The day after receiving Bwier's unwanted help.
"..."
Bwier, who always said whatever he wanted and unilaterally cut off contact, had kept Claire up all night.
What question did Bwier ask Baek Woo-jin?
What was Baek Woo-jin's response?
Did he add any unnecessary comments?
Claire's thoughts and worries kept her up all night, with questions piling up one after another.
-Beep beep beep~
The unnecessarily cheerful sound from her wrist.
Claire, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, looked down at her wrist.
She rolled up the sleeve of the shirt she had been unbuttoning and looked at the brightly lit screen of her smartwatch.
[ (｀∇´ゞ It's morning!! I promised to teach you how to make a snowman, so get ready quickly!!]
'...I should convert.'
She was quite serious.
Claire thought that living in seclusion in a remote countryside without any people might not be a bad idea.
"Hoo."
Claire got up from the bed, determined to face the situation head-on instead of running away, something she had never done in her life.
She started by tidying up the clothes she had been wearing since yesterday and then headed to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.
'Just act as usual.'
As if nothing had happened.
As if nothing was wrong.
Just as usual.
After cooling off her head with cold water, Claire used her divine power to shake off the excess water and stood in front of her wardrobe.
Unlike other clergy members who frequently engaged in outdoor activities, her wardrobe didn't contain any casual clothes.
There were only the white priestess robes and black suits she wore for official occasions, along with the shirts she wore underneath.
Her eyes drifted to the corner of the wardrobe, where a bag containing the bikini she had bought with the girls two days ago was placed.
'...Snap out of it.'
Claire's blue eyes landed on the bag.
'If I wear that...'
Her hand moved.
**
Exactly one day after Baek Hana Awakened.
"Hee-hee~"
The girl, sitting in a chair and eating cereal, seemed more energetic than usual. In fact, she was brimming with energy due to the influence of magic. And.
Om Om Om
Her appetite had tripled.
After finishing a bowl of cereal and two packs of milk, she finally ended her breakfast, patting her full belly with a satisfied expression.
"If anything feels unusual, be sure to tell me."
"I said I will~ You've been saying that since yesterday."
The girl, who had been washing the dishes she had used, answered curtly, but the corners of her mouth were twitching upward.
'Her body seems fine, but…'
There was definitely a change in her demeanor, although it wasn't a physical one. However, since it wasn't something I could interfere with, and the change wasn't entirely negative, I decided to let it be.
"Make another one."
"For Unni?"
The girl, who had been drying the dishes, turned on the coffee pot to boil water.
Although he didn't need or want to drink coffee, it had become a habit for him to drink the coffee Baek Hana made for him every morning.
Tap-!
The switch on the pot was turned off, and the front door opened.
As the footsteps approached, Baek Hana entered the kitchen, carrying a coffee cup that smelled pleasantly, and sat next to me.
A few seconds later, Claire entered the kitchen, and I lowered the coffee cup I had been drinking.
"Good morning."
As always, she bowed slightly in greeting.
However, her attire was different from usual.
A black hat pulled down over her head.
A white tank top that exposed her arms and midriff.
Training pants that clung to her body, revealing the curves of her lower half.
In the six years I had known her, this was only the second time I had seen her wear something other than her suits and priestess robes. The first time was two days ago, when she wore a swimsuit.
'...Is this also because of Baek Hana?'
I glanced at Baek Hana, who was quietly sipping her chocolate-infused coffee next to me.
Usually, she would have jumped up and run to Claire, but now she was observing her with a strange look.
I lightly punched her on the head.
"Ouch!!"
"Don't be rude."
Baek Hana put down the cup she had been holding and greeted Claire.
"Good morning, Unni..."
"Y-Yes…."
An awkward greeting.
I watched them for a moment before speaking.
"Sit down."
"Yes."
She sat across from me, picking up the coffee cup Baek Hana had prepared.
"Thank you, Hana."
"Hmm..."
Sip Sip-
The two of them quietly sipped their coffee, and I said to Baek Hana,
"As I said yesterday, starting today, Claire will teach you again."
"...Will you teach me in the evening?"
"Yes."
Claire, who had reached the pinnacle of physical enhancement among the Awakened, would be in charge of physical training, while I would personally teach her about ability development and magic manipulation.
"I..."
Claire, who had been quietly drinking her coffee, cautiously raised her hand.
"What is it?"
"If… if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to observe Professor's lessons as well."
"It won't be of much help to you, but sure."
"Thank you."
"...Very well."
"Thank you."
Since I would only be teaching her the basics, there wasn't much she could gain from it. Personally, I wanted to tell her to use that time for herself, but since she insisted, I didn't add any further comments.
After that, the three of us quietly drank our coffee, and when our cups were empty, Claire got up from her seat and said to Baek Hana,
"I'll be in the garden first. Come out when you're ready."
"Hmm… I'll be out soon."
She bowed slightly to me and got up from her seat. As Claire left the house,
"I'll change my clothes and come out too!!"
"Don't come out. Just go directly."
The girl didn't reply to my words and ran to her room.
'You're still as inscrutable as ever.'
Baek Hana only reappeared before me after I had cleared the empty cups and settled into my seat in the study.
"So, how is it?"
She wore a tank top of the same design as Claire's, paired with dolphin pants that exposed her thighs.
"… Only wear that at home. Don't ever go out dressed like that."
For a moment, Baek Hana's lips twitched. But she shook her head vigorously and asked me again.
"Ahem! Okay, but how is it?"
"... It suits you."
"Really?"
"... Get out."
The little brat flashed a mischievous smile as she slowly closed the study door and backed away. Then, through the slightly open door, she said:
"Heehee."
She showed me her silly face before closing the door and running off.
Perhaps I should increase the intensity of her training a little.
**
Claire's tutoring ended only when the blue sky had turned into a sunset hue.
They took breaks in between and had lunch, but it was indeed a long session for the first day.
"Uwaaahhh…"
Just seeing how Hana flopped onto the dining table with her head down was enough to tell that Claire had truly exhausted Baek Hana.
"Professor, you're quite the cook as well."
"I just happened to pick it up along the way."
Claire praised me with great satisfaction after a simple dinner.
"Ah, let me do the dishes…"
"No need, just sit there."
To minimize the impact on Baek Hana, I had been doing the chores myself until now, but there was no longer any need for that.
A slight movement of my magic was all it took.
The empty bowls and spoons regained their original cleanliness and flew back to the shelves, stacking themselves neatly.
"Baek Hana."
"Hmm…?"
Half-asleep, she raised her head.
'She was fine while eating, but now…'
I had no intention of making her the world's number one awakener, so letting her rest for a day wouldn't have been a problem. But because I kept giving in to her, I couldn't allow it.
If I let her rest once, I would have to let her rest countless other times whenever she got tired or felt overwhelmed.
That wouldn't be good for her, for me, or for Claire, who had agreed to help train her at my request.
"Today, we'll only do it for an hour, so keep your eyes open and watch closely."
"Uhh… Can't I just rest a little? Or at least let me take a shower…"
"Baek Hana."
"... Yes…"
Baek Hana, who had been slumped on the dining table, slowly straightened her back and adjusted her posture.
"Claire."
"Yes, Professor."
"I need you to be my teaching aid for a moment."
"Gladly…"
She got up and walked towards me.
I handed her a black cloth I had prepared and said:
"Cover your eyes with that."
"Yes."
There were no questions.
She had always been like that. She followed my instructions without asking questions.
"It's a very simple training method, so watch closely. I'll explain it to you afterward."
"... Okay."
Leaving her with the cloth tied around her eyes, I moved to the other side of the dining table. Then, I moved a spoon with my magic, making it hover in mid-air.
'This should be good.'
I released a small amount of the magic that I had accumulated within my body, causing me to cough up blood. At the same time, Claire, who had been standing still, slightly trembled.
On the other hand, Baek Hana just stared blankly at Claire, looking clueless.
"Claire."
"Yes, Professor."
"Don't bump into anything and try to catch me."
"Understood."
She started to move slowly.
If she wanted to, she could have instantly followed the trail of magic I had left behind and reached me. But since she understood the purpose of this exercise, she moved very slowly so that Baek Hana could see her actions clearly.
As I slowly backed away, I sent the spoon flying towards Claire.
Whoosh-
She dodged the spoon by slightly twisting her head. Not only that, but she also managed to avoid bumping into the chairs, table, or any other objects as she gradually closed the distance between us.
I threw the spoon at her two more times, then said to Baek Hana:
"As you can see, depending on how you manipulate your magic, you can use it to replace your sense of sight—"
Poke.
A subtle floral fragrance and a warm body temperature enveloped me.
When I looked down, I saw her shimmering golden hair.
Claire, who had been chasing after me, had hugged me.
"Claire."
"... Yes."
"You've done well. You can take off the cloth now."
"... Yes."
She slowly released her arms from around my waist and took a step back. Then, she untied the cloth covering her eyes.
Her pale skin now had a rosy hue, as if it were flushed from the sunlight.
'I only told her to grab me lightly, but she seems to have misunderstood.'
I turned back to look at Baek Hana. But her half-closed eyes were now wide open, as if she had been struck by lightning.
And then.
"Me too!!!"
Apparently, her earlier lethargy had been an act, as she jumped up from her chair and ran towards me.
"I want to do it too!!!"
"... I was going to make you do it anyway."
"The cloth!!!"
"Explanation—"
"It's fine!!!"
"..."
I didn't know what she meant by "it's fine," but I handed her the cloth.
Baek Hana took a few steps back, quickly tied the cloth around her eyes, and said:
"Okay, let's do it."
Then, she spread her arms wide and started walking towards me.
I watched her for a moment, then sent the spoon flying towards her.
Smack—!!!
A small bump appeared on her forehead.