Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Awakener Special Academy, Rank 0
Episode 22
“Bitna, what on earth are you thinking?”
After school.
Several students trailed behind Jo Bitna as she strode purposefully down the hallway.
“You’re not actually going to keep hanging around with him, are you? Seol Ji-hyo, I mean.”
“Did you see earlier? Making such a fuss over a single pen—honestly. I would’ve just lent it to him.”
Kim Yeon-hui seized the opening and spoke up.
“I’m telling you, damn it. You didn’t see his face when we poured the cola on him? The guy’s gotten way too full of himself lately.”
“How would I have known it was that bad.”
“Wait, he really didn’t get a concussion from the accident? How does a person change that much. He used to barely make eye contact.”
Kim Yeon-hui glanced at Jo Bitna over the heads of the other students nodding along.
“You’re being so nice to him, Bitna, that he’s getting cocky and acting out.”
“Is that so?”
Jo Bitna murmured the reply and turned her head gently.
“But you all were like that at first too.”
“…What?”
Kim Yeon-hui stopped dead in her tracks.
“I’m joking.”
…….
“But my business is my own to handle. Thanks for worrying about me, everyone.”
Jo Bitna turned back, shaking her voluminous wavy hair, and smiled brightly.
“I need to get back to the dormitory now. I have a headache today. See you all tomorrow.”
Once Jo Bitna had slipped out of the school building alone, not a trace of a smile remained on her lips.
Then she realized something.
That since leaving the classroom, she’d been clutching something tightly in her hand.
It was the pen Moon Yu-jin had tossed to her as an act of charity.
…….
Jo Bitna flung it into the nearby brush without a second thought.
An empty hallway.
She stood there staring blankly at the brush where she’d discarded the pen.
“Ji-hyo, over here!”
At the sudden voice, Jo Bitna’s head turned slightly.
Someone was calling for Seol Ji-hyo.
And the owner of that voice was—
‘…Han-gyeol?’
At the welcome sound, Jo Bitna’s face lit up like a lamp had been switched on.
But wait—hadn’t they just called for Seol Ji-hyo?
Jo Bitna walked toward the source of the voice, her footsteps silent.
It came from behind the dormitory.
There should be nothing back there—nothing but an empty lot and a recycling dump.
‘What’s Han-gyeol doing in a place like that?’
She hid behind the corner and peeked her head out carefully.
Then she saw the backs of two people crouched down.
A backpack with a butterfly-shaped keyring. It was Seol Ji-hyo.
But…
What on earth were they doing?
“Where did this dog treat come from?”
“The Dormitory Supervisor got it for me. He said to let him know if I need anything else.”
…A dog treat?
It was then that she noticed a third, small shadow between Han-gyeol and Ji-u.
It was a scruffy puppy.
* * *
Several days earlier, after class ended and he was heading back to his room.
“Ji-hyo?”
The Dormitory Supervisor, who was sweeping up fallen leaves piled on the stairs, called Ji-u to a stop.
“Ah well, I heard you’d recovered completely, so it must be true. You came back while I was on vacation, I hear?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Good, your injuries are all healed now? Who else will chat with this old man when you’re not around?”
From the conversation, it seemed Ji-hyo was someone the Dormitory Supervisor spoke with regularly.
It wasn’t surprising—Ji-hyo was an exceptionally polite and considerate child.
“By the way, have you been to see Som-i?”
…Som-i?
“The Facility Management Team found Som-i while you were away. Someone reported that a stray dog was being kept behind the dormitory.”
A dog behind the dormitory… Ah.
— Isn’t she cute? She’s a dog in the Dormitory Rear Courtyard, and I sneak her treats every time I have a break.
Once before, when Ji-hyo had come to visit during break, he’d shown him a photo of the puppy.
So that dog was still there.
Having given her a name like Som-i, it seemed he was quite attached to her.
“For now I’ve managed to keep her hidden somehow. Next time, before the management team comes for an inspection, I’ll give you a heads-up beforehand, so make sure Som-i stays well hidden.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“Ah, don’t mention it. That Som-i, she was all listless without you around. She must be thrilled now.”
The Dormitory Supervisor chuckled and returned to his office.
Left alone, Ji-u slipped out of the dormitory and headed toward the rear courtyard to see Som-i.
‘If Ji-hyo was secretly taking care of her alone, then she couldn’t have eaten while he was gone, could she?’
The Dormitory Supervisor seemed to be looking after her somewhat, but… Ji-u felt a little worried anyway.
As he entered the rear courtyard, he saw a massive pile of waste material.
From between the small brush beside it, he heard a dog barking.
“Woof!”
The snow-white puppy that spotted Ji-u was wagging her tail frantically.
It was unmistakably the same dog he’d seen in the photo.
But she looked cleaner than expected.
She was eating well and had filled out with a healthy layer of fat. Actually, she looked even plumper than in the photos….
“Pant, pant!”
Som-i came bounding toward Ji-u, and then a sharp voice came from behind her.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
Out of the brush burst a boy with light brown hair, dressed in a track suit.
It was Bae Han-gyeol.
His eyes went wide the moment he saw Ji-u. Ji-u’s did the same.
“Huh? Ji-hyo?”
“What are you doing here?”
“You’re the one to talk…”
The bright yellow eyes gazing at Ji-u flickered with sudden realization.
“Oh, wait—were you the owner the Dormitory Supervisor was talking about?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, I see…!”
Han-gyeol laughed, scratching the bridge of his nose with a mixture of shyness and delight.
“Actually, a few months back I came to throw away a deflated soccer ball and found her by accident. I got permission from the Dormitory Supervisor and visited sometimes. I’d heard there was a student looking after her, but I never thought it was you….”
By now Som-i had come right up to Ji-u’s feet and was sniffing his shoes intently.
Then, sensing something different, the wag of her tail gradually slowed.
…….
Som-i lifted her beady black eyes and stared hard at Ji-u.
Right, he’s not the Ji-hyo you knew, is he? That’s right. I’m someone else.
Since he couldn’t say that, Ji-u crouched down to meet Som-i at eye level.
“Shake.”
…….
Som-i seemed somewhat wary but slowly extended her front paw.
“That’s it.”
When he praised her brightly and smiled, the white tail that had stopped began to move again, tentatively.
Whether she naturally liked people or not, she showed no further hesitation.
“Woof!”
Now the innocent creature had rolled onto her belly completely, tail wagging with joy.
Ji-u laughed softly, almost without realizing it.
“Thanks for taking care of Som-i.”
“Som-i? Oh! So that’s her name.”
Han-gyeol crouched down beside Ji-u and looked at Som-i.
After that, the two of them often ran into each other in the rear courtyard after school.
“Ji-hyo, over here!”
Bae Han-gyeol, like Moon Yu-jin, was quite a famous person within the academy.
Which meant he wasn’t someone Ji-u particularly wanted to get close to.
Still, this was a place where few people ventured, so it was manageable.
Besides, Han-gyeol was the one who’d looked after Som-i while Ji-hyo was away….
‘Most of all, if he’s Ji-hyo’s first love interest, drawing too clear a line might be awkward.’
When Ji-hyo’s treatment eventually ended and he returned to school, Ji-u didn’t want things between the two of them to become strained.
She couldn’t interfere in her younger brother’s romantic affairs, not as his older sister.
So she’d try to maintain a smooth relationship with Bae Han-gyeol.
“Where did this dog treat come from?”
“The Dormitory Supervisor got it for me. He said to let him know if I need anything else.”
Over Han-gyeol’s shoulder, as he grinned, came the rustle of something moving.
“…?”
Around the corner toward the dormitory.
A shadow moved faintly.
The unknown figure went silent and vanished the moment they felt Ji-u’s gaze, but….
Ji-u, whose senses were far keener than any ordinary Awakener, could tell.
That rich rose perfume scent carried on the wind.
‘…Jo Bitna?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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