Starting School Lunch Life from Zero #002
<Infant and Toddler Hunter Aptitude Test Results>
- Kang Sian, male, 7 years old, mixed blood
Thank you sincerely for participating in the Republic of Korea government-sponsored infant and toddler hunter aptitude test. Unfortunately, it has been determined that Kang Sian possesses no talent related to hunter duties. No supernatural abilities exist, and he is estimated to have no talent in any field, including growth limits—
"Confirmed kill, huh……."
No magical talent. No physical talent. No talent for fighting anyone. Though the results were estimates, any chance of receiving specialized education had vanished. Naturally, any longing or hope for becoming a hunter evaporated as well. That meant I'd have to live an ordinary life through studying, without any shortcuts. If I got a job, it would most likely be as an engineer or office worker. The safest path, if you only considered survival. A pathetic path for someone who'd entered the world of a game. There would be no sudden windfalls or earning the praise of others. I was fated to live an ordinary life, just like most humans.
"Tsk, can't be helped."
That was why, at some point, I'd resigned myself to accepting it. The path given to me wasn't that one, but the same road as my previous life. Once I thought that way, everything in the world stopped feeling so negative and gloomy. Even in another world, a second chance was a blessing. If I didn't repeat the mistakes of my past life, I could live a better life even without hunter talent. Though, maybe because I was too young, my brain felt like it had been swapped for a netbook CPU……
Anyway, right now my mental age was higher than my peers. Even with a smaller brain, if I worked it somehow, I could choose the second-best or best options and move forward. Without making any of the interpersonal mistakes typical of childhood. Cleanly.
"School starts at 8:50, so…… I can take my time leaving."
Thanks to that, I was able to finish kindergarten without incident. Now I was in first grade, and I'd continue living a life that progressed sequentially from there. Of course, it might seem a bit overly cautious.
"Sian, there's someone outside. What should I tell them?"
"Huh? Aunt, just a second! I'm coming out now!"
But what could I do? I was living off my aunt's family because I had no parents. Even if my aunt's family were good people, I needed to behave properly if I wanted to keep eating someone else's food. I couldn't cause unnecessary trouble.
"Hana, I'm coming out~"
When I grabbed my bag and stepped outside, I saw a girl with brown hair and brown eyes standing straight. Her name was Lim Hana. She'd been living next door even before I arrived here. She was also my friend who attended the same kindergarten and always hung out with me. On the other hand, unlike me, she was a friend overflowing with magical talent.
"Sian! Sian! We're going to be late for school at this rate!"
"It's only 8:05. And the school's right in front of us."
"But! If we don't go now, we can't play! Let's hurry to the school playground and play together!"
She was lively, energetic, and cheerful. The same as when we'd first met at kindergarten. You could call her pure, or you could say she lacked common sense in abundance.
"Huh? Let's gooo~"
Still, because she was a kid, her cuteness smoothed everything over. Before leaving, I greeted my aunt.
"Alright, be careful on your way."
That was it. The door closed, and the two of us had to walk on our own. Two first-graders going to school by themselves—you could say we didn't know how scary the world was, but it couldn't be helped. My cousin was already gone since she was a high schooler, my uncle had left for work at dawn, and my aunt was only seeing me off before her own shift. The school only opened at 8 a.m. after internal inspections under the pretext of "protecting students from Dungeon Gates," so there was no other way.
"Sian! Look at that! I can already see the school!"
Honestly, because the school was so close, there wasn't much need for anyone to walk us there. Once you left the house and crossed just one crosswalk with your warped sense of time, the school came into view.
"Let's hurry and play at the playground!"
"Yeah, okay."
And so I headed to school, passing through streets still marked with bullet holes and magic scars. What happened afterward during my six-plus-one years of elementary school was all too predictable.
"Yahoo! Sian, you try using wind magic too!"
"I told you, I can't use magic."
Playing along with her like babysitting my younger cousins who came to destroy figurines during holidays.
"Everyone look at this! It's a glowing hunter figurine!"
"""Ooh!"""
Joining in the kids' chatter after entering the classroom right before class started.
"Raise your hand with your name if you know what kind of job a hunter is!"
"Lim Hana! Hunters catch monsters inside gates or that come out of gates, and protect people from bad aunties and uncles!"
"Correct, Lim Hana! Here's some chocolate as a reward."
Listening to classes with painfully obvious content.
"……Then, does anyone know exactly what a Dungeon Gate is?"
"It's one of the two types of gates! And, um…… Dungeon Gates are…… Ah! Gates that produce monsters and labyrinths inside, and they occur naturally but rarely!"
"It's not a labyrinth, it's a maze. But you're right, so here's some chocolate~"
Hearing game setting explanations one more time as a lesson.
"The people shown here are very evil villain hunters! Little friends, you must never become people like them!"
"""Yes!"""
Receiving ideological education disguised as school lessons.
"""Waaah─"""
"Everyone line up by grade! Wait, that tall platinum-blonde friend over there! Cutting in line is bad!"
Eating school lunch diligently like a proper lunch-line kid. This was one of the driving forces that kept me going each day.
"Hwaaam─"
Besides that, there was playing mindlessly during P.E., learning weird things in so-called creative classes, watching magic from talented kids, and going home after dismissal. An ordinary daily life with no big differences from my previous life. At first, I struggled a lot adapting to this kind of life, but now that a few months had passed since first grade started, things were different.
"This is life."
It felt so natural that it had become common sense. Spending an ordinary day like this even seemed to loosen the knots that had built up in my heart. Living surrounded by the lightness of elementary school and the innocence of children was like healing for a weary modern person. It meant living without worrying about scores, employment, or money—just running on autopilot.
"Hana! Crossing on a red light is bad!"
"Don't run after spreading ice magic on the ground!"
"That's support, support. You shouldn't eat it carelessly."
Of course, since they were kids, real trouble could happen if they truly lived without brains. Even in an age of no common sense, you had to live with at least minimal caution.
"Uuu…… But Sian, you talk just like my mom."
"……."
"Telling me all sorts of things, telling me not to do stuff…… I don't like it."
That's how people lived. Kids resenting nagging seemed to be the same in my past life and this world. I spoke carefully to Lim Hana, who was already showing signs of her rebellious phase.
"Hana, do you know why your parents say those things?"
"Uum…… I don't know……."
"Your parents want you to succeed, and they say those things because they love you."
"But I don't like hearing it……."
"Parents' love usually sounds unpleasant."
Probably? Her family were hunters, yet they were all gentle and kind, so their nagging must have come from genuine love for their child. Unlike my aunt's family, who had no hunters due to lack of talent but were all good people, they were different yet somehow similar.
"Ahang, I see."
"So even if you don't like hearing it, you have to listen to your parents. That's how you become a great person. Got it?"
"Got it! But then, Sian, you like seeing me succeed and love me too?"
"……?"
This was the problem with kids' innocence. It hit you out of nowhere.
"Uh…… I guess so?"
I answered while patting Lim Hana's head. Sometimes she'd say things so naturally that it caught me off guard. Not knowing what should or shouldn't be said. It was clearly because she was an innocent child, so I couldn't say I didn't understand.
"Really? Then Sian is like family, just like my mom─"
All sorts of thoughts that made me laugh. I removed my hand from Lim Hana's head as she grinned. Then, after playing for a while, we went home. Same as always. The first semester of first grade passed without any incidents. At least, until the closing ceremony.
Closing ceremony day. The principal's boring and dreadful sermon continued. It had been years since I'd heard it in a different place, but it was still painfully awful.
"Sian, why does the principal talk so much?"
"He must have a lot of pent-up frustration toward students."
Around the time when "finally" and "lastly" had been repeated countless times from the podium—