I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

“Soup, you were really annoyed today, weren’t you? Thanks for putting up with my stubbornness.”

Jin Yuha suddenly grabbed her face and leaned in close.

“For now, this is something you need to clear on your own, as a condition… hmm, that sounds a bit strange. Let’s just say I wanted to see your skills for the first time in a while. I hope you’ll understand.”

Jin Yuha said something, but not a single word registered in her ears.

Well, his face was just that overwhelming.

A quiet forest.
The crackling sound of embers burning.
Jin Yuha’s face glowing faintly in the orange light.

…Seriously, is it fair for a person to look this good?

“Eh! Hic! Hicc! Hiccup!”

As Yoo-ri stared at Jin Yuha’s face in a daze, a sudden hiccup burst out of her.

“Heh. This reminds me of old times.”

“Uh! O-old times?”

“Don’t you remember? Back then, when you doubted I was a proper academy candidate, you threw your phone and started hiccupping.”

Oh. That.

Now that she thought about it, something like that did happen.

Before entering the academy, when she was running gates to pay off some debt.
The dealer she usually worked with took the money and bolted, leaving her scrambling for a replacement.

That was when she received a call. A man’s voice. Normally, she wouldn’t have taken on a male dealer.

But the mention of having no money and being an academy candidate made her give him a chance.
She was desperate at the time.

So, they set up a meeting in haste, but she was nervous.

Male dealers weren’t exactly welcomed due to physical limitations.

As she sat anxiously on a bench, suddenly, a ridiculously good-looking man leaned in toward her.

She was so startled she hiccupped.

At that time, she thought he must have been some celebrity. Now, his looks hadn’t just held up—they’d skyrocketed like a stock chart, breaking all limits.

‘How am I supposed to not be startled when he keeps leaning in with a face like that?!’

“Hic! Do you even realize how much! Hic! You startled me back then!?”

No matter how hard she pounded her chest, the hiccups wouldn’t stop.
Jin Yuha, still holding her cheek, suddenly reached toward her lips.

“Uh─? Wha, what are you doing?”

His fingers invaded her mouth, pressing down on her tongue and pulling it outward.

“Ah, ah, it hurts!”

“When you get hiccups, pulling your tongue like this is supposed to stop them. See? They’re gone now, right?”

Jin Yuha calmly withdrew his fingers after pulling her tongue.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Y-y-yeah, it, it seems like they’re gone.”

Yoo-ri nodded, her heart pounding wildly.

Seriously, who sticks their fingers into a stranger’s mouth without hesitation?

‘Wait, is he the type to lose all sense of restraint once the relationship becomes official? And hasn’t he claimed to have never dated anyone before?’

Yoo-ri glared at him.

Somehow, it felt unfair that she was the only one being thrown into chaos all day.

“So, Yoo-ri, when did you start liking me?”

Here we go again.
Again. Again! AGAIN!!!

He had no hesitation in asking such embarrassing questions.

‘Why is he so direct? Is he a truck with broken brakes or something?’

No, this couldn’t go on. Being on the receiving end all the time was just too unfair. Yoo-ri’s brows furrowed into a V-shape.

“N-no way. You answer first. You like me too, don’t you? That’s why you set up… this… kind of thing! W-when did you start liking me?!”

She steeled herself and spoke, but it was still mortifying to say.

Her voice trembled, and why did she sound so much like a dork?

“Me?”

Jin Yuha tapped his lips with a finger, pondering.

‘Th-those fingers were just in my mouth…!’

Gulp.

“Probably… from the very beginning.”

“…From the beginning?”

“Yeah. I still remember how you looked the first time I saw you. Sitting on a bench, hugging your shield, resting your chin on it while on your phone. You had a blue hair tie, a khaki airport jumper, black leggings… Oh, and your shoes were white Nikes, I think.”

Yoo-ri’s eyes widened.

He was completely right.

Well, of course. Back then, she was so broke that she wore the same outfit every day, except when it was being washed.

“You remember all that…? Wait, you’re saying you’ve liked me since the very first time you saw me?”

“Hmm… probably. But I only fully realized my feelings a few days ago. Until recently, I thought I liked you just as a trustworthy and dependable party member. How naive of me.”

Jin Yuha shook his head in self-deprecation.

Puh!

A warm, fluttery sensation filled her chest. Hearing it directly from him like this…

The fear that she might be the only one with feelings evaporated instantly.

If only she had confessed her feelings back when they’d first grown close earlier in the semester.

“So… I’m sorry.”

“…For what?”

“When I realized my feelings… well… there were already other party members involved.”

Jin Yuha apologized. For not just loving her alone.

But his tone was earnest and unwavering.

Honestly…

Saying it didn’t bother her at all would be a lie.

Having Jin Yuha all to herself?
That was an impossible dream.

It sounded nice in theory, but… Shared relationships, open communication—these were their reality.

Forcing Jin Yuha into exclusivity would be unfair, especially since it was something they’d all agreed upon.

If things had gone south and serious fights had broken out, Jin Yuha might have chosen none of them.

‘…This is probably the best-case scenario.’

With that thought, Yoo-ri replied.

“You don’t have to apologize. This was our choice, all of us.”

“I know. And I’m grateful.”

“Pfft, this is so cheesy. Let’s talk about something else, okay?”

“Hmm, then tell me about yourself. What were you like before we met?”

“Before we met?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, that’s kind of embarrassing… Well, when I was five…”

At Jin Yuha’s request, Lee Yoo-ri hesitated but eventually began to recount her past.

A household buried in debt, the threats from creditors, frequent moves, and the grueling struggles of her school days.

She glanced sideways.

While sharing her story, Lee Yoo-ri tried to gauge Jin Yuha’s reaction.

‘…Will Jin Yuha pity me?’

She felt uneasy.

Poverty inevitably made one sensitive to how others viewed them.

However…

“……”

In Jin Yuha’s eyes, as he listened to her story, there was not a trace of pity or sympathy. His gaze was calm, as if accepting her past exactly as it was.

Ah. That’s right.

‘This is why I fell for him.’

Indeed, after spending time together, it would have been impossible for Jin Yuha to be unaware of her impoverished circumstances. Yet, from the first time they met, he never pitied her. Instead, he simply held faith and expectations in her abilities.

Still, embarrassed by her own admission, Lee Yoo-ri scratched her cheek and finished in a playful tone.

“…Well, and thanks to meeting some guy in Camelia’s Forest, my life took a turn for the better.”

“No.”

“Huh…?”

“You would have been amazing even without me. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have fallen for you in the first place.”

Jin Yuha’s voice sounded almost angry.

“Uh… Th-th-thank you?”

“Yeah. So don’t you dare belittle yourself in front of me. I’ll really get mad if you do.”

“O-okay…”

Feeling awkward, Lee Yoo-ri averted her gaze and looked up at the sky.

“Wow—”

A gasp of awe escaped her.

The sky above was a spectacle of stars, as if they were about to cascade down, circling the radiant, brilliant white moon in a celestial dance.

‘You think I would’ve become an amazing person without you?’

Could that really be true?

If she hadn’t met Jin Yuha in Camelia’s Forest, what would have happened?

‘Would I have died there?’

Surrounded by goblins, that is. Hmm, or maybe not.

That day, because Jin Yuha had joined them, they had cleared the dungeon swiftly. With the extra time, they decided to tackle the hidden dungeon inside, the Unknown Depths.

Without the main dealer, she would have likely returned with only minor achievements and fumed over the betrayal of Hyeji, who’d stabbed her in the back.

And after entering the academy?

She would have spent her days busy with part-time jobs, struggling just to get by. Without Jin Yuha, the thought of forming a party and entering dungeons in the first semester would have been unthinkable.

And yet, he says I would’ve been someone great?

Pfft!

‘Clearly, no way.’

Thinking this, it struck her that Jin Yuha’s arrival in her life was nothing short of a miracle.

An ordinary girl as plain as could be,

Now standing among the monstrous talents of the Utopia party,

Proudly holding her place and even earning the title of vice-leader.

Yes, it was all thanks to this man.

Lee Yoo-ri turned her gaze toward Jin Yuha.

“Jin Yuha. I’m going to make a promise.”

“Out of the blue?”

“Yeah. It’s something I’ve been keeping in my heart, but now I want to say it to you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to protect you.”

“…?”

“If you’re ever in danger, no matter how perilous the situation, no matter the moment, I will ‘always’ stand in front of you and become the shield that guards you.”

At the moment she made that vow before Jin Yuha—

Saaaa—

The stars that surrounded the moon began to whirl gently, as if spinning in a dance. From those stars, radiant beams of pure white light poured down toward Lee Yoo-ri.

“Huh, h-huh…!? Wh-what is this—!”

Ding—♬

A clear bell-like sound echoed in her ears.

[You have obtained the ultimate skill, 【Shield of Conviction】.]

[No matter the destructive power or distance, you will ‘always’ block any critical attack aimed at the person you wish to protect, with a 100% success rate.]

[Cooldown – 30 days.]