Chapter 123: Jealousy
“Wait a second. The device already costs this much, and the game itself needs a monthly subscription too? Are they kidding me...?”
“It’s fine. Mister has lots of money.”
“Mister, you have no sense when it comes to money. You need to know when to spend and when to save. Right now, you should be saving!”
I was following a man.
A man who possessed everything I lacked.
Maybe right now, I was following him because of jealousy and envy.
He was an incredible person who had earned Teacher’s favor and accomplished, all by himself in a single night, something none of us had managed to achieve until now.
Perhaps it was only natural for me to feel jealous of him.
“That clueless-looking guy is really Teacher’s disciple?”
I had originally planned to come alone.
However, Teacher had said he was extremely sensitive to his surroundings, so I brought along a companion who was skilled at stealth.
Unfortunately, my companion was dressed like some thief straight out of a video game even out here in the real world, which made being seen together a little embarrassing.
“Teacher said she didn’t personally raise him or anything, but apparently he’s still her disciple. And that guy seems to think of Teacher as his master too.”
Two Teachers had crossed over from another world to protect this one.
Among them, the one who was most publicly active had personally called that man her disciple.
That alone would probably be enough to make plenty of people jealous.
Some might be jealous because they suspected there was a romantic relationship between them.
Others might simply envy him for receiving Teacher’s favor.
Apparently, people had even followed him around for a while because of that.
But after seeing him barely leave his house for nearly a month except for his fixed schedule, they quickly got tired of it and gave up.
Either he lived an unexpectedly disciplined life...
Or he simply had absolutely no interest in doing anything outside his house.
“A guy who covers himself head to toe in luxury brands and walks around bragging about how rich he is is that Teacher’s disciple...? I can’t believe it.”
“...Still, after seeing what he did last night...”
There was practically no one left who hadn’t heard about how he had single-handedly defeated everyone the chairman of Absolute Evil called his arms and legs.
When I fought that girl before, I could already tell that he possessed extraordinary power.
But I had never imagined he was that strong.
And that girl... I was wondering where she disappeared to recently. I never thought she’d been staying with that man.
After our fight on that rooftop, I had confronted her several more times.
Over time, we had grown somewhat close.
Her face looked slightly different now, but not enough that I couldn’t recognize her.
Just when I had begun thinking that perhaps I might gain a new companion, she suddenly disappeared.
I had been really worried about her.
I never imagined she was living like this after changing her face.
She had probably taken refuge with that man to escape the chairman.
“Mister, aren’t your hands full?”
“Well, I’m carrying you on my back and all this luggage in my hands, so yeah, kind of.”
“Buy a car. I heard you can get one for around three million won. You said you have lots of money.”
“What, a flood-damaged car?”
“Huh? That’s what those were?”
That girl used to speak in a sharp, prickly tone.
Her eyes had always looked lifeless, as if she might die at any moment.
But now...
Her voice was gentle.
Even her eyes looked softer.
She had never lowered her guard around me no matter how many times I tried talking to her.
And yet she was acting like that around him.
Was that man strong in more ways than just physical strength?
“...I’m glad she looks okay.”
“You don’t mean that at all. Aren’t you actually heartbroken because it feels like someone stole her from you? Is this one of those, ‘But I liked her first!’ situations?”
“N-No! It’s not! Shut up...!”
Did I like her?
Or did I not?
Even now, I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t even know whether I had the right to feel that way toward someone who had disappeared because of me.
Besides...
She looked happy now.
Even from this far away, I could tell just how comfortable she felt beside that man.
“Think that guy would accept an offer to join us?”
“Probably not.”
“Teacher did tell us not to drag him into things, but we don’t know what he thinks about it. After what happened this time, maybe he’s suddenly gotten interested.”
“What are you talking about? You make it sound like this is some kind of hobby.”
My companion tilted their head, casually brushed off what I had said, and carefully continued following the man as he moved farther away.
But...
Was there really any point in continuing to follow them?
