Support Ex-Rank
Right after I sent the message, I got a reply from Yong Jegun.
Although people of royal lineage have faster reaction times than an average human, his reply came at a terrifying speed.
Or maybe it’s just that my hands have slowed down because I was hesitating.
[Yong Jegun] Hi, Euishin-ah.
[Yong Jegin] I was waiting! ^^
I wasn’t contacting him for something pleasant, but Yong Jegun’s mood was up.
To think that he was waiting for me happily!
Anyone who knows anything about Yong Jegun would’ve turned off their message window and run away the moment his reply came.
I decided to pick up my courage and reply.
[Me] Hello, are you busy right now?
[Yong Jegun] Not at all. Should I go to Eungwang High? I can go right now! ^^
I just meant maybe we could talk on the phone or exchange messages…
Yong Jegun wants to go to the school and get the replay function right away.
There’s a saying that iron should be stroked while it’s hot, so is it better to say it right away?
But I couldn’t say yes immediately.
There was something on my mind.
‘I didn’t tell the tigers.’
To be fair, using the replay function on Yong Jegun has nothing to do with the Tiger Clan.
If you think about it, it’s not like there’s a strong relationship between Yong Jegun and the Tiger Clan.
He’s a long-term teacher at Eungwang High and an ally to the Tiger Clan, and he’s also a close friend of Kim Shinrok.
Strangely enough though, perhaps the tigers’ eyes would catch it anyway.
‘…Should I ask Hwang Jiho to lend me a place for replay tomorrow?’
The venue isn’t the only thing we needed.
The target has to be asleep for the function to work.
Most sleep-inducing items won’t work on Yong Jegun, so I need the sleep scent made by Hyangrok.
Hwang Jiho has been in charge of that for the past replays, so maybe I should ask him again this time.
Hwang Jiho will be able to make time even if it’s a sudden appointment, but it may be difficult to see him tomorrow since he has a schedule.
‘…I made up my mind, but I found a reason to delay it again.’
Still, I think there are no errors in my thought process.
Probably.
After organizing my thoughts, I managed to enter a message on the device.
[Me] I need time to prepare.
[Me] Is it okay to schedule it after I talk to Hwang Jiho tomorrow?
[Yong Jegun] I see you need time to get ready. Anytime is good for me.
Yong Jegun didn’t ask what preparations I needed and why I had to talk with Hwang Jiho first.
The conversation ended pleasantly without him asking any questions.
The quick-witted Yong Jegun must’ve noticed that I made up my mind.
[Yong Jegun] See you tomorrow, Euishin-ah. Sleep well.
[Yong Jegun] ^^
I turned off the message window after replying.
It’s been a while since I was greeted good night by my playable character, but I don’t think I could sleep well at all tonight.
After staying up for a long time in my lonely dormitory room, I fell into a dreamless sleep around dawn.
***
Late at night, Sung Siwan and Gye Idam left the Student Council Hall.
Sung Siwan was visibly haggard, and Gye Idam was there supporting him.
Only after walking away from the hall did Sung Siwan manage to walk on his own.
“Sorry, Idam-ah. I can walk now.”
“…Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Sung Siwan said he was okay, but he didn’t look like it at all.
After dinner with the Jiikhoe people, Sung Siwan immediately headed to the secret passage under the Student Council Hall.
It was a little early, but all of the members of the council were away on a dinner so the two reached the otherworld simulator without being noticed.
When the two appeared, the AI of the former head of the association wondered.
[Did that kid send you here?]
— Yes, he gave me until Christmas Eve to clear the boss room.
[Did he finish interpreting the data?]
— Yes, and I heard he’s talked with the staff.
The former head of the association looked lost in thought.
It would be more appropriate to say that the AI took a long time processing the input, but it somehow thought of the absent Jo Euishin.
[…I see. Alright.]
As if the calculation has been completed, the former head of the association smiled belligerently.
Looking at his expression, the two thought that he was really similar to Sung Gukeon.
[I’ll allow you to try again. Bring me down!]
The method was one-on-one just as before.
If there was anything different from the rules last time, it was okay to try again and again.
Perhaps because the former head was already exposed to Sung Siwan, his attack was stronger than before.
Sung Siwan failed to respond properly, taking more than a few seconds to physically recuperate from the mental attacks.
Sung Siwan quickly became spent from the mental attacks, but he had no place to use his energy waves to fight back.
After trying several times, the former head of the association put down his foot.
[That’s it for today.]
— …I can still fight! Please.
Sung Siwan pleaded, but the former head replied coldly.
His response was so cold that it was hard to think that he was talking to his grandchild.
[That child sent you here to make you a usable card. He can’t use you if you’re broken.]
Having said that, Sung Siwan eventually stepped down.
He was about to try again after sleeping overnight, but Gye Idam actively stopped him.
“…You should refrain from trying again until you recover. Or I’ll go first next time.”
Sung Siwan didn’t seem to want Gye Idam to try it until he cleared the boss room himself.
Although he was completely defeated, it remained unchanged that he was stronger than Gye Idam.
Gye Idam decided to comply, but he didn’t intend to let him recklessly keep trying again.
Sung Siwan nodded reluctantly at Gye Idam’s persuasion.
“Okay… It’ll be hard to win at this rate. I’m sorry I’m making you worry.”
“…It’s alright.”
Gye Idam felt choked up by Sung Siwan’s apology, but he managed to suppress it.
He knew that more than anyone else, Sung Siwan was the most agitated.
“Can you tell me what powers he used? Maybe we can find an answer if we talked about it.”
Gye Idam listened to Sung Siwan’s answer and headed to the residential area.
***
The next morning.
A notice was issued to prepare for the festival schedule.
Even though we still had to take a final exam before the festival, the whole school seemed to be excited.
The seniors, whose careers were confirmed after all the tests, showed a lot of interest in the festival.
My class was just as excited.
As soon as we arrived at school, the kids talked about the souvenirs sent by Ong Gildong.
“Sorry, I should’ve prepared early…”
“No! You were busy with your tutoring, Yuri-ah.”
Our class has fewer people than other classes.
We even have kids who don’t attend school.
The commuting kids are busy as well.
Kim Yuri is busy with student association work and her lessons with Jukho.
“It might be difficult for me to help out at this festival. We have a presentation at the string club, so…”
“The art department and the oriental painting group are preparing for a joint exhibition and we’ve got lots to prepare.”
Kwon Lena and Min Geurin are unable to participate too.
The other kids were busy too.
Song Daesok was busy with satellite work, and Goo Seulbi and Ong Gildong seemed to be busy doing something out of sight.
“The old… I mean the professor will allow me to leave if I tell him in advance.”
“I think I can quit two part-time jobs. You can call me anytime.”
Maeng Hyodon was training despite Bang Yoonseob’s absence.
Wouldn’t the Taoist be very upset if his only student stops attending training?
I think Mok Wooram’s livelihood would be at risk too if he quits two jobs.
“The Taehokwon small group will hold a demonstration event, but it’s okay since we usually do that.”
“Tell me if you don’t have enough people for the Taehokwon event, Hani-ah. I’ll help!”
“Hahaha! This body will help too.”
“…”
Hani, Dokgo Miro, and Hwang Jiho seemed to be relatively free.
The newspaper department decided to focus on covering events on campus during the festival.
We plan to hold an exhibition by printing articles that draw attention, but we won’t need that much time to prepare for that.
In the end, only those three, me, and Saeum of April could make time for the festival.
It’s a little questionable whether five people could manage all the preparations.
“There are many people who joined the student association this year, so it’ll be okay if I don’t help there. I’ll focus on our class activities for now!”
Kim Yuri seemed to feel a sense of responsibility and urgency as our class president.
Counting Kim Yuri, we would be a total of six.
I thought we didn’t have enough time to execute a big project.
“I wish some other kids would go to school too. It’s a shame.”
Saeum of April sounded disappointed after our meeting.
The other kids seemed to feel the same.
At lunchtime.
I called out Hwang Jiho and talked to him about Yong Jegun’s replay.
Hwang Jiho, who listened to me quietly, replied.
“You looked strange from the morning. You were thinking about that? You have a lot of worries. You seemed to be worried about Yong Jegun instead of yourself though.”
It will be Yong Jegun who will be subjected, so why should I worry about me?
It’s obvious that I’d worry about Yong Jegun.
As if he read my mind, Hwang Jiho clicked his tongue.
“Even if he looks like that, Yong Jegun has a core harder than a dragon’s scale. Don’t worry too much about him.”
I know how good my playable character’s mentality is.
He saved students despite being in a crisis.
But that and being subjected to the replay function are different things.
…In the end, I’ll be using him to get information.
“If you want to use the information effectively, you better get it as soon as possible. Yong Jegun said he’s free, so it’s best if you call him today.”
Hwang Jiho lucked out over me.
He contacted Yong Jegun himself, who willingly replied that he would make time today.
And just like that, I was set to use the Replay Function on Yong Jegun after class.
Support Ex-Rank
