Ch.16Education Makes the Person (3)

A vicious gaze glaring at me with contempt.

Simultaneously, a deeply furrowed expression.

Despite having just slapped someone who had picked up her wallet for her, the face looking back at me showed not even a hint of guilt.

And only after seeing that girl’s face did I realize.

“…Carmilla?”

I finally remembered.

From the days when I was actively playing the game “Monster Frontline.”

An S-class hero who had drained my wallet just as much as Hoshino had.

At the same time, a noble lady with a “man-hating concept” whom I would never have pulled if not for her performance stats.

Carmilla Edelstein.

“Seriously, why is her affection meter completely locked…?”

It was during the 3rd anniversary of “Monster Frontline.”

Limited characters who appeared with much stronger specs than regular gacha characters during each anniversary.

Commonly referred to as “human rights,” I naturally tried to pull these characters during the 3rd anniversary too.

Back then, I was so obsessed that I made Carmilla into a “fully unbound” character, focusing solely on her performance stats.

As expected of a limited anniversary character, Carmilla’s performance was classified as Tier 0, even higher than Hoshino who was at Tier 1 at the time.

Yeah…

Performance-wise, she was truly exceptional.

You know what they say.

“Performance equals affection.”

Even with minimal story presence, an ugly appearance, and a distasteful character concept.

If the performance is good, typical subculture game users naturally fall for that character.

But this character’s affection meter wasn’t even unlocked.

With all viewable relationship quests set in the past, and Carmilla already being “deceased” in the story, she was impossible to like no matter how obsessed I was—what you’d call “trash-tier.”

“Wait, she’s already dead?”

I don’t know what concept they were going for.

Despite being a man-hating noble lady, her character description read as follows:

—–

Carmilla Edelstein.

Once the most promising super-rookie in the hero world.

But not knowing her place, she pursued higher dreams and died miserably with her limbs dismembered.

This appearance could be considered the ideal form that Carmilla, who died young, wanted to achieve in her lifetime.

—–

To celebrate the game’s 3rd anniversary, they released a character who was already a dead soul with no interaction possible—a vicious woman.

She did seem to have the chest-touching system like other characters, but.

SLAP.

Even that reaction was distasteful compared to other gacha characters.

Without saying anything, she would suddenly slap you and somehow force the game to close—a truly crazy woman.

And now, to think I’d see the living Carmilla who was already dead when I first met her.

“My name is not something that a mere man can casually speak without knowing his place.”

Back to the present.

Perhaps because of Carmilla’s sudden slap on the first day of school.

Our classroom, which had been filled with expectation and excitement, had somehow turned cold as death.

Regardless.

“Apologize.”

“…What?”

“I said apologize.”

Apologize…?

Not receiving an apology, but demanding one?

Carmilla demanding an apology from me who had picked up her wallet.

Having lived 37 years including my previous life, I was simply dumbfounded by this unprecedented situation.

Wait, shouldn’t I be the one receiving an apology?

‘This is insane…’

As if that wasn’t enough, the slap from earlier had loosened a baby tooth inside my right cheek.

This meant I might actually reenact those movie scenes where someone gets punched and loses a tooth.

But well.

She was just a child, and I had entered this place through connections anyway.

Above all, as someone who had possessed a game character, I didn’t want to stand out.

So even though this situation made no sense, I was about to just smile and…

SLAP.

“?!”

As they say, you avoid filth not because it’s scary but because it’s dirty.

SLAP.

“Answer quickly.”

SLAP.

I was trying to apologize first and move on amicably, but.

“How much longer do you, a mere man, intend to waste a young lady’s time?”

“……”

SLAP.

“Answer.”

SLAP.

“…Hey, answer.”

SLAAAP!

“I said answer!”

This vicious noble brat had already crossed the line by slapping my cheek not once but three or four times.

Carmilla was severely overstepping the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

…Plop.

“Kyaaa?!”

“Oh no! Her tooth!”

“Did she just lose a tooth from being hit?”

The baby tooth in my right cheek that had been loosening finally popped out of my mouth.

At the same time, a tangy smell came from one of my nostrils.

It seemed I was getting a nosebleed too.

Meanwhile, seeing my condition, no matter how smart and mature they seemed, they were still kids after all.

The classroom, which had been ice-cold, instantly transformed into a cauldron of chaos and screams.

However, even in such a classroom, only two people maintained their original expressions.

Me and Carmilla.

…No, while my expression remained calm, perhaps because she wasn’t getting the reaction she expected.

Grind…!

Carmilla’s expression was becoming increasingly ferocious as time passed.

Snicker.

“What’s wrong? Are you getting irritated because the kid you wanted to make cry is staying quiet no matter what you do?”

“Sh-Shut up!”

SLAP!

Carmilla responded to my sneering question with another slap instead of an answer.

Perhaps she felt attacked by the truth.

She seemed to be responding emotionally because she had nothing to say, but such behavior only revealed her own shallowness.

‘A noble lady and the youngest hero…’

I didn’t know why she hated men, but thanks to her upbringing in such an environment.

She must have been treated like a princess all her life.

So she probably thought I would crawl like other men did when she threatened them.

“…You, I don’t know how a man like you got into this school, but now that you’ve caught my attention, your school life is over.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll make it a school life filled with nothing but regret.”

Having realized she couldn’t subdue me with mere slaps, perhaps?

Looking at the frightened children around her, Carmilla leaned in to whisper a warning to me, as if to say this wasn’t over yet.

But.

Snicker.

“?!”

This kid.

Did she think a 30-year-old man who had been through hell with foreign workers in Korean sweatshops would be intimidated?

This level of threat was nothing compared to the time I went to the president’s office about unpaid wages at some sweatshops and got threatened with a knife.

So as she was trying to threaten me, I leaned into her ear.

“Hey.”

I thoroughly scraped at the insides of this kid who thought she was something special.

“I don’t care, but don’t be a coward who hides behind lackeys when you lose a verbal fight with a man.”

“Y-You…!”

“Some hero you are, trying to gang up on someone. And if you hate men so much, do you hate your dad too?”

THUD!

“Kyaaaah?!”

“Lady Carmilla just threw a punch!”

“Waaah, teacher!”

***

A morning like any other.

Study time like any other.

And training like any other.

Due to the damage to the estate, all daily activities had to be conducted at the Hero Association branch in D City.

Even so, perhaps befitting the Okami bloodline?

Despite the unfamiliar environment, Hoshino was perfectly following her usual schedule, surprising even the watching heroes and her nanny.

“Amazing, Princess!”

“As expected of the Princess!”

“Ho ho ho. Miss, shall I bring you some tea?”

“…Yes, please. Nanny.”

Except for one thing.

Finally, break time arrived amidst everyone’s praise.

Usually, at this time, her heart would swell with joy and all the fatigue she had felt would disappear.

But.

In Hoshino’s private playroom at the D City branch, decorated to resemble the Okami family’s playroom.

Although the exterior and toys inside were all the same as usual, Hoshino no longer found this time enjoyable.

The reason was obviously because her one and only playmate had disappeared.

“I never thought much about it before… but I miss Janghun.”

My playmate.

The boy who should always be with me!

She missed Kang Janghun.

So much that she wanted to ask her mother, when she woke up, to have Janghun expelled from school again.

She wanted him to always be by her side.

But the bright smile on Janghun’s face when he heard he could attend elementary school.

“Ugh… but if I did that, Janghun would be very sad.”

He had looked so incredibly happy, and forcibly bringing him back to her side wouldn’t make her feel good like before.

Instead, she would probably become depressed along with Janghun.

“Sigh.”

So was this the daily life she had to endure from now on?

…As Hoshino sat alone in the playroom thinking this and letting out a deep sigh.

“Miss, I’m back.”

“Huh?! Janghun, you’re…!”

That voice coming from behind her made her fox ears perk up just from hearing it.

Kang Janghun!

Damn, I like you!

Perhaps the joy of meeting was amplified by the waiting?

As Hoshino turned around quickly, her insides tingling more than usual…

“…Huh?”

Jang, hun…?

My one and only boyfriend with gauze taped over his prominent nose bridge and bandages wrapped around one side of his face.

Seeing “him” who had clearly been beaten up somewhere.

“Who did this to you?”

She wore an expression that only a gumiho possessed by a “human” would make when about to tear out someone’s liver.