Became an Academy Spearman

99. Academy Week 3: Resolution (2)

***

‘ha.’

I sighed inwardly.

If your heart is ahead of you, you may regret it only after you have done something.

And as I walked with Karite, I was regretting it.

If I had thought and acted one more time, I wouldn’t have acted like that, but I can’t think of that when my mind is ahead.

“…”

“…”

As soon as I met Karite, an awkward atmosphere lingered.

When I thought about it, I wondered why.

Because I went to Karite’s class and greeted her.

Even now, watching Karite glancing at me, embarrassment rose in my heart.

‘I’ll just wait quietly in the park until the appointment time.’

It felt like my mind was ahead of me and unnecessarily attracted the attention of other cadets.

I belatedly understood why David had guessed that I had an appointment with a woman. It’s just my actions in the first place.

Many of the people I hung out with were women.

It happened that the appointment was set like that, to the point where I wondered when was the last time I met someone who wasn’t a woman at a recent appointment.

The moment I met Karite, I definitely felt the strange stares of the cadets around me.

The eyes that seemed to misunderstand the relationship between me and Karite.

Such a gaze must have felt burdensome to Karite as well.

Seruk.

As I entered the park and sat down on a bench, I felt very uncomfortable with this silence.

Because I realized that my actions could be a burden to Karite. It was also easy to speak out.

“Agar Castle.”

But when Karite called me first, I immediately responded.

“Karite.”

When our eyes met, Karite was smiling awkwardly no matter who saw it.

“I heard that you got a clue about the skill. Congratulations.”

“…thank you.”

I paused while answering.

‘How fast are rumors about me spreading?’

I know that many people saw me at the training ground last week.

However, it felt different that even Karite knew about it.

“I heard a lot of things in the classroom. Right now, everyone from the same cadets to our instructor was talking about you. In particular, the instructor praised you. There are a lot of really great cadets this year… You mentioned your name.”

The words that followed made me laugh awkwardly.

It’s really nice to hear compliments, but that was relative. There were times when I couldn’t accept compliments as happily when I thought of the other person’s situation.

When I thought of Karite, who was still at level 1, I couldn’t be happier.

“In many ways… I was lucky.”

“You don’t have to be so humble. It’s not like you’re lucky enough to get clues about your skills. Moreover, I couldn’t tell you in the last meeting, but I think it was the result of hard work because I lost consciousness during training.”

When Karite spoke so calmly, he hesitated, but finally accepted it.

“I’m just trying as hard as I can.”

“As far as I can… .”

“It is still far away. There is a long way to go.”

Even as I spoke, I didn’t brag about my growth.

Considering Karite, the growth of characteristics was not a topic that could be talked about so easily.

“Still, it’s really great. I’m still at level 1 in my talent, but you’re already at level 4 and have clues about your skills. To be honest, it’s ridiculous to compare yourself with me, but I think you’re really great.”

“Karite… you don’t have to say that.”

While answering, I felt a little strange.

‘Why am I suddenly doing this?’

Karite was suddenly speaking with me as the focus.

In the previous meetings, it was mainly about himself. She had spoken personal words to me, but now I was the subject of what she said.

The change felt so alien.

“I’m just too… Han Chun-seong, thanks to you.”

“…Thank you?”

“You are always at the center of the topic, and you get a lot of people’s attention. And that’s mostly good rumors I’ve heard. Words about your growth, hard work and will. But now I’m spending time with me like this. How can I not thank you.”

I blinked my eyes blankly at the words that followed.

“Karite.”

And he called her in a slightly firm voice.

Now that wasn’t good. It wasn’t really good between Karite and me to look up to or look up to someone who should be treated comfortably.

He looked straight into her eyes and continued talking.

“I’m not that different from you.”

“…isn’t that different?”

“Thank you so much for praising and praising me. But I don’t want you to thank me for spending time with you.”

“why…? I was just being honest. Thank you so much for being with me like this. I really sincerely think so. Compared to you, I’m not very good.”

I could see the negative emotions in Karite’s eyes as she continued to speak in a consistent manner.

A gloomy, gloomy look.

Those eyes that seemed to think we were very different… let out an unbearable sigh.

“Agar Castle. Maybe… did I say something wrong? I mean in a really good way… .”

“Even if it means well, don’t say that.”

I cut it off adamantly and felt the need to re-establish my relationship with her.

In our last meeting, I thought I had gotten quite close with Karite. That’s enough to call them friends now. They said they became close through a few encounters.

But now, Karite was trying to decide her relationship with me on her own.

That I’m at a higher level than she is, and that she’s at such a low level that she should be thanking me for just being with me.

She herself saw it that way.

“……”

As if he couldn’t find anything to say for a moment, he reached out his hand to Karite, whose lips were hesitant.

snap.

Then I carefully turned her body so that she could face me properly.

“Hey… Agar Castle? Why all of a sudden…”

Looking at her who seemed greatly surprised by my actions, I said calmly.

“First of all, I am a commoner and a common trait.”

Rather, I put my mouth on the part that can be called my weakness externally.

“Compared to me, Karite. How are you?”

I asked Rite, who was in a completely opposite situation to me.

“…that.”

“You have a high family that cannot be compared to mine, and you say your level is low right now, but you are a unique trait. Am I right?”

Karite, who was hesitant to answer, continued as if he was giving an answer.

“yes… .”

Looking at her blankly nodding her head, she spoke again with strength.

“But even though I was meeting you for the first time, I didn’t think highly of you or find it difficult. Why do you think that is?”

asked her over and over again.

Why do you think I acted like that?

And I thought that if it was Karite, I would be able to answer properly.

“Because we are students at the same academy…”

“right. And I think that all cadets should be treated the same, unless they are in S class.”

I wanted to say that even the S class should be treated the same, but I couldn’t bear to say that.

Even in the academy, the S-class separated the space from other classes and lectures. In fact, it was a class that had to be seen completely individually.

“…”

Looking at Karite blankly looking at me, I spoke again.

“Karite. So, you and I are in the same position. You don’t have to thank me for being with you, and you don’t have to flatter me too much like you do now. And I said it last time too. I’m meeting you because I want to, because you care so much.”

Even when you speak emotionally. I was really feeling that way.

She praised me and looked up to me. I was grateful, but I wasn’t meeting Karite hoping that she would feel that way.

“I may have sounded exaggerated, but I thought we needed to properly establish our relationship. I really want you to be comfortable with me. I want you to treat me like a close friend.”

“…Friend.”

“And can’t we just say we’re friends now?”

He smiled lightly as he gently released his hand from her shoulder.

I don’t know why it’s so strange to say the word friend, but it seemed necessary to say this directly to Karite.

And my words seemed to have a meaning.

Her eyes staring blankly at me were clearly different from before.

negative emotions. Much of the gloomy tone has disappeared.

And what filled the vacancy of that emotion were other emotions like surprise.

“right. We are… friends.”

And when Karite blurted out a word, I burst into laughter.

“Karite. Come to think of it, how many times have we met already?”

“It will be the third.”

“okay. We’ve already met 3 times, and we plan to meet more in the future. Aren’t we already friends?”

The word friend is not a word that has such a big meaning, but these days I seem to be emphasizing the word friend.

And the friend I thought was really nothing special.

Whether it’s spending time together, small talk, or any other reason, if we’re just together, we’re already friends.

In that sense, Karite was like a friend to me.

“right. Han Chun-seong, you are right.”

Karite smiled lightly, and it felt like her heart was relieved.

“So, don’t be thankful for being with your friend. I really want you to be comfortable with me.”

Again and again, I wanted to carve some kind of imprint on Karite.

An imprint that says you can treat me comfortably.

“After hearing that, I must have been thinking really stupid things.”

When Karite smiled and said something a little futile, I also burst into laughter.

And when I saw her smile, I realized it again.

…how hard Karite is living in reality.

Thinking of Karite, whom I had no choice but to be grateful for, thinking of me who had approached me that way, I made up my mind again.

‘I must live.’

two days later. The first events of this world will unfold.

I would like to have Karite not go to the place where the incident takes place, but I had no right to do so.

So, I do what I can.

I prepare for the event that will happen by equipping the strongest power I can have.

That’s when I made up my mind of some sort.

“…Agar-star.”

Karite looked at me with a slightly strange expression.

“why?”

“That person. Aren’t you watching?”

Then, when Karite pointed to one side, her gaze went unintentionally.