Chapter 361

Principal Park Tae-Seok is undeniably a passionate character, just like one you’d find in a青春漫画 (youth comic), and anyone who talks to him for just a minute would realize this fact.

I was able to easily obtain the second recommendation letter by wrapping it in words that he seemed to like.

“I didn’t lie.”

I pondered over whom to ask for the last recommendation letter.

While wandering near Busan Port after leaving Aspen Academy, I sensed a familiar aura.

The energy of the aura was tightly woven like a spider’s web.

It was artificially created by someone to detect the geographical features around them.

I had no trouble locating the owner of the aura.

“Is that Ban So Wol?”

Seeing a familiar face in a foreign place always brings a sense of joy.

I hurried over to her and greeted her.

“Hello, So Wol Unnie. I can see everything from here.”

“Huh?”

“It’s me, No Name.”

Ban So Wol felt around my face and gently pinched my left cheek.

“So it was you with this fragrant lilac scent. It’s great to see you again. Are you here for a visit?”

“I came to see the principal of Aspen Academy for a purpose.”

“A purpose? To see Mr. Park Tae-Seok?”

I explained a series of procedures related to the high-ranking mage.

Ban So Wol listened with interest and nodded.

“I see. You’re the type who enjoys taking on challenges.”

“Well, that’s what everyone tells me. But I just need to find one more person. By the way, did you come down from your family home? You’re dressed like you’re on a trip.”

I tapped her red suitcase with my finger.

Ban So Wol smiled and put on her black sunglasses.

“Sharp as always. I’m taking a ferry to Japan this evening.”

“A ferry to Japan?”

“Yeah. Actually, my family home is in Fukuoka. My mother is Japanese.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. But why are you taking a ferry instead of a plane…? Didn’t you come from Korea University?”

“Why? How far could it be from Busan to Fukuoka? The ferry is actually a better fit than the plane.”

“Isn’t it easier to take a plane directly from Seoul?”

“Um…? Ah…!”

From behind her sunglasses, I could see Ban So Wol’s eyes widen.

“I’ve always gone by ferry, so I never even thought about it!”

“Ahaha.”

“I’ll definitely have to take a plane next time. Oh, No Name, do you want to go to Japan too?”

“I think I need to go back up to Seoul.”

“My dad is a high-ranking mage too.”

“Really?”

“You mentioned that you need a recommendation letter, right? I can ask my dad to write one for you.”

“Are you serious?”

At first, I thought she was joking.

“My father is Ban Il-Gwon, the former Busan Metropolitan Police Chief and the current Fukuoka Consul General.”

Once I learned that, I found myself irresistibly heading towards the ticket booth.

“I heard the national exchange tournament preliminaries are happening in Fukuoka. Do you want to go see them together?”

“Oh, you’ve already decided? I’m always on board.”

“Alright, I’ll go buy my ferry ticket right away. What time is it?”

“I knew you’d be cool, No Name. It’s at 5:30 PM, flight JF412. I’ll be waiting here.”

I decided to leave a message with Principal Park Tae-Seok.

I noticed my battery was at 2% when I came out of the principal’s office earlier.

I thought I could contact Professor Cheon right now as if he might fly back from Seoul to Busan.

* * *

[The ferry is scheduled to arrive at Hakata Port at 7:20 PM after crossing the Korea Strait. Today’s weather in Fukuoka is clear, with waves expected to be between 1 and 1.5 meters high.]

Once we boarded the ship, we quickly went up to the third-floor observation deck to enjoy the view.

The strong sea breeze tossed my hair back and forth.

The tall cranes of Busan Port gradually grew smaller behind us.

Just then, a call came through from Professor Cheon.

“Hello?”

[No Name! Where are you?]

“I’m on my way to Fukuoka to receive my last recommendation letter.”

[You just got on the boat?]

“Yes. I’m with Ban So Wol Unnie, whom I met before at Korea University. I’ll worry about getting the recommendation letter and will be going to watch the national exchange tournament together, so you don’t need to worry about me too much.”

[Hah…]

After a long time, I could hear his deep sigh since the bombing incident.

[Have you decided where to stay?]

“I’ll be staying at So Wol Unnie’s house.”

[How long do you plan to be there?]

“Since I’m already in Japan, I think I should at least see the finals, right?”

[The finals? You mean you’re going to Tokyo?]

“Yup. It’s not far.”

[Tokyo is 1,000 kilometers away, 1,000 kilometers!]

“But by train, it only takes two hours.”

“Hah!”

Ban So Wol chuckled next to me as she listened to our conversation.

It was impossible to reassure Professor Cheon with just a few words, but it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

“I’ll bring back some delicious stuff. Royce chocolates and konjac jelly. Oh, that’s sold in Korea too, right? Then I need to think harder about it.”

Having received permission, we went back down to the first floor to spend some time browsing the souvenir shop.

“I still don’t think permission was granted… Hmm, I don’t know!”

“They also sell Katsuhata Yupa’s victory sword keychain. I think this one looks way prettier than the real thing.”

“The Yukdo Victory Sword? That’s a family treasure that no one is allowed to see.”

“Emika showed it to me once a long time ago. I met her when she came to Korea last year. I even saw it just two weeks ago.”

“Really? How did you become acquainted with the heir of Katsuhata?”

Ban So Wol raised her tone slightly, attracting the attention of the people enjoying chicken and beer around the circular table.

“Did she just say Katsuhata?”

“Oh my gosh, isn’t she that well-known girl from Korea!”

“It’s No Name! Wow, amazing!”

It seemed that almost all the Koreans who had boarded the ship already knew about it, and even the Japanese were starting to notice one by one.

I nodded slightly as I made eye contact with those who looked at me.

“Emika seems to be really famous in Japan.”

“Well, I wonder if ‘famous’ is enough of a term… The people here genuinely believe that the heir only trains on dew.”

You could say that belief in the organization had almost become a religion.

It made sense that the people had boundless trust, especially considering that they wouldn’t even dare to touch the Valkyries when they were at their peak.

“Is it true that you know the heir personally?”

“Yeah. Should I give her a call since I’m going to Japan?”

The preliminaries are the day after tomorrow, so it might be time to focus on condition management rather than training.

It didn’t seem that making a call at this hour would be a disturbance.

Ringtone—

A slightly drawn-out connection sound.

I patiently waited till the tune played out twice.

“Hello, this is Katsuhata Emika. Is it you, Name?”

A youthful girl’s voice came through.

Ban So Wol flinched slightly and folded her arms.

“Hi, Emika.”

“I’m glad to hear your voice! Since I know you’re having the preliminaries the day after tomorrow, did you call just to let me know? If so, then thank you so much!”

“Yes. I’m on my way.”

“On your way? Where to?”

“Well, it’s Fukuoka. I’m going to watch all the matches you’re participating in.”

“Huh! Wait, really?”

“I need to see the skill level of my opponents first-hand if I’m going to compete next year.”

“Oh! You read the interview! I feel embarrassed.”

“You really took the bait, though. I hope you don’t get eliminated in the preliminaries!”

“Do you think so? I’m more confident than anyone else this year.”

“That’s a relief. I hope you can show that confidence through your skills. Good luck!”

Since time was precious for her, she deliberately ended the call early.

After that, I spent time sharing stories about my training sessions with Ban So Wol.

In return, she taught me a lot of useful information to know before watching the national exchange tournament.

She mentioned that last year, an Indian participant faced a racial incident when a molotov cocktail was thrown at their hotel.

“The Academy Tournament felt like people were just enjoying themselves while occasionally throwing insults, but this national tournament definitely seems more intense.”

“Since it’s tied to national titles, everyone must be really serious. Other countries seem to conduct selection rounds quite fiercely.”

Currently, no one in Korea is willing to participate in the national exchange.

The disgrace of losing to a lesser nation outweighs the honor of being selected as a national representative.

Because of the perception that if you don’t win, you won’t even break even, the competition has long been considered a lost cause.

But that’s not the case for other countries.

Last year, a Hungarian boy who made it to the semifinals after defeating Emika received Hungary’s highest honor, the St. Stephen’s Order, and became a national hero.

And the government and corporations provide additional sponsorship.

“I must not mention this in front of Emika. It might trigger her trauma.”

From what I’ve seen, Emika has a weak mentality.

Just looking at her performance during last year’s matches, it was odd how she couldn’t display her skills.

“Oh! I wonder if it’s okay to share this? If you check the LiveBetInfo channel, you can see the odds. It’ll help you see who the favorites are.”

Well, gambling is something that inevitably comes with sports.

“Overall, Europe seems to be strong, right?”

By the way, the U.S. doesn’t participate as the tournament doesn’t align with their principles.

“The main users are European, so there might be some bias. Besides, the winner is always the underdog.”

“France, the UK, Switzerland, Switzerland, Egypt. Got it.”

I felt a bit sorry for Emika, who was sitting so low at 11th place.

“That shocking defeat from last year may still be impacting her.”

The announcements over the speakers flowed, indicating that we would soon arrive at Hakata Port.

The loud cries of the seagulls were a reminder that we were nearing land, despite the sound of the waves.

Outside the window, long concrete structures stood against the backdrop of scattered mountain ridges.

The evening sun painted the coastline in red hues.

The elongated light beam of the sunset across the sea resembled glistening grilled pork belly on a metal plate.

“I’m so hungry.”

Seeing such a magnificent view only made me think of how hungry I was.

I gripped my empty stomach.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten a single meal today.

“Do you like eel rice? My mom is making shrimp tempura and eel rice for dinner tonight.”

“I love it! I can’t wait to eat.”

“She said she’d make a special dish since you’re coming, No Name. You can expect it to be tasty.”

Ban So Wol confidently gave me a thumbs-up.

The ferry safely arrived at the harbor with a slight bump.

While she got up to grab her suitcase, I firmly held onto Ban So Wol’s hand across from me.

“Shall we go? I don’t know the way well, but I’ll guide you to the exit first.”

Ban So Wol chuckled and shook our joined hands back and forth.

“Let’s go shopping for some clothes first. That might be a good idea, right? You don’t even have underwear for tomorrow.”

* * *

We stopped by the department store in front of the harbor to buy some children’s clothes.

“What do you think?”

“They’re so cute! It’s like looking at spring chicks!”

“Please wrap this one up too.”

As I tried on one outfit after another, Ban So Wol kept swiping her card, leaving me no chance to refuse.

I thought I’d need to take a picture later to show what I looked like in virtual reality.

“Thank you! Goodbye!”

The store clerk’s proficiency in Korean, without using a translator, was quite fluent.

I really felt like I had entered a foreign country the moment the elevator announcement was made in Japanese.

When we reached Ban So Wol’s home by taxi, it was already 8:30 PM.

Ding dong—

A middle-aged woman in an apron opened the door.

“Welcome back.”

“So Wol! Oh, you must be tired after your long journey! Who’s next to you?”

“Hello.”

“Wooow! You’re the legendary No Name! Come on in! Isn’t it hot outside? Hurry up!”

“I’m sorry for visiting so abruptly.”

“Not at all! You’re always welcome here.”

“Then, excuse me.”

“No Name, you can leave your luggage in my room right in front of the entrance.”

After taking off our shoes, I tossed all the shopping bags in front of Ban So Wol’s room.

“Aren’t you hungry? I’ll make dinner in a moment!”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

“So Wol, is that you?”

A deep male voice called from the living room.

It seems to belong to her father.

I followed Ban So Wol, skipping into the living room.

“You worked hard! Oh, our daughter made a friend in Korea! But isn’t your friend a bit young?”

He smiled warmly at me.

“Hello, I’m No Name.”

“Oooh! Nice to meet you! They say the moment she appears, Korea goes crazy, huh? I wonder if our house will go crazy too, haha!”

“It seems like my father has forgotten about his daughter.”

“No way, So Wol, I’m very glad! You worked hard finishing up the term. Come sit down; I’ve put a cushion down for you. Would you like some oranges?”

“Honey! The kids need to eat dinner!”

“Oh, right. I forgot to mention I hadn’t eaten anything.”

Ban So Wol sat next to her dad, and I awkwardly took a seat opposite them.

I figured that in Japan, I should sit with my knees on the ground instead of crossing my legs, so I chose the latter.

“Make yourself comfortable, haha. By the way, umm, I have a favor to ask you.”

“Yes? A favor?”

Ban So Wol’s father rolled up his right sleeve and said with a serious expression.

“No Name, would you like to arm wrestle with Uncle?”

“Excuse…?”

I could only respond with a bewildered expression to such a serious request.

Was this a family tradition?