Became a Dark Merchant in the Academy - Chapter 304



303 – New Beginning_3

304.

The inside of Laplace Academy was different from the calm atmosphere outside.

In some places, construction was underway, in some places, banners were hung here and there, and between them, students were running around busily.

It was a commotion, almost like preparing for a festival or something.

Kyle slowly scanned the scene and opened his mouth to Han Yuri, who was walking alongside him.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask you a question?”

“Question? Oh, yes. It’s okay.”

At Kyle’s question, Han Yuri turned her head, met his gaze, and nodded slightly.

“Thank you. It’s nothing special, but I was just wondering.”

“Thank you. I’m Kyle’s support person. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them right away without asking for my understanding.”

“Really? Then…”

“Oh, of course I can’t answer questions related to my personal life.”

“No, I guess I won’t ask that.”

Kyle smiled bitterly.

I know why that context came up.

At the time, I thought it passed by smoothly and without any problems, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

“I see. Sorry. I guess I was being overly self-conscious.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize. And I don’t think it’s a problem if you’re overly self-conscious.”

“Huh? What is that…”

Han Yuri tilted her head.

“It’s nothing.”

Kyle quickly turned his head to avoid Han Yuri’s gaze.

It was partly because I felt embarrassed by the daytime joke, but also because I felt a strange sense of disconnect.

‘Was I the one who said such things?’

I don’t want to sound like I’m being self-deprecating, but I’ve never dated a woman before.

There is nothing wrong with it.

Subjectively and objectively, he is considered to be handsome, and he has shown decent relationships with friends and grades in elementary, middle, and high school, and has received several confessions.

But I refused.

It was because I had no idea what those who confessed were talking about, such as the pounding heart or love.

My friends told me that I was being too serious about that, and that I shouldn’t worry about it, that everyone else was doing it too, and that I would feel it as time went by.

‘That’s a nuisance.’

There is nothing more cruel than when someone continues to love you, but you say no and don’t know.

Anyway, I admit that Han Yuri is beautiful.

I admit it, but it’s not that bad.

There have been people as big as Han Yuri who have confessed.

I feel neither excitement nor love.

So it’s not like I fell in love with her.

But just a moment ago, you were making a third-rate hunting comment, and this time you’re even making a plot-like remark.

Words that would never come out of his usual self come out so naturally in front of Han Yuri, as if he had become a different person.

This is…

“Mr. Kyle? Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no… no. I just need to think about something.”

Kyle flinched slightly at the sudden sound of Han Yuri’s voice, then smiled faintly.

“Is that so? So what was it you wanted to ask?”

“Oh, that’s right. There’s construction going on and banners are going up. I was wondering if there was something going on at Laplace Academy.”

“I see. Mr. Kyle was an exchange cadet. Then I guess you wouldn’t know. Hmm… It’s preparation for the festivals that will be held this fall.”

“festivities?”

“Yes. In Laplace, there are many festivals in the fall. The most representative one is the Martial Arts Festival, and after that, the Almighty Festival, and the newly added charity auction…”

Han Yu-ri pointed to the buildings under construction and the banners one by one.

Among them, he had a strange look on his face when he saw a banner saying that a charity auction was being held.

It was as if he was missing something or feeling sad.

Kyle was a little curious as to why Han Yuri was making that expression.

‘…let’s not ask.’

But he didn’t express any doubts.

Kyle wasn’t the type of person to ask about personal matters even though they weren’t close.

After a while, Han Yuri looked at Kyle after finishing her explanation.

“Do you have any further questions?”

“No, it’s okay. Thanks for the explanation.”

“It’s work. Since you say you have no more questions, let’s quickly go and finish the formalities.”

At Han Yuri’s words, Kyle forgot the strange sense of disconnect that had been weighing on him until just now and hurried his steps.

**

The process wasn’t long.

After filling out a few documents according to Han Yuri’s instructions, receiving and changing into the cadet uniform, taking ID photos, etc., we finished up by being informed that classes would start tomorrow.

Next, a tour of the facilities inside the academy was scheduled to follow.

“I’m sorry. I have a schedule that I can’t miss no matter what.”

“No. It’s my fault for oversleeping.”

“Still. Um… This is my contact information. If you have any questions about the Academy or anything, feel free to text me anytime.”

“okay.”

Because the appointment was delayed by an hour, the facility explanation was omitted.

After Han Yuri left, Kyle, who was left alone, started to walk around Laplace Academy.

How long did you walk like that?

Kyle stopped in front of a bulletin board.

This was because a poster titled ‘Can the remaining student council be free from responsibility?’ was placed in the middle of the recruitment notices for external guilds attached to the bulletin board and the posters soliciting clubs within the academy, which caught my eye.

“hmm.”

It’s not a title that would normally attract attention.

I applied for the Laplace Academy exchange program because I was interested in Laplace Academy, but my interest in Laplace Academy did not extend to the student council there.

‘My name is Han Yuri, the student council secretary and temporary student council president.’

A small connection was formed.

And since I’ll be spending the next year here, I need to know about the events that are happening so that I don’t get involved in any annoying things.

It was similar to having to know all the answers to a question to get a score of 0.

After thinking about this and that, Kyle read the poster.

“Villain… accomplice… responsibility… what are you talking about?”

But I stopped reading after reading for a while.

Since the Cataclysm, mana holders have been able to automatically translate speech, so communication itself was not difficult when meeting foreigners, but text was not automatically translated.

Naturally, the poster was written in Korean, and Kyle’s Korean skills were barely above intermediate.

Reading the text itself was difficult, but the content of the poster was also full of excessive leaps and summaries aimed at insiders of the academy.

Now that the formalities are complete, Kyle can be considered a full-fledged Laplace Academy cadet.

Well, it was only the first day.

So Kyle decided to give up reading the poster and move on, thinking he would figure it out later.

“Right?”

That was when.

The poster was torn with a ‘snap’ sound.

“There’s no way Kagara and Yukina would do that.”

Kyle turned his head and looked at the person who had torn down the poster.

He wasn’t very tall.

About 150cm.

He looked to be in his early 20s.

Judging from the shape of his face, his nationality seemed to be that of an East Asian from Korea, the 17th Federation of China, or the Eastern Military Union.

He has white skin and gray hair that reaches his shoulders.

A woman who could be called a beauty, although not as beautiful as the Han Yuri I saw earlier, was tearing the poster to shreds.

Judging from the fact that he was wearing the Laplace Academy uniform, he seemed to be an academy cadet.

“You think so?”

The woman who tore up the poster smiled.

“…Did you ask me that?”

“Who else is there?”

Kyle looked around.

But not even a shadow of a person was visible.

“There isn’t any.”

“Right? So what do you think?”

“What do you think…”

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

There was absolutely no way to come up with an answer.

Kyle couldn’t help but trail off.

“Is that hard to answer?”

“No, that’s not it. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, so that’s what it’s going to be like? Okay, I see. I was an idiot for asking.”

“That’s not it. I don’t understand the content of that poster at all…”

“You don’t have to make excuses. I know which side you’re on.”

Then the woman understood something on her own, then became disappointed on her own, glared at Kyle for a moment, then turned her head and left.

“What the heck?”

Kyle tilted his head as he looked behind the woman.

**

Inside the office of Astra’s Secret Hideout 3.

The pink-haired woman, Yukina Ishihara, frowned as she stroked her hair and neck.

“I only want to be subjected to bondage play by my senior. I can’t help it. If it weren’t for this, you wouldn’t believe my sincerity.”

“Don’t be so vulgar with your mouth.”

At that sight, 3 glared at Yukina.

“Vulgar? You’re calling the great leader’s gold-plated child a bondage play?”

“You b*stard.”

“Shouldn’t I say ‘year’? Well, whatever. But more than that, now that I’ve accepted these restrictions, let’s talk about work seriously.”

But Yukina paid no attention and continued speaking with a smile.

“For example, about the third key that the upper numbers are looking for.”