Ch.39Episode 8. Parent Visitation (4)

“Yu Ari. You’re acting strange.”

“Strange? How?”

“Did something happen with the instructor? I heard you got help from him, but… is there something more?”

“!”

Yu Ari becomes flustered. Her eyes, which had been looking directly at Yeon Muhui, subtly shifted away.

“Not really. Even if there was… I won’t, I mean, I’ll tell you.”

“Fine. Coincidentally, I don’t care either. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re sucking up to the instructor or whatever.”

What’s with that crude expression?

Anyone who overheard might think we actually have a personal relationship.

I was about to say something to Yeon Muhui for dismissing my relationship with Yu Ari, but before I could, Yu Ari started rambling incoherently.

“S-sucking up?! Th-that’s not the kind of relationship we have at all! How vulgar! W-what are you saying?! For something like that, we’d need to make clear progress first…!”

After frantically waving her hands and jumping up and down, she glanced at me and hung her head low.

Does this girl realize how suggestive her words sound to a man?

Put differently, her words implied she’d be willing to have that kind of relationship if the progress was handled properly.

“…That’s none of my business. I need the instructor’s power. That’s why I’m with him.”

Yeon Muhui’s eyebrows slightly furrowed at Yu Ari’s blatant reaction, obvious even to the most oblivious person.

“Ah, I see. Then… I’ll… I’ll be watching from that bench over there.”

She hastily put away her weapon, covered her face with her hair, and hurriedly ran toward the bench. I sighed as I watched Yu Ari’s reddened neck.

“Don’t you want to be friends?”

“I came to the academy to become stronger. I don’t need relationships with others.”

She spoke calmly while sheathing her sword.

“So what’s the method to land a hit on that person?”

“That’s…”

I explained “Sword Energy Release” to her.

“So you’re saying I should release the sword energy I’ve injected into the blade outward?”

“Yes.”

“Is that possible?”

“The basic principle of the ability is injection and release.”

I clenched my fist, creating sparks. I could feel the power spreading evenly throughout my body.

“This is injection. And…”

Crack!

As I extended my arm into the air, electricity burst from the tip of my fist, causing an explosion.

“This is release. If you apply this basic principle to a tool…”

This time, I drew my sword, injected electricity into the blade, and swung it.

The electricity escaping from the blade bounced off the ground, creating several craters.

“You can project sword energy like this. But it’ll be difficult to use right away. So for now, let’s focus on releasing sword energy around the blade to increase its cutting power.”

Mastering this technique is necessary to later learn “Hong Yu Hwa Seom,” a technique for projecting sword energy.

Learning this prerequisite technique will allow her to acquire other unique skills and improve the quality of her unique techniques.

“Is that enough?”

“It should be.”

Yeon Hwa-ryong will likely face her with full force to show the overwhelming gap between them, since she entered the academy against his wishes.

But there’s a high probability that he’ll take most of her attacks without dodging to gauge her current level.

We needed to use that as an opportunity.

Of course, even so, she had no chance of winning the match.

What mattered was how to care for Yeon Muhui after her defeat against Yeon Hwa-ryong.

I needed to prove that I was definitely someone who could help her. Otherwise, she might take a villain’s hand when I wasn’t around.

“Trust me. I’ll definitely make you stronger.”

“…Okay.”

After hesitating over how to respond, she nodded slightly.

“Good. Let’s end today’s training here. Eat well and get plenty of rest. Good job.”

Well, that’s it for Yeon Muhui.

Next is Yu Ari, but…

I glanced toward the bench. It definitely seemed like she came not for training but to chat.

In situations like this, there’s a method.

That is, don’t even give her a chance to talk.

“Yu Ari.”

“Yes…!”

Her entire body turned black, and her figure disappeared. Then she reappeared behind me.

Shadow movement, which allows free movement through shadows within sight, was still an impressive skill.

“Let’s check how much your stamina has improved, Yu Ari.”

“Huh…?”

A dumbfounded sound escaped from between Yu Ari’s parted lips.

“Now, get ready.”

I generated sparks and raised the corners of my mouth.

* * *

Several days had passed since the assassination incident.

The principal scheduled a parent visitation, suggesting they had caught all the villains inside the academy.

I had a rough idea of how they caught the villains, but I didn’t bother mentioning it.

From the principal’s perspective, I was probably one of the suspicious individuals anyway.

Besides, I only needed to manage the special class.

“The parent visitation is scheduled for next week, from April 25th to May 2nd, which is one week. We have about a week left…”

“In-Instructor, is it okay if I don’t invite my parents?”

Yu Ari raised her hand before I could finish speaking.

She had practically cut ties with them. It was natural for her to feel reluctant about her parents visiting the academy.

“Whether you invite them or not, by the principal’s orders, we must contact all parents. Apparently, some parents might not have been informed about the incident.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t want to do this either.

There was no need to create problems by contacting them unnecessarily.

But even though I knew their circumstances, the parents’ reactions were important factors for me. I needed to hear what they had to say to decide how to proceed.

“Hohoho! Finally, it’s time for me to show off!”

Gu Yeonhwa, who had somehow climbed onto her chair, shouted while striking a ridiculous pose.

“Don’t stand on the chair. Sit down. Are you an elementary school student?”

“Please definitely call my parents! It’s time to let them know that a power even I can’t handle resides within me!”

Gu Yeonhwa pointed at herself with a thumbs up.

“…We’re not calling parents to see your pathetic chuunibyou.”

“Pathetic?!”

“And why are you wearing a dress again? That’s 15 penalty points.”

I checked the penalty points in the attendance book while looking at her wearing a black frilled dress.

However, Gu Yeonhwa didn’t care and confidently crossed her arms.

“Hohoho! Go ahead! Even with these 15 points, I still won’t exceed 100 points!”

“Wasn’t it supposed to be classroom cleaning duty if you exceed 90 points?”

“…I don’t know about that.”

“Clean the classroom today before you leave.”

“Gyaaah! N-no! I have to watch my backlog of anime today!”

She just outed herself as an otaku.

No one was curious, nor did anyone want to know.

“Did you know that Jeong Iyeon cleans the classroom alone every day?”

“That’s hard work! How nice of you!”

Gu Yeonhwa gave Jeong Iyeon a thumbs up. Iyeon responded with a bitter smile, saying, “Thanks.” She seemed uncomfortable with Gu Yeonhwa’s high tension.

“Anyway! I really want you to tell my parents!”

She came down from the chair and said with a bright smile that showed her teeth. Looking at her eyes filled with expectation made me feel sick.

Surely, she would soon be disappointed by those expectations. Then she would cry quietly where no one could see her.

If only she had tried to cut ties like Yu Ari, she wouldn’t have had any expectations at all.

…No, is that too cruel to say about her?

“…Alright.”

I responded glumly.

“Fine, but don’t forget to clean.”

“What happens if I don’t?”

Is she deliberately provoking me now?

“I’ll keep giving you penalty points until you do it.”

“Wow! Are you using institutional power so unfairly? I see you fear my power, trying to put me in restraints!”

“Ah, yes. Let’s say that’s the case.”

Finding it bothersome to deal with her, I gave a half-hearted response. Her smile then ascended all the way to her cheekbones.

“Hoho. Finally, the instructor has admitted he’s weaker than me. I’ve finally subjugated him! At last, I have my first subordinate and comrade!”

“I’m neither your comrade nor your subordinate. If you don’t shut up and sit down right now, I’ll put a bump on your head.”

“V-violence is wrong!”

As I clenched my fist, she hurriedly protected her head and sat down. Only then did I relax my fist and continue with the original announcements.

“Anyway… just know that I plan to contact your parents. You know there’s a midterm exam right after the parent visitation, right? It’s been postponed a bit, but prepare well.”

“Yes!”

Only Jeong Iyeon responded.

Naturally, I couldn’t expect good grades from these problem children who never attended classes.

“That’s all for homeroom. Pay attention in class.”

I closed the attendance book while looking at their uncomfortable faces.

* * *

After making Gu Yeonhwa clean the classroom, I headed to the faculty office. I had already told Yeon Muhui to train individually today.

I took out the student directory from my desk in the faculty office and checked the parents’ phone numbers.

“I guess it’s best to start with the person I least want to contact?”

I took out my cell phone and entered Yeon Hwa-ryong’s number. I pressed the call button while exhaling what might have been a sigh or a deep breath.

Ring ring—

The dial tone sounded.

After about six rings, there was a click, followed by the recipient’s deep, low voice.

[Who is this?]

He’s speaking informally with “who is this?”

He’s older than me, so I’ll let it slide. Just this once.

“…Hello? Is this Yeon Hwa-ryong’s number?”

[Yes, it is. Who are you?]

“I’m Yu Jin, the special class instructor at Aegis Academy.”

[Yu Jin…? Don’t know you.]

Well, of course he doesn’t know me since we’ve never met or spoken before.

And I didn’t expect him to anyway.

Yeon Hwa-ryong has a conflict with Yeon Muhui. There’s no way Yeon Muhui would have told him about her circumstances.

“Ah, yes. More importantly, there’s a parent visitation scheduled for a week starting April 23rd. I was calling to ask if you’re planning to visit—”

[…Is this because of the assassination incident that occurred at the academy recently?]

I was about to get heated by his bulldozer-like conversation style of cutting off others. But recognizing that I was speaking to a parent, I firmly held onto my rationality.

“That’s correct.”

[How pathetic. They boast about being the best educational institution, yet their security was breached by mere villains.]

I could hear him clicking his tongue in disapproval.

It was a fair criticism, so honestly, I had nothing to say.

“…So when do you plan to visit?”

[When I have time.]

“So roughly when would that be…?”

[I’ll come when I see fit. Don’t ask.]

The call abruptly ended.

This son of a—!

I swallowed the expletive that almost burst out.

I had to endure. He was a parent. Moreover, he was a hero.

If he were a villain, I’d be allowed to punch him in the solar plexus the moment we met, but he wasn’t.

As a representative of an educational institution, this was something I had to tolerate.

All I could do was swallow my rising anger and call the next parent.

Hoping this time someone normal would answer.