“...”

“I won by half a point.”

As I quietly placed down the final stone, Yoon Chaeha couldn’t speak for a long while.

We had come to the board game club room to kill some time after lunch.

Now we sat in front of a Go board. A brief silence followed.

“...Ah, you did.”

Still staring intently at the board, she finally lifted her gaze to me.

She looked a bit... wronged.

She was probably replaying the game in her head even now.

Today, Yoon Chaeha had gone through mackerel, salmon, eel, even saury—

Every single fish available in the campus cafeteria.

Of course, since she didn’t know how to debone them, I had done it all for her.

I remembered how she’d taken bite after bite with admiration, offering her chopsticks for more.

At first, given her personality, I expected her to say something like, “Teach me.”

I thought for sure she’d insist on learning how to do it herself. But strangely...

At some point, she just put her chopsticks down and started waiting quietly.

‘So I’ll teach her how to—’

‘Next time. For now, just eat.’

As if it were completely natural, she silently accepted the fish I deboned for her.

Even when she ate, she seemed a little embarrassed, as if realizing how dependent she’d become, and she averted her eyes while taking a sip of water.

My “Renaissance Man” trait didn’t just shine on the battlefield—apparently, it was good for these mundane tasks too.

My technique with the chopsticks, separating bone from flesh in a single motion, was almost artistic—bones neatly piled, flesh perfectly clean...

And she, like a baby bird, had just eaten everything I handed her.

She glanced over at me a few times, but eventually stopped bothering and just set her chopsticks down entirely.

Maybe she’d ‘analyzed’ it with her own reasoning—decided that letting me do it was simply more efficient.

“Should we head out?”

I checked the time on my watch.

While we’d been playing Go, time had flown—it was almost 5 p.m.

“Yeah.”

Yoon Chaeha nodded and slowly stood up.

“Let’s do this again soon. Go, I mean.”

“Why, feeling robbed?”

I teased, but—

“It’s not that. I think I’m starting to get it.”

She answered seriously.

I felt it too. Her skill was increasing exponentially.

Just as expected. Yoon Chaeha was a raw gem—she grew when pushed.

I smiled slightly and walked with her through the hallway.

By the time we arrived at the auditorium entrance, several students had already gone in and taken seats.

The instructor stood off to the side of the stage, going through some documents.

Yoon Chaeha and I took seats together in a quiet corner of the hall.

5 p.m.

Right on the hour, an instructor slowly stepped onto the stage.

As he climbed the podium, the chatter in the room naturally died down.

The auditorium was already packed.

Thirty students from the Exchange Venue, and their thirty mentors. Sixty in total—every seat filled.

The instructor looked around briefly, then picked up the mic.

“Alright, looks like everyone’s here. Please pay attention.”

A faint sound of people holding their breath rippled through the crowd.

He placed the papers in his hand down on the desk and began speaking slowly.

“Today, we’ll be giving a proper explanation of the exchange match, and guidance on how team formation ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) for the team battle will be handled.”

The first real preparations for the exchange match were beginning.

“As you were informed earlier, the match consists of two parts: individual and team events.”

His eyes moved slowly across the crowd as he continued.

“And the reason we’ve gathered you here today is to explain how the teams for the group battles will be structured.”

Team formation.

Just as expected—it was all related to the exchange match.

“Currently, there are 30 students participating in the Exchange Venue. And 30 mentors assigned to them. That makes 60 people. All of you here are already in teams.”

As previously stated, each mentor and mentee were already a set.

“Now, we will pair two of these sets together to form a small team. Two mentors and two mentees—four people will make up an initial exchange team.”

The screen changed briefly, showing a visual breakdown of the team structure.

The students began to focus more intently.

“Then, four students from Gaon will be added to each exchange team. Making a total of eight people per team.”

In other words...

Eight members total.

Two mentees, two mentors, and four Gaon students.

Fifteen teams in total.

A fairly large scale.

In this world, a team of eight was considered a “semi-raid unit.”

The basic structure used when conquering dungeons or hunting high-tier monsters.

Tactics. Composition. Teamwork.

If even one element didn’t mesh properly, not even the strongest individual could guarantee a win.

Since this was a collaboration between Gaon and Kalos, the difficulty would no doubt be high.

But then—

“Now, everyone. No need to feel too pressured.”

The instructor’s tone suddenly softened.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“The Exchange Venue is, in the end, a celebration. The point is the process of understanding and learning from one another.”

Yeah, right.

I muttered to myself.

“Therefore, we’ll allow you to freely choose your initial team pairs—people you’ve gotten close to before arriving here at Gaon. However, the four additional Gaon students will be assigned based on ranking to ensure fairness.”

So forming the initial four-person team was up to us, while the Gaon additions would be assigned.

Two pairs combined to make a team of four.

Then four Gaon students would be added, finalizing the team of eight.

“Now then, please form your groups!”

Murmur, murmur.

Even before the instructor finished, the Kalos students were already buzzing like bees.

One by one, two by two, three and four—students who clearly had already decided on their teammates began forming their groups.

I slowly turned to look at Yoon Chaeha, who was seated beside me.

Noticing my gaze, she shifted slightly and half-glared at me.

“...What? What are you looking at?”

She pouted her lips as she asked, and I just chuckled instead of answering.

Even as the Kalos students bustled around forming teams—

Yoon Chaeha glanced around the room but didn’t make a single move to approach anyone.

Because—

Yoon Chaeha had no friends.

If there was anyone she might have had a chance of teaming up with...

At a distance, a tall boy stood among a group of Kalos girls, laughing and chatting comfortably.

That was Ju Seojun.

‘Yeah, him... but—’

The problem was Ju Seojun’s mentor.

His mentor was... Johan.

Johan’s church and Ju Seojun’s family had long-standing ties.

Far closer than most people assumed.

They had grown up together.

And then, Johan’s eyes met mine.

Just for a second.

But even that single second seemed unbearable—Johan turned his head away immediately.

‘Tch.’

So much for that.

Teaming up with Ju Seojun would be difficult.

Yoon Chaeha fidgeted with her fingers and stared at the desk in front of her.

She was trying to act indifferent, but the atmosphere around her was unusually downcast.

Honestly, I didn’t care who I ended up with.

I turned my head to scan the room for possible groupings.

And then someone stepped up onto the stage beside the instructor.

A Kalos student, it seemed. But something was off.

‘She’s alone?’

The girl spoke quietly to the instructor. He looked briefly surprised, then began flipping through the papers on the podium.

Then he picked up the mic and spoke calmly.

“Is there anyone here who knows Yu Hana?”

Yu Hana?

She was supposed to be in closed-door training right now...

I raised my hand without thinking. And just as the instructor finished speaking—

The auditorium doors quietly opened.

—Creeeak.

No one had been paying attention to the door, and yet, strangely, all eyes in the room turned toward it.

A lone female figure stepped inside.

Sky-blue hair flowed gently down to her waist, damp sweat clinging to her training uniform. She looked like she had run straight here right after finishing her training.

It was Yu Hana.

“Sorry I’m late, Instructor. I’m Yu Hana, mentor to Jo Yuri.”

A short, composed greeting.

She said just that and began walking forward naturally.

The attention that had been on the stage now followed her every step.

I was surprised.

Not just because she turned out to be a mentor for the exchange program.

It was understandable not to have known—most mentor-mentee activities had taken place off campus.

No, the real surprise was—

“...Huh.”

Her presence.

The force radiating from her was completely different from before.

Every movement, every breath—there was weight behind it.

‘What the hell did she do in there?’

I couldn’t help but wonder—her growth was astounding.

Even Yoon Chaeha was watching her intently.

Her eyes were glowing red—a sign of interest, for her.

Still staring at Yu Hana, I asked quietly,

“What do you think?”

Yoon Chaeha gave a silent, slow nod.

No words were needed.

Without another exchange, we both stood and slowly made our way toward the front of the auditorium.

Yu Hana was already by Jo Yuri’s side.

She gave a short apology with a bow, and her mentee quickly waved her hands and helped steady her.

Just then, Yu Hana’s eyes locked onto mine.

It was brief, but that moment of eye contact told me everything.

Up close, it was even more obvious—just how far she had come.

At this level...

‘Yeah. That’s enough.’

I started trying to gauge her current level—but gave up almost immediately.

She was only going to grow more from here anyway.

“You’re here?”

I asked quietly.

Yu Hana nodded with a soft reply.

“Yeah.”

“What the hell did you do?”

Instead of answering, she stepped in close with a faint smile.

“I’ll tell you... later.”

Her voice was a little lower now.

A gentle, whisper-like tone. Then she added—

“But... it’s really nice to see you again. Or is it just me?”

I smiled faintly and shook my head. Just then—

“Chaeha... right?”

A cautious, slightly shy voice.

When I turned, the girl standing next to Yu Hana—presumably her mentee—approached hesitantly.

Fidgeting with her fingers, she finally gathered the courage to speak.

“I’m... I’m a really big fan of yours. Did you... come to team up with me?”

The unexpected attention caught Yoon Chaeha off guard. She froze for a moment.

Then nodded awkwardly, stumbling over her words.

“Uh... uh? Y-yeah... I did...”

She looked flustered, but... not unhappy.

Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but smile.

It felt like watching a shy cat in a cat café being approached by another curious feline.

I turned my gaze to Yu Hana.

She was looking at me silently—then gave a slow nod.

“Let’s work well together.”

“Looking forward to it.”

A new team had been born.