“Permission has been granted, but please be mindful not to cause any trouble while living here.”
“Pya-pyat!”
The words were directed at Haru, but Pia answered instead. Sihyeon, who responded to the teacher in Haru’s place as he seemed completely distracted by the small creature, glanced sideways at him. Haru was silently holding Pia. Judging by his expression, he seemed to like it quite a lot.
“…I feel a bit awkward saying this after receiving permission, but is it really okay for you to allow this?”
At a glance, Pia was clearly an Irregular. Allowing someone to raise an Irregular in a school that teaches how to deal with Irregulars was anything but normal. There was also the potential danger to consider, so when Sihyeon asked, the teacher gave a small laugh. Haru was older, yet Sihyeon was the one acting more like an adult—at that thought, his fingertips twitched. It’s because I’m twenty-three on the inside, even if I look seventeen on the outside. The words lingered briefly in Sihyeon’s mouth before melting away unsaid.
“So then, you said its name is Pia, correct?”
“Yes.”
“The point Sihyeon was curious about is something I was planning to explain anyway. If Pia were just an ordinary animal, I wouldn’t have allowed you to raise it either. However, the creature Haru is holding right now is a type of fantasy species known for its high wariness.”
“A fantasy species?”
“Yes. It’s already difficult to obtain information on them because they’re Irregulars with high caution, but for some reason, this one seems to be following Haru and Sihyeon. You may or may not know this, but there has never been a case of a fantasy species following a human.”
“…That’s all completely new to me.”
Blinking at the unfamiliar explanation, Sihyeon watched as the Principal reached out a hand toward Pia.
“Pyat! Pyat!”
It cried out like a barking dog. Now that he’d heard it was highly wary, the reaction really did look like it was guarding itself against a stranger’s touch.
“It seems you haven’t learned about fantasy species yet.”
“No.”
“Well, that’s understandable. There’s limited information, and since they don’t harm humans, it makes sense that the school doesn’t cover them. To ordinary people, the term ‘fantasy species’ would probably sound unfamiliar as well.”
“So what exactly is it?”
Annoyed at how the explanation kept dragging on, Sihyeon cut straight to the point. The teacher, who had been lightly touching Pia’s horn with his fingertips, lowered his hand and looked directly at Sihyeon. His black eyes blinked slowly.
“As for fantasy species… we don’t really know much ourselves.”
“…What?”
For a moment, Sihyeon thought he had misheard. But he realized that wasn’t the case when the Principal continued speaking.
“Do you think they were called ‘fantasy species’ for no reason? They rarely reveal themselves, and even if you do encounter one, they quickly hide. They’ve been classified as Irregulars, but there are no records of them harming humans. We don’t know what abilities they have or what their traits are. The information you find online—that’s essentially everything we know. That’s how scarce and vague the data on fantasy species is. Which is why I’d like to propose something to you and Haru.”
“…You want us to provide the school with any information we learn while raising Pia.”
“I wouldn’t deny that.”
The Principal smiled at Sihyeon’s accurate deduction.
Of course. No matter how crazy the school might be, there was no way they’d just look at students and go, Here, it’s an Irregular! Raise it! There had to be circumstances like this behind it. If that was the case, there wasn’t even a need to go through the trouble of taking first place. Perhaps because Pia had been saved by them, it was said to only show friendliness toward the people in Room 207. Unless forcibly captured, it would remain wary of others and refuse contact. In other words, the suitable people to raise Pia had already been decided from the start.
And yet, they still made them take first place and use a Wish Ticket. Sihyeon pressed his forehead, feeling frustrated that Haru’s Wish Ticket had been wasted on something so trivial, even if it was for appearances.
“…I understand what you’re saying. So you’re certain Pia won’t be dangerous.”
“Rather than threatening humans, it’s a species that runs away the moment it encounters them.”
It didn’t really seem that way.
Recalling how loudly Pia had cried during their first meeting, Sihyeon looked at the creature nestled in Haru’s arms with half-lidded eyes. The little thing was rubbing its head against Haru’s chest affectionately—it didn’t look scared at all.
When cats act like that, they call them dog-like cats… so what do you call a fantasy species like this? Dog-fantasy? Dog-species?
“Then may I take it that you accept the proposal?”
“…Yes.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sihyeon nodded. It wasn’t a question that really gave him a choice anyway. Letting out a sigh, he turned his head.
“Pya-pyat!”
Pia cried, and Haru stroked it gently. The corners of Haru’s lips had lifted ever so slightly.
Yeah… if you’re happy, then that’s what matters.
Resigned, Sihyeon set down the teacup he had been holding.
“Then, should we get going now?”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard staying this late. Since tomorrow is a holiday, make sure to get some good rest.”
With a kind smile, the teacher opened the door and saw Sihyeon and Haru out. Stepping past the doorway, Sihyeon gave a small nod of farewell before leaving the Principal’s office.
As June approached, a damp breeze began to blow. Walking back to the dorm in the sticky air, Haru spoke in a small voice.
“Um, Sihyeon…”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Haru smiled softly, holding Pia close to his face. Even if Pia was a bit of a headache, it was undeniably cute—and paired with Haru’s naturally gentle charm, the effect was overwhelming.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Sihyeon rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah… well.” When he replied like that, Haru smiled again. It was a smile Sihyeon had been seeing more often lately.
“As long as hyung likes it, that’s enough. It’s not like it’s dangerous anyway.”
Now that things had turned out this way, raising it didn’t seem so bad. Having settled his thoughts, Sihyeon reached out toward Pia.
Flap—
The creature flew over and rubbed its cheek against Sihyeon’s face. Its soft fur tickled his skin. Letting out a small laugh, thinking it might be acting cute, Sihyeon gently caught Pia and held it in his arms.
“Pya-pya!”
“I’m the one who was trying so hard not to raise you, you know.”
“Pya-pya?”
“…So much for being wary.”
It shamelessly acted affectionate toward someone who had been arguing about abandoning it earlier. Lightly patting Pia’s head, Sihyeon looked at Haru.
“Want me to give it to you?”
Haru shook his head.
“Shall we go?”
This time, he nodded.
For some reason, that simple exchange made Sihyeon smile as he started walking. It seemed that ever since Pia showed up, it wasn’t just Haru who had been smiling more.
Well, a lot happened, but… it’s cute, so whatever.
Muttering to himself as if making excuses, Sihyeon left the entrance and headed up to the dorm.
The moment they reached Room 207, the door opened as if it were automatic. Haeun, who had been waiting by the door, had heard them approaching and opened it.
“You’re back? Where’s Pia?!”
“Here.”
As soon as they arrived, Haeun immediately looked for Pia. When Sihyeon showed the creature in his arms, Haeun grabbed it with both hands and spun around in place.
“Our Pia!”
He looked like someone reunited with family after ten years. Anyone watching would think he had been the one working hard to bring Pia back.
“Pia’s going to get dizzy, stop that. And it’s an Irregular.”
“What kind of Irregular?”
“A fantasy species.”
“Oh, those ones you almost never see—like it’s a miracle if you do?”
“You know about them?”
“What do you take me for? You think there’s anything I don’t know?”
Haeun placed his hands on his hips proudly. Taking Pia back from him, Sihyeon slipped off his shoes and walked further into the room.
“Don’t ignore me!”
“You’re back.”
“Yeah.”
“You even brought the bird.”
“It’s not a bird, it’s a fantasy species.”
“Tch.”
Still pouting from being ignored, Haeun huffed. It was hard to tell whether he was seventeen or seven. Watching him with a dumbfounded expression, Sihyeon suddenly felt Pia slip out of his arms—more precisely, someone had taken it.
“Pya-pya-pya!”
“Looks healthy.”
Hamin, who had lifted Pia and was watching it chirp loudly, spoke with a faint smile. It wasn’t arrogance—it felt gentle. For some reason, Sihyeon recalled the phrase he treats his people well and shook his head. The fact that such thoughts were coming to him meant he must be tired.
“They said there’s barely any info on fantasy species, so they want us to share anything we learn while raising Pia.”
“That’s the condition?”
“Yeah.”
“Hm… there really won’t be much information. What does it eat?”
At Haeun’s question from atop Hamin’s bed, Sihyeon froze and looked at Pia.
Now that he thought about it, any living creature needed to eat and sleep—but none of them had any idea what Pia ate.
“…Should we try giving it vegetables for now?”
“Want me to grab some from the cafeteria? It’s dinner time anyway.”
“Wow, that’s surprisingly useful.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m saying good job.”
Sihyeon replied half-heartedly and scanned the room, checking for any possible escape spots for Pia. Only after confirming everything was closed did he move.
“Let’s go.”
At his words, the others stood up. Taking Haru along—who kept glancing back at Pia with reluctance—they left the room. In front of the cafeteria, they ran into Seowoo and Geonwoo.
Tilting his head, Geonwoo looked at Sihyeon. His blue eyes seemed to be searching for something. Sihyeon tilted his head back at him.
“What?”
“The animal you said you’d raise.”
“We can’t exactly bring it to the cafeteria.”
“Oh…”
His disappointment was obvious. Seowoo placed a hand on Geonwoo’s shoulder and spoke as if to comfort him.
“What’s there to be disappointed about? We can just go see it ourselves. After we eat, can we come see Pia?”
“…Sure. And it’s not an animal.”
“Then an Irregular?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds like a hassle.”
Impressed that he remembered something Sihyeon had said earlier in the training room, Sihyeon watched him closely. Smiling casually, Seowoo then pulled Sihyeon along toward the cafeteria.
After finishing their meal quickly, the group headed straight to the kitchen. After asking for permission and explaining the situation, the cooks readily agreed and packed some chopped vegetables into a small container. Taking it, Sihyeon left the cafeteria and headed back to the dorm, five boys trailing behind him.
Entering the room, Sihyeon sat on his bed and called out,
“Pia.”
At the quiet call, Pia flew from Hamin’s bed and landed neatly on Sihyeon’s lap. Surprised it had made it all the way without falling, Sihyeon gently stroked it. Meanwhile, Geonwoo crouched in front of him, staring at Pia.
“…It’s small.”
“It is.”
“So this is Pia.”
“Yeah.”
As if they were holding a gathering in front of his bed, Seowoo sat beside Geonwoo, and the rest of the Room 207 members lined up next to them. Sihyeon blinked as he looked at them.
Having them all sit on the floor while he alone sat on the bed felt… strangely awkward.
“Why are you all sitting there?”
“Then should we come up onto the bed?”
“…Are you serious?”
At his bewildered question, Seowoo responded gently. The soft tone stirred Sihyeon’s imagination—five people climbing onto his bed at once. His expression immediately twisted.
“Just stay there.”
“Told you.”
Seowoo laughed as Sihyeon rejected the idea on the spot. Ignoring him, Sihyeon took out the container of vegetables and held some up to Pia’s mouth.
He tried giving it a carrot—no reaction. Then he switched to cucumber. Still nothing.
“…It’s not eating.”
Furrowing his brow, Sihyeon muttered in concern. Haeun pulled out his phone, saying he’d look it up. Meanwhile, Sihyeon swapped the cucumber for an onion and continued offering it.
“Pyak!”
“…That’s a new kind of cry.”
It seemed to really hate it, judging by how fiercely it reacted. Thinking onions were probably a bad idea, Sihyeon glanced at the last remaining bell pepper, already doubtful it would eat that either.
Is it carnivorous?
That thought had just crossed his mind—
Chomp!
Pia bit Sihyeon’s hand.
Startled, Sihyeon frowned and tried to pull his hand away, but at that moment, a sensation similar to mana being drained spread through him.
That’s when Haeun spoke.
“Oh, I read that adult fantasy species raise their young by feeding them their blood?”
“What?”
“……”
At Haeun’s words, Hamin looked startled, while Sihyeon fell silent. It didn’t feel like he was bleeding though…
Carefully trying to pull his hand back, Pia started chirping loudly again. Stroking its small wings to calm it, Sihyeon finally managed to free his hand and checked his fingers. As expected, there wasn’t any visible wound.
“Are you okay?”
Haru approached, his voice full of concern. Nodding, Sihyeon looked at Pia with a complicated expression.
“You’re not hurt anywhere?”
“…Not really. It just feels like my mana’s being drained a bit—”
“Pya!”
Before he could finish speaking, Pia bit him again.
As that pulling sensation of mana returned, Sihyeon stared at the container of vegetables rolling across the bed.
Somehow… it felt like all that effort had been completely pointless.
