Episode 3: Gaon (3)
As soon as the weapon selection time ended, so did today’s schedule.
The students, perhaps because it was the first day, grouped together in twos and threes, starting to bond and enjoy their school life.
I wanted to join them too, but the problem was that I didn’t have the luxury of casually chatting away.
“Sixth floor… Room 605…”
I muttered to myself while heading toward the dormitory. Normally, I would’ve tried to approach the protagonist and take further actions, but sorting out the tangled mess of thoughts that had piled up in my head all day took priority.
The dormitory building was exactly as I had seen it in the game: a grand and well-organized exterior, and a strictly separated structure for the male and female dormitories.
Without taking a moment to look around, I headed straight to my room.
— Rustle
After being thrown into this world ten years ago and realizing it was the world of a game, the first thing I did was create a handbook.
Human memory isn’t infinite. Documenting the world’s major events, characters, and future occurrences was essential.
And now, I was meticulously going through the compendium I had written so far.
“Found it.”
‘Easter Egg Collection.’
Hidden mechanisms inserted by the game developers.
Events that occur under specific conditions, with odds like one in tens of thousands or even millions—those were Easter eggs.
This was the only thing that could explain the bizarre situation I was in: being repeatedly entangled with a side character I had never met before while ignoring the protagonist.
“Forget it.”
My hand, which had been flipping through the pages, came to a halt.
There was nothing in the compendium to justify the current situation.
I should’ve known everything about the story’s elements, yet this was something entirely unknown to me.
With a sigh, I closed the book.
From the disappearance of my regression ability to these inexplicable Easter eggs, the word “plan” was starting to feel meaningless.
Everything was falling apart spectacularly.
But wait.
Isn’t this actually a good thing?
If I wanted to help the major characters grow, I had to approach them first anyway.
If, for some reason, they kept approaching me like today, it’d actually make things easier.
All I needed to do was connect the protagonist and heroines, so they naturally bonded with one another. Once that was done, my role would be complete.
While it was unsettling that this chain of events had occurred out of the blue, maybe I should just go with the flow.
Sometimes you have to convince yourself to keep going.
Just then, an alarm from my watch snapped me out of my thoughts.
I slowly looked down at the screen.
[Ha Sion]
“Haein! I have something to give you from Grandpaă… ă… Where are you? Call me soon!”
It was Sion.
The granddaughter of the old man I’d been indebted to for the past ten years.
We were the same age, but because she lost her parents when she was young, she saw me as an older brother.
We weren’t family, but we were close enough to be.
While she wasn’t directly tied to the story, she was quite capable.
Still, why does this make me feel uneasy? That old man never gave me anything just for my sake…
With suspicion clouding my expression, I pressed the call button on the watch.
— Ring… Click.
“Hello~”
“Where are you?”
***
On the first floor of the school building, the café was bustling with students full of the excitement of a new semester.
“Careful, it’s hot~”
I had planned to just receive the item and leave, but somehow I ended up with a cup of coffee in hand.
The rich aroma tickled my nose. It seemed I wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.
Not that I minded. Coffee was nice…
“So, what is it you need to give me?”
“I’ll tell you in a bit. If I hand it over now, you’ll run off, won’t you?”
“…Of course not.”
How does she know me so well? Blood runs thicker than water, huh.
Sion, who had been silent for a moment, fiddled with her coffee cup and tilted her head.
“By the way, Haein.”
Her gaze dropped slightly.
“You don’t look so good. Are you feeling unwell?”
Sion placed her hand on my forehead, brushing back some of my hair. The warmth of her touch startled me, and I instinctively flinched.
I leaned back and gave a vague reply.
“No, I’m just a bit tired.”
“Oh, yeah. You do look like it. I’ve been watching you from a distance.”
Apparently, she had seen that whole ridiculous scene earlier.
Sion continued to chatter without much thought.
“By the way, who were those people earlier?”
“Just some classmates. I met them for the first time.”
“And they were clinging to you like that? Weird people.”
I nodded absentmindedly. Well, they were weird.
At that moment, she tilted her head slightly, a gentle smile forming at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes narrowed faintly, giving her an oddly satisfied expression.
“Right? I thought so too.”
I was about to nod in agreement when the soft touch on the back of my hand distracted me.
Wait. Since earlier—
Her hand had been lightly brushing over the back of mine, stroking it, fiddling with it, and even tickling it a bit. It was impossible to ignore.
She’d always been affectionate and loved physical contact, but this seemed a bit excessive.
“…Do you really have to keep touching my hand?”
“Yes, I do.”
Oh.
She smiled and answered nonchalantly, her voice carrying a slight playful lilt that left me too drained to retort.
“It’s been a while~”
A while? If I remembered correctly, we’d had lunch together with her grandfather just yesterday.
“But we ate together yesterday.”
“Did we? Hehe.”
Sion giggled mischievously as she finished her coffee. Her every move felt familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar at the same time.
I found myself staring at her face for a moment before shaking my head.
“So, what is it your grandfather wanted you to give me?”
Sion pulled a small box out of her bag and handed it over to me.
Wrapped in black silk, the box felt heavy and solid, as though it was tightly sealed.
“Open it~”
Feeling a bit nervous, I opened the box. Knowing that old man, it wouldn’t have surprised me if a snake had jumped out.
But to my surprise, inside was a bracelet made of obsidian.
Its black sheen, intricate engravings, and precise craftsmanship immediately caught my eye.
“What’s this?”
“An artifact. Apparently, it helps boost vitality.”
Sion leaned back in her chair, sneaking a glance at my face before smirking playfully.
Vitality…?
Was it the kind of vitality I was thinking of? No way, right? He wouldn’t send me something like that through his granddaughter, would he?
What was the intention behind this gift? Knowing him, he was more likely to hand out snake wine than genuine artifacts.
Sion grinned mischievously and grabbed my wrist, lifting the bracelet.
“I’ll put it on for you. Give me your hand.”
“No, it’s fine. I can do it myself.”
“Oh, come on! Stay still.”
She laughed playfully and firmly held my wrist. Carefully, she slipped the obsidian bracelet on.
Her touch was soft and delicate, but there was something oddly peculiar about it.
Once the bracelet was secured, I felt a faint warmth radiating from my wrist. It was as if energy was spreading through my veins, infusing me with vitality.
...It felt strangely warm, almost as though my whole body was heating up.
“…How does it feel?”
She asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Um… it’s warm. Kind of nice, actually.”
“Right? I told you! No, I mean, Grandpa really went out of his way with this one!”
Sion studied the bracelet for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.
“But you have to be careful. This is a pretty valuable item. If you lose it, I’ll be seriously mad.”
I glanced at the bracelet and nodded.
“Got it.”
Sion chuckled and got up from her seat.
“Later, if you feel any effects, don’t just enjoy it by yourself—make sure to tell me too, okay?”
She waved goodbye as she left the café.
“She’s in a good mood.”
It seemed like the excitement of the new semester wasn’t limited to the other students.
I watched her retreating figure for a moment before deciding it was time for me to head back as well. Slowly, I got up from my seat.
Sion exited the café and walked into a dimly lit corridor on the side of the building.
The sweet and playful expression she had worn earlier was gone, replaced by a cold, piercing gaze.
She lifted her smartwatch from her wrist and turned on the screen. Several messages had already arrived.
[Sender: OnE]
[Did you really give it to him? LOL. Crazy girl.]
[Sender: Rin]
[But honestly, it’s not a bad idea, is it?]
Sion stared at the messages for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh before typing a curt reply.
[Screw off.]
A new message popped up moments later, and a faint smile crept onto her lips.
[Sender: Jung Haein]
[Thanks for delivering it. Sorry for interrupting your time with the others.]
This time, her smile carried the playful warmth from earlier.
[It’s fine, hehe. You worked hard today!]
Sion closed the messages and ran her fingers over a bracelet identical to the obsidian one she’d given away.
Lost in thought, she lowered her head and muttered softly, almost inaudibly.
“This time, I’ll make sure….”
Her voice was faint, but her determination was anything but weak.
***
A warm stream of water cascaded down my neck, soothing my tired body.
It had been a long day. Between choosing weapons and dealing with strange incidents, my mind felt tangled, but at least I could let it all go for a moment.
I stepped out of the shower, drops of water trickling down from my damp hair.
The obsidian bracelet on my wrist still carried its distinct, weighty presence.
“I should probably thank him.”
No matter how I looked at it, the artifact wasn’t ordinary. Considering how the old man usually shunned reliance on equipment, I couldn’t understand what had gotten into him.
I picked up my watch and searched through the call list.
[Old Man]
Riiiing… Riiiing…
“Yeah, what is it?”
The call connected, and a dry, authoritative voice greeted me.
I already wanted to hang up but barely managed to restrain myself.
“It’s me. Sir, I received what you sent. Thank you.”
There was a brief silence before he finally spoke, his low, gruff voice tinged with suspicion.
“What are you talking about?”
“Excuse me?”
“What did I send you? Stop spouting nonsense and go to bed.”
Something twisted uncomfortably in my gut.
What?
“The bracelet. The artifact. You know, for vitality or whatever.”
“Artifact? Why would I send you something like that?”
His tone sharpened.
For a second, I was dumbfounded. Then I nearly burst out laughing.
Ah, this old man really had a cute side.
Boasting so much on the surface, but he couldn’t even admit to giving a gift. What a tsundere.
“Ah, my mistake, sir. I must’ve been confused. Anyway, are you doing well?”
“We saw each other yesterday. Why ask… Just go to bed.”
“Yes, goodnight.”
I ended the call and sat on the edge of the bed, pressing my palm into the mattress. The soft, springy material pressed back against my hand.
“Is this a hotel or what?”
I pulled back the blanket and flopped onto the bed. The school was definitely top-notch, and the dormitory facilities reflected that.
As the chaos of the day slowly unraveled in my mind, the bizarre events replayed themselves. Well, everything about today had been strange.
But my weary body wouldn’t let me think about it any further.
I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.
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Ha Sion----------------------------------------------------------------- |
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