Chapter 64

Unlike usual, she was dressed in the official uniform worn by the World Returner Association when they officially took on a mission.

Moreover, Ayu’s hair was dyed red.

Should I consider that state as Ayu, Shin Sora, or Cheon Hong-ryun?

It was a new mode for the transformed Cheonma.

“Domi Oppa, did you miss me so much that you came running like this?”

Judging by her words, it seemed like Ayu.

“Ayu, that appearance…”

“Ah, I came for work. For some reason, that iron-blooded woman said it was okay to come to where Domi Oppa is, so I rushed over!”

Ayu smiled brightly and told me.

Meanwhile, looking behind her, I saw Eun-hyeon, dressed in the same uniform but with a different color, bowing to me and entering the building.

It seemed that Ayu really did come for work.

Watching her, I gestured for Ayu to come closer.

Ayu, curious, leaned her ear toward me.

“My ears are sensitive.”

“Stop talking nonsense. If it’s work, is it about Giraseong?”

Ayu didn’t answer but instead nodded.

“It’s been confirmed that remnants have infiltrated.”

At that moment, my concern for Eun-namu grew.

“More importantly, Domi Oppa, you haven’t seen my cute face in a while, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Yoo Ah said she got us front-row seats for Blackstar’s new song concert.”

“Kyaa! That’s so great!”

Ayu shouted excitedly, then belatedly reacted with a dissatisfied expression.

“Besides that, look closely. Don’t you see anything different?”

The only thing that caught my eye was her red hair.

As I stared intently at Ayu, she flinched under my gaze and her ears started to turn red.

“Okay, okay! If you can’t figure it out, stop looking!”

“So what’s different?”

“Can’t you tell at a glance? My hair changed.”

Was it really just her hair?

“Why did only your hair color change? What about your original form?”

“It’s like a constant battle-ready mode. My original form can cause harm to those around me if I don’t suppress it.”

Ayu twisted her red hair, seemingly not too pleased with the situation.

Seeing her like that, I patted her head, acknowledging her struggles.

Ayu seemed to enjoy my gesture, smiling brightly.

Cute little thing.

“So, are we jumping into work right away?”

“No, the search is Eun-namu’s job anyway. I’ll just follow Domi Oppa around.”

It seemed they hadn’t identified who Giraseong was yet.

Probably Eun-namu.

“How about it? Isn’t it nice to have a cute girl like me following you around? Don’t you want to show me off?”

Whether my head was spinning or not, Ayu chattered away beside me.

Given her appearance, I couldn’t deny she was cute.

But I wondered how much attention Ayu, dressed in the Returner uniform, would draw if she followed me around.

I had barely managed to avoid becoming famous at the Academy thanks to Si-ho and Josia.

“Following me is fine, but won’t the uniform draw too much attention?”

In a secluded place like this, it’s fine, but in a crowded area, it would be chaos.

“This is just for show at the Academy, so I’ll change anyway. Should I change into something to match Domi Oppa for a couple look?”

“If this is a couple look, how many people am I connected to in this room?”

It’s not like we’re all connected by color like in that game my dad used to play.

“Anyway, just changing clothes should do, right?”

“It’ll be less noticeable than the Returner uniform.”

Since the Academy is nearing its end, the students have gotten to know each other, but there are nearly 300 of them.

Even if you know your classmates, you don’t know everyone from other classes.

‘With red hair, she’ll still stand out.’

But since she came for work, I couldn’t expect more.

“Then I’ll go change and come back!”

Ayu, excited to see me after so long, ran off, and I checked the time while watching her retreating figure.

Class is about to start.

I should probably head back too.

‘Today’s class is probably…’

It’s likely the crime defense practice that often happens among Hunters.

While skills against Dimensional Beings are important, Hunters are human too, and emotions can run high depending on the situation.

Especially Hunters who have Awakened and have less fear of killing are more likely to act out emotionally than ordinary people.

Disputes between Hunters can cause significant harm to each other, so it’s a time to learn self-control and defense.

“Baek-san, is the aggressive nature of many Hunters because of the Tower of Apocalypse? Like being scared of Dimensional Beings?”

“Yeah, if Returners change based on their experiences in other worlds, Hunters change immediately upon Awakening.”

Hearing that, Hunters felt like instant products.

Like 3-minute curry, they’re born as soon as they sense Aura.

“Then what’s the purpose of the Tower of Apocalypse?”

“Remember how I got stuck on the first day?”

“Don’t tell me that’s it?”

“Yep. That’s the reason for the Tower of Apocalypse’s existence. That damn tower shut me up.”

Baek-san clicked his tongue as if he had already expected it.

Hearing this, I was curious.

What could the Tower of Apocalypse be hiding that it would silence Baek-san?

One thing was certain: judging by Baek-san’s expression, it wasn’t a pleasant reason.

“Will I ever find out?”

Hearing my question, Baek-san fell silent.

There was a troubled look in Baek-san’s eyes.

“I don’t want you to find out.”

“Why?”

“While I did want to change the past by returning, it was more important that you didn’t die.”

As he said this, Baek-san slowly brushed his bangs back.

“Too much has changed. If I left you alone, something big would happen, so I’ve been teaching you various things, but I never intended to put you, Kang Ha-chan, on the front lines.”

Hearing that, I felt that Baek-san had been pondering a lot while teaching me.

The times he often seemed lost in thought must have been because of that.

“Look at your personality. Even without any abilities, you’d jump into a pit of fire to save someone. If you had abilities, I can’t imagine how far you’d go.”

“You’re treating me like some kind of saint, but I’m not that great.”

“How many times do you think you’ve almost died in less than two months?”

I chose silence.

Baek-san clicked his tongue and muttered, ‘I’m worried about the future.’

Meanwhile, I arrived at the lecture hall for the afternoon class.

“Ha-chan.”

Eun-namu, who had arrived first, waved her hand, and I walked over to sit next to her.

“Did you meet your acquaintance well?”

“Yeah, she’ll probably come this way.”

As I answered, I started to worry about what would happen if Eun-namu and Ayu met.

Whether Eun-namu was Giraseong or not, she was a Returner hiding her identity.

“It’s time. Instructors, please check the attendance.”

Meanwhile, the instructors busily moved around, checking the attendance of the students.

After the headcount, one instructor walked to the front of the seated students.

“Today, as explained earlier, we’ll be practicing crime defense. As we showed you last time with examples of situations and actions, today we’ll focus more on practicality tailored to individuals.”

Hunters all have different abilities.

So, it seemed they would learn how to subdue opponents without causing maximum harm before a crime occurs.

‘On the other hand, couldn’t criminals also exploit this?’

It’s nonsensical not to educate people on self-defense because of a few bad apples.

“Students, please pair up in twos.”

Even here, we’re pairing up.

“Eun-namu, let’s…”

“Student Eun-namu, let’s have a quick talk.”

At that moment, an instructor suddenly called Eun-namu.

She looked at me, and I quickly nodded for her to go.

“Sorry, Ha-chan.”

Watching Eun-namu leave, I glanced around.

Unintentionally, I had decided to keep a low profile at the Academy, so aside from Eun-namu, I didn’t have anyone to pair with.

It’s not like I had time to build relationships, spending my free time improving the relationship between Josia and Seo-ho or training with Baek-san.

Naturally, unlike the other students who started pairing up, I was left alone.

“Suddenly, I’m reminded of my school days.”

I remembered a day in elementary school when I was left without a partner after a close friend transferred.

Of course, that day became meaningless when my sister returned.

Bittersweet.

“Student Kang Ha-chan, don’t you have a partner?”

By now, it seemed everyone else had paired up, and the instructor asked me, the lone one.

As I quietly nodded, he asked me to wait a moment and brought someone over.

Apparently, there was one other person without a partner.

However, both of us frowned upon seeing who it was.

“F-class trash.”

The one who immediately cursed at me was none other than Lee Soo-ho.

“Why are you here? What about your group?”

“I lost at rock-paper-scissors.”

Well, his group consisted of two guys and his girlfriend.

He couldn’t spar with his girlfriend, and the two guys paired up, leaving him alone.

It seemed he had no friends outside his group.

“You should’ve built better relationships. Did you?”

“What, you think you can lecture me? You only hang out with that Eun-whatever!”

Hearing that, I fell into deep thought.

Who have I built relationships with since coming to the Academy?

There’s Josia, an active S-class Hunter.

I wonder if anyone at the Academy has built relationships as splendidly as I have.