Ch.104Episode 22. Comfort (2)

“Instructor!”

I was sitting halfway down the stairs leading to the beach, staring blankly at the sea when I heard a voice behind me. When I turned my head, Jeong Iyeon was already crouched down behind me.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah… just looking at the ocean.”

“The ocean?”

“Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and calmly looked at the sea like this before.”

It would be a lie to say I’ve never seen the ocean, but I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve enjoyed it leisurely like this.

“Hmm~ You’ve been missing out.”

“I know. I really have.”

I chuckled.

Since coming to this world, I haven’t had much free time between beating up villains and working as an instructor.

I’ve had more rest recently under the pretext of the kids’ personal matters, but this probably won’t last long either.

From August, I’ll need to train them while reporting to the head teacher about the direction of my assigned subjects.

Having to make detailed plans every week about how to teach… could anything be more painful?

I can’t help but sigh at the thought that next semester will be even more intense than now.

“Was dinner good?”

“It was delicious.”

Dinner was barbecue.

Honestly, I didn’t expect them to prepare barbecue.

I can still picture Kang Sujin making clicking sounds with the tongs, saying she’d grill the meat as payment for sparring with her and telling me to eat until I was stuffed.

“I’m just grateful you didn’t say anything about me showing up suddenly.”

“I’m the one who’s indebted to you!”

“You took the test, passed, and came to the academy. Receiving instruction is your natural right.”

“Still! I never expected to receive such attentive teaching. I would have missed out if I hadn’t joined the special class. Plus, there’s no other instructor who interests me like Instructor Yujin.”

Is that because you know I’m the one who saved you?

I was about to say that but stopped myself.

Either way, Jeong Iyeon is under me. There’s no need to appeal excessively. As long as she doesn’t go astray, she’ll become a hero according to the story’s flow.

After all, the reason the author went off the rails was because they couldn’t create a situation where Iyeon could defeat Yujin.

But in this world, Yujin… no, I am on Iyeon’s side. She won’t become a villain.

“Is that so?”

I responded indifferently and shifted my gaze back to the sea. Beside me, she made a strange sound.

“Ugh! I should have been more proactive during the parents’ visit! If you had received some bribes, you would have liked me more!”

“You’d get arrested for that. This isn’t the old days.”

I laughed at her absurd comment.

Actually, the Jeong Iyeon I knew wasn’t a character who would say such nonsense.

Jeong Iyeon was a serious and diligent girl who admired heroes who protected the world from villains, a typical growth-oriented character who never gave up no matter how many walls she hit.

I fell for and admired such a protagonist.

But now she seemed different from the Iyeon I knew, which felt somewhat disconcerting.

I suspect the reason for her change is because of me, but I still can’t figure out exactly what aspect it is.

“Besides, I already like you plenty.”

“Really?”

“How could I not like the only model student in the special class?”

“Ah, but liking me for that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Then how should I like you?”

I glanced at her sideways as I asked. Iyeon was thinking seriously with her hand on her chin.

Her white hair fluttered in the sea breeze, giving off a milky scent. It was sweet and comforting.

After pondering for a while, she glanced at me, then came down to the step where I was sitting and sat next to me. Then she moved my hand to pat her hair.

“Like this?!”

With each movement of my hand, the intense milk scent threatened to intoxicate me.

“…I already do this when you do well.”

I said, trying to push away the scent.

“Hmm. Is that so? Still, when you pat me like this, it makes me feel like I’m really doing well, and it feels nice because it seems like you genuinely like me.”

Isn’t that feeling because you have feelings for me?

The question crossed my mind, but I didn’t bother to challenge her.

I just nodded and continued patting her head.

“By the way, there will probably be a lot of people gathered when we return to the academy.”

…Ah, just imagining it makes me sick.

While at the academy, the principal shields me, but the thought of people swarming around me during every outside activity already made my head throb.

“I really hate it…”

“Accept it, Instructor. You’re finally proving that Instructor Yujin is a being that can’t be contained by the academy alone.”

“…Why are you deifying me?”

“Well, with your skills, you could be S-class… no, Korea’s #1 hero, no…! You might even be the #1 hero in the world! Doesn’t that make your heart race just thinking about it?!”

Korea’s #1 hero…

What’s the point of being #1?

Among top-tier heroes, commonly called S-class, rank isn’t determined by strength.

It’s determined by “achievements.”

Once heroes reach a certain level, the Association deemed comparing their abilities meaningless, so they only assigned grades and encouraged competition by emphasizing achievements to keep heroes active.

After all, rank directly affects a hero’s livelihood.

Of course, heroes often gauge each other’s abilities through sparring, but these records are strictly “unofficial,” and sparring between S-class heroes is extremely rare from what I know.

For reference, the current #1 hero in Korea is an ice ability user who has never failed a single mission and has accomplished everything alone.

I heard from the Association chairman that the fee for a single request is at least thousands, and for large-scale operations, it can go up to hundreds of millions. Apparently, other countries frequently request their services too. Lee Bangsil and Yeonhwaryong are in similar positions to the #1.

“I’m not excited at all. I have no interest in rankings or anything like that.”

“Why not! You should care a bit! Look here!”

Saying that, she took out her phone and opened the Hero Association application. They even have an app?

“About that giant villain you subdued, Instructor Yujin. Apparently, it was rated as A-class.”

After tapping her phone a few times, she showed me the ranking.

I was ranked 99th.

Next to my photo was a “Rapidly Rising” label. I’d heard that rankings could change significantly depending on the villain’s grade, but could one takedown result in this?

…No way.

That damn Association chairman must have uploaded all my previous achievements with the intention of using me. The thought of him smiling while raising my rank makes my blood boil. I’ll have to confiscate another month’s worth of his herbal medicine.

“What’s the point of being ranked like this? Just being at the academy with all of you is already enough for me.”

“…”

Iyeon, who had been talking excitedly, fell silent. When I glanced at her, she was blinking in confusion. Soon after, she made an excited nasal sound.

“I-I see. So you’re saying we’re more important to you than building your reputation as a hero?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

If that weren’t the case, why would I care what happens to you all?

Every time I saw my beloved characters corrupting and turning evil one by one, I wanted to punch the author in the solar plexus.

Just thinking about it again makes me angry.

“I-I see…”

“Anyway, don’t worry about such things.”

“But if you disliked this kind of attention, wouldn’t it have been better not to become a hero?”

Iyeon asked while turning off her phone screen, but before I could answer, she waved her hands and continued.

“No, that wouldn’t work. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have become an instructor at the academy, and you wouldn’t have saved me when I was traveling with my friends.”

“…Saved you?”

“Ah…!”

Her complexion rapidly deteriorated at my question. Her expression stiffened, and her hands moved awkwardly in the air.

“No, this is… I mean…”

“…Iyeon.”

“Yes!”

When I called her name in a low voice, she straightened her back and answered. Just like a military private.

“Your reason for joining the special class… it wasn’t just because strong people were gathered there, was it?”

“Well…”

“If you lie, our newly formed friendship might break.”

“Ugh…”

As I spoke in a threatening manner, I quietly observed her increasingly contorted face. Eventually, she dropped her head and spoke softly.

“I… I like you.”

“What?”

Startled by the sudden confession, I stared at her blankly.

Iyeon raised her head again. She looked at my face and, seemingly recalling what she had just said, began to explain.

“No, that’s not it! I meant as a fan! As a fan!! Famous heroes have many fans, right? That’s what I meant! Don’t misunderstand! Besides, someone like me…! It would be presumptuous to aspire to be by Instructor Yujin’s side, right? At the very least, I’d need to become S-class to even have a chance… Ahhh! That’s not what I meant!”

“…Just calm down first.”

In the end, Iyeon buried her face in her knees, escaping from the conversation.

Looking at her with her head buried and a tearful expression, I pieced together the context from her earlier rambling.

“…I get it now. In short, you’ve come to admire me since I saved you?”

So that’s why she was talking about being a fan and whatnot.

“Y-yes, that’s right. Though you probably don’t remember…”

Not at all. I remember it very well.

I deliberately saved her in a dramatic situation. If I had wanted to, I could have handled it without her knowing.

But that would have wasted a valuable event, so I manipulated it a bit.

However, I didn’t expect her to admire me just because I saved her once. It was so unexpected that I felt a bit dazed.

“But how did you know it was me?”

“Because of the same name. Your hairstyle was similar too, and although your physique seems more muscular now than back then… it looked roughly the same.”

Hmm. You have quite the stalker tendencies.

I think I once heard on the news that there’s only a thin line between a fan and a stalker.

“…I see.”

“A-are you disappointed?”

She asks, looking very intimidated. It was quite refreshing to see the usually confident Jeong Iyeon taking on a position similar to Yu Ari.

“Huh? No? Why would I be disappointed about someone liking me? If anything, I’d be disappointed if you disliked me.”

Though I didn’t intend it, if she has positive feelings, I could probably use that quite effectively. It wouldn’t be bad to close the distance and help resolve her concerns.

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

After all, since she’s learning under me, she might admire me as her teacher.

Honestly, I don’t understand why she calls herself a fan.

“I see. Instructor Yujin is surprisingly open-minded!”

“Admiring someone is common, isn’t it?”

“Then it won’t be a problem if more people come to admire you in the future.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying you’ll be able to properly respond to the numerous fans you’ll have in the future.”

“No… why should I care about fans or whatever?”

“Of course you should care!”

“What?”

“Many people will come to admire Instructor Yujin in the future. Each time, you should encourage them, telling them not to worry because you’re there. You can’t act like it’s someone else’s business.”

That’s not my problem…

I yawned indifferently. A sigh came from beside me.

“I guess it can’t be helped! I’ll teach you how to deal with fans!”

No, that’s not necessary…

All I could do was laugh wryly as I watched her clench her fist with enthusiasm.