BCGWR Chapter 30 Part 2

Even though Jung Ha-jin was the first to avoid eye contact, Toto watched Jung Ha-jin the entire time Ji-su drank his coffee. When Jung Ha-jin subtly rolled his eyes to glance at Toto, Toto, narrowing his eyes further, pointed at his own eye with his left wing feather, then sharply turned it around to point at Jung Ha-jin, jabbing the air.

“……”

“……”

Ji-su, unaware that an inexplicable staring contest had begun between the monster and the Esper, sipped his coffee and fiddled with his phone.

The coffee was cool as if freshly poured, and the box seat was just warm enough to be cozy. It was a peaceful break.

Evening began to fall.

Lying sideways on his dormitory bed, gazing blankly out the window, Ji-su had just shifted his gaze to the status window floating in the air.

[Successfully defended against S++ or higher skills using a shield (5/5)]

Toto, who had been training with Jung Ha-jin until late afternoon, applying mana to strengthen his shield, blocked an impressive three attacks in their final spar. Although the shield broke on the last blow, Jung Ha-jin praised Toto, saying that with this level of defense, he could participate in S-rank raids. Thanks to this, Toto had been strutting around all day, chest puffed out.

‘If it only ended there, it would have been a perfectly normal afternoon……’

Ji-su dismissed the status window, squeezed his eyes shut, and began to retrace his afternoon, which should have been perfect.

‘After finishing shield training with Toto and Esper Jung Ha-jin…… we went grocery shopping at a nearby supermarket…… I…… chose snacks……?’ Jung Ha-jin pulling a cart in the large supermarket, and Toto flying back with a bag of nuts in his mouth, faintly came to mind. And the memory of choosing his favorite chocolate snacks in the snack aisle was also vague, almost there but not quite.

It definitely happened, but for some reason, it was blurry, as if it had been half-erased.

Ji-su opened his tightly closed eyes, and gnawed at his lip while looking at the dim, dark red sunset outside the window. The last sky he remembered seeing today was blue, not this blackish-red sunset.

Moreover, on the side table in his room, he saw chocolate snacks that looked like he had been eating them. About half of the contents remained in the snack bag, and next to it, Toto’s bag of nuts was also open, with a few nuts scattered around.

‘I don’t remember coming back from the supermarket…… or eating those snacks…… or giving Toto treats……’ Through the open door, he could hear Toto offering advice and Jung Ha-jin preparing dinner. Both were having a normal evening. As if nothing had happened.

No, from their perspective, nothing had happened. If he had shown any strange symptoms, Jung Ha-jin and Toto would have taken some action, perhaps even brought him to the infirmary.

Ji-su, even more disturbed by that fact, closed his eyes again, fiddled with the ring on his left middle finger, and bit his lip. He knew he had to tell them, yet he couldn’t move a muscle.

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