I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I was dumbfounded to receive a long, detailed message, over 5,700 characters, from Shin Se-hee.

“What… is this?”

I read the message once, twice, three times. No matter how many times I read it, I couldn’t make sense of the situation.

How did it come to this?

The message from Shin Se-hee described another version of Jin Yuha in an alternate timeline—one crushed under the weight of self-doubt and self-deprecation, struggling like a tormented hero.

“So… what? Sophia managed to extract a few words I muttered under that jamming signal, posted them in the café, and they turned it into a whole story?”

I let out a dry laugh.

From a handful of fragmented words, the party members concluded that my self-esteem was at rock bottom.

Though perplexed, I kept reading. The message detailed how Sophia planned to tighten internal security and explained the current state of affairs.

-If you ever feel like sharing with the party members, you’re welcome to. But personally, I think it’s a bit early for that. Jin Yuha, you still need more time to prepare yourself, don’t you?

I nodded instinctively.

That’s true. Honestly, I wasn’t ready to confront everything just yet.

The previous day, in front of Shin Se-hee, I had let my guard down and talked about all sorts of things, even considering sharing with the party. But upon returning to the hotel and reflecting, I grew anxious.

What would change in my relationships with the party members after I told them? What attitude should I adopt going forward?

I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

Even savoring the lingering memory of a first kiss was already complicated enough.

So, I had planned to take things slowly, consulting with Shin Se-hee in the meantime…

But then, the postscript in her message caught my eye.

-Oh, by the way… if the party members seem a bit strange today… just try to go along naturally, okay?

“Strange…?”

Ding-ding!

At that moment, another message popped up, covering Se-hee’s.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[NotSoup] – Jin Yuha, shall we all meet up today?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

________________________________________

A luxurious hotel in Hawaii, Deluna. The top floor.

I hesitated briefly in front of the door. From inside, I could hear the sweet scent of something and soft music, along with hurried footsteps.

“Yuha is on the way up now!”
“What!? Already!?”

Rip!

“Hey! Kang Do-hee! Watch your strength!!!”
“I was just trying to help.”
“That doesn’t show concern for our junior!”
“Why did you call so early!?”
“I thought everything was ready!”

“What is this…?”

Tilting my head at the muffled commotion, I pushed the door open.

Creaaak.

And the sight before me left me speechless.

At the center of the table stood a towering 10-tiered cake, each layer decorated in different colors. The higher the tiers, the messier and more tilted they looked. At the very top, there was a small figurine holding a sword.

Surrounding the table were various dishes, ranging from Western, Japanese, and Korean cuisine to some mysterious, slightly burnt-looking creations.

On the wall, a banner fluttered, reading: “To Jin Yuha, the Flower on the Cliff of Utopia’s Party, Fighting!”
The ceiling was decked with a chaotic array of balloons.

A red carpet extended from the door, lined with candles. However, the carpet was crumpled, and several candles had already gone out.

As I entered, the entire party froze like statues, staring at me.

“……”

Then, in the background, a song began to play softly.

♪ You were born to be loved ♪

Staring blankly at the scene, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Pfft!”

Once I started, I couldn’t stop.

It was impossible to hold back, especially since Kang Do-hee was wearing dog-ear headbands on her head, which clashed hilariously with her usual serious demeanor.

“Stop laughing…”

Do-hee glared at me with sharp eyes, realizing I was laughing at her. The floppy dog ears atop her head wobbled adorably, making me laugh even harder.

“Ugh… We wanted to surprise you when you arrived…”
“Well… But we worked hard to prepare this… How is it?”

Just as I was about to respond, Ichika grabbed my hand and led me to a seat at the table.

“Sit down.”

Uh… Okay.

Awkwardly following her lead, I sat down. Then, as if on cue, the other party members swarmed around me.

“Jin Yuha, I made pasta.”
“Hey, steak, here.”
“Leader, this is salad.”
“Sushi, for you.”
“Try my egg tart, too, junior.”
“Wouldn’t soup be better to start, Jin Yuha?”

‘…It’s almost like they know everything already. And Shin Se-hee, why are you acting so nonchalant with that plate of pasta?’

I glanced at her as if to say, Really? But Se-hee merely smiled shamelessly while holding her pasta.

Overwhelmed by the food being thrust at me, my gaze landed on a plate with something burnt black. Its owner, Lee Yoo-ri, stood with a bright red face.

Taking a spoon, I reached for Yoo-ri’s plate.

“Ah! J-Jin Yuha, you don’t have to—”

Could it be that Yoo-ri didn’t expect me to choose her dish first? She looked flustered, but I casually scooped up the burnt food with my spoon and brought it to my mouth.

Chew, chew—

Hmm.

“Is this kimchi fried rice? It’s not as bad as I thought.”

The over-charred gochugaru (red pepper powder) gave it a slightly bitter taste, but it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, the bitter tang blended with the sweetness of the carbohydrates, resembling the flavor of ginseng candy transformed into rice.

It was an intriguing and experimental taste.

‘I might use this idea later.’

“It’s decent,” I said.

“This is decent…?” Yoo-ri looked astonished.

“Yeah, it’s like eating rice cooked with ginseng candy.”

At my words, everyone froze, their expressions a mix of confusion and disbelief.

“…Oh, right,” someone muttered.

“Yoo-ri, his taste buds, you know…”

“Ah.”

Ignoring their reaction, I turned to the real issue. Though I had been briefed by Se-hee, it felt strange that the others seemed unaware. So, I asked, “But what’s this sudden gathering about?”

Senior Ga-eul, looking as though she had forgotten something important, opened her mouth hesitantly.

“Well… We thought maybe we’d been taking you for granted all this time…”

“So, we decided to show our appreciation for all you’ve done. That’s what this is about,” Alice added, glancing around the overly decorated party room with a sheepish smile.

‘So they think I’ve been feeling down and wanted to cheer me up with this event?’

A chuckle escaped my lips.

They probably weren’t great at this sort of thing. In a world where gender norms are reversed, and people are trained in combat and survival rather than party planning, this kind of cutesy effort was bound to be clumsy.

Se-hee gave me an apologetic look, perhaps for not being able to explain things properly in advance. But it seemed like she had sincerely participated.

At this moment, there was only one proper response from me.

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude sincerely.

“I mean it.”

For today, I decided to fully embrace their thoughtfulness. Seeing my genuine reaction, their faces brightened.

Afterward, I sampled each dish they’d prepared, enjoying the moment.

Kang Do-hee’s steak was, as expected, flawless. Senior Ga-eul’s egg tart had a delightful sweetness. Ichika’s sushi was a bit underwhelming, but the freshness of the seafood shone through. Alice’s salad was crisp and refreshing. Se-hee’s pasta tasted just like something from a restaurant.

‘They all worked hard for this.’

I could feel their genuine effort in every part of the day, from the slightly crooked decorations to the scribbled banner. It warmed my heart.

As the evening deepened, something unexpected happened.

“Jin Yuha,” Sophia suddenly addressed me, her voice tinged with nervousness.

“Hm?”

Was she about to bring up the issue with Mu-ah’s post on the café? But wasn’t that supposed to remain a secret?

Curious, I looked at her. Clenching her fists as if summoning courage, she spoke.

“Would you like to watch a movie with us?”

“A movie?”

“Yes, a documentary.”

As she said this, Yoo-ri quietly picked up a remote. The other party members also perked up, as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

“…A documentary?”

“Yes,” Sophia confirmed, and as soon as I nodded, the lights in the party room dimmed.

On one wall, a screen lit up, displaying the title:

〈Utopia – An Ordinary Man〉

The scene opened at Sindorim Station, showing the subway platform.

“…Damn it. That wretched Hye-ji bailed after taking the entry fee, leaving me to deal with everything. Ugh, I’m broke as it is. I need to save as much as possible before heading to the academy. I won’t be able to work as a hunter for a while once I start. I need to hit the jackpot today… Can that guy really pull his weight? He’s a man, though. But he is a cadet, so he should manage. Unless… was he lying about being a cadet?”

The voice of a grumbling woman played over the scene, though the video only showed the station and a turned-off phone.

Then a man’s voice interjected:

“I’m a cadet, you know?”

The camera panned to reveal a man.

Black hair, pale skin, and an awkward expression. It was me—on the day I first met Yoo-ri.

Watching the screen, I froze.

‘…Wait, I don’t remember anyone filming me that day.’