Chick 290
by Cristae290
Chapter Who Is the Winner?
Kang Jae-yi, a first-year at Eustitia High School, stood with her arms crossed, looking down from beneath the tree in the nursery school’s backyard.
Three children faced her in a line.
Goo Hee-yeon, On Groo, Seo Wooju…
Glancing over their nametags, Kang Jae-yi snapped sharply at them.
“So, which one of you is ‘Gidanismyfuture’?”
Swish, swish. Wooju and Groo turned their heads to Hee-yeon.
With a slight frown, Hee-yeon snapped back, brimming with edge.
“Are you ‘Sergeystan’ then?”
“Right. I’m ‘Sergeystan.’”
Kang Jae-yi looked Hee-yeon up and down appraisingly, then swept her hair back.
“Tell ‘Gidanismyfuture’ this—I always give my best, even against kindergartners.”
Hee-yeon began to tremble.
“Someone like that is just a childish adult.”
“Oh my god! Never heard that one before!”
Jae-yi ran her hand through her hair, feigning wounded pride.
To Groo, watching with her mouth hanging open, it was clear: ‘Some things never change. She’s as childish as ever.’
“So, the three of you came to take Gidan’s side? There’s just me here but three of you?”
This high schooler, bringing up numbers in front of kindergartners, had even pre-emptively called up Ham Honggi’s number on her phone, just in case she’d have to summon reinforcements.
But Groo and Wooju vigorously shook their heads.
Hee-yeon turned back toward them in exasperation, but the truth was the truth.
“Groo only came because Hee-yeon called me.”
“I just followed Groo along.”
“Really?”
Jae-yi pocketed her phone and fixed Hee-yeon with a glare.
With her two unhelpful friends behind her, Hee-yeon stepped forward, her fists tight.
“Gidan oppa is the best at Orchestra.”
“Nononono! The top of Orchestra is Sergey. Didn’t Sergey win on exchange match contribution? Right?”
Seeking agreement, Jae-yi looked at Groo and Wooju.
“Um…”
“Uh…”
Hee-yeon, unable to let it go, shouted:
“The actual orders all came from Gidan oppa! Even my dad said Gidan oppa did better. Right?”
Now she sought out Groo and Wooju’s support as well.
“Um…”
Groo hesitated awkwardly, and Wooju said quietly,
“Uh… but… the MVP was Groo…”
“Not Groo!”
“Groo doesn’t count!”
“Hing…”
Groo’s lips drooped, and Wooju, seeing his argument discounted, hung his head.
And so began this ridiculous ‘IRL fight’ (a real-world showdown prompted by in-game rivalry), all due to the contribution stats from the exchange match.
Groo took 33% of the contribution; Sergey and Gidan followed with 27% and 26% respectively—a tiny 1% difference.
But that slight margin only inflamed fans more.
By the overall Hunter ranking, Gidan was clearly ranked third, above Sergey.
This made Sergey’s fans (a.k.a. Sergeystan), who had always felt he was being overshadowed, newly proclaim Sergey the “true top of Orchestra” based on the exchange match results.
Naturally, Gidan’s larger, more established fandom fought back, and the dispute grew until the two most fervent fans challenged each other to an IRL duel.
“Gidan!”
“Sergey!”
After arguing about whose Hunter was superior, the two turned abruptly toward Groo.
“You’re with Orchestra, right?”
“Groo, what do you think?”
“Uh, huh?”
“Who’s the real top of Orchestra? It’s Sergey, right?”
“It’s Gidan oppa, right?”
Eh?! The intensity made Groo retreat backwards.
“I-I don’t know about that!”
Both advanced on her.
“If you don’t know—”
“You can find out right now.”
Jae-yi and Hee-yeon spoke in quick succession.
Groo gulped.
“-So that’s why, we have to go to the pool today. We have to decide who’s number one in Orchestra.”
With Groo’s story of ‘a high schooler and a kindergartener having an IRL showdown’ finished, Wooju nodded glumly.
He’d also been forced to come, on the grounds that it was only fair to determine Orchestra’s number one together.
“Ah, that’s why you brought a swimsuit.”
Nayeon listened to the explanation with a gentle smile and nodded.
Recently, the company pool had reopened for the first time in ages.
So there had been a lot of so-called “underwater training” videos being shot—really, just sponsored pictorials—and today was Sergey’s and Gidan’s turn.
“Yes. But, adults have to come too. Kids aren’t allowed in the pool without a grown-up.”
“Of course. Since Groo and Wooju are still little, it’d be dangerous to go alone. Shall I go with you to the pool?”
Yay! Groo threw her arms up; Wooju, less thrilled at being called a ‘kid,’ merely nodded.
“Okay, let’s hit the changing room and get dressed.”
“Yes!”
Groo, all smiles, sprang up and took Yulian with her.
‘Splash time, splash time~’
Before running into Nayeon, she’d asked Joorim, who’d tried to wriggle out by claiming not to have a swimsuit. In response, Groo unfolded a tiny pair of speedos.
“Where did you get that?”
“I borrowed it from the pool.”
“…How?”
“I told the desk ladies my dad didn’t have a swimsuit and asked for one.”
After explaining, the receptionists, looking extremely flustered, had found the largest men’s swim trunks for her.
“Mm, Dad can’t wear that.”
“Then they said they’d get a bigger one—”
“Can’t wear that either.”
“Even the biggest?”
“Yeah.”
“Tsk.”
Useless on an important day. I’ll have to go buy him a swimsuit next time.
After failing to recruit anyone to go with them, Groo ran into Nayeon in the staff lounge.
Arriving at the changing room, they saw the ugly hamster and cute bunny perched on Wooju’s shoulders.
“Wooju, take care of Groo’s babies.”
“Okay.”
Mephisto, perched on Groo’s head, naturally tried to enter the women’s changing room as well, but Wooju grabbed him.
“Not you!”
Rough hands separating them, Mephisto whined.
“Piiiii…”
Groo, holding Yulian’s leash, waved with a smile.
“See you! You have to come out in the swimsuit I made for you!”
Spreading his wings in reply, Mephisto nodded.
Wooju quickly changed inside the men’s changing room.
Bailach produced the swimsuit Groo had made from his belly-pouch and handed it to Mephisto.
Mephisto flapped open the speedos with his wings and tilted his head.
“Pii…?”
Meanwhile, Bailach and Lucifer couldn’t care less about looks—they hadn’t even unfolded their swimsuits, just awkwardly trying to force their legs through.
“Pitt…” (Mine looks kind of different…)
As Mephisto shuffled after Bailach, trying to figure out the leg holes of the speedos, Wooju suddenly spoke to him.
“Mephi, you still like Groo, don’t you?”
Mephisto snapped up his head. Bailach wrinkled his brow.
“Pitt.” (Yes.)
Seeming to understand, Wooju quietly lowered his gaze.
“I like Groo too. I always have.”
“Ppett!” (Hmph!)
Mephisto turned away, sticking out his beak.
The changing room lapsed into silence.
Lucifer looked around nervously, unsettled by the quiet. Bailach, halfway through getting a leg into his swimsuit, thought to himself, What’s with these two?
Wooju suddenly turned to Bailach.
“What do you think?”
“Myut…?”
Caught off guard, swimsuit halfway on, Bailach froze.
“Who do you think suits Groo better?”
“Pitt?!”
Mephisto gaped in shock at Bailach.
Bailach blinked, thrown into the spotlight.
“Me or Mephi?”
“Ppi, Pitt!” (Me, Seo Wooju?)
“Myut…!”
As Wooju and Mephisto’s stares fixed on him, Bailach grimaced.
Why in the world are you asking me this while we’re putting on swimsuits?