Chapitre 12: Chapter 12
"Hey!!!"
Lee Yoo-ri jumped up from her seat..
With a deeply furrowed brow, she looked like a devout religious person who had just heard blasphemy. Her chest heaved roughly, and her lips were tightly clenched as her eyebrows shot up in a V-shape.
Tears even welled up in her eyes.
Huff—
Huff—
"Soup-ah…"
"Team leader…"
Go Yoon-seo and Choi So-yeon were startled by her outburst. They couldn't believe that she would get so angry over a simple bowl of soup.
Of course, I knew that Lee Yoo-ri would react this way.
She usually scrimps and saves, eating only tap water and convenience store triangle kimbap, and on the rare occasion that she eats out, she chooses a cheap and filling soup. If someone were to pour radish soup into her soup, she would be absolutely furious.
'Ah, I'm actually witnessing this. It looks even tastier than I thought.'
Despite Lee Yoo-ri's anger, I was rather enjoying myself.
This angry expression of hers,
commonly known as the "Gal Soup," held a symbolic meaning for the players of Velvet School Life.
In Lee Yoo-ri's personal story, there is a scene that is almost identical to what just happened.
After dungeon-crawling with her party members from the Academy, they go out for a group dinner. At the Soup restaurant, one of the party members pours radish soup into her soup, claiming that it will make it taste better.
Lee Yoo-ri becomes enraged, expressing her anger with her entire body as if to say, 'I am so mad right now!'
This scene, combined with her background, piqued the sadistic curiosity of the Velvets players, and it soon became a popular meme. It was even used to chastise the Velvets production team whenever they made a mistake or said something ridiculous.
You crazy production team bastards! Is this patch for real? Why are you mixing this crap into Velvets? Why don't you ask for my opinion, you assholes!
└(Gal Soup meme.)
└(Gal Soup meme.)
└(Gal Soup meme.)
└(Gal Soup meme.)
└(Gal Soup meme.)
This scene also represented Lee Yoo-ri's mental growth. It was the moment when Lee Yoo-ri, who usually kept people at a distance, first revealed her true self to those around her.
As a result, the Velvets players honored this meme by giving Lee Yoo-ri the affectionate nickname 'Soup', replacing her bland title of 'Dirt Spoon'.
In other words, this was the birth story of 'Soup'.
'I didn't suggest eating soup for no reason. To be honest, I'm a purist when it comes to soup.'
I smiled warmly as I looked at Lee Yoo-ri.
"What… what are you doing?!"
See? She's using informal speech now. But her voice sounds awkward because she's not used to getting angry.
I wanted to take this opportunity to confirm Lee Yoo-ri as the tank for my future party. Of course, today's incident would create some emotional debt, but that's different from being close friends.
There's no gacha system for recruiting characters here, so I have to rely on personal connections. That's why I brought up the incident from her personal story.
'It's a bit abrupt to bring up this incident without any build-up, but at least I can start using informal speech with her now.'
As I enjoyed watching her angry expression, Lee Yoo-ri spoke in a chilling voice.
"I asked what you're doing."
"So we're finally using informal speech with each other. I like it."
"Why didn't you even ask for my opinion first…!"
"Well, you seemed to like it when I mixed the side dishes for you earlier…"
"That's different from this!"
After huffing and puffing for a while, Lee Yoo-ri finally calmed down when Go Yoon-seo offered to swap bowls, saying, 'I'll trade you! I really like eating it that way!'
"Don't… ever touch my soup again."
Lee Yoo-ri hugged her bowl of soup with both hands, like a cautious dog guarding its treasure. She was determined to protect her soup at all costs, a true tank.
"Okay, Soup."
"Hey."
"Yes, Soup."
"You're… you're crazy."
Lee Yoo-ri still seemed upset as she glared at me.
'I should stop now. If I push it any further, she'll be genuinely upset and might stay mad until tomorrow.'
Click—
I opened the soju bottle and poured some into the glass in front of her.
Glug glug glug—
"So, Soup, when are you planning to go to the Academy?"
I casually changed the subject, and Lee Yoo-ri let out a disbelieving laugh. Despite her anger, she was a good kid who answered my questions.
"Next Monday."
"Huh? That's just a few days from now. Why are you going so early? Aren't you going to keep dungeon-crawling?"
I asked in a surprised tone.
"Of course, today is the last day. That's why the rogue who ditched us knew I wouldn't be able to catch up to her, and she ran off with my money."
"Wait, why is today the last day? There's still a month left until the entrance ceremony."
Indeed, there was still a month until the Academy's entrance ceremony. I had planned to test how far we could go in the dungeons by increasing the difficulty level during that time…
'She's leaving so soon?'
"What, Jin Yuha? You really didn't know?"
"Know what?"
When I asked, Lee Yoo-ri was the one who looked taken aback.
"There's a three-week basic training period before the entrance ceremony."
"Basic training?"
Lee Yoo-ri explained that there was a three-week basic training period for prospective students before the entrance ceremony at the Velvet Academy.
During this time, the prospective students' abilities were assessed and tested.
In other words, it was similar to the basic military training in the real world before being assigned to a unit.
Even though Velvets was a game about cute girls having fun together, there was a subtle scent of military life as it was a school that taught combat skills.
'How was I supposed to know that? There was no mention of this in Velvets.'
Thankfully, I learned about it from Soup, or else I might have ended up in jail before even starting the Academy.
'Wait, does that mean I have to send the junk items and Alice items from my apartment to the dormitory?'
In times like these, Soup comes to the rescue.
"Soup, what about your personal belongings? You won't get your dormitory assignment until the entrance ceremony, right?"
"We'll store them in the training camp warehouse for now, and then pick them up after the training period is over."
"Oh…"
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
Wait, I need some time to process this.
After the training camp, we'll be assigned to dormitories. So, in the meantime, we'll all be living together.
'There will definitely be some high-performance characters among the students entering the Academy with Soup… Ah, we'll all be living together! Does that mean I'll get to meet someone who's rarely seen at the Academy?'
"You don't mean he followed me into Velvet Academy, not knowing anything…?"
As I pondered this, Lee Yoo-ri muttered something under her breath, but I couldn't quite catch what she said.
"So, how does the training work?"
"Kheum! The first week is position-specific, and the second week onwards is combined training. And on the weekends, we spar."
Lee Yoo-ri answered with a smug look on her face.
'So that's how it is…'
Perhaps I could recruit a 5-star innate talent character during the training camp period.
.
.
.
After getting all the information about Velvet Academy from Lee Yoo-ri and cross-checking it with my own knowledge, we started drinking in earnest.
Lee Yoo-ri was drinking alcohol for the first time, and after taking a big gulp, she stuck out her tongue, exclaiming how bitter it was.
"Ugh, it's bitter… Why do people drink this?"
Go Yoon-seo, on the other hand, seemed to have a high alcohol tolerance as she drank straight from the bottle.
"Kkeu, Soup, you think this is bitter? I find it more delicious than any beverage."
As expected, Choi So-yeon sipped her drink gracefully.
As the night wore on and we drank more,
"Uhehehehe, Soup… Don't forget about me when you're there…"
"Take care. Sou… I mean, Yoo-ri."
"Sis… Take care of yourself and stay healthy."
Hmm, it felt like we were sending off a family member to the military.
Go Yoon-seo and Choi So-yeon hugged Lee Yoo-ri tightly and cried,
drank some more, and eventually, they both passed out drunk, and Yuna had to carry them home.
The next few days were a blur of activity.
Jin Yuha, who was about to start at the Academy, hadn't prepared anything, so I had to take care of everything.
If it weren't for the training camp, I would have had more time to spare, but with only a few days left before departure, I had to rush through everything.
First, I shipped all my remaining items to the training camp via courier,
terminated my lease on the apartment,
sorted out my bank accounts,
and with the money Lee Yoo-ri sent me for the gate settlement fee, I bought the necessary items for the training camp.
And before I knew it,
Monday.
The day of our departure to Velvet Hunter Academy had arrived.
Beep— Beep—
The loud honking of a horn outside.
As I stepped out, I saw Lee Yoo-ri waiting for me in a truck parked in front of my house.
"Jin Yuha, are you ready?"
She rolled down the window and spoke to me casually, treating me like a close friend. Thanks to the radish in her soup, we were now on a first-name basis.
"Yeah, sort of."
"Then let's go."
And so, with a heart full of anticipation, I set off with Soup towards Velvet Hunter Academy.
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Power Stone 
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