The World’s Strongest Daughter.

Perhaps because of my worry about Min So-yeon or the unpleasant dream, I felt somewhat strange today.

As I was walking to school early and lost in thought…

Suddenly, someone spoke to me.

“…J-Ji-hwan. Good morning!”

Glancing back, I saw a familiar face.

It was the female student who had baked me a muffin, saying she would cheer for me during the friendly match with Jang Su-won.

“Good morning.”

After returning her greeting, I glanced at the name tag on her chest.

[Kong Hye-sun]

Ah, that was her name.

Kong Hye-sun naturally matched her steps with mine as she approached.

… But did she always live here?

I felt we had talked about where she lived, but I couldn’t remember well.

“H-Have you had breakfast?”

“I didn’t eat because it’s bothersome. You?”

“I-I see… I always make sure to eat… They say it’s good for your body to eat in the morning…”

As we were chatting about this and that, Kong Hye-sun spoke cautiously.

“…Ji-hwan, um… If you don’t mind, I baked some bread. Would you like to eat some…?”

“Bread?”

“Y-Yes! Since you said, you didn’t have breakfast…”

I was slightly taken aback by the sudden proposal.

Bread out of nowhere.

I shifted my gaze and looked at her walking beside me.

She bit her lips and met my eyes as if she had something to say.

For some reason, she reminded me of a small puppy.

Perhaps feeling burdened by my gaze, Kong Hye-sun lowered her eyes slightly and spoke, slightly trembling.

“…I-If you don’t want to, i-it’s okay…”

Despite her words, she was clearly showing disappointment.

When she’s showing such a strong desire for me to accept, it would be rude not to.

“…Then I’ll have a little.”

“R-Really?”

“The muffin last time was delicious, so I’m looking forward to the bread too.”

“W-Wait a moment! I’ll take it out right away!”

A small smile appeared on her lips as if she couldn’t hide her joy.

Seeing her like that made me think she was a very honest child.

Kong Hye-sun took out a bundle of bread as if she had been waiting and gently handed it to me.

The appetizing aroma of freshly baked bread touched the tip of my nose.

It was a considerable amount, so I tried to take just one, but suddenly she pushed all the bread to me and said:

“Y-You can eat it all!”

“What… All of this? Is it okay not to share with other friends?”

“I-It’s okay… I give a lot to them usually.”

Pushed by a strange force, I quietly opened the packaging and took a small bite of the bread.

A sophisticated taste different from the bread sold at supermarkets. The soft cheese stuffed inside filled my mouth.

Her skill was so good that I would have believed it if she said she bought it.

Having devoured the bread in an instant, I casually said to her:

“Do your parents run a bakery by any chance?”

“Huh? No, they don’t… Why…?”

What’s this reaction?

It seemed like bringing up her family was a mistake, as she showed a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

“Making bread isn’t easy. I was wondering if you learned from someone.”

I know better than anyone since I once insisted on making bread for Min So-yeon.

She seemed to understand my intention and smiled shyly.

“I-I just practiced… Alone.”

“You’re self-taught? That’s amazing… You could make a fortune selling bread instead of being a hunter later.”

Kong Hye-sun blushed and lowered her head, perhaps embarrassed by my praise.

Actually, I said it half-jokingly, but I was half-serious.

Baking falls into the category of requiring a lot of money compared to other types of cooking.

From ingredients to tools, it’s difficult to afford with an average student’s allowance.

But judging from the bread Kong Hye-sun made, it doesn’t seem like she used just one or two tools, and the ingredients used don’t appear cheap either.

She probably comes from a well-off family, and it would be better for her to do what she enjoys rather than being a dangerous hunter.

That’s something that comes from the experience of dying after trying to act tough.

As I walked and talked with Kong Hye-sun, the academy gate came into view before I knew it, and I realized I had passed “that alley.”

Having arrived at the classroom.

Kong Hye-sun sat in a spacious seat to sit with her close friends, and I took my usual seat in the corner.

Thanks to the bread Kong Hye-sun gave me, I’ll be able to save on dinner expenses tonight.

While fiddling with my phone and reading articles about the terrorist attack, the bell rang to signal the start of class, and Min So-yeon appeared late.

I made eye contact with Min So-yeon and casually waved to greet her.

“…”

She naturally ignored my greeting and walked to an empty seat.

I thought we had gotten closer, but it seems it wasn’t enough.

*

Finally, the combat practice session arrived after the boring theory classes.

Before starting the class, teacher Lee Dae-san left us a small announcement.

“As you may know, there was a terrorist attack on the Association yesterday.”

It was about the terrorist attack that happened yesterday.

With a single gesture, he silenced the murmuring students and continued.

“Fortunately, they were caught quickly, but the Association notified us to be especially careful.”

From the Association?

Although the Association and the Academy have a close relationship, they rarely issue a special notice like this.

It’s also uncommon to inform the students, but seeing Lee Dae-san, not the homeroom teacher, delivering the message, it seems like urgent news.

Could they have found information about an additional attack?

“So, if you see any suspicious person within the academy, subdue them without hesitation!”

… Isn’t this too strange?

At that moment, Lim Cha-kyung, standing next to Lee Dae-san, glared at him and added.

“We’re controlling entry from the afternoon, so please be particularly cautious, students. If you do spot a suspicious person, you should immediately leave the area and report it. Do not confront them directly.”

If they’re saying this much, it seems like something really happened.

After the announcement ended, the students began to disperse according to Lee Dae-san’s words.

As I was heading to the corner of the training ground to join Min So-yeon, I overheard some students chatting.

“Hey, will they give us something if we catch them?”

“You’ll be lucky not to die if you rush in recklessly.”

“They say he’s just a B-rank at most. If there are many of us, we can win.”

They’re just as fearless now as they were before.

Arriving at the end of the training ground, I spotted Min So-yeon stretching alone.

I quietly approached her and gently spoke.

“You were stretching. Want some help?”

“…No need.”

I was flatly rejected.

… Why is she like this?

For some reason, Min So-yeon wasn’t in a good mood.

“…So-yeon, did you enjoy your lunch…?”

“…I ate.”

“W-Well, I’m glad you ate well…”

I brought it up for no reason and ended up losing out.

She seemed fine until we parted ways yesterday, so I couldn’t understand why she reacted like this.

… Is it that time of the month?

The atmosphere was too heavy to even have a proper conversation, let alone ask why she was living alone.

After meaninglessly rotating my shoulders for a while, pretending to stretch…

“…Are you done preparing?”

Min So-yeon spoke to me.

In a tone that sounded like picking a fight.

It felt similar to her usual tone, but she had never picked a fight so blatantly.

Slightly taken aback by the provocative tone I hadn’t heard in a while, I inadvertently approached her.

“We’re starting right away. Same rules and conditions.”

“Huh? Right now?”

“Rock, paper…”

She immediately put out her hand as if she had no intention of listening to me, so I had no choice but to respond to the rock-paper-scissors game.

“Ah.”

The result was scissors versus paper. My loss.

This time, I’m the tagger.

Sigh… What should I do?

I glanced at the other side while pondering how to adjust the difficulty level.

“…”

Min So-yeon seemed indifferent and was setting the timer on her phone.

The way she nervously moved her fingers, she seemed irritated about something.

After finishing the preparation, we stood apart like before.

I understood Min So-yeon’s attack power well, but I still lacked information about her mobility.

It shouldn’t end as soon as it starts, so slowly…

Just as I was picturing how to deal with Min So-yeon…

Ding ding~

The timer signaled the start.

At the same time, I wrapped mana around my feet and stepped on the ground.

My body bounced forward with the repulsive force of the mana, and the distance between Min So-yeon and me was instantly narrowed.

Just as I was gathering mana and looking for an opening…

She had already drawn her sword and swung it at me.

Huh?

“Aaaah!”

Startled by the sudden action, I screamed and hurriedly dodged the attack, and Min So-yeon glared at me and began swinging her sword again.

Swoosh-

She even infused mana. I could tell by the sound as it cut through the air.

Clang!!!

Having barely blocked the attack due to my disrupted stance, I looked at her with a perplexed expression.

Then she spat out as if it was refreshing.

“Why, can’t I attack?”

I was at a loss for words.

At this rate, it’s no different from just sparring.

I launched a counterattack to block Min So-yeon’s attack.

I gathered the scattered mana, formed a thin arrow shape, and shot it at her.

Shwish-

The arrow that flew through the air lost its strength and disappeared in front of Min So-yeon’s sword.

Undeterred, I created and fired several more arrows.

However…

Whoosh-

With a single swing of Min So-yeon’s sword, they were destroyed and fell apart.

No, she…

Min So-yeon looked at me triumphantly as if asking if that was all.

I was very startled by her expression.

I had planned to gauge her mobility, but she had no intention of dodging from the beginning.

While I briefly paused, Min So-yeon began to move again.

Holding her sword, she quickly approached and swung it.

I stepped back for a moment, drew up a large amount of mana, and stretched out my hand toward the ground, releasing my mana.

Freeze!

The mana I released suddenly stopped moving and began to freeze the ground with a crackling sound.

“Wh-What is this…?”

Min So-yeon retreated to avoid the freezing ground.

I wrapped mana around my clenched fist and ignited the mana.

With a bang, the ignited mana began to burn on my fist.

Min So-yeon’s eyes widened as she slowly retreated, watching me.

Fire punch!

The flames that burst from my hand flew swiftly.

Flare-

Min So-yeon hurriedly swung her sword and shattered the flames, seeming greatly startled.

At the moment when the scattered flames obscured Min So-yeon’s vision…

The ice on the ground, expanding its territory, touched Min So-yeon’s toes.

Crack- Crackle-

The ice instantly climbed up her feet.

Min So-yeon smashed the ice with her sword and retreated greatly.

As a result, nearby students were startled and began to make way.

“Wh-What, why is she here?!”

“Hey, move aside! You’ll get hit by the sword!”

Oops, I didn’t intend to send her that far.

Min So-yeon didn’t care about the students’ complaints and was breaking the ice stuck to her feet.

It seems I need to end this quickly.

I immediately gathered mana in both hands and charged at Min So-yeon, and just as she finished shaking off the ice and was about to counterattack…

“Stop right there!!!”

A loud voice intervened between us.

Lee Dae-san, who had appeared out of nowhere, stretched out his hand toward us, and a huge shield suddenly appeared, blocking the way.

Ah, we got caught…

Our bet ended without a winner, just like that.