My Childhood Friend’s Stock Will Never Fail Chapter 25

“Hey! What is this?! There’s dust floating in the water!”

 

11:47 p.m. It should have been the time when everyone was getting ready for bed, yet an irritated yell echoed through the dorm room.

 

As if that weren’t enough, the tiny creature even kicked over its water bowl with its little feet.

 

“Oh my, Ppiyakie’s water bowl tipped over.”

“…I’ll clean it up.”

 

Damn it. Why does it have such a rotten personality?

 

Silently repeating patience, patience to herself, Yoohee wiped up the spilled water with tissues before filling Ppiyaki’s bowl with fresh water.

 

The chick’s black eyes gleamed as it eagerly slurped the water with its pink wings fluttering.

 

“It’s a bit too cold. Humans. Make it warmer next time.”

 

It was unbelievably picky. At this point, raising it felt less like taking care of a chick and more like trying to keep an overly delicate sunfish alive.

 

“But Ppiyaki really is growing so fast. At this rate, won’t it become an actual chicken before long?”

“Maybe?”

 

Yoohee looked down at Ppiyaki as it pecked at the water with its yellow beak.

 

It definitely had more fluff and was larger than when it had first hatched from the egg. Then again, it ate so much that it wasn’t surprising.

 

“Come to think of it, it’s already been six days.”

 

It had already been six days since she had started her life as Ppiyaki’s caretaker.

 

If it had hatched on schedule, tomorrow would have been the day it was originally supposed to be born.

 

‘If it’d hatched on time, would it have had a better personality?’

 

According to the status window, Ppiyaki was so irritable because it had awakened before its scheduled hatching date.

 

Well, it wasn’t like anything could be changed now.

 

“You’re going to bed, right? I’ll turn off the lights.”

“Yeah. Good night. Good night to you too, Ppiyaki.”

 

Jinhee wished even Ppiyaki a good night before climbing into bed.

 

Whether it understood the greeting or not, the little chick, which had been wandering around on the floor, toddled back into the special little house they had made from a cardboard box.

 

It had been another long, exhausting day.

 

Yoohee clicked off the light and lowered her weary body onto the bed.

 

Just as the fatigue of the day washed over her and she felt herself about to drift off, the familiar voice of the status window suddenly rang beside her ear.

 

[Congratulations! The Twenty-Ninth Possessor’s ‘Pink Ppiyaki (S-Rank)’ has entered its stable growth phase!]

 

The moment she opened her eyes, the status window glowed fluorescently in the darkness, bright enough to read.

 

This is all well and good, but did it really have to wake me up while I’m sleeping?

 

The status window had interrupted her sleep, which annoyed her a little.

 

But that feeling disappeared the moment she read the next message.

 

[‘Pink Ppiyaki (S-Rank)’s default skills have been unlocked.]
[Skills: Mount Transformation (Flight Attribute), Vermilion Bird’s Roar (Dark Attribute Inflicts the Confusion status on opponents when activated), Blessing of the Heavens (Holy Attribute Doubles allied defense for five minutes when activated), Overwhelming Dominion (Dark Attribute Greatly reduces the Attack and Defense of avian-type Creatures)]

[Passive: Accessory Form (Can normally be worn as a ring), Vermilion Bird’s Loyalty (Detects danger while in accessory form)]

 

A long list of skills appeared one after another.

 

They were all support-type abilities, but every single one looked incredibly useful.

 

‘It really is S-Rank.’

 

Only now did it truly sink in that Ppiyaki was an S-Rank pet.

 

Suddenly, the six days she had spent taking care of it didn’t feel like a waste at all.

 

“…Ppiyaki, are you asleep?”

 

She quietly asked the darkness.

 

There was no answer at first—only Jinhee’s steady breathing after she’d already fallen asleep.

 

Then, a haughty little voice finally replied.

 

“If you’ve washed your feet, then go to sleep already, human.”

 

So what if its personality was a little awful?

 

She could just spoil it rotten.

 

“I love you, Ppiyaki.”

“I’ll sew that mouth of yours shut.”

 

***

 

The day of the Hell Race had arrived.

 

All of the students taking the exam headed toward a wooded mountain a short distance away from the academy.

 

Since both first- and second-year students would be participating together, transporting everyone was a major undertaking.

 

As the charter bus rattled its way up the mountain road, Yoohee tightly clasped the ring on the middle finger of her left hand with her other hand.

 

The spirit of my dark dragon—no, Ppiyaki—is with me.

 

“Nervous, junior?”

 

Choi Aram, sitting to Yoohee’s right, asked kindly.

 

It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t nervous at all.

 

Still, ever since wearing the Ppiyaki ring, she had felt far more at ease.

 

“I’m okay.”

“As expected of you, Junior. You’ve got guts.”

 

Kim Nayoon, sitting on her left, smiled warmly.

 

Returning the smile with a small one of her own, Yoohee steeled her resolve.

 

‘Finishing the race? I’ll just have to do it.’

 

Objectively speaking, her team was fairly strong.

 

Living up to her title as the legendary S-Rank Guide, Choi Aram had partnered with a highly capable A-Rank Esper.

 

He was no Seohyunho, but a fire-attribute A-Rank Esper was still rare enough that even prestigious guilds would eagerly recruit someone like him.

 

Kim Nayoon had teamed up with a B-Rank Esper whose compatibility with her was exceptionally high.

 

He was said to be a gifted prodigy who knew how to bring out his innate magical power to its fullest.

 

And then there was Yoohee’s own partner, Jooyoung.

 

As long as she supported him well from the rear, surely he could at least pull his own weight.

 

As for Jo Sooyoung, unfortunately, because each team was limited to six members, she had ended up being assigned to a different group.

 

Translation (maintaining the original paragraph breaks and pacing):

 

***

 

“We’ve arrived!”

 

The bus driver brought the vehicle to a stop and called out loudly.

 

Now the real test is about to begin.

 

***

 

Yoohee’s team had been assigned to the eastern pine forest route.

 

The objective was simple: collect every red ribbon scattered along the route and reach the destination within three hours to be considered a finisher.

 

However, failing to collect every ribbon or arriving after the time limit meant failing the course.

 

Likewise, if anyone requested rescue after being unable to withstand a dangerous encounter with Creatures along the way, the run would not count as a successful completion.

 

“Listen up, everyone. Your number one priority is protecting our junior. Got it?”

 

Standing proudly before the starting line, Choi Aram gathered the team together and addressed them confidently.

 

It was reassuring… but I need to finish the course.

 

“Thank you for letting me be on your team. I’ll be fine, so let’s all do our best to complete the race!”

 

Yoohee looked each of her teammates in the eye as she spoke.

 

Choi Aram and Kim Nayoon still looked somewhat concerned, but they eventually nodded.

 

“All right. Then our joint top priority is protecting our junior and finishing the course.”

 

“Oh… thank you.”

 

But don’t tell me the effect of that candy lasts forever?

 

When she’d tried to put the remaining candies into a locked container the previous day, only the wrappers had been left behind.

 

The status window had later explained that all the candies had disappeared because they had passed their expiration date.

 

Since they weren’t easy to obtain and could only be used for a short time, perhaps that simply meant their effects lasted much longer than expected.

 

“All right, everyone ready?”

 

As the group nodded in unison, Gong Taehyun, the A-Rank Esper, took the lead and started forward.

 

[Constellation ‘Dark Mage’ is looking forward to your performance.]

[Constellation ‘SSS-Rank F2P Player’ says they hope for an exciting battle.]

 

As they stepped onto a path where even the rustling of grass in the wind felt unnervingly sharp, the battle-loving Constellations began reacting.

 

The realization that the Hell Race had truly begun finally sank in, and Yoohee swallowed nervously.

 

Beside her, Jooyoung glanced her way.

 

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll protect you.”

 

Jooyoung made the promise with complete sincerity.

 

Yoohee simply smiled quietly.

 

I’d rather trust the Ppiyaki in my hand.

 

Back during dodgeball, he’d promised to protect her too, only to dodge the ball himself the moment it came flying.

 

She’d be better off looking after herself.

 

As they continued walking, they spotted a sign by the roadside reading:

 

Ribbon Collection Area

 

“Everyone, stay alert. There are probably Creatures nearby.”

 

Choi Junghoon, the B-Rank Esper walking ahead of Yoohee, adjusted his glasses as he warned the group.

 

Almost the instant he finished speaking, the Ppiyaki ring on Yoohee’s finger began to vibrate.

 

It was responding through one of its passive abilities—Vermilion Bird’s Loyalty—warning her that danger was approaching.

Grrr…

 

Moments later, several pairs of crimson eyes glowed from within the forest before their owners emerged.

 

Gray wolf-like Creatures.

 

She had seen ones like them once before in the library.

 

The difference was that those had been specially manufactured fakes.

 

These…

 

…were the real thing.

 

…

 

Sweat instinctively gathered in her palms.

 

This was the first time she had faced genuine Creatures since her previous life.

 

“Looks like the leader is carrying the ribbon.”

 

Just as Gong Taehyun said, among the Creatures emerging from the underbrush, the largest wolf had a bright red ribbon tied around its neck.

 

Seriously… you’ve got to be kidding me.