Became a Swordsman Genius in a Pretty Girl Game

Ichika’s New Ability

After a tumultuous day at the Velvet Hunter Academy.

Late at night.

“Hmm…? Jin Yu-ha, what brings you here at this hour—?”

Shin Se-hee’s eyes widened as Jin Yu-ha entered her room without warning.

And she was taken aback by his words, raising her voice in surprise.

“What!? M-my… my… you mean one of the new students has mixed in?”

“Yeah, that’s why I came. I was hoping to get some help.”

This was no ordinary matter.

Mines.

Those who wear human skin, mix among humans, and hunt humans.

Although they’ve been relatively quiet lately, I knew their danger was extreme.

“Are mines really that dangerous?”

Shin Se-hee asked with a serious tone, her eyes cast downward.

“Huh? No, they’re not. They’re not that dangerous. In fact, I can take care of them right now if I want to.”

“Really? Th-then what…”

Rina, the chairwoman, had said that the mines had broken through her magic, so I thought they were naturally a threat, but I guess that wasn’t the case?

The next words were shocking.

“Actually, I’d like you to help me summon the demon tribe.”

For a moment, Shin Se-hee doubted her own ears.

“Of course, I’ll help- wait, what? Summon the demon tribe…”

Just in case, she asked again, and Jin Yu-ha nodded as if to confirm that she had heard correctly.

Immediately after, Shin Se-hee’s expression froze.

“Did Jin Yu-ha… get possessed…!?”

**Swish!**

Judgment was swift, and action was taken immediately.

**Whirr—**

As I stretched my arm to the side, the dagger concealed on the inside of my wrist was drawn out, spinning above my hand before being gripped in reverse.

**Whoosh!**

And then, my hand shot straight towards the man in front of me, clad in Jin Yu-ha’s leather.

He blocked the tip of the dagger with his finger.

My head instantly flared with heat.

Yet the voice that escaped my lips was as cold as ice.

“…Who are you?”

“Shin Se-hee?”

It was an illusion so intricate that it could easily be mistaken for reality.

“To want to summon a demon lord. Jin Yu-ha would never say such a thing. You must be that demon.”

Every aspect of the man before me—his hair, breath, voice, gaze—spoke of Jin Yu-ha.

But.

Shin Se-hee knew.

How Ichika had suffered at the hands of the Mine.

“Tell me. What did you do to Jin Yu-ha? No matter how hard you try to deceive me, it’s useless. You’ll never die in peace. I’ll make you taste a pain beyond your imagination.”

“Wait, just a minute! Shin Se-hee!”

He tried to deceive her with the same disgusting reaction as Jin Yu-ha.

“Don’t call me with that face, that voice!!!!”

Shin Se-hee spat out the hatred boiling inside her without filtering it.

The man in front of her looked at her with a bewildered expression, then suddenly let out a faint laugh.

Even this was the same as Jin Yu-ha, making her grit her teeth.

“Ah, this sounds really strange. Sorry, I didn’t expect this reaction. Excuse me for a moment—”

He suddenly leaned in close.

Shin Se-hee immediately swung the dagger in her hand horizontally.

But he dodged the blade by tilting his head slightly and instead pushed his way in closer.

“Calm down, Shin Se-hee. It’s me.”

He grabbed her cheeks with both hands and stared at her intently.

“How can I believe that—”

Wooo—

Then the man raised his mana and ignited it.

‘······What?’

In an instant, Shin Se-hee’s mouth fell open.

Mana is like a fingerprint.

No matter how intricately it is mimicked by an illusion, there are limits.

Wasn’t it Jin Yoo-ha who taught her how to analyze and distinguish it?

“I’m not a fake.”

As he said this, he pressed his lips to his forehead.

“······Is this, the real Jin Yoo-ha?”

Shin Se-hee’s eyes spun in disbelief.

Then, Jin Yoo-ha pulled away and smiled as if it were cute.

“Sorry. I just spoke a bit confusingly a moment ago.”

“Ah, ahh…”

If you need any further adjustments or additional context, feel free to ask!

What on earth happened?

Could it be that Jin Yuha was really right?

“So, please calm down for a moment and listen to me.”

In response, Shin Sehee could only nod her head.

“Y-yes…”

*

Her face was flushed red, as if steam were about to rise from her head.

Shin Sehee couldn’t even meet my gaze and turned her head to the side.

“Oh, I see… So, when the Demon Realm Gate opens later, the demon tribes will come pouring out. It’s better to deal with it before that…”

Then, as if recalling her recent actions, she covered her face with both hands and bowed her head.

“I-I’m sorry! Jin Yuha! I didn’t know that!”

“No, I didn’t explain it well enough. And what just happened could definitely happen. It would be good to share some signs or signals that only we can recognize. In fact, it might be a good thing that we could prevent such incidents in advance.”

“Is that so?”

Then I stiffened my face.

“Still, you should be scolded.”

Shin Se-hee shrank back, as if feeling even more ashamed of my reaction.

“Y-yes, I’m truly sorry for pointing a knife at you, Jin Yu-ha-nim—”

“No. Right now, you have no idea what you did wrong. Now, lift your head.”

Shin Se-hee had no clue what mistake she had made.

“If it were the real you, that situation wouldn’t have happened just now.”

“······What?”

“The you I know would have let this moment pass, even if you had doubts, and then, after I returned, you would have organized your thoughts and devised a plan. But instead, you charged in barehanded. What on earth were you thinking? What if I had really been a dangerous being?”

“······Ah.”

Shin Se-hee bowed her head deeply, as if truly at a loss for words.

“Don’t ever do that again. Even if I say I’m in danger, you need to take a step back. You’re supposed to plan and strategize carefully.”

“······Yes.”

“You’re the brain of our party. If you lose your cool like this, we’re all in danger.”

Shin Se-hee nodded at my words.

Honestly, I’m glad she’s realizing this now.

That Shin Se-hee, who charged in without thinking when I said I was in danger.

If you need any further adjustments or additional context, feel free to ask!

This is something… How should I put it? I felt good, yet it was a bit strange.

“Right. If I talk about it once, you’ll understand immediately, won’t you?”

“Yes, I will never disappoint you like this again, Jin Yu-ha.”

Seeing the determined expression on Shin Se-hee’s face as she raised her head again, it seemed unnecessary to say more.

I relaxed the atmosphere and smiled at her.

“Well, that’s that. I appreciate it. It shows how much you care about me. Anyway, shall we get to the main topic?”

“…Yes.”

“So, how can that demon summon the demon race? In that process, absolutely no other students can be harmed. If that’s not possible, we need to kill him right now.”

This was something I could not compromise on.

I couldn’t sacrifice the new students just to summon the demon race and kill them.

“Oh, I do have a method that comes to mind regarding that.”

And once again, Shin Se-hee fully met my expectations.

* * *

A little while later.

I found myself in Ichika’s room.

“Oh, this is Ichika’s room.”

Since it was my first time entering, I looked around with a fresh feeling.

To put it nicely, it was simple and neat; to put it badly, it was stark and bare.

It seemed that Ichika had a personality that didn’t allow anything into the room unless it was truly necessary.

“That’s embarrassing to think about.”

Ichika said this with a completely unembarrassed expression.

“Benefactor.”

For some reason, Ichika’s voice calling me was calm and soothing.

“Yeah?”

“Twice.”

Ichika held up two fingers.

“What do you mean?”

“The benefactor has only kissed Shin Sehee on the forehead twice.”

“…Did you see that?”

At that, Ichika nodded her head.

I didn’t know he had seen everything, so I wore a flustered expression.

Ichika suddenly brushed aside her bangs and thrust her forehead at me.

So, is this what it is?

You want me to do the same to you?

“Hmm, Shinsehee’s father when he was young—”

“A benefactor.”

As I showed a disapproving look and tried to mumble, Ichika cut me off.

“I also want to receive Father’s kiss.”

“…?”

“I don’t even remember Father’s face.”

Ichika spoke with an expressionless face, her words merciless.

No, if you put it that way, I’d seem like a piece of trash.

Tsk. Tsk.

I had no choice but to press my lips to Ichika’s forehead twice before we could continue the conversation.

“Hmm, one more thing I can use. Satisfying.

Ichika smoothed my forehead with a satisfied expression.

“Um, let’s talk about work. I heard from Shin Se-hee that Ichika, your power as a Dreamer has strengthened, and you’ve awakened a new ability, is that right?”

Ichika nodded at my question.

“Yeah, it’s still quite popular right now.”

“……Popular?”

“I’m taking reservations.”

The screen of Ichika’s phone displayed a list of names densely packed by date.

────────────────

March 1st, Shin Se-hee.

– 2 million won secret course.

March 2nd, Lee Yu-ri.

– 300,000 won karaoke and gourmet exploration course.

March 3rd, Kang Do-hee.

– 500,000 won joint training course.

March 4th, Sophia.

– 100,000 won full course.

March 5th, Im Gaeul. (Real deal – Master and Disciple concept.)

– 80,000 won.

March 6th, Alice.

– 10,000 won taste course.

.

.

.

────────────────

“What the…?”

What’s the secret course?

Is it a karaoke restaurant?

Joint training?

What’s the full course again?

Is Im Gaeul a real deal…?

No, why is Alice’s name written here anyway?

It felt like some kind of unexpected deal was being made behind the scenes.

“But why am I excluded?”

I gazed at Ichika with a bewildered expression.

“It’s the ability to intervene in someone’s dream and manipulate it.”

Ichika opened his mouth and spoke in a low, even tone.

“If we utilize this, we can ‘let it go’ and have a pleasant dream. It’s a feasible plan.”