At first, it was mere curiosity.
"Meatbun-hyung! Fancy seeing you here again!" Ya Suhyeok greeted, striding over welcomingly.
"Can I touch your forearm too?"
"......" Number Four stared blankly at the huge boy.
Seated on Ya Suhyeok's shoulder, Silver Tiger glared at him, its fur bristling with unease. Behind the boy, his old instructor's other students approached curiously.
"What brings you to the Azure Dragon Academy?" Ya Suhyeok asked. "Don't tell me... were you our Senior?"
Number Four paused briefly at the word 'Senior' before shaking his head.
"No? Then why are you..." Ya Suhyeok scratched his head quizzically, but broke into a broad grin upon spotting the cloth bundle in Number Four's arms. "I got it! You're here to deliver meatbuns!"
"...?"
Having spent his life rubbing shoulders with the rugged men of the Viridian Forest, Ya Suhyeok easily struck up conversations with strangers. Furthermore, although he didn't realize it himself, martial artists who trained in the same martial arts instinctively felt a sense of kinship. This was largely why seniors and juniors of the same sect often formed bonds stronger than blood ties.
SWISH!
Number Four took a meatbun out of the cloth bundle and held it out to Ya Suhyeok.
Ya Suhyeok's eyes widened. "Is this for me? But is it okay to keep giving away your delivery?"
"Oh, and have dinner with us before you go."
"......"
Contrary to his words, Ya Suhyeok snatched the meatbun Number Four offered and scarfed it down while Silver Tiger sighed in disapproval and eyed him contemptuously.
"Anyway, Meatbun-hyung, I didn't get to thank you properly last time... Huh? Are you giving me all of this?" Ya Suhyeok accepted the cloth bundle that Number Four held out to him. He stared at Number Four, bewildered. "Is this for us to eat?"
"Ya Suhyeok , you punk! You didn't threaten him into giving you that, did you?" Geo Sangwoong asked suspiciously.
"Let's just leave them be and eat meatbuns."
Ya Suhyeok spun around and protested indignantly, "No, Senior, what kind of trash do you take me for? He's the Meatbun-hyung I met last time!"
"Meatbun-hyung?"
Looking as if he had much to say, he waved his front paws and gestured diligently.
The Five Young Azure Dragons and Number Four exchanged glances.
Ya Suhyeok stood next to Number Four and introduced the Five Young Azure Dragons one by one. "The bear-like hulk is Geo Sangwoong. The guy with the nasty mug is Hyonwon Kang. The white-haired girl is Yeo Min, and the chestnut-sized kid is Wiji Cheon."
""Why you little...?""
The seniors immediately swarmed in and whacked Ya Suhyeok on the head, while the short Wiji Cheon pinched his side with all his might. Silver Tiger took the opportunity to smack his pathetic human's back repeatedly.
"Ugh! Why are you hitting me? Did I say anything wrong?!"
"......" Number Four watched the violent display expressionlessly.
This was his first time seeing his old instructor's students up close and personal. He could tell that they all had excellent bone structure and outstanding martial talent. Just by looking at the shape of their muscles and their subtle movements, he could estimate their skill level.
After a moment of contemplation, he nodded.
I would know more precisely if we clashed directly, but...
"Um, by the way, are you mute?" Yeo Min, the keenest of the Five Young Azure Dragons, asked.
Number Four nodded.
"Nyaah!" Silver Tiger scampered over and climbed onto his shoulder.
"Really? No wonder you're always so quiet..." Ya Suhyeok mumbled nonchalantly, scratching the back of his head.
Number Four had never received such a reaction before either. Usually, when people found out that he couldn't speak, they'd become flustered or look uncomfortable for no reason. Therfore, a reaction like Ya Suhyeok's, who accepted him as he was, was unfamiliar.
"I just thought you were a super stoic hyung."
"......" Number Four didn't bother taking out his writing pad for conversation. Not only would it be cumbersome, but quite a few eyes were also on them. Although he had the Azure Dragon Emblem given to him by the old instructor in his chest pocket, attracting attention wasn't ideal.
Number Four nodded and turned away promptly. There were too many meatbuns for him to eat alone anyway, and he didn't like wasting food.
"Wait a second!"
GRAB!
Ya Suhyeok quickly reached out and grabbed Number Four's arm. As soon as he made contact, his eyes immediately widened in surprise. "Wow, what's with your body?"
Excitement spread across his face. As an external arts specialist, he could tell that Number Four's body was far more tempered than it looked.
"Are you for real, hyung?" he asked. "How on earth did you build a body like this?"
"......" Number Four slowly turned back around. He hadn't dodged, even though he knew Ya Suhyeok was reaching toward him. He was confident he wouldn't be hurt, even if attacked, and it didn't matter if Ya Suhyeok had an ulterior motive. Rather, the moment the boy grabbed his arm, he was able to assess his grip strength and level of his external arts much more accurately.
Ya Suhyeok pouted. "Well, it feels wrong to just let you go after getting free food twice..."
Number Four guessed what would happen next. Ya Suhyeok surely thought he was suspicious. Anyone would be wary of meeting an extremely well-trained stranger by chance.
Is he going to pick a fight with me? Or will he call my old instructor for help? The martial artists at the Azure Dragon Academy might gang up on me. Worst case, this could all be a scheme plotted by that man.
"......"
Perhaps even the Azure Dragon Emblem he gave me was bait to make me lower my guard.
Number Four clenched his fists tightly, but he concealed his panic behind a mask of indifference. Preparing for the worst-case scenario, his eyes deepened.
Even if this is a trap, I won't go down easily. First, this guy in front of me...
"Meatbun-hyung, do you happen to like cuju?" Ya Suhyeok asked, grinning.
"...?"
"There are an odd number of us, so we can't play properly among ourselves. It's also not easy finding a player on our level."
"......"
"We usually play without using inner arts as a warm-up before starting our training in earnest. Hyung, it seems you've trained in external arts quite a bit. How about joining us?"
"......"
"......" Number Four stood blankly, blinking his eyes as he failed to properly understand.
Ya Suhyeok glanced at his friends. "What do you think, Seniors? This hyung's body is no joke. If we split into two teams of three, the numbers will be perfectly balanced."
Number Four expected the Five Young Azure Dragons to object, but even their reactions were positive.
"Well, I don't really mind."