LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 212
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“This is quite a famous training method, you know.”
“Yeah.”
“There are chefs who became popular by making dishes they saw in comics, and athletes who won competitions using techniques from manga… So, it proves that the things in manga aren’t just nonsense.”
“Right. Got it.”
“So, maybe you could find the answer to Kana’s worries in a comic book!”
“Uh-huh. Da-eun is right.”
As I half-heartedly agreed with Da-eun, I immediately asked once she finished.
“So can I go now?”
“…You weren’t listening at all, were you?”
“Nope. I was listening.”
Sure, I let her words slip right by me, but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t hearing them.
“I even nodded along.”
“Your soul was totally absent! It was obvious you weren’t paying attention!”
“…Did you notice?”
“How could I not…”
After all, Da-eun is pretty sharp, so there was no way she wouldn’t notice.
Of course, my response was pretty lackluster.
‘But…’
Did she carry on saying all that despite knowing?
Impressive, truly impressive.
Most people can be relentless about useless things, and I had to give her credit for that.
“What are you going to do? You don’t even have a place to go!”
“Anywhere.”
Lying on my bed, wrapped in my blanket, scrolling on my phone all day would be less useful than just listening to Da-eun right here and now.
Heeding my mumbling, Da-eun gave me a dazed look.
“Round and round Kana… must be so cute… …Huh?! No, that’s not it. I just accidentally…!”
Then she started patting her cheeks.
In an instant, the dazed look in Da-eun’s eyes vanished, replaced by a determined glint.
Seeing that, I just knew.
“This is about to get annoying….”
Having a strong will is generally a good thing, but….
This was hardly the right situation to burn with determination.
Just as expected, my hasty attempt to leave was thwarted by Da-eun’s hand grabbing me.
Actually, it’d be more accurate to say I got caught rather than I managed to catch her.
If I set my mind to escaping, Da-eun’s sluggish hands couldn’t hold me back, and even if she did, shaking her off wouldn’t be too hard.
“Stop thinking so negatively! There’s no point in just lingering if you don’t have a sharp plan!”
“That doesn’t mean I should waste time on pointless stuff.”
“What makes this pointless, and why is it a waste of time?”
“You can’t achieve your goals with that kind of stuff.”
If achieving transcendence was possible that way, I would have done it ages ago.
It’s a rare feat for an ordinary or below-average kid to grow stronger in a short time through silly training—it only happens in manga.
“Kana can do it because she’s a girl, not a boy!”
“…Whether boy or girl.”
Gender isn’t the key point here.
“And if you don’t achieve your goal, so what? You said it before, Kana. You can’t expect to fill your belly with the first meal. You might fail, and fail again, but those are still experiences. And those failures will help you reach your goal.”
“…Your words flow like a river.”
I almost found myself reaching for my wallet without even realizing it.
At least, if I had my wallet on me.
Why does Da-eun’s eloquence only shine in moments like this?
“…Fine. I’ll give it a shot.”
In the end, I was the first to raise the white flag.
It wasn’t because I thought Da-eun made a valid point.
Even if I ignored her here, she’d whine for days, so I figured it was better to pretend to be persuaded and go along with what she said.
It was a pretty strategic choice, if I say so myself.
“Really?! Is that a promise? If you say something different later, you’re eating a thousand needles!”
“A thousand needles? …Why would I swallow that? Is that supposed to mean I’ll die if I don’t keep my word?”
“Pfft… That’s not it, in Japan, that’s how they say when making a promise. It’s kind of a pun or something. Since Japan is famous for manga, I just tried to mimic it.”
“…You’re so thrilled. You might end up asking for Japanese textbooks later.”
“N-no way that’s happening…?”
Da-eun’s words trailed off as she avoided my gaze.
She looked pretty suspicious.
With narrowed eyes scrutinizing her seemingly guilty demeanor, Da-eun suddenly yelled.
“…What’s wrong with learning Japanese?! There’s no downside to mastering another language! It would benefit me instead…!”
“I didn’t say it was bad.”
“And I already know some basic Japanese! I’m confident with free talk. I just had it on hand in case Kana got interested!”
“So I’m not saying it’s bad, why are you defending yourself?”
“That’s how the nuance came across! It felt super negative!”
“You’re just imagining things.”
This was the honest truth— I said it loud and clear.
Not that I think it’s negative to want to learn a language, but I just view Da-eun’s fussiness as negative.
“…That’s even worse! I was preparing this for you, and you’re not even considering my feelings…”
“You’re not being unreasonable.”
“Tsk….”
Knowing many languages and using them proficiently is certainly a plus.
It might not be right now, but someday it’d definitely come in handy.
But just because I know that doesn’t mean I’m eager to study a new language.
Plus, with the methods learned from the Demon Race and Purifier Clan, communication can happen regardless of language, right?
‘I can’t read or write, though.’
At least I wouldn’t struggle while out there.
Hearing my well-reasoned argument, Da-eun looked like she’d been hit hard.
“…Now that I think about it, huh?”
Then she wore a despondent expression.
“What on earth have I been studying so hard for…?”
“Want me to help you?”
“…Can I really do that?”
“…Maybe? You know, if you handle mana, then it should be possible.”
If you’ve gotten more adept with mana, of course.
Yet the sparkle in Da-eun’s eyes suddenly dimmed.
“I don’t want to learn. You struggled for so long.”
“Did it really take that long?”
I did struggle, but it didn’t seem like it took forever.
“The once-in-a-century genius even made the gods jealous, and I had a hard time; there’s no way I could manage so soon!”
“…Even the gods got jealous, what?”
More importantly, was she really the one who was just preaching about failure and whatnot a moment ago?
“Anyway, just tell me what to do.”
“…Huh?”
“About that training method Da-eun mentioned, you know?”
I was confident she’d have thought it through since she spoke so assuredly.
She couldn’t have said it without any thought, could she? But contrary to what I expected, Da-eun broke into a cold sweat.
Someone would think she was standing under the glaring summer sun.
Under my watchful glare, Da-eun, sweating profusely, opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Uh… 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, run 10km…?”
“….”
“The, the important part is you can’t skip a single day! The moment you miss one day, it’s all for nothing!”
“….”
I nodded.
“Got it.”
“Right?! Kana thinks it’s a decent training-”
“I should’ve trusted my gut instead of believing Da-eun.”
I stumbled upon this saying while browsing online; the expectation leads to betrayal.
I don’t know who said it, but whoever it was, surely they must have been someone wise about the ways of the world.
That’s what I thought.
* * *
Bang!
Startled by the sudden loud noise, my eyes instinctively darted toward the source of the commotion.
There was Da-eun, just placing a pile of books down, wide-eyed like a rabbit.
Seems like the noise surprised her more than she expected.
Honestly, it was just so… Da-eun-like.
“Oh, please tell me that’s not someone from downstairs…”
“If you worried about that, you should have set it down gently from the start, shouldn’t you?”
“But that would remove all the dramatic flair… …I mean, it was heavier than I thought!”
“How heavy could it be? And if it was heavy, you could have just used body enhancement!”
“…Oh, right? Why didn’t I think of that?”
Rubbing her numb arms, Da-eun wore a blank expression.
I could provide her with an answer to that little query.
“Da-eun’s simply not too bright.”
“Did you just say something awful to your sister?”
“Da-eun’s simply not too bright.”
“No, it’s not that! It’s just not that she’s dumb, she’s just not used to it yet…!”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
“I’m serious!”
If a Silia resident heard this, they might ask if it’s wise to waste precious mana on something trivial.
In truth, I’ve heard comments like that quite a few times.
But, who cares?
Spending it the way I want doesn’t exactly mean I’m going to starve.
They can complain all they want since they can’t even handle it properly.
“Wow… That sounded really arrogant genius-like just now.”
“So, you don’t like it?”
“No!”
With a giggle, Da-eun let a silly laugh escape her.
“And that’s cute, so I like it!”
“….”
I honestly lost words to say.
I turned my head away from Da-eun’s beaming smile.
“…What’s with these books?”
“Wha, why are you getting shy!”
“Manga?”
Ignoring the persistent Da-eun’s eye contact, I grabbed a book.
Books filled with various sound effects, dialogue, and illustrations.
Opening another book just in case, I found the same trend.
Staring at the colorful characters drawn in the books, I lifted my gaze.
…Why suddenly all this?
“Seeing is believing!”
Da-eun raised a book, shoving it in my face.
As I unconsciously caught it in my arms, she flashed a satisfied smile.
“It’s better for you to see it yourself rather than me telling you, right? It’d be great if you get into manga and we can share a common interest!”
“…Of course.”
Just as I thought.
She had an ulterior motive.
I sighed and reluctantly opened the book.
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