Became a Swordsman Genius in a Pretty Girl Game

333. Lee Yuri (4)

“Gukbap, you were really annoyed today, weren’t you? Thank you for going along with my insistence.”

Suddenly, Jin Yuha grabbed her own face and leaned in.

“First of all, this is something you have to clear on your own, the condition… Um, saying it like this might sound strange. I just hope you understand that I wanted to see your skills after a long time.”

Jin Yuha opened her mouth and said something, but not a single word reached my ears.

Well, Jin Yuha’s face had that much destructive power.

In the quiet forest.

The sound of crackling embers.

Jin Yuha’s face glowing a rosy orange.

…Is it really okay for a person to look like this?

“Eh! Hup! Hic!? Hic!”

As I blankly admired Jin Yuha’s face, a sudden hiccup burst forth from within me.

“Ha! This reminds me of the past.”

“Uh! The past?”

“Don’t you remember? Back when you doubted if I was really a preparatory student at the academy. You threw that phone at me and then hiccupped.”

Ah. That time.

Now that I think about it, that did happen.

Before entering the academy, when I was going around the gates to pay off even a little debt.

The dealer I was originally with had run off with the money, and I had to urgently find a replacement.

The voice that contacted me was that of a man. Normally, I wouldn’t have accepted a man.

But with the mention of having no money and being a preparatory student at the academy, I accepted him.

Well, the situation was quite urgent back then.

So, I hurriedly set up a meeting and showed up at the promised place, but I was anxious.

After all, the reality was that male dealers were not welcomed due to their physical conditions.

Sitting on the bench, fidgeting, suddenly a man with a crazy appearance leaned in.

I was so startled that I hiccupped.

Back then, I thought he was some kind of celebrity, but now, his looks had not only improved but skyrocketed like Bitcoin, breaking through the ceiling.

‘With looks like that, of course I’d be surprised when he keeps leaning in!’

“Th-that, hic! Do you know how much! Hic! I was surprised back then!?”

No matter how much I thumped my chest, the hiccups just wouldn’t stop.

Then, Jin Yuha’s hand, which had been cupping my cheek, suddenly shot into my mouth.

“W-what are you doing?”

The finger that had invaded my mouth suddenly latched onto my tongue and yanked it out.

“Ah, ah, stop it!”

“When you get the hiccups, pulling your tongue like this makes them stop right away. What about you, did they stop?”

Jin Yuha pulled out the finger that had been holding my tongue, her expression calm.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

“Ye, yeah. I, I think they stopped.”

While I was nodding, Eui-ri’s heart pounded like crazy.

No matter how you look at it, she had just stuck her finger in a strange woman’s mouth without any hesitation.

‘Once we make our relationship official, is she the type to lose all inhibitions? Or, wait, didn’t she say she had never been in a relationship before?’

Eui-ri glared.

Somehow, she felt bitter that she was the only one being toyed with all day.

“So, Eui-ri, when did you start liking me?”

Look at this.

Again. Again. Again! Again!!!

She asks such embarrassing questions without hesitation.

‘Seriously, why is she so straightforward? Like she’s some kind of truck with broken steering.’

Still, it wouldn’t be fair to just let her get away with this.

Eui-ri’s eyebrows formed a V-shape.

“N, No. You answer first. Do you like me too? I mean, isn’t that why you, w, wanted to meet like, like this!? When did you start liking me!”

She may have steeled her resolve and opened her mouth, but it was still so damn embarrassing to say these things.

She even stuttered like an idiot. And why did her voice sound so timid?

“Me?”

Jin Yuha tapped her lips with her finger and seemed to fall deep in thought.

‘Th, that’s the finger that was just in my mouth . . . .’

Gulp.

“I think, maybe, from the very beginning?”

“. . . F, from the beginning?”

“Yeah. I still remember how you looked the first time I saw you. Sitting on the bench, hugging your shield, resting your chin on your hand, and on your phone. And the blue hair tie, the khaki airport jumper, black leggings. Hmm, the shoes were probably white Nikes.”

Lee Yoori’s eyes widened.

It was all correct.

No, it was more than correct.

Back then, I had no money, so aside from the occasional laundry day, I wore that outfit every day.

“Do you remember all that…? No, more than that, you really liked me from the very first time you saw me?”

“Hmm… I think so. Ah, I only truly realized my feelings a few days ago. Until recently, I thought I just liked you as a party member I could trust and rely on. How foolish.”

Jin Yuhwa shook her head in self-deprecation.

Puhung!

A sensation like floating and swelling fills my chest. Hearing it from her own mouth.

The anxiety of possibly being the only one with feelings seems to vanish in an instant.

What if, back at the beginning of the semester, when I got closer to Jin Yuhwa, I had confessed my feelings first? That thought crossed my mind for a moment.

“So, I’m sorry.”

“…What for?”

“When I became aware of my feelings… there were other party members there with us.”

Jin Yuhwa conveyed her apology.

It wasn’t just her alone. She had feelings for several people.

Yet her tone was serious and unwavering.

Well, to be honest…

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed.

To monopolize Jin Yuhwa?

Where would I find something as dreamlike as that?

That’s just the norm.

It’s easy to say we’re joint lovers. Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? Of course, it sounds strange since everyone agrees on it.

But in the first place, it was myself and others who tried to impose that on Jin Yuhwa.

So there was absolutely no reason for Jin Yuhwa to feel unnecessary guilt or to apologize.

If it had really been a serious fight, Jin Yuhwa probably wouldn’t have chosen any of us at all.

‘…Rather, this should be considered ideal.’

Thus, Lee Yoori responded.

“There’s no need for you to apologize. This is entirely our choice.”

“I know. So, thank you.”

“Phew, this is embarrassing. Should we talk about something else?”

“Um, then I want to know about you. Your past before you met me.”

“My past?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, that’s quite embarrassing… So, when I was five…”

At Jin Yu-ha’s request, Lee Yu-ri hesitated but slowly began to share her past story.

The house that collapsed under debt and the threats from creditors. The frequent moves, the stories of her school days that she had to endure with great difficulty.

Glance.

As she spoke, Lee Yu-ri kept an eye on Jin Yu-ha.

‘…Will Jin Yu-ha pity me?’

She felt anxious.

Poverty inevitably made one sensitive to the gaze of others.

However.

“…”

In Jin Yu-ha’s eyes, which were listening intently, there was no trace of pity or compassion.

Just a calm gaze, as if accepting her past as it was.

Ah. Right,

That’s it.

‘This is why I fell for her.’

In truth, living together, one could not help but realize their own poverty.

Yet, from the moment they first met, Jin Yu-ha had never pitied her.

She only held expectations and confidence in her abilities.

Still, the feeling of shame was unavoidable, so she scratched her cheek and said in a playful voice at the end.

“…Well, and I met a great guy in the Forest of Camela, and my life turned around.”

“No.”

“Huh…?”

“You would have become an amazing person even without me. If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for me to have fallen for you.”

Jin Yu-ha said with a voice that seemed somewhat angry.

“Uh… th-th-thank you?”

“Yeah. So, from now on, don’t ever say anything that puts you down in front of me. I’ll really get angry.”

“Ah, I got it…”

Feeling awkward, Lee Yu-ri turned her gaze away from Jin Yu-ha and looked up at the sky.

“Wow—”

A gasp escaped her lips.

The stars, like a dance troupe, were embroidered across the sky, surrounding the bright white moon as if to guard it.

‘Hmm, would I have become an amazing person even without Jin Yu-ha?’

Could that really be true?

What if she hadn’t met Jin Yu-ha in the forest of Camela?

‘Would I have died back then, surrounded by goblins?’

Well, maybe not.

Thanks to Jin Yu-ha joining that day, they were able to clear the dungeon so quickly.

With time left over, she had decided to tackle the hidden dungeon, the Unknown.

If there hadn’t been a main dealer, she would have returned with only a meager result, grinding her teeth in frustration at Hye-ji.

And after entering the academy?

She probably would have lived busy days, working part-time jobs here and there.

If it hadn’t been for Jin Yu-ha, she wouldn’t have even imagined forming a party to raid dungeons at the beginning of the first semester.

Would I have become an amazing person like that?

Pfft!

‘No way, that’s not true.’

Thinking that way made her realize how miraculous it was that Jin Yu-ha had come to find her in the first place.

An utterly ordinary person, so common you could find her anywhere,

standing proudly among the monstrous party members of Utopia.

She even received the undeserved title of sub-party leader.

Yeah, it was all thanks to this man.

Lee Yu-ri turned her head to look at Jin Yu-ha.

“Jin Yu-ha. I promise.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah. It’s something I’ve already been thinking in my heart, but now I want to say it in front of you.”

“What is it?”

“I will protect you.”

“······.”

“If you are in danger, no matter what perilous situation it is, or at any moment. I will ‘definitely’ stand in front of you and become the shield that protects you.”

It was the moment I swore in front of Jin Yu-ha.

Saaah—

The stars in the sky, guarding the moon, began to slowly swirl and rotate.

And from those stars, a pure white light poured down towards Lee Yu-ri.

“Uh, uh······!? Wh-what is this─!”

Ding─♬

A clear bell sound echoed in my ears.

[ You have obtained the ultimate skill, 【Shield of Belief】. ]

[ It will block any lethal attack directed at the target you wish to protect, regardless of its power or distance, with a ‘guaranteed’ 100% probability. ]

[ Cooldown – 30 days ]