Chapter 44 – Is Something Wrong With You?

After not attending school for a long time, my classes went by much more smoothly than I expected.

Period 1: Hands-on Combat Training.

Period 2: Introduction to Monsters.

Period 3: Insight into a Hero’s Mindset.

Period 4: Fundamentals on How to Respond to Villains.

The academy designed the curriculum for the purpose of fostering heroes.

I had already come across the materials pertaining to this knowledge many times while playing V. AGE, so I could catch up easily even though I was behind. However, when it came to hands-on subjects like combat, it was fairly difficult for me.

Kang Suho, the instructor of the hands-on combat class, drilled the intense training into me using the excuse that I was late.

“Han Sijoon. You’ve gotten faster, but your technique is weak.”

He did praise the improvement in my abilities, but because I didn’t have the skill, I didn’t do much damage to Kang Suho.

The former A-Rank hero, Kang Suho said that aside from Yoo Hayeon and Na Yoona, none of the students could even inflict a wound on him, so it was natural for me to do no damage.

Regarding the theories behind Introduction to Monsters, I had no issues learning them using my V. AGE knowledge from the past. Even with my three week break, there was no section in the textbook that I did not know.

Naturally, seeing the animal illustration made Hana focus on the textbook, but it didn’t look like she was studying at all.

During the third period, we were being taught about the hero’s mindset.

This was the content which was the most helpful to the villain, Ban Hana.

“What is a hero, everyone? Is someone who helps others a hero? Or is someone who slays monsters a hero?”

In V. AGE, there were a fair amount of people who took up hero work.

There were crime prevention activities when villains appeared, heroes would be dispatched to restrain the villains before the citizens got hurt.

There were rescue activities when the gates opened and monsters emerged, they would clear those gates to close it.

There were also activities they handled with their own abilities when incidents occurred.

How heroes acted, the remuneration package they received, the public’s perception of them…

It was a class to teach students what work heroes did, and what kind of existences they were.

It was quite a profound lesson for not just me and Hana, but the other students as well.

They would learn the foundation of those heroes as they spent their life in the hero academy.

When the fourth period ended, and lunchtime began, Hayeon, Hana, and I walked towards the school restaurant.

Hana hugged onto my arm as she said, “The academy’s fun! It looks like I have a talent for being a student!”

“If you find it fun, that’s a relief…”

Hana had been sitting in the seat in front of me. In other words, she was in my clear line of sight.

Whenever the lesson on theory came, whether she was being considerate or not, Hana put her head down on the desk.

Sometimes, I heard the sound of her breathing and talking in her sleep.

I didn’t know if Shin Sihwa told them anything, but even when the teachers caught Hana like that, they didn’t address it at all. 

…Maybe I should’ve told her to start from elementary school.

Hana only got excited during the training sessions where we were active.

Displeased with Hana’s behavior, Hayeon pulled apart Hana’s arm which was linked around mine.

”Ahh..!”

Hana yelped in pain as Hayeon shoved her own body into that empty space Hana left behind and started to defend her position rigorously like a wall.

“Wha… What the?! Move! Sijoon’s arm is mine!”

“…Sijoon is mine. He’s not someone you can lay hands on as you please. Don’t follow us.”

“But my body belongs to me, girls…?”

Did they not even hear me…?

Hayeon spoke to Hana in an icy tone.

Feeling scared of her aura, Hana flinched.

It seemed she judged that she could not penetrate Hayeon’s robust wall, Hana gave up, turned around, and grabbed my other arm.

“You… You… Let go of his arm…?!”

“Why should I?l Don’t wanna! Hehe…!”

Just why are they fighting?

Feeling wronged, Hayeon pulled on my arm as she asked me with her eyes, “Can I tell her we’re dating?”

That can never happen… I’ll die…

If Hayeon and Hana sensed an oddity and had an honest conversation with each other, I’d probably end up half-dead.

One of the two would reduce me to that state.

It was practically a conviction.

As I received the gazes of the students who recognized me, I arrived at the restaurant escorted by the two bickering girls.

This place hasn’t changed.

Since it was lunchtime, the place was packed with students.

As someone considered to be popular in society, I received a lot of attention from students.

It’s a bit uncomfortable.

Hayeon had sealed the Class 1-A students’ mouths so I didn’t feel too uncomfortable. But this place was a space where students from all years gathered and ate.

She would not be able to muzzle the other years or classes.

“Well, there are often days like these. Let’s just eat rice.”

I said nonchalantly as I headed to the kiosk.

I even heard Hana utter next to me, “So Sijoon is popular.”

Curry for me… Seolleongtang for Hayeon… What about Hana…?

Between us two, our menu had always been decided.

Curry for me because I liked spice.

Seolleongtang for Hayeon because she liked a clean taste.

Having lived together with Hana, she would say the flavors were good for anything she ate, so I couldn’t figure out what she was into.

Just what is she going to choose?

“Hmm…”

Hana was in front of the kiosk contemplating for quite a while.

The waiting line gradually got longer, and just as complaints were about to blow up, Hana confidently selected a meal.

“Curry…?”

The same curry as me.

How did she come to choose curry?

She yelled out confidently, “Since Sijoon’s eating it, I also want to eat it!”

“…!!”

Her reason was because I was eating it, she wanted to as well.

Hana’s response made Hayeon urgently shout, “I-I’m also going to have curry…!!”

“All of a sudden, why? You can’t eat spicy food.”

“I-I…just want to.”

I couldn’t understand why.

She couldn’t eat anything spicy, and had to soak even kimchi in water before eating it, yet she was going to have the spicy curry?

Why was she making herself suffer by buying it for no reason?

I couldn’t wrap my head around it whatsoever.

After we went through the ordering process, we came back to our seats, and waited for the food to come out.

It would be nice if Yoona came too.

Unfortunately, Yoona was preoccupied due to the theft we committed; she said her lunch time was spent attending meetings.

The way she looked at Hana and me with resentment made me feel a little guilty.

“Han Sijoon.”

Hayeon, who took the seat beside me, suddenly called me.

“What?”

“Are you going to attend that?”

That.

Hayeon was asking because she was curious if I was not going to attend since I was behind.

The students were free to choose if they wanted to attend “that”.

I answered her.

“Of course, I should. As a student, I should go on a field trip at least once.”

Field trip.

This was the peak moment for students, a time for students who were sick of life at the hero academy.

It hadn’t been long since they started school, but a school field trip had been arranged early for the students who had been working hard.

I planned to attend no matter what went down there.

Hayeon carefully asked me.

“T-Then…you’re not busy right? You’re not going to go with someone, right?”

“No. I am?”

“Who is it? Is it her…?”

The look in her eyes changed when I said I was going with someone.

When Hayeon shot a sharp glare at Hana, Hana timidly stood her ground and said, “W-What are you looking at?!”

I told Hayeon, who was pressing me, who I was going with.

“Obviously, I’m going with you. Without you, who else would play with me?”

Actually, I had no plans on going with someone.

I just wanted to tease Hayeon.

Upon hearing my response, she immediately loosened up and smiled brightly.

“R-Right? As expected. You can’t do anything without me…”

Hayeon’s face blushed with embarrassment after she said that.

Next to me, Hana was giving me a look which read “What’s a field trip?” so I explained it to her.

I also added one more comment.

“Hana, you probably won’t be able to go on the field trip this year though?”

“W-Why?! How come…?!”

It was an extreme way to protect Hana.

Leaving the academy grounds was practically impossible for someone like her who had been pulled out of the villain organization.

Hana muttered in disappointment.

“I’m certain… The academy is a villain organization…”

“Why is she always obsessed with villains?”

“Right…”

As we talked about the school trip, which episode 2 opened up with…

Ring.

The sound indicating our food was ready rang at the food court.

We got up from our seats, got the curry that looked spicy just from a glimpse, and came back to our spots.

But why…

Why does it look even more spicier today…?

Did the curry originally make my eye sting like this…?

I didn’t know what happened in the three weeks I was gone, but the curry we got was spicy just from getting a whiff of it.

…It’s not like I can’t eat this either. What should I do?

I had been moving around vigorously since the first period, so my body was very empty. I had to eat something to fill it with nutrients.

I smelled the curry which pricked my nose, and shoved it in my mouth. 

“I-Is…it tasty…?”

“It’s tasty. It’s a little spicier today…”

I felt a slight tingle in my mouth when I said it was a little spicy.

Was it because spice didn’t have to do with taste buds, but rather with the sense of pain?

It felt like the slight flavor of food was flowing into my head.

…It’s not bad. I should try something spicier next time.

Spicy food was the only thing I could taste.

To regain the joy of life, I decided to try it out later.

As I enjoyed that spicy curry…

Hayeon, who had been eyeing me dubiously, held up a spoonful of curry, and stared at it with suspicion before making a big decision and putting it in her mouth.

“I-It’s…spicy! What do you mean it’s a little spicy…!!”

“You say everything is spicy though…”

Even if this wasn’t curry, Hayeon would scream if she ate something spicy.

She was someone who just had no tolerance for spicy food.

Hayeon said she could never eat something spicy like this, then after removing the plate of curry, she twisted her body in pain.

Hana snorted at Hayeon as if to say, “What’s so spicy!” then swallowed the curry.

“S-Sijoon…! Water! I need water…!!”

The instant she put it in her mouth, Hana shrieked in pain.

Was it that spicy?

I couldn’t sympathize with them since I couldn’t sense my taste buds and felt only a little pain from the spice transmitting into my head.

Ultimately, Hayeon and Hana left the curry, saying it was spicy and ordered something else, and I ended up being the only one to finish the curry.

Just as we were about to leave the leftover curry and my plate, which I finished, at the food court where the Ajummas1 cooked… 

“Oh my goodness, why did this go out?” One of the Ajumeonis2 shouted in our direction.

“Oh no, this…  I accidentally spilled all the capsaicin and was going to throw it away! It looks strange just from looking at it! How did this young lad eat everything?”

…What?

The restaurant Ajumeoni said that there was some miscommunication between them, which made them serve that spicy curry to us by mistake.

The same curry which had a lot of capsaicin dumped into it.

Do mistakes like that normally happen…?

Just what in the world happened in the kitchen for them to put out a failed dish?

The moment I was about to get a headache because I couldn’t understand it at all…

Hayeon asked me a question with a suspicious look in her eyes, like she noticed something odd about me.

“You like spicy food, but you couldn’t eat it that well though.”

“No, I can eat spicy food well.”

Hayeon was suspicious of me for finishing all the curry, which had been dumped with capsaicin.

Since she was my childhood friend, she was well aware that although I liked spicy food, I couldn’t eat it that well.

She didn’t know I lost my taste buds to obtain a hidden piece.

If she, who was strict about my health more than anyone else, found out about this truth, I’d be in huge trouble.

Hayeon was looking at me with full skepticism. 

“You’re seriously okay, right…?”

I could sense that she was trying to confirm I wasn’t okay.

Because I showed no sort of reaction, her doubts were growing.

Footnotes

1Ajumma is a word used to refer to a middle-aged woman.

2Ajumeoni is a more formal way to say Ajumma.