Chapter 196 – Conflict (2)

Noon, Class Wolf.

Despite it being lunchtime, several students remained gathered inside the classroom.

They spoke in hushed tones, not even having eaten yet. And as always, the topic of conversation was Kang Geom-Ma.

However, there wasn’t a single person left making snide remarks about him like before. On the contrary, every gaze turned toward the third row by the window was filled with respect.

A student gently nudged the classmate beside her with her elbow. Her eyes remained fixed on the third row, by the window.

“Hey, did you hear the rumor? They say they’re going to appoint a new member of the Seven Stars.”

“I’ve seen a few articles and videos about it. Makes sense, since the Swordmaster retired… They need to fill that spot.”

“Exactly. But I heard something recently…”

The student leaned in and whispered into the boy’s ear. His face shifted from indifference to surprise, and then he looked at her with wide eyes.

“…Seriously?”

“Maybe. You know my dad’s a deputy director at a news agency. If anything, he has good intel.”

She shrugged. The boy swallowed hard and murmured with his mouth slightly open.

“If you hadn’t said it, I’d have thought it was total nonsense…”

He, too, glanced toward the third row. There, as always, Kang Geom-Ma sat leaning on his arm, gazing absentmindedly out the window. His calm, detached expression didn’t seem like that of someone his age.

The boy murmured without taking his eyes off him.

“It’s a weird feeling…”

“Huh? What is?”

“Whether what you said is true or not doesn’t really matter. What matters is that people are talking about him at a national level. It would’ve bothered me before… but now, I don’t know, it makes me happy. Something like that.”

The girl nodded, understanding his feelings.

“I totally get it too! Just nine months ago, we were all prejudiced against him just for being a special admission student. Not just you and me—everyone in class.”

“And looking at him now, it’s ridiculous. Judging someone just based on status—how childish.”

“Exactly. I’ve been thinking that too. We were fools. If you really think about it, even we in Class Wolf were looked down on by others.”

“……”

The boy, Joto Mate, closed his eyes for a moment in reflection. If what he just heard was true, there wouldn’t be much time left to share class with Kang Geom-Ma.

That made him a little sad, but also relieved. Because Kang Geom-Ma, once scorned for his origins, was finally being publicly recognized.

They had never spoken a single word to each other, but just knowing that Kang Geom-Ma was reaching new heights filled him with pride.

Seeing his gentle smile, the girl smiled as well. And with that, a new member had joined the ranks of the “Sashimi Club.”

‘Plan successful.’

Just then, the girl’s phone vibrated with a new notification. Being from a journalist family, she received breaking news instantly. She pulled out her phone and read the headline.

『Japanese Prime Minister Saki Kojima arrives in Korea.』

***

At the same time, in the VIP parking lot of Incheon Airport.

As he stepped into the black limousine, Kojima shot a look of disgust at Saki Hina, who stood close by assisting him. His slight frown clearly showed his irritation.

“This visit was supposed to be confidential. How do you explain the presence of the press, Hina?”

His tone was completely flat, but it was more than enough to intimidate anyone. The smile he had shown in front of the press minutes ago was a complete political facade. His duality was truly unsettling.

“My apologies, Prime Minister. I informed the secretariat office as required, but—”

“Enough.”

Kojima cut her off sharply. He rubbed his forehead hard and sighed.

“How long will you keep making excuses?”

“…I’m sorry. It was all my fault.”

“Just don’t give me any more reasons to be disappointed. I’m tired of it.”

“Yes, sir…”

Without even glancing at her, Kojima spoke to the secretary sitting in the front seat.

“We’ll head straight to Joaquin Academy. Best to deal with things one by one. And try contacting the third daughter again. If she doesn’t respond, drop it.”

“Understood.”

After giving the order, he reclined with his arms crossed, gazing out at the cityscape through the window. Not once did he look again at Hina, sitting right beside him.

Hina pressed her lips together, her face twisting for a moment, before she returned to a blank expression.

‘Ryozo, just wait a little longer. You stole all the attention and love we never got… I’ll return it all to you.’

The limousine sped down the highway, wrapped in ominous silence. Fifteen motorcycles formed a tight escort behind the vehicle, providing strict security.

***

“….!”

Suddenly, a chill ran down Ryozo’s entire body, prompting her to quickly glance around. As usual, she was in the academy’s backyard, chatting with her clubmates.

‘What was that?’

A tingling sensation crawled up her neck. Although it was late autumn, the weather was milder than usual, so it wasn’t exactly a cold day. Then why did she feel that shiver?

As Ryozo scanned her surroundings, Kang Geom-Ma looked at her with curiosity and asked,

“What’s wrong? Is someone coming?”

“…No, it’s nothing. I just felt the air get colder all of a sudden. It’s not important, don’t overthink it.”

Ryozo crossed her arms, tucking her hands under her armpits. The scarf around her neck fluttered in the autumn breeze.

Kang Geom-Ma stared at her. Although the day felt fresh to him, he could understand why Ryozo found it cold. After all, Korea was colder than Japan.

After a moment’s thought, he held out his coat to her.

“Here.”

“……?”

“I’m more affected by heat than cold. And I was getting warm anyway, so you wear it.”

Kang Geom-Ma offered the coat again. Ryozo accepted it, a little taken aback. Her cheeks immediately flushed a soft red.

She gently held the still-warm coat in both hands. The familiar scent tickled her nose.

Achoo!

Just then, Speedweapon sneezed. For someone from Hawaii, the Korean autumn felt like a polar vortex. He shivered as he hugged himself, until his eyes landed on the coat Ryozo now wore.

“Hey, Saki, are you not gonna wear that? If not, I’ll take it.”

Without waiting for a reply, he reached out. But Ryozo moved first and twisted his arm instantly.

Crack.

Speedweapon stared at her in disbelief—his arm had just twisted clockwise. The pain followed a second later.

“Aaagh! Saki! You could’ve said something first! Who just twists an arm out of nowhere?!”

“I don’t think someone trying to snatch something can talk about manners.”

Speedweapon glared at her as he rolled on the ground. He wasn’t even cold anymore—heat was surging through him. Not that it was any comfort.

‘Damn it… did I just break my arm?’

His arm hung limp. He was considering a trip to the infirmary when Ha-na approached.

“Hmm, if you miss the critical window, you might need a hospital for that fracture. Want me to do an emergency fix?”

Adjusting her glasses, San Ha-na spoke calmly. Her lenses reflected the light, hiding her expression, but the faint smile on her lips made it clear—she wasn’t doing this out of concern.

‘Wait, there’s a “critical window” for fractures? I thought that was just for cardiac arrest…’

He hesitated. And in that moment, Ha-na grabbed his injured arm and twisted it the other way.

“It’ll sting just a little~”

Crack!

“…Huh?”

Speedweapon stared at his arm like it didn’t belong to him. It was back in place.

Meanwhile, Ha-na applied a healing blessing. It felt like a balm for broken bones—sort of like a painkiller, but with three times the sting when applied.

Cold sweat ran down his forehead, and his jaw trembled. His vision blurred until he saw double. Soon, the intense pain made him forget the cold completely.

“Ah.”

His foggy brain issued a single command writhe. So Speedweapon let out another scream and rolled around in the fallen leaves. Watching the scene, Kang Geom-Ma muttered to himself,

‘This is a mess.’

From the coat to Speedweapon’s screams, the whole situation was so absurd he couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.

Even so, they’d managed to get along like this for over half a year. They might bicker every time they met, but when it mattered, they trusted each other.

And Speedweapon would take it all in stride—even a broken arm. Sometimes it seemed like he was the club’s punching bag, but…

‘Well, he is a healer. He can heal himself.’

Kang Geom-Ma let out a soft laugh. He wanted to keep this dynamic for a long time.

As sunset fell over the academy, his pocket vibrated. It was a message from Media. But this time, there were no usual antics—just a simple link.

“…Reception room, 5th floor of the main building?”

The director usually wrote paragraphs every time she messaged. Was this that urgent? He was a little suspicious, but didn’t hesitate.

The day of the succession ceremony was approaching. Although most of the arrangements were being handled by the Sword Master and Media, some things required his presence. After all, he was the main figure in all of this.

‘I guess I should go.’

Kang Geom-Ma stood and brushed dust off his pants.

Ryozo was the first to notice. She was already wearing the coat he’d lent her.

“Heading out?”

“Yeah. Looks like the director needs to speak with me. I’ll be back at the dorm later. Don’t wait up.”

“Ah… okay.”

Ryozo looked away. She’d been planning to subtly invite him to dinner…

But the disappointment didn’t last. She shook her head.

‘It’s fine. It’s not the last chance. I’ll find another.’

She thought about making kimchi stew. She’d go to his dorm with the excuse of returning the freshly washed coat.

“Alright then. Go ahead. I’ll return this clean.”

“I washed it yesterday, no need.”

“No.”

Ryozo’s eyes widened, firm.

“Kang Geom-Ma, even if it doesn’t bother you, it would bother me. Go on, talk to the director.”

She waved him off. The coat was so big that its sleeves covered her hands.

“Thanks. Tell the others I stepped out.”

Kang Geom-Ma’s silhouette disappeared. Then Speedweapon, still lying on the ground, looked confused.

“Huh? Where’s the prez? When did he leave?”

Ryozo answered.

“The director had something urgent to talk to him about. He left me the message before heading out.”

“The director… urgent…? Right now?”

Speedweapon rubbed his arm and muttered. Ryozo frowned.

“What’s wrong? Got something to hide?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure if I should say it.”

“What is it?”

“If I’m right, it probably has to do with the Seven Stars succession ceremony.”

At the mention of “Seven Stars,” Ryozo’s brow furrowed.

“And what does that have to do with Kang Geom-Ma?”

“Well…”

Speedweapon hesitated. He debated internally whether to spill or stay quiet.

‘Should I say it… or not?’

Kang Geom-Ma hadn’t told him to keep it secret, but he preferred being discreet. He liked explaining things, not showing off.

Still, everyone in the club was trustworthy, and in a few days, the whole world would know anyway. So, finally, Speedweapon whispered,

“If I’m right, next week, our president will be named the new Hero of the Seven Stars, succeeding the Sword Master.”

***

I followed the link Media had sent and calmly walked down the fifth-floor corridor of the main building. Though I’d been in this building many times, I was struck by how big the academy was. This corner felt especially unfamiliar.

“Such a classic atmosphere.”

The walls were covered with countless portraits. Beneath each frame was a plaque with names—likely graduates of the academy, all depicted wielding weapons.

As I looked around, one portrait caught my eye. I instinctively stopped and stared at the figure in the frame.

“That guy…”

The face was slightly blurred, as if it had been softened with an effect. But the black hair was unmistakable. There was only one historical figure with that feature.

“Wow… Seeing it like this, he really does look like the founding hero. Almost like he came back to life.”

A voice pulled me from my thoughts. I quickly turned to its source.

A refined woman was leaning against the wall. Her outfit, similar to a kimono, differed from tradition—it was provocative rather than modest.

With a fan covering her lips, the woman approached with slow steps.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of her wooden sandals echoed through the hallway. Every movement of hers was deliberate and seductive.

“Who are you?”

I frowned, but despite my cold tone, she answered with a smile.

“Just a simple admirer of the Saint of Sashimi.”

“……”

“Or maybe someone who might become part of your family?”