Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 25

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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 School Ranking: 0th Place
Chapter 25
The two of them walked together after slipping out of the School Building.
“Han-gyeol, eat this.”
Jo Bit-na fished through her pocket and pulled out a piece of Chocolate.
“Where did this come from all of a sudden?”
“I didn’t give it to you on Valentine’s Day.”
April was almost over anyway…….
It was admittedly late to bring up Valentine’s Day, but he decided to accept it.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Want more?”
“No, one’s enough.”
Han-gyeol unwrapped the Chocolate and popped it straight into his mouth.
Jo Bit-na, who had been watching him intently, quietly licked her lips.
“Hey, about what happened earlier.”
“Oh. Don’t worry about it. I told you—I don’t mind at all.”
…….
“Besides, it’s nothing to get hurt over. Why would someone pretty like you ever need me?”
“……That’s a lie.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t think I’m pretty.”
Wheee-ush.
The wind blew.
Somehow the two of them had stopped walking and now stood in the middle of the sidewalk.
Jo Bit-na clenched her fist, creasing the fabric of her skirt.
“Not even once have you ever thought I was pretty.”
Because Han-gyeol’s Core didn’t register her—the way it did with Seol Ji-hyo.
But unlike Ji-hyo, Jo Bit-na didn’t hate Bae Han-gyeol.
No, if anything…….
“Han-gyeol, I like yo—.”
“Stop.”
The moment Jo Bit-na’s lips moved without thinking, Han-gyeol cut her off like a bolt of lightning.
“But Bit-na, what was it you wanted to say? You said it was about Ji-hyo.”
The corners of Jo Bit-na’s mouth stiffened slightly.
But she quickly broke into her usual bright smile and answered.
“Oh, that? It was just an excuse.”
“……An excuse?”
“I thought you’d come along if I put it that way. Are you mad?”
“No, I don’t get mad over something like this. But I really do have something I need to do…….”
“Han-gyeol.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you like Ji-hyo?”
“……What?”
Thunk.
The empty Chocolate wrapper slipped from Han-gyeol’s hand.
He quickly picked it up, and his expression grew visibly flustered as he stammered.
“Y-you startled me. Look, Bit-na, you’ve got the wrong idea. Ji-hyo and I are just friends.”
“Really? Like us?”
“Yeah. Like us.”
…….
Jo Bit-na opened her lips, then closed them again.
She swallowed something along with her original words, then opened her mouth again with a smile.
“Are you sure? It just looks to me like you treat Ji-hyo specially, so I thought I’d ask.”
“Treat her specially? Me?”
“Yeah. Everyone thinks so.”
Jo Bit-na brushed her hair back softly and slowly turned her body away.
“If you don’t like her, it might be better to keep your distance from Ji-hyo going forward. You’re the type who’s kind to everyone, so you might not realize it, but when someone as popular as you lingers around Ji-hyo, it only backfires.”
“Backfires?”
“During break, you came by our classroom and gave Ji-hyo Banana Milk, remember? It drew a lot of attention because of that, and some of the kids in the class even took it out on her. I tried to stop them, of course, but jealousy’s hard to prevent.”
As Jo Bit-na sighed while speaking, Han-gyeol’s expression changed.
“You’re saying Ji-hyo ran out of the classroom because of that?”
“I’m not sure about that, but maybe? She said she didn’t need it and was trying to throw it away, so I took it.”
Jo Bit-na opened her bag and showed him the Banana Milk.
“It seems to be awkward for her in a lot of ways. I’ve tried to get closer to her too, but she keeps pushing me away. It doesn’t seem like she wants it either.”
…….
“She probably just prefers being alone. I mean, she’d stand out even more being around people like us, right?”
Han-gyeol stood rigid, listening silently to Jo Bit-na’s words.
His expression darkened as he squeezed the empty wrapper in his palm.
Jo Bit-na resumed her slow steps and added:
“I said something unnecessary. I just worry about Ji-hyo. Will you keep this between us?”
“Thank you, Bit-na.”
“…Huh? For what?”
Jo Bit-na, who had taken a few steps, stopped.
“For worrying about Ji-hyo.”
…Thunk.
Jo Bit-na, who had frozen for several seconds, turned her head with a creak-creak sound.
“…Why would you be grateful for that?”
“It’s just…”
Han-gyeol scratched the bridge of his nose, then grabbed his bag strap and started walking.
“Never mind. Anyway! I gotta go. Thanks for the Chocolate.”
Patter-patter—
He left Jo Bit-na behind and disappeared into the distance.
Jo Bit-na, frozen in place, only bit her lip after his silhouette had completely vanished.
…….
She gnawed at her neatly trimmed nails and walked with long strides.
On her way up to the Dormitory, Jo Bit-na suddenly stopped short at the entrance.
– Hey, always at that same spot, right?
– Yeah. Behind the Dormitory. Or should we go together?
– Let’s. I’ll come back after class then.
……Behind the Dormitory.
Jo Bit-na stared in that direction for a moment, then turned and headed that way.
Not far off, something white squirmed underneath a pile of haphazardly stacked boards.
“Pant-pant.”
…A scruffy puppy.
Jo Bit-na looked down coldly at the puppy wagging its tail as it approached her.
It was because of this.
Because of just this one dog, Han-gyeol met with Seol Ji-hyo here every single day after class.
…….
Rustle—
The remaining Chocolate touched her fingers in her pocket.
Jo Bit-na, who had been gently stroking the Chocolate with her fingertips as if lost in thought, took out her phone with her other hand.
“Senior, it’s me, Bit-na. Would it be okay to ask you for a favor?”
In her left hand, the Chocolate.
In her eyes, the wagging puppy.
And with a smile on her lips, Jo Bit-na whispered softly into the phone speaker.
“Yes, it’s something only you can do for me, senior.”
* * *
After class.
In the bustling Classroom, Im Ri-sa quietly packed her bag alone.
She glanced back and checked the back seat.
Ji-hyo’s seat was empty.
‘I still haven’t managed to have a proper conversation with her today.’
Ri-sa left the Classroom with a gloomy expression and headed to the Dormitory.
After the Core Application Class, she had done her best to approach Ji-hyo.
Ji-hyo was a good person.
Maybe they could even bec… be friends.
She had jumped off the Cliff to save Ri-sa, and since then, Ji-hyo had spoken to her without any awkwardness.
– Hello. Good morning.
It was the first time. She’d ever been greeted with a morning hello by a classmate.
After that, Ri-sa found herself naturally watching Ji-hyo.
Since Gaon operated on a continuing school system, she had known of Ji-hyo’s existence since elementary school.
An introverted, passive child just like herself.
That’s all she’d thought, but once she entered the high school division and became her classmate, the impression was completely different.
Ji-hyo was confident against the children who bullied her. Moreover, she treated even someone gloomy and unpleasant like Ri-sa without discrimination.
It was unclear whether that had always been her nature or if something had changed her after that incident.
But what did it matter?
‘I want to be like Ji-hyo too.’
But starting a conversation was itself an ordeal.
A few days ago at lunch, she was eating with Moon Yu-jin and Bae Han-gyeol.
And just recently, she’d gathered the courage to suggest going home together, when Jo Bit-na suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
She’d wanted to ask if maybe they could go to the Library together after class…….
– Sorry, I have a promise with Han-gyeol after class.
– Oh, I see…….
It wasn’t easy.
Perhaps noticing Ri-sa’s disappointment, Ji-u, who had been staring at her intently, brought up something unexpected.
– It’s a secret, but I’m raising a puppy in the Back Yard.
– …Really? A puppy?
– His name’s Seom, and Han-gyeol’s helping me take care of him. He’s so cute, so come see him sometime.
While she couldn’t go to the Library together, just the fact that Ji-hyo had shared a ‘secret’ with her was enough to make her happy.
‘Come to think of it, Ji-hyo was gone the whole afternoon today.’
By the time she reached the Dormitory.
Ri-sa recalled Ji-hyo suddenly disappearing during break. She’d expected her to come back soon, but class ended without her returning.
Had something happened?
‘…Could it be related to Seom?’
That thought suddenly occurred to her.
Ri-sa stopped in front of the Dormitory. Then she glanced toward the Back Yard.
Ji-hyo was supposed to meet with Han-gyeol after class and take care of Seom in the Back Yard, so maybe she was there right now…….
‘Should I just take a quick look?’
…Wouldn’t that be too stalker-ish?
But what could she do about worrying?
What if Ji-hyo found it burdensome?
But she had been the one to suggest coming see Seom first.
What if it was just something she said out of politeness?
…….
After wavering near the stairs for a while, Ri-sa finally made her decision.
She’d go. She’d just sneak over and check to see if Ji-hyo was safe.
Ri-sa went down the stairs and headed toward the Back Yard of the Dormitory.
But the moment she arrived at the Back Yard, her footsteps froze.
It was because of an unexpected person she found there.
‘…Jo Bit-na?’
A small number of girls from Jo Bit-na’s class, and a few seniors who appeared to be third-year students.

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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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