Jihyo honestly didn't think that both Yoo sisters would fall for Mina, heck she didn't even think that she would but clearly the lingering ache in her chest told her otherwise. It wasn't that she believed that they weren't worthy of someone like Mina, they were great people, but even then Jihyo couldn't help but wish that it her in their position, just one more time, hugs and gummy smiles, all ready at their disposal.

        Jihyo was the first to know the new kid transferring to their prestigious school in year three. She was the one who helped her through period cramps because she only had a father, sparring injuries, and break ups.

       When Mina awakened her first element she was the first to congratulate her on the strength of her water prowess and the last to leave her side when it came to her examination. She led Mina through the nine star formation, then star dust evolution,  then read books on star cloud formation, before finally advancing to pre-mature galaxies.

       They were inseperable.

       Until came the Yoo family. The Yoo family moved in from Ahn city, named after Ahn Hyejin who fought 300 commander-level beasts at once during the seventh attack on the Amber dynasty. While the Ahn family had died out the Yoo family had prospered, gaining several million quin properties and forming strong relationships with high-end blacksmiths and soul essence hunters.

        Thus came a small branch of the large family containing the two very unfunny sisters to the Hirai Institute where the prodigies of the decade resided and trained. 

       At first glance one could not tell another what was so special about the Yoo sisters, rich, yes, but other than that they had no special traits that made them stand out from the rest of the crowd.

       It wasn't until their first battle with the Aldini brothers that the campus truly understood the true extent of their power. Chaeyoung possessed a very high control of her wind element and Jeongyeon's 5th tier fire magic made her stand out from the 4th tier mages in her classes. Add on to the fact that Chaeyong also possessed a natural second element for earth was even more astounding for such awakenings were rare and priveliged, the Hirai Institute indeed lived up to her reputation. 

       As they ran their way through the line of students waiting to have a chance at the two, Mina and Jihyo were among the last to take a stand. Mina didn't seem competitive, instead looking curiously at the pair on front of them as the advisor shot a burst of flame into the air.

       Immediately Jihyo raised a circle of rock, which was then almost effortlessy demolished by Chaeyoung as she burst her way through the hole. She grinned as she sped up in front of her, a smirk telling Jihyo that this was going to be an easy fight for her and that the real competition laid in Mina's hand. Jihyo wouldn't be surprised, she wasn't a favorite among any student, often called a variety of nicknames telling her just how useless she was against any other student and that her 10th ranking in the school was bought and bribed by her family. 

       They didn't know that they were long gone, just like Im Nayeon, dead in the ruins of Jung city, a heavily scarred Wheein found impaled on a large stake in the middle of the smoking city, her daughter, Jihyo's best friend, burnt to a crisp, raw pink hand clutching a small pendent with the letters N&J engraved neatly on one side.

       The rest of the Jung family gone, along with half of the reknown Kim family, the dead monarch's wife Yongsun found starved in a forest nearby, rotting in her conscience. The hunters put her out of her misery at the request of Kim Dahyun who would now leave the reins of the broken heirarchy in her sister's hands to finish her studies.

       Instead of surrenduring like she usually would have done in the strategy she and Mina had created specifically for them, she blocks all of Chaeyoungs attacks in quick succesion before dealing heavy blow after heavy blow onto the shorter girl confident in Chaeyoung's ability to protect herself.

       It's merely a distraction, if Jihyo wanted to she could end this midget's life then and there but she's not that cruel and instead deals with throwing basic level attacks at her instead, each strike dealing more damage than an intermediate level attack would have.

       Mina then swiftly layers Cheyoung with a dome of water before flinging her gently across the stadium to a trapped Jeongyeon who has already admitted defeat. Jihyo wants to celebrate but instead of their usual cheer Mina is rushing out to the other two, asking if their ok and that she was sorry for ending their streak in such manner. They merely answer with "You were amazing, you really worked hard, it's a wonder that the other girl is still in this school with a level like that" 

      Jihyo doesn't tell them that she can control three elements at will each at high-tier, that if she tried her best it would be against flanks of beasts and not her fellow students.

       Mina separates herself from Jihyo, after the Yoo's sisters defeat, avoiding her in classes, ignoring her in the dorms, instead choosing to go on "dates" with Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung. Jihyo could only stand by and watch her fade away from her grasp. So she delves deeper into her star studies, making her galaxies even more complex, her cultivation aided by her trusty spirit-grade level pendent, evolved after the collection of several beasts soul essence.

       Her role models Yuju and Wendy, who had reached space before their sixth year kept her motivated. She pushes on through star maps and almost breaches level 3 constellations before deciding that it would be better if she did it somewhere that could provide her with enough power to do so. Instead she works on improving her chi, a stable componet in her ability to perform in the upcoming competition.

       Jihyo works herself to the bone and then past it attending hunter guilds and council work under the guise of Jisoo. Her dormmate Tzuyu doesn't say anything but give her one of the many armoured pieces the Moon family could attain and make.

       A thought passes by on one of her early morning runs that only Mina would have known who was the famous vigilante was had she not been so infatuated with Chaeyoung these days. And Nayeon. Jihyo scoffs at her own jealousy in disgust "who knew I would have been so... " she cuts herself off not wanting to delve even deeper towards her taboo feelings as she runs towards the next emergency call. 

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       Jihyo looked at her stained uniform, blood starting to dry on the torn white fabric in rusty columns, underneath her fingernails. After a few hundren matches she was nound to get a few injuries although none were as serious as the ones she had inflicted gently on the others. Looking for Sana and Momo she waved over the two japanese beauties as they had each just finished their own matches in the competition.

       The competition only allowed ten spots for the students to compete for a prize of up to 10,000 quin and were guaranteed entrance into the Holy Levels, and the trio planned to each get into the top 3. Sana was in other words a very affectionate, bubbly girl, who with Momo was severly underestimated due to their supposed airheadness.

       Jihyo did agree that Momo was slow sometimes usually on the most hilarious things but it didn't affect her ability to watch the field and attack without a moments notice, in fact she definitley was one of the better street fighters in their years. 

       She had watched them finish after she quickly demolished the student population that had dared challenge her. Once she began to fully showcase her abilities the students were perhaps even more motivated to try and defeat the new prodiy of the generation. Even the dean, JYP, could not hold back a compliment towards her improvement, and she even earned a few admirers - Somi, Chaeryoung, and Yeri, three very enthusiastic first years who were ready to take on the world.

       Jessi one of the sixth year lightning mages had only laughed at their eagerness, IU a water mage professor, didn't mention the three other professors who had sacrificed their lives for the good of the school, Chungha another sixth year earth mage just shook her head at the new onslaught of students who would eventually dwindle to a couple hundred as the years went by.

       She was shocked out by a chorus "Jihyo-yah!" before she was pinned down by the onslaught of kisses and snuggles given by two very sturdy, sweaty and disgusting bodies. 

       "pfghjdk" was the only reply they got from a very repulsed Jihyo, a very familiar feeling once again warming her heart.

       A sigh was the only reply from a far away Mina as she slowly made her way toward the two sisters who she was sure had captured her heart. 

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       Who may just have been the right distraction from the truth. That maybe, ju~st maybe, .......she could still love Jihyo.