Chapter 57 – GOY 57

#57

Today ​was ​the ​day ​for ​the ​practical Gate Raid ​training.

Students ​of ​the ​Esper ​Academy participate in practical ​gate ​training once a ​semester.

Normally, when a ​gate ​appears, ​the ​government ​measures ​its rank and ​holds ​an ​auction, but during ​this season, the Esper ​Academy is ​given priority ​in the ​bidding.

The Academy ​wins ​the ​bid for a ​gate suitable ​for student training and ​then assigns students based ​on their rank.

I was ​assigned to ​participate ​in the raid of a B-Class ​gate that appeared in ​Daejeon. ​Naturally, ​my ​assigned ​Esper, Joo Seung-hyuk, ​was with ​me.

B-Class ​was the highest ​rank ​among the gates used for ​training at ​the ​Esper Academy.

Since it ​was ​training ​organized ​by ​the school, ​safety ​was the ​top priority, so they never raided high-rank ​gates of A-Class ​or above.

In front ​of the KR Building, ​many Ability ​Users of A-Class ​or ​higher, including Ji-hee ​noona, Seon-woo hyung, ​and Kang ​In-ho, ​were gathered. ​And ​then there ​was ​Joo Seung-hyuk.

It ​was ​a ​luxurious Read on Read BL Novelslineup, capable ​of ​easily [unauthorized copy]stolen contentclearing ​even ​an ​A-Class ​gate.

We were planning to take a bus from here to Daejeon.

I looked at the black tent visible behind the KR Building. It was where ‘Han Examination Room’ used to be, but it was now covered by a tent.

The Academy had not yet announced the fact that Joo Seung-hyuk had destroyed that building.

“Hyung.”

Joo Seung-hyuk, who had been tightly hugging my waist since morning, whispered softly.

“Yeah.”

“Are you thinking about the building?”

“Well, since it was destroyed…”

“It was too weak.”

“I-I guess so… It would have been better if it were built sturdily… haha.”

That’s right. It’s [stolen content]the building’s fault for [Read on Read BL Novels]being weak. If [Read on Read BL Novels]the Obsessive Madman says so, then so be it.

“So I decided to rebuild it for you.”

I see Joo Seung-hyuk decided to handle it. That’s probably why the Academy didn’t announce it. Since it was originally a building built by Seong Han, it would look better if Seong Han rebuilt it…

“That’s kind of you.”

“Am I kind?”

“Yeah.”

“Should I destroy one more?”

“Why? Why?!”

Why on earth would he destroy another perfectly fine building?! When I asked in surprise, Joo Seung-hyuk’s eyes curved gently.

“Because I want to be praised by Hyung.”

…He really is a crazy bastard.

“Y-you can’t do that. It’ll be hard for other people.”

“Why do you care about other people?”

Joo Seung-hyuk’s gaze suddenly turned cold. Surely he isn’t getting jealous even at this moment… As expected, one should not expect common sense from an Obsessive Madman.

“Seung-hyuk-ah, I think uniforms really suit you.”

I quickly changed the subject. Since it was school training, everyone was wearing uniforms, and Joo Seung-hyuk looked exceptionally handsome.

His face really is stunning. Because he looks like that, I ended up saying those things while drunk… Why did the drunken truth have to come out then? But it was too late to regret it now.

At my praise, Joo Seung-hyuk’s eyes curved strangely.

“Only the uniform?”

“No. I think black suits you well.”

“I guess I should only wear black clothes every day.”

You’re already wearing nothing but black.

However, instead of telling the truth, I just gave a silly smile.

“By the way, Seung-hyuk-ah, are you taking the bus too?”

“Yes.”

The rule was to gather at school and take the bus to the gate. However, if one provided a reason, they were allowed to come in their own car.

I knew that Joo Seung-hyuk had taken his own car to the gate last year.

“Will you be okay?”

I asked, worried that he might be taking the bus just because of me. But Joo Seung-hyuk laughed lightly.

“What wouldn’t be okay?”

“Then that’s a relief…”

As Joo Seung-hyuk lightly stroked my hair, the bus arrived.

We boarded the bus together.

“Hyung, where do you want to sit?”

Seung-hyuk asked, holding my hand tightly.

Does he actually intend to sit with me?

“Seung-hyuk-ah, the thing is, Espers are supposed to sit on the right and Guides on the left…”

It was the rule for Guides and Espers to sit separately.

As I carefully explained, Joo Seung-hyuk smiled brightly.

“We sat together before, didn’t we?”

“……”

That was true. I had taken the bus with Joo Seung-hyuk once before. We sat together then…

---

During my first year of high school, I participated in a national gate subjugation in Buan.

The national gate subjugation was managed by the Center, and as always, I took the Center’s bus from my designated seat. In the case of national gate subjugations, many people took their own cars or their guild’s cars to the gate, but that didn’t apply to me.

However, that day was different from usual.

Normally, separate buses for Guides and Espers were operated, but on this day, Guides and Espers were mixed.

Because a B-Class gate created in Buan was discovered late and they had to move urgently, it seemed they hadn’t been able to prepare separate buses.

Even though it was B-Class, if the gate were to open because of the delay, it would be irreversible.

I felt burdened by boarding the bus with Espers, but I couldn’t say I wouldn’t go because of that.

I quietly boarded the bus.

‘I don’t see anyone I know today…’

Usually, there was at least one person I knew, like Kang In-ho, Hyuk-jin hyung, or Chae-ah noona, but today there was no one.

As I sat awkwardly in a window seat alone, I heard a whistle.

‘Wow, it’s Lee Yeon-soo. What a stroke of luck.’

A large man who looked to be in his 30s looked at me with glistening eyes and plopped down in the seat next to me.

‘…Espers are on the right.’

Even if Guides and Espers boarded together, the implicit rule was to divide by left and right based on the center. When I pointed that out, the Esper instead pressed his body closer to mine.

‘How stingy. Espers hate it when you act so stiff. I’m telling you this as a senior in life.’

‘Then I’ll go somewhere else.’

I stood up from my seat. However, the man grabbed my hand and forced me to sit back down.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

‘Please let go.’

‘What did I even do? I’m just saying let’s go while chatting comfortably… Gack!’

A tearing groan erupted from the mouth of the man who had been gripping my hand tightly.

I was startled to see the boy who had attacked the man.

It was Joo Seung-hyuk.

Why was Joo Seung-hyuk here? stolen contentMinors do [stolen content]participate in gate subjugations, but usually from high school onwards.

Of course, I had participated since my first year of middle school, but that was because I was a Guide.

In the case of Espers, who have to fight monsters directly in the gate, even an S-Class could only participate in raids once they reached their first year of high school. But Joo Seung-hyuk was still in his third year of middle school.

‘You little brat!’

The man yelled at Joo Seung-hyuk.

Since he knew me, there was no way he didn’t know Joo Seung-hyuk. He surely knew that Joo Seung-hyuk was still a middle schooler. However, Joo Seung-hyuk swung his sword without hesitation, imbuing it with mana.

Other Espers rushed over, sensing the severity of the situation, but it was already too late.

I squeezed my eyes shut. At that moment, I heard the man’s scream.

‘Agh! Ah!!’

Startled, I opened my eyes to see the man’s arm bent grotesquely.

Joo Seung-hyuk dragged him along while holding his arm bent, then threw him down the bus steps. The man rolled out of the bus, screaming.

Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t use Esper powers. Rather, it was Read on Read BL Novelsthat man who had Read on Read BL Novelsused Read on Read BL Novelsmana. Despite that, Joo Seung-hyuk easily subdued a man much larger than himself.

While everyone stood speechless, overwhelmed by his skill, Joo Seung-hyuk spoke coldly to the person in charge of the raid from the Center.

‘What are you doing? You said it’s urgent. Clear that bastard away and let’s go quickly.’

‘Ah, yes, we should.’

The person in charge, who seemed somewhat clumsy, reported the man to the police.

While he was on the phone, Joo Seung-hyuk walked toward the inside of the bus and sat in the seat next to me.

Unlike the man from before, it seemed Joo Seung-hyuk sat next to me because he truly didn’t know any better.

Still, I wondered why he chose the seat next to me specifically, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that Espers should go to the right.

A few minutes later, the bus departed.

Joo Seung-hyuk closed his eyes with his arms crossed.

‘Did he fall asleep?’

I carefully looked at his face. I had encountered him a few times at national [unauthorized copy]events, but I’d Read on Read BL Novelsnever had the chance to look at his face this closely.

Whenever Joo Seung-hyuk was nearby, I had been extremely careful, fearing we might even make eye contact.

Over the past three years, Joo Seung-hyuk had grown rapidly and surpassed me in height. Looking at him now, not only had he grown taller, but his face had changed slightly too.

When he was younger, he looked like a pretty doll, but now he looked quite like a young man. Though his unrealistically long eyelashes remained the same.

In a few more years, he would grow into the strongest person in the world and a magnificent Obsessive Madman. Looking at him just now, his skills already seemed outstanding.

As I observed Joo Seung-hyuk’s face, his eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes.

‘Huk, he wasn’t asleep?’

Startled, I turned away, pretending to look out the window.

Joo Seung-hyuk said nothing. I didn’t have the courage to speak to him first.

Joo Seung-hyuk was the man who would kill me. Moreover, a bad relationship had already been built by my refusal of the Exclusive Guide Contract. Avoiding him was the best strategy.

After driving for a long time, the bus stopped at a rest area.

‘The gate will open in 48 hours. Since the situation is urgent, we will rest for visit our siteonly 10 minutes. Please unauthorized copyhandle your business quickly.’

The person in charge, with a pale face, looked at his watch and asked everyone to return by 52 minutes.

A B-Class gate raid usually ends within a day. I heard that large guilds sometimes win the bid for a gate and procrastinate until there’s only one day left before raiding it.

So 48 hours wasn’t actually that tight a situation, but the tension was evident on the person in charge’s face. He was probably an inexperienced rookie. In contrast, the Ability Users’ expressions were perfectly calm.

One by one, people stood up, but Joo Seung-hyuk remained sitting still.

I wanted to go to the bathroom, but it was hard to move as long as Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t get up.

I could have just asked him to move for a second, but it wasn’t easy to utter those short words to Joo Seung-hyuk.

While I was just gauging his mood, he suddenly stood up and walked out of the bus. I quickly stood up too.