Chapter 53: A Brief Moment of Freedom (4)

On an early summer day, with the fresh scent of grass wafting through the air,

After the written exams, the academy was teeming with students enjoying the outdoors.

The green leaves on the trees sparkled like jewels under the sunlight, and the songs of birds gently brushed the students’ ears.

In a secluded spot among the bushes, a couple whispered sweet words to each other, while on a nearby bench, a group of girls giggled conspiratorially, gossiping about a classmate.

However, the atmosphere among the cadets sitting on a blanket on the lawn was different. It wasn’t fresh; it was tense—almost chilling.

All the club members were staring at Chloe. Even Speedweapon, who carried himself with an intimidating air, like someone who could take down a tiger with his bare hands, swallowed hard, noticing the change in the air.

“Chloe?”

“….”

Speedweapon called her name questioningly, but the aura surrounding Chloe was strange, as if she weren’t herself.

Her vacant eyes and slightly stiff face gave her an unsettling presence. It was as if the saying, “A woman with resentment can bring frost even in the height of summer,” had come to life.

“What’s wrong with Chloe? Why is she acting like this?”

“Hey! Get away from her quickly!”

“What’s going on now? Kang Geom-Ma, you know her better. Do you know why she’s acting this way?”

Saki tilted her head, confused, while Chloe mirrored the gesture, tilting her own head at an odd angle.

Her red-tinged eyes seemed to sink deeper into an unsettling white. ‘What’s that called again? Scleral occlusion?’ I’d heard about it before but never seen it in person.

Placing one hand on the ground, I subtly slid backward to put more distance between Chloe and myself.

“…”

Chloe, once a girl with an innocent expression, now had the eyes of a venomous snake.

Her gaze was filled with hostility, and the light in her eyes was fading little by little.

“Kang Geom-Ma?”

At that moment, Chloe, who had been staring at me, spoke my name in a single, thin syllable.

Her voice, sharp and fragile, sent a chill through me—something I hadn’t even felt when facing the Siren or the Buffalo King.

“…You never gave me your phone number.”

“Chloe, that’s because your number is classified.”

I tried reasoning with her, but my words didn’t seem to reach her.

She kept murmuring with her small lips, almost inaudibly.

“You’re always surrounded by other girls… except for me.”

“I only want the best for Kang Geom-Ma, but…”

“…Kang Geom-Ma always makes me feel sad.”

“…You promised to be my prince.”

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

The part about being surrounded by girls I could let slide, but prince? Definitely not.

Chloe, who had been babbling, began to speak faster, murmuring incessantly. Her pupils dilated and contracted in an endless cycle.

It was clear that two conflicting personalities were battling inside her.

‘…Great.’

This was Chloe entering yandere mode.

I’d never get used to this, nor did I want to. She had been calm for a while, and I’d let my guard down.

“What the hell is wrong with her?”

Ryozo, still bewildered, came closer and touched my shoulder.

Chloe’s expression darkened even more at the physical contact. I lowered my voice and responded in a whisper.

“…Ryozo, do you know what a yandere is?”

“Yan… what? Ugh, those English words are so difficult. Remember, I’m Japanese. I’m not used to this.”

Ryozo stuck out her tongue and made a grimacing expression.

‘What the hell?’

Even I, someone not particularly into subcultures, knew what a yandere was. How could someone like Ryozo, from Japan, not know? Then again, maybe she was pretending ignorance.

Meanwhile, I noticed Chloe subtly reaching into her pocket.

Her hand brushed against what looked like a box cutter.

‘Why does Chloe always carry a box cutter?’

The image of myself that morning flashed through my mind—heading out with Murasame at my waist but forgetting my phone.

‘Guess I’m no better.’

Chloe still seemed to have some self-control left, so I figured this was my chance to calm her down.

Meanwhile, Ryozo kept holding onto my sleeve, feigning cluelessness and seemingly enjoying the tension.

Speedweapon, sensing the gravity of the situation, gave her a sharp flick to the forehead and pushed her away.

What a hit.

Ryozo, rubbing her forehead, shot daggers at Speedweapon with her eyes, but she didn’t seem to realize he’d just saved her neck.

Meanwhile, Chloe was slowly unsheathing the box cutter, her movements making it clear there was no room for discussion.

‘Why is she reacting like this to me?’

Even though I had read her diary, where she’d expressed twisted feelings toward me, was this all because I had helped her during the placement exam?

Also, as a member of Auditore, shouldn’t she have undergone training to suppress emotions? Was this really love? Or something darker?

Various thoughts raced through my mind. But for now, calming Chloe was the priority.

The method, of course, was conversation.

Tap, tap.

Chloe took a step forward, murmuring my name while the box cutter’s blade advanced with a plastic scraping sound. Her crimson eyes seemed to glow even brighter.

I recalled the yandere videos I’d watched before bed.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I resisted the urge to draw Murasame.

After the tense situation from last time, I still felt guilty for cutting Chloe’s hair.

Sure, it had been self-defense; I did it to save my life. But resolving every conflict with weapons wasn’t always the solution.

When conflicts arise, you should try to resolve them with words. Isn’t that the clearest difference between humans and beasts?

“Crazy.”

Speedweapon let out a low exclamation of amazement, his face stiff with shock.

Despite his strong appearance, he was as soft as butter inside and seemed frozen by Chloe’s peculiarity.

Meanwhile, Ryozo was watching Chloe and me with an overly bright expression. Her face carried an irritating mix of amusement and curiosity, as though enjoying the spectacle rather than trying to intervene.

‘She’s getting a good smack later. I can’t let this slide.’

At that moment, an unusually cool breeze, unfitting for the midday heat, brushed past my ear.

Chloe murmured while holding the box cutter, the blade partially extended.

“Kang Geom-Ma.”

“Chloe.”

She stepped forward, her eyes blazing with intensity.

“From now on, I’ll make sure you only look at me.”

“Why don’t we try resolving this through a conversation?”

One of her eyebrows arched slightly.

“Conversation? You don’t even contact me.”

“Chloe, I wanted to speak with you face-to-face. Communicating through a piece of junk like a phone would be too cold for our relationship. Don’t you think?”

“…Our relationship?”

“Yes, our relationship.”

I countered Chloe’s threats with determination. Slowly, her expression seemed to soften.

I took a step forward.

Moving toward her with steady steps, Chloe, perhaps caught off guard, hesitated for a moment and retreated slightly. The fingers holding the pink box cutter trembled almost imperceptibly.

Finally, I stopped just in front of her. Chloe tilted her head slightly to look up at me.

‘If I say the wrong thing now, I’m getting stabbed.’

I took a deep breath to maintain my composure, masking my confusion with an air of tranquility. This was the moment to employ “man’s deception”—to project confidence.

‘Time to flex my “wit.”’

I quickly scanned my memory, recalling the yandere videos I’d watched on YouTube.

A series of video fragments flashed through my mind like a train passing by, each leaving behind a faint sense of exhaustion. The tension was so intense that I could almost smell a faint burning scent.

“Kang Geom-Ma?”

Hearing her call my name, I slid one hand into my pocket and extended the other to gently pat her head.

“Chloe, thank you for caring about me so much.”

“…Huh?”

A soft, surprised sound escaped her lips, as though she were too flustered to speak.

Chloe’s eyes, previously shrouded in a dark aura, began to regain their light.

‘Now’s my chance to close the gap.’

I leaned toward her ear and whispered softly.

“In Buffalo Dungeon, it was the same… I always trust you. So please, don’t get too upset.”

“Really?”

I lifted my head and nodded firmly. A deep blush spread across Chloe’s cheeks.

“Of course. I hope I can continue relying on you in the future.”

“Hehe~”

An indistinct sound—something between a sigh and a giggle—escaped Chloe. Moments later, her expression softened completely, melting like snow under the sun.

“Phew.”

I let out a long sigh of relief. Chloe, now fully calmed, started bouncing slightly in place, her face lit with joy.

Speedweapon, noticing the situation had de-escalated, also sighed in relief. For some reason, Ryozo stood nearby with a squinted expression, mouthing something incomprehensible.

‘What’s her deal now?’

As the tension finally dissipated, the fresh air of early summer returned, wrapping around us.

Only then did I realize my hand was still gripping the knife handle in my pocket tightly.

I slowly let go, noticing that my palm was completely damp with sweat.

***

On an early summer day, with the fresh scent of grass hanging in the air, Speedweapon and Ryozo walked together toward their respective dormitories.

Though their buildings were different, they were side by side, so they shared the same path.

“Kang Geom-Ma, that guy…”

As they walked, Speedweapon muttered. He hadn’t known Kang Geom-Ma for long, but in every recent incident, Speedweapon had been present without exception.

That’s why he felt he understood, at least in part, Kang Geom-Ma’s personality and behavior.

‘The boss is changing.’

An unsettling sense of dissonance wouldn’t leave him alone. At first, when they met, Kang Geom-Ma seemed like a typical classmate with a cold demeanor.

But recently, something had shifted in his gaze—a deep coldness that seemed to intensify over time.

The aura he exuded now felt like someone whose humanity was slowly eroding.

Although Speedweapon tried to maintain a confident front around him, he occasionally felt a chill run down his spine.

And today was no exception.

The recent incident still occupied his thoughts. At one point, Chloe had unleashed a terrifying killing intent.

It was clear that if something concerned Kang Geom-Ma, Chloe was willing to go to any lengths.

Chloe’s affection for Kang Geom-Ma was so obvious that even a passing child would notice. Yet Kang Geom-Ma always made an effort to maintain some distance, avoiding crossing a dangerous line.

‘…A twisted kind of love.’

Speedweapon shook his head.

Given her upbringing in a family of assassins, it was natural for Chloe to have a limited understanding of human emotions.

While her behavior differed from that of ordinary people, her dedication to Kang Geom-Ma was absolute.

‘But that guy, Kang Geom-Ma…’

A faint chill ran through Speedweapon’s entire body.

When Chloe’s demeanor had completely shifted, Kang Geom-Ma managed to calm her down.

On the surface, his words and gestures appeared kind, but Speedweapon—and only he—noticed something else.

Kang Geom-Ma had kept one hand in his pocket, gripping a sashimi knife. He was prepared to use it without hesitation if the situation required it.

‘The boss blends persuasion with violence.’

He preferred to reason and persuade, but he knew when to invoke fear through the threat of violence if necessary.

From one perspective, it could make him seem villainous. Yet Speedweapon saw it differently. That ability was an inherent trait of a leader. And Kang Geom-Ma, at only seventeen, already seemed to possess it.

‘Without a doubt, Kang Geom-Ma will go far.’

In their age group, he had no rivals in strength. Furthermore, he balanced compassion and ruthlessness perfectly. Though now they ate together and shared trivial conversations, Speedweapon felt that in the future, Kang Geom-Ma would become someone he wouldn’t even be able to meet eyes with.

That thought, instead of filling him with fear, gave him a strange sense of exhilaration.

Leaving those thoughts behind, Speedweapon turned his head to look at Ryozo, who was typing something on her phone with an annoyed expression.

“What’s up with you now?”

“What?”

“You’ve been pouting for a while.”

“And what does that matter to you?”

Ryozo replied curtly, prompting Speedweapon to stifle the urge to flick her on the forehead.

Speedweapon knew Ryozo well enough to understand that she rarely showed her emotions.

However, when she was around Kang Geom-Ma, she sometimes let slip a more sincere side of herself.

Speedweapon didn’t fully understand why, but he sighed and changed the subject.

“…Never mind that. What are you doing on your phone? Checking the exam answers to see if you messed up?”

“Can you stop spouting nonsense?”

Ryozo shot him a sharp look, making Speedweapon glance away, pretending to be interested in the horizon while nervously whistling.

Without lifting her eyes from her phone, Ryozo muttered something.

“I’m deleting some videos I uploaded to YouTube.”

“What? You had a YouTube channel?”

“It wasn’t anything serious. I just uploaded stuff out of boredom, like random trivia.”

“I always figured you just lazed around, but look at that—you’re actually productive. So, how many views do your videos have?”

Reluctantly, Ryozo turned her phone toward Speedweapon.

Displayed on the screen were Ryozo’s uploaded videos, with view counts nearing half a million.

“Happy now?”

Saki quickly pulled her phone back. But Speedweapon, intrigued, mumbled the titles of the videos he’d glimpsed.

“Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, the dangers of an economic bubble, tips for dealing with a yandere…”

The topics were wildly varied and, frankly, difficult to grasp.