Chapter 64

〈 Chapter 63 〉 Section 3. It's Advice, Not a Technology Leak! (3)

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"Student Yumir."

"Yes!"

"Having dinner is fine, but why here of all places?"

"Well, if we eat at a restaurant, a villain might go berserk and attack us!"

Yumir's point was valid.

"If we eat at a restaurant with you, a berserk student, a demon, or a villain might jump out. It's safest to eat here. Nothing bad ever happens here, right?"

"Isn't it problematic for a student to be here?"

"If I were a high school student, it would be very problematic, but I'm an adult, so there's no issue."

"Isn't your public image going to suffer?"

"I can't worry about every bit of gossip."

Her logic was sound, and I wanted to argue, but I had to say something.

"Isn't it unusual for a woman to come to a man's house she's only just met and take over the kitchen to cook?"

"But there's no place as safe as your quarters, right?"

That's true.

Yumir is now in my house, cooking.

"The quarters have no students, and no students means no one to go berserk. So it's safe!"

"Isn't there a chance that adults could become villains?"

"If there were a villain here, it wouldn't be a big problem. I'd take care of it before it became an issue."

"You'd take care of it...?"

"...Ah! I mean, there's no need for a weak ability user like me to get involved. Hehehe."

Yumir, sweating, poured the pasta sauce.

She seemed to prefer Western cuisine over Korean food, and she was surprisingly good at cooking.

"...Wow. Yumir, did you study cooking professionally?"

"Not professionally, but I learned from someone I know. For about half a year?"

"You learned this in half a year?"

"I can only cook what I know. I can't do much Korean food, just Western."

"Amazing."

I wasn't just being polite.

I genuinely meant it.

"I want to marry a woman who can cook Western food well when I get married."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"I can cook Korean food."

I tapped the refrigerator lightly.

"I can cook Japanese, Western, and Chinese food to some extent, but my main focus is Korean."

"Do you cook yourself?"

"Yeah, but I only eat chicken breast and vegetables on regular days."

"When do you consider it a special day? Like when you eat with a woman?"

"Anytime I eat with someone else."

"So today is a special day?"

"Something like that."

I took out a plate that would go well with pasta from the cupboard, and Yumir beautifully arranged the pasta on it.

"Do you prefer to talk while eating or after finishing?"

"I adjust to my companion."

"Me too. So... shall we eat and talk over there? I have something to consult about."

"Sure."

I pulled out a chair at the kitchen island to make a seat.

The table was a bit narrow, so the two pasta plates were placed diagonally, and when I pulled the chair to sit, our knees touched slightly.

"Hmm."

"Next time, we should get a wider dining table."

"Why? This distance is perfect."

"Perfect for hitting, you mean?"

"Ouch."

I lightly flicked Yumir's forehead with my finger as she leaned forward.

"That's too much, really! No matter how many beauties there are in Sejong Island, treating a super-cute foreign beauty like this is too much!"

"You're a student, and I'm a staff member."

"But I'm a college student. And did you know?"

Yumir lightly twirled the pasta with her fork.

"The government is trying to lower the legal age for pregnancy for ability users to high school age."

"......What?"

No.

Is the country crazy?

"What did you say?"

"They're preparing a bill to lower the legal age for pregnancy for ability users to 17. So, at 18, a second-year high school student would be considered an adult."

"That's insane."

I know there's a difference between ordinary people and ability users, but lowering the legal age for ability users only?

"Isn't it already likely that students in Sejong Island will go berserk, and now they want to lower the legal age?"

"They're encouraging patriotism. The more ability users the country has, the better."

"But lowering the legal age for ability users will cause a huge backlash."

"You might not know this as a Korean, but there's a meme in foreign countries."

Yumir lowered her head slightly and spoke in a low voice.

"Being 'Korongtang'ed."

"...That's a bitter story."

"But it happens all the time, right? Bodies suddenly disappear, people who were fine go missing, or a berserk ability user kills someone and it's hushed up."

"......There's a saying about that too."

I raised my hands to cover my eyes and ears.

"Your Honor, I saw and heard nothing."

"......"

"How does it feel?"

"Teacher."

When I removed my hands, Yumir was tilting her head slightly and looking at me intently.

"Teacher, it doesn't seem like that's your true feeling."

"My true feeling?"

"I think you'd do everything to stop something like that from happening. Or you might say, 'What a dirty world,' and leave the country."

"But you might get 'Steven'ed even if you do?"

"Even if I get 'Steven'ed, if living here is hell, I'll leave. Many people have already left."

"......"

"Go abroad if you're upset. Canada and the U.S. have accepted many immigrants from Korea, right?"

"I don't know much about that."

I know.

I just can't talk freely because I'm on Sejong Island.

"Student Yumir. I'm not particularly patriotic, but if you say that elsewhere, you might be kicked out of Sejong Island."

"Oh, will I get 'Korongtang'ed?"

"I'll give you a thick bowl of it."

"Oh, that's reportable?"

"What do you mean?"

I tried to flick her forehead again, but Yumir leaned back and raised her hands.

"Are you going to keep hitting me?"

"Even if I hit you with a straight punch, you wouldn't feel it as an ability user, right?"

"It's a mental wound."

"Then I'll hold back. You should too."

"You started it."

"It's because your head is full of nonsense."

"Then I should curse the person who put nonsense in my head!"

Yumir poked the pasta with her fork.

"You said a bill to lower the legal age for ability users is being prepared. Do you know why? From a foreigner's perspective, looking at the country critically?"

"Without being patriotic, from a critical perspective?"

"Yes. Think about it with malice."

"Of course, it's obvious."

I also picked up my fork.

"The president's grandson and granddaughter. They're 17 this year, right?"

"You got it!"

Yumir clapped her hands.

"The granddaughter is on Sejong Island, and the grandson is in Busan. Both are..."

"S-rank. And they're twins."

The president's grandson and granddaughter being S-rank is not common.

But if you think about it a bit more critically, it's possible.

­My promise is to make my grandson and granddaughter into proper heroes and contribute to the country!

If the public overwhelmingly voted for a politician with S-rank grandchildren, and he became president?

"Are their names 'Uri' and 'Nara'? The boy is Uri, and the girl is Nara."

"Yes. Both are indispensable S-rank ability users for this country."

"Not heroes?"

"...To be honest, I'm only saying this to you, but they're rude kids."

Yumir continued in a more serious tone.

Her voice was filled with resentment towards the president's twins.

"How do you know that?"

"Because they're arrogant. And because they cause trouble and bully others, many C-rank and B-rank ability users have emigrated. If you search online, you'll find many interviews criticizing them."

"...You can't find such stories in Korea?"

"That's because of information control. In reality, they might have killed people."

"That's a bit extreme."

No.

"If they were such villains, the Goblin would have taken care of them long ago."

"Even though they're the president's blood?"

"The Goblin doesn't spare corrupt officials."

"Are you a Goblin fan?"

"...A little?"

I'm not a fan of myself.

"Sure. I like the Goblin too."

"Student Yumir? Why?"

"He's cool."

"Cool? The Goblin? I don't think so. Under the mask, he's probably ugly...Ouch!"

My shin hurts.

"Did you just kick me?"

"That's the punishment for insulting the Goblin. Hmph."

"Wait, you're a Goblin fan?"

"I wasn't originally, but I became a 'fanatic.'"

I feel wronged.

"I can overlook criticizing the country, but I can't overlook criticizing the Goblin."

"Ugh..."

I'm the Goblin, and I'm being attacked for insulting the Goblin.

"Really too much. Ability users just beating people up."

"Even if I'm E-rank."

"Even if you're E-rank, it still hurts. I'll sue you if I get a bruise."

"I was prepared to say I'd take responsibility if it broke, but I didn't expect you to talk about suing."

Yumir twisted her lips in a bitter smile.

"But you hit my forehead too."

"Is hitting you the same as me hitting you?"

"Let's agree