Ch 146
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 146
Ever since I mastered the Formless Sword and defeated Luciel, I thought there wouldn't be much that could fluster me anymore....
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Right now, at this moment, I'm extremely flustered.
What excuse could I make to get past this... No, what excuse could there be to get out of this situation?
"I was just on the phone with her, and our Se-jin said she was still on her way home from work, so how did you get in here, Teacher Kang?"
"…."
Since I can't answer, Kim Dae-chan's expression is gradually hardening.
A man came out of a house where his twenty-year-old daughter lives alone, and the daughter isn't even there.
In the past, he might have thought of his daughter as just a tool for the guild's development, but now they've reconciled.
Not long ago, he even came to the board meeting to apologize, saying not to think badly of his daughter because of him.
If I were in Kim Dae-chan's position, I would have thrown a punch first.
"Um...."
I feel a vibration from inside my jacket.
It's obviously Se-jin, but it's already too late.
"You wouldn't happen to be...."
"I was supposed to have dinner with Se-jin. I arrived a bit early and came in first."
When there's no answer, honesty is the best policy.
If I try to lie clumsily, things might get even more complicated.
Besides, it's not like I was caught doing something wrong.
Being alone in a house without the owner might not look good, but I did get permission.
"No... That Se-jin, she's too careless. Even if it's Teacher Kang, still. Giving out the house password...."
"Ah, Se-jin and I have such a casual relationship that I didn't think about that aspect. I'm sorry. Actually, I was going to wait in the car, but I thought it would be good to come early and prepare...."
"Prepare?"
"I was preparing so we could eat dinner right away...."
To prove that my words weren't lies, I showed them the perfectly set dining table.
When her Mother invited someone over and then made them work, I said it was fine since I'm in the position of being treated to a meal and I often cooked during tutoring sessions.
Her mother seemed somewhat convinced, but Kim Dae-chan's complexion still doesn't look good.
"Are you dating our Se-jin?"
"Pardon?"
"No, why are you acting like that again? When you talked to Se-jin earlier, she said she had dinner plans."
"But she didn't say she was eating with Teacher Kang. Besides, she told us to wait in the parking lot since she'd arrive soon. It's like she's trying to hide something...."
"That's because she's coming soon. Don't make Teacher Kang uncomfortable for no reason."
"Don't you find it strange? No matter how much Teacher Kang is Se-jin's mentor, giving out the house password is a bit much. And she tells you and me to wait in the parking lot while Teacher Kang comes in first?"
"She probably did that because she was worried you'd make Teacher Kang uncomfortable like this."
"What did I do? She could have just told us the truth that Teacher Kang was waiting at home. You stay quiet, and Teacher Kang, you tell us."
His deduction is quite sharp.
Come to think of it, Kim Dae-chan was a master of cunning from the time of our duel, smart enough to plan to exhaust the barrier-using mage to create a draw.
Even if he's repented now, that brain of his hasn't gone anywhere.
"I am not dating Se-jin."
Although I now know that Se-jin has feelings for me and we've gotten closer than before, strictly speaking, we're not dating.
"I see...."
Surprisingly, he accepts it readily, but something feels strange - it's like he's disappointed.
"Are you really going to keep this up? Teacher Kang, I'm sorry."
"Pardon? Not at all."
"Considering what you did to Teacher Kang before, she probably judged it would be better to avoid you meeting face to face."
"Right.... That must be it."
"Really, you are...."
"Sorry for misunderstanding."
Fortunately, it seems to have passed over well somehow.
It's ironic that the old Kim Dae-chan was quite patriarchal, making life difficult for not only Se-jin but also her mother, but maybe it's because he repented?
Seeing him today, it seems like Mother has the upper hand, not Kim Dae-chan.
"It's already in the past. I received an apology and I've forgotten everything."
Before long, Se-jin arrived.
We didn't coordinate our stories beforehand, but fortunately Se-jin isn't completely oblivious either, so we got through it safely.
But dinner ended up being for four instead of two.
Initially, Kim Dae-chan and her mother said they'd just leave some side dishes and go when Se-jin came, but my polite suggestion to eat together became the problem.
Kim Dae-chan still found me uncomfortable and said he'd just leave, but Mother readily accepted.
The meal was more uncomfortable than I had expected.
Of course, from the outside, it definitely wasn't a bad atmosphere.
It wasn't like we just ate in silence, and the conversation didn't stop thanks to Se-jin's stories and school talk.
It wasn't simply because I was eating with Kim Dae-chan either.
What I said about forgetting everything wasn't just politeness.
The reason I was uncomfortable wasn't Kim Dae-chan, but her mother.
She kept pushing meat in front of me and recommending various side dishes, taking care of me.
Kim Dae-chan didn't particularly say anything, but she completely ignored him and only took care of me, which made me self-conscious.
So I couldn't tell if the rice went down my nose or my throat.
I think I might have gotten a bit of indigestion too.
"I happened to bring some pineapple and oranges, so please have some fruit for dessert too."
"Ah, yes."
"What fruit. Let's just go."
For once, I agree with Kim Dae-chan.
I originally planned to eat and immediately go meet Luciel and Master.
If I'm late, who knows how much nagging I'll get....
"At home, you always take care to eat them. If you want to go, you go first. I'm going to take more care of Se-jin before I leave."
But Mother's words left Kim Dae-chan unable to respond, so he sat back down, and only after we finished all the fruit and an hour had passed did the two of them return home.
"Um... Teacher, you were quite shocked today, weren't you?"
"It would be a lie to say I wasn't. I really saw darkness before my eyes."
"They suddenly called wanting to eat out together, so I said I couldn't because I had plans, but then they said they'd at least bring some fruit...."
"I see."
"I told them to wait in the parking lot first and immediately called you, Teacher, but Mom took too long to hang up.... I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what. It's fine. We got through it without any problems anyway."
She understood my indecisive inability to choose, so this much is nothing.
***
They say good times pass quickly, and that seems to be right.
Since every day passes peacefully without any special incidents, before I knew it, only one day remains until the festival.
After the festival comes the final exams, and after finals comes vacation.
And after vacation ends, the original story finally begins.
Many things have changed because of my existence, so I'm worried about how things will unfold, but I'm also excited.
"Since there's a match tomorrow, let's stop here today for the sake of managing your condition."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you for your hard work."
It's half the number from when I first started tutoring.
Not all of the swordsmanship students I tutored made it to the finals.
The ones who made it to the finals are Eunseo, Eunsu, Jinsu - these three - and two third-year students.
Of course, I didn't favor our kids and taught everyone the same improved Breaking Form, but our kids have been learning since last year, so there's bound to be a difference in proficiency.
Moreover, with more participants, the bracket naturally got complicated.
Especially Minhee - what possessed her - she ended up matched against Jinsu again this year.
I thought Jinsu might go easy on her, but surprisingly, he was quite resolute.
Rather, Minhee couldn't display her full abilities against Jinsu.
"Teacher, let's go to America together this year."
Jinsu defeated Minhee and advanced, so he's burning with determination to definitely win this year and compete in the WHCU.
He's not just talking - he's not slacking off or complaining and is really working hard.
But to do that, there are two mountains he needs to overcome.
Eunsu and Eunseo.
In tutoring classes, the students often spar with each other, and the record shows Eunsu has a slight advantage at 6:4.
Eunsu is a perfect talent who combines literary and martial arts, even becoming student council president in the original story.
But what really surprised me was Eunseo.
Eunseo is an excellent student, but honestly, last year... No, even until the first semester of this year, if asked to pick who was better between the two, I would have chosen Eunsu without hesitation.
If the original story proceeded as is, Eunseo would become vice president next year too, but honestly, that's the trickle-down effect from her twin sister Eunsu.
They run together as a team.
Originally, she had a timid personality and felt like she was somewhat riding on her sister's coattails.
But Eunseo has the best record among the tutoring students.
Against Jinsu it's 8:2, and even against Eunsu it's 7:3.
Actually, there isn't that big a difference in ability between Eunsu and Eunseo.
At most, about the thickness of a sheet of paper?
But just like Minhee couldn't display her full abilities against Jinsu, Eunsu also seems to go slightly easy when facing Eunseo.
Eunsu said she won't go easy just because she's her sister in the actual competition, so if the two meet in the martial arts tournament, it should be quite exciting.
Honestly, last year's martial arts tournament wasn't very interesting because Se-jin was too overwhelming.
After stopping by the school store with the kids to buy each of them a drink, I returned to the dormitory and immediately used Warp magic.
My vision changes instantly, and snow is falling heavily.
Seoul hasn't even had its first snow yet, but this is Gangwon Province after all.
As soon as I enter the portal, Master isn't there, and Luciel, with chocolate smeared all over her mouth, greets me.
"You're showing everything you ate?"
I wipe it off with my hand, but her expression doesn't look normal.
"Why are you so late?"
"Late? I came straight here without even washing up. Where's Master?"
"If you mean the old man, he's eating ramen."
Whether it's because she's with me or because I come almost daily now instead of once a week like before, Master doesn't come out to greet me these days.
A few days ago when I said I was a bit disappointed, he said he's stepping aside for my sake... Really, what can't he say.
When I come to the camping car with Luciel, he's already finished eating and is boiling water again.
"You're here?"
"Hey, Master, starting tomorrow is Shin-hyeok's school festival. I want to go too - can't you do something about it?"
"Hey, Master? You rascal!"
"What, I called you Master instead of old man."
"It's not enough to just call me Master, how many times have I told you? With respect and proper manners...."
"That nagging is so tiresome. I got it, so is it okay or not?"
"This girl, even when she speaks. Would it work? Of course not."
"It's not like I'm saying I'll go for all 5 days - wouldn't just one day be okay?"
"Not one day, not even half a day - the moment you leave here, the balance will collapse, as I've told you countless times."
"So you're telling me to just watch Shin-hyeok and that thief cat go on a date alone?"
"Oh my, Shin-hyeok spends much more time with you than with his student. There, Kang Shin-hyeok, why are you laughing? When you think about it, you're the root cause."
"Laughing? Hmph, are you that happy about dating the thief cat?"
I was laughing because it looked nice seeing the two of them bickering.
Really, she's the embodiment of jealousy itself.
"What date - it's just coming to the school festival. Se-jin also said she's only coming for the weekend because she has a schedule."
"Still...."
"I have a lot to do, so I won't have time to walk around together anyway."
There are class events and I'm also in charge of tutoring for the martial arts tournament.
"Fine. Then you're stopping by during lunch break?"
"Of course. It might be a little shorter than usual, but I'll stop by."
"Promise."
I said I got it and held out my pinky finger, but Luciel shook her head with a sullen expression.
"We did it your way last time, so this time we have to do it our way."
"With Master here, that's a bit... No, wait. You're not lying about that too, are you?"
"I... I'm not. Have you been to the Heavenly Realm?"
I haven't been there, so I have nothing to say, but her stuttering is suspicious.