《Laplace Hunter Academy》 Chapter I - Arrival in Seoul "South Korea... So this is where I will be studying for my high school years..." A young Chinese girl stared out the window of the descending airliner which reflected the luminescent city night ambiance of Seoul. It was a city of many bright lights, yellow, red, blue, and purple all littered the city night. With a calm demeanor and her cold piercing crimson eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but stare out the window. It was the first time she had been in a foreign country but being in a foreign land was not her concern. ¡®If I were here for any other reason then I wouldn¡¯t be so tense and maybe I would be able to enjoy myself.¡¯ She thought as she bit her tongue as the bitter memories flashed before her eyes. Memories of guilt and helplessness arose within her giving way to disgust and hatred for what she had been. ¡®I won¡¯t have to leave you behind anymore. This time I will train myself to my limit so that you can count on me this time. Rather than being a pitiful child that you would have to protect for all your life, I will become someone you can depend upon, brother.¡¯ She crunched up her fist in determination as the plane grounded itself. Once the plane landed, she followed the crowd of passengers as she pulled her red suitcase along with her. At the bustling airport exterior, she could feel the pressure and loneliness build up within herself as she saw various families and friends reunited all around her. Greeting another with laughter and warmth which she hadn¡¯t experienced for a long time. ¡°My trip to Hawaii was just perfect! I wish I could have stayed for longer but my boss is a tyrant who doesn¡¯t give us that many vacation days!¡± A woman in her mid-20s complained to her clique of girls with all of them holding expensive milkshakes. ¡°Welcome back to Korea! Did you study well my son? Did America treat you well while you were there?¡± An older woman who looked to be a grandma deeply hugged her fat son. ¡°Mom! You''re embarrassing me!¡± ¡®The embarrassment you face is merciful compared to what I have lived through¡­¡¯ Feeling a pang across her body, she left the crowd and rested on the side of the lobby. While resting, a yellow poster caught her eye. Yellow Ride Cabs Need a ride? Then call us! She reached for her pockets and held her Nokia flip phone in her hands. It was the newest and hottest smartphone device as of the 2024 market season despite the fact that it was still slow and inconvenient to use with its small 12 button keypad. ¡®I wish technology was more convenient than this.¡¯ She sighed as she thought back to a social commentary film about the Great Catastrophe that shaped the world.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. If the Great Catastrophe had never happened, then our world would be 20 years ahead in terms of technology and living standards rather than stagnating as a result of the otherworldly invasion. When the cab arrived, she took the front seat next to the cab driver. A young Korean man, several years her senior. As she entered the cab, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the faint smell of kimchi soup and the soft hum of American jazz music playing on the radio. ¡°And where will you be heading?¡± He said as he stared at her through his fake sunglasses. ¡°Laplace Academy.¡± He nodded before raising an eyebrow. That was an unexpected destination. ¡°Then you must be a Hunter? Specifically a foreign student from abroad? You know, Laplace is a pretty big deal considering that International Class Hunter is teaching there.¡± She nodded. Only replying with gestures to not arouse any more interest from the man. She was getting annoyed by him but anything more would be a headache. ¡°So what made you choose Laplace? If I remember correctly China also has some good Hunter Academies, so why us? And more broadly, there are also other good academies across the world like Las Vegas and Rome.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll only answer you so I won¡¯t have to hear your voice anymore. It¡¯s cheap, the education is good, it¡¯s close to home and I want to train under that International Class Hunter.¡± ¡°An International Class Hunter? Aren¡¯t there like only 7 maybe 8 of those guys in existence and all of them are really high status so what makes you think that would be coming your way?¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s her. Someone who is a complete foreigner to this world with her manners and customs, I would be fully willing to learn under her for my revenge.¡± ¡°Kids these days are really edgy¡­ You know, there are only half a billion hunters across the world basically a tenth of the world population and most people are at the H-Class, so what makes you so confident of defeating hunters at the H, G, D, C, B, A, S, SS and SSS level who are also eyeing out this opportunity?¡± ¡°Even if it will take a long time, I will still hold true to my ways. But with the guidance of his teachings, I won¡¯t be second to anyone other than him.¡± ¡°You sound really sure of yourself and whoever that guy is. But is it alright for you to obsess so much on acquiring power? It¡¯s important to make some friends. When I was younger, I thought that I could do everything on my own but now I¡¯m just some cab driver.¡± She looked away and out to the window while staring at a pair of two particular girls. One with orange hair and the other with brown hair both sitting at a cafe with milk tea drinks. ¡°I don¡¯t need any friends. I can achieve my dreams on my own. I don¡¯t want anyone else to get in my way.¡± ¡°Alright. Alright edgelord, just don¡¯t end up regretting anything when you are older.¡± The ride from there was quiet and peaceful but her heart continued to stir. Finally arriving at Laplace Academy, the girl reached for her wallet but the man shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just remember me when you are strong and famous, alright?¡± She stared at him confused before giving him a cold annoyed look. ¡°If I will ever remember you, it would be as an annoying driver who won¡¯t shut up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. But what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I am Yi Xiaodan.¡± ¡ª ¡°Brother! You''re finally back home!¡± ¡°Did you eat dinner while I was away, Yi Xiao?¡± The innocent girl smiled. ¡°I missed you so much that I couldn¡¯t eat without you!¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Would you like me to cook some noodles for you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± My brother grabbed a packet of noodles from the top shelf. On the plastic packaging was a picture of him. ¡°Red Dragon of the South?¡± My brother spat out as he cringed. It was just such a cringe name but ultimately that¡¯s what people know him as. ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s my nickname. Ever since I became a strong hunter, they have been calling me that.¡± My brother awkwardly chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s a nice name. It sounds cool so why do you sound so disappointed?¡± A smile broke across my brother¡¯s face. ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then I am the Red Dragon of the South!¡± My brother proudly proclaimed. ¡ª ¡°The Red Dragon of the South!¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t that someone else¡­¡¯ The man commented to himself with a confused look¡­ He pressed his hand against his eyes before turning around to the young girl who had smiled. ¡°Hey¡­ You are actually smiling.¡± Yi Xiao¡¯s smile quickly broke. ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything.¡± End of chapter. Chapter 2 - The Laplace Hunter Academy Entering Laplace Academy, Yi Xiao walked through its large marble gates while her suitcase rolled behind her. Glancing ahead, she would lock eyes with a senior. The school senior had dark blue hair, a cool dark blue coat, and dark shades over her face. She approached Yi Xiao with a calm smile. An air of slight tension filled the air as the two women stared at one another. ¡°And who might you be?¡± "Yi Xiao of the freshman class." "Yi Xiao... You''ve arrived at the academy, a lot earlier than you were supposed to. Two weeks early. But I can''t turn you back so here''s the keys to your dorm room. Wait here.¡± The senior walked into an office for a brief moment before coming out and throwing Yi Xiao her dorm keys. "The dorms are on the right side of this main road and if you need anything, you can look for me. I''ll be in the front here." The senior commented with a cool smile before disappearing into the distant school halls without a trace. Yi Xiao nodded, taking note of the fact that the senior could be relied upon before making her way down the academy road on the right. Laplace Academy was a really beautiful place. A fact that could be seen in the fact that it was a pretty common relaxation spot for the locals of Seoul. With the soft wind breezing against you, a calm and quiet school ambiance, and the beautifully trimmed landscapes adorned with various foreign and domestic flowers, and shrubbery, it was no wonder why the academy was such a popular destination. Throughout a short fifteen-minute walk, Yi Xiao nodded in approval of the beauty of the academy. ¡®My brother was right. Laplace Academy was truly beautiful.¡¯ Yi Xiao commented to herself before finally arriving at the female dorms. A giant multi-story skyscraper stood right in front of her and she stared at it with great confusion. ¡°How many people is that meant to fit?¡± Yi Xiao commented to herself before entering the dorms. The cool air of the lobby air-conditioning spat wind right in her face as she let out a chuckle. ¡®I haven¡¯t gotten that senior''s name. So the next time we met. I¡¯ll have to ask her for it.¡¯ ¡°Are you a new student here?¡± Yi Xiao turned her attention around the lobby. But to no avail. She could not find the voice. "Hey. Down here." A disgruntled girl sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not even that short.¡± Yi Xiao stared down at the silver-haired ¡°loli¡± girl. With a look of confusion in her eyes, she blinked again and again. ¡®How can someone be so short?¡¯ "Hey. Don''t give me that look. I''m a Sophomore at Laplace Academy." ¡°With how short you were, I was surprised you weren¡¯t a dog toy.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "I''m not a dog toy! I''m a full-grown adult!" "Shorty, you are not a fully grown adult though.¡± The girl stared back at her. ¡°You¡¯re really rude.¡± The girl crossed her arms. ¡°We just have different priorities in life. I don¡¯t know about yours but I know mine perfectly well.¡± The girl nodded. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be like that¡­¡± She muttered under her breath. Yi Xiao left the lobby and made her way up through the elevator. Arriving at the right floor, she appeared at the door to her dorm room. With the key in hand, Yi Xiao unlocked the door. Unlocking the door, she left her suitcase standing by the door before leaping into bed. Surrender her consciousness and exhaustion to the bed until she had fallen asleep... [The Next Day] With Yi Xiao soundly asleep, it would only be a matter of time until the early evening turned to the next day with the radiant glare of the sun flying overhead. Peeking through the windows of the innocent female dorm room, the light had made its way into Yi Xiao''s world. With light flashing over her eyes, Yi Xiao struggled awake as she squinted her eyes open and then closed. The morning was truly a bitch... Yi Xiao turned her face over to the other side of the bed. Seeking to continue her beauty sleep this time without the sun shining on her face. Turning around, she tried to sleep. But she couldn''t. And she tried some more. But she couldn''t. After a certain point, it was a lost cause. ''If I am awake then there''s no point in trying to go back to sleep.'' Yi Xiao rose from the bed and inched her way to the restroom. Showering, brushing her teeth and stretching before fitting a new set of clothing upon herself. Reaching into her suitcase, she fitted on a black polo shirt, and a medium-length red skirt which was more than enough for a casual tuesday. While searching around in her suitcase, she scrunched around for her wallet. It was not there. Under her old clothes, it wasn''t there. Under her wooden sword, yeah it wasn''t also there. Under her lotions, documents, the rest of her clothes... Her wallet was nowhere to be found... Yi Xiao facepalmed before bitterly biting her lower lips with her teeth. "The hell do I do now..." Yi Xiao laid back in bed stumped and frustrated. She exhaled before thinking back to the words of her wise brother... [Flashback] "Let''s say that I don''t have any money, what should I do?" The young Yi Xiao of the past asked as she looked up to her older brother. He turned to her with a smile. "With me at your side, you will never run out of it. But let''s say for whatever reason I''m not by your side and you have to make money..." He held up his hand to his chin. "Is it even a good idea to tell you about it?" "Just tell me." The young Yi Xiao puffed up her cheeks. "Alright. It''s something that I did in the past but not anymore. But when those bad guys were coming to harass us, I beat the hell out of them. I broke their arms, their legs, and their nuts. And I didn''t just do that out of a righteous sense of vengeance but what I also did was rob them dry." "Isn''t stealing meant to be a bad thing?" "It''s alright if they threw the first punch since you are acting in self-defense. But if a villain ever comes up to you, don''t give them any mercy. Beat them, and take everything they own." Yi Xiao''s brother smiled before raising his fist to the sky. "But I wish there would be a day that these people wouldn''t even bother us. A day where we wouldn''t even have to rob them for money. A day where we could just be a regular family." The innocent Yi Xiao stared into his deep blue eyes. "Aren''t we already family?" [End of Flashback[ "Please forgive me for what I am going to do. But all of what I am going to do is for you..." Yi Xiao placed her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed. Before opening up her eyes again, her crimson ki surged up and enveloped her body. "This is my form of justice." Chapter 3 - Maybe He Wasnt All That Bad ¡°In order to get enough money to live in Korea, I am going to have to beat up some villains and take up their money.¡± Yi Xiao narrated as she clenched up her fist and ran out of her dorm room. Rushing down the countless and steep flight of stairs rather than the academy elevator which would have likely been packed with other students, Yi Xiao did not stop in her mad rush out of the campus. With the dorm keys in her hand, Yi Xiao made a furious dash out of the academy courtyard as the dark blue-haired senior of yesterday grilled after seeing her. ¡°Looks like someone has something to do. And I also have something important to do.¡± The dark blue-haired senior chuckled before taking up a marker and drawing a large thick line across it, deeply smudging the page with the unfortunate and deformed smile of a supposed-to-be student. ¡°It looks good.¡± Yi Xiao continued running and eventually she ran out of the academy gate and ran in a complete straight line. She continued her pace for half an hour before finding herself in the slums of Seoul. Gangdong, a region of Seoul that had once been the national capital of all the runaway children of Korea before they all fled North across the former DMZ border into the unorganized territories. It was in the slums of Seoul, that Yi Xiao slowed her pace and glanced down at the ground. She glanced into an alleyway and placed on a worn and torn gray jacket. Even though it was dirty, she needed to do it. As her agenda was to appear like some sort of runaway girl rather than a twisted hero of justice who wanted to beat up the villains for their (stolen) money in order to bait the villains. Several poor and homeless men glanced towards Yi Xiao but none of them approached her as they were too engrossed in their drugs and alcohol. But other than a beggar who was trying to ask someone poorer than him for money, no one in Gangdong wanted to interact with her.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡®Why did I even think this was a good idea¡­¡¯ Passing through the streets, Yi Xiao turned the corner into an alleyway as she felt the rhythmic beat of leather shoes against the ground. She turned back to face the approacher. Facing a young boy with silver hair, light blue eyes, and a lot of luxury brands that decorated him from head to toe, it was more than clear that meeting this guy was the jackpot. Yi Xiao chuckled in her thoughts while the boy reached to her before saying something. ¡°Hey, girl. Are you lost? Would you like to come somewhere with me? You shouldn¡¯t be in the streets all alone by yourself-¡° With a lightning swift twitch, Yi Xiao appeared behind the young boy who clenched his shattered nuts before falling to the ground. ¡°He¡¯s really weak¡­¡± Yi Xiao sighed as she kneeled down and glanced at his face. Angling his ground-facing face at her, it was clear to Yi Xiao that he had been completely knocked out. Yi Xiao reached for his pockets and pulled out his wallet containing a photo of him and a handsome older yet young man also with silver hair who was perhaps his older brother, his citizenship ID, and the great prize of 105,500 Won! Yi Xiao pocketed the money into her own pockets before staring at his Korean Citizenship ID. [International Student of Laplace Academy] [Freshman Class] Yi Xiao stared at him. Despite the great stress of getting kicked in the nuts, it was clear that this man or rather boy, was pretty naive looking. It was weird, perhaps inappropriate to attack and rob this guy. A fellow student. Yi Xiao slapped his face until he awoke. ¡°It hurts. Stop it.¡± ¡°You are a student at Laplace Academy? Is this correct?¡± ¡°Well, I am.¡± The silver-haired boy continued to hold his nuts in pain. "It still hurts." "You''re seriously weak, you know." A blush ran across his face as he glanced up at Yi Xiao¡¯s charming yet disgusted face. Her piercing judgmental crimson eyes stared right into him as if he were a hopeless slave living only by her whims, but he secretly enjoyed it. "I know that..." ¡°And you want to become a hunter when you''re so weak? Well, you would only be a casualty if you fought with that type of strength.¡± "Well, the reason is personal." He stared up at Yi Xiao with a concerned look with Yi Xiao silently staring back with a piercing stare. "And I''m not going to tell you it since you were beating me up." Yi Xiao nodded before handing back his money. He stared at her confused. "What? Do you want me to keep it or something?" Yi Xiao stared at the idiot who awkwardly took back his money. "You could have kept my money to yourself so why did you give it back?" "I thought you were a bad person but you are a lot more innocent than you seem and we are both students at Laplace Academy." "Uh... You really are a student too?" "Yeah." "But why did you have to rob me?" ¡°Because I left my wallet all the way back in China.¡± The young boy stared back confused. ¡°Well if you want I could show you a place where you could work but first let¡¯s get some food!¡± He blushed intensely and Yi Xiao stared at him suspiciously. "I guess I¡¯ll follow you but do your nuts still hurt?¡± "It¡¯s not that bad.¡± End of the chapter. Chapter 4 - Lets Eat at the Cafe! "So this is the place you wanted to take me to?" Yi Xiao said with a smile as she followed the young silver-haired boy to the street cafe. The boy turned back with a joyful smile. ¡°I¡¯m proud to introduce Aria¡¯s Cafe to you! It¡¯s the perfect place for young students like us to hang out! And it¡¯s not that far away from Laplace Academy! And I¡¯ve heard from my friends that the owner of this cafe is a hunter!¡± "I take it that you want to visit this place frequently with me? Also since I didn''t ask this earlier, what''s your name?" "Noah Smith." "Yi Xiaodan." ¡°Yi Xiao! What does that name mean? It sounds pretty catchy and elegant.¡± Yi Xiao scoffed. Here was another soul to call her Yi Xiao rather than her true name which was Yi Xiaodan. And it wasn¡¯t necessarily an issue since Yi Xiao was the nickname that her brother also used with her but to have strangers that she barely knew use it was something else entirely. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what it means and if you are going to call me by that at least have the decency to respect my boundaries.¡± Noah nodded cheerfully while Yi Xiao stared at the menu of items which laid overhead right beneath the cafe logo. ¡°It¡¯s fully in Korean. So you will have to read it since you are Korean.¡± Noah began to shiver before turning back to Yi Xiao. ¡°While I¡¯m Korean, it¡¯s only ethnically. I was not born and raised in Korea because I was born in the States! Noah scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°So if you are not a local then it looks like we are going to have to spend a lot of time trying to find a local who can also speak English.¡± Yi Xiao facepalmed in frustration which would lead to the arousal of curiosity by a certain very important character. ¡°Um. Excuse me. But it seems that the two of you foreign students are having trouble picking out what you would like to eat. Would you like to have some help choosing out what you want to eat?¡± Noah and Yi Xiao glanced to their side as they heard a beautiful calming voice. A beautiful girl with flowing orange hair approached the two of them. She had an innocent smile and golden eyes that were brighter than the day, fair light snow skin, and a certain mystical aura of charm that enveloped her. Her mystical and charming aura was like the presence of a princess or the main character of a novel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The two of you are just stuck in place." She asked as she went closer to Noah and Yi Xiao who couldn¡¯t help but stare at her with boundless curiosity. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯d like that.¡± ¡°Yes. That would be great.¡± The orange-haired girl smiled before pointing up to the sign. Item by item, she slowly and gently read off all the item names back in English. While the pair of Yi Xiao and Noah listened to her soft taint voice. ''She¡¯s really like an angel. She¡¯s cute and kind too. Just like her¡­¡¯ Yi Xiao thought to herself as she gripped her fists tightly. ¡®I won¡¯t lose anyone else because of my weakness.'' Yi Xiao commented to herself in a serious tone while forgetting what she wanted to eat. But on the other hand, someone else was also unsure of what to eat. ''She''s so cute! She''s so cute! Wait! No! Noah, you came to Korea to become a strong hunter like your brother. Not so that you could chase cuties around.'' Noah thought to himself while looking sad and concerned. "Is there something wrong?" The dreamy girl whispered into his ear. "Nothing wrong. It''s just been so long since someone else has been this nice to me.¡± "She pulled back before smiling. ¡°If you want. I could be your friend and I can always be nice to you." Noah grew flushed crimson with that statement alone. The orange-haired girl stared at Yi Xiao who was clearly lost in thought. But with her thinking and staying so silently, it would be rude to "So this is the place you wanted to take me to?" Yi Xiao said with a smile as she followed the young silver-haired boy to the street cafe. The boy turned back with a joyful smile. ¡°I¡¯m proud to introduce Aria¡¯s Cafe to you! It¡¯s the perfect place for young students like us to hang out! And it¡¯s not that far away from Laplace Academy! And I¡¯ve heard from my friends that the owner of this cafe is a hunter!¡± "I take it that you want to visit this place frequently with me? Also since I didn''t ask this earlier, what''s your name?" "Noah Smith." "Yi Xiaodan."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yi Xiao! What does that name mean? It sounds pretty catchy and elegant.¡± Yi Xiao scoffed. Here was another soul to call her Yi Xiao rather than her true name which was Yi Xiaodan. And it wasn¡¯t necessarily an issue since Yi Xiao was the nickname that her brother also used with her but to have strangers that she barely knew use it was something else entirely. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what it means and if you are going to call me by that at least have the decency to respect my boundaries.¡± Noah nodded cheerfully while Yi Xiao stared at the menu of items which lay overhead right beneath the cafe logo. ¡°It¡¯s fully in Korean. So you will have to read it since you are Korean.¡± Noah began to shiver before turning back to Yi Xiao. ¡°While I¡¯m Korean, it¡¯s only ethnically. I was not actually born and raised in Korea since I was born in the States! Noah scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°So if you are not a local then it looks like we are going to have to spend a lot of time trying to find a local who can also speak English.¡± Yi Xiao facepalmed in frustration which would lead to the arousal of curiosity by a certain very important character. ¡°Um. Excuse me. But it seems that the two of you foreign students having trouble picking out what you would like to eat. Would you like to have some help choosing out what you want to eat?¡± Noah and Yi Xiao glanced to their side as they heard a beautiful calming voice. A beautiful girl with flowing orange hair approached the two of them. She had an innocent smile and golden eyes that were brighter than the day, fair light snow skin, and a certain mystical aura of charm that enveloped her. Her mystical and charming aura was like the presence of a princess or the main character of a novel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The two of you are just stuck in place." She asked as she went closer to Noah and Yi Xiao who couldn¡¯t help but stare at her with boundless curiosity. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯d like that.¡± ¡°Yes. That would be great.¡± The orange-haired girl smiled before pointing up to the sign. Item by item, she slowly and gently read off all the item names back in English. While the pair of Yi Xiao and Noah listened to her soft taint voice. ''She¡¯s really like an angel. She¡¯s cute and kind too. Just like her¡­¡¯ Yi Xiao thought to herself as she gripped her fists tightly. ¡®I won¡¯t lose anyone else because of my own weakness.'' Yi Xiao commented to herself in a serious tone while forgetting what she wanted to eat. But on the other hand, someone else was also unsure of what to eat. ''She''s so cute! She''s so cute! Wait! No! Noah, you came to Korea to become a strong hunter like your brother. Not so that you could chase cuties around.'' Noah thought to himself while looking sad and concerned. "Is there something wrong?" The dreamy girl whispered into his ear. "Nothing wrong. It''s just been so long since someone else has been this nice to me.¡± "She pulled back before smiling. ¡°If you want. I could be your friend and I can always be nice to you." Noah grew flushed crimson with that statement alone. The orange-haired girl stared at Yi Xiao who was clearly lost in thought. But with her thinking and staying so silently, it would be rude to interrupt her. ¡°What would the two of you like to eat?¡± Drool steadily dripped down their lips while they began picturing the soft image of food melting in their mouths. But neither of them knew what exactly to eat. ¡°The same thing that you will be eating.¡± Yi Xiao and Noah jointly replied causing them to stare at one another. What were the chances of perfectly jinxing a stranger word for word? Well, any chance above 0% is too much. ¡°Wow. The two of you are perfectly synchronized! Since you two asked, I¡¯ll be eating a brioche hotdog bun with an Azuki milk frappe. Is that alright with you two guys?¡± The two nodded in unison with both of their mouths watering in unison ¡°The two of you are pretty funny. It¡¯s like the two of you are some sort of siblings but from what I¡¯ve seen you two are more like strangers.''¡° ¡°There¡¯s no way we would be siblings.¡± Yi Xiao and Noah replied jointly. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t ever be siblings with someone so weak.¡¯ Yi Xiao thought as she stared at Noah with a disgusted look. ¡®And there¡¯s no way that I would be siblings with a nut-breaking sadist.¡¯ Noah thought back. ¡°It looks like you guys proved me back again. But before we lose our chance to get seated, let¡¯s go into the cafe! And I¡¯ll also be having a friend joining us very soon!¡± Yi Xiao and Noah nodded before following the orange-haired girl to the table at the back of the cafe. A table seating right at its rear window. After sitting at the table, Noah couldn¡¯t help but stare at the young girl¡¯s soft lips while Yi Xiao stared at her unique hair color. An auburn orange. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen anyone with orange as their natural hair color.¡¯ It looked very natural so Yi Xiao couldn¡¯t help but wonder about it. The girl smiled at the two before extending out her hands. ¡°I assume that the two of you are students at Laplus Academy. So I¡¯ll introduce myself. I¡¯m Nari Sariel and it¡¯s nice to meet you two.¡± Nari shook the hands of Yi Xiao and Noah. ¡°Hey, Nari who are these two? I¡¯ve never seen these guys before. Are they some sort of foreigners?¡± A young girl with medium-length brown hair that drooped to her shoulders approached the scene with a doubtful concerned look. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder who these two were. ¡°Erin! You are finally here!¡± Erin swooped into the table before giving Nari a tight and intense hug. Nari stared at Yi Xiao and Noah who held concerned looks at the scene before the two of them. Nari winked at the two of them. ¡°It isn¡¯t something to worry about.¡± She whispered tensely as she was getting choked out like a teddy bear. Nari began to cough and Erin released her grasp. ¡°I thought we would be eating alone. But here you are eating with two strangers. So tell me who are they?¡± Erin stared at Yi Xiao and Noah with a concerned look. ¡°These two are my friends. Please introduce yourself to Erin since she¡¯s really protective when it comes to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Yi Xiaodan and I¡¯m an international student from China looking to study at Laplace Academy. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m not a spy or someone seeking to steal Nari from you.¡± ¡°Well¡­ For me, I¡¯m Noah Smith and I¡¯m from the States. I am also studying at Laplace Academy.¡± "Yi Xiao¡­¡± Erin repeated the foreign name. ''Why is everyone just calling me Yi Xiao....'' Yi Xiao wondered. ¡°And Noah. It''s nice to meet you two. But I''m Erin Yuu and I''m Princess Nari''s elite bodyguard! So I can¡¯t let any harm come to her!" Yi Xiao and Noah laughed while Nari flushed red. "So you were royalty all this time?" Yi Xiao asked. ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop! Erin just because my parents call me a princess doesn¡¯t mean that I am an actual princess. So you have to quit it because you are going to mislead people like Yi Xiao.¡± "Even if you aren''t royalty you''re still my princess, so there''s no way that I would ever abandon you. And what if there was a small possibility that you were actually a princess!" "As if I would ever be an actual princess." Erin then glanced at the two others sitting at the table. "Do the two of you guys think that Nari could secretly be royalty?" Yi Xiao shook her head while Noah nodded. ¡°Yi Xiao, would you care to explain?¡± Erin brought her head and body close to Yi Xiao who had been sitting on the completely other side of the table. ¡°Well, it''s just that actual royalty wouldn¡¯t be out in the public so innocently. And I doubt the probability of finding a royal out on the streets.¡± Noah and Nari nodded along with the logic. "Good point, however, would you be willing to call her princess? Would you be willing to join our Nari Sariel fan club? And would you be willing to do whatever is needed to make her happy in life?" "Hey! Hey! Don''t try to expand my fan club without my permission! Even though you are the vice president of my fan club that doesn''t mean that you can do whatever you want." Yi Xiao chuckled. "Princess Nari. I''d like to become the new vice president of your fan club since she¡¯s bothering you.¡± Nari looked away flustered. ¡°I guess you could take the positon but you will need my mom and dad¡¯s approval to become the vice-president of my fan club.¡± Noah stared at Nari confused. ¡®What kind of family do you even have!?¡¯ He wondered to himself while keeping respectfully keeping his thoughts to himself. ¡°It would feel wrong for me to be VP if I need to meet your parents as a stranger.¡± A waiter walked up to the four of us at the table. ¡°What would you like to order?¡± The waiter asked and Nari Sariel replied. ¡°Three brioche hotdog buns and three azuki milk frappes.¡± Erin stared at Nari. ¡°Make that four of each.¡± She added. End of chapter¡­ Chapter 5 - Swords at War (1) Yi Xiao couldn¡¯t help but stare at the cute and innocent Korean girl sitting across from her, Nari Sariel with a face of glee and gluttony innocent devouring the beginning of her soft bread brioche hot dog bun caused something to well up in her. She gulped. The food was clearly served hot and fresh however she had been both concerned and amused by the fact that it had been a foreign food that she had never eaten before. As throughout her former days in China, all that she ate were traditional Chinese cuisine and various soups. But despite her undeveloped palette, her mouth began to water up with hunger before she took a bite. A macrocosm of flavors erupted in her mouth as her eyebrows pushed up to the heavens and as her face cheeks inflated from the surprising quality of the meal. ¡®It¡¯s soft, creamy and tender.¡¯ Nari chuckled as she still bite into her hot dog before beginning to comment on Yi Xiao¡¯s surprising reaction. ¡°It really looks like you are enjoying your brioche hot dog bun. If you like it, I could order another one for you.¡± Nari commented with a smile before Yi Xiao turned to her side with a blush across her face. ¡°Your kindness is too excessive.¡± ¡°But we are friends and this is what friends are for. And Yi Xiao come closer.¡± Yi Xiao came closer to Nari who pressed her soft snow white hands onto the side of her lips. Yi Xiao vibrated in shock before making a cat like noise while Erin¡¯s mouth dropped in complete shock. ¡°HUH!? When did the genre change!?¡± Erin screamed aloud visibly shook from the events transpiring at her side while Noah was innocent and stared back at the two frivolous girls before returning to innocently sipping on the milk tea. ¡°Erin, it¡¯s nothing. Yi Xiao only had some ketchup on the side of her lips so I didn¡¯t want to it continue being on her face since that would look improper to walk around with a ketchup stain on your face.¡± Erin nodded as she had a blush before imagining the same exact scene playing out with her instead of Yi Xiao. Opening up a ketchup packet, she pressed her hand against the crimson ooze before poking it up to her lips. A quick soft white hand leaped across the table onto her face causing Erin to squirm with her eyes closed and fan girl over the events transpiring before her. Rather than Nari being princess, it seems like that she would be princess instead. Yet when she opened her eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but see Yi Xiao right in front of her wiping off the food stain. Yi Xiao chuckled before pressing the ketchup onto her tongue causing Erin to freeze up in shock. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste perfectly good food or condiments.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Her mind was broken by the shock that she couldn¡¯t say much to the events unfolding before her. Following the awkward moment, the four friends at the table decided that it would have just been better to not talk at all and instead spend their time eating food in silence. The silence lasted for a while until Yi Xiao glanced at Nari and Erin who were getting ready to finish their hot dog buns.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I assume that the two of you are childhood friends?¡± Yi Xiao asked as she held up her second brioche hot dog between her beautiful slim hands that delivered them right into her mouth as Noah stared awkwardly. While Erin could not help but be reminded about Yi Xiao¡¯s fingers running down her lips, she pushed the thoughts aside to recant her story regarding her dearest friend. ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why we are so close! Sometimes I stay over at Nari¡¯s house and sometimes we sleep together in the same room.¡± Yi Xiao glanced at them confused. ¡®Civil rights in Korea are surprisingly progressive¡­¡¯ Yi Xiao thought to herself as she had never been involved in such a touchy and hands-on relationship with another girl, let another another person that wasn¡¯t her older brother. Erin wrapped herself around Nari who she held tightly with her bear-like grip causing a look of discomfort to run across her face as she glanced back at Yi Xiao. ¡°You are such a cutie!¡± Erin said as she pressed her head up against Nari¡¯s soft skin as if she were some sort of adorable animal that meant her entire life. A smile ran across Erin¡¯s face while Nari eased into the press while still feeling still concerned. Erin pressed her hands on Nari¡¯s head, head-patting her softly. ¡°Hey! Stop treating me like I¡¯m your pet or something! Because I¡¯m not! Also you have to stop raiding my house! Even though you are my childhood friend or whatever, we still need boundaries such as you not stealing my ice cream every single waking day of your life!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You have more than enough ice cream to share. So be a Comrade and don¡¯t be afraid to share! And besides, isn¡¯t it nice to have someone else on your bed who keeps your bed warm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have my dad buy almond ice cream since you are allergic to that.¡± Erin smile instantly turned to a displeased look as she glanced off to the side and scoffed. ¡°And I don¡¯t even like my bed warm. I like it cold. Cold as it can be, as it¡¯s easier to go to sleep when it¡¯s like that.¡± Nari added as Yi Xiao finished up her second hot dog. ¡°So what are we going to after this? We¡¯ve eaten the food that you paid for, so I assume that you would like to take us somewhere else?¡± Yi Xiao stared at Nari who glanced back at Erin who nodded back at her while giving her a thumbs-up. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m glad that you asked. Since we¡¯ve eaten a good amount of food, it¡¯s best if we go out to the local sword fighting area.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yi Xiao looked with a concerned look of dread running across her face. ¡°What if a criminal steals the swords and uses them to do crime?¡± Nari chuckled. ¡°Then the hunters and local law enforcement would have to deal with them but it¡¯s alright since those swords are only wooden swords.¡± ¡®That makes a lot more sense.¡¯ ¡°Yi Xiao do you not have any places like that in China?¡± Yi Xiao shook her head in confusion. ¡°I haven¡¯t really been out of the house for a long time because of my relatives but I do believe we have places like that.¡± Nari took note of her words before smiling. ¡°Hey, what do you mean by that? You don¡¯t go out that often?¡± Erin¡¯s piercing gaze eyed Yi Xiao who stared back with an innocent look. ¡°My family is annoying but so I don¡¯t get to go outside all that much.¡± ¡°Erin it¡¯s rude to ask about her life.¡± ¡°But what if she is some sort of spy or something?¡± Yi Xiao chuckled. ¡°If I were a spy, then I would not be a bad spy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an old video game reference. I don¡¯t think they are going to understand it.¡± Noah commented before standing up and collecting the emptied trays and cups of his friends. Placing them on the side of the restaurant counter dedicated to disposing of trash. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Nari followed after Noah as Yi Xiao and Erin would slowly followed after she paid for the lunch. ¡°The wood on the swords here feels pretty high-quality.¡± Yi Xiao said to herself as she held the sword in her hands and inspected it from every angle. ¡°The paint on the wooden swords is fine as well, and it¡¯s been well cut, and well refined without any deformities.¡± Erin stared at Nari with a confused look with Nari chuckling. ¡°It looks like you are pretty into swords.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been used to fighting my entire life.¡± While Yi Xiao had especially beautiful hands there were still incredibly trained and scarred to wield the sword day in and day out. In comparison, Erin and Nari had completely unmarked hands while Noah¡¯s hands weren¡¯t rough nor were they soft but they were still pained by the efforts of training. Nari and Yi Xiao clashed with their blades gliding towards one another. ¡°Yi Xiao, It looks like you are pretty strong. I am kind of wondering what kind of life you have lived. What even made you think of coming to Korea to become a hunter?¡± Nari stared right into her eyes before Yi Xiao chuckled as her crimson eyes trailed along with her rapid dash towards Nari. ¡°It''s a long story but I hope my swordsmanship will make you understand the type of life that I have lived¡­¡±
End of the chapter¡­