The Guardian’s Visit and the Unfamiliar Past
I bowed my head to Eve and slipped out of the faculty office. I had been prepared to become a debtor, but fortunately, things had worked out well. Though, I suppose I had just traded one debt for another while trying to pay off my uniform fees.
Perhaps there might have been a better way, but unfortunately, Academy’s Holy Swordsman was a novel that revolved entirely around Yoon Siwoo. When the incident at the gymnasium occurred, Yoon Siwoo wasn't even at school. Because of that, all I had to go on were a few lines of narration. But the content within those few lines wasn't something I could simply gloss over. I was a coward, and I lacked the courage to step into a place where I didn't know what would happen. I was struggling, in fact, to avoid being at school on that day.
Originally, it was an event I intended to ignore, as I had no idea how the future might change. But I owed a debt to the class representative, and to Eve as well. All I could do was prepare a safety net for those who had been pushed to the periphery of the story. There was less than a week left until the first incident occurred. I had asked for the door to be installed as quickly as possible, so I could only pray that the construction would be finished by then.
“May I sit here?”
When lunchtime arrived, I had intended to hole up in a corner to eat as always, but Sylvia approached me and asked cautiously. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was alright to leave Yoon Siwoo behind and eat at my table, but the moment I saw Sylvia standing there, blushing and fidgeting, any thought of refusing vanished in an instant.
As I nodded as if bewitched, Sylvia smiled shyly and sat down softly beside me. Just by her sitting there, it felt as if the prestige of this table had risen by two levels. It felt like the school cafeteria was shining brighter than a three-star Michelin restaurant. I’d never been to one, but they wouldn't have Sylvia there, anyway!
Perhaps it was because the food tasted better, but I was busy working my cutlery, devouring the meal I’d piled onto my tray. Sylvia watched me, looking fascinated. “Scarlet, you’re surprisingly a big eater. You look so slender on the outside, but is it because you need to consume that many calories when your physical abilities are high?”
I tilted my head at her question. It wasn't really that my body needed it; I just ate a lot because it was delicious. The school cafeteria food was so good that eating it felt like a stress reliever. If the cooks here prepared it, even the infamous braised mackerel fillet would probably taste amazing. If the army rations had been like this, I wouldn't have been nagged for not eating.
Well, just as she found me fascinating, I found her fascinating too. Sylvia was eating a standard, plain meal like everyone else. I had assumed elves would naturally be vegetarians. Feeling a bit disappointed, I answered her.
“Well... more than that, I thought elves only ate vegetables. Since you look like a fairy...”
“Scarlet... that’s a story even young children don't believe these days... If I’ve shattered your fantasy, I apologize...”
Sylvia apologized with the expression of a sixth-grader who had just been told, "Santa Claus is just your dad."
Gaaak, don't look at me with those eyes! It makes me feel incredibly embarrassed!!!
As I flushed with shame, Sylvia brought a hand to her lips and chuckled. Even her laughter was full of grace. As I stood there, dazed by the sight, Sylvia said,
“So this is what it feels like to have a meal while talking with a friend.”
She wore a gentle smile on her lips. “Actually, you’re the first real friend I’ve ever made, Scarlet. So, it’s fascinating to be able to have a meal while talking so comfortably with someone like this.”
She spoke in a voice steeped in sentiment. Thinking that I was Sylvia’s "first" made my head feel hot. I felt like I had to say something, so I blurted out whatever came to mind.
“I, I... you’re my first friend too, Sylvia...”
Since she was the first friend I’d made in this world, it wasn't a lie! Somehow, I was confessing our "firsts" to a beautiful girl. My heart was pounding.
Sylvia looked slightly surprised at my answer, then smiled brightly. “Then... we’re each other’s firsts, aren't we?”
After saying that, she sat quietly with her cheeks flushed red, and then muttered in a voice so small it was barely audible, “I’m happy...”
I felt like I was losing my mind. Anyone who could maintain their composure after seeing that was surely a stone statue, not a human. Barely suppressing my fluttering emotions in the ticklish atmosphere, I finished my meal, handed Sylvia the macarons I’d made that morning, and dashed out of the cafeteria.
As I was leaving, I felt Yoon Siwoo’s gaze from afar and glanced back. For some reason, he looked incredibly confused.
Thanks to the conversation with Sylvia during lunch, I had spent the rest of the day focusing on calming my pounding heart, and before I knew it, school was over. After the end-of-day homeroom, I told Eve to please take care of it, and she patted my back, telling me to leave it to her, before disappearing.
I trudged home and opened the door.
“Oh, you’re back?”
I saw a man I didn't recognize, so I closed the door. Had I opened the wrong door? I checked the number on the door. Room 203. It was definitely my place. Then who was the middle-aged man sitting on my bed?
When I cautiously opened the door again, the man with messy hair was still sitting on my bed, looking at me. It wasn't a mistake.
“I told you last time that I couldn't visit often... but if you react so coldly, this old man gets hurt...”
The man said timidly, looking as if he’d been wounded. Who are you?
“More than that, it feels more like a place where a person lives than before. I saw all sorts of things in the fridge; are you cooking now? I’d like you to cook for me sometime, too.”
The man looked at me with a proud expression. No, more than that, who are you?!
“You used to just lie there like you were dead. I guess it was the right choice to push you into the Academy, even if it was a bit of a stretch. I’m glad to see my efforts were worth it.”
The man was busy talking to himself. I glared at him with guarded eyes and asked cautiously,
“Um... who are you?”
“Was that a joke just now? Wahaha, you really are like a girl your age now...”
When I asked that, the man burst into laughter, then looked at me with a wistful gaze. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just glared silently at the man who was playing both sides of the conversation. After a moment, he seemed to sense something strange about my silence. He chuckled for a bit, then his expression shifted to an "Oh?"
He hesitated, then asked in a trembling voice,
“Scarlet, is that not a joke? Are you serious?”
I nodded. The man began to mutter with a very serious expression. I thought I heard words like "side effects" or something, but it was too quiet to make out. Then, the man let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself, “Perhaps... this might be better...” before speaking to me.
“Since you don't remember, just know that I’m your legal guardian. I have my reasons, so I won't be able to visit often, and you won't see much of me. You seem to be doing well, so I’ll be going.”
My head spun at the mention of a legal guardian. Since he hadn't appeared in the original work, I had naturally assumed he was a newly added character... The fact that this body had a past I knew nothing about wasn't exactly welcome news. I didn't know. Right now, I was already overwhelmed just worrying about the future.
As I blinked in confusion, the man, who was getting up, looked at me, hesitated, scratched the back of his head, and spoke cautiously.
“Is the Academy... worth attending?”
Various thoughts raced through my mind at his question. If he asked if it was worth it, honestly, it was tough. But I had become friends with Sylvia, and Eve had promised to install the door at the gym... I slowly nodded.
The man smiled faintly and said, “Then that’s enough.”
Since he was my guardian, I decided to see him out. As he was about to open the door and leave, he stopped as if he’d forgotten something, turned back, and pulled an envelope from his coat, handing it to me.
“I couldn't put much in it, but use it for pocket money. I’ll be going now.”
With that, he waved once, closed the door, and left. I was human, so I couldn't remember every single detail of the novel. I quietly searched my memory. In Academy’s Holy Swordsman, there were 29 students in Yoon Siwoo’s class. But currently, there were 30 students in 1st Year Class A.
Was the existence of Scarlet Evande simply added because I had entered this world, or had some event from the original work changed because I had taken over this body... My head was a mess, but I realized there was no point in agonizing over it, so I stopped thinking and peeked into the envelope the man had left behind.
There were ten 10,000-gold bills inside. ...That man from earlier, he doesn't seem like a bad person.