The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 635: Children (4)

“Hi! Mister SF!”

Paparazzi P called out happily. I’d just about managed to forget that damn nickname. Maybe because we were inside the Hunter Association, P wasn’t wearing his usual mask. He must’ve dyed his hair again; the bright reddish–gold and blue eyes looked a little unfamiliar, but they actually suited him. He was a lot more decent–looking than I’d thought.

“I was really worried!”

He came over, hand out like he wanted a handshake. At his attitude, Yuhyun looked at me like, Do you know this guy? Since he was a high–rank Hunter, if I pretended I didn’t know him, he’d get blocked and kicked out right away. And, well, he had helped me in his own way.

“Long time no see.”

“As the party’s winner, you were supposed to be on the cover of Time, and then you suddenly vanish. You scared people.”

For that one thing, I was glad I’d ended up in Africa. The cover, seriously. Just imagining it made me want to die of embarrassment. P leaned in toward me and lowered his voice so much even Yuhyun, standing right beside us, wouldn’t hear.

“I’ve got a delivery for you.”

“Huh?”

“Switzerland.”

Switzerland? What there… Oh. Wait!

‘The watch?’

So the watch I’d ordered was finally done. His birthday had already passed! What do I do, give it to him as a Lunar New Year present? A watch as a holiday gift felt kind of weird. The next closest special day… Graduation or entrance ceremonies were still a way off. Valentine’s Day, obviously no. March First? Definitely not. White Day, no. …Children’s Day? If I wasn’t going to wait all the way until his next birthday, Lunar New Year was the least weird.

“This isn’t really the place I should be getting that.”

P whispered again. Since someone wasn’t supposed to know yet.

“I’m gonna talk with him for a bit, just the two of us.”

“…Who is he?”

Suspicion written all over his face, Yuhyun glared at P. P flinched and took a step back.

“Uh, a mailman. Whose hobby is photography.”

“The bell only rings twice, you know.”

What the hell is he talking about. I told them I’d scream if anything happened and moved aside with P. He pulled two boxes out of his inventory and set them on the table.

“The watches you ordered are here. Sign here, please.”

“You look at least A–rank. You do part–time delivery too?”

“I only took it because it was something for SF. I was coming to see you anyway, so I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone. Normally they’d have a mid–rank or lower Awakened do it.”

I pulled out a pen and signed for the delivery. The boxes looked expensive, one black and one a deep blue. Since they were made to go in an inventory, there was no extra wrapping. P said the certificates of authenticity were inside.

I opened the blue box first. The first thing that caught my eye was the heavy yet clear blue of the dial. The hands, numerals, and rim were silver, decorated with the delicate detailing of a piece of art. Even I, who didn’t know anything about this kind of thing, could tell it was no ordinary watch. The strap was leather, a dark navy so close to black that under bright sunlight it would probably flash a vivid blue.

‘I think it’ll look great on Yuhyun.’

I was very satisfied. Worth every won. I put the blue box in my inventory, then, hesitating a bit, opened the black one. The basic design was the same. But the dial was a deep, solid black. The pitch–black face, like it could swallow all the light that touched it, was framed in the same silver. It had to be the same metal as on the blue one, but in contrast, it looked even whiter, almost pale.

The color contrast played a part, I’m sure, but my own feelings were influencing it too. The strap was just black. So, so black that I felt guilty looking at it. Maybe I should’ve gone with a brighter color. Or just ordered them both the same.

“Something wrong?”

“…No.”

Even so, the black watch was beautiful. I closed the black box and put it in my inventory as well. Someday, I’d be able to hand them both over. I had to be.

“Thanks for bringing them.”

“My pleasure!”

“So what did you come for? …A photo shoot for the Time cover?”

I really wasn’t thrilled about it, but he did deliver the watches. Still, having a photo taken exactly as I was right now was a bit much. My formalwear was trashed…

“Oh, so you pretended to be shy, but secretly liked the idea?”

“No, it’s just, since you came all the way here! Obviously I don’t like it!”

Like it, my ass! Just remembering people walking around with booklets plastered with my face made me wanna curl up and die! P laughed and gave me a little wink.

“Honestly, more than business… I just wanted to see you.”

…Ugh, what. That was a bit cheesy just now. He sounded like some classic American movie lead. All he was missing was a donut and a coffee.

“I expected a lot, but I didn’t think you’d pull off something that amazing!”

“Well, I mean… It’d be hard to imagine I’d actually win, right?”

“I’m not talking about that. I mean your pre–regression memories.”

He added that he felt a bit bad bringing it up so lightly. From the look of it, he knew things pretty accurately.

“Were you S–rank?”

“Specialized in stealth. People usually thought I was around A–rank. Those memories will give you the groundwork for a lot of change.”

“…From what I’ve seen, even A–ranks only remember bits and pieces, and below that they hardly remember anything.”

“But the emotions stayed.”

Ru Ga Pheya’s words floated up in my mind. Even if memories were wiped, people had already changed and would keep changing, she’d said.

“The Han Yujin who won the party is a special F–rank. People will probably look at low–rank Hunters a bit differently now. But I bet a lot of people will also think, ‘He’s like that because he was born with a special skill. If you look at the skill alone, you can’t call him F–rank.’”

“Honestly, that’s true. I’ve got a special skill, and an S–rank little brother. Claiming I’m just a normal F–rank would be kind of dishonest.”

“But pre–regression Han Yujin really was a normal F–rank.”

Before regression, I’d been a truly ordinary F–rank Hunter. My little brother Yuhyun had still been S–rank, sure, but that only made things harder for me. I was just a typical low–rank Hunter.

“And even so, you made it this far.”

P’s voice and eyes both softened. The way he looked at me made my insides itch.

“I know it’s a painful past for you, and I feel bad about using it like this.”

“It’s okay. I’ve forgotten most of it anyway.”

If everyone remembered, I’d have vanished for real. “Han Yujin died that day,” and then I’d change my face and live under a new name. The fact only a handful remembered was the only reason it was bearable.

“Even if an ordinary person’s success story is cliché and boring, it’s still hope. It’s still a comfort. If that feeling sticks with people, they’re more likely to lean toward better choices. Elections aren’t called image wars for nothing. In this age, that kind of feeling is even more important. So if someone tries to push for better welfare for low–rank Hunters, they’ll get more support than before.”

Which meant, according to P, I’d pulled off something amazing.

“…Honestly, I just didn’t wanna die. I wasn’t exactly thinking noble thoughts about helping people most of the time… You’re a high–rank Hunter and you’re trying to help low–rank Hunters, so I think you’re the impressive one.”

I’m not that big–hearted. People like Hyunah are the truly big ones.

“There are plenty of people besides you who work hard for total strangers. I don’t think I could go that far. So I feel a bit guilty.”

“Thank you.”

P smiled lightly.

“And I don’t know about other people, but for me, just thinking like that is enough. The world moves a surprising amount on the efforts of a few. Out of billions, a few special people rack up the big achievements. But even work ‘for the world’ only means something because there’s a world, and people, who get to enjoy it.”

“Uh… I guess that’s true?”

“So I don’t think ordinary people need to feel any sense of debt. Just being grateful and offering support is plenty. If you’ve got time, showing it more directly is even better. Even if it’s not about donating money. It’s easy to show these days. A few clicks of a mouse, a few taps on your phone, and you’re done.”

He wiggled his fingers, saying that helping others had gotten easier lately.

“You can say a ton of nice things without ever showing up in person. Of course, it also got a lot easier to hurt people with just a few lines of text.”

“That’s… really true.”

“But there are more good people than bad in the world. Someone who lives their life without hurting others and at least makes a one–dollar donation call is a good person in my book. And you, SF, are a good person too!”

P clapped me on the shoulder. He was, somehow, a better person than I’d expected. People say high–rank Hunters are all weirdos, but there were folks like this too. I looked at P and spoke up.

“I’m thinking of building an educational facility for Awakened.”

“For Awakened? That might be… a little dangerous.”

“From kindergarten up through elementary, middle, and high school, one step at a time. Even if it’s for Awakened, it’s not going to be a Hunter training facility. I want it to be as normal a school as possible.”

“That’s not as easy as it sounds. We’re also really focused on protecting young Awakened. But as soon as you say you’re going to collectively protect underage Awakened, people hear ‘We’re raising a group with dangerous power.’ Like some special forces training center.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

People would naturally suspect what I wanted with all those kids.

“But it’s still necessary. Especially for kids who awakened at mid or high rank. Ordinary parents can’t handle them. So I’m actually the best candidate. My stats are F–rank, and I already run a Breeding Facility.”

If my “head” were S–rank too, it’d be even more threatening. But as an F–rank, people would think worst–case they could just cut my head off if they really had to. On top of that, I was already raising high–rank monsters, so adding mid– or high–rank Awakened wouldn’t feel like that big a jump. It’s less scary when a country that already has nukes builds another, compared to some brand–new country getting its first.

P rubbed his chin and studied me.

“Is this because of the Sesung Guild Leader’s kid?”

“That rumor’s crap. And… I’m trusting you to keep this quiet.”

“You couldn’t do this job if you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

“I’ve got two kids too. They’re both Awakened, and they look like me and my brother. Too much like us to hide. I’ll probably make it public soon.”

“Wow, if they’re Awakened, they can’t be babies–babies. That’s unexpected.”

…Oh. Crap. When you think about it, even if I said the black dragon was six, I’m only twenty–six. I personally felt thirty, so it hadn’t really hit me, but if you count pregnancy, that means I technically knocked someone up as a teen. Twice. With kids only a year apart.

“Honestly, I thought you’d never even dated.”

…Unnecessarily perceptive, this guy. P burst out laughing and thumped my back.

“You’ve already got three future preschoolers, so yeah, you’ll have to build it. If you ever need help, call me. We’d be thrilled if a proper protection and education facility popped up. I know people who work rescuing and protecting young Awakened. The Sesung Guild Leader’s helped them out a few times too.”

“The Sesung Guild Leader?”

I knew he traveled overseas, but he did volunteer work too?

“That’s why he’s got such a weird reputation. He’s this selfish powerhouse you don’t want to run into, but he also responds to calls for help more than you’d expect. He doesn’t act like he’s doing ‘good deeds’ either, more like he’s just doing what’s normal.”

“Saving kids is normal.”

“Sure, but how did they put it… They said he felt like a shepherd chasing after a lamb a wolf ran off with. Like it’s a duty thing.”

That sounded exactly like Seong Hyunjae. Less “moral service” or “love for humanity” and more “It’s a lamb that can live inside my huge pasture later, so I might as well save it.”

“There are tons of future preschoolers overseas. If you want, I can introduce you to people who’d be willing to cooperate.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, you’re the one doing a good thing. Now, how about a picture.”

A camera appeared in his hand like magic. Hold up.

“Right now, here?”

“Candid shots are better. Okay, since you’re Korean, say kimchi!”

“Wait, wait, hold on!”

I yanked a mirror out of my inventory and hurriedly checked if my face looked okay. Nothing on it, but my hair was a mess! P said if I was that worried, he’d do a little touch–up in post and urged me to hurry.

“Still, at least let me wash my face! Hey! Don’t take that!”

Thud!

“Hyung?!”

– Grruph!

At my scream, Yuhyun and Peace kicked the door open. Yerim, Chief Song, and Noah all poked their heads in. Gyeol, who’d been with Yerim, flew straight over to me.

“No, I’m fine. I just wanted to wash my face before he took the picture…”

“Here, Mister.”

Yerim immediately conjured a lump of water for me. Bless that kid. P watched the fairy dragon perched on my shoulder with great interest and spoke.

“That kid Sesung?”

“He is not!”

– I’m Dad’s son!

Gyeol yelled, then glanced at me. When I nodded, he hopped down and transformed into a little boy.

“Looks like a skill similar to the Liette siblings’. Hi.”

“Hello, my name is Han Gyeol. My last name is Han, and my first name is Gyeol.”

He bowed politely. What a good kid.

“Want me to run an article? I’ll write it however you want. I’ve got a friend who’s a really good writer.”

“Mm, Gyeol. What do you think?”

“I’m okay with it. As long as I’m going out as Dad’s son, I like it.”

Rumors had probably already spread as much as they were going to anyway. Making it official that I’d taken him in might be a good move.

“Okay then, let’s get one shot of you in human form, and one in dragon form. We’ll say it’s a monster–transformation skill, and that’s why you’re looking after him, yeah?”

“Yeah. And say his rank is low. As you saw at the party, he doesn’t have any particular abilities.”

If he were high–rank, there’d be people trying to target him.

“The original plan was to keep him safely pretending to be a young monster until he grew up a bit more. But with the kindergarten, we’re bringing him out earlier than planned. For the kindergarten itself, keep things vague for now in the article, please.”

“Okay, okay. So he was sent to a relative, the Sesung Guild Leader, then ended up with Beast Breeder Han Yujin. That sound right?”

“Yeah.”

“So originally his name was Seong Gyeol?”

“He’s a relative, that’s all. His name’s always been Han Gyeol.”

Just because you’re relatives doesn’t mean you share a last name. There’s the maternal side, and these days some kids take their mom’s last name.

“I’ve always been Han Gyeol.”

We did the photo shoot with Gyeol. After stowing the camera away, P leaned in and murmured to me.

“The hot rumor is he’s the Sesung Guild Leader’s secret kid.”

Mm… That couldn’t be helped. Even if we denied it officially and did DNA tests, that version of the story was more interesting. And the rumor itself was fine. Seong Hyunjae’s kid would be a harder target than mine. Gyeol would hate it, but for the kindergarten and everything else, it’d help. A solid backing is nice to have.

P left, promising to write up the article well.

“We should start construction on the kindergarten as soon as possible. And also…”

I looked at Yuhyun and Yerim.

“I’m thinking we should move. Keep using the current place, but build a new house near the Gyeonggi breeding facility.”

“To Gyeonggi?”

“Yeah. The thing is, an Awakened school… is probably going to be treated like an unwanted facility.”

I hugged Gyeol as I spoke. It was inevitable. People would think it was a place where dangerous kids were gathered. Chief Song nodded heavily.

“In Seoul, especially near Haeyeon’s headquarters, it would be almost impossible to get a permit.”

“Right. So I want to put it near the breeding facility. There’s already a high–rank Hunter training center there, so it’ll feel safer.”

“If it’s where you are, hyung, I’m fine anywhere.”

“Your commute’ll get annoying.”

“I’ve got Peace, so it’s fine.”

“Same here. I’ve got a flight skill, and if not, there’s Blue. Blue’s super fast.”

“What about you, Noah?”

“I’ll stay at the building. I imagine that’s what you’d prefer.”

Noah smiled as he spoke.

“If it’s because of me, I can…”

“It’s not that. And I can’t stay single forever either. Marcel says he’s coming to Korea too.”

He added he’d come visit often.

“I’ll still have to commute. The Breeding Facility’s staying where it is, after all.”

This time I’d build it bigger, at least two floors up. And then the school, and the kids. Just putting the buildings up would take a few months, so it was still a fairly distant future. But at the same time, not that far off. It was a future that might not even happen.

Even so, I felt like it would. My chest was almost buzzing with excitement.