Ch.31Shall We Run Down the Hallway? (1)

A week had already passed since Yoon Ha-eun began her teaching practicum.

During that time, I had to remain as quiet as a mouse.

That’s because this person suddenly invaded our school as a student teacher specifically because of me.

“Why do you think that monster is here?”

“Well, I tracked its movements. It appeared in City D before, and this time it showed up in City C.”

Yoon Ha-eun explained while eating lunch with us.

“But right before it appeared in City C the other day, there was information that it was spotted near the barrier in City D.”

“Gulp!”

Well, of course.

The first place I transformed into a monster was inside a toilet stall in a public restroom in City D.

And to make matters worse, Carmilla, who even walked alongside me, was supposed to be a hero.

Trembling.

‘You’re such a terrible actor!’

Even as a hero, she was still just a kid.

She was trembling like a vibrating phone, as if to show how bad she was at lying.

“So I made a deduction. The horned-mask monster that’s been causing trouble in both City D and City C must have its hideout here in City E.”

“Th-th-that’s… r-r-ridiculous r-reasoning, s-sir!”

“Y-yeah! You have suspicions but no evidence! Should an S-rank hero like you be camping out here just because of that?!”

Nodding vigorously!

Of course.

Absolutely.

Miss Hoshino and Carmilla, who both owed me favors, naturally pretended to criticize Yoon Ha-eun while taking my side.

But.

“Hmph. Don’t worry about that. I’ve even taken ‘vacation time’ to come here.”

As if she wouldn’t return to her original post until she hunted me down.

Yoon Ha-eun was just as stubborn.

“To dare to hand me such a defeat… Heh, hehehehe! The next time I meet that horned-mask monster, I’ll make him pay double… hehehehe!”

For a moment, she revealed her true intentions with a sinister smile.

From that point on, Miss Hoshino became even more wary of this utterly vulgar S-rank hero.

“Janghoon.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“You must never associate with that person. Understand?”

“Ah, yes. I understand…”

I should also ask why Yoon Ha-eun keeps looking specifically at me in the classroom, beyond just the horned-mask monster.

Well, still, it’s better than having a conversation and getting caught.

‘She seems to have been watching me occasionally since that day… Did I do something suspicious?’

Anyway, as time passed…

“Today is field trip day!”

Back to the present, today we were having a special class outside of school.

A class often called the highlight of every student’s school life.

Not a boring classroom session with only books, but a field trip where children grow emotionally by seeing, hearing, and feeling things directly.

‘I never thought I’d get to experience that same joy from when we went to Bulguksa Temple as kids!’

Ah, how delightful.

Yes, this is what school life is all about.

Memories were flooding back as if I had returned to those nostalgic days.

I wonder how the friends I had back then are doing.

At least I’m now living in a new world after being reincarnated…

Clamp.

“……”

Am I living happily with girls (who are fundamentally different from me) clinging to both sides?

“Janghoon, you might get lost. You need to stay by my side at all times. Understand?”

“Yes, Miss…”

“Janghoon-kun. As a hero, I shall protect you, sir!”

“Thanks, Carmilla…”

“Hey, I told you to go away!”

“I refuse, sir!”

Bickering.

When I was younger, I used to envy guys who had multiple girls around them.

Now that I think about it, they probably didn’t have it so great either.

Or maybe it’s because the two women accompanying me are such high-spec individuals.

I’m already feeling suffocated.

“Now, students. The place you’ll be experiencing today is the Hero History Museum located in City G.”

As always, I somehow managed to mediate between the two.

And now, after a two-hour journey, we arrived at a new district of Hero City.

I listened to Yoon Ha-eun’s explanation in front of the massive hero museum in City G, as she had now completely taken over as the person in charge of our Class 1-A instead of our homeroom teacher.

“You all know that City G was the first district established since the founding of Hero City, right?”

“””Yes, teacher!”””

“Hmph. That’s common knowledge.”

“Aren’t you treating us too much like children, sir?”

“……”

Huh, really?

I had no idea.

“City G was designated as a district exactly 12 years after the establishment of Hero City, in the year 12 of the Aden calendar.”

Yoon Ha-eun continued her guide duties.

“And the Hero Museum we’ll be experiencing today is a symbolic place that contains detailed records of G City’s history and how the Hero Association was created.”

“Wow, the history of heroes…”

“This is my first time coming to a place like this!”

“Fufu. Of course it is. That’s because unlike museums in other districts, the Hero Museum in City G only opens its doors to ‘authorized personnel.'”

“””O-ohhh…!”””

Until the 5th anniversary when I quit the game, only 19 out of the 26 districts had been updated.

So that’s why.

City G, which never appeared in <Monster Front> at that time, was a mysterious place even to me.

I never expected it to be the kind of district where only authorized personnel could enter.

‘Maybe I should have played the game longer?’

While feeling a bit of regret, I was still looking forward to visiting the museum.

I planned to gather information while leisurely exploring this place, since there were still 10 years left until the original story began.

“Today’s lunch will be at the 5-star restaurant on the top floor of the museum. Until then, students, feel free to explore the 30-floor museum as you wish. Understood?”

“””Yes, teacher!!”””

My goodness.

Even if they’re elite students, kids will be kids.

As soon as Yoon Ha-eun finished speaking, my classmates rushed into the Hero Museum, which they could enter thanks to the S-rank hero.

They were so excited.

At this rate, they might actually be able to explore the entire 31-floor building in one day.

Meanwhile.

“I plan to look around slowly starting from the first floor, but you two…”

“”Then we’ll do that too!””

I guess I can’t shake them off…

Even though this must be the first time here for both Miss Hoshino and Carmilla.

“I’ve been here before with my mother.”

“I’ve also visited here on occasion, sir.”

…I see.

They had already been here as people connected to heroes.

The two of them, already bored with the content before it even began, seemed determined to stay with me.

Step, step.

Additionally.

“Teacher Yoon Ha-eun?”

“Hehe. Can I join you too?”

Including Yoon Ha-eun, who was left alone after giving the students free time.

“?! T-teacher should go somewhere else, sir!”

“That’s right! Aren’t you worried about the students?”

“Fufu. They can’t be worse than our school’s only male student, can they?”

“”Janghoon has us, so he’s fine!!””

The two growled at Yoon Ha-eun, on guard even inside the museum.

However, such threats from Miss Hoshino and Carmilla probably seemed like nothing more than cute childish pranks to Yoon Ha-eun.

“Come on, let’s just go together~.”

Afterward, no matter how quickly the two tried to drag me away, Yoon Ha-eun followed right behind us with an unchanged expression and a very relaxed posture.

Eventually, the two even started carrying me on their backs and running, but behind the panting pair was still the S-rank hero with her bright smile.

“Huff, huff… Why… is she… so fast…”

“I feel… like… dying, sir…”

“Well, I am an S-rank hero after all. It wouldn’t make sense if I couldn’t keep up with kids.”

“”Ugh…””

As the two collapsed on the floor in exhaustion.

“Huh? Isn’t this equipment that Teacher Yoon Ha-eun used?”

Finally able to look around the museum, I examined the artifacts nearby and accidentally discovered a weapon.

I found the dagger that Yoon Ha-eun had pointed at me when I approached her during our fight, now displayed inside a museum case.

So out of curiosity, I asked.

“Oh? I mainly fight with sniper rifles or bows, so almost no one knows that I use close-combat weapons like this.”

“…!”

I made a mistake.

In the original story, she would pull out hammers or knives whenever close combat started, so I had no idea this was a secret.

“Janghoon… how did you know I use daggers like this?”

Her smile disappeared momentarily.

Yoon Ha-eun looked down at me with suspicious eyes.

After briefly considering how to respond, I…

“Haah…”

“…?”

Though I really didn’t want to do this.

“Actually, I…”

“Actually…”

“”…?””

“I’m a fan of… S-rank hero #5, Teacher Yoon Ha-eun.”

“Really?!”

“Wha…”

“What did you say?!”

Considering I spent over 200 hours raising her character, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Like coming out as a fanboy, I avoided the dejected gazes of Miss Hoshino and Carmilla.

Squish!

“Hehe. If you were my fan all along, you should have said so earlier!”

Yoon Ha-eun hugged me tightly in her joy, pressing her “generous heart” against me, and I surrendered myself to the softness with a whatever attitude.

Thanks to that, I could feel a particularly sharp stinging sensation on the back of my head.

“…Huh? Haven’t we been here before?”

“I think so?”

While a love quadrangle was forming between the four of us.

The students of Class 1-A who came to visit the Hero Museum were getting closer to lunchtime.

Yet they were experiencing the strange sensation of walking the same path over and over again…