50 – Asuka (1)

Lee Seo-yeon, pulling me along with an expressionless face.

As I watched her figure, I inwardly let out a deep sigh.

‘No, it’s not like she’s bringing along a boyfriend with a wandering eye…’

I wanted to say, ‘Aren’t we still in a relationship where we can’t be too possessive?’ based on my thoughts alone.

But the moment I said that, I had a strong premonition that something big was about to happen in the training room.

So, what could I do?

All I could do was quietly follow.

Click.

After entering the training room, Lee Seo-yeon released the hand that had been tightly holding mine.

I rubbed my tingling hand and asked,

“…So, what’s the training method?”

“No use of weapons other than guns.”

Lee Seo-yeon said that and took out a gun from her dimensional ring.

Then, she walked about twenty steps and stopped, turning to face me.

I also took a training pistol from my inventory, ready to shoot at any moment.

While doing that, we carefully set the rules.

“How about we decide the victory conditions?”

“The first to land three shots wins.”

“Should we limit it to one reload?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“And the bullets are obviously rubber rounds, right?”

“Does Yiujin want to use live ammunition?”

“Uh… no?”

“Then rubber bullets it is.”

“Okay, let’s start with these before the sparring.”

I said that, pulling out two tactical vests and two pistol magazines filled with rubber bullets from the inventory. Placing the magazines into the vests, I sent them over to Seoyeon.

“While they’re not live rounds, rubber bullets still sting a lot, so focus on the vest. You good with that, Seoyeon?”

“Yeah, that works.”

Confirming Seoyeon properly donning the tactical vest, I asked one last thing.

“What’s the combat distance going to be?”

At my question about close combat, Seoyeon shook her head and replied, “Only long-range.”

Nodding to her answer, I pondered.

She really wants to mimic my shooting skills.

‘…That’s impossible.’

Apologies to Seoyeon, but my extraordinary shooting isn’t talent; it’s a cheat. As the system specifically mentioned it in a message, this cheat is exclusively my privilege.

Yet, I can’t just say, ‘You can never replicate my shooting skills’ until she gives up on her own.

I’ll have to engage with her until she reaches that point.

“Now that the rules are set, let’s apply them in the training room.”

Saying that, I manipulated the smartwatch.

And shortly after,

Ping.

Alarms sounded on mine and Seoyeon’s smartwatches, projecting holograms.

[Training Rules]

[…….]

“Do you agree to these rules? YES / NO”

Seoyeon and I simultaneously pressed the YES button.

Then, holograms manifested in the air.

[Both parties have confirmed their agreement.]

[In 5 seconds, the duel will commence.]

[5]

[4]

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Duel initiation.]

Simultaneously with that signal.

Bang!

The echoes of two gunshots reverberated.

&

Naturally, the duel with Lee Seo-yeon ended in my victory.

And the result she desired from the imitation.

[Seo-yeon’s talent “Genius of Gun and Sword (S+)” is described as shocking.]

As expected, it did not unfold at all.

[Seo-yeon’s talent “Genius of Gun and Sword (S+)” is described as too advanced a technique.]

[Seo-yeon’s talent “Genius of Gun and Sword (S+)” is said to be too disheartening as it cannot follow the marksmanship of Lee Yujin.]

Messages of talents continued to appear in my field of vision.

In contrast, Seo-yeon.

“……”

She tightly shut her lips and continued to receive the lesson.

Of course, it’s appropriate to quietly receive lessons during class time.

Looking at her continuing silence even after the duel, it seemed quite shocking, perhaps like her talent, which is still making a commotion.

‘Well…, I feel a bit sorry.’

Perhaps because of reading the messages of the talents.

In Seo-yeon’s expressionless face, a sense of melancholy was felt.

‘Did I have to go a bit easier on her?’

Of course, it’s not because of that that Seo-yeon is feeling down.

But during the previous duel, it bothered me that she repelled all the shots she fired, relentlessly striking me unilaterally.

“Sigh…, I should have handled it more appropriately.”

I was too excited to confirm my newly acquired talent, so I couldn’t control myself.

“The Sniper’s Sharp Senses (A+)”.

I thought it would be good since it’s graded as ‘A+’, but it was even more incredible than I imagined.

And no wonder, one of the effects of this talent is “being able to visually perceive the direction of the enemy’s attack.”

Just as the effect described, I could truly see the attack direction “visually.”

If the “Sharp Eye of an Aged Gunman” was like an electric signal, touching my body’s senses and indicating the attack direction.

The “Sharp Senses of a Sniper” showed the attack direction like a laser pointer attached to the gun, as well as sending signals to my body.

And there’s the derivative skill of this talent, “Live Focus.”

Because it combines talents, it too was in slow motion, like a “brief moment.”

However, unlike the limited time of the “brief moment,” “Live Focus” could be maintained by consuming mental and magical power.

Of course, the amount consumed was quite considerable, but until I obtained the cheat skill “Enemy Slow Motion,” it was a very good derivative skill that I could use.

For these reasons, I couldn’t even consider going easy on Lee Seoyeon, and once again, I won overwhelmingly.

“I should give her a good handgun as a gift later…”

While thinking this, as I tried to focus on Kang Cheolsu’s class.

I felt a strong gaze from somewhere.

When I turned my head towards the direction of that gaze.

I met eyes with Asuka.

And then.

“…Hic!”

Asuka blushed and started to hiccup.

…Ah, that’s right.

Because she was forcefully dragged along by Lee Seoyeon, I couldn’t clear up the misunderstanding.

“Hic! Hic!”

“…Shei Asuka, are you okay?”

Hmm…, wouldn’t it be fine to clear up the misunderstanding a bit more?

Just because I want to tease her after seeing such an adorable appearance.

“Hic!”

Still, the hiccups seem a bit severe, though.

‘Transmission.’

In front of Asuka, I sent a 500ml PET bottle of water.

Then, a small vibration on my smartwatch signaled the arrival of a message.

Upon checking the message,

[Asuka]

– Thank you for the water! (˃̣̣̣̣̣̣བ˂̣̣̣̣̣̣)

It was Asuka’s grateful message.

‘…I’ll tell her in a little while, what’s the rush.’

With a wry smile, I manipulated my smartwatch.

&

&

&

After all the schedules were over.

“Kyaaah!”

Asuka returned to the dormitory and leaped onto the bed, screaming.

Then, with nimble hands, she began to indiscriminately smack the pillow.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

“Ah, you fool, fool, fool, fool!”

Asuka was too embarrassed.

The message she had received from Yujin earlier.

It said that what I was thinking was a misunderstanding.

She just chose the night as a convenient time to give the potion.

It was written like that.

Upon seeing that message, Asuka almost screamed.

No, she didn’t actually scream, but the sudden movement caused her to accidentally utter something to the instructor.

Was that all?

Everyone’s gaze in the classroom turned towards me.

Yujin’s expression, as she looked at me, was somewhat amused.

Just thinking about that moment…

“Ahhhhh! So embarrassing!”

Asuka buried her face in the pillow.

“No matter how much we say we’ll only see each other at night, it’s still like that…”

S-such, such a… wicked thought!

“Do you think of me as a promiscuous girl…?”

No, surely you would think I am promiscuous.

Even I, I now think of myself as a promiscuous girl.

Why didn’t Lee Yoojin have such thoughts!

“Ah! How should I look at myself, Lee Yoojin!”

The thought of Asuka wanting to die felt like a chimney.

But even that thought was momentary.

“…I should go out now.”

Checking the time on her smartwatch, Asuka got up from the bed and returned the pillow that had turned into a mop to its original place.

“Hng…”

Asuka opened the closet door while shedding tears.

And as she tried to take out her usual everyday clothes,

“…But it would be better to make myself look pretty, right?”

She discovered the clothes hanging on the first hanger.

The clothes I like the most.

Asuka put away her everyday clothes and took out the dress, bringing it close to her body.

“Even though I’m just going to get medicine…”

H-hoping that it might be something unexpected.

“…I should change my underwear too.”

Since I’m dressing up anyways.

She wanted to show him a pretty appearance.

“hehehe.”

What kind of words will he say when he sees me?

“I hope he says I’m pretty.”

It would be nice if he did.

“….”

Hmm.

I surely informed you through a message.

Your thoughts are a misunderstanding.

I just wanted to give you medicine.

But what is this appearance now?

“Sir, Sir Su. I’m hereee….”

Pink hair.

Pink eyes.

Pink dress.

A cherry blossom bloomed in the training ground.

No, she appeared.

“Um, um.”

I lost my words at Asuka’s appearance, all dressed up.

I knew she was pretty in general.

But more than pretty, she was cute, so both me and my colleagues would say that when we saw Asuka, she was cute rather than pretty.

But now, seeing her all dressed up like that, the thought of her being pretty came first.

The cuteness that was literally a ‘main dish’ turned into a ‘side dish.’

“How, how do I look?”

Asuka, who came up to me, asked while looking at me with a bright face.

To Asuka’s question, I honestly replied.

“…Yeah, you look pretty.”

“Really? hehehe.”

Ah.

I can’t take this.

Even though my feelings towards her may be small, I couldn’t resist her cute laughter.

With that thought, I raised my hand.

And just as I was about to stroke her hair.

“Sir Su…, not there.”

Asuka grabbed my hand.

“Please touch it here.”

And she held it out toward her own cheek.

Then there was a soft, squishy sensation in my hand.

It felt as gentle and warm as touching a baby’s cheek.

“hehehe.”

As Asuka smiled as if she were happy.

In that moment, feeling awkward about Asuka’s demeanor, I suddenly sensed a dangerous feeling.

As I hurriedly tried to remove my hand from Asuka’s cheek,

“What are you two doing?”

Seo-yeon’s voice came from behind.

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