Chapter 199: Reaping What You Sow (2)
nPjNAfter the lectures and a few of the extracurricular activities were over, the students would all head back to their dormitories.eAf
FpVJThe dormitories were divided up depending on gender and departments, but apart from those, there was also the Special Dormitory, built for a very small number of students.sY0KRaA
CRugIt was built on the top of a hill to be at the summit of nature and absorb the natural aura of a mountain and, therefore, required a fair bit of walking to get to. It wasn’t in an accessible location like the other dormitories, but that added to its uniqueness.gGwnZ
atiAt the start, this two-story mansion was built to isolate the risk brought by Hua Ran after her misdeeds in the Far East, but the number of tenants kept going up.6Y7U4Nb
U5BKsFInside the sunroom that was recently cleaned up alongside the garden were three people… Marie, Hua Ran, and Ren were studying for the upcoming exam in pure silence.nerPv
xrnYa“…”r8eOPK
AGomEj“…”H3L
o0snsScribble scribble.tAO
fsQXBOPencils were the only sources of sound inside the sunroom.WD4SRe
vLO“…”vSzPkqv
1zL2“…”Fp3B
EGy4Scribble scribble.sg4kbW
uJJSoHiI, I can’t breathe.DKI
jXrRen, who had come to the sunroom to study for her exam, wanted to get away from this horrifying place but couldn’t come up with a valid reason.XFDOO
871LIt was all because of that Lady of Autumn thing.wyLQx
Y04Ever since it was decided that both Marie and Hua Ran were going to attend that same contest, there had been a strange atmosphere around the two of them.gj6Ob
596XDIGTheir competitiveness for one man… was making them stay silent without saying a single word to their rival. If they really didn’t want to speak to one another, why didn’t they just study by themselves inside their own rooms?YXo
EQOApparently, that wasn’t an option for them; probably because they thought the one giving up first was the loser.bDV
eyrRen was the first one here, so she felt it was very unfair that she had to study in this kind of atmosphere.bPZkR
YwXYERon… Hurry up and take me away…!S6vw7iR
nYA75FShe sincerely begged for her twin brother to create a reason for her to leave, but he was still wandering around the entrance, not daring to take a step inside.7q5
5UaX6Quick…!RnXYs
RtqCI, I don’t think I should go in. My instincts are telling me not to…h5TAAhb
QJgHow could you…!9NJ0QBW
L2f84ktThese days, he was refusing to listen to more and more of her words, just because he grew up first!x5ba4O
4I1y63Did you forget the grace of your sister who bravely fought against the restaurant owner, protected you from thugs, and scavenged through garbage for food?!BIOXXI
MVAr2wAll she could do now, however, was underline words in her textbook. Like a person living with carnivorous beasts, she remained vigilant against the potential strife that could burst out at any given moment.fojZ
Q2VI-Kow kow!yo5JCy
cnKThat was when the sound of a cuckoo broke the silence. The cuckoo of the clock leaving its nest at noon and 7 pm sounded like a delightful song in her ears.fbzA3b7
oK3yAo“…Looks like no one else is back home,” said Ran, who was studying instead of Hua who had already given up.IW2vks
gOciNormally, someone else or Professor Josephine would have gathered everyone to the dining room but it seemed that no one else was here for dinner.v33BvV9
0Af5UY“I studied so, yes. You do it, Hua.”gIEHB
BDYAs soon as she said that to herself, her hair started to faintly change colors and her eyes began to flicker in red.2OpVM
pMiDWV“I will cook.”OHsF9p
pK314Y“…You’re cooking, Hua?”QLo
ubRU8YMarie lifted her head and asked, finding it quite surprising.hLqKKMP
KfSkeNP“I’ll help you,” she offered.8IIxdEh
0YpFlt“No. I’m practicing. So I will do it by myself.”eNM
jSWKJvHua walked out of the sunroom without even waiting for her to reply. Marie tried to stop her but Hua was already gone.JwtN
LiLVjGd“Mhmm…”e29h
bga1JqIt would be weird for her to go all the way to the kitchen after Hua already refused her help.kzLS
eVqXc2“Hua… cooking?”MeaN7
8JxFBiTBut on one hand, she was intrigued by the dish that Hua would make.1ZP
LfMkmQI“Are you done studying, Ren?”JlWaN
nIhQaS8“Ah, yes…! I, I mean no! Not yet…”Lx7l
qnI“I see… I will help you until the meal is ready.”DMRlVBB
KfIC“Y, you don’t have to…”Uik
SPaLpx“Ron. Come on in as well.”oFEwvi
LJ4aSJThe girl with water-colored hair called in Ron, as if she was long aware of his presence. Her eyes alone were enough to pressure the two golden wolves into politely sitting down.N29c
3Nww“You know.”kdD7J
RZkMdu“…Yes, what is it? Marie-unni.”ZD5OFq
gLnc4XXMarie was usually very compassionate and pleasant. Ren liked her, but certainly not on a day like today.vOf
WuhlwKn“Who do you think Korin will give his ribbon to?”kCGLEA
6ujAhh… I knew it.5kCmW7I
bCN6g“…I’m not sure.”lvDl
AZhJ6“Hmm…”pJIqktg
1swGD9NMarie had been feeling blue the whole day.gnP8
0Lq6Recently, there has been an increase in physical contact between Korin and Estelle. Since Marie had previously been the only one in the “Noona” position, she felt endangered by the new rival who was obviously fond of Korin and was an unstoppable force on top of that.hc6PxOe
VICNBesides, Estelle even declared that she would compete for the “Lady of Autumn” and forced Korin to give her a ribbon against his will! As a senior and noona of Korin, Marie couldn’t let it go and counter-attacked.Hi8b
jBeWT…She only realized that something was going wrong when Hua Ran and Alicia joined the fray.O6CHWu
BoEGOne rival was tough enough already, and yet, now there were three of them.vBy
dPvqrBut it was okay. It shouldn’t be a problem – Korin will choose me. Marie told herself to remain firm and trust Korin.bFRQsFa
iVHckWShe was sure that the amount of devotion, love, and affection that she poured onto him… did not fall short of what anyone else did but…dnx
kXYAk“I, it will be me, right? It has to be me. Yes?”Xv98pMt
T0RaZB“E, even if you ask me…”ZwX
EcS51NShe was anxious.pxJTFy
TDHiThere were four people – which meant a 25% chance of being picked. What if he didn’t pick her?NOGL
CKLlShe would definitely be disappointed.oe9
z810In fact, she might even bawl her eyes out.wi9K
WwKq0PDespite realizing that she was forcing Korin to make a difficult decision, there was a part of her that sincerely wished for him to pick her.ehWoiI
PQQzEK“Ugh…”je4u
XMCcThis was Korin’s fault if anything.qs1
TCqOne blink of an eye and there would be more girls around him, but Marie was tolerant with the girls that Korin was simply playing with. He didn’t have any ulterior motives after all and was just trying to make friends.tyP
9NapIHowever, she couldn’t do the same against the girls who liked Korin as much as herself.JI7
iZdHua Ran… Ran was especially a long-time rival for Marie since her love had been going on for a year.TVZDQEv
wdJV『Unni, you don’t like me, do you?』H4o5fu
fUQg3She still remembered that bold statement of that girl. She clearly saw her as an enemy, and Marie therefore had the same outlook on her.d2SpwUA
ClFSI definitely won’t lose.NB7FjU
i9Mk1NSMarie told herself.2MvZd
Qokyy22She was Marie Dunareff – one who could obtain anything she wished for, even if that was love. She could not let a foreigner from the Far East steal Korin away from her.sv7zSc
gNFpOIWake up, Marie Dunareff!BYJ
WHSIMarie was adding fuel to her fighting spirit again when Hua pushed a food wagon through the entrance of the sunroom.zcPv
Z0TPkwf“I’m done.”nEf
Gl1wThe dish she brought was…1kQCax
d4kE4“Huh?”U169Y
whbyo“Uhkk…? Cough cough!”hRTf
Wc5xFZThe wolf siblings had indescribable looks on their faces after a single sniff. Inside the bowls was a darkish-red soup that was still boiling.5WnDE
ok8oou“Huh? This is…?”LJsjiL
5yRObjectively speaking, Ran was a good cook. She had been cooking consistently ever since she first came to this dormitory, and always cooked with love and affection so her food was always nice to eat.NQu
HXqAs for Hua? She found every delicate activity tedious. That was why Marie didn’t even have high expectations of her – she hoped it would be okay as long as they didn’t have to throw away the ingredients but…T0N9Oy
81Wyv“What, is this?”sqq0j
7NeAEven Marie was struck speechless.c79
EXFXne1“An udon?”u2mb
eOsHua replied, albeit with a question mark despite being the cook herself. She then placed the cutleries and the dish onto the table with speed.hXRuOHl
6IrUdon.cq77
TnXnRight.oOsZp
a55GnKimchi udon – it sometimes came out in the cafeteria as a special menu item.AfInc
eMMSIt was a dish combining the udon and kimchi of the East; it was quite popular and it was understandable that Hua would pick it as someone coming from the East.K6Jjn
5q8tYdnHowever, there was a fundamental difference between the cafeteria and Hua’s dish.qXQL7
sCXJej3An udon was not supposed to boil like lava.HKd
u9ZUHZ2The soup wasn’t supposed to stick onto the ladle, nor should it be deep-red like fresh magma scooped up from a volcano.UDeq
dZHEEven the noodles looked like tentacles thrashing around in the depths of a volcano than normal noodles.IdAKj
8jfd“This is… udon, right?”W8BtE
WgH“…Yes. Korin said he likes fried noodles.”tpeo
BRmgPeThis was clearly not a normal udon, nor was it fried noodles which were supposed to have no soup. This dish was something sitting in the middle… and it was an insult to categorize this as udon.Fukysnj
7bR5Jh3“Have some.”hME7v6n
ZTq7vVGWas this perhaps an attempt to poison her foe?8EbIt
SVAE3Marie picked up a fork with her trembling hands and pushed it through the so-called fried udon.2JL
unWTa-Chiiik!0cO
29TCG2“Hiik…!”Vcan5DE
HKKYIThis was not it. This was clearly not right. An udon was not supposed to sound like that!UfkR
G1Va“Uweek…”Zt1I2
ODC“I, I can’t… Ren.”Tg9gVH5
qnmThe wolf siblings, due to their sensitive noses, could not breathe from the Scoville units soaring up from the surface of the udon.wWuM
4sh4Smo“Korin likes it.”h1pjl
BtsY“Korin does?!”FdYkzQ
NhfT1yWThere was no falsehood in her words.RRI
vc2SScgIt was true that Korin liked kimchi udon, and he also ate it without leaving a single scrape behind. However, that wasn’t because he liked the flavor of this specific dish that Hua made, but because his pride as a “spicy-loving Korean” kept him going.Vk7bC
BPf5fpb“Ugh… R, really?”sLsn
DBX9BIf Korin liked it… then Marie could even jump into a pit of flames with straws of hay.yF8
tKfNC1Ahh, how brilliant was the power of love?0zHt
HwlxcDespite wearing a deep frown, she carried the fork over to her mouth just to enjoy the same dish that Korin did. And—iRSW
QxVc—SO SPICYYYYY!!6JN
c0TH1kgA deafening scream echoed across the dormitory.Obq
vizr“…Did I do it wrong?”vDOxBS
LJlHmm… You know the 10,000 SHU that Korin-oppa was talking about… is that really something people can eat?ETYcr6Q
lVy3Eating the noodles that she herself made, Hua licked her lips and tilted her head.bBLUhA
DOzQ1gB***Ad0D
l2wThat night, I had dinner with my friends at the cafeteria.WGCG
S8QuA“I’m fucked.”dkmCHt
1kwP“Yeah. Damn right, you’re fucked.”MIvun
zD2zr“That’s why I asked you if you can handle it.”6ocg
h48Four people were competing for the Lady of Autumn position; Estelle, Marie, Alicia, and Hua Ran.usE9vAp
r58utPPFour people!VB1yn
i8QThose four people were telling me to give them a ribbon. A big problem here was that there was only one me!goyTUtL
ofh1W“Simple. Just pick one and give them a ribbon,” Jaeger suggested.5uXEO
v1LS“No. I can’t do that. The rest will be disappointed…”uQr
g9W“What if they were all drowning in the ocean and you could only save one person? You have to make a decision.”SAZzZj0
FynsLfu“I will save all of them without letting anyone die!”8Q3
5zrY0Xa“Yep. Ain’t happening here.”YuED
4hgJaeger and Lark were grinning like it was fun. Such terrible friends!kLy
4cseNrN“T, there has to be a way…”q8OT
IpoO2GTThat was when I spotted Master walking from far away.mzt1wY
ENdX“Korin~!”ChtRMze
HU9gWgnShe greeted me before asking the usual questions with sparkling eyes.lDN
vTT3w8“Have you had dinner? How are you feeling? Are you having a rough time because of the upcoming exams?”clVPKVj
pgDJQD“I’m fine.”Nwo
4bVVmCE“Clara prepared some healthy dishes so why don’t we… Oh. Student Jaeger and Student Lark.”c9TyUF
dDGwMaster was so focused on me that she belatedly noticed their presence. She praised them for their work and gave them a tap on their shoulders.oEKda
bxpyTG“You both got promoted before the summer holiday, didn’t you? Excellent work. Keep it up.”9t3q
ZeyY5“Ah, yes… T, thank you!”yvS
vG60kPM“Gulp…! T, thank you.”rP2
62bJaeger and Lark were evidently nervous from how beautiful she was. She turned her head towards me straight away and that was when I saw the golden line around her neck.m4xRnP
xIn6Y2X“You’re wearing your necklace today.”7WR
sWl“Ah? Yes… Considering who gave it to me, of course I would.”r3ggFRL
A0kSV0“It’s pretty. You’ve been wasting your beauty for far too long.”F8b
3pe“Uht… Seriously. This disciple of mine…”hGj5S2h
ZqW9Master said with a smile but she suddenly slurred the end of her sentence while looking somewhat awkward.bGpk
8z5KXW“What’s wrong?” I asked.klYTPaa
rUYrVN“Ah… The thing is, there has been some trouble at the staff meeting.”HXdkY8
EI4x“What do you mean?”4q1HA7H
Zse7AWas it happening already? It should be impossible but considering how different this iteration was compared to the previous one, anything could happen.IK1gc
vVEYaF4“The thing is…”npd38qu
052“Please tell me what it’s about. I will help you no matter what it is.”i9mY0Ie
Dj4yCUi“A, aht… It’s very reassuring to hear that. Actually… It’s been decided that I will be attending the Lady of Autumn contest this year.”727
gIpX3U“…Pardon?”XjWkpy
KCrwJ“It’s a custom for one of the staff to attend the Lady of Autumn contest every year. Everyone else was either experienced or turned it down so… Kuhum! What a childish thing to do at my age.”7BLoQC
d77xSeeing her shake her head in embarrassment made both my face and mind turn white.DPGoBB
AR0i7“Oh right. What contest are you planning to join, Korin? I know you are a wonderful boy who will receive a ribbon no matter the contest, and I am wondering who you are going to give that to.”BoDkT
NUFjUmm…YaJ9Y
c2Eg“Ah! I’m not telling you to give it to me… Ahaha, it would be immature of me to become a Lady of Autumn at my age. I just need one ribbon from someone.”wBvRdR
yKwptuwWithout noticing the pale look on my face, Master continued with a wide smile.6Ta9p1
xQOrn1N“Then…! Let’s have some food together later today! Good luck with your studies!”pcv4w
2o8zGcMy body shivered as I looked at her walking away with featherweight feet. Jaeger and Lark shook their heads while looking at me.JrZ
qck“It’s fine dude. It just went up from four to five.”lLOlyFq
uR3“Aiya~ this is gonna be an interesting sight to behold. Who are you giving it to?”RnI
kGnMarie, Alicia, Hua Ran, Estelle, and even Master…pA8xPze
MBbWySI couldn’t pick any one of them. If I chose one person to give the ribbon to… that would make everyone else terribly sad.jdI
lrrDJxg“There’s only one way out.”Khq
cMabLark shook his head and said, which sparked Jaeger’s curiosity.vl5k1
AsZW“Is there a way out of this?”rrPIyX
slw“Suicide. That’s the only option.”98Oc
d8H59UW“Hoh. I second that. That’s the only option indeed.”nwA3
yPKDmUThese useless friends. However, there definitely is a method where everyone wins.sg7J
tN5“At this point… there’s no other option but to give all five of them a ribbon.”eDHmLJ
ox6zY“What!”towXdM
DTlHSwg“Is that even possible?”LoK
hwJGikHIt was possible.4mLdxYx
YuqEVGTheoretically.e6HfbE
PlQm5in“I just have to attend five contests in the Harvest Festival and win all five of them. Huhuhu… Huhahahahaha…!”VtflPn
nVH““…Good luck.””gR3jS
HG1UpPThere was compassion and pity in their eyes.vQbR
jWMqSv5Stop! Don’t look at me like that!th2O8t
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