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Before Hani’s passed-out body touched the ground, Dokgo Miro caught her with one hand.
She looked at Hani, the latter’s eyes closed, with a complicated gaze.
It was an expression she never made during their battle.
“Hani-ah!”
“She’s unconscious. I think she fainted.”
After Professor Ham Geunhyung declared the end of the match, the kids immediately ran toward the two.
Professor Ham Geunhyung stomped his feet once, blocking us from coming closer and examining Hani.
He checked Hani’s condition and put the recovery item he was holding back in his pocket.
“I’ll have to take her to the nurse’s office.”
“Is Hani okay?”
“I don’t see any big problem. I won’t have to use a recovery item.”
The kids looked noticeably relieved, and Dokgo Miro seemed to be the most reassured.
Professor Ham Geunhyung talked to her as he laid Hani on a stretcher.
“Dokgo Miro, come with me to the nurse’s office.”
“…But I’m not hurt anywhere.”
Professor Ham Geunhyung glanced at Dokgo Miro’s fist.
Her fist was red.
‘She put down her weapon at the end.’
Bare-handed fighters such as Hani and Maeng Hyodon usually fight with combative gear on their hands.
Players who use weapons usually don’t wear such gear to better grip their weapons.
Although using gloves is an option, Dokgo Miro wielded the Morning Star with her bare hands.
“You hit her with her bare hand, not even protecting it with energy waves. If you fight like that, you can’t disregard your hand.”
Professor Ham Geunhyung criticized Dokgo Miro in a stern voice.
Dokgo Miro landed a strike with her fist unguarded by energy waves, and her hand was injured as a result.
‘I can’t believe she was able to deal that much damage even though Hani was wearing protective gear.’
Don’t people usually break or dislocate their fingers if they do that?
Moving replied, moving her red hand casually.
“It looks like this, but it doesn’t hurt much. I’m alright. I’ll be careful next time!”
Dokgo Miro answered in a friendly manner, but Ham Geunhyung still advised her to go to the nurse’s office immediately if she feels anything.
Before bringing Hani to the nurse’s office, Professor Ham Geunhyung said something unexpected.
“I will leave you guys to Professor Yong Jegun. Come out, Professor.”
“Oh, I see you new. As expected of the Legendary Archer.”
Hwik!
The dragon came down from the gym’s ceiling.
He must’ve used a flight skill to go all the way up there.
Yong Jegun hides his presence well, so no one noticed he was there.
I was both amazed and surprised.
Except for Hwang Jiho, all the other kids looked shocked too.
“Hahahha! I see you guys were clueless.”
Hwang Jiho smiled excitedly.
‘He should’ve told me if he knew…’
This old man must’ve imagined the shocked look on everyone’s faces so he didn’t tell us.
Yong Jegun was also giving a satisfied smile.
“Professor Ham Geunhyung left me in charge, so we’ll proceed with the class. What should we do? …Right, we better analyze the winner’s, Dokgo Miro’s, movements. Miro-ah, come over here.”
“…Oh, okay!”
We watched the video filmed by the recording device in the gym while Yong Jegun explained and Dokgo Miro reenacted the movements.
At first, the children were too worried about Hani to focus on class, but they gradually listened as Yong Jegun’s lecture continued.
Midway, Professor Ham Geunhyung returned and told us that Hani was alright, and the atmosphere of our class improved.
In particular, Saeum of April and Kwon Lena, who couldn’t read the two’s battle well, were constantly impressed by the review of the match.
“Wow, then she didn’t just avoid Hani’s attack, she calculated the range of the Morning Star!”
“Miro’s really strong…”
Kim Yuri kept talking to Dokgo Miro and actively asking questions about her training process, and Min Geurin unconsciously sketched in the air while watching the recorded video.
Song Daesok and Maeng Hyodon raised their voices at each other, saying they could destroy Dokgo Miro’s movements, looking like they wanted to battle it out right away.
With one stern look from Professor Ham Geunhyung, the two’s tails lowered.
Thus, the Player Battle Class 2 class seemed to end relatively peacefully.
“Shinrok seemed worried about Hani too.”
Yong Jegun passed by Hwang Jiho and said those words, but Hwang Jiho didn’t deal with him.
Being ignored by Hwang Jiho, the corners of Yong Jegun’s mouth went up.
Instead of dealing with Yong Jegun, I also decided to pay more attention to our injured classmate.
‘Will Hani be okay?’
The past between Dokgo Miro and Hani.
It would be rude to meddle in the two’s affairs.
Although I already intervened in several ways, such as having Hwang Jiho’s young alter ego enter Gwangil Elementary School, I can’t do anything to reveal the past that Dokgo Miro actively hid from Hani.
‘That’s probably why Hwang Jiho is sitting still.’
While walking after class, I noticed Hwang Jiho’s gaze turn toward the central area where the nurse’s office was located.
***
When Hani opened her eyes again, she wasn’t at the gym anymore.
She got up from the bed and felt her neck sore and her head dizzy.
When she blinked forcibly and looked forward, she saw her surroundings.
The white curtains and sheets caught her eyes.
‘This is… the nurse’s office.’
Hani once visited the nurse’s office with Kwon Lena and Saeum of April.
The two tried to stop her when Hani tried to go somewhere dangerous, fighting in the process.
The three went to the nurse’s office and wrote letters of apology.
The smell of the disinfectant reminded her of that time.
Fwaa!
Hani turned her head, feeling an energy wave nearby.
It was Gong Cheonghwon’s.
A former player nursing specialist passed behind Gong Cheonghwon, who seemed to have just consulted on Hani’s condition.
Gong Cheonghwon spoke slowly so that Hani could read every word.
“Rest some more, please. No recovery item was used on you so there must still be some pain.”
“…Professor Gong Cheonghwon.”
“Miro controlled her strength well so there seems to be no serious aftereffect, but it’ll hurt a lot today.”
When Gong Cheonghwon mentioned Dokgo Miro, Hani realized it belatedly.
‘…I lost.’
She was completely defeated by Dokgo Miro.
Hani did her best, but Dokgo Miro pulled her punches so that Hani wouldn’t be seriously injured.
Hani, who knew that fact better than anyone else, bit her lips.
She was humiliated and disappointed with herself.
Then, Gong Cheonghwon held out a mug of warm water.
“Thank you…”
While Hani drank the water slowly, Gong Cheonghwon explained how she was brought to the nurse’s office.
Hani worried that Gong Cheonghwon had seen their ugly battle, but it didn’t seem like it.
“Professor Ham Geunhyung and the class president brought you here. The class isn’t over yet so he left you to me.”
“You were in the nurse’s office by chance?”
Even though she knew that Gong Cheonghwon would answer no, Hani still asked.
Gong Cheonghwon shook his head.
“I was waiting. I thought one of the two would end up in the nurse’s office.”
“…What about Miro?”
“I haven’t seen Miro.”
Hani completely lost so she really wasn’t in a position to worry about Dokgo Miro.
Still, she felt relieved after hearing that Dokgo Miro was uninjured.
It was Hani who suddenly asked Dokgo Miro for a battle, along with the attached conditions.
Dokgo Miro responded sincerely.
‘Now I can’t ask what happened to Miro…’
Hani asked Gong Cheonghwon in a very subdued voice.
“The reason why Miro won’t talk to me… Is it because I’m weak?”
It was a question without context, but Gong Cheonghwon showed no sign of being caught off-guard.
Gong Cheonghwon didn’t ask a word about why the two had a battle.
Nevertheless, he looked as if he’d seen through the entire situation.
“Even if you were strong enough to beat Miro, Miro still wouldn’t have said anything to you, Hani.”
Although Gong Cheonghwon’s words convinced her, Hani couldn’t pull herself up from the feeling of helplessness.
Even after hours when their class came to eat lunch together, all she could do was hide her expression.
“Hani-ah, if it’s hard to move, should we order delivery food here?”
“…But it’s the nurse’s office.”
“Jiho suggested it. He said the chairman would allow it.”
Seeing Dokgo Miro talking with a smile as if nothing happened, the feeling of helplessness grew deeper.
However, as promised, Hani decided not to ask any more questions.
Hani clenched her fists very tight under the sheets so that the kids won’t see.
Hwang Jiho quietly watched his old friend.
***
After school.
I looked closely at Moon Saeron to see if she caught any news of the battle in our class, but fortunately, she didn’t seem to know anything.
I knew that the gym had all blinds put down, but I thought she would’ve done something to celebrate Dokgo Miro’s return to school.
“I’m going abroad for news coverage this weekend! Anyone wants to go?”
“Overseas? All of a sudden?”
“Just to get some fresh air, and some fresh news!”
Moon Saeron said she wanted to go overseas to investigate Phantom Thief Neon, and I wanted to stop her.
There’s nothing newsworthy about him, and above all, Phantom Thief Neon was already in our school, busy with his attention-seeking activities.
“…Come to think of it, Yeom Junyeol usually asks me regularly about the Red Wall Thief, but he doesn’t do it anymore these days.”
That word all of a sudden!
Yeom Junyeol tried to dig up information on That Word when he got back from abroad.
Moon Saeron seems to remember that time well.
Hwang Jiho’s eyes slightly perked as he feigned ignorance while looking at a hologram.
This old guy looks at me and my reaction whenever That Word comes up.
“I have to meet Yoo Sanghoon. I’m leaving first.”
“…Hmm. Okay, goodbye.”
I finally escaped the gaze of this old man after our newspaper department activities were over.
As I was heading to the meeting place with a relieved heart, a message arrived on my device.
I checked it right away to see if it was from Yoo Sanghoon, but it wasn’t.
It was from Seodol.
[Prankster] I’ve returned to Korea.
[Prankster] Actually, I didn’t arrive today, but I’m late because I had a lot to take care of. I’m sorry.
I wasn’t waiting for him to contact me so there really wasn’t anything to apologize for.
He briefly talked about some personal history that I didn’t ask for before bringing up his main point.
[Prankster] When shall I give you my gift as a celebration of my return?
Is it what he mentioned before?
One that he doesn’t know if I’d like, and one that he knew that I would hate.
I sent him a message in a polite tone, telling him to give it when it’s convenient for him.
After sending the message, I heard a familiar voice.
“Hey.”
In front of the gate.
Yoo Sanghoon stood waiting for me.
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