Ch.5Episode 1. I Became an Academy Instructor. (5)

After Jeong I-yeon, someone finally appeared wearing a proper school uniform.

A woman carrying a rectangular cross bag and a sword case stared at me with an indifferent expression, as if she couldn’t care less about the world around her.

While her face revealed no emotion, her crimson eyes and sharp gaze combined to create an illusion of hostility just by looking at her.

“This month?”

“…It changes every month. Whether it’s an instructor or a teacher.”

Her black ponytail swayed gently as she entered and answered after a slight pause.

“I’m different. I’ll be with you throughout this semester.”

“Whatever, that’s fine. Just don’t get in my way. I’ll attend roll call every morning.”

She coolly replied as she took the seat to the right of Gu Yeonhwa. She placed her cross bag and sword case on the desk.

“Yeon Muhui, attend classes too.”

“There’s no reason to. Classes are boring and useless. Above all, they don’t help at all.”

Just like a typical problem student…

She spoke calmly as she opened her sword case and took out a black Japanese sword, drawing it from its sheath. Even the blade was black.

Then she took out some oil from her bag, applied it to the blade, and began wiping it with a clean handkerchief.

I glanced at the time and saw it was already past ten o’clock.

The entrance ceremony ended a while ago, but one student is missing without even filing a missing person report.

Given they haven’t shown up yet, they’re probably sprawled out sleeping in the special class research lab after studying late into the night.

“Although one person is missing, I’ll proceed with the orientation.”

I walked to the podium and opened the attendance book.

“I’ll call attendance first. Jeong I-yeon.”

“Yes!”

“Yeon Muhui.”

“…Yeah.”

“Gu Yeonhwa.”

“Huhu, I’m not Gu Yeonhwa—”

“Yu Ari.”

“Yes.”

“Listen to me!”

Gu Yeonhwa flared up in the middle, but I easily ignored her.

“Since Bin Yuni isn’t here, I’ll check later. Gu Yeonhwa and Yu Ari, wear your uniforms properly starting tomorrow. Understood?”

“…Yeees~.”

Gu Yeonhwa answered halfheartedly. With that kind of response, she definitely won’t wear it tomorrow. Rotten kid.

“Now, let me introduce myself. I am—”

“Not interested.”

A cold voice cut off my words. The atmosphere turned awkward.

I let out a hollow laugh. The other students looked surprised and turned their attention to Yeon Muhui.

Just when I was trying to be polite with formal speech, she throws cold water on it.

Starting off too strict isn’t good. But if I’m too lenient, they’ll take me for granted.

After a moment’s consideration, I decided to be strict. I was certain that if I appeared too easygoing at first impression, I wouldn’t be able to control these kids.

“Listen anyway, even if you’re not interested.”

“……”

Displeased with my forceful tone, the handkerchief wiping the blade stopped moving. She was frowning slightly, though it was barely noticeable.

“My name is Yujin. Unlike other teachers and instructors, I won’t ‘give up’ on you.”

“Give up…?”

Was my statement unexpected?

For a brief moment, all four pairs of eyes focused on me.

“I intend to be a proper guide to help you become heroes safely.”

“Instructor Yujin. Pretty words. Nice. But don’t push yourself.”

Yeon Muhui said as she sheathed her sword. After securing it to her belt, she stood up.

“What do you mean?”

“To be a guide, you need to have enough strength to convince me.”

She spoke indifferently as she gathered her things. She put her bag back on and walked toward the entrance she had come through.

“Words are all meaningless. Both what you say in class and your fake concern for us. In the end, only strength matters.”

“Is that your value system?”

“……”

She stopped as she grabbed the door, about to leave.

“Yeah. Probably.”

“Then why did you come to the academy? If you could grow sufficiently without attending, there’d be no reason to come, right?”

“…Instructor, I have no obligation to tell you that.”

“As your supervising instructor—”

“I’m starting to get annoyed. Stop talking.”

The door she was holding cracked and warped. One more word and she might draw her sword.

“I’m not asking you to care. I don’t expect anything. Just leave me alone.”

“…With that attitude, you’ll never win.”

I deliberately omitted the subject and spoke somewhat provocatively.

But she would have understood who I was referring to.

“…What?”

Her face, which had been turned away until now, came into full view. She had completely turned around and was looking at me in confusion.

“What… are you saying…?”

“You came to the academy because of ‘that person,’ right?”

While many students commute to the academy, living in the dormitory allowed one to avoid outside interference as much as possible. For someone like her who needed time to improve her skills, there was no better refuge than the academy.

Of course, bringing up her father in front of her was like touching a sore spot, but still.

BANG!

The door split in half and crashed into the corridor wall. A tremendous noise echoed, but there was no commotion. There were no other students in Annex Building 2 except for the special class.

“Instructor, you’re annoying. Do you want to die?”

She placed her hand on her sword, ready to draw it at any moment.

The confidence with which she gripped her sword stemmed from her pride in her skills, believing she could win in any situation.

Honestly, in this world, when it comes to swordsmanship, the Yeon family is acknowledged as the best.

Yeon Muhui has the talent to eventually surpass her father and become one of the world’s top villains.

But I can say with certainty.

She is weaker than me.

It would be different if all five attacked at once, but at least there’s no reason for them to cooperate right now.

“I don’t want to die.”

“Then shut up. You’re really annoying me.”

“…Breaking the door earns you penalty points. You know that exceeding 100 points means suspension, right? And during suspension, you can’t use any facilities outside the dormitory.”

I quickly said to Yeon Muhui as she tried to leave into the corridor. She stopped again and glared at me. What? I just stated the rules.

“Your current penalty points are 95, right? Property damage is 40 points, so you don’t need to come to school for a week starting tomorrow. Right?”

“…What are you trying to do?”

“But I’m willing to give you 1 merit point per hour if you attend classes diligently. How about it?”

“I asked what you’re trying to do.”

Step, step.

Somehow, the sound of her shoes seemed louder. She must be quite irritated.

From bringing up her father to talking about penalty points.

Since no teacher or instructor had bothered her mood before, she was probably feeling more annoyed than usual.

She approached me with killing intent, but her expression remained stoic. If anything, her brow was slightly furrowed, showing a hint of displeasure.

“As an instructor, I’m rightfully—”

Tap.

Yeon Muhui quickly drew her sword and placed it against my neck.

The black blade was so sharp it seemed like it would slice through my flesh with the slightest movement.

“Do you want to die?”

“Would that be okay? If this gets out, it would be quite a problem, wouldn’t it? No matter how talented a student you are, if you kill an instructor, you’ll be treated as a villain. Can you handle that?”

Even though the academy might cover up her misdeeds, they couldn’t overlook serious crimes like murder. They would certainly label her a villain and arrest her immediately.

“Besides, there are others watching.”

I subtly pointed toward the three people sitting blankly, and Yeon Muhui glanced sideways.

The three who had been silently observing our confrontation showed bewilderment in their eyes. Well, they probably didn’t expect such provocation from the first meeting.

Tsk. Yeon Muhui clicked her tongue and withdrew her sword.

Her eyebrows were drawn together, suggesting her pride was quite hurt. Hot-tempered as always. Pride doesn’t put food on the table.

“So I’ll assume you’ll attend classes starting tomorrow—”

THUD!

As soon as Yeon Muhui sheathed her sword, she threw a punch at my face. However, the punch was blocked by my palm before it could reach my face.

“Assaulting an instructor…”

“Shut up.”

“This is as far as I’ll tolerate your disrespect. I have no intention of fighting students. But if you want to continue, you’ll have to stake your life.”

I have no intention of going easy just because she’s a student. She’s not someone to be taken lightly.

After glaring at me for a while, she pulled her fist away from my grip as if shaking it off. She turned and left the classroom.

“If you don’t show up, it’s suspension plus community service on campus. Remember that.”

I called out to the departing Yeon Muhui.

Naturally, there was no response. Only the irregular sound of her shoes echoed in the corridor.

“The same goes for all of you. If you want to reduce your penalty points, attend classes. Especially you, Yu Ari. You also have 76 penalty points.”

“Those teachers… I thought they just… let it slide… How annoying.”

She mumbled, looking at me with just her eyes while slumped over her desk.

Seems like she’s not happy with the situation.

Well, it’s like putting a leash back on an unleashed beast.

I understand the dissatisfaction. But I have no intention of letting you become villains.

“Instructor!”

Jeong I-yeon stood up abruptly from her seat, raising her hand high.

“Yes?”

“How strong are you, Instructor?! Since you were recommended by the Association President, are you S-rank? Or perhaps an SS-rank that hasn’t been established yet?!”

She asked with wide eyes and an open mouth, wearing a somewhat foolish expression. The pure curiosity in her eyes made me feel rather uncomfortable.

Besides, what’s SS? Is this a gacha game?

“I’m not weak. At least stronger than all of you, including Yeon Muhui.”

I’ve already verified my abilities by beating up villains over the past month and have become accustomed to this body.

I might still struggle to face an S-rank hero alone, but I haven’t reached my growth limit yet, so I planned to build up my strength at a leisurely pace.

“Hmph! Using violence just because you’re strong is bad, Instructor! You should let me hit you once too!”

“You want me to let you hit me again?”

Gu Yeonhwa pouted and turned her head away.

Ignoring Gu Yeonhwa’s grumbling, I took out the academy curriculum paper and student handbooks tucked in the attendance book and distributed them to the girls.

“Your student IDs will be ready in a week, so I’ll give them to you then. The precautions and school rules are in the student handbook, so read it at least once.”

“Yes!”

“This concludes the orientation. Everyone go back safely, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

I closed the attendance book and was about to leave the classroom when I sighed at the sight of the broken door.

But how am I supposed to explain this? Should I say I broke it? Might get fired for that.

Since the supervising instructor is also responsible for what the students do, I should clean this up. Still, if these potential villains can safely become heroes, it’s a small price to pay.

I kicked the shattered door and was about to head toward the main building when I paused.

Before that, maybe I should have a chat with the one who’s been sleeping in on the first day.