Chapter 173: Summer and With It, Trouble (5)

༺ Summer and With It, Trouble (5) ༻

-Thump

Her heart skipped a beat.

She couldn't feel anything else - neither the beautiful scent of flowers nor the refreshing breeze of the dark cave and the buzzing cicadas. Her entire mind was focused on the man right next to her.

Just the mere fact that she was next to him gave her joy. Her heart was beating so fast that it was feeling strenuous, and she felt like she was in a foggy dream. However...

Hua was happy.

It was relaxing and peaceful.

Yet, all things must come to an end.

"Huu~. That was fun. It's a bit of a shame that we had to have dinner inside the garden though."

Arriving in front of the hotel by carriage, they got off onto the dark streets.

"Did you enjoy the day, my lady?"

Korin asked with a grin as he reached out for her hand. Hua shyly whispered a soft reply.

"Nn..."

It was really, really fun. She didn't know why but... it was still a very enjoyable day for her.

"And you?" she asked.

"Hnn?"

"Was it... fun?"

That question immediately put a smile on Korin's face. Seemingly happy at the fact that the jiangshi girl, who used to be indifferent to the feelings of others, was now asking about another person's experience. Korin replied with a smile.

"Yeah. Today was fun."

"Really?"

"It would be a great idea to go outside with everyone. We should bring along Alicia and Senior Marie next time."

『I knew Oppa would say something like that.』

Ran heaved a sigh and grumbled a complaint, but unlike her, Hua wasn't disappointed. She was similar to Korin in the sense that they were dense and slow to understand things that weren't spelled out, so... all Hua thought was that Korin must have considered this as an outing of friends because she didn't specify it enough.

Now that Hua was fully aware of her feelings, she poured out 100% of her honest feelings.

"When I see you, my face turns hot.

"But I feel comfortable when I'm with you.

"My heart races when you touch me.

"It's hard to touch but... I still want to be next to you.

"And when I see you with other girls... I feel upset."

She revealed her honest thoughts without a single lie. Following that was the conclusion she had come to.

"I... think I like you."

The girl straight-forwardly confessed that she was in love. What came after that was something extremely sudden and impulsive.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she stood on her toes to decrease the gap in height.

"Huh?"

Just like that, she kissed him on his lips. Korin, on the other hand, was frozen stiff like a statue with his eyes wide open.

After the short yet seemingly long kiss, her feet came back down to the ground.

"...Sorry."

With her lips now wet, Hua looked up at him and gave a curt apology.

"Did that make you feel bad?" she asked.

"N, no. Not at all..."

Korin blankly replied with his eyes wide open, for he hadn't expected Hua, of all people, to suddenly do something like that. Hua, however, seemed embarrassed yet rather satisfied by her own impulsive action.

"I... think it felt good."

The corners of her lips pointed up as her eyes came slanting down into a crescent. It was a smile - an enormous improvement from her previous apathy.

"W, wait. Hua...!"

"Hello, it's Ran now."

They changed places in the blink of an eye. Thinking of her sister who hid behind her due to an explosive surge of embarrassment, the blue-eyed girl smiled.

"She had to muster up a looot of courage. Didn't such a straightforward confession suit Hua quite well?"

"...Right."

Korin appeared surprised by the fact that he was now being loved by both of the sisters. Ran wondered whether she should continue the confession that Hua started, but decided not to. She decided to dedicate today to Hua, and only take a little bit of commission in the process.

"Oppa. Can you lower your back for a minute?"

"Huh? O, okay..."

Unlike Hua, who wrapped her arms around his neck and forced him to bring his body down, Ran asked Korin to bend his back to match his line of sight with hers.

Ran could have done an abrupt kiss like Hua but... she didn't want to do the same thing as her sister. Even though they were sharing the same body, she thought that things like this had to be done in a different manner, precisely because they shared one body.

While Korin stood there nervously, Ran brought her lips to his ears and whispered in a ticklish voice.

"We are sisters so if you do it with Hua, you have to do it with Ran as well."

"Huh?"

She then gently bit on his earlobes. Even though it didn't hurt in the slightest, Korin was about to stand back up from that sudden and daring move, but Ran moved before he did.

"You have to equally love us both, okay?"

Ran smiled after wrapping her arms around his neck. Then, slowly but surely, at a speed that would leave behind a strong impression... she aligned her lips with his, which had previously been wetted by her sister's lips.

After that short yet memorable kiss...

"Please dream about us tonight."

Ran chuckled with blushing cheeks. She then walked away in satisfaction, leaving behind the agitated and clueless Korin.

She hopped back in joy. Her feet were clearly as light as a feather.

"Uhh..."

Korin blankly stood there as he watched the black-haired girl dance into the hotel like a butterfly. Flabbergasted by the unbelievable turn of events, he stood there for a while before coming to his senses.

"Huh? Huhh?"

Without going after the girl who was now in the main lobby of the hotel, he placed his hands over his face.

"T, this is not good for the heart, guys..."

Marie, Ran, and now Hua... Unable to support his weight, his legs gave in.

Meanwhile, oblivious to Korin, there was someone near the windows of the 12th floor of the hotel, gazing down at him. Those eyes did not leave him until he was out of sight.

***

"Oh right, Oppa. You have to come to our academy, so keep that in mind."

That was on a certain weekend afternoon.

"O my dear beloved sister, Sia Lork. Don't you think it's common sense to talk about the context before you say that and ask for my opinion?"

"O my dear beloved brother, Korin Lork. Do you think your opinion matters?"

"Say that again, you little shit?"

I thought about giving her a punch, but it might become troublesome if I, a top-tier knight, were to punch my sister who was a normal civilian, so I scrapped the idea.

Pufhp!

That was when my damned sister let out a scoff.

"You are asking to get punched right now, aren't you?"

"Try it then. I know you can't hit me."

'I might die if you punch me, you know?' she added.

"Fuu... Damn it. Yellow card for you."

"I stopped you from being smacked and chased out of the house by Dad, shouldn't that offset it?"

"Damn it...! I will let you off just this once!"

Right when that short skit on the boring summer afternoon was about to come to an end...

"Oh right, Oppa. Did something happen between you and that sister?"

"Huh?! Hnn? Why are you asking that?"

"You look very sus."

"Nothing happened okkwey! Stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Alright, alright," Sia replied with an irritating look on her face.

Dang it... That reminded me of the date I had with Hua a few days ago. I could still... vividly remember the kiss.

『I... think I like you.』

『You have to equally love us both, okay?』

"Fuu..."

As expected of sisters. Even though they were completely different types of people, both of them were gifted at playing with a man's emotions...

"So something did happen! Right!? Right?"

"Shut up... Anyway, what is this thing about the academy?"

"You're super famous now, aren't you? My friends wanted to see you."

"Your female friends?"

"..."

She looked at me like I was a piece of scum. That in itself was nothing new but... what was it this time?

"Oppa, do you still want to date more girls?"

"W, what does that even mean?"

"There were three of them on that day, weren't there?"

"Mhmm...! We are not in that kind of relationship yet."

Marie, Ran, and Hua... Huu... three is a bit too many, isn't it?

"Ah, I mean four and not three. That sister has a split personality, right? Oh, and is that cute puppy-looking girl also one of them?"

"Huh?"

What are you talking about, my dear sister? What kind of misunderstanding is this?

"Anyway, our professor also wanted to know if you could come for a short 'job introduction'. Maybe as a one-day instructor or something."

"I thought it was only in primary schools that kids brought in their family to talk about professions."

"We live normal lives, okay? Everyone has this fantasy about guardians."

"Hmm... fair enough. So all I need to do is go there and show off, yeah?"

It sounded like it would be a shame to go by myself. Going around, I asked if anyone had time and noticed that Alicia was the only one who was free on that day.

"Ah, m, me? I, I can! I don't have any plans on that day! Ahaha..."

For some reason, Alicia had an awkward smile on her face and couldn't make eye contact with me.

In any case, it was decided that Alicia and I would be visiting the Royal Academy together.

***

Guardians in this world were the target of admiration and respect.

Because they were superhumans that far exceeded the imaginations of normal people, any one of them could make a living, even from doing something as simple as chores. Medium-graded guardians were usually able to find jobs as garrison captains post-retirement.

As for the higher guardians above Grade 2, their names would be recorded at least once in the Guardians magazines, which had the most number of subscribers in the entire Kingdom.

Korin Lork and Alicia Arden.

The names of the two of us were widely spread during the past year as two of the greatest rising stars of the time.

It was nothing unusual since I was someone who went up from Grade 5 to Grade 1 and was the master of the Guardians Guild that made significant contributions in the operation to save Saintess Estelle.

As for Alicia, she was one of the successor candidates of the renowned Arden household and a skilled veteran who was promoted to Grade 1 before finishing off her first year.

At this point, it was practically without a doubt that the two of us would eventually become semi-Unique Grade, and we were therefore one of the most famous guardians of the Kingdom.

"There are some knights that have kindly visited us today. One of them is Student Sia's brother..."

The professor started notifying the students of our visit inside the lecture room while Alicia and I waited outside the entrance.

"Huu... Mr. Korin, I really hope nothing goes wrong."

"Well, it'll be fine. We just have to introduce ourselves, answer a few questions, and liven up the mood."

"How do you do that?"

"You just do it."

It's nothing hard.

"Then let me introduce them to you. Grade 1 Knights Korin Lork and Alicia Arden."

That was the signal we had promised. Opening the door, we walked in and were met by a thunderous roar of cheers.

"Waaaahhh...!"

"It really is Korin Lork! Sia wasn't lying!"

"Alicia Arden! Captain of the Fifth Sword Squad!"

Huhuhu. To the students of the normal Royal Academy living normal lives, we were the knights of their dreams - celebrities and idols.

I might have lacked some 'customer service skills' in the last iteration, but it would be different this time. Look at that burning passion in their eyes.

It was time for me to crack open my secret stories!

.........

......

...

Although they were about the same age as us, the difference between guardians and normal students was quite dramatic. They viewed us as complete heroes and objects of admiration and focused on our every move.

"It was then. I looked up and the Blood Hound, who was the size of an entire mansion, was looking back at me.

"Its claws were sharper than steel; its hairs were crimson like blood, and its red eyes looked ominous as if it was made by mixing the blood of the worst prisoners of hell.

"The hound growled and tried to threaten me. It wanted to devour the tiny piece of meat in front of its eyes. There was no turning back, and only a small distance existed between me and the hound."

I had to go forward.

-Gulp!

"I could feel the hairs of my skin turning stiff, and all of my senses were focused on the dog. It happened in the blink of an eye. The hound pounced at me!"

"Oh no...!"

"Be careful!"

"The hound was enormous like a giant piece of rock, but I took heart. I ran towards the monster; the smell of blood seeped into my lungs and the violent storm fuzzed up my vision but... my mind remained clear and in my hands was the unwavering spear. That was the decider."

......

...

"Huaah... That's amazing."

"That's all real, right?"

"Of course it is. He's the one that killed the King of Iron Mountain as well."

"Technically, that was Alicia Arden."

"But what about the Tower of Mages?"

My fight with Doggo Kim, who was 3 minutes old at the time, was received exceptionally well by the students. That wasn't really surprising since it was their first time hearing the story from the actual knight that was involved, after reading it from a newspaper article.

Well, I did spice things up here and there, but most of the story was true. I was about to end it there when a female student sitting next to Sia on the third row from the back shot her hand up into the air.

That was Sia's friend, Jenna, if I recall correctly.

"Sir Korin! Are you dating anyone right now!"

Ah~ of course. I was expecting a question like this to come because I had received the exact same question in the last iteration. Back then, I had Lady Miru so I glossed over it but... not anymore.

"Currently looking for girlfriends! What about you, Miss Jenna? Any thoughts?"

"OHHH...!"

"Date! Date! Date!"

Hmm~. What a nice response. Now that's what I expect from young teenagers!

"Eht..."

I turned around after hearing a strange mutter and saw Alicia flinch. She was stealing glances at me cautiously in a suspicious manner.

"What's wrong?"

"Heh? N, nothing. Uhh, you're not dating...?"

"What was that?"

Her voice dropped off towards the end and I didn't hear what she said. What was going on with her right now?

I whispered to her in a voice that wouldn't reach the crowd.

"Someone might ask you the same question, so think about what you want to say beforehand. They would probably even ask you to date them, so maybe you should think about that too," I jested.

"Umm..."

Hearing my advice, Alicia lifted her head and looked straight into my eyes. She then tilted her head and asked.

"Why would I date someone other than Mr. Korin?"

The sun was dazzling through the windows of the lecture room, brightening up the faint smile on her face.

It took 3 seconds of silence until I... or rather we understood what she said, and...

"...Huh?"

"...Ah."

Alicia covered her mouth with an expression that seemed to be saying, 'Oops,' as a pink flower started to bloom on her cheeks.