“I know Hongcheon well. If we go on the picnic, I can guide you!”

When the topic of Hongcheon came up, Mingrin was the most enthusiastic to respond.

Unlike during the sparring match, she was wearing AR glasses now, but her expression was just as clear as that day.

Even though she had them on, she didn’t seem to be using their functions; there was no sign they were powered on.

‘Maybe now it’ll be okay to be alone in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers?’

Mingrin had gradually overcome her trauma over a long period.

At first, she expanded her comfort zone slowly — classrooms with a small number of people, the art club where her fans gathered, outdoor activities with classmates.

Most of that time, Song Daeseok was with her, but now they were both busy with their own things, so recently they spent more days apart.

That was proof Mingrin was fine even without Song Daeseok, and also meant the overprotective Song Daeseok trusted us enough to leave Mingrin in our care.

However, it was still unconfirmed how she’d do without Song Daeseok, the painter Hong Gyeongbok, or our classmates and the art club’s Oriental painting group.

I had heard that Mingrin was capable of hunting enemies alone.

What frightened her most was people—especially the malice that might lurk within them.

“My mentor invited me here several times. There’s a great trout restaurant, and it’s trout season now. The hours are short, so we have to go at the right time, but if we plan the route well, we can all eat there together!”

Thanks to Mingrin passionately promoting the advantages of Hongcheon to invite the classmates, the majority opinion quickly shifted.

Although In Seon-oh was the one who initially suggested it, somehow Mingrin ended up leading the conversation.

In Seon-oh, skilled in communication, already knew through casual chats that Mingrin had strong ties to Hongcheon. After proposing the picnic spot, she asked a few questions to help Mingrin open up easily.

Her skill at steering situations with just a few words was impressive.

‘But since Mingrin likes it so much, and the classmates are interested, and I can use this for the demon world scenario, it’s not a bad thing.’

In the demon world scenario, the whole Gangwon Province would become a battlefield, but especially Hongcheon, the stronghold of the Dark Demon, would be targeted, so careful attention was needed.

At one point, a priest of the Demon God nearly succeeded in trapping the Dark Demon.

There was still some doubt about attending the picnic, but the decision gradually leaned toward participation.

I wanted to see the area with my own eyes again at least once.

I also wanted to go on an autumn picnic with the classmates.

So I decided to lend my support.

I recalled when I went to Hongcheon to meet painter Hong Gyeongbok, captured Dosihu, and headed to the meeting place with Sung Siwan.

“We visited Hongcheon as a group of three before. We didn’t have time to tour, but I remember the scenery was nice.”

“Three? Who with?”

I honestly answered that it was Song Daeseok, Mingrin, and me—three of us.

Some of the kids frowned.

I wondered why, and Sawol Seyum glanced at me sympathetically and muttered softly.

“Again, Yi-shin is meddling in the couples he supports...”

The word “couple” sent a chill through me.

Of course, I was rooting for Song Daeseok and Mingrin, who openly showed how much they cared for each other.

It was the same as supporting Joo Suhyuk and An Dain; I had no intention of interfering.

Whether he understood the situation or not, Ong Gildong said cheerfully,

“Even if your partner goes out without telling us, our bond won’t shake! Don’t worry about numbers; always call me and my partner!”

Ong Gildong spoke exaggeratedly but kindly.

From how he spoke, it seemed he also wanted to go to Hongcheon with everyone.

But back then, Ong Gildong was deep into his phantom thief activities, so there was no way to invite him.

Also, I didn’t know how Guseulbi would feel about being put in the middle of the showman duo’s antics.

Guseulbi clearly had a special interest in Ong Gildong and probably wanted to spend time alone with him often.

Though the conversation had digressed, thanks to Mingrin’s fervent support, the Hongcheon trip was finalized.

“Then tomorrow we’ll randomly draw and write the class T-shirt phrase. Miro and Daeseok can’t come tomorrow, so we’ll need to decide separately for their parts. Think about something simple.”

“Ah, this is trickier than I thought.”

Maeng Hyo-don, who I thought wrote slogans without much thought, seemed to have been pondering seriously.

In contrast, Guseulbi and Ong Gildong had already lined up plenty of candidate phrases for each classmate and were deliberating.

Starting with them, everyone came up with various ideas for the slogan.

‘Are they going to start thinking about this now?’

We usually decided on the spot, but this time I actually had to think. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Thanks to Kim Yuri’s perfect progress, there was a little time left until class, so everyone used it to devise their slogans.

Among the Tigers, Hwang Ji-ho looked the most excited.

“I really want to choose a phrase for my close friends and benefactors.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Me neither.”

Even though Cheongho and the White Tiger showed they disliked it, Hwang Ji-ho was full of enthusiasm.

Whether it was me or Cheongho, at least I hoped the White Tiger would end up with Hwang Ji-ho.

Watching Kwon Rena happily thinking of phrases that sincerely praised classmates, someone tapped my shoulder.

It was Mingrin.

“Last weekend, I took off my AR glasses and wandered around here and there. You saw, right?”

“Yeah, you came bare-faced and cheered me on during sparring. Thanks.”

Mingrin’s words stopped briefly.

She probably wasn’t getting the response she expected.

Since I couldn’t find an answer, Mingrin spoke first.

“I have to give you a painting as a gift. What should I draw?”

Mingrin diligently still remembered what I said.

The AR glasses I gave back then were far beyond what her allowance could cover.

So Mingrin promised to draw me a picture of my choice instead.

But now she was also doing art professionally and sometimes acting as a player, so buying AR glasses like that would be easy for her.

‘Yet she prefers giving a drawing instead of money.’

I had declared that I wouldn’t accept a drawing until she took off the AR glasses.

I recalled what I said then and said,

“You’re still wearing them.”

“I’m just wearing them. I know I can go to school without them now.”

“You always drew my picture whenever I went to competitions or exchange matches. Getting another one is...”

“That’s different.”

I tried to express that I felt sorry because she had already drawn several portraits for me, but Mingrin didn’t give in.

Perhaps because she was still not used to social life except when scolding Song Daeseok, she lacked finesse in conversation.

So as the talk dragged on, she spoke more sparsely, making it look like I was teasing her.

Or maybe I already was.

Others or the Tigers might have jumped in, but they just kept their distance and watched.

In the end, I was the one to give in first.

“Alright, I’ll tell you if I want a painting.”

“...Okay!”

Mingrin’s face noticeably brightened at my answer.

Only then did the others start talking to us.

Even though I was the one receiving the gift, they congratulated Mingrin with “Good job,” “Well done.”

Feeling embarrassed watching the scene, Hwang Ji-ho praised me.

“Hahaha! Receiving a precious gift is hard even among close friends.”

“Why do you insist on giving something precious when you know that?”

“Meaning comes from accomplishing difficult things.”

I was left speechless by his shameless reply.

Anyway, since the Hongcheon trip was decided this week, we planned to arrange things efficiently without wasting time.

During lunch, I decided to spend some time alone to organize my thoughts.

‘Since it’s a class picnic to Hongcheon, teacher Ham Geun-hyeong and Yong Je-geon will definitely participate. They know about the demon world scenario, so they can move with us.’

Before deciding how to act on the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ autumn picnic, I separated the classmates into those involved in the demon world scenario and those who were not.

First, Kim Yuri, Maeng Hyo-don, In Seon-oh, Jin Jeongmuk, and the Tigers would definitely be involved in the demon world scenario.

‘Of course, among the Tigers, we have to exclude the White Tiger, who’s in the form of a beastman. I don’t know why the mastermind wants to lure us outside Shinyeok, but I can’t include him in our plan.’

Maeng Hyo-don was one of the students who revealed An Dain’s true identity early and strongly expressed willingness to cooperate.

Moreover, during the assassination attempt on Seong Guk-eon, he confronted the four evils, and his master Tak Geosan got involved in the incident after attending Sung Hyung-woo’s funeral in Hongcheon.

‘And Maeng Hyo-don has become stronger since awakening his derivative skills. Above all, he’s trustworthy. Unless it’s a life-threatening situation, being in Gangwon Province during the demon world scenario should be fine.’

There was a high chance that a bow user would appear in the mastermind’s schemes.

To hide the nightmare inside me from the bow user, In Seon-oh’s cooperation was necessary.

In fact, if items were used on time, it could be blocked, but since any variable could occur during the demon world scenario, it was better to have a plan.

Kim Yuri was now basically a member of the Ho clan as the disciple of Jukho.

The problem was Jin Jeongmuk.

‘Jin Jeongmuk had some idea about the atmosphere inside Jeolheukpungnim. Even if they tried to exclude him, he’d probably notice and intervene.’

In the demon world scenario, the demons intended to demonize the whole Gangwon Province, so it was impossible to keep it hidden.

Therefore, Jin Jeongmuk was bound to intervene.

But if he fought poorly like in the sparring match, Jin Jeongmuk would die or get seriously hurt.

Among those already decided to intervene, Jin Jeongmuk’s condition was the worst.

He seemed unlikely to intervene in Jeolheukpungnim, and he showed no intention to seek help from other teachers or students.

I even wondered if it might be better to exclude Jin Jeongmuk from the demon world scenario.

‘He seems to be trying hard lately, but I don’t know if he’ll succeed in time...’

Lost in thought, I suddenly sensed someone’s presence.

They were quite close but hadn’t tried to hide it; I just noticed late.

Startled, I lifted my head and looked at them.

The moment our eyes met, I was speechless.

It was someone very dear to me, but someone I didn’t want to meet today.

‘Joo Suhyuk...’

When I showed my surprise, Joo Suhyuk made a slightly embarrassed face and shifted his gaze.

Usually, he greeted me without hesitation, but this time no words came out.