Ch.28Episode 7. Joint Class Sparring (1)

[*Hiss!* Ms. Yujin… Right now you—]

“Yes. I know what you’re going to say, so you don’t need to say it. I’ve already been through the investigation.”

I cut off the Association Chairman who was about to get angry.

[Do you think I’m not going to say it? No, what kind of instructor cuts off four fingers while subduing a student?]

The Chairman interrogates me calmly, but I can feel him trying his hardest to hold back. It was obvious that he would unleash a torrent of scolding if given the chance.

If the student I subdued hadn’t been related to Evil Sky, he probably wouldn’t have held back at all.

[Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to clean this up?]

“The school nurse has impressive skills. I didn’t know fingers could be restored like that.”

When I went in for questioning, I was amazed to see that the student’s fingers had been completely restored to their original state.

As expected, this fantasy world that surpasses even request technology is the best.

[Well, when students spar with each other, accidents can happen unintentionally. That’s why we recruited a school nurse with top-tier healing abilities… No, that’s not what we’re talking about right now.]

What a shame. I could have smoothly changed the subject.

As I clicked my tongue in disappointment, I heard a sigh from the other end of the phone.

[Please don’t subdue students like this in the future. You’re lucky there was circumstantial evidence of Evil Sky involvement, otherwise you would have faced disciplinary action.]

“I did it because I believed the Chairman would handle it somehow. We’ve always had a symbiotic relationship, bound by strong trust, haven’t we?”

[Someone with such a strong trust relationship wouldn’t commit acts like this, I think.]

“I admit it was excessive, but we’re not here to educate villains. If it could have been resolved with just words, I wouldn’t have committed a crime.”

[Whatever the case, next time, even if you catch someone related to Evil Sky, act in a manner befitting a hero.]

As expected, if there was a connection to Evil Sky, they tended to be more lenient about taking drastic action.

I was taking advantage of how, in the novel, they hushed up Jung Iyeon’s excessive responses, and fortunately, this was well reflected in the Chairman’s personality.

“Fine. Next time, I’ll beat them in places that won’t be visible while questioning them.”

My response was so absurd that I heard a chuckle from the other end.

[What exactly is a hero in your mind, Ms. Yujin?]

“Well, that’s…”

I paused at his question, then grinned and said:

“Someone with the legal right to beat up villains.”

[Come to the Hero Association right now! I’m going to give you hero education!]

The Chairman shouted at my bold statement. I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

“Oh come on, I’m joking. If you can’t understand this level of humor, your subordinates will call you an old fogey because of the generation gap.”

[O-old fogey?! I’m not even fifty yet…!]

“That was also a joke.”

[I deeply regret issuing you a hero license. Please refrain from such jokes.]

“I’ll try.”

After that, we exchanged pleasantries about having a good day and ended the call.

I spoke jokingly to the Chairman, but I was half serious.

Heroes and villains were separated by just a thin line.

The only difference was whether they could use their abilities legally or not.

In the end, they couldn’t escape the category of violence.

That’s not to say it was a bad thing, though.

In reality, many people lived with a sense of security because heroes existed.

I had no intention of denying this world’s paradigm. There would be no point in doing so anyway.

However, not all heroes were good people.

Among heroes, there were those who abused and tormented civilians just like villains.

I tightened my loosened necktie. I check my appearance as I put on my suit jacket.

Alright. Time to go to work I don’t want to do today.

I turn off the lights and put on my dress shoes.

As soon as I open the door, I see a black-haired female student standing in the hallway.

I knew her very well, but her appearance had changed considerably.

She had taken off the hoodie she always wore over her uniform, and cut her bangs up to her eyebrows, revealing her clear black eyes.

The dark circles were still there, but even taking those into account, her features were so distinct that they gave off a strong decadent beauty.

“G-good morning!”

Ah, her voice cracked.

Her face turned bright red at the strange voice that came out. She hung her head low.

“W-well, um…”

“Good morning.”

I gently patted Yoo Ari’s head and then locked the door behind me.

In cases like this, it’s better to pretend not to notice. She’s finally starting to change in a positive way.

“But why are you here so early in the morning?”

“I… I… w-wanted to walk to school together…”

Her voice grew increasingly timid. She kept fidgeting with her fingers as if knitting.

Well, I figured that was the reason.

There wouldn’t be any urgent business bringing her to the dormitory on a weekday morning other than wanting to walk to school together.

“I see. But I need to stop by the main building first. That’s in a different direction from the annex.”

“I-I’ll wait.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I’ll wait!”

Hmm. Was she always this stubborn?

The Yoo Ari I’ll see from now on is a Yoo Ari I don’t know at all.

The threat of Evil Sky’s contact still remains, but if I protect her and guide her to become a hero, perhaps I’ll see a Yoo Ari beyond what I imagined.

“Do as you wish. I’m the one checking attendance anyway since there’s no homeroom teacher.”

“Y-yes! Hehe… thank you.”

“By the way… you cut your hair?”

“Ah, yes. B-because you s-said it was p-pretty… So, am I really pretty?”

She looks at me with eyes much more lively than before.

“Yes. You’re pretty and look much better.”

At my compliment, her eyes roll around, and her face turns tomato red.

Looking at her hair while complimenting her, it didn’t seem like she’d gone to a salon.

The length and volume of the back and sides remained the same, and only the bangs were cut straight across. It looked like she had cut her bangs herself.

“You’re going to be super popular now, aren’t you?”

“N-no way! Why would anyone like s-someone like me…”

I put my index finger to her lips as she waved her hands and vehemently denied it.

“Self-deprecation is forbidden.”

To raise self-esteem, getting used to compliments is essential.

“You’re plenty attractive.”

This wasn’t just empty words; I meant it sincerely.

Setting aside her personality and abilities, her appearance alone was enough to captivate men.

Though somewhat gloomy, she had distinct features that transformed that gloominess into decadent beauty, plus a large chest.

Even I would be tempted, so other men would go crazy for her.

“R-really? Aha… ahaha…”

She bashfully touched the back of her hair and smiled broadly.

“Still, don’t approach just any man, okay?”

Some people tend to think girls who look gloomy and timid are easy targets.

“D-don’t worry! I’m n-not interested in other men.”

Other men…?

“Is that so? Wouldn’t it be fun to date while you’re young?”

“Someone like me…”

“Ahem.”

“Umm… I just… want to f-focus on b-becoming a hero right now.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll help you with all my might. Let’s do our best.”

I patted her back and smiled broadly.

Good, good. Let’s try to live positively.

“Y-yes!”

“Oh, and don’t go to places with few people from now on. The hill behind the school is off-limits too.”

I said as I opened the main entrance of the dormitory building.

“Bad people might approach you again.”

“Ah…”

She let out a short sigh.

She seemed disappointed about losing the comfortable place she had used for a year.

“If you want, I can keep a classroom open at all times or find you a comfortable place to be.”

“If that’s the case… O-okay. I won’t go.”

“Good girl. Let’s go.”

“Hehe. Yes…”

The disappointment she showed just moments ago was nowhere to be seen as she smiled broadly.

I felt a strange feeling seeing her emotions swing so drastically at my words, but I decided to think of it as just my imagination.

After all, she finally had someone she could openly rely on.

I should be understanding.

* * *

“Joint class?”

I tilted my head at the unexpected proposal from the instructor in charge of 1st year Class A, just before I was about to leave the faculty office for homeroom.

“Yes. After school today, I’d like to have a joint sparring session between my Class A and your Special Class.”

“Is this really necessary?”

I didn’t think anything good would come from them interacting.

It seemed much better for them to develop their abilities individually.

“As you know, the academy’s education system is flexible, right? Students move up in class based on their grades and abilities.”

As the instructor speaking to me said, regular classes are assigned differently according to grades and abilities.

Changes happen four times a year:

Mid-terms and finals in the first semester, and mid-terms and finals in the second semester. At these times, students who perform better than others can transfer to Class A.

This concept was similar to how the current hero industry ranks heroes by grade.

As far as I knew, there were classes down to Class D.

Class D students were treated almost like they had no abilities, so most students who stayed in Class D throughout the year would transfer to the Production Department or Administrative Department in their second year.

“Even though the Special Class is a collection of problem students, their abilities are good, aren’t they? I’d like to see how they compare to Class A students, as a learning experience. What do you think?”

“Can’t you just do it with the instructors?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to have the students compete against each other rather than against instructors?”

Better? No way.

I know how this plays out.

The arrogant Class A students will definitely talk about teaching the Special Class a lesson.

In the original story, Class A confidently challenged the Special Class, boasting they would crush them, but ended up getting destroyed instead.

Only Jung Iyeon, who was in Class A at the time, managed to defeat Koo Yeonhwa and save their pride, but Class A’s inferiority complex exploded, leading to them subtly bullying the Special Class in a pathetic development.

And realizing that the Special Class was much stronger than Class A through this joint sparring, Jung Iyeon ended up joining the Special Class.

“…I’m not sure. What do you think?”

Now that Jung Iyeon has already joined the Special Class, there’s no merit in going through this development.

“Then could you ask them about it?”

“Hmm. Well… I’ll ask.”

I don’t plan to stop them if the kids really want to do it.

In fact, it might not be bad to use this as an opportunity for them to prove they’re superior now and restore their self-esteem.

But those kids probably won’t want to participate in a sparring session that won’t help them, so they’ll surely refuse.

So when I asked during homeroom what they thought about having a joint sparring session with Class A, Jung Iyeon raised her hand first and shouted:

“I want to do it!”

…she said.