Chapter 505

When I’m running in the training hall, I’m fine, but why do my legs cramp whenever I go shopping?

While I could categorize it as “science” since it satisfies the criteria of repeatability, experiential capability, and objectivity, figuring out the cause was no easy task.

We sat in an indoor plaza surrounded by waterfalls and trees while eating ice cream.

I took a photo for a bright-minded fan who wisely passed by without getting in the way during our shopping earlier, as a token of appreciation.

It was around that time I met the Narita siblings.

I felt a familiar presence and turned around to see Narita Hiroyuki.

I frowned for a moment at the graphic of a skull on the center of his t-shirt.

I can’t understand how anyone could actually like that kind of thing; it must be revolting in real life.

I called him over.

“Why are you radiating such an aura? What’s the matter, do you have a complaint about me?”

The boy, who couldn’t help but emit a noticeable presence, was spreading his aura wide.

I couldn’t ask if it was confusing for Ban So Wol, who couldn’t see in front of her, but I questioned Hiroyuki’s actions with suspicion.

“It seems like there’s some misunderstanding. First of all, I’ve never done anything like that.”

Look at him pretending to be clueless.

“What do you mean you’ve never done anything like that? You might not be overt about it, but it’s not like I’m completely unaware; you’ve been scratching and rubbing against different people as if you were hoping someone would notice.”

“…!”

The boy’s eyes narrowed as if he had been hit in the bullseye.

The short-haired girl next to him apologized on his behalf and revealed the truth.

“I’m sorry, Name-san. Although our Narita-kun often fantasizes about ridiculous scenarios like ‘Oh, are you a strong one?’ in that middle school delusion way, he never meant it with any bad intentions, so please forgive him, heh-heh!”

Hiroyuki’s face turned red as he struggled to cover Mei’s mouth.

‘What on earth is the benefit of such a situation happening?’

I shook my head.

Mei, who managed to slip out of Hiroyuki’s grasp, extended her hand for a handshake with me.

“Still, what a wonderful connection to meet you here, Name-san. I’ve wanted to meet you since I was in Japan. I couldn’t greet you properly before in the party room because of the chaos. Ah, I also enjoyed the national exchange event match so much…!”

While saying this, Mei shot a fierce glare at Hiroyuki.

“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you too. You did quite well against Nathan Chen, Mei-san.”

“Ah, did you see my match? I feel a bit embarrassed about my performance, though.”

Mei covered her face with both hands.

But Nathan Chen is still considered the overwhelming favorite, isn’t he?

She seemed to have very high standards for herself.

“Would you like to join us for shopping if it’s okay? But, um, who’s that beside you…?”

Narita Mei trailed off while looking at Saetbyeol.

“This is my sister.”

“Wha, wow…! You really are her sister?”

“Hi! I’m Chon Saetbyeol, Name-chan’s one and only sister! Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!”

Saetbyeol, who had been a little away from us, dashed over to say hello.

“Yes, yes, I’m looking forward to it too… You look so beautiful, Saetbyeol-san! Are you a model by any chance?”

“Oh, don’t tease me with such compliments. Hehe, I do hear that quite often.”

“It’s not a flattery; it’s sincere. My real mother works for Shiseido, so I’m very interested in makeup and fashion. It’s amazing that you can pull off such a look perfectly! Hurry, Hiroyuki, you need to greet her too.”

Mei elbowed Hiroyuki in the side.

The boy, who had been folding his arms and avoiding eye contact, turned this way.

He quickly scanned Saetbyeol with his eyes before going back to look at his phone.

“Um, so… as Mei said… you seem to be a beautiful woman…”

“Eh? A beauty? That’s the first time I’ve heard you say something like that!”

“I’ve said it often; you just didn’t hear. Don’t mind what he says, Saetbyeol-san.”

Thus, a shopping party of four was formed.

Saetbyeol, Mei, and I moved in a line, while Hiroyuki walked a little behind.

Narita Mei tended to spend a lot, so she always came out of any store with at least one shopping bag.

Hiroyuki, who had taken on the role of a pack mule, found his arms becoming heavier with shopping bags.

“Name-san, do you not have any interest in makeup yet?”

“No, just sunscreen when I go out.”

“You seem interested, Saetbyeol-san. Right?”

“I find more satisfaction in collecting them than using them on my face. The fun of filling my vanity is quite enjoyable, I’d say.”

“Ah, then wait here for a moment!”

Suddenly, Narita Mei dashed into the Dolce & Gabbana store.

Several staff members were bustling about, layering items carefully.

With a broad smile, Mei handed a shopping bag to Saetbyeol.

“Tada! This is a flattery gift for you, Saetbyeol-san! If you ever get the chance to model, you must contact me first. Definitely!”

She thrust a set of cosmetics into Saetbyeol’s hands, despite her adamant refusal.

“Chon Saetbyeol, aren’t you happy to receive a gift?”

“Ah, my popularity! Being born beautiful can be exhausting.”

We decided to take a break at a four-person table with a parasol and opted for simple baguette sandwiches for dinner.

Finally, we could sit for a bit.

I came to relax, but it seemed like I was only going to leave with muscle pains.

I decided to sit next to Mei and discuss the previous national exchange event match.

“The difference in output between opponents is significant. Throughout the approach, I keep getting hit by spells, which results in serious cumulative damage.”

“Yes. My master commanded me not to face them directly and to use speed to close the distance instantly, but… it’s easier said than done.”

“If it were me, hmm. Using the barrier techniques I applied on Hiroyuki would be a good option. This one is a bit trickier, but employing Roxinian Paranova-type magic to interfere with the magic circle itself might also be a solution.”

“Oh, I should mention this to my master sometime. Thank you for the help, Name-san.”

In the meantime, a long baguette tuna sandwich came out.

They weren’t joking when they said it was four servings; it indeed looked enormous.

Are we just supposed to cut it up with a knife and take pieces?

CRUNCH—

Hiroyuki was the first to slice the sandwich and put it on his plate.

‘Well, he did have a tough day today, so it’s acceptable for him to eat first.’

But instead of taking his own, he quietly stood up and exchanged it with Saetbyeol’s empty plate.

“Go ahead.”

He then cut the baguette again and set aside his portion.

Chon Saetbyeol looked bewildered, unable to comprehend what was happening.

She raised her eyebrows and gave me a questioning look.

‘What is this?’

‘I don’t know either.’

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Mei was the first to ask.

“What’s going on? Why did you only take care of Saetbyeol-san’s plate?”

“Not far off. Want me to cut yours too?”

“No, it’s fine. Enjoy!”

Narita Mei couldn’t hide her smile.

Hiroyuki ignored her and focused back on his meal.

Hiroyuki’s peculiar behavior didn’t stop there.

He asked Saetbyeol for her Instagram ID while taking pictures to post on social media.

He handed a napkin to Saetbyeol when she spilled mayonnaise sauce.

This time, he placed his phone on the table and pretended to be looking at cat photos next to her.

Hold on a second.

Isn’t that just too obvious?

I immediately whispered to Mei.

“Is he always like this? Why does he keep getting close to my sister?”

Mei shook her head vigorously.

“Right? This idiot suddenly pretending to be a real person is quite shocking to me. He’s usually such a dork who can’t even talk to girls… What the heck is this situation?”

For now, Chon Saetbyeol seemed to be indifferent to it all.

She snorted into the napkin Hiroyuki had given her, then stuffed the remaining sandwich into her mouth.

“Ahhh it hurts! The baguette is scratching my mouth! Name, water, water!”

“You’re a real mess, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Isn’t this a Turkish Angora? That’s my favorite cat.”

“Yes.”

“I heard this breed is a handful to take care of, huh?”

“The more challenging they are, the more affection I feel, so I find it enjoyable. Cats are usually indifferent. But this one seems to demand attention, which is a bit… Oh, did I say something weird? I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ve also been told I’m such a handful by my friends. Look at Name-chan’s sister. Isn’t it the same? Boop.”

Chon Saetbyeol imitated a cat sleeping with its tongue out.

“Whoa… that’s not sleeping; it looks like it’s choked to death or something, right?”

The way its neck was twisted and its eyes rolled back, revealing the whites, was downright horrifying.

Hiroyuki’s previously pale face began to gain color.

Yeah, even a guy would find that expression unsettling.

But the words he uttered next shocked everyone.

“You’re too cute, Chon Saetbyeol-san.”

“Me? Thank you…?”

Seeing the strange atmosphere, Narita Mei stepped in to break it.

“Um, we should get back to base camp now, hehe… Today was really fun, and I hope you do well in the national exchange event, Name-san. Thank you for your help!”

“Yes. Let’s meet at a higher place.”

Mei grabbed Hiroyuki’s wrist and dragged him away.

I could faintly hear talks about whether he ate something wrong today or if he had a head injury from the last match.

In the end, all we had left from today were a teddy bear t-shirt, a pink suspender skirt, and a Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics set.

Oh right, I forgot to buy underwear and pajamas.