episode_0056

“—.”

The sound of the washing machine fills Se-ah’s dormitory.

We decided to explore the academy until the laundry was done.

Before leaving, Se-ah handed me a pair of white socks in my uniform.

I accepted the socks without much thought.

But… something seems off.

Why are these socks so long?

“They’re so pretty, Unni!”

In the end, I ended up putting on the socks as well.

The thigh bulging slightly above the socks was quite uncomfortable.

Reminded of garter belts from the past, I tried hard to take off the socks.

However, Se-ah insisted that I must wear socks that cover the calves according to the rules.

It felt strange, but for now, I decided to listen to the girl.

“O-Okay?”

Anyway, she probably knows more about this place than I do.

I should probably follow the rules…

But wait.

Since I’m not a student here anyway, do I really have to dress according to the rules?

I wanted to point out the oddity, but we had already reached the corridor.

It was too late to go back and change.

Carrying my crossbody bag, I followed Se-ah slowly.

She linked her arm with mine and showed me around.

“This is the elite class, and over there is the supplementary class. Sometimes they have joint classes.”

“Oh… I see.”

Being so enamored with the academy, I enjoyed exploring as well.

The visuals made me feel like it was a high school remodel, bringing back memories of my teens.

“Oh, wait a moment.”

Se-ah’s phone rang.

She looked a bit awkward as she answered the call, distancing herself from me.

With a serious expression, she took the call cautiously.

Soon after ending the call, she looked at me with a melancholic expression.

“Unni… The professor called me, I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Sure. I’ll look around by myself.”

I nodded subtly with a faint smile.

Se-ah then pointed at her phone and urged me.

“I’ll be back soon, so please keep your phone with you. Got it?”

Like a mother talking to her daughter.

I gestured that it was fine, urging her to go quickly.

“Sigh…”

Now I was left alone.

After walking around all day with our arms linked, my shoulders were sore.

Hanging out with young girls… It’s quite tiring.

Finally, I could wander around the academy alone.

Carrying a bag, I truly felt like a student, even though I was wearing a skirt…

Unconsciously, I kept pulling down the hemline of my skirt.

The squeak of my sneakers echoed in the hallway.

“Come to think of it… I don’t see any students around.”

Is it because it’s class time?

I leisurely walked through the corridors of the supplementary class.

Outside, the warm midday sun was shining.

Plants bathed in sunlight sparkled.

It was incredibly peaceful.

Feeling somewhat nostalgic, like going back to my younger days, I gazed at a potted plant.

A flower bloomed in that pot, not knowing where it came from or who it was, shining alone.

“—.”

After staring at the flower for a while, I suddenly turned my head.

I heard a voice coming from the supplementary class corridor.

I followed the voice and slowly headed towards the classroom.

Glancing inside, I observed the classroom.

On the blackboard, it said ‘Alchemy Practice.’

Three students were gathered around large workbenches, listening to the teacher’s explanation.

Various potion ingredients were laid out on their workbenches.

From mint and herbs to water, milk, and even alcohol.

“So, today we’re making Intermediate Stamina Potions. Have you all prepared your ingredients?”

“Yes-.”

The students answered the teacher’s question one by one.

They had prepared a variety of ingredients and were showing off what they brought.

However, not everyone confidently displayed the ingredients they had prepared.

A girl sat alone in a corner of the lab.

With disheveled black short hair, she exuded a gloomy aura.

Even her arm was bandaged as if she had been injured.

Had she failed to prepare the ingredients on time?

I stared blankly at the somber girl.

As I gazed at her, I quickly averted my eyes.

Someone had spoken to me.

“Hey, student?”

I regained my composure and looked towards the source of the voice.

It was the professor who had been earnestly explaining the practical exam.

Wearing glasses and neatly tied hair, she smiled while looking out the classroom window.

“You’re late. If the students from the remedial class are late for class, they’ll be in trouble.”

Her words made my anxious eyes widen.

I pointed at myself and asked, “Me?”

“Hurry up and come in. Since it’s before the practical session, I’ll make an exception.”

The professor gestured and opened the classroom door.

She seemed to be a telekinetic.

I entered the classroom in surprise.

Since I was already inside, I should explain properly that I am a student.

I approached the professor slowly.

After organizing my thoughts calmly, I spoke up.

“Jiyoon almost had to do the practical alone because I was late.”

However, before I could finish speaking, the professor interrupted.

Looking back and forth between me and the gloomy student, she reprimanded us.

“Please take your seats.”

All the students were staring at me.

Carrying my bag, I must have looked like a typical tardy student.

Especially the male students seemed very interested in my large crossbody bag.

They were staring blankly at the bag strap diagonally crossing my chest.

“But I’m a student here…”

“If you have excuses for being late, save them for the office later.”

The professor adjusted her glasses sternly.

She pointed to the clock placed in the middle of the blackboard.

“We’re wasting time because of the candidates.”

The practical session had already begun.

In an awkward situation, I scratched the back of my head.

Glancing around, most of the female students were looking at me with displeasure.

Unable to withstand their cold gazes, I slowly headed towards the experiment table.

There sat Jiyoon, bowing her head deeply.

I quietly sat next to her all of a sudden.

Jiyoon fidgeted with her fingers, glancing at me.

I wanted to tell her the truth, even if just for her sake.

If I ended up paired with someone who didn’t even know the lesson, the experiment would likely be ruined.

After taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth towards her.

But…

“Oh, hi?”

Jiyoon greeted me first.

She seemed to find it difficult to muster the courage, speaking hesitantly.

“Uh… hi.”

I couldn’t help but respond to her greeting.

She clasped her hands together, unsure of what to do.

“Thanks for being my partner. It was tough since no one else wanted to…”

She seemed delighted to have finally found a partner.

Her excitement resembled that of a small animal happy to have made a new friend.

I couldn’t help but smile at her adorable demeanor.

With such a reaction, it’s hard to refuse…

If I rejected her, I’d feel like the bad guy.

Why is such a cute girl doing the experiment alone?

She seems like the popular type at school…

“Um, let’s start the experiment. I’ll try my best to do everything.”

Jiyoon moved her small hands nervously, like a hamster in distress.

She began collecting herbs slowly, placing the flask and gathering ingredients.

“Are you sure about this? It must be tough doing it alone.”

I looked at her with concern.

While everyone else worked in groups of three, she was doing so much by herself.

It looked incredibly challenging.

“It’s okay… I’ve mostly done everything alone even when working with others.”

She smiled mischievously at me.

There were bruises scattered across the girl’s forehead.

His hair was roughly cut, but up close, it seemed unable to completely cover the blue marks.

I involuntarily gasped at the sight.

This child.

Is being bullied.

The corners of my mouth twitched.

In this bleak era, is school violence still prevalent?

Anger surged within me.

Who on earth…

I turned my head to glance at the students engrossed in their experiments.

The elite class students and the supplementary class students were divided into halves.

Among them, my attention was particularly drawn to three female students who seemed to belong to the elite class.

Their experiment table had significantly more materials compared to other students.

They seemed uninterested in the experiment, fooling around with flasks as if it were a joke.

One of them was even browsing her phone with her chin resting on her hand.

“Don’t look over there… They’re from the elite class.”

Jiyoon murmured, seeming concerned.

It seems like this academy has discrimination based on grades.

I eventually turned my head back, deciding to focus on the experiment for now.

Since it’s come to this, let’s help Jiyoon finish the class safely.

Mixing potions or cocktails should be similar.

“Is the experiment going well?”

I asked, looking at the glassware and flasks on her desk.

Upon hearing my question, Jiyoon slowly shook her head.

“No… It seems difficult due to the lack of materials.”

Come to think of it, our experiment table had notably fewer materials.

Most other students had plenty of alcohol and beverages on their desks.

“Why do we have fewer materials on our table?”

I asked, to which Jiyoon replied with a bitter expression.

“The elite class students took them. I had to buy their materials too.”

“Why did you?”

I don’t understand.

Why would a student from a different class buy things for others?

“Well… I’m from the supplementary class. My abilities are the lowest…”

As if accustomed to such class distinctions, she smiled bitterly.

Seeing that smile, my face stiffened momentarily.

I know the meaning behind that smile.

It’s the face of someone familiar with suffering.

Could I not recognize that emotion, having lived with that smile as an F-grade healer in the past?

People like us with mediocre abilities always tried to avoid contempt.

We would rise first for raids, cook, clean weapons – whatever was needed.

Sure, in raids, it’s appropriate for those with insufficient abilities to handle such trivial tasks.

But…

They’re still just kids.

Should they learn this even in school?

We should study under equal conditions.

That’s what school is for.

The corners of my mouth twitched.

Soon, the empathy I felt towards her began to turn into anger.

That anger soon translated into action.

“Can you tell me about the effects of Intermediate Potion?”

I asked in a husky voice.

As my once gentle and feminine tone shifted, Jiyoon looked puzzled.

“Uh…?”

“I’ll help. With that potion.”

I promised Jiyoon with a serious gaze.

She stared blankly at me, seemingly pierced by my unusual gaze.

But she quickly regained composure and recited the potion’s effects to me.

Grade: ★★

Effect: Restores 20% of health over 10 seconds.

Information: A blue potion. Usually made by mixing powdered medicine and fatigue recovery aids provided by the academy. There’s no fixed recipe, so students can freely create it.

Powdered medicine… Fatigue recovery aids… It’s a recipe I’ve never heard of before.

However, since it’s been taken by other students, it means the ingredients are unavailable.

Then let’s try making another drink with similar effects.

As long as it provides recovery, that should suffice.

“We just need to restore health, right?”

“That’s right…?”

Jiyoon looked at me with a puzzled expression.

It was as if she was curious about how to make do without any ingredients.

“Don’t worry.”

I loosened the cross bag on my shoulder.

Confidently, I raised it above the experiment table.

And from within, the sound of glass bottles clinking softly could be heard.

These are the cocktail ingredients prepared for tomorrow’s academy lecture.

“I’ll make you the first place in this practical training.”