Chapter 365: Hero Academy (4-6)
Class for Magic Division Class 7 proceeded smoothly with all the cadets present.
But in the end, the direction of the lesson was the same as before.
Seo Ji-eun was there on observation duty, watching the cadets and Seong Sua's teaching.
There was nothing wrong with this approach.
Seo Ji-eun's current abilities were dangerous to use outright, and Seong Sua believed it was crucial for her to keep observing classes and sensing the flow of mana around her.
And the observation consisted of...
"..."
"..."
...sitting calmly right next to me.
It was a chance to gauge how Seo Ji-eun felt about me.
'She used to hate being this close...'
Before starting her observation in the Magic Division, Seo Ji-eun had always placed her chair at a considerable distance from me during class and sat alone.
But now, she was pressed right up against me—so close that anyone would notice something was off.
Beyond that, though, there wasn't much else different.
She just quietly observed Seong Sua and the cadets, same as always.
I glanced at her sidelong and began scrutinizing her Disposition window closely.
And my conclusion was simple.
'This is weird. It was odd before, but no matter how I look, there's no sign of any status ailment or problem.'
Armonia:It's definitely strange.
There was no trace of any Disposition related to her mana rampage.
No joke—it was like a research paper's worth of every single Disposition laid out, and I checked them all meticulously, but nothing linked to the cause of her mana rampage showed up.
Which meant...
Armonia:It's not an internal issue.
'That's puzzling...'
The problem was external, but I had no clue what that external factor could be.
If she'd ingested some strange drug or been corroded by an odd ability, it would've shown in her Disposition window—but there was nothing like that.
With class over, I finally started talking to Seo Ji-eun properly.
Seong Sua and I sat together in the classroom, with Seo Ji-eun across from us.
"Ji-eun, let's try changing up the lesson format for now."
Seong Sua's suggestion was to get the other cadets' agreement and have her join the regular class.
And to keep some distance as a precaution in case problems arose.
But Seo Ji-eun rejected it outright.
"Instructor... keeping distance is too dangerous. I know my abilities best. At the very least, if you could set up a separate space for me to practice there..."
"How about staying after class with me for some one-on-one instruction, then?"
"That would raise fairness issues with the other cadets..."
Seo Ji-eun wasn't blindly refusing Seong Sua's ideas.
On the contrary, she was trying hard not to put Seong Sua in a tough spot.
But mutual consideration alone wasn't getting anywhere—that was the reality.
"Then let's set up a practice room right next to the classroom."
"...I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
"No need to apologize... That's our job."
In the end, they decided to create a dedicated space for Seo Ji-eun to practice, with Seong Sua shuttling between the classroom and practice room to supervise her separately.
After wrapping up the day's classes and seeing Seo Ji-eun off, the two of us headed to the cafeteria.
Walking beside her, I mulled over Seo Ji-eun inwardly.
'Unexpected. I figured she'd bring up what happened back then.'
I recalled using Disassembly on her when her mana was rampaging.
Things had been too chaotic then to dwell on it, but now she had every reason to say something—yet she stayed quiet, treating me like any normal instructor.
Armonia:Her Disposition suggests she's the tight-lipped type, at least.
'Given her family background, she's probably not the type to gossip carelessly.'
Relieved by her discretion, I walked side by side with Seong Sua toward the cafeteria.
It was dinnertime, but the strong glow of sunset still poured through the school windows.
With everyone already bustling off to eat, the corridors felt quiet and solemn.
As we walked those halls shoulder to shoulder, Seong Sua smiled faintly and whispered.
"Thank you."
"Huh? For what?"
"Earlier... for speaking so highly of me. Thank you."
"Ah..."
She was probably referring to my clash with Ki Cheol-ho.
I smiled at her and replied.
"Highly? If anything, I feel bad for putting you in a tough spot with my nonsense."
"Not at all. It's just..."
Seong Sua hid her smile, looking at me with concern, then spoke carefully.
"I'm worried about you, Instructor Seong Su-ho."
"Me? Why?"
"Please don't throw yourself into such dangerous situations."
It was just one sentence, but it carried everything she wanted to convey.
From her perspective, my actions might seem overly aggressive—bordering on reckless.
No, they'd look blatantly so.
An assistant instructor risking his life for cadets, clashing with some corporate bigwig...
To an outsider, it'd seem downright impulsive, like I had no sense.
'Well... once the mission's done, it's bye-bye to this world anyway.'
I didn't know when it'd end, but it would someday.
Success or failure, I had no future here.
That's why I could act so independently, so boldly.
But what worried me most wasn't my future.
It was theirs.
Cho Seo-hyun. Seong Sua.
Even after the mission ended, I had to ensure they could thrive in this world.
It'd be great if they could board the ship, but that was a pipe dream at best...
The very Seong Sua I was worried about now apologized with a concerned look.
"I'm sorry for saying this after you helped me. I just... worry."
"Thanks for the advice."
Just as our talk seemed to wrap up, Seong Sua asked something else.
"Instructor Seong Su-ho."
"Yes?"
"..."
She walked in silence for a bit, then quietly spoke.
"Are you... free this weekend?"
The moment we finished eating and stepped out, Seong Sua smiled at me and spoke.
"Then, clear your Saturday."
"Got it. Good work today."
Seong Sua had suddenly suggested we eat together, without any explanation.
Even when I asked why, she just brushed it off vaguely...
Truth be told, I already knew the reason without her saying.
Seong Sua's birthday.
And it happened to fall this Saturday.
'What to get her for her birthday?'
This was one of those moments that really drove home how incredible women Cho Seo-hyun and Seong Sua were.
No flashy expensive gifts to buy her favor with their wealth, and a "meaningful" gift that missed the mark would be a disaster.
I considered getting her the same as Cho Seo-hyun, but nixed that immediately.
'Same gift? No way in hell.'
Armonia:Not a great choice.
'I've got till Saturday—plenty of time to think it over.'
Gazing at the sky now fully dark with the sun vanished, I sank into thought.
'Should I go... or not...'
I activated my Smart Watch and stared at the screen, pondering.
Armonia, sensing my dilemma, chimed in via comms.
Armonia:Shouldn't you at least have a short talk?)
'Yeah... even in a comfortable relationship, making her wait without a word would be rude.'
With that in mind, I started walking slowly.
"When the hell is he coming?"
Go Choong-shin was waiting in front of the admin office for Seong Su-ho.
He stood endlessly before the door, his hands starting to tremble.
He couldn't just barge into the admin office, and there was no guarantee of meeting tomorrow morning, so he had no choice but to wait forever.
'Fuck, I need to find his weakness fast. That dog bastard!'
Because of what happened during the day, he hadn't slept a wink before coming to work.
He'd felt crushing drowsiness heading back to the dorm, but thinking of Seong Su-ho snapped him awake, flipping his stomach every time.
In the end, he couldn't sleep and just obsessed over plans to screw over Seong Su-ho.
But digging for weaknesses had its issues.
'First, pinpoint his exact dorm. Then possess a fly to slip in...'
Today's guard duty was at the male instructors' dorms.
Where Seong Su-ho lived.
He couldn't freely enter rooms, but patrolling the dorms would let him find Su-ho's for sure.
But before that, something more urgent.
'Fuck... did that bastard do this on purpose? No... even if he hates my guts, arranging shifts like this doesn't make sense.'
Go Choong-shin, who'd never done shift work like this in his life, knew his schedule was absurd.
He couldn't accept it and had gone to confront Seong Su-ho at lunch.
And the result? Utter humiliation.
He, who'd never worked under anyone or endured such disgrace, had been treated like that by the guy he despised most.
'Fuck... but why make me do this shit?'
His rage quickly turned toward the Church.
'They shoved me in here for some reason, right? So why no orders after a month?!'
The Church had infiltrated him here using mistakes and conditions as excuses.
But nearly a month in, and zero contact.
'...Fuck it, just become squad leader. Once I'm squad leader, it's over. At least they keep one promise.'
Clinging to that dream, he swallowed his anger and resumed waiting for Seong Su-ho.
Then, footsteps approached.
Thud, thud, thud.
The corridor bent at a corner, so he didn't know who, but the steps headed his way—he straightened up.
'Fuck... first, swap shifts. Beg if I have to. At this rate, I can't even call Ji-a, let alone meet her.'
Swallowing his pride, he tensed into a rigid stance as the figure appeared.
The moment someone rounded the corner right in front of him, Go Choong-shin bowed deeply and bellowed.
"Good evening, sir!"
I rounded the corner, smiled at the guy in front of me, and greeted him.
"Ah, there you are."
"..."
But he just scowled, arms crossed.
I apologized to him.
"Sorry if you were waiting long?"
"...No."
His vibe screamed he'd been waiting forever.
Grinning at that, I swept Cho Seo-hyun—the sullen short woman—into a tight hug.
"Haha, sorry. I messaged but showed up late."
"Wh-what are you doing?! What if someone sees?!"
"Worried about being seen with me?"
"...Hmph."
Hugged against me, she snorted, spun around, and hugged me back fiercely, humming.
"Not at all~"
Cho Seo-hyun looked up at me with a playful grin and squeezed harder.
We clung tight, sharing warmth, then pulled apart and scanned around.
We were at the shooting range, and luckily, no one was watching.
Back then, zealous cadets would train sporadically, but lately, with no outings or overnights allowed, stress had sapped even their training drive.
As I finished checking the range, Cho Seo-hyun pulled out a training bow, took stance, plucked the string twang-twang, and said to me.
"Take good care of me today too, Instructor Seong Su-ho~?"
"Hahaha..."
From behind, I gently hugged her petite frame, adjusting her form—her gaze all coy affection.
And suddenly, something popped into my head.
'...What was it?'
Armonia:What's wrong?
'Ah... feels like I forgot something...'
But that nagging doubt scattered the instant I felt her warm skin.
'Eh... probably not important.'
Shrugging it off, I slowly wrapped around her from behind.
The one Go Choong-shin bellowed at was just another staffer on leave like him.
"Go Min-hyuk. What're you doing here? Not heading to your shift?"
"I-I was waiting for the manager..."
"Doesn't mean you slack off and make others wait. Get to your post!"
"B-but I need to talk to the manager..."
The staffer shook his head and said.
"If he hasn't shown by now, he ain't coming today. You've got other duties. Go!"
"...Yes, sir."
He bowed deeply and shuffled off.
'Fuck that bastard! Fuck him!! I'll kill him! Kill him dead!!'
Go Choong-shin ground his teeth till they nearly cracked, trembling as he headed for his night shift.