The Duty of a Smile
Although Jesse's transformation had left the classroom in a bit of a stir, everyone quickly began taking their seats as the time for morning roll call approached. Once all the seats were filled—save for Yoon Siwoo's, which now sat conspicuously empty—the door slid open, and Professor Eve walked in, greeting the class in her usual cheerful voice. "Long time no see, everyone! It's been a month, hasn't it?"
As the class chorused their greetings in return, Professor Eve nodded, her eyes sweeping across the room to scan each student's face. I noticed her gaze lingering a fraction longer on one spot than the rest. It was likely Jesse's seat. Just as I suspected, Professor Eve's expression turned solemn as she spoke again, a stark contrast to her lively entrance.
"Some of you look a bit downcast. I understand. So many people suffered in the incident a month ago, and all of you must have been affected by it, to some degree. But the fact that you've all gathered here again means your resolve to become heroes hasn't wavered, right?"
I saw Jesse, along with the other students, silently nod in response. Professor Eve gave a slow, understanding nod of her own. "As you all know, a Witch has appeared for the first time in centuries. Now that such a formidable enemy has emerged, the expectations placed upon you future heroes will only grow higher. Naturally, your training will become much more intense. But don't worry. I promise you this: even if there isn't much else I can do, I will make sure every single one of you in this room becomes a splendid hero."
On the surface, it was an inspiring speech, but reading between the lines, it was essentially a declaration that she was going to work us to the bone from now on. The students' faces visibly paled. Still, perhaps realizing the necessity of growing stronger than ever before, everyone seemed to accept their fate.
Professor Eve smiled, seemingly satisfied with their reaction. "I'm glad to see you're all so motivated. We have a special class scheduled for this afternoon that I think you'll all thoroughly enjoy, so brace yourselves during this morning's lectures. Ah, and Jesse, I think you and I need to have a little chat. Please come with me."
"Huh...?" Jesse let out a bewildered squeak at the mention of a private counseling session. She hesitated for a moment, but seeing Professor Eve waiting by the door with a bright, beaming smile, she let out a soft sigh, stood up, and followed her out of the classroom.
Seeing that brought me a small sense of relief. Professor Eve never took student matters lightly; she would surely find a way to help her.
As I was lost in thought, the female instructor for our first period—Hero's Mindset—opened the door and stepped inside. "It's been so long, everyone! I am absolutely thrilled to see you all again, but I do have a bit of sad news. Due to the recent turbulent events, the curriculum has shifted to place more weight on practical combat, which means our theory classes have been reduced. I'm so sad that I'll be seeing less of you from now on. Do you all feel the same way?"
Even after a month, her overly passionate gestures hadn't changed a bit, coaxing faint smiles from the students. When everyone chorused a yes, the teacher looked deeply moved. "I'm so glad we're on the same page! Well, since our time together has been cut short, I'll just have to teach you with even more passion, so make sure you keep up! Understood, everyone?"
At her signature catchphrase, the students laughed and shouted back, "Yes!" The teacher then began the lesson with her usual high-energy, bird-like fluttering gestures. Despite all the terrible things that had happened, her bright, unyielding energy felt oddly comforting.
It was midway through the lecture when she suddenly clapped her hands. "Alright, that's enough theory for today! Let's practice one of the most important skills a hero can possess!"
Since Hero's Mindset was strictly a theoretical subject, the students tilted their heads in confusion at the word "practice." Seeing their puzzled reactions, the teacher pulled the corners of her mouth upward into a dazzling grin. "From now on, we are all going to practice smiling!"
"...Smiling?"
"Yes! A grin! A smile! Smiling is truly one of the most vital duties of a hero!"
The students looked even more bewildered. Their faces practically screamed that they weren't training for the hospitality industry, so why on earth was smiling so important? Reading their expressions, the teacher continued. "I know it might not make sense right now. You're probably wondering why a hero, who only needs to be good at fighting, has to practice something like smiling. So, let me show you an example."
The teacher pointed to a student sitting in the front row and asked with a smile. "Did you notice anything different about me during today's class?"
"...No, you seemed just like your usual self..."
"Right? You felt I was exactly the same as always. And that, my dear students, is precisely why a hero must practice smiling."
The moment she stopped speaking, the smile slowly drained from her face. A collective gasp rippled through the classroom. Without her cheerful mask, the teacher's face was a portrait of profound, devastating sorrow.
With that expression, she slowly opened her mouth to speak. "...To tell you the truth, I lost my beloved family in the incident a month ago. But none of you could have guessed that such a tragedy had befallen me. I knew that if you found out, you wouldn't be able to focus on your studies, so I forced myself to smile just like I always do."
Wiping away a stray tear with the back of her hand, her throat trembling with suppressed grief, she struggled to continue. Just looking at her made it painfully clear how agonizingly difficult this must be. A bitter taste filled my mouth. I knew that countless people had been scarred by the recent disaster, but seeing the raw grief hiding in plain sight made my heart heavy.
A tear she failed to catch escaped her eye, tracing a wet path down her cheek. As if to hide it, she covered her face with both hands. After a brief moment, she lowered her hands. Not a single trace of sorrow remained. The woman who had looked so utterly broken just seconds ago was smiling once more, as if nothing had happened.
"I know it isn't easy, but you must learn to smile like this. No matter how sad or exhausted you are, you must make the people who look to you feel safe. They should look at you and think, 'Ah, everything is fine. Today is just another peaceful day.' That is the true duty of a hero."
With those words, she beamed at us and called out in her usual energetic voice. "Now, everyone! Let's practice smiling ourselves!"
Despite her enthusiastic encouragement, the students, having just witnessed the deep sorrow hidden behind her grin, couldn't bring themselves to smile. That was only natural. Smiling through pain and grief was never as easy as it sounded. But then again, not being "normal" meant I could do it.
"Oh! We have an exemplary student right here! Everyone, just smile like Miss Scarlet over there. Understood, everyone?"
For someone like me, who had long made a habit of smiling when sad and pretending to be perfectly fine when struggling, it was second nature.
When lunchtime arrived, Jesse, who had been dragged away by Professor Eve since morning roll call, finally returned. Whatever had happened in the interim, the sharp, defensive edge she had carried earlier had softened considerably. May approached Jesse as she stepped back into the classroom. "You were gone for a while... What did you and the professor talk about?"
At May's question, Jesse blushed in embarrassment before speaking. "Well, actually, we barely talked at all. She dragged me straight to the infirmary, saying I needed sleep first. I kept telling her I couldn't sleep even if I laid down, but the next thing I knew, I woke up and it was lunchtime. Ehehe..."
Since this was a world with magic, the school nurse or Professor Eve had likely used some spell to force her to sleep. Still, the results were undeniable. Seeing Jesse's complexion look so much healthier after just half a day of solid rest put my mind at ease. She wasn't quite back to her old self yet, but with the faculty keeping a close eye on her, surely she would regain her bright smile in time.
With those hopeful thoughts, I headed to the cafeteria with Jesse, May, and Sylvia. We grabbed our trays and sat down. Sylvia sat on my left, while Jesse and May sat across from us. It had been a month, but at some point, this seating arrangement had become our natural default whenever we ate at the academy.
Come to think of it, even back in my previous life, people always ended up eating with the same crowd. Joining an already established group made you feel like an uninvited guest, so these social circles naturally solidified over time. Because of that, once a lunch group was formed, the roster rarely changed. Today, however, someone boldly broke that unwritten rule and set their tray down right next to me on my right.
"Miss Scarlet, would you mind if I sat next to you?"
Wondering who possessed such courage, I looked up to find Marin Eloise, the class president of Class B.
"Hi! It's okay if Flone eats with you guys too, right?"
Like a needle and thread, Flone Dolos of Class B—who was almost always glued to Marin's side—set her tray down directly opposite Marin. True to her incredibly free-spirited nature, Flone sat down without even waiting for an answer. Jesse, who suddenly found herself sitting next to Flone, let out a nervous twitch of her eyes.
Now that I thought about it, those two had a minor spat a while back. Though they had parted on decent terms, Jesse was currently in an incredibly sensitive state. Fearing Jesse might snap at Flone for sitting down without permission, I quickly turned to Marin. "Oh! Wh-what brings you to this table?"
Marin offered a gentle, serene smile. "When we spoke at the department store last time, I felt like we got along quite well. I wanted to chat more and become closer friends. Would that be alright?"
How could anyone refuse when a beautiful girl expressed a desire to be friends? As I nodded blankly, a sharp clack echoed from my left. I glanced over to see Sylvia glaring at Marin, practically radiating a freezing aura. This was unexpected. Did Sylvia dislike Marin joining our group? But Sylvia wasn't the type to react so aggressively over something like that...
Suddenly, a memory from a few nights ago flashed through my mind. Ah, right...
Glaring at Marin, Sylvia slowly rose from her seat and muttered in a chillingly cold voice. "Miss Eloise? I have something to say to you. Let's step outside for a moment."
"I won't! I will absolutely never accept that!"
Recalling her furious voice from that night, I swallowed hard. I watched Marin follow Sylvia out of the cafeteria, mentally kicking myself. You idiot, you should have brought popcorn.