—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The academy was surprisingly peaceful considering the major incident that had occurred.
Well, whether the Chairman apologized or external forces entered the school, it wasn’t a direct problem for the students currently enrolled.
If the incident itself hadn’t been stopped, the atmosphere wouldn’t be this bright. But since a fellow student had stopped it and was even being commended for it, it merely ended up as a slightly exciting event that broke the monotony of their daily lives.
And there were four idiots here basking in the peace achieved through someone else’s efforts.
“Hey guys, did I do something wrong to you? If so, please let me apologize.”
“No? Nothing like that.”
“Yeah, yeah, just relax.”
“As expected of a loser, do you find this burdensome?”
I was surrounded by Lilac, the butt, the crossdresser, and the pink chihuahua, who stood watch at equal distances to my left, right, front, and rear.
At first, I thought it was just a prank, but they had been doing this throughout lunch, and it was now getting beyond annoying, even borderline scary.
The other three seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I looked at the pink chihuahua, the only one who seemed unhappy, and she accurately grasped my intentions and answered,
“I like anyone Lilac likes.”
Yes.
The pink chihuahua was a super Lilac fan who couldn’t be stopped by mere embarrassment.
By the way, this shield was surprisingly effective, even making Cheon Yoo-hak hesitate and back down when he tried to approach me during homeroom.
However, it also had a clear weakness: it couldn’t be maintained unless all four of them had the same class.
“Ah, my afternoon class is over there.”
“Me too.”
As the pink chihuahua and the cross-dresser left, the invincible defense barrier was instantly halved.
I was incredibly relieved to be freed of this before I died of embarrassment, but Lilac seemed a bit disappointed.
“Should we recruit more members?”
Judging by his ridiculous suggestion, I suspected that he was still bothered by the fact that I refused the points since he seemed serious.
Seriously, who would do something like this?
“…And why are you here?”
“Uh, well, I… I just…”
As I looked at the butt, no, Kim Ga-eul, she blushed and flinched.
Seriously, she was still calling me “loser” even after I saved her?
“Hey, So-hyun, I asked her to join us. It would be good for Ga-eul to hang out with us since she’s been having a hard time after that incident.”
Kim Ga-eul looked at Lilac with a touched expression as he covered for her.
“Lilac, people don’t call it ‘hanging out’ when they follow someone around. That’s usually called ‘escorting’ or ‘bullying.’”
“It’s not bullying~ We’re just playing around as friends.”
“Oh, that’s the first excuse all bullies make. You, you little… you were a bully all along?”
I felt like I had become quite close to Lilac since the incident the other day.
At first, it felt a bit awkward to become friends with a character from a novel, but based on my 10 years of web novel reading experience, even if I resisted, saying that it was just a novel, my excuses would eventually crumble.
Then I might as well try to become friends with him from the beginning.
Just friends, though.
“Hey, loser.”
“What?”
“…Do you hate bullies?”
“…Are there even people who like them?”
“Well, I did try to act tough at first, but it was because it was my academy debut. I was just average back in my old school.”
…What was she trying to say?
“Actually, I wasn’t a bully back then, so don’t misunderstand. Okay?”
“Bully specialty: Starting fights and calling people ‘loser.’”
“Hey~ loser…”
“So-hyun, don’t bully Ga-eul. She’s pitiful.”
“Yeah~ no. Loser specialty: Never forgetting even the smallest things.”
The butt, with a tearful face, yelled that I was being mean and ran ahead, but did she even know that we were going to have our next class together?
“…Hurry up, loser.”
It seemed like she remembered it midway and came back after a few steps.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The academy classes went by without much change.
The only difference was that there was a new Basic Monster Studies professor.
The professors desperately avoided the topic of Jin Kyung-tae, but the students persistently asked about him.
Ah, some asked me and Lilac too, but Lilac kept his mouth shut, and I just said he was a crazy bastard.
Thankfully, there weren’t many idiots who were willing to ask the victims.
“Jin Kyung-tae.”
Come to think of it, he seemed to have something to say to me at the end.
All sorts of thoughts came to mind as I sat alone after class.
By the way, I wasn’t intentionally having a moment of contemplation. Instead, I was waiting for someone who had been asking for me for some time.
And that someone was…
“Were you waiting?”
Cheon Yoo-hak, with drinks in hand, approached me. Speak of the devil.
He seemed to have bought them from a nearby café even though he could have just used the vending machine.
“Yeah.”
Well, although I waited a bit, the smooth and sweet green tea latte calmed my nerves.
By the way, Cheon Yoo-hak usually enjoyed espresso or americano, but he drank sweet drinks in front of people he trusted.
“What are you drinking?”
“Caramel macchiato.”
Yeah, I didn’t know that setting. Let’s pretend I didn’t.
“First, I apologize for suddenly calling you when you might have had plans. It’s a bit difficult to approach you inside the academy.”
“I understand.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to him, he just didn’t want to approach ‘that’ escort formation.
It was completely understandable.
Wouldn’t Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak’s relationship become strained like in the original story if Lilac, clueless as ever, suggested they hang out together?
“It’s not really a big deal, but there are a few things I wanted to ask you personally.”
Cheon Yoo-hak.
He was the other protagonist of this novel who was initially Lilac’s rival, but he would gradually fall behind the latter in every aspect as the story progressed.
If Lilac was an apostle of justice, a representative of optimism and humanism, Cheon Yoo-hak was infinitely warm within his own circle, but indifferent to those outside of it, a kind of egoist, or rather, just someone with a clear sense of right and wrong.
For example, like what he did with Kim Ga-eul this time, he hated it when those outside his circle messed with those inside.
I still didn’t fully understand the nature of our relationship.
It wasn’t in the settings book.
I could only guess that since he was the heir of a conglomerate that dominated not only Korea but also the world, and Kang So-hyun was also from a very wealthy family, perhaps they had interacted in the past.
“Are you planning to join Lilac’s team?”
“I told you last time, I’m not.”
“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to dissuade you. If you think it’s the right decision, you can join Lilac’s team.”
But one thing was certain: he saw me as someone within his circle.
“You might find it strange, but I’m quite confident. At least in the first year, you can compete with me and see which side suits you better. I would have said it’s a waste of time for anyone else, but Lilac is at a decent level.”
Ah, and unlike the original story, Lilac was also within his boundary, although not quite inside his inner circle.
-You’re greedy, even with both hands full. You fool. I guarantee that with that pathetic personality of yours, you won’t be able to protect even what you can. You’ll drop everything you’re holding and regret it, you idiot.
Although it was something in the future, it felt quite novel considering Cheon Yoo-hak’s words to Lilac in the original story.
“I’m still not joining.”
“Really? You don’t seem interested in joining my team either.”
“Nope.”
“Haha, that’s not bad either. Anyway, this is the real reason I called you.”
“Really? What is it?”
“How did you recover?”
“What?”
“Your body. I still remember seeing you almost die after depleting all of your Qi before entering the academy.”
This was a bit surprising.
He seemed to know quite a bit about my talent.
“I heard that your doctor told you to never use your talent ever again and that you wouldn’t last long even if you just live your life normally.”
He assumed a stance.
And then his fist flew.
It was a punch so fast that an ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to react, but I managed to dodge it by enhancing my eyesight and reading its trajectory.
“Your current movements, and the way you’re casually using Enhancement again… I can only assume you’ve recovered.”
“You know this is school violence, right?”
“It’s not violence if no one was hit. And the CCTV here is currently under maintenance, so there’s no evidence.”
“I’ll carry a recorder from now on.”
“Why aren’t you already? Considering your value, it would be wise to carry one.”
He shrugged.
“So? Have you recovered?”
“What if I have?”
“My response will depend on whether that recovery will last even if you continue using Enhancement.”
I had suspected he might know about my talent from the way he was acting.
So what he said next was somewhat unexpected.
“I wasn’t planning on letting you use your talent even if you joined my team. But if you’ve found a way to recover, that changes things.”
Seriously, you were planning to have a cripple who couldn’t use his talent on your team? Cheon Yoo-hak, you?
“Our team will be complete if you join. Think about it carefully.”
“Okay.”
I would think about it carefully and then refuse.
“…I heard you contributed to the recent incident. I’m glad you seem to have overcome it.”
“What?”
“No, I shouldn’t have said that.”
Why not? It seemed incredibly useful. Yoo-hak, couldn’t we continue this conversation?
“I’ll be going now. Ah, I bought the drinks, so you don’t have to pay me back.”
I wasn’t planning to anyway. Let’s continue our conversation!
But it seemed like he didn’t want to delve deeper into the topic, so I couldn’t bring it up easily.
As I watched Cheon Yoo-hak walk away, the green tea latte I drank with a frustrated feeling had become quite bland, the ice having completely melted.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Cathy was soaking in her bathtub at home, lost in thought.
-Cathy noona.
“Sigh…”
She knew she shouldn’t favor a student as a professor, but after experiencing several incidents together, she felt close to him, and his actions were so impressive that she often thought of him when she was alone, like now.
She initially just felt pity for him because of his weak constitution, but she hadn’t expected to be this concerned for him.
A boy with a frail body, even though he was healthier than when they first met.
Kang So-hyun.
He had shown her that even with such a weak body, he could do things even adults struggled with.
A child with no practical experience standing up to a villain, and despite having a way to recover, a boy who had lived his life in pain, using his talent even while hurting himself.
He might lack experience, but he was already a great hero.
But that was precisely why she was worried.
She was always anxious as she watched him, wondering if he was pushing himself too hard, like her brother.
There was no point in saving people from villains while vomiting blood if he was seriously injured himself.
Of course, he said he understood and that he would take care of himself, but that kind of anxiety didn’t disappear easily.
It would be good if there was a way for him to relieve his stress.
As she got out of the bathtub and dried herself, she noticed a message on her smartphone and tilted her head.
“It’s from So-hyun?”
[Professor, hello. I was wondering if you could spare me some time tomorrow.]
Two thoughts came to her mind when she saw the message.
First was, ‘Ah, he’s not calling me “noona” anymore,’ and second was…
“What should I wear tomorrow?”
She started worrying about her clothes, forgetting to even ask about his reason for contacting her.
It was a secret, but she had always wanted to go shopping with her brother over the weekend.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“I sent the message, but it’s Saturday tomorrow. I wonder if she’s busy…”
As I muttered to myself, Kang Ha-ni suddenly peeked down from the top bunk.
“Huh? Who?”
“Professor Cathy.”
“Hey, honestly, isn’t it too much for a student to cling to a professor even on weekends? Professor Cathy is really popular, so she probably doesn’t like that.”
“Ah, is that so? I should apologize.”
After I sent a message apologizing and saying it was inconsiderate, she called almost immediately.
“…Professor?”
[It’s not inconsiderate, So-hyun.]
“What…?”
[It’s not inconsiderate, so don’t worry.]
“But still…”
[Then I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Wait for me at the dormitory.]
The professor said that in an almost declarative tone and hung up.
What did she just say?
Noona? Picking me up? At the dormitory?
“Who was that?”
“Hey, I think I messed up.”
“What are you talking about?”
If I went through with this tomorrow, ridiculous rumors would definitely spread around the dormitory.
Following the “young master who cruelly orders his butler around” story, if a story about me going out on a weekend date with a beautiful female professor (26-year-old virgin) circulated, my academy life would become very interesting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
T/N – Why do I feel like one of the main reasons Yoo-hak became so jaded in the original story was due to So-hyun’s death? From the fact that he actually knew of the latter’s talent and its drawback, they seem to be quite close before entering the academy. Also, a date with a beautiful professor in the next chapter!
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
