Chapter 4 – No, It’s a Misunderstanding 

Shin Sihwa, the teacher at the academy, inquired me with a curious look.

“What made you enroll in this school?”

Unlike her soft voice, there was a serious note to her tone.

Why would you want to enter the Hero Academy with that wreck of a body?

Is what she looked like she actually wanted to say.

As Sihwa observed me dubiously, I was rotting away on the inside.

I don’t even know why I’m here either. How should I know?

In plain terms, it’s safe to say I’m currently kidnapped. 

I’d been idly staying at home when the game abducted me into it. Then as soon as I woke up, my childhood friend captured me and brought me to school.

Everything right now was absurd to me.

Should I go ahead and be honest?

I don’t know why I enrolled in this school. I just followed my childhood friend and came here.

No, that’s out of the question.

Even if my admission was guaranteed, there was no reason for me to present myself poorly in front of a teacher at the academy. If she, by chance, harbored bad feelings towards me, and that affected the outcome of my results, it could lead to my “expulsion.”

There was no other place in the world that was as safe as the academy. I would have to be crazy to walk out of here of my own accord.

I will gather the hidden pieces from the common episodes, build up my strength so as to not flunk out, that way I can stay and survive here as long as possible.

It was only natural I should maintain my image and not get expelled from school, being branded as a troublemaker.

It was obvious what I needed to do.

I put on my most vulnerable look and spoke up.

“I want to show, too…“

“…What do you mean?“

Although I spoke without confidence, I made myself sound as though I had a reason for the enrollment.

I observed Sihwa’s reaction. 

A student whose body was frail had entered the Hero Academy.

What does he want to show when he is considerably weak compared to the other students?

Is probably what she’s questioning in her head.

The corners of her lip rose, indicating her slight expectation.

It pretty much succeeded.

This was the image I was going for.

An aspiring hero who had been discriminated against due to his lack of strength.

A hopeful student who wanted to be a hero with his feeble body.

A situation no different from a little chipmunk attempting to block off an armed robber.

I wanted to leave a good impression on my evaluation sheet.

The teacher’s first impression of a student came from the interviewer’s notes.

Would someone like me who lives off of appearances miss this opportunity?

There’s no way I could let go of a chance like this to gain the teacher’s favor.

I continued with my head lowered.

“That even a weak person like me can make it…”

“Weak, you say…?“

Ah.

Sihwa looked at my sheet again and exclaimed.

A body that was naturally devoid of mana. 

An extremely frail body.

And the fact that such a student applied and got into the Hero Academy.

“…You must have had a difficult time.”

Of course, I went through a lot to survive.

Sihwa looked at me with pity.

This was the moment.

I raised my head to appeal to her sympathetic side and met her gaze.

“Yes, even with a body like this, I’ll work hard to become a hero…”

“It must be hard… For you to live your life while hiding it. That powerful strength of yours.”

…Come again?

I faltered a bit when I heard her saying something strange.

Shouldn’t you be listening to me right now about my past?

She had interrupted me and looked at me with sympathy, but not in the way I intended.

“Ms. Shin, that’s not it…”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to explain. I understand everything.”

Just what in the world do you understand?

I was frustrated at Sihwa who was not listening to me and blabbering on by herself.

“I think you might be misunderstanding some…”

”Your time’s up! The next person in line, please come in!”

No, wait a second. I’m telling you this is a misunderstanding?!

Although it was true that I was hiding my inherent ability, it was certainly not a powerful strength. However, I didn’t have the time to correct the thoroughly mistaken interview.

“Wait, there’s something I have to tell you…”

“I wish you the best of luck, Student. I pray for your success. Hwaiting!”

Due to the guide who said, “This way,” before pulling me out of the room, I had left the room without clearing things with her.

And this unclarified incident ripped apart the future I had drawn up for myself.

***

After finishing the interviews with all of the students, Sihwa sat down and read through the classified documents.

“This kid was decent too. Their eyes were full of determination.”

These were papers of the students who had left a deep impression.

Sihwa had separated the ones with high status and good test results.

She chanted to herself.

“This year’s students may just be our best yet.“

There were 1,000 students entering the Hero Academy. However, the graduation rate was 30%. In other words, 700 students would either pack up their things and go, or leave with their belongings getting buried in the campus grounds.

Nevertheless, there were various reasons as to why Sihwa had made that statement.

The younger brother of a current S-Rank hero.

The gem of the Hero Association.

A female student exhibiting astonishing potential.

There were individuals who had great test results.

Shin Sihwa had been going through the documents when she stopped, coming across a male student’s form sheet.

“…Han Sijoon.”

Who on earth was this student?

Although she had been a teacher at the academy for many years, this was her first time seeing such a numerical figure.

The stamina of an elderly person, a numerical value of 2.

A male student who suffered from a heart disease due to the inherent lack of a magical core.

He didn’t look impressionable at first glance either. It was a miracle that Han Sijoon had even gotten into the school.

However, for some reason, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

[Inherent Ability]

ㅡThis student’s inherent ability is confidential.

Normally, students recorded all of their inherent abilities which allowed the teachers to evaluate them.

Han Sijoon’s case was unlike other students’ as there was a Hero Association’s certification seal stamped on where it stated his ability was confidential.

“How powerful is his strength that he was able to pass despite such low stats?”

This was the “Hero Academy,” where only one’s skills were evaluated.

No matter how low his stats may be, there was definitely a reason as to why he was able to get in.

His determination.

The confidential paper.

Sihwa had gone and jumped to her own conclusion that Han Sijoon had a strong inherent ability as opposed to his stats.

She whispered while looking at Sijoon’s paper.

“I’m looking forward to the future. We’ll be spending plenty of time together after all.”

Huhu.

She gently smiled, not realizing she had come to a misunderstanding.

***

The interview had left me with an uncomfortable feeling.

After the entrance ceremony at the auditorium, we walked toward our assigned classroom.

“…Haa.”

“What’s wrong?”

A lot of things.

An indelible unpleasantness.

Even after the interview, that feeling lingered.

How did the teacher, Sihwa, see me?

She probably wrote good things, right?

I’d be screwed if she didn’t.

The teacher’s evaluation was the most important thing for someone like me, who lived off appearances.

“That’s the guy from this morning…”

“The guy from the train was a freshman?”

Here I thought their interest would have died down by now.

Already rumors about two students, a weak-looking male and a black-haired beauty, had spread to the other students’ ears.

I only have my childhood friend and teacher left. Don’t I?

We ignored the whispers and made our way to our assigned classroom.

Click. Clack.

Our shoes tapped against the floor.

We arrived at our classroom door, which read 1-A.

It could be opened with a push.

I began to ponder for a bit as I stood in front of it.

I was in the same class as her again.

From my memories, luck or not, we were in the same class for almost all our years in school. Our seats were always next to each other and we even drew the same time slot for cleaning duty.

Forget about her being my childhood friend, we might as well be the same body and soul.

Well, this must be fate.

There’s nothing to do about it anyway.

I opened the classroom door and entered a new environment.

“…”

It sure was dreary. The students were just sitting silently in their seats in the classroom.

Didn’t they know each other?

It was a reasonable question.

“The seat at the back beside the window?“

“Why ask, obviously.”

My favorite seat was the seat at the back, which had a full view of the classroom. Sitting next to a window was good for me too because the wind vitalized my weak heart.

I had chosen the seat due to my own circumstances.

And just like that, I was sitting by the window while Hayeon sat next to me, our same seating arrangement as before.

“Aren’t you tired of it? Sitting in the same place, every time, following the same pattern?”

“…The thought never occurred to me. What, are you tired of seeing me every day?” Hayeon asked with a grin on her face. 

I also playfully jabbed back, “If I say yes, you’ll sulk again.”

“W-Who’ll sulk…?! I’m not that small-minded?”

Well your mind wasn’t the only thing that was small.

Like, your chest.

I wasn’t wrong.

Hayeon propped her chin on the desk and said to me with a mischievous smile.

“There’s always something new when I’m with you…”

“…Don’t act coy with me.”

Keke.

We smiled at each other like we usually do.

Well, yeah. Wasn’t it nice to have a childhood friend?

A childhood friend who I could playfully converse and have a comfortable relationship with.

We kept chatting until the teacher came.

Just like old times.