The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Singing Contest

After leaving the recovery center, Eunseol resumed her school life.

Her suspension was lifted, so she was allowed to return to school.

However, rumors about that painting still lingered, making it difficult for her to have a good school life.

It had been a while since she'd entered her classroom, but all the kids did was tease her, calling her a pervert.

Moreover, since it wasn't even wrong, Eunseol couldn't even protest.

― Eunseol~ Don't faint from another nosebleed, okay?

― Just how dirty were your thoughts, that you fainted when you saw the teacher's elephant trunk?

― If King Sejong created Hangul for the first time, then Eunseol is the first to draw doujinshi at our school!

― Then should we call you King Eunseol?

― No, no. Just like Admiral Yi Sun-sin drew his sword to confront the Japanese pirates, our Eunseol brandished her pen against the stricter rules.

― Wow...! So you're King Eunseol and Admiral Eunseol now?

"Hail the admiral! The king is the best!"

Cheers for Eunseol resounded everywhere in the school.

Everyone laughed and talked about her, calling Eunseol an artist who broke free from the rules and painted her own artwork.

'King Eunseol and Admiral Eunseol, huh...'

As expected, the imagination of middle schoolers exceeded all expectations by far.

How would King Sejong or Admiral Yi Sun-sin react if they heard this from the heavens?

Hopefully, they wouldn't say something like, "Off with these kids' heads!"

Of course, there was no need to even mention how Eunseol herself felt.

― Seongjin, I feel so wronged.

No matter how wronged she felt, she couldn't erase what she had done.

Since she was well aware of that, she just had to grit her teeth and endure.

But what Eunseol resented wasn't even that part.

― Back then... I wasn't the only one who saw it.

Come to think of it, true.

Back in the chairman's office, there was someone else besides Eunseol who witnessed the secret room.

― Seongjin! Let's go out for dinner together!

Suddenly, Ah-rin came running up and linked arms with me, snuggling up.

Since we were originally in the same class, I naturally got along better with Ah-rin than Eunseol.

― ....

― ....

Ah-rin and Eunseol's eyes met.

Especially Eunseol, who seemed to hold a grudge against Ah-rin.

Her expression seemed to say, "You saw it too, so why are you completely fine?"

Seeing this, Ah-rin grinned broadly.

― Blerrrp~

Ah-rin tugged down one eyelid and stuck out her tongue.

At her obvious taunt, Eunseol's expression changed in an instant.

It was so irritating that Eunseol, who always seemed like a blank canvas, now wore a darkened look.

—It was a face both angry and as if she'd found a goal.

After that, Eunseol appeared to continue on with her school life as usual.

It was said that she didn't even care when her classmates teased her about the painting.

She was even spotted talking normally with her classmates.

'Glad to see it paid off.'

Not long ago, Eunseol couldn't even make conversation.

But after I trained her, she was able to communicate with the other students without difficulty.

The vengeful spirit in her body that always weighed upon her conscience.

By partially absorbing that, she'd regained some of her confidence.

'Of course, not all of it, but it's something she can build up by training and absorbing it bit by bit.'

And as time went on, the rumors about the painting gradually faded.

Strictly speaking, they didn't disappear entirely.

It's just that Eunseol's titles were reduced to lighthearted nicknames.

Now that she was back and repeating her school life, Eunseol started to stand out.

As I'd seen during training, her skill in manipulating magic power was unmatched.

Even her performance in written assignments was exceptional.

—In terms of ability and grades, there were very few who could keep up with Eunseol.

If anyone, it was just me, Sang-ah, and Ah-rin.

'Honestly, just passing the transfer student entrance exam says it all.'

Time passed, and she aced both the midterm and final exams.

According to Sang-ah, who is in the same class, she doesn't even get embarrassed now being called 'Admiral Eunseol.'

Maybe because Sang-ah looked out for her so much, Eunseol started sticking close to her.

So much so that the other kids started gossiping if they were dating.

― It's the berserk girl and the pervert girl combo!

There were always kids who teased like that.

I wonder what happened to them after Sang-ah dragged them off somewhere.

If things kept going like this, Eunseol would be able to overcome the penalties from the suspension on her own.

'But then...'

That strength the two showed when we trained in the mountains before, when they tore open the sky together.

Even after that, we trained together, but that power never reappeared.

The power similar to the magic power I used.

I wondered if what I felt then was just an illusion.

'Well, it's not something just anyone can use.'

And now, with midterms and finals done...

.

.

"My heart cried as I gazed at you... Even after so many years, you haven't changed at all..."

The chairman's office on the top floor of Hand's central tower.

From the secret room hidden beyond the bookshelf, the sound of singing could be heard.

Several friends and I were sitting there, listening to the singing.

"Wherever you are... wherever you are↗ I wanted to see you again!~↗↗"

It was an extremely skilled performance.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a seasoned professional who'd been in the music industry for several years was singing.

Even if it wasn't a pro, at least an aspiring singer dreaming of such a career.

No one but that level could produce such a beautiful tone.

"I didn't forget~ I never wanted to forget~ I've dreamed of the you I can never forget..."

Surprisingly, that singing didn't come from a pro or even an aspiring one.

It was just a student with red hair and horns, only in her second year of middle school.

She was holding a bracelet in her hand like it was a microphone.

"To meet you again and forever...!"

"Stop! It's been an hour."

Sang-ah, who'd been passionately singing with the bracelet-mic, suddenly stopped.

As Vern had said, the bracelet's microphone function time had expired.

"Thank you. I used it well."

"Tsk. I actually wanted to sing, though."

When Sang-ah returned the bracelet, Vern looked quite disappointed.

But I said to him,

"Vern, you can't sing."

"Ah... hahaha! Even if it's coming from you, Demon King, that's still a bit harsh, you know."

"Harsh or not, it's all true. My ears almost ripped apart just listening to you."

"Ugh..."

Having been hit where it hurts, Vern finally shut his mouth.

Then Sang-ah asked about the bracelet she'd just used.

"Is that really a microphone? It looks unique."

"Microphone? Actually, that's..."

"It's a bug."

Just as Vern was about to answer, Ah-rin jumped in to explain.

Actually, the bracelet wasn't just a microphone—or even a bracelet at all.

It was a device that the Sura guild used to bug Hand's chairman.

"That's... Can you really use such a dangerous thing so carelessly?"

Now knowing the bracelet's true identity, Eunseol asked, alarmed.

If it was a bug, wouldn't that mean everything they were saying now could be overheard?

"No need to worry. It only automatically turns on at certain times and goes back into sleep mode after one hour."

"So that's why you sang for exactly an hour."

"You only have to be careful during that period. But..."

"..."

Ah-rin, who'd been explaining enthusiastically, suddenly fell silent.

She met Eunseol's gaze and adopted a wary expression.

The same went for Eunseol.

The two stared at each other as if they were rivals, then soon turned their heads sharply away.

'What's with those two now?'

They did the same thing during the midterms and finals.

Both said they'd gotten good grades, then came to brag to me simultaneously.

Even then, they glared and tried to one-up each other.

Is it because of me? But that would apply to Sang-ah, too.

Sang-ah, unlike the two, showed no hint of wariness.

'Of course, even now.'

Is the odd one here Sang-ah, unfazed by all this?

Or maybe the other two met separately at some point.

It's hard to imagine behaving like that unless they bear some personal ill will.

"So I was singing into a bug the whole time?"

Completely unaware, Sang-ah looked dumbfounded at the bracelet she'd been given.

Did Ah-rin just say it was a Sura guild bug?

Then what did the Sura guild hunters think when they heard her singing?

For some reason, she felt deeply embarrassed.

"It's fine. Your singing didn't include any sensitive Hand secrets, did it?"

"But what if something serious happens after using it like this..."

"It's okay. Ever since I first got this bracelet, I've been using it as a microphone singing for months."

"For months...?"

"Sura guild's members, they're probably addicted to my songs by now. Heheheh."

Vern grinned proudly at the bracelet.

As long as there was no sensitive information hidden in the singing, it wasn't a problem at all.

Even so, Sang-ah couldn't understand it at all.

Would they really stop bugging just because of that?

Of course, they might get so sick of the singing that they quit...

"Anyway Sang-ah, you sing really well. Were you ever an aspiring singer?"

"No, it's not like that..."

"I was shocked the moment I heard you. That whole hour just flew by!"

Ah-rin praised Sang-ah's singing with excitement.

Eunseol, too, was clearly impressed and nodded along.

"Sang-ah! Can you teach me how to sing like that too?"

"M-me too...!"

"Well..."

Sang-ah looked extremely troubled at Ah-rin and Eunseol's request.

With good reason. She didn't sing well because she wanted to.

"It's useless. That wasn't a talent she acquired by learning."

"How come?"

Ah-rin questioned Vern's statement.

But it was true. It wasn't an ability she'd learned through effort.

"Among the dragon race, females develop stronger voices as they mature. It's just a trait of the species."

In fact, Sang-ah's voice really improved after molting.

As she grew closer to adulthood, that trait started to show dramatically.

"Tsk. I'd love to sing like that, even once."

Ah-rin clicked her tongue, as if disappointed by her dashed hopes.

Then Vern smiled again and turned to Sang-ah.

"Now that I think about it, Hand is planning to hold 'Masked Singer' this fall."

"Masked Singer? That's that super famous show on the NBC channel!"

It was so famous, even I knew about it.

The program where you wear a mask and go on stage to sing.

The fun is in the reveal when the mask comes off and the identity is exposed.

"I was thinking about selecting student contestants too. Would you like to join?"

"No! Absolutely not. How could I possibly sing on such a huge stage!"

Sang-ah shuddered and immediately refused.

She appeared more confident lately thanks to looking after Eunseol.

But it seemed that her shy personality would not be so easily changed.

Summer vacation starts the day after tomorrow.

In the course of our second year, the kids all learned plenty by now.

Eunseol found out I was the Demon King for the first time, and Sang-ah was shocked to discover Vern was the chairman.

Soon I'll be separated from Vern for a while, but of course my family is just as precious to me. They gave me the sense of 'family' I never found in Mewzealand or in any life before it.

Bzzzzz—

I took out my phone vibrating in my pocket and checked it.

It wasn't even vacation yet, but my little sister was already calling.

"Hello?"

She was always like an annoying little cat, calling me a pain of an oppa.

So for her to call me out of the blue was odd.

—Oppa...

And hearing my sister's voice over the phone, my expression darkened.

I instantly understood why she called.

Even Sang-ah, who overheard the call with her excellent hearing, was shocked.

"Vern."

"Yes, Demon King!"

At my question, Vern suddenly tensed up.

A heavy silence fell over the lively room.

At that moment, Vern could sense it.

What was both nostalgic and overwhelming was unmistakably the 'former' Demon King.

I spoke, my demeanor reverting to that era.

"I need to go home immediately."

There was no time to worry about vacation procedures.