Chapter 43: Group Assignment (3)
gOto2Hua Ran stopped coming to the group meetings ever since that day. Like… well, I could understand why she wouldn’t want to come, but how could she be so small-minded? Was she a kid or something?4BUihX3
giId“Ah…”TdM
1aOActually, she was a kid.XM6a
SZfJXSomething I forgot quite often because she looked like a high schooler was that Hua Ran was just a kid who had been born three years ago. Just like myself, she did have the memories of the original owner of the body, but she hadn’t been there for long.AFiQTfP
SHkkwrZ“W, what should we do? Mr. Korin?”xLNz5Ey
fAo9ASU“Well… what else can we do? We just have to do it by ourselves.”KqDlB
3ZEOqd“Doesn’t everyone have to participate in the group assignment?”inF
zcV4YRight, that was the problem.IgnVL1
q2SdsGPIt was the same back when I was going to college on Earth but what exactly was a group assignment? Because they put emphasis on cooperation, the non-involvement of anyone reduced marks. This Academy… took all the frustrating elements there were in a Korean university.0je9p8t
ZqoAs someone who had been a group leader for 7 years, there were times when I mercilessly took the name out of the finished product whenever there was a troll.RzlN0g
Td0What did the professor do back then?fF2w
YrB7oMIWelp, that’s a lack of cooperation right there. Boom, there goes your mark!pGNMY
xrO74Those damn professors… They tended to be very stubborn just because they weren’t the ones doing it.6fBSfN
PfjI“We have no other option now.”MeARwgr
Dci“Mr. Korin?”1t0Z
r4shpc“We must bring Hua Ran back for our marks and our eternal glory!”pAFxkT
udBe“But how?”w0lXPqh
V2rXAlicia asked and in response, I grabbed onto her shoulders and looked into her eyes.Tgp9iRY
f6UIOD“Adjutant Alicia.”D4tkcc
GGp“Umm. Yes? Captain?”PfOAx9
42O“Unfortunately, I have no idea on how to improve the moods of sulky girls.”RmsK2
XU5T“…I think you can just do as usual though?”H2cXr
YlQ“I will entrust this matter to you, Adjutant Alicia! Girls should be better at this than myself! There are things like special empathy abilities and stuff between girls, right? Anyway, you know what I’m trying to say!”JNB
oATWShe gazed back at me with a displeased look on her face.J2jv
V6ufmk2“If you think about it, this all started because you teased Ms. Hua Ran, Mr. Korin…”7wU2
WQGPRpx“I trust you Alicia! I will be working on your part in the meantime.”3Xn223
mgiL“Mhmm… I, if you insist…”9FbiB
MUbs5Alicia stood up in a hurry with a resolute look on her face. It seemed that she was very tired from compiling a report for the group assignment.ftIu
aJ5“I’ll be back soon, Captain!”XPtU9
vk6Hm“I believe!”Ek0i84
rZPJAfter a salute, Alicia started sprinting to the special dormitory where Hua Ran should be at.Kx6
TGKcxqf“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?”yxwAE
5KOJaeger asked a natural question. Thanks to moving together with Alicia as a group these days, he too had an idea of how clumsy Alicia was.9ZRi0M
P6V3tl“There’s nothing for you to worry about. Alicia is the best counter-attacker later on but she’s a good enough tank in the beginning.”iU4QQ
l81“What do you mean?”HNL
I4HmNmAfter a while…nspmp
0eh“Hing… she didn’t even open the door for me.”XEpr
UGjqJJ“Did she hit you?”WPB
E2L“N, no? A fork did come flying through the door though.”8XWMaY
M46zM“Hmm, good. So it’s not like she wants to kill us or anything as of yet.”6h0Q6
MfhO86Alicia returned with not a single wound on her body!BFIQ
YhMxVf“Mr. Korin?”UGGkEL
0mEaXaAs if she read my impure motive, she called me while squinting her eyes.coeq
OrpcV“Looks like her fury level is sitting at around Level 2 or 3. Good, let’s get this done in a breeze.”T47w
1i3W“Mr. Korin? You didn’t send me to see how angry Miss Hua Ran was or anything, right?”kT9
ZNGWI gently ignored the sharp question thrown by Alicia.g56
IzLp****8nLf0a
IU97wHua Ran spent her last few days in laziness.YvtW
0jK9She was annoyed by Korin Lork teasing her after her humiliating defeat at the group meeting.RCz0g
TP1HEa“Hmph… he just got lucky.”d9xS
YUdHxxzWas it really just luck though?XYv
mC0Although that question did rise up in her mind at times, Hua Ran tried her best to ignore it because admitting that would be the same as acknowledging her defeat.Gx9nY1
uNB3She was born strong. As a beast that was born from a living corpse that was close to death, she didn’t need to train at all because her fists were stronger than magic, spearmanship and everything.5GrYigt
pye8Countless martial artists, soldiers and generals all fell before her, so how could a mere knight…AvS29
m0a9『Rather than someone like you who looks down on things like this as being insignificant, don’t you think I’m better suited to be called a strong person?』5T8s
i0uY“…”vrCvohj
LbcIf she wasn’t a strong person… if she wasn’t a beast of destruction that could overturn any irrationality… then what worth did she have as a being that was born through another person’s death?4lWkQ
El2PIyU~~~~~~~~~~~~~MhR
AcIq“?”oNZ
SuI3A sound reached her ears from outside the building, so she unconsciously opened the window to gaze at the source of the sound.mB4
sBr“…”LuF
YFteIt was Korin. He was standing on a tree branch that was going over the dormitory fences while playing an acoustic guitar.zZv
6eyhJR“For now the day bleeds, into nightfall and you’re not here to get me through it all~. I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug.”kX01L
UrO“…”vg8aeF
Xln3wlHua Ran glared at Korin with a cold gaze. As if he was satisfied with the fact that he managed to catch her attention, Korin walked across the branch while playing the guitar.OS25
lXDWqs“I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved! – I’m sorry! Please let me pay for my mistakes!!”mEc9EOJ
zmEShe seemed puzzled by the strange scene of Korin apologizing while playing an acoustic guitar, and didn’t know how to react.aFqcFu
j3ABPYz“But now the day bleeds~! Into nightfall!! And you’re not here~ to get me through it all!!!”dsSk6
TzPwB“Noisy.”ojN
AxeLzpH“I wasn’t trying to tease you!”KKZ
R0ZEEven though he actually was, Korin concealed his intention.89kO
yhK6Y2“I was bad at conveying my true thoughts! Please give me another chance!”OMHMR
Mf1L“…”ZnI
94Z285“And…! To be frank, you also did something wrong, Hua Ran! We were both insincere to each other. Please get together with me again!”G9AgYk
A61O5l2Hua Ran started closing the window with a cold gaze. That was when Korin stopped her in a hurry.ZoZEC
Y8GNWu“Are you serious?! Are you seriously going to do this to me! Huh?! I will give you one more chance! If you settle your feelings and come down for everyone, I will forgive you with my benevolent heart and give you a warm hug!”Ckfz
kJOlThe window continued to close.opyHvY
McxW“Wait, Hua Ran!”atF6U
6ppZkShe halted her hands that were about to shut the window.bHApiI
8ae“You know what? Society is even harsher than this! I know you’re feeling embarrassed for getting shit on by a random Grade 5 knight that you were looking down on, but you never know what’s gonna happen in this world! It’s fine to have embarrassing and uncomfortable truths thrown at your face! You have to build such humiliating experiences to become an adult!”DpkdcL
DR1A“Go away.”5it
2tuZZ– Slam!ZtUqe
kNYaTKxThe gust formed by the sweep of her fingers broke the thick branch like a sugar cane. Caught off guard, Korin landed on the ground right on his bum.IKF1DJ
tbP“Kuhak!”aEGYD
BYx“Idiot.”oK4h9gx
yTAWith that, Hua Ran closed the curtains and returned to the other side of her room.S1MHYeJ
XJhQI“…Mr. Korin. Are you okay?”vTxpSqm
vd7mT3Hanging off the top of the fence, Alicia asked in concern while peeking into the dormitory.MU1I1
lee998Z“Hah… do kids enter puberty as well?”nuj
wMc“I thought you said you were confident.”MXZo
q1WR“I tried to persuade her with enough rationality and logic! I even added the seasoning with my intense emotions!”dn3Dgb
KdProC“Those emotions were the biggest problem I think…”170vPZ
VQZYLv“It’s crazy that you managed to come out without being punched.”jd4JbIv
cldZO2JJaeger’s criticism was very reasonable.ENm
5vQV57“What are you gonna do? Doesn’t look like that’s going to be resolved in a day or two.”E0U
EGEMNSe“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” I replied.cNS
DSPvAH“How was that not bad?”526
ohe4HhD“Because I didn’t get smacked by her. She’s a nice girl.”YAC
W6s“A nice girl wouldn’t run away from a group assignment, buddy.”Lu2h
BoFCg“And they wouldn’t punch people just because they’re in a bad mood either.” Alicia added from the side.P613g
dkgACsrDespite the criticisms from the two other people, Korin stood back up in determination while dusting his butt.gSDAq
uvLpcUf“Now, there is no other choice but to rely on our last resort.”B1Q9G7P
q4a08k****DAbl3H
gX2bfThe sun settled before long as several lights were lit up to illuminate the darkened house. As someone who had been living at this dormitory for roughly half a year ever since she came from the east, Hua Ran knew that it was about time.zbGwE
5trDIb– Knock knock!Iyq2e9P
HDM0She judged based on the slight leftover scent of blood that the one who knocked on the door was the housemate who recently joined the dormitory.k13MmAY
vNG“Junior Hua Ran~. It’s time for dinner~”KK4
0isdlEz“…”MuQFFS2
KKK69As if she was used to it, Hua Ran closed the notebook that was on the desk and stood up from her chair. Opening the door, she found an amicable 2nd year senior with water-colored hair wearing a bright smile on her face.u8iotM
3iH“We have a special menu today!”CeECR
hWu“…Potato?”0aW7O3
ZxN7“Potatoes are always special but it’s a little different tonight!”QVc4uB
FWS‘There is a chef today~!’ said Marie, which instilled a bit of expectation into Hua Ran’s mind, because usually, the meals at this dormitory were limited to the ones made by Josephine or Marie, or the ones brought from the Academy cafeteria.78v
AAgbfG3While heading down to the dining room, she smelled a unique scent and realized the identity of the dish that was currently being made.ZS5
MXi“…Mackerel.”kiAF7L
oOmfhCJIt was the familiar smell of mackerel. Looking back, it was because of Korin that she first had that fish.KJ2
FfyDEven though she was put in a terrible mood just by thinking of Korin, she nonetheless considered it a positive thing that he taught her about the fried-mackerel set meal. The reason she wasn’t grateful was probably because of her pride.ldks
DpusiiWDespite not showing it on the outside, Hua Ran went to the dining room with a rare hint of expectation inside her.wZQ0
NpmAfter all, having fish was very rare in this dormitory.A3xGV
CaVJGJosephine preferred vegetables whereas Marie liked eating heavy meals with chunks of meat that she always brought from somewhere.QrTp1
A3Rdt5lBecause Hua Ran prided herself for not being ‘a kid’ that winged about food, she hadn’t said anything about it.XcdLx
v0eRUM0At last after arriving at the dining room, she pushed open the door as a deeper surge of a fishy smell seeped into her nose.lM0we
DPdB– Clap clap!VBZn4AY
1oKa“Irasshaimase!!”1wNrGGI
UJMZAjmThe sonorous welcome was something she had also heard from a sushi place that she had visited with Korin. However, unlike the past, this time the owner of the voice was…BKllVC
xDLE5n“Hello~”Gnw
cp10It was none other than Korin Lork.uEW
fnIsaM“I’m not eating.”04ahhb5
pFRQdxSaying that, Hua Ran turned her back with a flick so Korin hurriedly shouted at her back.Jbl72
1LxnUrf“Y, you might regret it if you don’t eat this!”IsK
vFP0mO– Flinch.MqOX
S9WHua Ran turned her head back as Korin returned a good-natured smile while pointing at a fish that had just finished cooking.LjBOs6
Gw04FVX“…”CuP
SbM74Actually, she was a bit hesitant to go back just like this because it was true that she was starting to feel hungry. Although Korin Lork was so annoying that she wanted to punch him once, there was no logical reason why she should turn him down from preparing a food that could satiate her hunger.dNNT
ECuMl“Hmph.”B5Y
2g0RxdAShe sat down on the table, while being under the impression that her attitude towards Korin was still very firm.QZWkr53
OG4In fact, sitting down and waiting for the other person to finish cooking was not something an irritated person would do, but that wasn’t something she could know as a 3-year-old jiangshi that had zero social experience.Xvac3u
SIk6“Wait one second! It will be done in an instant!”PsR
GOpbOJIn the end, Hua Ran decided to overlook his actions without stopping him.TIL
SQA“…I’m not eating if it’s not good,” she whispered in a soft voice that wouldn’t even reach the person sitting next to her.b7Esp
LQdHua Ran had been upset ever since Korin beat her in the bet. Although her discontentment wasn’t as intense as fury, it was inevitable for the loser to be very annoyed by the winner who would not accept a rematch.EdNlVO
H88nSThe reason she didn’t attend the group meetings was to pay him back and was a way to express her irritation. He tried to persuade in a funny way but her mind was very firm. She was wholeheartedly displaying her irritation and her unwillingness to forgive him.QmlBuU
hkpxWell, sitting down to have the meal cooked by the person who made her upset meant it was already over but Hua Ran did not know that. She was even contemplating whether she should forgive him if the food tasted decent or not.8fQg
asaYntnRegardless of her internal turmoil, Korin continued cooking in the kitchen.uTS
Uhv– Chiiik!QwHMbp
9FwaFor a short moment, Hua Ran savored the scent of the frying fish. Soon, Korin placed down the entire ‘wok’ that had the dish inside on the dining table.GBba
f7BYcG‘The whole thing?’eE1Sz
0Ay1sSGInside the large steel wok was something colored in deep reddish-brown.WrZPs
YRdQ7B“…What’s this?”qCYAlW
ag1qgxD“Braised Mackerel.”rwn3X
QDX8aIt was a quick dish that was made by adding chunks of mackerel, potatoes and radish and braising them in a marinade.UiWHU
H5e“It’s delicious. Even in the army… I mean, even in some camps, you eat this very often. Debone the fish and mix the rice into the sauce here and… Kyaah~. It’ll just be amazing.”FGmbPq
Qu6Korin gently placed pieces of mackerel, cooked radish and potatoes into a smaller bowl.42DKRc
mqBWH“…”sU3G4Us
PvhbMeanwhile, Hua Ran silently gazed down at the dish. Seeing the red sauce that seemed like the magma of an active volcano, she couldn’t even guess how to approach it.JHT
Sem0yBWhile she was hesitantly looking at the fish with the chopsticks in her fingers, Korin walked up to her back and came closer.F1RkpV
nAY“Here.”uq8T
3jRmakmTaking her two chopsticks and carrying one each in his hands, Korin started separating the bone from the flesh. He removed the large spine and the small bones which revealed the white flesh inside.X9PUW4
AaQl5After using a spoon to scoop up the marinade inside the wok, he poured a generous amount onto the white flesh of the fish.VQMbHu
1eY3AZ“Have a taste.”sup
qHWNHua Ran carefully cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. She carried one of them into her mouth. As for the taste…4rzm
1AkTh‘Not terrible.’2lv4f0V
mpzXUk9If she had to give it an evaluation, she would say it was crude and miserable compared to the fine-dining restaurants in the city but it was still edible.VmgTY7b
dcRrNWhile thinking to herself that it wasn’t so bad that she would return the food to the kitchen, Hua Ran continued moving her chopsticks.qRZYVX
4HDbH****htC3ie
i6nntzI came to Hua Ran’s room after the meal.5AK3u
wdjaYyThe room only had a bed, a desk and a densely packed bookshelf and gave off a very desolate feeling.b02
wWNO“That wasn’t very nice.”Xa4DS2
VTk8P“You were enjoying it weren’t you?”F5Dflw
tT3After living a few years by myself, I inevitably ended up acquiring some cooking skills. Although the menu was very limited, I was quite good at making fried rice and braised mackerel.jxHlafy
aOgUy“I’ll make you fried rice or something else next time.”IdOyv
uvkM1“…”ALnvZUb
S8xIn‘I’m not eating if it’s bad,’ Hua Ran added at the end but there was a slight sense of expectation embedded into her gaze.8LBc6gu
eziFThe fact that she accepted the dinner I made meant our reconciliation had already been decided. There was still some remaining sharpness to her voice and word choice but it was understandable since she was still a child that wasn’t used to getting angry.Oayy
zRcGjD“Buy meals instead. That’s more delicious.”0eMqaVd
S7DW“Of course my cooking is not going to be as good as the ones made by chefs.”mm5
4Y9jPOWhat would you do with your living expenses if you buy every meal outside? I would have asked that question to anyone else but not her. From what I could tell based on the pouch of gold coins that she prepared in the blink of an eye as well as her unhesitant investment for the inn plan… it seemed that she was more loaded than I expected.4RnLT
Vo5HBut since she wasn’t the type to work to save money, her possession was probably the inheritance of her ‘father’.6W3rU9m
lLZRight. The two keywords of Hua Ran’s scenario were ‘father’ and ‘original self’.W2UF8cQ
ikTfBhaI knew why she was acting strong the whole time, as well as how important power was to her.T8GBPA4
5GIGd9“Do you know how long it takes for chefs to cook one dish?”mtlKYaH
CAMgVBc“They take less than 30 minutes.”QmwTi
fo0eIO“It’s 10 years.”OlQ4I5H
4Xk8“???”EC9LZ7k
QpE“From finding good ingredients to preparing and cooking them. It seems that normal chefs require up to 10 years until they can show their own dishes to their customers. Well, that’s probably not the only case but still.”Ytuj
Bvu“…”X7KyMyW
irABGbE“Apparently the old owner of your favorite fish restaurant drank only water his entire life to protect his sense of taste and wears gloves all year long to protect his hands from the heat of the summer and the coldness of the winter.”SkZT4M
jmtY“…What are you implying?”ECAtJM
3VY“It took me 3 years, to learn enough martial arts to put you down on your knees once.”vHkoV
dpFt3C1I reflected on my desperate days. I first started with Eight Trigrams. It wasn’t because of anything special and it was simply because that was the first martial arts related book that I found in the library.SXGr3V
t5HThrough the Eight Trigrams, I learned how to use the fist and the spear and immersed myself into them until I met my master.euq4
ZlZLD6RCompared to my party members who all used fancy styles like the Singular Sword of Arden, Flying Swords and elemental magic, my skills were very pathetic.hXDY
UDr『Master. When are you going to teach me some killing moves and secret arts? How long would it take for me to kill those monsters if I continue learning basic stuff like this…?』hsyruEO
WeWQVBQThat was why I complained to my master about teaching me secret moves from the get go so that I could stand on a similar page as them.i9QPxh
38m“You said weaklings will stay weak even if they practice spearmanship and stuff.”F9KDc7u
jZ9ir8“…”PqXy0mo
7ZkI reached both of my hands forward to the silent Hua Ran.Lj16yE
BcTee“Try grabbing my hands.”to3
f2Ek“What?”q0bnB7
fSh“Here. Make sure our palms are touching each other.”5ZD
svgz9After slight hesitation, she carefully aligned both of her palms against mine. I closed my fingers and held onto her tiny hands.aiC
f7Bd“I will now try my hardest to escape from your grip so make sure to hold onto me so that I can’t escape.”vXcn
2B5dR– Gripp!1dyV3Z
SZ1IShe started clenching her hands as soon as I said that. It felt like my bones would be cracked with one mistake but while withstanding the pain, I pulled my body back in an attempt to escape from her.2IjCsG
cQa“Knnngg…!”OwsrE
wzHq7cHI pulled as hard as I possibly could but I just could not escape from her grip.cHn
ZYnM8– Flop!Ahi6
NqWI even tried to use my legs but it didn’t work and all that happened was me losing my balance, so the two of us ended up falling onto the bed.3bdYmJG
llISHua Ran was pretty much lying on top of me but she was still holding onto my hands to make sure she would not lose the contest.rqcS
EI7jp78“I lost. I lost!”TWRGfme
GrdnMHer lips curved up after hearing my declaration of defeat as if she was satisfied by her victory. But at the same time, there must be a rising doubt in her mind. If I was as weak as this, and a lot weaker than herself… How was I able to defeat her back then?SHMB3XG
y18k“It’s interesting right? I’m a weakling compared to you. You can beat me as easily as this so why did you lose back then?”wBa
GlbEW“…I didn’t lose.”FB5ih
HIlC“Yes yes. But you did get on your knees.”9oMOQoq
EIBh“…”BPJboB
ZSKQF“Did the skill I used to block your punch appear like an amazing move?”dNJ
EUbaSwQHua Ran didn’t reply but she silently showed her agreement. Actually, the skills I used to put her down onto her knees were block, pull and push.aFdgs8i
tZaSuch simple actions were just used in a timely manner when she was least expecting them.2cD
X4UtpH4“The spearmanship I learned is similar to your favorite fish. It starts from choosing the ingredients. And it starts with a simple punch.”eGJGSx
cnCxtc– You start from the small basics.0gf1DR
3TAHR0『Child, you must always give your very best no matter how trivial they seem.』rzBLZ
PUrkpx“If you give your very best to everything, you’ll learn how to be caring.
Learn how to be caring, and it will leave a mark on your personality.If it leaves a mark on your personality, it will show on the outside.
And if it shows on the outside, you will become brighter,7uOI
dlw2If you become brighter, you will move other people,uoZEg
lP9x4Move other people and you will change.zHcGaIF
0dUCbeMAnd if you change… you’ll become mature.”UrVn
E4Nujd『That is why only the people that give their very best sincerely to everything are the only ones that can change the world.』hzWk
u9pr617Hua Ran, who was quietly listening to my words, suddenly asked a question.mma7RQ
Hp4“Would something change by learning things like that?”yLzDkSQ
LNcFToh“As in by diligently preparing ingredients and practicing one spear move on repeat? Nothing might change from just one of them, but…”TaXU8Ab
XJ9This was not a proverb that guaranteed success. It was about one’s attitude to life. Even though it was a very idealistic proverb that might be very difficult to fulfill…LkffB0
qXJH“At least you won’t lose to me again right?”VZSoRq
TDf“…”FDhqpg
j5K2RpI“Rather than complaining without doing anything, it’s better to be proud after doing something. I want you to try it at the very least.”yLVxD
lcW“…You only know how to talk big.”8QH8tZQ
WSF“Huhaha…! That’s true too! Anyone can give encouragement and tell you to try your best.”KfXg
Mq5T8aHua Ran started carefully inspecting my palms. While flipping my hands back and forth, she looked at the deep calluses around my hands and curiously fidgeted with them with her tiny hands.wiFW7p
HASbbXOnly after a long time did she let go of my hands.Icyl8o
bmWfe“We’re good now, right?”2s2
72D“Hmph.”4ITk
lD4HD“Good. Give me a high five!”7WbPS
UQ1I opened my palm and raised it into the air but her expression was still very cold. Thinking that it was a bit too much, I was awkwardly retrieving my hand when Hua Ran headed to the desk and picked up a notebook before tossing it to me.H7MAMT
P7ltO5“What’s this?”FDwLR
50rqx9tOpening the book, I discovered that it was a report on the spearmanship posture that we prepared for this assignment and its principles. It was the research that she was supposed to be in charge of.0k3zjF
LQz“You did this already?”xY3owN5
eRPTurning her head away, she pretended like she didn’t hear me. It seemed that she had been working on this even though she wasn’t attending the group meetings!Bhq2R
MhPN“You adorable little cutie!”A8Ads
pdCxcI rustled my fingers through her well-organized hair. Her disheveled hair was quite the sight.wIpm
JIPrf“Go away.”lR3
Vj3Hp2V“Yes Ma’am.”agWgE
XIvBTaking the research report that Hua Ran prepared, I walked out of her room.HC6G
RHB“Oh right, the next meeting is at 4:30 pm tomorrow. Let’s meet at our usual spot.”GZciJd
WJ1Although she didn’t reply, I knew what type of person she was. She would definitely come out despite a few complaints.Dawo7
iAcEU5TAs I expected, Hua Ran came to the group meeting with the same cold and indifferent expression on her face as usual.8YueFM
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