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Chapter 78: Observation Class (4)

Valhalla City.

The city surrounding the Hero School was bustling with people who had gathered from all across the Three Kingdoms for the open class.

Of course, the actual heroes participating in the open class had already entered the school since morning, but there were many others who had come despite not participating directly.

From attendants serving high-ranking heroes, people attending for the "social gathering" held after the open class, to gossipers who were excited to see heroes from the Three Kingdoms in one place, and merchants targeting such crowds—the streets of Valhalla City were even busier than the inside of the school.

“We should change clothes first.”

“Yeah.”

Walking around in school uniforms in the middle of a weekday was drawing too much attention.

“Let’s go into that shop.”

We randomly picked a nearby clothing store and entered.

For a shop we had entered without much thought, it was surprisingly well-known, as the spacious interior was filled with hundreds of different types of clothing.

“There’s a lot of clothes here.”

“Let’s just quickly pick something and change.”

While browsing the men\'s section for some clothes, I suddenly realized something.

“Huh? Where did he go?”

Yuren, who I thought was following behind me, was nowhere to be seen.

I retraced my steps and saw Yuren standing absentmindedly in the store, staring at a mannequin in the women’s section.

The mannequin was dressed in a flowing skirt and an off-shoulder blouse, a popular trend among female students recently.

“What are you doing over there?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

Yuren gave an awkward smile and walked over to the men’s section.

After we changed into the clothes we had quickly picked out, we stepped back onto the streets of Valhalla City.

“Man, the weather is great.”

For some reason, the day seemed exceptionally bright, even though it was just an ordinary day.

Maybe it was because we had skipped school.

“So, what should we do now?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Is there anything you want to do?”

“It’s my first time doing something like this.”

Yuren, who was smiling awkwardly, looked around anxiously, like a lost child separated from his parents.

I stifled a laugh at his behavior.

‘The strongest swordsman of humanity, anxious just because he skipped a school class.’

Seeing Yuren’s fresh and innocent side, which I could never have imagined in his past life, brought a smile to my face.

“Well then, should we just walk around the area?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

I decided to take Yuren to ‘Republic Town,’ a place in Valhalla City where most people from the Republic lived.

It was a place I had visited before with Iris when we went to see a movie.

Republic Town was filled with Republic-style restaurants and cultural venues.

“Wow, so this is Republic Town.”

Yuren’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked around, much like someone who had just arrived in the capital from the countryside.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah, I don’t go out much, and even if I do, I never really came to Republic Town.”

“Well, considering your mother, that’s understandable.”

“Oh… I, I don’t think of Republic people as half-breeds or anything like that!”

“I know, man.”

We wandered around Republic Town for a while, and as time passed, I began to feel hungry.

“Starting to get hungry. Should we grab lunch?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

“Anything you want to eat?”

“Hmm… something I want to eat…”

After thinking for a moment, Yuren’s eyes lit up.

“I want to try ramen!”

“…Ramen? Of all things, here?”

“Yeah!”

Yuren nodded enthusiastically.

“Well, if that’s what you want.”

As we looked around for a place that served ramen, Yuren suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, Dale.”

“Yeah?”

“Instead of buying it, could you make the ramen for me?”

“You want me to make it?”

Really?

Out here, he wants me to cook ramen?

“Let’s just buy some. It’ll taste better that way.”

“……”

Yuren’s face fell, and he pouted at my suggestion to buy ramen.

“You made it for Iris…”

Seeing Yuren lower his head with a dejected look made me feel a strange wave of guilt.

“Fine, fine… I’ll make it for you.”

“Thanks, Dale!”

Yuren beamed, looking as happy as could be.

I sighed inwardly at the sight.

“Geez…”

Yuren was really hard to figure out sometimes.

Why was he so obsessed with me making ramen when there were plenty of places to eat around here?

“Now, let’s see… where can I cook ramen around here…?”

It’s not like I could walk into a restaurant and ask to use their kitchen.

‘Wait a minute.’

I remembered seeing on Hero Watch that there was a place near Republic Town by the riverside where you could cook ramen yourself.

“Let’s go, Yuren.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just follow me.”

As expected, the riverside spot had a place where you could cook ramen and eat at an outdoor table.

“Hold the spot for me. I’ll go inside and cook the ramen.”

“Okay!”

After cooking the ramen inside, I brought it to the outdoor table where Yuren was waiting.

The verdict from the noble young master, who had never tasted ramen before, was simple.

“Wow, this is really… strong.”

Yuren smiled awkwardly, clearly not enjoying the intense flavor.

His reaction was the complete opposite of Iris, who had devoured the ramen with passion.

‘Yeah, this is the normal reaction.’

If ramen suited everyone’s taste, it wouldn’t be mostly consumed only in the Republic.

For people from other countries, who were not used to spicy food, the flavor was too strong.

“It’s not really to your taste, is it?”

“Oh, no! It’s good!”

"What\'s so good about it when you\'re sweating like that?"

I chuckled and pulled out a slice of cheese I had brought just in case.

"If you add this, it\'ll taste much better."

"...Cheese? You\'re putting cheese in ramen?"

Yuren frowned, as if questioning the absurd combination.

"You\'ll see once you try it."

"Alright..."

As I placed the cheese on the ramen, the remaining heat caused it to melt.

"Huh?"

Yuren cautiously took a bite of the cheese ramen, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"It\'s... delicious!"

"Much better than before, right?"

"Yeah!"

With a smile of satisfaction, Yuren quickly finished the cheese ramen.

I also followed suit, finishing my bowl cleanly.

After swiftly devouring the ramen, Yuren and I sat at the outdoor table, gazing at the calmly flowing river.

The morning\'s events felt like a distant dream as we enjoyed the peaceful moment.

I broke the silence, speaking to Yuren, who was quietly staring at the river.

"Yuren."

"Hm?"

"Was it always like that between you and your mother?"

"..."

Yuren pressed his lips together tightly at the mention of his mother.

He let out a bitter smile and shook his head softly.

"My mother wasn\'t always like this. When I was little, she was incredibly kind."

"She doesn\'t seem like that kind of person at all."

"Haha. It\'s because she\'s had to lead the family on her own. She\'s probably struggling a lot."

Yuren gave an awkward smile, trying to defend his mother.

I frowned and shook my head.

"Even if she\'s struggling, that doesn\'t mean she can treat you like that. Honestly, you\'re practically the hope of the Helios family, aren\'t you?"

"...Hope."

"Anyway, if you don\'t like it, you should speak up. You don\'t have to live under your mother\'s thumb."

"..."

For some reason, Yuren\'s expression turned cold.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his hands trembled.

"...I can\'t."

A faint voice, almost squeezed out.

Yuren gave a fragile smile as if he were about to break and shook his head.

"I don\'t have the right."

"...What do you mean, the right?"

"It\'s getting late, Dale. We should head back before the dorms close."

Yuren hastily changed the subject, clearly avoiding the conversation.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Yuren gather up the ramen bowls and stand up.

His hands and lips trembled slightly, his cheeks were pale, and his breathing had become shallow and uneven.

A Yuren I had never seen before.

Or rather, a Yuren I had refused to see.

A Yuren gripped by fear.

\'...Why?\'

A question formed in my mind.

The Yuren I knew was braver than anyone.

When everyone else cowered and fled, he had boldly drawn his sword and stood his ground.

Even in front of that demonic being.

\'So why?\'

What could possibly make him this afraid?

"Let\'s go."

"Oh, right."

Without time to seek answers to the questions swirling in my mind, I followed Yuren back toward the school.

"Oh, and Dale."

Yuren, walking ahead, suddenly turned around with a smile.

"Thanks."

"...For what?"

"For taking me out."

Yuren smiled warmly as he said that.

* * *

After parting ways with Dale, I made my way back to the dormitory.

The school, with all its classes over, was cloaked in an eerie silence.

"Sigh."

I recalled the memories of going outside with Dale today.

Wandering the streets, seeing things I had never seen, eating things I had never tasted.

\'It was fun.\'

I had never imagined I would have a day like this.

I was truly happy.

But.

"..."

Standing in front of the door, I bit my lip.

The time for that brief happiness had ended.

Now, it was time to return to my usual routine.

Creak.

With trembling hands, I opened the door to the dormitory.

"You\'re finally back?"

Inside the room, my mother sat with her legs crossed, staring at me with cold, lifeless eyes.

"...Yes."

I didn\'t ask why she was still here, even though the parent observation day had already ended.

I knew all too well that my mother wouldn\'t leave just like that.

"I\'m sorry."

I knelt before her and bowed my head.

Without a word, my mother stood up and approached me.

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for a slap across the face.

"Yuren, no... Yurina."

But instead, her hand gently stroked my cheek with surprising tenderness.

"...Mother?"

The word "mother" barely escaped my lips, as I hadn\'t expected this at all.

"You\'ve had a hard time, haven\'t you? To the point where you hung out with such a bad influence."

"N-No, that\'s not it..."

"Don\'t worry. No one knows how hard you\'ve worked better than I do."

"..."

Was I dreaming?

My mind was in a haze, unable to comprehend the situation.

"You\'ve done well, Yurina. You\'ve worked hard."

As she said that, my mother gently stroked my back.

"...Ah."

A shiver ran down my spine.

Tears flowed uncontrollably from my eyes.

"M-Mother."

"There, there."

"Sob... Mother..."

I didn\'t know why her attitude had changed so suddenly, but that didn\'t matter anymore.

All I knew was that, in this moment, my long-held wish had come true.

"Yurina, there\'s something I need to ask you. Can you do it for me?"

"Sob... Yes. Anything... I\'ll do anything."

Could there ever be a day as joyous as this?

I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand and nodded eagerly.

"Be Yuren."

"...What?"

Be Yuren?

What had she meant by everything up to this point?

"I\'m not asking for some half-hearted imitation."

"What are you talking about...?"

My mother gripped my shoulders tightly, speaking with excitement in her voice.

"If we overlay Yuren\'s Stigma over yours, you\'ll become the real Yuren... a shining sun."

Her eyes, twisted with madness, glistened as she spoke.