Chapter 97

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 22, 2025

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When you think about it, it’s not like we meet that often or anything.

But the fact that his voice is so familiar to my ears means that guy must have left a huge impression on me.

And the fact that his voice alone is enough to completely ruin my mood means that impression definitely wasn’t a good one.

“I might overlook a little bit of fun, but…”

That’s enough.

I don’t want to hear any more.

I pressed my earring.

– *BAM!*

I planted a Rocket Punch right into Escario’s face.

As the tables where people were sitting flipped over, Escario flew across the room and tumbled to the ground.

“Hey, you bastard.”

I’ve never felt this much anger before.

“Know your place, you damn mutt.”

– *CRASH!*

– *CLANG!*

“V-Vesprede! Wait!”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

“Ugh!”

– *BANG!*

– *SMASH!*

– *CLANG!*

Like I said, if it comes to a fight, I win.

I haven’t hit Eve yet, so I don’t know about her, but at least Aquamarine would lose her mind after taking a hit like that.

Escario, who has similar strength to Aquamarine, probably can’t handle this either.

Grabbing Escario’s shoulder as he tried to stagger to his feet, I delivered a Rocket Punch to his stomach!

“W-Wait!” Escario gasped, but I grabbed him again and punched him in the face!

This time, I didn’t use my right hand.

No point in risking getting stunned myself.

“Today was supposed to be a fun day!”

– *THUD!*

– *WHAM!*

– *CRACK!*

“S-Stop…!”

“You stop, you bastard! Why do you keep showing up in front of me, you stalker freak! Die! Die! Just die! If you die, it’ll all be over!”

“V-Vesprede, stop!”

“Stop what, you jerk! You’re the one blocking my path in life! Stop! You stop!”

And at that moment, someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me back.

I’m not the type to be easily dragged around, but I was yanked back in an instant.

“Noona, you should stop.”

It was Chilho.

“Let go.”

“Noona. It’s better to stop.”

“Stop what? That bastard needs to die right here.”

“Come on. Everyone’s watching.”

Chilho, with his ever-smiling face, still had no intention of letting go of my waist.

“Let go. Even if it’s you, you can’t stop me right now— Huh?”

Suddenly, a straw was shoved into my mouth, and before I knew it, I was sipping.

Cold, sweet coffee filled my mouth.

“Alright, I get that he’s your enemy, but Noona, causing a scene in front of so many people will only make things harder for you. Have something sweet and calm down a bit.”

The anger subsided.

Sugar power is amazing.

“…Fine, I’ve calmed down. Let go.”

“Come on, let’s go this way~ Be a good girl~”

“Do I look like a dog to you, punk?”

Chilho dragged me back to our original spot, and in the meantime, Escario was also staggering to his feet.

But his face was completely fine.

No nosebleed, not even a scratch on his face.

A memory flashed through my mind.

He said his strength hadn’t fully returned yet. Could it be that his strength has fully returned now?

If that power, which was still inferior to Eve’s, has fully returned…

“Oof, your punches are pretty spicy, Vesprede.”

Escario casually walked over and sat across from me. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

“I didn’t say you could sit.”

“Don’t be like that. My wife is having a good time with another man, and I’m supposed to just sit back and watch? I’ve been very patient and accommodating.”

*Crack.*

The ice in the takeout cup shattered with a sharp sound.

“And the guy next to you…”

Escario’s gaze turned to Chilho.

His eyes scanned him up and down, and for some reason, it made me uncomfortable.

“He’s quite pale, but not bad-looking. Not as good as me, though.”

“Pfft!”

I burst out laughing.

Of course, I had to laugh. Comparing Chilho to that freak? Please.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hey, do you not own a mirror?”

“I look at it every day. Isn’t it true?”

“Yeah, yeah. Compared to when you were a ham-human, you’ve improved. But comparing yourself to my Chilho? That’s just rude.”

“Ham-human? What’s that… Wait, did you just say ‘my’?”

“Yeah, ‘my’ Chilho.”

I linked arms with Chilho.

Chilho looked a bit surprised, but he didn’t move otherwise.

On the other hand, Escario’s face started to twist.

Did I hit a nerve? Whatever. It’s not like it matters.

“I see. Understood.”

Escario stood up with a scraping sound from his chair.

His gaze remained fixed on Chilho, not moving an inch.

“Vesprede, I’ve taken your words to heart. I’ll be going now. We’ll see each other again soon.”

“Can’t we just not see each other again and live our lives?”

“…”

Escario didn’t respond to that.

He just stared at me and Chilho intently.

“Well, then. Goodbye.”

—

“Let’s go eat dinner.”

“Shall we?”

Chilho, who seemed unusually happy, giggled as I dragged him along.

“What do you feel like eating?”

“Hmm, I’m fine with convenience store cup noodles if it’s with you, Noona. Hehe.”

“Don’t be silly.”

It’s not like we’re actually going to eat cup noodles at a convenience store.

But my wallet isn’t in the best shape for anything fancy either.

Ugh. Five million won. Ouch.

“Hey, Noona. How about some soup with rice?”

“Sounds good.”

That was a welcome suggestion.

Soup with rice. How could I not love it?

A steaming bowl of broth with a bowl of rice, paired with a glass of soju. Ah, that’s the life…

“Then let’s go. That place over there has great soup with rice.”

Chilho pointed to a sign that read “Original Grandma’s Soup with Rice.”

The sign was about a third broken, with a fluorescent light peeking through. It definitely had that authentic vibe.

If a soup-with-rice place has a flashy sign, it feels off somehow.

Is it just me? A slightly broken, worn-out sign just screams “this place is legit.”

“One intestine soup with rice, special. Add a lot of heart and lungs, please.”

“Oh, you’re having the intestine soup? You must really like innards.”

“Of course. I love innards. You’ll give me a lot, right?”

“Sure, I’ll pile it on.”

The inside of the shop was filled with the rich aroma of pork broth.

“Noona, should we get a bottle of soju too?”

“Hey, you know what’s up. Soup with rice without soju? That’s just wrong.”

If Eve or Dusik heard this, they’d be horrified.

Weirdly, ever since I became a girl, my alcohol tolerance has dropped. Back in the day, I could down two or three bottles of soju no problem… But one bottle should be fine.

And Chilho’s here too.

“Hey, Chilho.”

“Yes?”

As the side dishes were neatly laid out on the table, I picked up my chopsticks and tried a piece of fresh cabbage salad.

Spicy and salty—it was pretty good.

“Here’s some water.”

“Oh, thanks.”

He placed a glass of water in front of me and took a sip of his own.

“How did it feel when you hugged my waist earlier?”

“Pfft!”

Chilho started coughing, probably choking on his water. I smirked.

Did you think I’d forget?

I remember you dragging me around by the waist earlier.

“How did it feel?”

“N-No… It’s not like I had any ulterior motives or anything…”

“How did it feel?”

“It was nice.”

“Good. Isn’t Noona’s waist slim?”

“Like an ant’s.”

“You punk. You only say what you want to hear.”

Meanwhile, the steaming soup with rice was placed in front of us.

The bubbling, milky broth looked absolutely delicious.

“Let’s eat!”

“Yes!”

—

“Ugh. Seriously.”

Why are there only stalkers around me?

“Didn’t I tell you not to drink?”

“What, do you think I’m a three-year-old? Why are you following me around like this…”

“One boiled pork set, please.”

“Why are you ordering so casually?”

“I haven’t had dinner either.”

Eve, who somehow found me, was sitting next to me, casually placing her order.

Why, seriously, why are there only stalkers around me?

“Chilho.”

“Yes, Noona.”

“Why are there only stalkers around me?”

“Haha… At least they’re good-looking stalkers, right?”

“You’re good with words. So, what’s up? How did you find me again?”

The boiled pork set arrived in less than five minutes, and Eve started making her own soup with rice by dipping radish kimchi and green onion kimchi into the broth.

Wow, that broth is red.

Dusik likes spicy broth too. Honestly, I don’t get magical girls.

“I was at the Myeongdong reconstruction site and hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Can I eat first before we talk?”

“Oh, really? Sorry. You should eat.”

“Give me a drink.”

Eve held out her glass, and Chilho quickly offered the soju bottle.

“Not you.”

“Why?”

“Can’t I have a drink from my wife? Why? Is that not allowed?”

“It’s not like it’s not allowed, but…”

If she asks, I should give it to her. Since when did she become my husband?

But it’s weird. Even though Eve was originally a man, I don’t feel any discomfort when she calls herself my husband or me her wife.

Anyway, I filled her glass, and Eve downed it in one go before taking a sip of the broth.

“The reconstruction should be done soon. The Combat Engineer Girls are all on it.”

“Really?”

What’s a Combat Engineer Girl?

“There are Combat Engineer Girls. Originally, ‘combat engineer’ is a military term, but since we gathered girls specialized in recovery magic, the name just stuck.”

“What was it originally?”

“I forgot.”

“Good job, very helpful.”

“Anyway, long story short. Yoon-Woo, what have you been up to? Did you meet Escario earlier?”

I did.

I beat him up real good.

Though I didn’t leave a single mark on him…

“How did you know? I did meet him. Well, more like he found me.”

“However it happened, he declared war again.”

“What?”

Wait, he went back and declared war already?

It hasn’t even been a few hours!

“This time, it’s you guys he’s targeting. And the attack zone is…”

“Stop dragging it out. Where?”

Eve took another spoonful of soup and looked at me.