The Spoon Villain Is Obsessed with the Hero Again Today

Mock Battle (1)

“Honestly…! I’m just speechless…!”

A restaurant across from the police station. A place specializing in handmade tofu.

There, me, Jiwoo, and Soeeseo, were eating after finishing all the questioning.

“To accuse an innocent person of being a terrorist…! Mmmph…!”

Jiwoo, still clearly upset, crammed mouthfuls of the steaming tofu into her mouth. Taking her anger out on the tofu.

“Minjung’s walking sticks, my foot…! Mmmph…! Can’t even catch the real criminals…!”

Thankfully, all three of us were cleared and the case was closed. Not that *I* had done anything wrong, but Jiwoo especially was completely innocent. More victim than anything else, really.

And….

“High-school-dropout Hunter. Why so quiet? Lost your appetite?”

“Ugh….”

Soeeseo, who had initially pulled the trigger on this whole mess, was trembling violently. Petrified, she stared straight ahead.

She must still think she’s at the police station.

“The questioning is over. You don’t need to stand at attention like that.”

I patted her shoulder a few times. Soeeseo finally turned her head to look at me.

“R-really…? It’s all over…?”

Soeeseo’s eyes were brimming with tears. On the verge of overflowing if you so much as breathed on them.

“Yeah. It’s all over, I’m telling you.”

“Ugh, hnggh… W-waaah…!”

Was it from the release of tension? Soeeseo burst into tears right there in the middle of the restaurant.

Sobbing and wailing with all her might.

“I was so scared…! It was my first time ever at a police station, you know…! I really thought I was going to jail…! Waaah…!”

An Awakened one who doesn’t even flinch in the face of monsters becomes a shrinking violet inside a police station.

Seeing things like this, you realize the world is a strange place, huh?

“The tofu’s going to get cold. Hurry up and eat.”

I picked up a piece of tofu and held it out to Soeeseo. Soeeseo opened her mouth wide and took the tofu.

“How is it? Does it taste like anything?”

“Ughh… Mmm….”

Tear-soaked tofu. Of course it would taste amazing.

More than that, this is kind of fun. Even while crying, she’s dutifully eating the food I give her, it’s like raising a pet.

Playing with her is surprisingly enjoyable.

“More importantly, who’s the real culprit? The more I think about it, the more infuriating it is.”

Yoo Jiwoo, halfway through downing a piping hot soft tofu stew straight from the earthenware pot, voiced the question.

She wanted to find the true perpetrator who’d caused this whole mess.

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, Yoo Jiwoo started glaring at me.

Soon, she said, “Could it be you?”

Honestly, my heart skipped a beat. She’d figured out that I was the culprit in an instant.

But a deduction is just a deduction. There’s no proof that I did it anywhere. It was just a lucky guess.

“Do I look like the kind of person who would touch someone else’s belongings without permission?”

“Yeah. I could totally see you doing something like that.”

“….”

Haven’t we been getting along well until now? How little trust do you have in me, exactly? Are we even really friends?

…Though, to say that, I don’t exactly have a leg to stand on. It was none other than me who used Yoo Jiwoo as a human shield, after all.

“You not gonna eat that…?”

Meanwhile, Son Yiseo, who was focused on her own meal, pointed at my plate. She had her eye on the golden-brown fried tofu.

“Eating well, I see.”

Without a second thought, I handed the plate to Son Yiseo. She did a great job acting as the delivery person, so what couldn’t I do for her?

That little bit of fried tofu is nothing. I could give her as much as she wanted.

“Ah…! I’ll take that one…!”

This time, Yoo Jiwoo reached out. She snatched my main dish, the tofu tteokgalbi.

Alright. If the payment for their trouble is just a meal, then it’s a pretty cheap deal.

So, I hope they eat a lot.

*

───

*Emergency meeting held with the school principal’s position vacant, further strengthening facility security to prevent incidents like the recent bomb threat….*

───

Still, going to the police station was worth it.

As planned, the student news immediately posted about strengthening security at the academic exhibition hall. It seems like they’ll start the work today.

But that doesn’t mean everything is completely over. I’m still far from the stage where I can stretch my legs out and sleep soundly.

The opponents are skilled tomb raiders. They won’t retreat meekly just because a single device was added.

They’ll undoubtedly find a new method somehow.

“Just what happened…! What sort of trouble did you stir up this time to get you investigated…!”

It was the next day. As soon as I entered the lecture hall, Arna pounced on me.

Burning with anger, she lashed out.

“Don’t tell me you called some other woman ‘boobs’ too…!? What era do you think this is to say something like that without a shred of fear…! I’m the only one who would tolerate it…!”

“Why start by painting me as a s*xual harasser? It’s not like that.”

“Then what…! Why were you at the police station…!”

“None of your concern.”

I brushed past Arna and took my seat. Preparing for the lecture, as usual.

“Ugh…! I haven’t finished speaking yet…!”

Arna immediately followed after me, plopping down in the seat next to mine.

“Do you even know how surprised I was?”

“What’s there to be surprised about? Everyone ends up at a police station once or twice in their life.”

“And you’re bragging about it…”

Arna scrunched up her face, utterly dumbfounded.

It was then that I asked,

“Speaking of which, you’re making quite the fuss from the morning. I’m the only one who went to the police station, mind you.”

“Ah…”

“Were you perhaps worried about me.”

“…!”

At my question, Arna flinched. Then, words spilled out like a machine gun.

“A-are you crazy? Why would I worry about you! It’s the complete opposite! I was actually hoping you’d get arrested!”

“Is that so. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Why would you apologize at a time like this! Now only I’m the weird one!”

She seems unusually difficult today. Did she maybe get her period? I don’t know why she’s taking it out on me.

I haven’t really done anything wrong to Arna.

“Is that all you wanted to say? If you’re done, you can leave now.”

“I told you, I’m not done! Don’t decide things arbitrarily!”

“Haa. What is it this time.”

What new torment is this now? Honestly, Arna has such a tiresome side to him.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Arna cleared his throat, composing himself. He didn’t seem like he would screech like before, at least.

“So, well, that is…”

Arna finally spoke, his tone different from before. He wouldn’t meet my gaze, his eyes shifting away as he continued,

“Color…”

“What?”

“Um… Do you have a… favorite color… or something…?”

Is this some new form of harassment? Asking about my favorite color? Is he planning some kind of psychological test?

Not that we’re exactly on ‘cozy psychological test’ terms, are we?

“Why would you suddenly ask that?”

“Why, why not…! Can’t I just… ask?”

Strange. No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. There’s no conceivable reason why he’d ask me about my favorite color.

Is he thinking of giving me a gift? But my birthday already passed.

“Quickly…!”

“Hmm.”

Am I being too suspicious? It’s only about a preferred color. He probably wouldn’t do anything particularly strange with it.

“I don’t have a particularly favorite color… but if I had to pick one that comes to mind right now…”

“….”

Arna’s eyes widened. He tilted his head slightly forward, focusing all his attention on me.

And then I said,

“Probably red.”

“Gasp…!”

Arna inhaled sharply. His body froze as if he had received some great shock.

“Re-re-re-red…?”

“I just said the color that came to mind right now.”

“That… that color seems a bit…bold, doesn’t it…?”

“What’s bold about it? Even that fire hydrant over there is red.”

Besides, isn’t red the first color in a rainbow? It means it’s common.

“Ugh…”

But had it landed differently for Arna? Her face flushed crimson all of a sudden.

“What’s wrong?”

“I, I understand… for now…”

“Understand what, exactly?”

“Just… it can be red, can’t it…! That paltry red…! I can wear it just fine, you know…!”

With those words, Arna retreated to her seat.

Asking herself about colors, drawing her own conclusions. What on earth was she even doing? It was impossible to follow her train of thought.

More importantly… wear what?

─uuugh…!

Back at her desk, Arna buried her face in her arms, letting out a small groan. Her legs swung back and forth.

She’s gone completely bonkers, too, it seems.

Sssshhh─

It was then. A prickling sensation shot up the back of my neck. At the same time, a dark fog began to creep, slowly, toward me.

What is this? This ominous feeling?

I spun around, quick as I could.

─Die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die…!

“…!”

I nearly choked on my own breath. A ghost, a real phantom, was peeking its head out from the back door of the lecture hall.

Its eyes were wide and glacial blue, staring at me with murderous intent.

“This is bad…”

Of all the luck, for that one to come to school, too.

For the record, it’s not *actually* a ghost. Just resembles one.

Her name is O Joo-ah. Same affiliation as Baek Seon-woo. Usually, she moves in a way that people won’t notice her but, once a switch flips, she becomes the type who will do anything without hesitation.

There is absolutely no predicting where she’ll pop up, which is why she’s a pain in the neck.

─Die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die…!

Anyway.

Why did she zero in on *me*?