blueteamnovel Chapter 126
Chapter 126
Winter's mental health treatment wrapped up quickly.
Unlike a few weeks ago, back when I struggled to even try hypnosis on her during the terror incident, this time, it went effortlessly.
Of course, this was only natural.
I’d been constantly training, honing my skills in actual gate battles, and receiving rare opportunities from Sia.
Since then, I’d grown rapidly.
And then...
---
*Chu-rup, chup.*
*Wow, just look at how red her face is. No wonder the hypnosis is working so well.*
Thanks to her initiating a deep kiss, the hypnosis was taking effect smoothly.
Actually, she seemed rather flustered herself. Her face was bright red, too.
Why would she go this far if she’s just going to get embarrassed?
I pulled back quickly.
---
*Chu-up.*
**"Wh-what are you doing...?"**
**"......."**
I gently pushed her shoulders away and asked, *What do you think you’re doing, Winter?*
And how did my eldest daughter, Winter, respond?
---
She gave a smug smirk.
**"How was that? Pretty amazing, right?"**
She licked her lips with a mischievous grin—a look that suited her well but also made me want to flick her forehead.
She then glanced behind her...
---
*Sneakily.*
**"...Sis, that was so cool!!"**
Haru was watching, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration.
A sigh escaped me.
---
**"Sigh."**
*Did she set this up with Haru just to mess with me because of what happened yesterday? Looks like I’ll need to teach her a lesson.*
It was tempting to let this go as a playful trick by my daughters...@@@@
But no, if I leave this alone, they’re going to think they can keep treating their “almighty” dad like he’s nothing more than garnish on a sushi plate.
For the sake of maintaining my authority, they’re getting disciplined.
---
*Later....*
**"Alright, then. I’ll be off, Dad."**
**"...Winter?"**
Just as I was preparing for some fatherly discipline, Winter stood up abruptly.
Both Haru and I turned our gazes toward her.
Her expression was entirely different from the mischievous look she had just a moment ago, now looking as if she were on the verge of tears.
---
**"We won’t see each other for a long time, so please don’t forget me and wait with Haru."**
**"Sis...?"**
**"Haru, listen to Dad. Don’t cry because you miss me, okay?"**
She solemnly said her goodbyes.
What was she even talking about?
Haru and I exchanged confused glances, blinking at each other.
A silent conversation passed between us.
*Haru, what is your sister talking about?*
*I don’t know. She’s acting strange. Did you understand, Dad?*
*Not a clue.*
We just shrugged.
---
*Guess I’ll have to ask her directly what she means.*
I looked at Winter and asked,
**"What are you talking about? You’re coming back in three days. Are you seriously getting teary-eyed over three days?"**
In response, Winter, who had been on the brink of tears, was taken aback.
Afterward, Winter was taken away by female soldiers.
Just as I expected, they treated her with utmost respect.
---
**"Alright, Miss Winter. We’ll be escorting you now."**
**"Bye, sis. See you in three days."**
**"If anything happens, give us a call."**
**"......."**
Winter couldn’t even look me in the eyes as she left.
She kept her head down, clearly embarrassed.
---
*Smirk.*
*Maybe I’ll tease her about this later. "Does Dad need to give you a kiss?"*
I mentally added a new recipe to my "tease Winter" list. And with that, the long aftermath of the terror incident came to a close.
The Chairman let out a deep sigh of relief.
---
**"Sigh. Now that the verdict’s out, I can finally relax."**
**"It must have been hard, dealing with Winter."**
**"You have no idea. I’ve been so busy I couldn’t even brew any liquor."**
She shook her head, looking truly exhausted.
Apparently, she hadn’t even had time for her last remaining hobby, making infused liquors.
---
*Mumble mumble.*
**"This kid will be S-rank soon. Maybe I’ll just let him graduate and make him the Association President...."**
**"What was that?"**
**"Oh, nothing."**
But only briefly.
Suddenly, the Chairman gave me a rather chilling look.
A smirk played on her lips, and she nudged my side with her elbow.
---
*Tap tap.*
**"By the way, Yujin. It
’s almost certain that you’ll be promoted to S-rank soon. You handled that S-rank gate almost entirely on your own."**
**"That’s true."**
**"And with midterms approaching, if you score well, it’ll show you’re fully qualified as an Awakened."**
Her voice took on a playful tone as she slightly bent forward to look up at me.
Was she trying to act cute at her age?
It wasn’t as irritating as Kkong’s antics, but it was still annoying.
I responded curtly.
---
**"Are you threatening me to get good grades?"**
**"Just a reminder. You haven’t had as much time to study as the other cadets."**
**"I didn’t realize you cared about things like this, Chairman."**
**"Of course I do. If the next S-rank fails, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for me?"**
**"I’ll do fine, no need to worry."**
The midterms would be in just a few days, in the eighth week.
Did I have any doubts? Not at all. I might be a seasoned 15-year veteran and an S-rank Awakened.
Midterms were a piece of cake for me.
---
**"Oh? So confident?"**
**"I’m aiming for a perfect score."**
**"Hmm...."**
*Mumble mumble.*
**"What a troublemaker. Practically begging me to put him to work."**
**"Pardon?"**
**"Oh, nothing. Heh."**
She chuckled, clearly pleased.
It seemed my confidence delighted her.
---
**"Alright, Chairman, let’s head back. I need to help Sia and Alice with their studies."**
**"Alright, alright. Haru, stop fiddling with that phone and come along. Enough with the strange videos."**
**"It’s not strange. It’s an educational video my sister left for me."**
**"I don’t know what that means, but just turn it off. I feel tired just thinking about it."**
**"Okay."**
*Pitter-patter.*
With that, we returned to the academy—the place that would warmly welcome Winter back in three days.
And time passed...
---
**[Seo Yujin confirmed as S-rank, ranked 7th!!]**
**[Theory presented during midterms plays a crucial role.]**
**[Awakened clans worldwide are in shock...]**
The midterm exam week arrived.
---
**"Uh, A-Alice...?"**
**"My inherent ability is S-rank, and you’re EX-rank, so combined..."**
**"Would you like to be... friends with benefits?"**
**"......!!!!?"**
And thus began a slightly chaotic chapter of my life.