Retire 354

354 Molting (1)

The school is peaceful.

So peaceful, in fact, that it’s almost unsettling.

No, of course a school should be peaceful. But just think of all that’s happened here. We’ve had creatures with wings instead of arms attack us, monsters falling from the sky. Even for a Hunter training high school, it’s been excessive. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if a dungeon appeared next.

…Words have a way of coming true. I should watch what I say.

At any rate, the quiet days continue. I still believe this is how a normal school should be, but for a while now… how should I put it? Things have been strangely busy. It’s not as if I’ve accomplished anything grand, but the work just kept piling up. Now the school is more or less in order, the kids are stable, and as for the Ark… there’s nothing I can do for now.

Right. I should admit it.

I have nothing to do.

It feels like just yesterday I was complaining about having too much to do—so why is this? Maybe I should have volunteered to go with Kim Chaemin instead of Han Taekyung? I’d already been away from school so much because of dungeons, so I thought it would be better if I stayed behind, but…

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Huh? Oh, no. We’ve got it covered, Mr. Woo. You should go take a break.”

Even when I asked the Dasun Hunters stationed at the school if they needed anything, filling in for Im Miseon who was out of the director’s office, I was promptly chased away.

“……”

This would never happen at the Administration Bureau… To have so much free time.

“What is it?”

So I headed to the lab.

I thought Gamble might be feeling lonely with Kim Chaemin—who had the highest stake in the lab—gone, but Gamble seemed perfectly fine.

I looked at the mug on the guest table. Most of the cups in the lab had the Dayeon logo, probably because Im Miseon had hurriedly stocked them. As Gamble’s stay in the lab grew longer, her personal items increased, but neither of us paid much attention to that. Recently, only the addition of some expensive-looking teacups brought in by Kim Chaemin stood out.

“…Have your tastes changed?”

But there was a cup I hadn’t seen before. A crudely made, dark pink plastic cup.

“It’s not mine!”

Gamble jumped when she saw where my gaze landed.

There was a face drawn on the cup. An animal’s face. Specifically, a cat. Green eyes glared out at me.

“…It’s Mr. Han’s.”

“It’s rude to make such a face about something someone else likes.”

“You don’t like it either.”

“As long as Mr. Han keeps work and personal life separate, I don’t care.”

“Hmph.”

Gamble snorted.

“It was sitting on the desk, and it kept feeling like it was watching me. So I just moved it for a bit.”

“If you say so.”

“It’s true! Well, anyway, I watched that cartoon as a kid too. I actually kind of like it… Just don’t tell Mr. Han!”

“Didn’t you agree to write a review in exchange for helping with the experiment?”

“That was for borrowing his sunglasses. But I can’t borrow them anymore, so that’s off.”

I could easily picture Han Taekyung making a fuss.

…Or maybe not? Han Taekyung was always busy going on about how cute and pretty that pink cat was, but he never forced anyone to watch it if they didn’t want to. Maybe he’d be disappointed, but he wouldn’t say anything.

I gave Gamble a curious look. More precisely, at the accessory hanging from her phone—a cat character named Chasey.

“W-what?”

“Nostalgic cartoons. They’re nice.”

“Everyone has a bit of nostalgia, you know!”

“Did I say otherwise?”

“…I only saw the new episodes recently, but they’re surprisingly well made.”

Gamble quietly moved her phone out of my sight.

“Why?”

This time, I asked.

“M-Mr. Han had a spare and gave it to me! It’s actually pretty convenient! Phones are so big these days… It’s hard to hold with one hand, but with this, it’s easier on the wrist…”

“Did I say anything?”

“I was taught not to ignore gifts!”

“Did I say anything…”

If only she’d just say she liked it, like Han Taekyung does, I wouldn’t think anything of it. Why be so embarrassed about liking something? Just because Han Taekyung made a scene and ruined its reputation at Yangseong High, that cartoon is still famous. There’s a reason a not-very-funny kids’ show has lasted over ten years.

“No, it’s just…!”

“I’m glad to see you’re adjusting well to life in Korea. Is there anything else you need?”

Gamble blinked.

“How’s your research going?”

“…Is this some kind of midterm review? Checking my performance? Are you going to cut me if I’m not up to par?”

What does she think I am?

“Of course not. I’m just asking out of genuine curiosity.”

“Hmmm…”

“Why are you so distrustful?”

Gamble shrugged.

“Compared to the beginning, I trust you a looot more now. Back then, I was so worried I’d get dragged off in my sleep that I couldn’t even sleep properly.”

“…Really?”

“Of course I’m joking. Still, I always figured I might get dragged away by Michel someday.”

Gamble leaned back in her chair and smiled brightly.

“It’s going much better now, right?”

I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not…

No matter how bored I am, maybe I shouldn’t have come to the lab. Is this the price for interrupting someone who’s actually working?

Come to think of it, wandering around looking for something to do just because I’m bored doesn’t make sense.

Maybe it’s because there was always a mountain of work at the Administration Bureau. This is why my father always nagged me to take a vacation. But to come somewhere I don’t need to and look for work—doesn’t that make my life seem a bit pathetic?

Just bothering people who are doing their jobs.

“If you don’t need anything, that’s fine.”

“Did you really just come to check on me?”

Gamble looked at me in surprise. Why is she always so shocked by a simple question?

“Not because you’re bored?”

“……Pardon?”

“You’re always scheming with Ms. Kim. I thought you’d be bored with her gone.”

Bored…

“If I were really bored, I’d be out pestering the kids.”

“Go easy on them, though. They’re just kids.”

“I don’t have to do anything—they’re already running themselves ragged because the training schedule’s been set.”

“I don’t know what’s so great about being a Hunter that they all work so hard…”

Gamble shook her head, but said nothing more. Even if she’d been awakened enough to be a Hunter like the other kids, I doubted she would have become one.

Everyone chooses their own path.

“I don’t need anything, but… could I visit Seoul sometime?”

“Seoul?”

“It seems a waste to be in Korea and only stay in this remote place.”

…True. I commuted from home, and Kim Chaemin sometimes said she stopped by her family’s house. The Dasun Hunters went back and forth to the Seoul office, and the kids sometimes visited home.

But Gamble had barely left the school. I hadn’t meant to confine her, but it must have felt like imprisonment. I nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt.

“As long as either I or Ms. Kim go with you, just in case… If that’s all right.”

“Of course it is! While we’re at it, can I use our master’s name, too?”

“Mr. Hong?”

So it wasn’t just for a change of scenery.

“If I request a tour under Hunter Hong Seok-young’s name, they’ll open up the labs for us, right?”

“Pardon?”

“There are a few famous magic engineering labs at universities in Seoul! I’ve always wanted to visit. What was that professor’s name? Kang Yuseon? That person’s a real genius!”

Gamble’s eyes sparkled. It was the complete opposite of her earlier embarrassment over the cat. Now she looked desperate to say more.

“There’s a theory in the blueprint you gave me, and that professor just published the original theory for it! I really, really want to see it for myself and talk to them!”

“Ah, yes… Make a list of the universities you want to visit. If we send an official request, we’ll get approval quickly. No university would turn down Mr. Hong’s name.”

“Awesome!!”

Gamble let out a cheer that sounded distinctly Korean.

…I thought she was feeling stifled by life in the lab. Is she actually satisfied? If so, that’s a relief.

I still don’t really understand Gamble. I don’t think all researchers are like this… but she doesn’t seem all that unusual, either. And she’s not as much of a small-minded citizen as she seems.

If she were, she wouldn’t have tried to take responsibility for a friend like Hope.

I shook my head again. Gamble, now excited, had already grabbed some paper and was writing down the names of universities, labs, and professors. She rattled them off without even checking, as if she’d been waiting for this chance.

“You can give it to me later, you know.”

Watching her, I couldn’t help but interrupt.

“No! That would just take longer!”

It was no use.

Next time, no matter how bored I am, I should avoid coming to see Gamble. I’d be better off sitting with Kang Taewoo and watching the greenhouse.

Bang!!

I snapped back to myself, thinking of Kang Taewoo, who was probably outside the greenhouse looking pale and retching.

No, before I even came to my senses, my body moved on its own.

“Ms. Gamble!!”

I reflexively reached for my weapon, only just managing to stop myself.

The one who burst into the lab was a familiar face. Shin Minseo, the school nurse dispatched from Dasun.

Gamble saw what I’d almost done. Thankfully, she didn’t seem scared. Instead, she realized I’d been about to protect her and nodded gratefully.

“What’s going on?”

Gamble greeted Shin Minseo in my place, since I was still catching my breath from the tension and excitement.

“Oh, Mr. Woo, you’re here—no, Ms. Gamble! Come with me, now!!”

Shin Minseo urgently grabbed Gamble’s wrist.

“Mr. Woo, too! Why didn’t you answer your phone?!”

“My phone?”

Following Shin Minseo, I checked my phone belatedly. It was full of missed calls. I’d been so bored I’d even let my nerves go slack. If my father or sister had known, I’d have gotten an earful.

“Hurry!!”

Shin Minseo was breathing hard as she ran.

“What’s going on?”

It felt like something serious had happened, but I couldn’t guess what. Maybe one of the students was hurt, but there was no sign of that. They were all playing near the greenhouse.

Then what?

The lab was quite far from the main school building. Shin Minseo’s steps slowed as we went, as if she’d run all the way from the school and was starting to tire.

“T-that person!”

“Who?”

“That person!!”

There was only one person Shin Minseo could mean.

The one occupying a bed in the corner of the infirmary. Though he hadn’t regained consciousness, he looked so calm as he shifted in his sleep that it was almost like he was just napping.

Alex Hope. Gamble gasped, holding her breath.

“He just woke up!!”

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? Ack!”

I picked up Shin Minseo and Gamble together. Ignoring their startled squirming, I dashed for the infirmary.