Ch.18Episode 5. Special Class Image (2)

“Here.”

“What’s this…?”

She takes the envelope I handed her with a bewildered look and sits down one space away from me.

This seemed to be the distance she felt comfortable with around me.

…At least it’s better than sitting at the far end.

“There’s this famous lunch box shop on the academy grounds that everyone raves about. I bought one for you. You don’t eat properly, do you?”

“I eat in between…”

“When exactly?”

“…Around two?”

Judging by her response, she probably just eats an energy bar or skips meals entirely.

“Isn’t it awkward to eat dinner if you eat that late?”

“It’s fine. I digest it all by then…”

“Listen. With how much you move your body, you need to eat well or you’ll collapse.”

“…I am eating well.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good then.”

I took out a mini Choco Time from my pocket.

It was a chocolate perfectly sized to eat in one bite. As I was about to unwrap it and put it in my mouth, I noticed Yeonmuhui staring at me.

“What? You got a lunch box and now you’re eyeing my chocolate too?”

“Ah, no.”

“I’m kidding. Want one?”

“…Yes.”

I took another one from my pocket and held it out to her. Just as she reached for it, I pulled it back.

Her hand hovered awkwardly in the air, looking confused.

“No. I’ll give it to you after you eat. Sweets will ruin your appetite.”

“You keep changing your mind…”

“But it seems you don’t hate me anymore.”

“Not particularly. I never hated you to begin with…”

“You’re lying.”

The attitude she showed during our first meeting was like a prickly hedgehog with its spines fully extended.

I think she’s softened up this much in just three weeks because I’ve been watching her training and giving her advice whenever I had time.

“You’ll eat it after your meal, right?”

“Yes.”

I handed her the chocolate as she nodded slightly.

As she fiddled with the candy wrapper, she suddenly looked up at me.

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Why… do you take care of me like this?”

“Because you’re my assigned student?”

I answered without hesitation.

“…Everyone says that at first. ‘I’m your teacher.’ ‘I’m your instructor.’ But then they get angry at the slightest mistake and just impose restrictions on everything I do.”

I can imagine.

She’s not an ordinary student taking classes with others; she’s in the special class.

She’s already labeled as a problem child at the academy, and if her abilities are as good as an instructor’s, even those teaching her would naturally be wary.

“One instructor told me that the special class isn’t special at all. He said it was just a way to separate troublemakers like us so we couldn’t cause problems. I lost my temper and lashed out…”

“I see.”

So that’s the story behind her beating up an instructor.

“You did the right thing by not holding back. If it were me, I would have flipped out too.”

“Really?”

I nodded with conviction.

My affirmation seemed to comfort her; the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Though it didn’t quite turn upward, she was clearly trying to smile.

“But how did you end up in the special class? You beat up the instructors in duels after you were already in the special class, right?”

“…I almost killed a male student who kept bothering me.”

“I see.”

This part matches what was in the story.

After that incident, she became extremely averse to any romantic advances.

No, perhaps she had been that way even before.

She must clearly remember what her father did to her mother, who had been her only safe haven.

“But looking back now, I think it was a good choice. I could never defeat that person if I were suppressed by the instructors.”

“But I’m still imposing restrictions on you with demerits and such, aren’t I?”

“…That’s true. Why… did I think Instructor Yujin was okay?”

She tilts her head with her hand on her chin, puzzled by my words.

Does that mean she feels close to me?

If so, that makes me happy.

“I see. So you find me comfortable?”

“Not exactly comfortable… More like pressured. Things like you taking care of me… and you’re always watching, so I feel like I can’t make even a single mistake in my form…”

“Oh? Then maybe I should stop coming.”

“Huh?”

Actually, I was already thinking about caring for the other students before she even mentioned it.

Now that I’ve confirmed she’s opened up to me, I should stop wasting time watching her train unnecessarily.

“If it’s pressuring you, I shouldn’t come. Ah, but I can still bring you lunch boxes, right?”

“Um… yes. That would be fine.”

Her voice is lower than before.

Her expression hasn’t changed, but she’s rustling the candy wrapper more intensely, as if trying to suppress her agitation.

Could it be that she’ll miss me not watching her…?

Am I reading too much into this?

“Good. I’ll still keep an eye on you. If you’re ever curious about how to train or need advice, feel free to consult me anytime. Even about personal matters.”

“…Okay.”

She really does seem disappointed.

But for now, I wanted her to savor that disappointment. The stronger her sense of loss, the more likely she would depend on me.

I stood up, brushing off my clothes.

“Yeonmuhui.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t praise all the actions you’ve taken so far.”

“I know.”

“But I don’t think you were entirely wrong either.”

Standing in front of her, I continued calmly.

“From now on, don’t confront teachers or instructors when you’re angry. Call me instead. If you act directly, it becomes a problem, but if I step in, it should be fine.”

I’ll try to resolve things at my level as much as possible, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to use the Association President’s backing.

Even the Academy Director has to bow to the Association President.

After all, the Academy is just a subsidiary organization of the Association.

“You know, I want all the special class students to do well and continue their hero activities safely. For that to happen, first you need to avoid causing trouble at the academy, right?”

“As long as they don’t bother me, I won’t kill them.”

Don’t kill them even if they bother you.

“Even if you cause trouble, I’m the one who ends up taking responsibility. So listen to me, okay?”

“…Okay.”

“And one last thing.”

I held up my index finger in front of her, then pointed at her.

“Speak formally to me?”

“…Do I have to speak formally?”

“Yes. Respect is only truly felt when you show proper manners.”

“I respect Instructor Yujin. Plenty.”

“I can’t feel that at all.”

“R-really, I do.”

Even with her expressionless face and emotionless voice, it wasn’t at all convincing.

However, seeing her clench her fists and shake them subtly, she seemed to be trying to express herself in her own way.

“Is that so? Then that’s good.”

“…But are you really not going to watch me anymore?”

So she is disappointed after all.

* @ *

“Excuse me.”

Jung Iyeon quietly slipped into the largest training hall near the main building.

“Iyeon!”

Startled by the unexpected voice calling her name, she turned her head.

There, she saw a girl who had attended the same high school sitting in the spectator seats.

“Ah… Sohee.”

Kang Sohee. She was Jung Iyeon’s high school classmate.

However, they weren’t particularly close. They just knew they had enrolled in the same academy.

“What brings you here?”

Kang Sohee naturally pulled Jung Iyeon along and inserted her into a group of girls.

“Just… came to check out the Skill Research club.”

Among the many clubs, the one she had been interested in was the “Skill Research” club.

After finishing classes with Instructor Yujin, she had been training to build her strength and receiving guidance in duels, but she needed sparring partners to gauge her skills.

She had been practicing duels with holograms in the evenings, but once she started reading the patterns, it became merely a contest of peripheral vision and reflexes, which bored her.

So Jung Iyeon wanted more practical, real-life dueling experience.

And the Skill Research club, which frequently held duels under the pretext of researching skills, immediately caught her interest.

“Skill Research club? There probably aren’t many people stronger than you, though?”

“I just want to gain various experiences.”

“Ooh~! Various experiences~!”

“Hahaha! Look at how she talks. So dirty!”

As the girls burst into laughter, Jung Iyeon looked around awkwardly before smiling and saying:

“I’ll go take a look around.”

“Ah, wait.”

Kang Sohee held her back.

“How’s the special class?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard from a senior that it’s a collection of trash.”

Jung Iyeon’s expression immediately hardened at the word “trash.”

She wanted to deny it right away, but knowing that the students’ attitudes toward Yujin hadn’t been right, it wasn’t easy.

“No, don’t view them so negatively. The special class people are actually quite decent.”

“Oh, really?”

“But it’s still the special class after all. I heard it’s full of rude girls who don’t even know basic manners.”

“Huh…?”

Jung Iyeon’s thoughts froze at the blatant criticism.

“But I heard the instructor is super handsome. I don’t know why he took on the special class. I wish he’d been assigned to our class instead. Then I could secretly make a move on him.”

“I seriously get wet just looking at that guy.”

“Oh my god, what are you saying! Hehehe!”

Everyone in the group laughed at someone’s sexual joke. Everyone except Jung Iyeon.

“Actually, maybe that handsome instructor joined the special class to sleep with those girls?”

“Come on~ He’d become impotent if he did that.”

“Wow, you crazy bitch!”

As the girls laughed “hahaha,” Jung Iyeon clenched her fists tightly. She couldn’t help but feel anger rising as the person she admired was being insulted.

“By the way, why did you join the special class?”

“Huh?”

Caught up in her anger, she didn’t respond to the sudden question in time.

“Don’t tell me you joined because of that handsome instructor?”

“Huh? Ah, no. That’s not it.”

“Why are you so flustered? Is it true?!”

“No. I knew the instructor was skilled. So… yes. I joined to learn from him.”

“Really? Hey, do you know the instructor’s number?”

Kang Sohee responded halfheartedly to Jung Iyeon’s explanation and then held out her phone.

“Look at this girl. Full of ulterior motives, aren’t you?”

“Oh, shut up. So? Do you know his number?”

“Sorry, I don’t.”

“Come on, you’re just not willing to share, right? Usually instructors give their numbers to their assigned students.”

“I said I don’t know.”

Despite her boiling insides, Jung Iyeon wore a mask of a smile on her face.

“I’ll go check out the club and come back.”

“Oh, okay.”

After leaving the group, she took a deep breath and walked toward the people engaged in duels.

‘If those girls were villains, I would have gladly killed them all.’

Licking her lips in regret, she began to contemplate how to deal with those girls who had insulted Yujin.