was the one being bullied?

Shine and Fran’s eyes shook violently.

“Well, it’s stranger for a cultist to make friends.”

“That’s….”

“Mister…!!”

“I thought at least you were doing well at the academy, but you were being bullied with that ability? Did you try to preach to them?”

“…….”

Her silence confirmed I had hit the mark.

“Who would want to be friends with someone trying to convert them to a Cult?”

“Ugh.”

“Mister, your words might hurt her feelings.”

Shine fidgeted nervously, her eyes darting around. But I had no intention of sugarcoating my words. Honestly, I thought I was being quite gentle.

“If you wanted to make friends, you shouldn’t have tried to preach. Put your hand on your heart and tell me, don’t you think so?”

“Hmm.”

When I looked at Shine and asked, she couldn’t answer. She couldn’t bring herself to disagree with me.

“See, even she can’t defend you. You’re not going to get mad at me for pointing out your mistake, are you?”

“…No.”

If Fran had ears, they would probably be drooping right now.

“You’ve already messed up your academy life, so you didn’t even try to fix it, right? You just thought you’d endure until graduation and then enlist, thinking you’d part ways with everyone.”

“Mister….”

“But do you think things will change once you enlist? Will you stop preaching just because you’re in the military?”

“Our Church is a good place….”

Fran’s timid protest. As I expected, she wouldn’t stop her preaching even after enlisting. And though she didn’t realize it yet, her preaching would be quite effective.

‘It’s strange not to follow someone who can revive people on the brink of death.’

However, that was a matter for the future. While Fran was feeling down, I thought it was the right time to warn her properly. She needed to understand that her preaching could be a nuisance to others.

For ordinary people, the word “Church” naturally evokes a sense of alienation and rejection.

At that moment, Shine spoke to Fran for the first time.

“Forcing something on someone who doesn’t want it is not a good thing.”

“What?”

The barrier of being in a Church. If I were Shine, I wouldn’t want to get involved, even if Fran seemed to know me. But Shine had already shown interest in Fran, as she had come to me for advice about her being bullied in their class.

She didn’t know how to treat her, remember?

‘Might as well pair them up now.’

Meanwhile, the two were having a serious conversation.

“Alright, since it’s come to this, I’ll say everything I want to. Do you know why the others feel uncomfortable around you?”

“Um… maybe they just found me awkward?”

“There’s no such thing as just being awkward! Idiot. It’s because whenever someone talks to you, you only talk about the Church.”

“Oh… is it because I’m in the Church?”

“No, no! It’s not that. They talked to you because they were interested in you, not the Church, but you kept bringing up the Church, so they started avoiding you.”

Fran seemed to have never considered this.

“They were interested in me…? I never thought of that.”

Fran’s mind was so full of the Church that she didn’t realize someone could be interested in her as a person.

“Isn’t it obvious? Especially since you’re in the healing field. It’s normal for many people to want to get along with you.”

“I never thought that would be the case…”

Listening to Shine, I realized she was more interested in Fran than I had initially thought. Knowing such details meant she had taken the time to understand her situation.

Clap!

“Alright.”

“??”

“??”

When I clapped my hands, both of them looked at me.

“Since it’s come to this, why don’t you two become friends?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Even though she’s part of a Church, she’s in the healing field. Building connections like this will be beneficial in the long run. It’s not good for you to be too isolated at the academy. Helping each other out makes for a good relationship, doesn’t it?”

In the field, Fran would use her abilities to save others and, in turn, be protected by soldiers like Shine. Shine, too, would inevitably get injured while operating in contaminated zones. Building a rapport with skilled individuals beforehand would be advantageous for both of them.