Soon, the group sensed that something was off and gathered around them.
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so narrowed their eyes sharply.
“I feel like I just heard something I definitely shouldn’t ignore.”
“‘Don’t look anywhere else. Look only at me.’”
“Wow, she suddenly got really aggressive.”
“I told you she’s secretly not easy to handle.”
As they moved even closer, Seo Ye-in looked at them warily.
I raised a fist like a microphone toward her.
“Care to comment? Why did you say that just now?”
“It bothered me.”
“That I was looking elsewhere?”
“Mhmm.”
“You usually let it slide.”
“Today is… different.”
“What’s different?”
Seo Ye-in pondered for a moment before answering.
“Angry… anxious?”
“Why anxious?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Even just a vague feeling?”
“…Feels like you’ll be taken away?”
Even as she said it, she tilted her head as though confused by her own feelings.
Of course, the rest of us had already figured it out.
Looks like jealousy, possessiveness, and obsession got amplified.
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so immediately clamped their hands over their mouths and started smacking each other repeatedly.
It practically sounded like, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!”
Ahn Jeong-mi looked deeply moved. Even if it was due to the potion, Seo Ye-in rarely expressed her emotions this openly.
Meanwhile, Dang Eun-bi drooped miserably and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I made it because I wanted to help….”
“How could anyone have predicted this? Just be more careful next time.”
“Yes… I will.”
“How long do you think it’ll last?”
“I-I’m not really sure….”
Dang Eun-bi trailed off uncertainly.
Since the effects were mostly beneficial and the side effects didn’t seem too severe, she had only done a very simple test.
Even the final self-experiment had been just a single spoonful.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in had finished an entire bottle, so the duration would naturally be very different.
Dang Eun-bi added hesitantly,
“I’m not certain, but….”
“What is it? Go on.”
“I heard the backlash from that ultimate move lasts about a week… so I tried to match it around that timeframe…?”
“Then they should probably wear off around the same time.”
“Probably. It could last a little longer, though. I added quite a few spiritual medicines….”
Then she bowed deeply toward Seo Ye-in again.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try to find another solution somehow.”
“It’s okay.”
Seo Ye-in answered casually.
Still looking at Dang Eun-bi, she continued,
“You meant well.”
“……!”
“Thanks to you, I feel energized.”
“Senior……!”
Deeply moved, Dang Eun-bi stepped forward to grab her hand, but Seo Ye-in immediately took a step back in response.
While hiding me behind her back.
As if she were saying, “I won’t let you get close to Kim Ho anymore!”
“…….”
Dang Eun-bi’s eyes instantly turned hollow.
Only then did she fully realize it.
Just how ridiculous a thing she had done…….
While Dang Eun-bi floundered in a swamp of regret, I turned to Seo Ye-in with a question.
“So, you want me to look only at you?”
“Mhmm.”
“What happens if I look at something else?”
“I get angry.”
“The way you say that kinda makes me want to do the opposite on purpose.”
After all, one of my hobbies is making people annoyed.
So I deliberately looked somewhere else, and Seo Ye-in immediately reached out again, grabbed my face, and turned it back toward her.
“……Be good to me.”
That line caused another uproar.
Dang Eun-bi’s eyes became twice as hollow, while Ahn Jeong-mi looked extremely satisfied.
Meanwhile, Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so started smacking each other even faster. Smack smack smack!
After glancing at them briefly, I spoke to Seo Ye-in again.
“Of course I want to treat you well. We’re close, after all.”
“Happy.”
“But there’s one problem.”
“What is it.”
“If I keep looking only at you, I can’t train.”
“……Rank loss.”
“Exactly. There’s an opportunity cost involved here.”
Even taking one or two days off would hurt badly, so if this lasted until the effects of Dang Eun-bi’s special potion wore off, the stat loss would be pretty significant.
At that, Seo Ye-in began rummaging through her inventory.
Soon, she pulled out an acrylic display frame containing a “1-Day Kim Ho Usage Coupon (Includes Kim Ho’s Handwritten Signature and Smile)” and held it out to me.
It was something she had won in a bet with Dang Gyu-young during the Fixed Zone tournament.
“……Treasure No. 4.”
“That’s not really what I was asking for.”
When I shook my head, Seo Ye-in seemed to think for a moment before this time holding out a tiger plushie as well.
“……Treasures No. 3 and 4.”
“Why do you keep trying to give me your treasures?”
“To compensate for the loss.”
In other words, she meant she would make up for my rank loss even if it meant giving away her treasures.
Which also meant that her desire for me to pay attention only to her was that strong.
I slowly nodded.
“I understand your determination, and you don’t have to give me your treasures. There’s another way to solve this.”
“What is it.”
“You just have to work harder.”
If Seo Ye-in could improve her specs by as much as, or even more than, the losses I’d incur from taking a break, then it wouldn’t really be a bad trade.
Besides, clearing the Challenge Hardship mode was more valuable than my own rank grinding anyway.
So I made a proposal.
“How about working twice as hard? At least while I’m watching.”
“……Challenge accepted.”
With determination burning in her eyes, Seo Ye-in headed toward one corner of the training grounds together with Chattering Sloth and Ahn Jeong-mi.
Occasionally checking to make sure I was still watching her.
Next, I spoke to Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so.
“Please understand. The situation is what it is.”
“Oh, of course we understand.”
Contrary to my expectation that they might object a little, the two nodded readily.
“She’ll go back to normal in a few days anyway.”
“We can give in now and have her return the favor later.”
“She’s flexible enough for that.”
“Mhmm, exactly exactly.”
Judging only from the conversation, they sounded unbelievably understanding and considerate, but the corners of their mouths kept twitching nonstop.
So I gave them a suspicious look.
“Even if you get any funny ideas, try to hold back a little.”
“Of course, of course. We know.”
“What are we, children?”
After saying that, Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so walked lightly toward another corner of the training grounds, almost skipping.
Then they began sparring, swinging their club and longsword.
Whoooosh—!
Swaaash!
However, in less than five minutes,
The two suddenly came walking toward me while making it painfully obvious how exhausted they supposedly were.
Then, in the tone of students reading directly from a textbook, they said:
“I believe I’m starting to feel fatigued. Don’t you agree, Dang Gyu-young?”
“You are absolutely correct, Jegal So-so. It must be because we moved our bodies so intensely.”
“How about we take a short break and grab some coffee?”
“What an excellent idea! Let’s bring Kim Ho along too.”
At that, Seo Ye-in whipped her head around.
Whoooosh—
Using both [Feather Step] and [Sailboat], she flew over at top speed and blocked the pair’s path.
“You can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“You can’t take Kim Ho.”
Her lines were noticeably longer than usual.
Apparently, her desire to secure her claim had overcome her laziness.
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so seemed to think the same thing, judging by the looks on their faces like they were dying from how adorable she was.
Still, they forced themselves to maintain straight expressions and continued questioning her.
“Why not?”
“He has to watch me.”
“We’re just going to grab coffee together. You’re tired too.”
“We made a promise.”
“To train twice as hard?”
Nod.
The two desperately held back their laughter.
Then, after clearing their throats, they resumed speaking in their textbook-recitation tones.
“Ahem, well, we should respect that.”
“We won’t interfere.”
“In that case, should we go spar a little more too?”
“That sounds better.”
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so returned to a corner of the training grounds.
Seo Ye-in, after sending them a watchful glare, also went back to Ahn Jeong-mi.
However, in less than five minutes, the duo came back again in their textbook-reading voices.
“Seo Ye-in is working very hard.”
“Hey, stop talking to her. You’re distracting her.”
“We’re not distracting her. We’re just cheering her on~”
“Right next to Kim Ho~?”
The moment the two started giggling—
Whoooosh—
Seo Ye-in once again flew over at maximum speed.
“You can’t.”
“We can’t even cheer you on?”
“……You can.”
“Then what can’t we do?”
Instead of answering, Seo Ye-in wrapped her arms around me and carried me away like luggage.
Far away from the competitors.
Realizing what she meant, Jegal So-so asked,
“So we’re not allowed to get close?”
“……No approaching.”
Her gray eyes brimmed with stubborn determination.
After estimating the distance between us, Dang Gyu-young attempted to negotiate.
“Come on, this is way too far. Cut us a little slack.”
“……Just a little.”
The moment permission was granted, they activated [Shadow Leap].
Then they sank downward and popped back up right beneath my feet.
In response, Seo Ye-in immediately carried me farther away again, then crouched beside me and set up several [Fickle Traps].
After that, she warned the duo once more.
“……No approaching.”
The two sighed dramatically and resumed reading in their textbook-recitation tones.
“Using traps feels a little unfair.”
“But she already set them up.”
“At this rate, we can’t get near Kim Ho at all~?”
“Guess we’ll just have to watch from afar~”
And the moment Seo Ye-in resumed sparring, they started sneaking closer again.
“Those are Fickle Traps, right~?”
“But unfortunately, your luck is bad~?”
Although the potion had restored her energy, Seo Ye-in’s luck was still rock bottom.
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so exchanged grins.
“Should we step on one~?”
“Shall weee~?”
They deliberately stepped onto traps that were easy enough to avoid.
Pop!
What sprang out was an adorable little sunflower doll.
It wiggled around in a silly dance before disappearing.
Just as expected, the effect was completely trivial.
Still, since the no-approaching rule had been ignored, Seo Ye-in came flying over for the third time.
Staring straight at the duo, she said,
“……I’m angry.”
The two giggled but immediately apologized.
“Pffhahaha, sorry. We went a little too far.”
“Your reactions were too cute. I couldn’t help myself. Sorry from me too.”
“We really won’t tease you anymore this time. Promise.”
Though honestly, they’d probably come back again the moment they got bored.
At least for now, however, things would probably stay quiet.
Seo Ye-in seemed to think the same and decided to focus on training for the moment.
Looking at her mirror self, she spoke.
“I have to win.”
– Just winning isn’t enough.
“Efficient victory.”
– You need to make up for Kim Ho’s rank loss.
Seo Ye-in nodded, then looked toward Chattering Sloth with determined eyes.
“Pride abandoned.”
– I understand your resolve well.
Up until now, they had been trying to shove the role of drawing Ahn Jeong-mi’s attention onto Chattering Sloth.
But from this point on, even if it meant getting endlessly smacked by the toy hammer, they intended to prioritize victory above all else.
Before long, the two sloths finished aligning their resolve and stood side by side facing Ahn Jeong-mi.
Then, each gripping a pot tightly, they kicked off the ground.
“…….”
At this, Ahn Jeong-mi showed an extremely proud expression before recalling her duty and shifting her gaze between the two with serious eyes.
And the moment the distance closed enough, she thrust out her toy hammer like lightning,
Boing!
Unfortunately, what she struck was not Seo Ye-in’s head but the pot on top of it.
Ahn Jeong-mi immediately switched her target to Chattering Sloth.
Boing!
However, this time as well, the toy hammer merely struck a hologram pot.
It was because both of them had entered the fight with a defensive approach.
Boing!-boing-boing! Boing-boing!
Seo Ye-in continued focusing solely on blocking for a while, then the instant Ahn Jeong-mi revealed the slightest opening, she launched a counterattack.
However, just as before, the pot only sliced emptily through the air.
Right as the toy hammer was about to smack into the gray-haired girl once again,
Boing!
A hologram pot slipped in between them.
Chattering Sloth had protected her.
When Ahn Jeong-mi tried to strike Chattering Sloth, the Immortal Pot cut in this time and defended in her place.
In that opening, Chattering Sloth launched a counterattack, and for one of the rare times, Ahn Jeong-mi had to stop her offensive and retreat.
Now that’s some proper teamwork.
Even Ahn Jeong-mi curled her lips into a satisfied smile.
“Excellent.”
Then she joined the two young ladies and swung her toy hammer together with them.
Boing-boing-boing!
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