The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 36

“Tsk, I can’t understand humans. What’s so good about wearing such uncomfortable rags?”

Yomi grumbled.

At the moment, Yomi was dressed in Babel’s school uniform. After being scolded by me for drawing unnecessary attention, she begrudgingly conformed.

‘It’s really convincing, though.’

Her white, tangled hair and protruding fangs were exactly like before. Her sharp, predatory eyes were still present, but the pink teddy bear hairpin on one side of her head was a new, distinctive feature.

Yomi claimed this was the closest image she could create to the ‘human girl’ form she had in mind.

Her shapeshifting ability seemed to incorporate elements of her own appearance unconsciously. For the record, the school uniform was also a mere illusion created by her shapeshifting.

“Ah, I’ve got a good idea.”

“If it’s about shapeshifting into another form, forget it!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Grab

I grasped Yomi’s hand.

Still unaccustomed to her human body, Yomi staggered.

“What ridiculous thing are you doing?”

“You’ll see!”

I hurriedly dragged Yomi towards the school canteen.

“Sniff, sniff.”

As soon as we entered, Yomi twitched her nose.

“Th-this smell…”

“How is it? Smelling food with your own nose?”

“A-ah, it’s nothing special!”

Despite her words, drool was dripping from Yomi’s mouth. Her eyes were darting around, following the food that the students were eating.

“I feel bad making you do this on an empty stomach, so order whatever you want.”

“Are you serious?”

Yomi’s eyes sparkled.

“Then, I want everything from here to there! Especially the steak! I crave a juicy steak!”

“All of that?”

Starting with steak, then rice bowls, tteokbokki, and even fried rice. I wasn’t sure if foxes are omnivorous, but this certainly wasn’t an amount for one person.

Yomi, however, pounded her chest confidently.

“I am naturally a big eater!”

“Alright, alright, just sit down and I’ll bring it to you.”

This was going to hurt my food budget.

I grabbed a bunch of meal tickets I had prepared beforehand and headed to the kiosk.

Remembering every dish the students were eating was impossible, so I just ordered everything under the meat category.

‘By the way…’

I glanced at where Yomi was sitting. From the moment we entered the canteen, I had noticed the unusual stares directed at Yomi.

“Is she a first-year student? Is she a celebrity?”

“Her white hair is so pretty. Is it dyed?”

“Should I try talking to her?”

Students blushed as they looked at Yomi. To me, she seemed like an ordinary girl, but apparently, she had quite an effect on others.

‘Did she cast a charm or something?’

The students’ evaluations of Yomi were overwhelmingly positive. Such praise was usually reserved for Shin Seo-ha or Seo Geum-bi.

According to old folklore, foxes are said to have a knack for enchanting human hearts. That’s probably why fox humanoids are depicted as alluring in the game too.

‘Anyway.’

Fortunately, no one approached her directly; they were content just observing from a distance.

“Here, enjoy your meal.”

As I placed the food on the table, Yomi took a deep sniff, almost as if inhaling the aroma with all her might. How long had she been starving? The table was quickly drenched in her drool.

“Mmm~ this smell. This is the smell of freedom.”

“It’s hot, so be careful—”

Chomp

Yomi grabbed the steaming food with her hands. The shoulders of a few students secretly watching from afar twitched.

“Nom, nom.”

She devoured the steak with her hands, tearing it apart like a wild animal. She didn’t mind the steak sauce smeared around her mouth and even gnawed at the remaining bone bits.

‘She’d be a hit in a mukbang video.’

Yomi, who had finished off the dish in no time, reached out for the ribs.

“Hold on.”

“Hey, what are you doing interrupting me in the middle of my meal! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Even a dog won’t disturb someone while they’re eating’?”

“Ah, stop spitting while you talk.”

I hastily covered my face to shield it from the bits of food flying my way.

“Have you never heard the saying, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’? When you’re in human form, you should follow human customs.”

“Hmph, that’s nonsense. Why should a great yokai like myself adhere to the trivial customs of humans?”

Yomi was about to grab the next plate when I snatched it away first.

“Shouldn’t a great yokai maintain decorum in all situations?”

“Tsk, how troublesome. What is it that you want?”

I picked up a fork and tissue lying beside the tray.

“First, wipe your mouth.”

“Mm-mm, mmmph!”

“Hold still.”

As I brought the tissue to her face, Yomi wildly shook her head, smearing the sauce around even more.

“What’s up with her?”

“Totally not classy; are they dating or something?”

“Maybe she’s his assistant or something?”

The more wildly Yomi acted, the more intense the stares around us became.

‘Damn it.’

If I had to explain, she’s like my assistant. Though her behavior was closer to that of a spoiled child.

“Is the attention bothering you?”

Yomi chuckled.

She was annoyingly perceptive about these things. Maybe bringing Yomi to such a public place was a mistake in the first place.

If it were discovered that someone who wasn’t a student was wandering around in a school uniform, it wouldn’t end with just being dragged to the Disciplinary Committee Room.

“Don’t worry.”

Yomi, who had been laughing triumphantly, suddenly climbed onto the table and raised her hand high. Instantly, all the students’ attention was drawn toward her.

“Forget the existence of this body!”

Yomi’s blue wave spread outward. The wave permeated throughout the canteen, and the faces of the students it touched turned dazed.

“What was I doing just now?”

“Suddenly, I feel so sleepy.”

The students, who had been observing us, tilted their heads as if they were in a trance. Then they turned back to their meals.

“What did you do?”

“I scattered their perception. It’s very effective on humans who aren’t accustomed to spiritual energy. It’s a basic skill for fox spirits.”

Yomi huffed smugly.

“Now, with no eyes on us, I can eat with my hands as I please, right?”

I couldn’t argue against that.

Without needing to worry about prying eyes, it didn’t matter how she ate.

“Alright, but don’t interrupt me again. This is a rare feast for me.”

Just as Yomi was about to bite into a rib from the plate—

“Hey, look who it is!”

“Hmm?”

At the sudden voice from beside us, Yomi frowned. She seemed more surprised that her power hadn’t worked perfectly rather than frustrated by the interruption.

“Isn’t that Ha-baek?”

“Senior So-yul… We meet again here.”

“I feel like I’m going to starve to death.”

Of course, it was you.

Grinning at me was Jin So-yul. I greeted her awkwardly in return.

“Hey, since it’s some kind of cognitive dissonance or whatever, shouldn’t she be unable to perceive you?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? That girl has exceptionally strong spiritual energy, so it seems my ability doesn’t work on her.”

While I was whispering with Yomi, Jin So-yul approached and blinked at Yomi.

“By the way, who’s this? She’s su~per pretty.”

Eyes shining, Jin So-yul looked at Yomi, having spotted a new face.

‘I have a feeling this is going to be troublesome…’

Depending on my answer, Jin So-yul’s attitude could change drastically. I racked my brains.

“Oh, well, you see…”

“I am-”

“She’s my younger sister!”

I quickly covered Yomi’s mouth. If she started mumbling about being a great yokai, Jin So-yul would freak out.

“Younger sister?”

“I’ll buy you steak again the day after tomorrow, so just be quiet and follow my lead for now.”

“Oh-hoh!”

I whispered to Yomi so Jin So-yul wouldn’t hear. Seemingly pleased with the deal, Yomi nodded.

“This is my sister. So… ah, Seol Ha-na! Her name is Seol Ha-na!”

I blurted out the first name that came to mind. It wasn’t a bad name, considering it shared the ‘Seol’ syllable of our family name.

“What is that ridiculous name! I am the great—uhm!”

“Hahaha. She’s been dying to visit Babel and finally made a fuss until she got here.”

“Hmm…”

Jin So-yul scrutinized me and Yomi with a doubtful look.

“You two don’t look anything alike.”

“I take after our dad, and Ha-na takes after our mom.”

“So-yul, unlike you, she has a kind of wild look about her.”

Jin So-yul stroked her chin as she looked at the steak sauce smeared all over Yomi’s face.

I quickly pulled out a tissue and scrubbed the sauce off Yomi’s mouth.

“Oh, this is…”

I leaned closer to Jin So-yul and whispered.

“My sister hurt her head when she was little, so she can’t live normally. Sometimes she says strange things, so please just look at her with sympathy.”

To cover all bases, I added a few more words.

“Also, she’s been watching too many cartoons lately, so her way of speaking might be odd. Please understand, haha.”

“Oh my, how heartbreaking…”

Jin So-yul covered her mouth in shock.

Phew, thank goodness Jin So-yul is so gullible.

“What are you two whispering about without this great one?”

“Nothing at all, my dear sister.”

I ruffled Yomi’s hair vigorously. She growled, but I wasn’t worried about getting bitten at this moment.

“Sniff, you two are such affectionate siblings.”

Yomi bared her teeth and growled, but Jin So-yul just wiped her tears away.

“Hold on, but you…”

Yomi looked intently at Jin So-yul. She didn’t stop there; she stood up and sniffed the air.

“There’s a significantly ominous smell coming from you.”

“What? I took a shower today!”

“That’s not it. Did you bring something with—”

“Geez, Ha-na! How rude is that?”

Squeak!

I hurriedly pushed Yomi’s head down. With a deflated sound, she slumped into her seat.

“I’m sorry, senior. Oh, I forgot to mention—my sister will be joining us for the ghost story exploration tonight.”

“Oh, that sounds great!”

What’s great about that?

Having an outsider roam the campus at 3 AM.

‘Thank goodness it’s Jin So-yul.’

I breathed a sigh of relief.

If it had been Seo Geum-bi, I’d be dragged to the Disciplinary Committee Room by now.

“Then let this senior show you around the campus until then!”

“No, thank you! I’ll stay here and finish my meal.”

“Don’t be like that, let’s go, Ha-na! This Noona will guide you!”

Jin So-yul wrapped her arm around Yomi’s shoulder and pulled her close. Yomi struggled to break free, but she couldn’t escape So-yul’s monstrous strength.

The moment the arm wrapped around her, Yomi trembled as if she’d been shocked.

“Eek! You definitely brought something different today—”

“Let’s go!”

“Alright, alright! Just let go of me!”

Watching Yomi being dragged away by force, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, Yomi.”

I slowly followed the two. With plenty of time before 3 AM, I could only imagine what kind of torment awaited Yomi until then.