episode_0014

*****

People who enjoy going to school and people who find it difficult. If people were to be divided into those two categories, the boy–Lee Hwa-in, of course–was the latter.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was being bullied. Friendship relationships are good. There are also friends who believe in you. The painter was sure that in terms of the world as a whole, his environment was definitely blessed.

That’s why even if I find ridicule without awareness from someone else.

Even if the anticipation I felt as I looked at the school gate suddenly turned into a feeling of crushing frustration.

The painter had thought that it was the complaining of a child who had not had enough, and that it must not be otherwise.

But today, those gloomy thoughts have disappeared a little. The training building reminds me of repeated failures. It was because the image of someone else came to mind there.

‘He was a special kid.’

At first, I thought a nearby child had come to take a peek. It was common for an awakened child who admired a hero to come see him.

Since the girl’s height was only about the same as the artist’s chest, it was even more misleading.

That thought was overturned when I saw the girl’s single hand. I am a painter who has only been learning martial arts properly for half a year. It wasn’t until much later that I realized that the girl’s demonstration was the movement I had performed myself.

The girl swinging her hand in the air was so graceful that even an outsider could sense it at a glance.

‘… No, it’s not about looks, it’s about movement.’

Let alone making excuses that you don’t even know who you’re making. That wasn’t the only thing unusual about the girl. Just by pointing out the shape of the muscles a few times, the girl was able to instantly correct the painter’s movements.

Even the teachers at school have never shown me such absurd behavior. The painter had no idea what the girl’s level was.

Of course, it wasn’t necessarily unusual in a good way. I was shocked when the girl suddenly revealed her white belly button. If there had been eyes around him, Hwain would have been subject to disciplinary review by now.

Plus, he doesn’t hesitate to touch his body even if it’s necessary. The painter said that the distance was strange in many ways and complained to no one who would listen.

‘I guess we won’t have to meet anymore anyway.’

I had never heard of such a thing as a transfer student at Cheonmyeong High School. Even children of large companies have to take difficult entrance exams to get in, so how is it possible to get a job like transfer?

It was the moment Hwa-in entered the class with that thought in his mind.

“… !?”

Grumble. The moment the classroom door opened, dozens of pairs of eyes fell on Hwain. Fine stiffened as he was bombarded with stares for the first time since making a fool of himself in the first potential demonstration.

Fortunately, the interest is only temporary. After realizing that it was a painter who opened the door and came in, everyone went back to their work.

Feeling relieved that he was not the target, Hwa-in headed straight to where his friends were.

“Hi~… .”

“It’s not that high. What did you just do? You thought I had done something without even knowing it.”

“We don’t know the details either. Rumor has it that a transfer student is coming or something.”

“So, why didn’t you come sooner? It’s because I come at the perfect time right before the teacher comes.”

The joking laughter of friends. Normally, he would have smiled and accepted it, but right now, Painter didn’t have the brains left to do so.

Transfer student. A possibility that had been ignored until just a moment ago suddenly rose to the surface.

“Transfer student… ? A transfer student, no way──”

“Ah, the teacher is here.”

One way or another, being a transfer student is an event for a student. This is even more so when it comes to Cheonmyeong High School, which has no precedent.

Usually, the students were busy chatting even after their homeroom teacher came, but today they immediately sat down and became quiet.

“You guys are really… . Ugh. How good would it be if you always did this?”

“Are we usually like this?”

“That’s right, teacher. What if a new student hears it and misunderstands?”

“It’s good to hear news quickly. Yeah, what’s the point of dragging it on for no reason? We should finish it quickly and become friends. ──Come in, Amy.”

Grumble. The one who followed Sia’s signal and came in was a blonde, heterosexual girl.

Even for a girl, she has a small body and large black horns that don’t match her size. Her bright red face, as if she was embarrassed, caught the attention of her classmates.

Of course, the person who looked the most intently was the painter. When I heard that I was a transfer student, what I couldn’t believe came true. As a boy in his prime, I couldn’t help but feel sentimental in many ways.

However, what the painter didn’t expect was that he wasn’t the only one who remembered yesterday’s meeting impressively.

“Ah.”

The girl’s gaze, which was scanning the children in her class, stopped on Hwa-in. Is there anyone who wouldn’t feel something when they see that reaction?

Looking away from the shower of attention for the second time today, the painter quickly began to think about what to say later.

***

“Hey, Sia. After all, it would be better to change to pants right now──”

“Be persistent, senior. There’s no way I can change my clothes now. And it’s in school now. Please call me sister properly. Okay, Amy?”

“Ugh… .”

The day of school. On the street where I could see a sign saying 1-A, I made a final negotiation with Sia and then sank. Although it was a result that was predicted yesterday when it could not be changed.

Actually, I know that I don’t look strange right now because I’ve seen things on the way here. I know, but… . I keep getting the feeling that I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing.

Of course, whether I did it or not, the situation proceeded without a hitch. I waited outside the classroom door for a while. The sound of Sia calling was heard from inside the class, which quickly became quiet.

Just like that, I came face to face with the kids in my class who will be with me for the time being.

As expected from an awakened school, the classroom was full of colorful heads. To the point where standard black hair feels rather rare. Accordingly, a variety of eyes were looking straight at me.

I knew that attention would be focused as it was the appearance of a transfer student. However, the views of the children who seemed to have potential were not always favorable.

When the class was divided into two, most of the positive emotions such as curiosity and favor were felt on the window side, while on the hallway side, wariness and even a faint but even hostility were felt.

While I was puzzled by the view, which was much more extreme than I expected. Suddenly, I found the boy I had met yesterday in the corner of the class.

“Ah.”

I guess this meeting was unexpected for them too. The boy looked quite surprised. Even though there were a lot of people I didn’t know, I was happy to see them and waved slightly. The boy avoided my eyes before that, so my greeting did not reach him.

What is that guy? For the first time in a while, someone greeted me.

Still, thanks to this, the tension eased a bit. At least it seems like there aren’t any guys who think my appearance itself is strange.

“Today, the transfer student you were so looking forward to arrived. You will be taking classes together in the future, so get along well. Come on, Amy. Introduce yourself here──”

“──Teacher, may I ask you one thing?”

However, there was a student who did not like anything other than appearance. Just before I introduced myself, a male student sitting at the end of the hallway raised his hand.

Although he wore glasses, he was a sharp-looking boy who looked more like a loan shark disguised as a gentleman than a criminal. Maybe I feel that way even more because I’ve been overtly showing caution and hostility since a while ago.

“Why are you doing that? Cheolgu.”

“… It’s a steel ball. I would have always told you to call me by my hero name.”

“It is up to the teacher to decide what to call the student. So, what’s going on?”

“A sudden transfer student. It doesn’t make sense. Please explain.”

The sense of distance is not a problem when asking for a hero name rather than a name. It has a very crisp atmosphere, but is this okay?

However, looking at the atmosphere in the classroom, this conflict itself was accepted as if it were natural. The kids by the window shook their heads as if asking, “What the heck?”, but their eyes lit up when they heard the explanation.

“It’s difficult to say that. Is there a law preventing transfer students from coming to Cheonmyeong High School?”

“We all entered Cheonmyeong High School through a difficult entrance exam. But do you think we can accept a student who suddenly transfers and fails an A class without even taking an exam?”

I saw kids nodding their heads all over the class. Only half of them seemed to sincerely agree, but it seems true that there are actually kids who think that way.

I guess they thought it would follow the atmosphere of the class. The boy continued speaking in a more confident voice.

“At least, as far as I know, I haven’t found any place where the company provides support to that student. Then, I think this is an excess of authority on the part of the association. Moreover, I also heard a rumor that the transfer student was a sister to the teacher.

“Hmm. So?”

“I, no, we want to check whether that transfer student is eligible for admission. Also, is the rumor true? Since a sister is the homeroom teacher, how can we be sure that she will not provide biased benefits?”

The way he spoke was a bit bittersweet, but the content itself was worth mentioning. In an evaluation that depends on your future, you put your relatives right at the bottom. It is natural for those competing to be dissatisfied.

… The distance between the awakened and the non-awakened has been narrowed as much as possible, but it seems a bit tiresome to fight against each other by dividing them into corporations and associations.

Aside from that, I feel like my school life is starting to go wrong from the beginning. Even though I didn’t do anything!

I looked at Sia and told her to do something, and she gave me a wink as if asking me to leave it to her in return. Is it really okay?

“First of all, let me make one thing clear. It’s true that this child is my younger brother. Although we are not connected by blood.”

“Then it’s not fair, right? Even if the teacher says he does not show favoritism, he cannot deny the possibility that he does it unconsciously─”

“Huh? What do you mean you don’t show favoritism?”

Sia’s voice seemed genuinely puzzled. Of course, everyone in the class looked at Sia in shock.

Of course, I am also surprised. What on earth is he talking about now? I thought it would be accepted, but I never thought it would be like this.

“Ji, from what you just said, it sounds like you are favoring that transfer student?”

“Yes. I’m going to be partial. How cute our ARMY is. Don’t show favoritism to this, it’s unreasonable.”

“As a teacher, do you think such behavior is acceptable!?”

“What do you think? Ahaha. If you are dissatisfied, submit a formal complaint. Because Cheonmyeong High School’s complaint room is always open.”

“… You will regret it later.”

Cheol-gu spoke like a third-rate villain and lowered his raised hand again. It may be that there is nothing else to say. If you twist it, it will stab you. Who on earth did I learn this reckless behavior from?

… I go? Maybe it’s me. Huh.

Anyway, since it was done so openly, there were no more students who stumbled and fell. To be precise, I might have to say that I was so dazed that I didn’t even have time to do that.

“Do you have anything more to say? … There isn’t any? Okay, so now I can introduce myself properly. Come on, Amy. Let’s introduce ourselves. Introduce ourselves.”

And in that worst situation, Sia passed the baton to me.

Would you like to introduce yourself? … In this atmosphere!?

Of course, if I thought positively, it seemed like whatever I said would be accepted. Considering the self-introduction I’m about to make, it might not be such a bad situation.

Convincing myself like that, I slowly recited the self-introduction I had prepared in front of the frozen children.

***

My seat was in a very good position, at the back of the second row by the window. In a young adult novel, would anyone understand if it were the seat next to the main character’s seat?

But now there was something more important than that. This is the face of the kids sitting around me.

As is typical in hero activities, class seats were arranged by team. And since the purpose is the purpose, the team I belong to is of course the team of the original protagonist.

In other words, these kids sitting around me are the original main character team members. Among them was the face of a boy I had seen before.

I wonder if he was involved, even though it was the main character himself.

“Um… . Can I say we met again? I’m sorry, I got help yesterday but couldn’t even tell you my name.”

The boy who turned around in the front seat shyly started talking to me. This neat-faced boy I saw yesterday is Lee Hwa-in, the main character of the original work.

In the original illustration, it had a fancy bridge style. If you look closely, you can see thin red hair peeking through the black hair.

Indeed, this is what the main character felt like in the beginning. … There’s no way you would know! How are you supposed to remember something like this!

“It’s okay, it’s my fault for suddenly leaving.”

“Thank you for saying that. Since we’re on the same team, let’s do well.”

Fortunately, I want to believe that yesterday’s first meeting wasn’t that bad. After a brief self-introduction, I lightly held the outstretched hand.

“What, what! You two knew each other!?”

“It’s not like that. I just got some help yesterday. Ah, this kid──”

“Hello, Amiya! My name is Raon. The hero name is also the same. Please take care of me in the future!”

The person who greeted me with a smile like sunshine was Raon, an orange-haired side-tailed girl. This kid is also sitting right next to me.

Last name… , what is it? Even in the original work, only the name appeared every time, so I’m not sure about the last name. I’ll have to ask later.

“… It is called Ho Jeong-yeong. The hero name is Jabberwock. Call me whichever you like.”

The last team member was a boy with navy blue hair in the diagonal front seat. Compared to Hwain, it is quite small, so it is easy to look at. Still bigger than me.

Compared to the other two, his harsh attitude was surprisingly close to what we saw in the original.

Hwain, Raon, and Jeong Young. These three are the protagonist, main heroine, and friend of the original work, respectively.

Even though the plot of the original story has become half-famous, the potential these three have is real. It is my job to assist them so that they can become great heroes.

“Today is the first day, so there are probably a lot of things you don’t know. Do you have any questions?”

“Ah, if that’s the case then──”

“Let’s sleep~! It’s shameful for you guys to have all the transfer students! Share it with us too!”

“Sister! If you interrupt while your team members are talking among themselves… . Oh, sorry, guys. My sister again… .”

“Hehe. It’s okay if it’s Hye-ran~.”

“That’s right. How much I helped them.”

However, not everything can be the same as the original. It’s one thing that I changed, but there are people like Changhyuk who are capable even if they don’t appear in the original.

The blue-haired girl who just popped out was one of those types. The girl named Hye-ran, who vigorously bounces her ponytail on top of her head, would not have been present in the original work. Just by looking at the exposed arm muscles and body posture, you could tell that he was a person of considerable skill.

“But why do you call me sister?”

“We are twins. Although they are identical, surprisingly few people notice because their hair color is different. Oh, my name is Hyeji──”

“I guess that’s okay! Fafnir, may I ask you something?”

“Huh!? Ah, yes. But please call me by my real name. Because I don’t like hero names that much.”

“Confirm! So, what I want to ask you about is your self-introduction. … Is it true that you are a man?”

Despite coming at me with such determination, the questions were very cautious. No, you must have deliberately ruined the atmosphere to ask this question.

As soon as that question came out of Hyeran’s mouth, the expressions on the faces of the kids around her hardened slightly. Feeling like ‘Ah’ or ‘Are you really asking that?’ It seems like the other kids in the class were secretly listening to this story.

I didn’t think anyone would properly listen to Sia’s explosive remarks. Surprisingly, my self-introduction left quite an impression.

“Yes, that’s right. He was originally a man, but due to his heteromorphic potential, his body changed and his gender also changed. It’s a repetition of what I said earlier, but it’s really just this.”

“Well, I see. … I thought I would see Nang Ja-ae’s character in real life… .”

“Sister!”

“Ah, why! You can organize your dreams! It’s a world with magic!”

“… ?”

Hye-ji made a loud noise at the moment when Hye-ran’s voice became quiet, so I couldn’t hear the latter part properly. backbiting… , I don’t think so. What is it?

As a side note, revealing that I was a man was one of the things I decided upon while talking with Sia yesterday. The reason why I reveal it is simple. Because I wasn’t confident that I could get along well with girls.

Even so, I have never had a girlfriend in my nearly 40 years of life, including my past life. As a woman, hanging out with girls was very difficult for me throughout my school days, even if it was just an acquaintance.

My goal now is to return to my original body. So, I thought that if I revealed that I was male from the beginning, when I returned to my original self, people around me would be much less embarrassed, and there would be less disruption in human relationships.

If you say, ‘This is all because of potential,’ the awakened people will almost certainly be convinced.

“Hmm. Then move on to the next matter. Ah, you look strong just by looking at you. Are you thinking of joining our team other than Surt’s?──”

“Up to there. It’s bad manners to take away a team member who just joined, sister.”

“Oh, let go of this! It’s hard for me to stand in the vanguard alone~!”

Just like when she came, Hye-ran disappeared in an instant, being led by Hye-ji’s hand. There was some sincerity in the final, sad cry. Well, I won’t have to go to another team.

“… So, what were you talking about?”

“It’s the first day and I’m asking if you have any questions.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Thanks to a comment from Jeongyoung next to me, I remembered what they were talking about. You can become close friends with other kids, so getting used to school should be the priority for now.

What I was curious about was about the subtle struggle that the guy named Cheol-gu showed just now. Since you mentioned a company, it must be related to a company. For some reason, Sia rarely spoke about this aspect.

Even now, the kids in the hallway seats, including Cheolgu, were glancing in my direction and talking about something. The control of potential is not yet perfect, so I unintentionally become concerned.

If things continue like this, there might be some kind of controversy in the near future.

“Ah, it’s about them.”

“Don’t worry too much. Because it is an extension of the power struggle between the association and the company. … No, now that I think about it, you probably can’t do that.”

When we talked about him, Hwain and Raon’s faces turned into bitter smiles. If you can make these guys look like this, you must be pretty serious. Of course, as it is a school, there are limits.

“I also think it’s better not to worry. Anyway, except for Cheolgu, no one does it so blatantly. I feel like I’m doing it because Cheolgu is half the job.”

“Hmm. Master Eonryeong has a bit of a cold personality, but I’ve never heard of him causing a problem like that.”

“But aren’t demons a problem in a different way?”

“He just said he was going to break up the company and he has already given up half of it.”

In the meantime, a lot of proper nouns started popping out. However, I only know Eonyeongsa Temple well. The most popular heroine in the original work, she was a silver-haired girl with cool beauty who could control words and spirits.

In the original work, the setting would have been that he was the only successor to an extinct famous family. Maybe it’s because the company survived, but in this world, she seems to be a real lady, not a poor but classy girl.

Besides that, most of my questions were in the direction of bridging the gap between ‘Cheonmyeong High School in the original’ and ‘Cheonmyeong High School in reality.’

“Ami, you only ask very unusual things. I don’t know what I think I know, and I know what I don’t think I know.”

“Ah, ahaha~… .”

Because of that, I did get a strange look from Jeongyoung.

Well, I think this is a pretty good start for the first day.

*****