Chapter 140 – Variable (2)

===================

Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

======================================

“Why the hell was this academy so big?”

A newly transferred student fanned herself with her hand, frowning in irritation as she murmured her complaint.

Saki Ryozo’s eyes darkened as she observed her. Her long lashes covered half of her light blue pupils. A strange tension settled into the atmosphere.

‘I’ve never seen her before.’

Silver hair that shone like platinum under the sun, refined and elegant features. But what stood out the most was…

‘Black eyes.’

As far as Saki knew, the only person in the academy with those eyes was Kang Geom-ma. Not just in the academy, but anywhere else.

The first time she saw Geom-ma, she thought he was wearing dark contact lenses. That was how unusual it was to have completely black eyes.

But now…

Saki looked at the silver-haired girl. Her eyes were the same color as Kang Geom-ma’s.

Black contact lenses? No, they didn’t seem like it. Those empty eyes were natural. There was no artificial indication in them.

And, in the first place, who in their right mind would choose to wear black contact lenses?

When Saki first met Kang Geom-ma, her initial impression was that he had “dead fish eyes.”

However, the silver-haired girl’s eyes had a different nuance.

If Kang Geom-ma’s were like a deep, hollow abyss, hers carried a slightly more human touch.

Shaking her head slightly, Saki cleared her thoughts. She had gotten too distracted by that peculiar appearance.

“Kang Geom-ma isn’t here; he had a personal matter. If you want to leave him a message, tell me. I’m ‘by his side,’ so I’ll deliver it to him directly.”

Saki’s tone was kind, but at the same time, it subtly implied that she had a special connection with Geom-ma.

‘She’s probably another girl trying to ride Kang Geom-ma’s wave of popularity.’

Lately, he had been a hot topic among the female students.

A seventeen-year-old boy who had defeated Mao Lang and then traveled to the United States to challenge All Mute.

Even though it was said that All Mute had declined the fight, people firmly believed it. In fact, many even considered All Mute the underdog in that confrontation.

If a girl managed to start a scandal with Geom-ma, her name would become famous as well.

That side effect was surely what she was after. At least, that’s what Saki thought.

‘I’m the only one who truly cares about Kang Geom-ma.’

However, showing her feelings would be a rookie mistake. She had to conceal her true intentions and maintain a friendly tone.

‘Tatemae,’ the Japanese skill of saying what’s appropriate while hiding what one truly thought.

‘She probably thought that with her looked, if she confesses to Kang Geom-ma, he’ll fall for her immediately.’

Saki scoffed internally. If the silver-haired girl faced the wall that was Kang Geom-ma, her confidence would crumble.

Her self-esteem would plummet, and from that day on, she would check herself in the mirror more often. It was an experience Saki knew firsthand.

“…”

However, there was something about those black eyes, a faint gleam that felt otherworldly, as if they didn’t belong to this world.

Suddenly, the silver-haired girl leaned in toward her.

“Hmmm—”

“?”

“!”

Saki was completely taken aback. That spontaneous action was something she hadn’t expected at all.

Meanwhile, the girl was examining her closely, narrowing her eyes.

“You had a sharper gaze than I imagined. Like a stray cat.”

“…Hey, did you know me?”

“Not much, but somewhat. Honestly, who in Hoakin Academy wouldn’t recognize you? Sky-blue hair, princess-like hairstyle—even a stray dog could identify you.”

“…”

She was right. Saki was so used to Kang Geom-ma’s indifference that she sometimes forgot she was famous. After all, she was the daughter of a noble family.

The silver-haired girl continued.

“And now you’re showing less pretense. Before, you were acting too much. Though, at least it’s good that you’re wary of strangers.”

Saki’s face remained still. That girl had seen through her act.

She had always been the one analyzing others—never the other way around.

She shifted her gaze toward San Ha-Na, who was still observing the situation with an unreadable expression. Today, the reflection of her glasses shone intensely.

Saki recalled the conversation she had with Ha-Na before the final exams.

Back then, she had caught her off guard too—and even hinted at her support regarding Geom-ma.

Since then, Saki had been more cautious of her behavior.

But this silver-haired girl was even sharper than Ha-Na.

Was her expression too stiff? Was her smile too forced?

Her thoughts spiraled.

Speedweapon, who had been silently observing, frowned.

“Hey, if you came looking for our president, the least you could do was introduce yourself, right? We’re pretty careful about these things.”

His tone was unusually serious.

After everything that had happened with Kang Geom-ma, Speedweapon had changed too.

Even a small detail could pose a threat in the future.

Until now, Kang Geom-ma had always handled the problems, but they couldn’t rely on him forever.

“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Yu Sein, from the first-year Star Class.”

“Star Class? I know almost everyone from there, and this was the first time I’m seeing you.”

“That’s because I transferred today.”

“You transferred…?”

Now that he thought about it, Star Class had been in chaos this morning. The male students, in particular, seemed very excited. Was it because of her?

Speedweapon looked her up and down. She was a beauty on par with Saki, so it made sense that the boys were excited.

‘…She’s pretty, I’ll admit.’

But something felt off. Her appearance contrasted too much with the way she spoke.

As if the image didn’t quite fit.

Shaking his head, Speedweapon continued.

“Then, isn’t it weird? You just transferred, and you’re already looking for Kang Geom-ma?”

“Well, spiky-haired boy. You’re sharp.”

“Spiky-haired…? Me?”

With just a look, Sein responded, “Yes, you. Who else?”

Speedweapon was furious but simply bit his lip. He couldn’t reveal the dark history of his two-toned hair being the result of a botched dye job.

He couldn’t admit that his failed attempt at dyeing his hair had given him this streaked look.

By the way… Why did he understand what she was saying just by looking into her eyes? It was as if telepathy had been implanted in his brain.

“Relax, it suits you.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.” The response was brief.

Speedweapon felt a faint smile forming on his face. It was the first time someone had complimented his hair.

“Anyway, spiky-haired boy.”

Sein pointed to her own eyes with her finger. Her delicate nails directed toward her black irises.

“See this? Kang Geom-ma and I were distant relatives.”

“?!?!”

Speedweapon and Saki’s shoulders trembled simultaneously.

Distant relatives? Kang Geom-ma had family? Suddenly, a flood of thoughts overwhelmed their minded.

If the silver-haired girl, Yu Sein, was really related to Kang Geom-ma, then a lot of things started making sense.

Those black eyes, and the strange feeling of unease they had while talking to her… There were too many similarities between them.

But had Kang Geom-ma ever mentioned his family?

Kang Geom-ma never talked about his family. Besides, their last names were different. He was “Kang,” she was “Yu.” Could it be a distant maternal relative?

Honestly, she wasn’t entirely convinced. After all, Kang Geom-ma rarely spoke about himself.

‘But…’

Saki pondered. If Yu Sein really was a distant relative of Kang Geom-ma, she couldn’t afford to make a bad impression on her!

“Well, I guess we won’t be able to meet today. I was thinking of coming back later, but there’s an experience-burning event coming up soon. So, you’re Saki? The one ‘beside Kang Geom-ma’?”

“Huh, huh.”

“Then, tell him to meet me in the backyard after school. Got it?”

“But you said you were relatives. Don’t you even had his contact information?”

“Oh, that.”

Sein paused for a moment and then added, “Kang Geom-ma never answers his phone. And since we’re distant relatives, we don’t exactly had the closest relationship.”

“…Well, I guess that makes sense.”

Saki responded with a more relaxed look. The sharp corners of her eyes, which had been as tense as those of an annoyed cat, returned to their normal state.

“I’ll let him know.”

“If he still had doubts, just say ‘status window,’ and he’ll come straight away. It’s like a password that only our family uses.”

“Status window…?”

Saki frowned. What kind of strange code was that? Still, she nodded.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Thanks, and…”

Finally, Yu Sein’s gaze landed on San Ha-Na. She observed her for a moment and then muttered softly, “It looked like you’re enjoying yourself too.”

“…”

With those words, Yu Sein walked away. She said what she wanted and left just like that. Maybe, because she was related to Kang Geom-ma, she had a similar personality.

Saki watched Sein’s back, then suddenly turned her head to the side. An instant later, her pupils dilated.

…..!

San Ha-Na, who always maintained an expressionless face, looked different. No matter what happened, she usually only showed a faint smile and nothing more.

But now, her face was filled with emotion. An evident hostility. A silent blue flame burned behind her glasses.

* * *

“A relative? Mine?”

That was Kang Geom-ma’s immediate response upon receiving the message after lunch. He asked again to confirm.

“Were you sure? Did she say she was my relative?”

“Yes. She said she was a distant relative.”

“Even if she’s distant… that doesn’t make any sense.”

His indifferent reaction made Ryozo feel a bit confused as well. Geom-ma had the expression of someone who had just seen a ghost.

“She’s called Yu Sein. She transferred to the Star Class today. Had you never heard her name before?”

“…Yu Sein.”

Kang Geom-ma rubbed his temples, looking deep in thought.

‘Was he really that shaken by the idea of having a relative…?’

Saki felt a bit uncomfortable watching his face. She was starting to understand that Geom-ma’s family history must be quite complicated. It was just a gut feeling, but it made sense.

People with difficult family pasts avoided talking about their families.

Saki, who also came from a complicated background, understood that instinctively.

Kang Geom-ma had never mentioned anything about his family. And the reason was probably not very different from hers.

No, in fact, it was very likely that Kang Geom-ma’s situation was even worse than hers.

Perhaps his independent nature came from the absence of a family.

Of course, Saki had the hacking skills to dig deep into his past. But she never tried.

At least when it came to Kang Geom-ma, she preferred to hear the truth directly from him.

‘Could this be like suddenly discovering a family that never existed…?’

Thinking about it, she felt her eyes welling up. She quickly looked away and took a deep breath to calm the pressure in her chest.

Now she understood why Kang Geom-ma was reacting this way.

If he had lived his entire life completely alone, suddenly discovering that he had a relative would be incredibly confusing.

Then she remembered something Sein had said before leaving.

Saki discreetly wiped the corner of her eye with her index finger and straightened her expression.

Cautiously, she spoke to Kang Geom-ma.

“Before she left, she said something. ‘Status window.’ She mentioned that if I said those words to you, you’d understand immediately and…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Kang Geom-ma abruptly stood up.

Without saying a single word, he walked straight toward the door.

His reaction was so sudden that Saki instinctively reached a hand toward his back.

“Where were you going?!”

“…Star Class.”

He responded without turning around and left the classroom immediately. The atmosphere in the room stirred.

“He’s leaving with less than three minutes left before the next class?”

“Yeah… and he had a pretty grim expression. Could it be… that he’s planning to fight someone again?”

“He said he was going to the Star Class! Incredible! Let’s follow him!”

Saki shot a glare at the students.

“Listen up.”

Her archer’s eyes, long and sharp like those of an eagle, scanned the faces of everyone in the classroom.

“Only those who know how to keep their mouths shut and stay still could handle this. Understood?”

……

The classroom fell into complete silence.

After making sure everyone had gotten the message, Saki ran out toward the Star Class.

As she ran, she pulled out her phone and spoke loudly.

“Hey, BigsBig. Access the Hoakin Academy security system. Command, delay the class alarm by ten minutes.”

[Confirming command…]

Beep—!

[HKEY_CLASSES_ALARM (10) MIN code executed successfully.]

[The fifth-period bell at Hoakin Academy has been delayed by ten minutes.]

The mechanical sound was followed by a series of binary numbers scrolling down the screen.

Saki put her phone away.

“Kang Geom-ma, no matter how urgent it was, you should at least make sure your attendance got recorded. It’s the first day of the new semester, after all.”