Ch 178
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 178
"Lee Jinsu, didn't you already finish eating and leave earlier? You're eating again?"
"Today's Korean menu is good too. I can't resist braised short ribs."
"You really are..."
"The vice principal said up to twice is okay."
"Why are you making our Jinsu feel bad about eating?"
Minhee, this kid is really taking sides because they're a couple... Huh?
While talking, she secretly brings her chopsticks to Jinsu's food tray.
"As expected, only my darling... Kim Minhee, stop right there. Where do you think you're going, trying to secretly take my braised short ribs..."
"Tsk, don't just call me darling with words, can't you give your darling one piece of braised short ribs?"
"You could just get your own and eat it."
"That's too much trouble. Just give me one piece. Let me just taste it."
"Then call me brother once... AGH!"
Minhee hits Jinsu right in the ribs and while he's in pain, she quickly snatches the braised ribs and runs away.
They're seniors now, but those two really haven't changed at all since they were freshmen.
When will they ever mature?
"Kim Minhee, that mean girl. She had to take the biggest piece too. Hey, Seong Eunsu. Is this how friends should act? You saw it, you could have said something."
"I learned not to interfere in couples' love fights. I'm leaving too."
I got up from my seat to empty my tray and leave the cafeteria, but for a moment I couldn't believe my eyes.
Eunseo was eating.
It wouldn't be strange for her to be eating during lunch time, but she was sitting close to some male student, smiling and talking.
After Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok passed away, Eunseo lost her smile.
I understood because I knew she really liked the teacher, but it was so heartbreaking... What's this?
She was even giving him almost all of the braised short ribs from her tray.
Braised short ribs are Eunseo's favorite food.
Usually when it's served as a side dish, even when I ask for some, she absolutely won't give me any braised short ribs.
"Eunsu, is Jinsu really angry... What are you staring at?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"It's not nothing, you've been standing still the whole time. What is it, Eunseo's table. Anyway, our president really is a siscon."
"You're dead. Want to spar?"
"Hmph, that's only scary when Eunseo says it. I'd be fine sparring with you, Eunsu. But next to her is...oh, isn't that the kid?"
"That kid?"
"His name was... Min Chan-seong? I think that's what it was. Don't you remember? You said you'd meet with him about the one student council member we still need to select."
He wasn't particularly memorable so I had forgotten, but hearing Minhee's words, I finally remembered.
"Seeing them eating together, I guess she decided on him."
It doesn't seem like they're just eating together though.
"That's strange."
Considering Eunseo's usual personality, even if she decided on that kid, she would have just conducted a straightforward interview.
"What's strange? Wait. You don't think Eunseo has any interest in that boy, do you?"
"Eunseo just gave that underclassman her braised short ribs..."
"Maybe she gave it to him because he kept staring and she felt sorry for him?"
"Not just one piece, but all of it."
"Huh? Well, maybe Eunseo didn't have an appetite today. Anyway, this is why being a siscon is no good."
"But..."
"But what? You know Eunseo's heart. And that boy obviously isn't Eunseo's type just by looking at him. You know how high Eunseo's standards are."
Like Minhee said, maybe I'm overreacting, but somehow I keep worrying about it.
"Geez, stop staring and let's go to the store and eat some ice cream."
It's probably unnecessary worry, right?
***
"What are you doing?"
I was about to finish our conversation and go eat, but Eunseo stuck close to my side.
She said she hadn't eaten either, so she was going to the cafeteria.
Well, since we're going the same way, I did come with her, but I felt stares the whole way.
Min Chan-seong is utterly ordinary, but Eunseo is so famous that it's probably because of that.
She's not planning to eat together too, is she?
Since Hunter School is a boarding school, all kinds of rumors are quickly created and spread within the school.
An ordinary freshman ate with the 3rd-year vice president who won the WHCU competition last year?
That's a direct express train to becoming hot gossip.
I haven't been a student for very long, but I know that much.
Moreover, Eunseo is quite popular.
After Eunseo and Jinsu did student council promotion last time, everyone in the class was going crazy saying the vice president was so pretty.
There were many kids who said they were fans too.
I absolutely opposed it, but Eunseo stubbornly insisted that there wouldn't be many people at this time so it would be fine.
Like Eunseo said, most people had left the cafeteria, but...
"Excuse me..."
"What will you have, teacher?"
"What about you?"
"Um, I'll have Korean food."
"Really? Then I'll have Western food."
I was worried that if I said I was having Western food, she'd say she wanted Western food too and keep following me, but fortunately that didn't happen.
Right, even she knows that with this many eyes watching, she wouldn't just casually eat with me.
I got my food and found a seat in the most secluded corner possible.
We did separate for now, but just in case Eunseo might come over.
Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case, so I took a big bite of my pork cutlet.
It had cooled down a bit, but the crispiness was still there and the tomato-based sauce paired quite well with it.
"Why did you come to such a corner? I looked everywhere for you."
That's Eunseo's voice.
"No...why did you come here?"
"We came to the cafeteria together, but you weren't planning to eat together?"
"No..."
"We're in the same student council. What's wrong with it?"
She brazenly sits next to me... Eunseo, when did she change like this?
Should I change seats even now?
Looking at Eunseo's attitude, she'd probably follow me, and then people would think it's even stranger.
Oh well, whatever.
Like Eunseo said, we'll be doing student council activities together anyway.
If other kids ask, I'll just say Eunseo asked to eat together so we did.
It's a secluded spot so there aren't many people nearby, and maybe because today's menu is good, everyone seems to not be paying attention to their surroundings.
Am I overreacting for no reason?
"Teacher, could you give me a little bit of your pork cutlet?"
"...Not with empty hands. If you want pork cutlet, hand over the braised short ribs."
"Okay."
I don't know how much she's planning to take, but she gives me more than half of her braised short ribs.
"I was just saying it casually. If you give me all of this, what are you going to eat with your rice?"
"The pork cutlet looked so delicious."
She takes the whole pork cutlet from my tray and bites into it.
"Hey, I only took one bite of that."
Eunseo, this kid...she deliberately bit the exact spot where I had bitten.
She probably did it on purpose because she was afraid I'd snatch it back... really mean.
"As expected, our school's pork cutlet is the best."
Who doesn't know that?
"If you were going to do this, you should have gotten Western food too. You conscienceless kid."
"But I can't give up braised short ribs. It doesn't seem like it would go well with spaghetti, should I give you some rice?"
It's not like giving medicine after causing the illness.
"No thanks."
"I'll treat you to ice cream at the store after we eat."
"Cone, no wait. Is it okay if I get a pint? I need to share it with my dorm roommates."
"Do you want to exploit a poor student that much?"
"I'm a student right now too, you know? And Eunseo, you're not exactly a poor student."
"Huh?"
"You received prize money."
"I gave it all to my parents and just get allowance."
"I never even got to spend it. Senior, please buy me some."
"Ah, okay."
After finishing our meal, I opened the ice cream and shared it with the students who use the same dorm.
Maybe because it was free ice cream, it was really delicious.
"That was delicious."
"I still can't believe it. That Seong Eunseo senior bought us this ice cream."
"Isn't Senior Eunseointerested in you?"
"What are you talking about? She just bought it because we're in the same student council and I'm her junior."
"Right. My older brother is in the same class as senior Eunseo, and he says senior Eunseo has really high standards."
"I heard from my cousin who's a senior too. She apparently liked Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok who was at our school until last year. That's unfortunate."
If even the freshmen know about it, it must have been quite famous among the students.
Why didn't I know about it until now?
"I'll go throw away the trash."
Eunseo aside, how should I explain this situation to Luciel and Se-jin...
I thought about just keeping it secret, but that's probably not right.
If it comes out later, it would be an even bigger problem.
Especially since Se-jin warned me about it, and Luciel will be coming out soon too.
Hiding it won't solve anything.
I threw away the trash and took out my phone to text Se-jin.
[Did you get off work?]
[I'm home. Since I have tomorrow off, I'll go to the portal at 11 later.]
[Want to meet briefly in Luciel's world before that?]
[Is the timing okay? Then I'll come over at 8.]
I should talk to Se-jin first.
Of course, I'm planning to talk to Luciel tonight too, but it would be better to talk to each of them separately rather than both at the same time.
While I was thinking about how to explain it, it was time.
I went to the bathroom, locked the door, and tore a leaf.
When I went to the Demon Realm Tree side, Se-jin in light clothing was swinging her sword.
I might get hit by that sword if I mess up today.
I took a deep breath and approached Se-jin.
"When did you get here?"
"I've been stuck in the office learning guild work lately, so my body felt stiff, so I came about 3 minutes early in outside time."
3 minutes means 90 minutes, and she must not have rested because sweat was beading on her forehead.
I used spatial magic to take out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
"Oh, thank you."
"It's nothing. Se-jin is always so diligent."
"I'm the Ares Guild master now. But why did you want to meet separately today?"
"Ah, well..."
I told Se-jin about what happened today.
She did frown, but her expression didn't seem as bad as I thought it would be.
"Didn't you say last time that even the vice principal couldn't recognize you?"
"That... That's right."
"Eunseo is really amazing too. To see through and recognize teacher's magic that even an S-rank Hunter couldn't notice."
"Um, rather than that, about Eunseo liking me..."
"I've known that for a long time. She was obvious about it when we were doing supplementary lessons together too. Don't tell me you didn't know, teacher?"
"Uh... yeah. I found out for the first time today. I just thought she followed me well because I helped her a lot, I never thought she had those kinds of feelings..."
"When I see times like this, teacher is really dense."
"You're not angry?"
"Angry? Did you do something with Eunseo that I should be angry about?"
"No, no. There's no way I would do that."
"I thought so too. Then if teacher didn't do anything wrong, why would I be angry at teacher?"
"That... Is that so?"
"It's not teacher's fault that Eunseo likes you. It's not like teacher deliberately seduced her."
Se-jin is so understanding.
Now that I think about it, maybe Se-jin is the angel, not Luciel.
"But, but last time you said if I got involved with students..."
"Eunseo already knew about teacher from the beginning. Plus she saw through your magic, so it can't be helped. Besides, you didn't tell Eunseo everything, right?"
"Huh?"
"You didn't tell Eunseo the truth, right? It is a bit surprising that she recognized teacher, but I already have sister Luciel as a formidable competitor, so I don't really think of Eunseo as threatening."
"Haha..."
"Well, it's not a good feeling either, but anyway, did you tell her about today's events truthfully?"
"Of course I thought it wouldn't be right to hide it..."
"That's enough. If it's fair competition, I'll be the final winner anyway."
Eunseo said that earlier too, but our Se-jin is also incredibly confident.
"But I might let this slide, but I don't think Luciel will, will that be okay?"
"Could you help me a little later by talking like you did just now..."
Seeing her shake her head, it seems like I'll have to handle Luciel by myself.