Wanna Have Some Ramen?

“Alright, shall we start the meeting?”

I wanted to get straight to the point.

I felt sorry for taking up their time since everyone had things to do.

Pinch!

“Huh?”
“Meow!”

But perhaps they weren’t happy with that.

Meowi slightly puffed her cheeks and looked back.

With a slight frown, she had a look that said, ‘Seha, you’re so clueless!’

“…Ung?”
“…Meow!”

Surprised, I turned my head to another gaze I felt beside me.

Moon Bora also lowered her sunglasses, giving me a subtle glare.

Her expression was similar to Meowi’s, saying, ‘Seha, you’re too indifferent.’

While I was clueless about the situation, Meowi whispered softly in my ear.

“Don’t you think Na-young is cute, Seha?”
“Huh?”

I was a bit puzzled with her question.
What on earth does that mean?

‘…Ah.’

Three seconds later.
I finally realized her intention.
Come to think of it, I…

‘Haven’t said anything special to Ju Na-young, have I?’

“Ju Nayoung.”
“Oh, yes?”
“You look pretty today. It suits you well.”
“…Y-y-yong-ah?!”

Was the sudden compliment too strong for her?
Ju Nayoung’s face turned bright red.
White steam puffed up above her head.

“Y-yong-aah…”

Well, I said it, but…
To me, it was nothing new.

‘She’s already pretty…’

I painfully realized Ju Na-young’s beauty at the amusement park last time.

True to her character in ‘GAL,’ Ju Na-young already had a good appearance.

Recently, she had even consumed the [Beauty Enhancement] rune from <Siren>. It would be stranger if she didn’t stand out.

“That’s why anything looks good on you.”

---

‘Y-y-yong-aaah…!’

Ju Nayoung was shocked, sticking out her tongue.

She felt her heart flutter at the sight of Yu Seha’s gentle smile.

Every casual word he spoke was a direct hit to her heart.

‘B-beautiful by nature…’

Of course, Ju Na-young had heard such remarks often.

In social gatherings, most men would whisper about Ju Na-young’s beauty.

However, she felt neither touched nor interested.
In fact, it was so unpleasant that she felt like punching them.

But…

Isn’t it Yu Seha, not anyone else?

A word from the one she loved left her at a loss for what to do.

‘Y-y-yong…’

Ju Na-young often wondered how Yu Seha perceived her.

If she was just another female friend, she might have been a bit sad.

But his recent words gave her some confidence.

‘Yong-hehe…’

Her lips curled into a smile.

She then expressed her gratitude to Ma Hana, who was looking at her with a pleased expression.

After all, it was Ma Hana who first suggested braiding her hair and dressing up nicely.

“……”

Right after, Moon Bora, sitting next to her, slightly pouted her lips.

As if to say, ‘Compliments are nice, but isn’t this a bit over the top…?’

Undoubtedly jealous.
Ju Na-young felt a bit triumphant at the look.
She smiled at Moon Bora.

“Hmph.”
“Yong-hehe…”

As the two engaged in a slight battle of wills, Yu Seha began the meeting in earnest.

In truth, there wasn’t much to the meeting.

It was simply a discussion about what to do during <Vacation>.

Yu Seha naturally assumed they would all hang out together as usual.

But his assumption was shattered from the start.

“Meow, Seha. Sorry, I don’t think I can join this time.”

“What?”

Ma Hana explained.
She had joined Professor Cha Yeo-ju’s class on <Inter-Hunter Combat Training> as a student.

In truth, this was something everyone already knew.

Cha Yeo-ju had drawn a line, stating she was not a ‘full-time disciple,’ and had confessed long ago that she accepted her just for a specialized course lasting a month or two.

“And now, I’m supposed to take that class…”

<Kalas> Shield Technique.
Yu Seha was also familiar with this shield technique.
There was a memory of deploying a shield at ‘GAL,’ which had been troublesome.

“So, I’m going to Cha Yeo-ju’s hometown. It’s said to be a mountain where pure mana flows.”

“I see. It can’t be helped.”

Yu Seha was slightly disappointed.
Soon, Ju Na-young, who had been observing, also raised her hand.

“Huh? Ju Na-young. You too?”
“Um…”

Ju Na-young squeezed her eyes shut with a genuinely reluctant expression.

“Uh, my mother called… I think I need to visit home.”

“Ah…”

At the mention of ‘mother,’ Yu Seha recalled Su Ok-bin’s words from two days ago.

‘Ju Yae-yong…’

One of only five S-grade hunters in South Korea.

A powerful neutral NPC who clashes with ‘Tang Seo-ran’ in the mid-to-late main story of ‘GAL.’

The master of the Four Great Clans <Dragon Sword Mir> had summoned her.

Ju Na-young couldn’t refuse.

“Alright, take care.”
“Um…”

Yu Seha finally turned to look at Moon Bora in a Dongtan.

She lowered her sunglasses as if she had been waiting.

“Moon Bora, do you have time?”
“I’m quite free.”

In fact, Moon Bora originally wasn’t likely to be available.

However, due to a sudden message from her mentor, Cheon Mira, she unexpectedly got some free time.

*―Indeed, the coldness flowing through your body seems unmanageable by ordinary means. I will personally visit a place I know and bring back herbs specialized in positive energy. It will take about two weeks. In the meantime, do as you wish. *

Yu Seha smiled, pleased with the explanation.

“Moon Bora, you said your [Mana] level exceeded 50, right?”
“Yes, it’s exactly 51.”
“Then, would you like to take the B-grade hunter test with me?”

Moon Bora pondered the proposal briefly.

She soon agreed readily.

“Sounds good. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to raise my grade and get some qualifications. The higher the grade, the more dungeons you can enter.”
“Great, let’s do our best.”
“Yes.”

After finishing speaking, Yu Seha looked at the group again.

“I think everyone knows, but regardless of what happens, we all gather in 4 weeks, right?”

As mentioned earlier, they already made a promise.

In a month, they decided to gather for a ★(star-grade) test training camp.

It was a temporary farewell.

Everyone nodded in agreement to Yu Seha’s words.

‘Alright. This concludes the meeting. Before parting, one last time…’

He decided to do it once more.
Hmm, hmm…
Since he wouldn’t be able to do it for a whole 4 weeks.
He decided to do it thoroughly now.

“Meowi.”
“Meow?”

Squeeeze!
Squeeeze!
Squeeeze!

“Meow, meow. Meow, meow.”
“Hehehe…”

---

After the meeting, we returned to our respective dorms and began packing.

“Hoo…”

I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.

Simple yet meticulously packed travel bags were visible.

The last thing left was a shabby-looking moving box.

“Hmm…”

Though it looked insignificant from the outside…
When opened, what came out was something that couldn’t be ignored.

‘The premium currency gifted by the GM.’

I had used up almost all my growth resources, and what remained were the <Perilla Leaf Mint Series> I would give to Ju Na-young for life and some miscellaneous items.

Since I tend to always consider the worst-case scenarios, I ended up saving too much, and some things turned useless.

A few items even expired and had to be disposed of…

‘Still, all the important stuff is left…’

I took out a fruit the size of a fist and a small potion bottle.

They were the [Fruit of Heavenly Martial Flower] and the [Elixir of Physical Growth], which had significantly contributed to establishing this body.

‘……’

I had mentioned it once before.

The Fruit of Heavenly Martial Flower and the Elixir of Physical Growth form a combo that brings explosive growth, but if consumed twice, the body would burst and die.

However, that’s only if no countermeasures are taken…

By applying these two, a very powerful <Invincibility> buff could be created.

‘It’s practically my hidden card.’

I neatly organized the items in the box and stored them in [Slasla]’s subspace.

The ability to store miscellaneous items was indeed convenient.

‘Finally…’

The fruit and elixir were placed for the quickest access just in case of an emergency.

Alright, that’s it for packing.

Now, what should I do next… I pondered for a moment.

Knock knock.

A knock on the door.

I cautiously went out…

“…Ah, hello…”
“Ju Na-young?”

Ju Na-young, in cute pajama pants, was fiddling with her fingers and looking up at me.

“Ah, can I… come in?”

---

I served a cup of tea to Ju Na-young, who was glancing around my room.

After sipping the tea with a slurp, she asked with a slightly surprised expression.

“…?! Wow, what is this? Why is it so delicious?”
“It’s tea brewed from the peel of [Dragon’s Heaven Fruit].”
“[Fruit and]…? Even if it’s just the shell, it wouldn’t be easy to obtain…”

I was about to tell Ju Na-young, “It’s something Senior Divine Light Garam gave me a few days ago as a token of appreciation,” but I stopped.

“Uh…”

Involuntarily, memories of the past came back.

The day we decided to hang out at the amusement park.

I remembered how Ju Na-young had given a cold, sharp response when she heard Divine Light Garam helped me coordinate.

At that time, it wasn’t a joke; she seemed more like a descendant of the White Dragon handling ice rather than the Crimson Dragon handling fire.

“Yu Seha?”

“Uh, uh, yeah! Well, I found it being sold cheaply on the Hunter app… They said it was a limited item? So I got it luckily.”

“Really~”

Watching Ju Na-young, who seemed pleased, I placed my hand over my chest.

‘…What is this?’

Though just slightly, I was puzzled.
Even if it was scary…
Was there really a need to lie…?

Could it be that I just…

‘…considered Ju Na-young’s feelings?’

Why?

It seemed like a trivial action, but it left me a bit confused.

Usually, I’d just ignore such things even if I noticed them.

After a brief silence, I shook my head.
It’s a useless thought.

“So, what’s going on?”
“Uh, well…”
“Oh, I don’t mean to pressure you. If you came because you wanted to hang out, we can–”
“No, it’s not that… I came for something important.”

As I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Ju Na-young gulped and swallowed dryly.

Soon, she tightly closed her eyes and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry!”
“…Ju Na-young?”
“I-I’m actually…”

I’m a member of the Four Great Clans, <Dragon Sword Mir>!

---

Ju Na-young’s heart trembled.

It trembled not with happiness, but with a feeling close to fear.

‘…If only…’

If only she had confessed sooner.
Such regrets surged, but…
There was nothing she could do.
Because she was a coward, she kept delaying it, and now she was saying it so late.
She had to take full responsibility for that.

In front, Yu Seha was looking with a bewildered face.
Ju Na-young explained slowly.

“I-I’m actually not a senior clan member of <Dragon Sword Mir>. Oh, no! I am a senior clan member, but… that’s not all.”
“Huh?”
“I-I’m a person from <Dragon Sword Mir>. And not just a relative or someone at an executive level…”

<Clan Master> Ju Yae-yong.

“I’m that person’s daughter… the successor…”
“……”
“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. It’s just…”
“It’s okay.”
“Yong-ah?”

Ju Na-young lifted her head at the unexpected response.

Yu Seha was looking at her with a faint smile.

Thanks to that, Ju Na-young realized a step earlier.

“…Did you know?”
“I found out by chance two days ago… I didn’t know until then, although there were many hints. I just didn’t think about it.”

“I-I see…”

Ju Na-young felt slightly relieved.

She had thought it wouldn’t be the case, but in reality, Yu Seha didn’t seem to hold any blame or sense of betrayal towards her.

“W-would you listen to my story?”

“Yes. As much as you want.”

Yu Seha sipped his tea as he listened to the story.

Ju Na-young, uncharacteristically, spoke a bit haltingly, which made the story a bit lengthy.

‘To summarize…’

Even childhood friends, once they learned of her position, either feared her or tried to gain something from her.

It became a kind of trauma, making it difficult to speak openly.

Additionally, Ju Na-young’s upright nature contributed to it.

“It’s not even my strength… It’s something I gained because of my mother’s position… it feels a bit distasteful to brag about it.”

So, she thought, she should say it someday…
She was going to say it, but it turned out like this.

“Uh, absolutely, Yu Seha. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. Please believe me.”
“You’ve been saying strange things since earlier.”
“Yong-ah?”

Ju Na-young, who was tilting her head in confusion, soon felt a tingling sensation on her crown.

Yu Seha patted her head.

As if to say it was okay…
As if seeing something cute.

“Y-Yong-aaahhh…”
“Rather, I’m the one who’s thankful.”
“Yong-aaahhh…?”
“You’ve been unknowingly considerate and helpful, haven’t you?”

Why Ju Na-young hid it.

Even if you put aside all the miscellaneous things, you could tell just by looking at Ju Na-young’s usual personality.

‘She probably wanted to keep others from getting involved.’

Successor of <Dragon Sword Mir>.

A promising talent in the spotlight and one of the strongest first-year students at the <Academy>.

Naturally, people with various motives would have approached her, and it would have inevitably affected those closest to her, including me.

However, recently, except for a few instances over the past six months, I hadn’t felt any significant approach.

Is it just because the <Academy> is a strong fence?

‘That can’t be it.’

It must have been possible because Ju Na-young was working hard behind the scenes to block them as much as possible.

“Y-Yong-ah… Yong-ah…”

Ju Na-young was at a loss for what to do with the touch.

Yu Seha chuckled as he watched her.

“Do the others all know?”

“Yong-ah? Oh? Ah. Yeah! M-Moon Bora knew from the beginning, and Ma Hana found out while we were talking…”

“I see.”

“Um, um…”

“Yeah?”

“A-are you not mad? Even though I deceived you–”

“Oh, are you trying to make me feel hurt?”

I slightly frowned and ruffled Ju Na-young’s hair wildly.

A small scream escaped from her mouth.

“M-my hair’s messed up.”

I chuckled quietly.

Betrayal?

‘Not at all…’

I said it from the very beginning.

That I would show everything possible to my girls.

‘Deliberately flaunting future knowledge…’

Discovering opportunities that others couldn’t find in decades, as if it were natural, the reason for accompanying them…

It’s all to reach the ending they desire.
It’s something I do because I enjoy it.
I think once again.
Even if my final end is being betrayed and facing a miserable conclusion…

‘I won’t regret it.’

Just… one thing.
Something I hadn’t given much thought to initially.
It kept bothering me.
Like a fishbone lodged in my throat that I only noticed after someone pointed it out.

‘My past.’

The past of the true me that only I knew.
Not the existence of Yu Seha, but the story of the murderous intent within me and the Star of Calamity.

‘……’

Even as someone who was always confident…
It was a little frightening.

---

Meanwhile, Ju Na-young, who was delighted like a puppy at Yu Seha’s touch, thought.

‘Yong-hehe. I don’t really know what it is…’

Anyway, it felt good.

Yes, spending time with Yu Seha was incredibly happy.

If it were up to her heart…

She wanted to hug him tightly and sleep together.

To tie him up with her dragon tail so he couldn’t move and hold him tight!

‘Y-Yong-ah…’

Ah! Don’t misunderstand.
She thought doing something lewd was still too early.

It was just about feeling his body warmth, scent, and other things closely.

‘…Yong-hehe…’

So Ju Na-young was daydreaming, letting her imagination soar.

‘……’

Was it just a coincidence?

But as Yu Seha hesitated with the weight of his past…
She, too, held back something she couldn’t yet say.

‘…Ju Yuri.’

Her cousin and rival.

A few days ago, she heard exactly what happened through her team leader sister.

―…How could you say that and chase her away like that?!
―Miss. Ju Yuri is an enemy. We must be thorough no matter what…
―Still, that’s too much! After all, she’s family. We should at least try talking!

‘……’

In matters beyond her control, Ju Na-young felt a bitter aftertaste.

However, these thoughts were soon swept away by Yu Seha’s sudden Super Ultra Dragon Waaang! Breath! that came from his mouth.

“Ju Na-young.”

“Yong-ah?”

“Wanna have some ramen today?”

“…?”

Yong.
Yongg.
YONGGGG?

Yong…?

“Yooooong-ahhhhh?”

YONGGGGGG!?