The opening ceremony was over.
Shouldering my backpack, I rose from my seat and searched the room for Yeon-ha-neul.
She was organizing her locker.
Her head was buried inside, while a small, round tail peeked out behind her—it was quite the sight.
Maybe I should wait for her to finish and ask if she wants to walk home together.
I stared at the rabbit tail for a moment, debating the idea, before ultimately giving up.
No… I should take it slow. Let’s get to know each other first before jumping to that.
Rushing things only makes them worse.
I didn’t want to make Yeon-ha-neul uncomfortable and cause her to keep her distance.
Just being seated next to her today was enough.
Still, I figured I should at least say goodbye.
“I’m heading out. See you tomorrow.”
…
I said it as I passed her by.
She flinched in response.
Pulling her head out of the locker, she turned and looked up at me. Her crimson eyes shimmered with something close to caution.
“Why….”
Was she about to say something?
Yeon-ha-neul’s lips moved soundlessly for a moment. Then, after some hesitation, she finally asked:
“Why did you sit next to me?”
…
So that was what she’d been holding in.
I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath before answering her question.
There was no reason not to.
“Because I wanted to get to know you.”
“…What?”
So I could recruit you, of course.
I kept that part to myself, masking my real intention behind a smile.
Yeon-ha-neul stared, stunned, mouth agape.
“What does that even mean…?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
“….”
“I wanted to get to know you. Is that a problem?”
“It’s not that, but… why would you want to get to know me? Not that it’s possible, but you’re not… you don’t….”
She trailed off awkwardly, the ends of her words tangling on her tongue.
“Do you li—”
“I just said I wanted to get to know you. If you need a reason… maybe because you remind me of Mongshil?”
“…Mongshil?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a rabbit at home. His name’s Mongshil—he’s a boy.”
“….”
“And I really like rabbits.”
“…So you’re saying you want to be friends because I remind you of…”
“Exactly. You remind me of Mongshil.”
“…You just said he’s a boy. Are you saying I’m a boy?”
“Well, you do have bunny ears.”
“I’m not a rabbit!”
“I know that. Did I ever say you were one?”
“No, but… Ugh, seriously….”
Surprised, confused, blank-faced, then sulky—
Her expressions changed by the second, and I found it all thoroughly amusing.
I’d said it off the cuff to hide what I was really thinking, but I couldn’t hold back a soft laugh.
“Anyway, I’m heading out. See you tomorrow.”
“…Bye. See you.”
Though she sounded reluctant, she at least said goodbye this time.
I gave her a wave and finally stepped out of the classroom.
“Hm…”
Once outside, I took a moment to sort through the memories of my previous life.
Things had been hectic—I hadn’t had a chance to reflect until now.
Still feels unreal. I reincarnated… and into a world from a game, of all things.
But I had no choice but to accept it.
That said—
Can I not check my own stats?
In the game, players had a status window to view their character’s abilities.
But here, in this world, no such window seemed to exist.
Without it, objectively understanding your own condition was nearly impossible, and identifying one’s Gift was even harder.
Still…
Just in case.
Quietly, where no one could hear, I murmured under my breath:
“Status window.”
[Personal Information]
Name: Do-gyeon-woo (Male, 12 years old)
Alias: Rabbit
Affiliation: Raon Elementary School
[Gift Possessed]
Instinctive Evasion
[Physical Attributes]
Stamina: 37
Strength: 34
Endurance: 32
Agility: 43
Magic: 30
Luck: 25
Unused Points: 0
A familiar message from the game appeared before me, floating in midair.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Quickly, I skimmed through the contents.
Not bad. Actually… pretty solid.
In the Sword Sage Clan, children began training as soon as they could walk.
As one of the clan’s own, I was no exception.
From my earliest memories, I’d been handed a sword and taught how to wield it.
Perhaps thanks to that upbringing, the stats displayed on my status window were nothing to scoff at.
In fact, they were shockingly high for a fifth grader in elementary school.
So you’re telling me… I’ve been living like a nobody despite these numbers?
I’d always shrunk back in front of my clan, always second-guessing myself.
Always getting picked on, acting like a fool.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
Why did I live like that?
Seriously.
Really.
No more.
I wasn’t going to live that way ever again.
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