Chapter 17: The Kind of Person Every Academy Has (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: The Kind of Person Every Academy Has (6)
There was one thing I had overlooked.
“This pig…!”
And that was the fact that even this boar-like bastard was technically an Academy cadet, meaning he was faster than me.
The distance I had managed to open up with my initial dash was closed in just five minutes. After sprinting for five minutes with this pathetic body of mine, I was completely out of breath.
I thought this pig would stop chasing me once I reached a crowded area, but he must have lost his mind because he just kept coming.
Damn it. Looking at it from a super positive perspective, if I keep running like this, I guess I won’t have to do any cardio on the treadmill today.
Should I just swallow my pride and scream for help at the top of my lungs? Maybe someone would help?
Wait.
Oh, for God’s sake. As a result of neglecting to watch where I was going while lost in stupid thoughts, my foot caught on a protruding paving stone, just like in a cartoon.
The feeling of weightlessness was enough to tell me I was about to fall, and that monster boar would reach me before I could even get back up.
That’s right. I was screwed again. This was the n-th time this season.
“Ack!”
My scream came a beat late.
But wait, do streets these days come with cushions?
What hit me wasn’t the mercilessly hard texture of the pavement, but something strangely warm and soft.
I hadn’t even screamed because of pain; it was just out of pure surprise.
More than anything, this sensation—like a top-tier cushion—felt like something I had experienced before.
“Professor Cathy…?”
“What is the meaning of this?”
The person chasing me flinched at the voice, which was laced with a strange hint of fury.
No matter how crazy he was, he couldn’t exactly answer, “I’m trying to wreck this bastard,” in front of an active A-rank Hero.
Seeing my secret friend standing there so reliably, having appeared at a miraculous moment, my heart, which had been frozen with fear, felt like it was melting away.
That’s right. From this moment on, the one who was screwed wasn’t me—it was that pig.
“I asked what is going on here, Cadet.”
“No, well, that is… we were just joking around.”
“Joking? Then I assume I’ll get the same answer if I ask Cadet Kang So-hyun?”
Oh, the boar’s face turned pale.
Haha, you little brat. You didn’t see this coming, did you? Our secret friend is incredibly strong. You’re in big trouble now, kid.
…Is what I wanted to say, but I was joking.
No matter the situation, I couldn’t exactly ask her, an Academy professor, to beat up a student.
“Yes, it was just a joke. I just got a bit carried away and tripped.”
Huh? The guy looked surprised, and Professor Cathy’s expression twisted sharply.
What’s wrong with her?
Then, she suddenly picked me up and stood straight.
Without any exaggeration, she lifted me in what Forbes would surely rank as the #1 most embarrassing pose for a man: the so-called princess carry.
Running to a crowded place had been a huge mistake.
This is so embarrassing.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? What!? Like this!? You have to put me down so I can walk!”
“You fell. We’re going to the infirmary, so just bear with it, Cadet.”
Bear with what?! Damn it, what about all the people staring at us while we walk?!
“No, I’m not hurt at all because you caught me?!”
“Cadet Kang So-hyun.”
Ah, damn. I don’t know why, but it seems my secret friend is very angry.
Her will for me to shut up was conveyed through her gaze alone.
“As an expert in close-quarters combat, I am more knowledgeable about the human body than most cadets. When the body is shocked by a sudden impact, you might not feel pain immediately, but it’s dangerous. You must consult a professional.”
I’m really fine because you caught me with those amazing cushions, though?
But I didn’t have the courage to say that.
Kind people are truly terrifying when they get angry.
Faced with Professor Cathy’s wrath, my embarrassment didn’t mean much, and I ended up being dragged—or rather, carried—to the infirmary.
In a princess carry, of course.
Damn it, I’m terrified that rumors will be all over the place by tomorrow.
* * *
After dragging me to the infirmary, she began her interrogation with a worried face.
“So-hyun, tell me the truth. You weren’t just joking around with each other, were you?”
“Um, Professor, guys’ jokes can look a bit violent from a woman’s perspective sometimes…”
“I know you’re kind. But wrong is wrong.”
Wow, I never dreamed I’d hear those words from Professor Cathy’s mouth.
Seriously, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that was the #1 thing I didn’t want to hear from her or Lilac.
Moreover, she seemed quite emotional, as she had stopped using formal speech and was calling me So-hyun even though we were inside the Academy.
“Hmm.”
It looks like playing dumb isn’t going to work, right?
“Actually, you’re right. There was an incident on the first day, so some of the kids have been picking on me.”
“If something like that was happening in my class, you should have told me!”
Wait, she’s really, really angry? Does she realize today is only the second day of the Academy…?
I was grateful for her worried gaze and felt reassured, but because she’s such a kind person, her reaction seemed a bit intense.
“Kids this age are usually full of energy. They fight and stuff. If I had actually been hit, it might be different, but it hasn’t gotten that bad yet.”
“What are you talking about? You’re a freshman just like them. And So-hyun, by the time things ‘get bad,’ it’s already too late. Besides, I heard you were hit on the back of the head. How can you say you weren’t hit?”
Wait? Oh, damn, she’s right. I already took a preemptive strike, didn’t I?
I shouldn’t have gone easy on that boar.
You’re dead next time.
I’m going to get my revenge in the most petty way possible.
…Once I reach the average physical strength of a cadet, that is.
A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years.
“You’re just too kind for your own good.”
Seriously, Professor, you and Lilac have no right to say that.
Wait? Kind?
Ah, right.
“Professor, please take this.”
I had been wondering what excuse to use to go see her, but since we met like this, I figured I should just give it to her now.
“Actually, a reward came out of the Goblin Dungeon last time. I’ve been meaning to give this ring to you, but I kept forgetting.”
For the record, normally, if a dungeon appears and someone reports it, clearing it without applying first is illegal. However, for unofficial dungeons that haven’t been discovered yet, you aren’t punished for clearing them to escape.
Besides, Professor Cathy is an A-rank Hero, so it wouldn’t have been an issue anyway.
“So there was a reward. Hmm, a ring?”
“Yes. It has an effect just by carrying it.”
“Really? What kind of effect? Depending on what it is, I might have to file another report.”
“It seems to vary from person to person, but for me, it increases natural healing.”
The moment I stopped talking, Professor Cathy stopped fiddling with the ring and held it back out to me.
“As the field supervisor, I will exercise my discretion and consider this ring as something Cadet Kang So-hyun acquired and owns.”
“Huh? I specifically wanted to give this to you, Professor…”
“I will not accept any arguments.”
“No, but rather than me wearing it, you should…”
“It’s an item that you need more than I do.”
No, damn it, I’m saying a person who lives as kindly as you should wear it! That brat Lilac is going to get plenty of better stuff in the future anyway, but this is something you really need, Professor.
“No wonder you’ve seemed healthier lately than when I first saw you. There was a reason.”
No, damn it. That’s not because of this?
But to explain that, I’d have to explain the Saint’s Tears, and no matter how much of an angel the professor is, she might start suspecting me if I go that far.
“Then… should I just use it…?”
“Yes. I think it’s most appropriate for you to use it, Cadet.”
My conscience pricked at the professor’s smiling face.
Since I couldn’t exactly say no now, I guess I’ll just have to use it for a while.
If I gave it to Lilac and got caught, I’d probably get scolded.
* * *
Cathy was now in a great mood, as if the foul mood she’d had when entering the infirmary was a lie.
Good things happen to good people.
It was a saying she hadn’t really believed in, but seeing that the boy who had been on the verge of death had found a way to sustain his life, it didn’t seem entirely wrong.
“He’s just too kind for his own good. Really.”
Indeed.
He could have been greedy, but seeing him come to give her the ring so readily made her feel his goodness once again.
He probably even knew that the ring was supporting his weak body.
It wasn’t her imagination that he had seemed healthier lately.
Although the news that there had been trouble since the first day was heartbreaking, wasn’t it common for kids this age to target and bully those who seemed fragile?
“Since I’m his homeroom teacher, I’ll have to pay more attention to him.”
More importantly, for now, it was crucial to keep the ring a secret.
If people found out there was a possibility of recovering his Innate True Qi, there would undoubtedly be those who would try to take it from him by force.
Considering both the bullying and the matter of the ring, she felt it would be best to increase the time she spent watching over him when there were no scheduled activities.
While she was secretly building an internal intimacy with Kang So-hyun based on assumptions that were completely different from the truth…
* * *
“Hey, So-hyun. I heard Professor Cathy carried you all the way to the infirmary?”
“Who did you hear that from?”
Our girl in disguise started teasing me again.
For someone with such faint facial expressions, she seems to enjoy teasing me an unusual amount.
“What do you mean ‘who’? The rumor has already spread everywhere. But the kids who hate you are using it as an excuse to spread rumors that it’s true you bribed your way into the Academy.”
Aha, these bastards who don’t know when to quit. Their skill at forcing pieces to fit together was no joke.
“Professor Cathy is someone who really hates that kind of thing, though.”
“Hmm? Do you know that professor well?”
“A little, due to some circumstances.”
“What? Is it a secret between us? That’s a bit hurtful.”
What exactly is ‘between us’? Roommates?
But come to think of it, it wasn’t something I needed to hide.
“It’s not exactly a secret. She saved me when I was stranded in a dungeon that suddenly appeared.”
“Ah.”
She apologized with a slightly regretful look.
“Sorry. That’s a more serious story than I thought.”
“No, it’s not quite that serious…”
Wait, is it a serious story? I’m a transmigrator, so whatever, but from Professor Cathy’s perspective, it might be.
“No, you don’t have to say anything. Right, she’s an active hero, so that makes sense.”
Um, if you have nothing to say, could you please stop letting your imagination run wild?
Even in the original work, whenever she started fantasizing, it was usually far from the truth.
“Don’t spread rumors.”
But correcting her was too much work, so I figured I’d just let her think whatever she wanted.
Surely she wouldn’t think anything too weird?
“My mouth isn’t so loose that I’d blab about a friend’s business.”
“Well, thanks for that.”
“No need to thank me. I’m in a good mood. Let’s order delivery for dinner. How about chicken?”
“Oh, are you treating?”
“Just pay 6,000 won.”
“At that price, it’s basically a treat.”
“Right, right.”
Chicken is always right.
Suppressing the urge to hum the ‘Chicken God Symphony No. 3,’ I opened the delivery app with a fluttering heart.
Ding.
[- One week remains until the start of the Main Quest.]
Along with an unpleasant sound effect, a message hinting at a new incident appeared before my eyes.
“Why? Did the chicken place close?”
“No, I was just thinking about what to order.”
Although the timing was a bit earlier than in the original work, considering that the start of school itself was a month early, it was about time.
It was an episode that originally started a little over a week after the Academy began.
Now then, what should I do?
The image of the first victim of this incident—and a female student who was very hostile toward me—Butt, no, our Kim Ga-eul, came to mind.
What would be best?
“Hey, why are you picking chicken with such a serious face?”
“No, I just decided.”
Yeah, chicken should always be half-and-half with extra radish.
You have to be flexible with everything, right?
I could already see the events that would unfold at the Academy tomorrow, but for now, it wasn’t that important.
First, I had to receive the Chicken God with a pious heart.
Since I’d already reached a conclusion on what to do, I could decide on the details after enjoying the chicken.
Perhaps, as much as the minor things had changed, her fate might have changed a little too.
“Probably not, though.”
“What?”
“I was just thinking about what if the chicken arrives soggy.”
“Chicken is indeed a grave matter.”