episode_0064

*****

“It was shocking.”

“Yes, it was shocking.”

It was lunch time, but the topic of the class was still about the Brain Emperor. However, the direction of the story changed from ‘How strict will the teacher be?’ to ‘Will that teacher be able to do his job properly?’

From breakfast to lunch, countless rumors were expanded and spread. They said the teachers in the school office were also embarrassed. It is said that very few people on the northern front saw the Emperor’s private life. They say he’s currently lying down on the sofa in the teacher’s office, sleeping. It is said that this is what happened after achieving revenge. They say revenge itself was the concept in the first place… .

Among them, there were some who added credibility to the story, such as their family members currently working at the front line or information they heard from a company. Of course, in the current situation, there was no information that could be said to be certain.

Yes, including my information.

“So, I’m not really that kind of person! Interview video… . No, you can see it just by looking at the battle videos that have been released so far!”

I argued diligently for Jun-seok for a long time. That outward appearance is clearly meant to test our attitude, or something like that.

Of course, no one was listening properly. Actually, even I thought it was nonsense.

“Most of the videos that were originally released as combat videos were from 10 years ago before going to the front lines. The last time it came out was 7 years ago.”

“Usually, active heroes all have the feeling that they have no gaps, right? But honestly, I think he could do something like a surprise attack.”

“It was said that all operations conducted on the front line were personal operations.”

“Perhaps during the 7 years──”

Jerrit. When I glared at him, the guy who was trying to talk back avoided my gaze.

These bastards don’t know who the real sky is. As long as he shows his sincerity, all of you together won’t be worth a handful!

… Although I thought it was full of loopholes too! Still, there must be some reason for that. It is absolutely impossible to say that it has become obsolete after doing nothing for 7 years.

If it was a wasteland in the first place, there is no way the government would have called it the capital defense area.

Of course, children do not have such information and cannot tell them. And Jun-seok’s attitude during the morning assembly class could not be viewed favorably, even with empty words.

But even so, I didn’t like it when other guys looked down on Junseok. Considering the efforts he had made and the sacrifices he had made, it should never have happened.

“Ami, calm down. Anyway, when class time comes, the teacher’s abilities are revealed.”

Just as the atmosphere was starting to subtly worsen, Hwa-in stepped in and intervened.

Certainly, it is true that, unlike me, the kids had less material to judge. I don’t know if that guy is good at teaching people, but you can feel that he’s great because of his skills.

No, he was much faster and faster than me, so he would be good at teaching. Then, the children’s subtle attitude will change a little.

My expectations were completely shattered less than 10 minutes after class started.

“Teacher, I──”

“No work. Go to another teacher.”

“Teacher, I’m not sure about this part.”

“Really? Then I don’t know either. Don’t ask me that.”

Junseok was rejecting all the students who were coming. And that was without even looking at the kids, as if I was lying down on a chair with my eyes closed.

At this point, it wasn’t just the students who were in trouble. Cheonmyeong High School’s teacher system is in the form of individual teachers watching students practice and giving advice, or students directly asking teachers for guidance. If Junseok, who was supposed to fill Sia’s empty seat, had this attitude, it was natural that the burden on other teachers would increase.

I saw Mr. Strong, the oldest of the teachers, come forward and talk about something with Jun-seok. Fortunately, he stood up and responded properly to see if he had eaten up the concept, but seeing Junseok keep shaking his head, it didn’t seem like it would lead to a very good outcome.

It wasn’t just the first day. Even after the second and third days, Junseok’s attitude did not change. Naturally, Jun-seok’s evaluation was falling day by day.

“I think that thing is really outdated.”

“Isn’t it all a ruse to operate alone on the northern front? They say there are no witnesses.”

Another backstory continues. The difference was that even when I glared at them, they didn’t get discouraged. No, this time the child actually stepped forward more confidently.

“Why are you dissatisfied with anything?”

Eyes raised with well-coiffed short hair. The name of this child, who looked more mature than her peers, was Kang Seo-yoon.

Eonryeongsa Su Seol-ah is said to be the leader of the corporate faction, but Seol-ah is busy with her family’s affairs. It is Kang Seo-yoon who controls the corporate faction on behalf of Seol-ah.

Until now, although he occasionally looked at us, he never started an argument. But after this incident, he started gossiping about Jun-seok behind his back as if he wanted me to listen.

“Army.”

“… I know.”

Even if Hwa-in did not stop him, he had no intention of reacting in any way. I don’t know what’s going on with Jun-seok. But at least Jun-seok’s attitude towards students right now could be said to be the worst.

Even I, who considers Jun-seok my student, is dissatisfied with him. There was no way I could refute the complaints made by other students.

When I showed no response, Kang Seo-yoon’s mouth popped out. But even for a moment. A fun-filled smile settled on her face.

Hey, look at that. Just by Kang Seo-yoon saying that, the eyes of the girls around her were focused on me. These are her followers who gathered from classes other than Class A.

“He shielded that teacher so much.”

“Who? Oh, the girl named Teacher Sia’s younger sister? No, was it your younger brother?”

“Have you known each other since the beginning?”

“I heard that you were watching all the interview videos of that teacher.”

“How. Hey, that couldn’t be──”

That’s incredibly whispery. I felt like my head would hurt just by being near him, so I continued practicing. Anyway, no matter what I say, it won’t have any effect, so the answer is to ignore it.

But was that a somewhat complacent idea? Things started to go strangely wrong.

“Are you going to leave me like that?”

Seong Hye-ran, who was carrying Eve and her twin sisters behind her, started talking about it as soon as she came to see me.

“Leaving it alone, what?”

“Corporate kids! You’re spreading completely nonsense!”

The story is that there are rumors secretly going around that I am interested in Jun-seok, or that I am trying to flirt with Jun-seok, or something like that.

Of course, I had no idea what was being said, so I could only tilt my head.

“It’s really a rumor. Is there anyone who believes in the first place? Everyone knows I’m a man, right?”

“There won’t be any among the kids in our class. But it’s not the other class, right?”

There is no one in my class who doubts that I am a boy. I don’t know for sure, but it seems like you can see it in the way they act and talk.

But that story is limited to the kids in the class. To the rest of the class, I don’t seem to be any different from an ordinary girl.

“No matter what, it’s like flirting. What’s the point? Kids these days are really scary… .”

That’s what flirting is, right? Things like fawning over men or acting cute. I’ve heard the villain say something to the female protagonist in dramas a few times.

… Wow, I tried to imagine it, but it was nothing short of terrifying. What on earth is wrong with me that I have to do something like that? Even if you are spreading nonsense, why are you spreading it like that?

No matter how much a horse without feet can travel a thousand miles, there is no way there will be smoke in the chimney. I was intentionally avoiding getting close to Jun-seok for fear of my identity being discovered, so I thought those rumors would die down quickly.

But didn’t Hwa-in think that way? With a very serious expression, he was asking Seong Hye-ran in detail about the rumor.

“How widespread is that rumor?”

“It hasn’t spread that much now. I and the other Class A kids are denying it. Still, if something happens, you won’t know again.”

“Is this an opportunity? huh. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Why are you so worried? They say something like this will sink if you keep still.”

I thought I said the obvious, but the eyes of the kids around me made me feel untrustworthy. They took actions that made it seem like they were passing on what they wanted to say to each other, and in the end, it was Jeongyoung who sighed and stepped forward.

“Amy, what do you think about the theory that Mr. Brain Emperor is fading away?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up again? Of course it can’t be like that. In the first place, trying to evaluate such a strong person at our level is in itself──.”

“That’s it.”

… indeed. The fact that I keep covering up like this is itself adding fuel to the fire of rumors.

If I don’t react in any way, the rumor will simply die down. But honestly, I’m not confident about that. Even if you don’t say anything, I think you will definitely react with disgust, such as frowning.

I myself am used to being caught up in gossip. Even when I was Asura, I was involved in various controversies. I never thought I’d hear something like tail slapping.

But now I have teammates and friends who act together. My evaluation not only affects me, but also my friends.

I don’t want to give these kids a bad experience who are still putting their heads together and telling me that they have to resolve my rumor.

“That rumor. In the end, the fundamental cause is the teacher not doing his job properly, right?”

“Huh? yes. The problem is that there are actually people who lose money because of that.”

“Then all you have to do is make the teacher do his job properly.”

I went straight to Junseok’s side. Unlike a few days ago, no one was standing near Junseok. This is because I know that even if I did, I would not be able to receive any teachings.

Yes, I should have done this a long time ago. A disciple’s ignorance is a teacher’s ignorance. Since they ignore it and are worried that their true identity will be discovered, useless rumors follow.

“Teacher, may I ask you something?”

“No work. Go somewhere else.”

Jun-seok still refuses without looking in this direction. A normal student would not go any further than this. No matter what Jun-seok does, the accomplishments he has accumulated so far and the feat of being named Noe Emperor will not disappear.

But when it comes to achievements, there will be not many people in the world who can beat me. And I had a separate side that I believed in.

“Then I will learn as I please.”

All eyes were on me as I stood in front of the teacher. It was only then that Junseok’s gaze turned towards this direction as the amount of magical power increased considerably.

“… okay. I thought there was at least one guy like you. Because wherever you go, there are crazy people.”

There was still a lot of annoyance in his tone of voice. My body is still not getting up from the chair. My eyes are still closed.

But I can tell. He is ‘seeing’ me now.

“You there! What did you do to the teacher──”

“Ah, it’s okay. I will ‘teach’ this child very well.”

Junseok held out one hand to stop the teacher who was trying to intervene. Then he held out a finger to me and said this.

“1 minute. Help me move on this chair and I will teach you.”

I don’t need your teachings. I’m your teacher, dude!

Of course I couldn’t say that. I have no intention of revealing my identity to Junseok yet.

Instead, I came up with another suggestion.

Let’s make it “30 seconds. Instead, if I succeed, please watch the other kids too.”

If you think about it with common sense, this is a very rude suggestion. Of course, there is no reason for Jun-seok to agree.

But only I know. A suggestion made by a boy more than 15 years ago.

‘Please make it 30 seconds. If successful──’

The life that began with that proposal eventually met with a terrible catastrophe.

Even so, you won’t be able to refuse this.

Ever since I brought up the suggestion, Junseok has been staring at me. Am I thinking about the past? At least I hope they are not finding traces of me.

Fortunately, the waiting time wasn’t that long. Junseok accepted my offer by nodding his head once. At the same time, the training timer started counting down 30 seconds.

Okay, Ma. Let’s go!

*****