Chapter 10: Companion ③

Yu Hyesun didn’t show up for roll call. Maybe it was just a whim.

But…

–Let’s talk after roll call.

At that moment, her pupils had split vertically.
I didn’t know her exact ability, but it must have been some kind of Talent.
So why did she suddenly manifest it?

After that, she blatantly ignored everything I said and refused to talk.

Could it have been an ambush?
And was she trying to get me out of the way in case I got caught up in the fight?

–The house has been cleaned up.

Crown had said that just as Yu Hyesun failed to appear.

It was Crown who attacked her. And Yu Hyesun had known about it beforehand—so she sent me away.

It was circumstantial evidence, sure.
But the logic held.

“You’re asking if I know where Yu Hyesun is?”

I asked Crown directly while he sipped a vitamin drink in the lounge.
He didn’t answer right away. He just stared at me with interest.

“And why would you be asking me that?”

Right.
Whether it was true or not, there was no way he’d give me a straight answer.

“—Is what I’d like to say. But I don’t mind throwing you a bone once in a while.”
“…….”
“Tomorrow at noon. Go to the underground parking lot of Trigeum Apartment Building 3, next to Flower Park. I’ll show you something fun.”

So it really was him.

“What’s her condition right now?”
“Curious little miss, aren’t you? Well, she’s still breathing.”

At the word “miss,” I frowned.
That flicker of amusement appeared in Crown’s eyes.

“…What exactly are you planning to do to her tomorrow?”
“You sure you want the spoilers? Kinda ruins the fun.”

He talked like this was some kind of show.

I nodded anyway. His lips twisted into a crooked smile.

“That little cat b*tch is going to find out what it feels like to be filleted alive.”
“…….”
“I’ll pickle her body and toss it into the slums. Her head—I’ll give that to the cat-loving freaks in our class. That’s the end of it. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”

My silence wiped the smirk off his face.

“Not your kind of show, huh? That’s a shame.”

Assuming I’d ever be into something like that was ridiculous to begin with.

“Let’s talk about something more productive, then.”
“……?”
“Class 8 rep. Join my team.”

It was a random offer.
But there was no need to even consider it.

“I already have a team.”
“Those bugs? Yeah, I know. I know. But six people? That’s not enough.”
“Not enough…?”
“All the top players form teams of twenty—whole class units. Even that high-and-mighty Yureon did it.”

Twenty people…
That wasn’t something I had anticipated.

“In our league, it’s a numbers game. No one survives a swarm. Just look at Yu Hyesun—she stuck her head out too far and got snatched like a rat.”

He gestured toward the opposite couch.
I sat down across from him, and he began to talk.

“I used to think I was a genius. My family, my sponsors—they all praised me, and I delivered. More or less.”

Crown let out a small chuckle.

“But then I met Yureon. That monster. And I realized—I was a f*cking idiot. The losers I used to stomp on and I? We were the same. Just different packaging.”

The vibe around him shifted suddenly.
The emotional shift was so sharp it was disorienting.

“Heehee! In front of real geniuses, mediocre talent means nothing! But that wasn’t what scared me most. You know what gave me chills? That monster—Yureon? She’s only a Double Rank!”
“…….”
“What kind of hell is Double Rank supposed to be?! You’re telling me there are ninety more freaks like her in the world? And people like me are supposed to compete with them?! How the f*ck?!”

From his words, it sounded like anger.
But Crown was laughing, shoulders shaking, head bowed.
He slammed the table, howling with laughter.

Then he looked up—expression completely blank.

“So I chose numbers.”

…This one was a different breed of lunatic than Yu Hyesun.

“I’m going to build a team of at least a hundred for the next Evaluation Match.”
“A hundred?”

Was that even possible?

“I’ve already got eighty-two. With you, that makes eighty-three. If you want, you can bring those bugs along too. The more heads, the better.”
“…Hmm.”
“I don’t know how much power you’re hiding, but no matter how strong you are, you’re not stronger than Yureon, are you?”

You’re not stronger than her, right?
That thought was plain in his eyes as he studied me.

‘I’m not even stronger than you, let alone Yureon.’

It’s not like I was hiding my power to begin with.

Maybe he saw something in my calm reaction, because Crown looked satisfied.
He started gulping down his drink, as if waiting for my answer.

I gave it some real thought.

…It wasn’t a bad offer.
Except for two things.

“Do you have to kill Yu Hyesun?”
“What, you know that b*tch or something?”

His eyes shifted sharply, so I quickly shook my head.

“No. We only met yesterday. She just didn’t strike me as someone who deserves to die.”
“Deserves to die? What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

I was at a loss for words.
Right—this place was full of villains.

“Doesn’t matter what it is, that b*tch is dead. Even if the boss himself begs me, I won’t change my mind. She insulted me.”
“Insulted you?”
“Yeah. The nerve of her—she doodled on my face while I was sleeping. You can’t see it now ‘cause I’ve got makeup on.”

That’s… your reason for butchering someone alive?

“…Give me some time to think.”
“Sure. No rush. The Evaluation Match is still five months away. But keep this in mind—spots on the team go to the early birds.”
“I’ll give you my answer by tomorrow.”
“Nice. I like how clean you are about things.”

As soon as I stepped out of the lounge, I let out a deep sigh.

Yu Hyesun.

Why was she still on my mind?
We’d barely exchanged a few words.

But…

–You, I like you.

Weird way of speaking, but in the end, she was just a sixteen-year-old girl.
Isn’t that kind of death way too cruel?

Not that I had room to talk after what I did— But death is on another level.

“Haa…”

My head hurt.
I wished—
I really wished I had someone I could talk to.

Seoran, Dohyeon, Ellicia, Skull Knight, my classmates…

Faces drifted through my mind, one by one.

And then I realized something.

“Come to think of it, I’m…”

I’m alone in this city.

“Why’d you come here?”

When I showed up at Yureon’s class, she brought me to the rooftop.

I naturally responded to her question.

“I just wanted to talk. Is that not allowed?”

Yureon smiled brightly.

“Nope. Not allowed.”
“…….”

It was the same on the first day.
She had her guard up against me, and I found it strange.

Why was she acting like this again now?

“Hey, have you ever eaten a person?”

That was how the conversation began—
With a shocking question.

“I have. It was back when I was really weak. I ate to survive. There was nothing else to eat.
I strangled my best friend while they were sleeping… and ate the meat.”
“…….”
“It was… really good. I was crying the whole time, but even as the tears fell, I remember thinking how delicious it was.”

The story was too heavy.
I couldn’t even open my mouth.

The girl I used to train with every day now felt so far away.

“This world runs on survival of the fittest. And the meat the world provides… is limited.”
“…….”
“It’s only natural to eliminate your competitors, right?”

Leaving me standing there, Yureon opened the rooftop door.

And just before she left, she turned and declared:

“The Evaluation Match—look forward to it. I will kill you, no matter what it takes.
Even Master won’t scold me for it this time.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The next day.

“Everyone ready? Let’s move.”

I led five of Class 8’s elite students to the Training Ground.

But I kept feeling Serena’s gaze from where she was walking closely beside me.

“You look tired. You okay?”

I’d been up all night thinking about Yureon’s declaration and Crown’s offer.
Serena, ever observant, seemed to notice right away.

“You should worry more about yourselves.”
“Just how brutal is this training supposed to be…?”

Honestly, it wasn’t anything unusual.
I was just planning to train them the same way Durek had trained me—physical conditioning and mock battles.

We kept chatting as we walked along the path.

…I decided to leave Yu Hyesun alone.

No point stirring up Crown’s hostility over someone I’d only spoken to for a few minutes.

Rushing to save her would be way out of character for a villain.
It’s not like it would help punish Seoran either.

She’ll suffer and die a horrible death through torture, but that’s not my concern…

–This one rather likes peculiar types like you. If you ever need anything else, do not hesitate to ask.

“…….”
“Hm? Why’d you stop? Something up?”
“Serena. I’ve got a question.”

Serena, who’d been staring off into space with her mouth slightly open, rapidly nodded.

“Yupyupyup! Ask away! I’ll answer everything!”
“Say you just met someone for the first time, and they did something really kind for you.”
“Okay. And then?”

Serena now looked as serious as a student taking a college entrance exam.

-But then that person dies in some kind of incident.
-Uh-huh. They die?
-You could stop it. Would you?
-Hmm… I’d probably try. I’d feel weird ignoring it.
-…Why?”

She pressed her index finger to her lips, thinking hard.

“Well… then I’d be their savior, right? And if they already did something nice for me, maybe they’d give me something even better in return.”
“…You’re right.”

…Alright.

I glanced at the others who’d been silently listening from behind.

“You all remember where the Training Ground is, right? Go ahead and head over. I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll join you later.”
“Something to take care of?”

Ellicia asked, and I gave her a soft smile.

I’m going to bring back a new team member.