After the inauguration ceremony, each of them received their equipment, and I received gifts from Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee. Then, we divided and ate the cake brought by Lim Ga-eul.

Shin Se-hee tasted a piece of the cake with a satisfied expression. “Hmm, even after a long time, the flavor of this cake is still special. By the way, I had no idea that Senior Ga-eul’s family owned that bakery.”

“Uh-huh, they always say  if I don’t like the life at the academy, then just come back and learn how to make bread. If it weren’t for my juniors, I probably would’ve dropped out this semester,” Lim Ga-eul said, looking at her leather gloves with a complex expression.

“Then, should we start?”

I also took a piece of the cake Lim Ga-eul brought and brought it to my mouth.

Munch, munch—

Although I didn’t particularly enjoy sweet things, the soft texture of this cake inspired me.

“Oh, this cake… The taste is just okay, but the texture is nice. Maybe I should try making a ‘scake,’ combining the texture of a slightly chewy steak with cake…?” (Noooo, what type of torture is this?)

As I contemplated a new dish in my mind, suddenly, Yoo-ri raised her hand.

“Hmm?”

“Um, excuse me. Is today’s schedule over now?”

“Yes, but…”

I nodded.

“In that case, sorry, but can I go in first?”

“Right now?”

“Yes, something urgent came up. I’ll make sure to come to the dungeon on time tomorrow.”

As if she memorized a script in a play, Yoo-ri spoke with a stiff tone.

“I’m really sorry. See you tomorrow!”

Yoo-ri repeated her apologies and hurriedly got up and left.

“Uh-huh? Was Soup really busy today?”

“Soup Junior… she barely ate the cake… should I freeze it and give it to her later?”

“She must be eager to try out her new shield. Well, I’ll go now too. I want to test the performance of these shoes.”

While the party members just nodded or made random guesses, I understood why Yoo-ri was acting like that.

“I guess I’ll have to go see our Soup later.”

.

.

.

As usual, Yoo-ri headed to the one place where she could clear her mind: the private training grounds.

It’s free, doesn’t cost any money, allows her to clear her mind alone, and at the same time, she can train. It’s like killing three birds with one stone, as she often mutters to herself.

When I suddenly appeared behind her, Yoo-ri looked dazed.

“Pause the training.”

[Training paused.]

After that emotionless voice, the goblins froze in place.

“…How did you get in here!? This is a private training area!”

Yoo-ri asked, her eyes wide with surprise. It was understandable, given that access was restricted unless you entered together from the start.

Well.

“I asked the instructor for help.”

“…Huh?”

“I told them someone wasn’t coming out of the training room despite having something to announce for the party. They granted entry immediately.”

As I nonchalantly gestured with my phone, Yoo-ri looked incredulous.

“What? You can do that…?”

Remembering that academy instructors generally had master keys for the training rooms, I decided to give it a try. Instructor Baek Seol-hee had readily provided the entry code.

‘Otherwise, I would’ve had to wait outside the training room until she came out.’

“…So, why are you here? You said you had something to say?”

Yoo-ri quickly composed herself and spoke as if it was nothing.

“Yes, I do.”

I nodded calmly.

“You could’ve just left a message. Is it that urgent?”

“Yes, it’s urgent.”

“What is it?”

“I didn’t get a chance to receive your thanks.”

“…What?”

“I mean, I gave you an excellent shield for a tank, and you just left without a word of thanks. You should at least let me bask in the glory of giving a gift.”

As I shrugged, Yoo-ri’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“That’s… you came all the way here just to hear that?”

Then, as if realizing why I was there, her expression hardened.

“Hey, Jin Yuha.”

Her voice was cool and composed. She stared at me.

“Are you pitying me right now?”

Her tightly pressed lips quivered slightly.

“Do you think I’m pitiful? Did you crawl all the way here to comfort me because you feel sorry for me?”

“No.”

“…If you knew how I felt right now, you shouldn’t have come here, Jin Yuha.”

“Damn… This is already embarrassing enough.”

Yoo-ri scratched her head vigorously before lifting her gaze again.

“Come to think of it, you were like this from the start… You knew my situation from the beginning, didn’t you? That’s why you kept trying to take care of me.”

Her voice began to carry more emotion as she continued.

“Yeah, from the start… A guy who casually gives away top-grade mana stones claiming to be broke and asking to join my party was really suspicious.”

“Hey, Yoo-ri.”

“Yeah, looking at my current situation… Well, I can’t really argue with it… I’m all decked out in things you gave me. Anyone else would think I’m a girl who succeeded by meeting the right guy, a girl who got incredibly lucky and went from a dirt spoon to a golden spoon.”

With a hollow expression, she looked alternately at her wrist and the shield.

“A spatial tattoo on my wrist that’s priceless, all the money and rewards from Carmella’s Forest, and now a shield worth billions. Honestly, even the emergency kit alone would have cost me everything I’ve saved up until now.”

She let out a dry laugh, dripping with sarcasm.

“Sorry for being such an ungrateful bitch who gave you that piece of garbage in return for all these precious gifts.”

I silently faced her, waiting.

Then she closed her eyes tightly.

“Ugh, I know it’s pathetic and stupid to talk to you like this. I know, but…! This is your fault for coming here.”

“Wait.”

I raised my hand, cutting her off. She swallowed her words and closed her mouth.

“No, listen. Something’s off.”

I tilted my head slightly.

“What do you mean your gift is a piece of trash?”

She glared at me.

“Of all the gifts I got today, yours is my favorite.”

Her face twisted in anger as if I had hit a nerve.

“Bullshit—!!!”

I pulled out the crumpled free pass she had given me in the morning from my pocket.

“Alright, since it’s noisy. I’ll use this. From now on, for one hour, you have to follow my commands. First, don’t say anything. Just shut up and come over here and sit down.”

I pointed to the spot at my feet and spoke nonchalantly. She gritted her teeth.

“…What kind of crap are you pulling—”

“Hey.”

I frowned and gave her a serious look.

“Does this free pass only have value based on your feelings? Is its usability determined by your emotions?”

“…”

“I’m going to use it properly now. So shut up and come here and sit down. Every time you open your mouth, I’ll extend the time by ten minutes.”

She bit her lip and glared at me, then slowly walked over.

Step by step.

And then knelt in front of me. Her head was now at my feet.

‘Okay, this position is a bit much.’

“Turn around, stretch your legs out, and sit comfortably.”

I hid my flustered reaction and spoke again. She turned around and sat with her legs stretched out.

Tap.

I placed my hands on her shoulders.

Knead knead—

“…Huh!?”

She flinched at the unfamiliar sensation and quickly turned her head.

“Hey, face forward.”

I continued to knead her shoulders, feeling the springy resistance of her muscles against my fingertips.

‘…This is actually quite satisfying.’

I infused a bit of magic into my fingers to enhance the massage.

“Mmngh!?”

“Ten more minutes.”

“…!?”

Her hands flew to her mouth, trying to stifle any sounds as she hung her head, trembling. The way she flinched with each firm press was quite amusing.

After a while, the silence of the training room stretched out. I noticed how red her ears had turned and decided to speak.

“…You know, I want to confess something honestly.”

“…”

“Could you take a look at my sword for a moment?”

I stopped massaging her left shoulder and drew out Moonlight from my waist, holding it in front of her.

Her reflection, with her hands still over her mouth, appeared clearly on the blue blade.

“This is a really great sword. It’s practically priceless. Even the second-ranked Swordmaster might lose his mind and try to kill me for this.”

“…”

“In game terms, it’s like a legendary item, almost final-tier gear.”

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion, as if to say, ‘So what?’

“Anyway, this sword doesn’t need any special maintenance. Since we met, I haven’t had to sharpen it once. Just cleaned the blood off.”

“…”

“So, while I appreciate Do-hee’s gift, her sword maintenance kit isn’t particularly useful to me.”

Her eyes widened slightly, probably surprised that this sword hadn’t been sharpened since that time. Despite the rough usage, Moonlight’s blade remained razor-sharp.

“And honestly, I’m not that fond of sweets.”

“…”

“I get that the cake Ga-eul brought is special, but honestly, I couldn’t really appreciate the taste.”

“…That’s because you have weird taste buds.”

Yoo-ri slowly parted her lips to counter my point.

“It was delicious to me…”

I nodded, not wanting to be a jerk and add another ten minutes.

“Well, there was something unique about it. The fluffy texture gave me some ideas. I thought about combining it with steak to make something called ‘Scake.'”

Yoo-ri turned her head, looking at me as if I had lost my mind.

“But I guess no one would eat it, right?”

“…Who would eat that kind of thing?”

Yoo-ri grumbled, giving me a reproachful look, and I grinned.

“So, if I don’t use the Yoo-ri Pass within a month, I’m going to ask you to eat it.”

“…!?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re going to eat it.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as her expression softened a bit.

“And lastly, about the building that Se-hee gave me… Yeah, that was a bit over the top.”

Kneading her shoulders again, I continued,

“But if I had to choose between that building and this pass, I’d pick the pass without a second thought.”

“…Why?”

Yoo-ri asked hesitantly.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s like a cheat code to have a top-tier tank like you working for free once a month.”

“…And you’re wasting that pass right now.”

“It’s not a waste.”

“….”

“If I can use it to sit you down and talk, it’s well worth it. And it’s for life, so what’s a little waste?”

Yoo-ri’s shoulders trembled slightly, startled by my words.

“…Th-that’s…”

“Nope. No take-backs. You should have thought it through more carefully before giving it.”

I smirked mischievously.

“Just think of it as being stuck with a really bad loan shark. I’m going to make full use of this pass.”

“…”

“And you’re going to regret giving it to me. You’ll think, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have sold my life so cheaply…!'”

Then, suddenly,

“I won’t regret it…”

Yoo-ri murmured, her head hung low.

“What?”

“I said, I won’t regret it!”

“Really? Even when you’ll be making a billion a day someday?”

When I asked, she turned to look up at me.

“No matter how amazing I become or how insignificant you might become, I’ve decided to stay by your side.”

She spoke with a calm, determined voice.

“I decide who my shield protects. And the weight of my shield doesn’t change with just a few words.”

Yoo-ri gently held my hand that was massaging her shoulder and stood up.

She turned to face me, looking into my eyes.

“So it’s okay now, Jin Yuha. Thanks for comforting me.”

She smiled warmly.