Archive of Our Own ^beta

It all started with one casually thrown phrase.

"And then I said, “If I get a girlfriend, I’ll have to give her something.”

Baek Yuseol pointed at the chopsticks in his hand with shining eyes, clearly pleased with the story she told. But it was obvious to him alone that she was supposed to make him look like a boring guy who boasted about his exploits in the form of beating up a bunch of self-confident kids. This was the only way to at least slightly distract Ma Yuseong’s attention and get down to business.

A deep scarlet gaze looked at the man walking next to him with interest, before his eyes curved into crescents. A hint of some idea that they didn’t think necessary to voice appeared in the smile that spread across his lips.

Leaning lower, Ma Yuseong’s warm breath touched the other’s cheek. The voice was lowered to a whisper, and it sounded quite intimate.

"Then, will you give them to me?"

Only now did Baek Yuseol notice that in this simulation, the howling of the wind in the treetops and the rustling of leaves were heard, piercing his ears along with the question. Everything was strangely… ridiculous. Ma Yuseong should have yawned and walked away disappointed.

Instead of worrying about trivialities, he just walked forward, waving his hand:

"One way or another, we divide these sticks in half."

"Then, will you give them to me?"

Less than half an hour had passed since another practice session in the simulator began. They were surrounded by a dense and dark forest, the two of them followed the bright fireflies, reminiscent of a scattering of flashing stars in the night sky. The soft wind caressed their skin along with the interested glances of the lurking monsters, too weak to be worth paying attention to.

Stepping forward, on the root-covered ground, Baek Yuseol felt a gaze burning into his back, the genius mage openly enjoying being rejected.

'Calm down, calm down… He’s also just a pubescent schoolboy who craves attention from his elders. It’s nothing to give it to him.'

Climbing over the roots of a centuries-old tree, Baek Yuseol stepped on one of them, immediately rising half a meter from the ground. Extending his hand to the student standing below, he said with a forced smile,

“Okay, I’ll give you as much as you want,” his smile grew wider, and a sly glint flashed in his narrowed eyes. “But first, let’s split up. I want to surprise you.”

A white light enveloped Baek Yuseol’s figure, it was blindingly bright, so much so that he wanted to squint his eyes. But instead, Ma Yuseong opened them wide, enchanted by the deceptively gentle face.

With a charming smile, he extended his hand in response.

“Ahh, I feel like a princess who was being picked up by a hero.”

Watching Ma Yoseong beaming with satisfaction, satisfied with the answer, Baek Yoseol sighed and discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was so hard to deal with child geniuses…

***

End of simulation.

With a proud look, Ma Yoseong wandered among the battered and trembling students, who were swept away by the overwhelming force of the two-member team that acted separately from each other. In his hands, he carried a handful of yellow chopsticks, as if bragging about how many points he earned for this activity. Too vain.

Humming under his breath, he approached Princess Hong Biyeon, her entire appearance showing the discontent boiling inside her. This was the second time her chopsticks had been taken away, and in this class, it wasn't Baek Yuseol.

"15 pieces," Ma Yoseong said with such an important face, as if this number was supposed to mean something.

"And?" Hong Biyeon squeezed out, the heat of her mana could burn.

After the rude question, a devilish smile appeared on the genius's lips. With a smug look, he stated the fact...

"Yuseol-ah gave this to me as his dear princess."

...though in a greatly distorted form.

Hong Biyeon, as well as the students eavesdropping on them, almost choked on such an outrageous statement. Instead of questioning Ma Yoseong, all eyes were fixed on Baek Yuseol, who had been standing at a distance all this time, muttering under his breath.

'B-baek Yuseol!' the princess of the Adolebit house screamed in her mind, and the light of mana flashed in her eyes.

Extremely pleased with his work, Ma Yuseong watched from the side at Baek Yuseol's worried face, to whom Hong Biyeon rushed. He still didn't know what kind of chaos his task partner had caused in the classroom...

I wonder how he'll get out of this? Very intriguing.