Chapter 8: The Laws of Academy Possession Stories (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: The Laws of Academy Possession Stories (1)
A small incident occurred, but thanks to exercising superhuman patience, I managed to see the morning sun of victory without any further trouble.
…Actually, it feels a bit like a defeat.
How should I put it? It feels like I kicked away a victory that was right in front of me.
Anyway, though it was slightly different from what I intended, I accidentally formed some inner intimacy with my secret friend. Now, it was finally time to head to the academy.
As I prepared to leave after whipping up a simple breakfast as a thank-you for the night, my secret friend—no, Professor Cathy—watched me with a strangely lingering gaze, but I did my best to ignore it.
One might say, What’s the big deal? Just call her “Noona” once, but considering the cause of her death in the original story, I really shouldn’t get too close to her just yet.
Regardless, my academy life is finally starting for real!
With a slightly fluttering heart, I headed to the dormitory first.
Fortunately, I didn’t have much to my name, so there was no need to move heavy luggage, but it was still important to check out the place that would be my home base from now on.
With confident strides, I found Room 107 in Building A, my assigned quarters.
Thinking that I was likely the very first person to arrive at this vast dormitory made me feel strangely excited.
However, strangely enough, I sensed someone’s presence inside Room 107.
That’s odd.
In the original work, there were characters who entered the dorms early, but there was only one character who moved in on the very first day.
But “she” is the protagonist’s roommate in the original story, so there’s no way she’d be here, right?
After a moment of thought, I came up with an answer.
Since no one died at the entrance ceremony, maybe one of the extras just wanted to move in early!
I lightly tapped on the door, demonstrating my refined manners.
“Hm? Who is it?”
Shit.
The voice coming from behind the door was strangely androgynous. Or rather, it sounded feminine.
But one shouldn’t judge a person by their voice alone.
Perhaps a kind-hearted classmate with a voice complex was my roommate.
“I’m an early move-in student. Are you one too?”
“Oh, what? Both people assigned to the same room moved in early?”
“Seems so. What a coincidence.”
“Ah, you’re right. The dorm sent a text, but I didn’t see it.”
The door opened casually.
“Nice to meet you.”
The person who appeared behind the door had a feminine appearance and black hair that reached her shoulders. Above all, that strangely expressionless and cool impression perfectly matched the characteristics of the girl I was thinking of.
Still, it might be a misunderstanding.
Unlike Professor Cathy, I didn’t have any decisive evidence yet.
“I’m Kang Han-hee. I didn’t expect to meet my roommate already. I look forward to working with you.”
Misunderstanding, my ass.
A classic trait of academy possession stories: if you think, “No way, it can’t be,” it almost always is. LOL.
Standing before my eyes was Kang Ha-ni, the beautiful cross-dressing girl who was the protagonist’s roommate in the original work.
“I’m Kang So-hyun. I look forward to working with you, too.”
Why the hell are you here instead of being with the protagonist?
* * *
“Phew…!”
I soon realized why the girl using the alias Kang Han-hee—real name Kang Ha-ni—had become my roommate.
Actually, I should say I knew it from the start.
Yes, it was because no one died at that damn entrance ceremony.
— Originally, the protagonist and Kang Han-hee weren’t supposed to share a room, but as a result of many students dying in the terror attack, they ended up being assigned together.
“Phew…! Haa…! Gasp…!”
Right, I think there was a description like that in the original.
But honestly, I didn’t think much of it because it didn’t seem like a major setting. I just thought the author wanted to create a fateful and dramatic scene.
How was I supposed to know she was originally meant to be roommates with Kang So-hyun?
The only silver lining was that her character setting involved her avoiding making friends because she had a secret to keep. Since I also had no intention of approaching her proactively—at least for now—we simply unpacked our things and parted ways quite coolly.
Meeting the second “Heroine Dies First” victim in such an unexpected place left me with a very strange feeling.
“Uraaaaa!!!!”
Why have I been acting like a maniac for a while now?
It’s because I am currently performing an act most similar to the black magic permitted to humanity.
An act that grants immense power in exchange for hurting oneself and causing pain.
Ah, yes.
It was working out.
Following mountain climbing, it’s the golden rule for academy possession protagonists.
My weak body felt like it would collapse, unable to withstand the heavy pressure of a 500g dumbbell, but at this moment, I was enduring a total weight of 1kg—one in each hand—with patience that transcended limits.
“A million and twenty-three…!”
Naturally, the “million” part was just for show; it was actually only my twenty-third rep.
I felt like I was going to die.
Just how trashy is this body?
I initially picked up a 5kg dumbbell thinking I’d start light, but my shoulder almost popped out, so I gradually lowered the weight to what I was holding now.
I began to reflect on whether I had expected too much from a body that had just woken up in a hospital room.
I could manage to lift up to 2kg with one hand, but after a couple of movements, my arm started screaming.
It’s terrifying—this weakness that knows no bounds.
This was seriously ridiculous.
Considering other superhumans start with at least 30kg dumbbells as a baseline, starting academy life with this body that pants while lifting a mere 500g was impossible.
However, as I always say, a transmigrator has their own ways.
I had a secret plan to bring this pathetic body up to average within the short span of a month.
Reinforcement.
The best part of my talent is that it doesn’t care about the target.
About half of my Innate True Qi, which had become more vast than a normal person’s thanks to sufficient recovery, drained out at once. In exchange, I felt the functions within my body being enhanced.
Perhaps because I had drained life force that was more than sufficient—bordering on excessive—it wasn’t particularly painful this time.
“Heh.”
What I reinforced this time was recovery. Specifically, I focused on the recovery of torn muscle fibers.
In other words, muscles that would normally grow slowly in this pathetic body would now undergo “super-recovery” and grow faster the more I pushed them!
Furthermore, considering my talent and traits that grow stronger with use, this was a truly perfect plan to train my body, talent, and traits all at once.
* * *
“Ugeeeeek…!”
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know that reinforcing muscle recovery wouldn’t stop the muscle aches from hurting, and that to see sufficient results, I had to eat a nutritious meal even while my body was in this shitty state of pain.
Dammit, I should have paid more attention in PE class…!
Right, everyone has a plan until they’re about to die from basic exercise, not even a full workout!
I felt like I had a very similar thought when I was climbing that mountain recently. It was quite mysterious.
For a brief moment, I wondered if I was just a moron, but that couldn’t be it.
It was just that my pathetic body couldn’t keep up with the perfect plan in my head. I’d often been told I was smart since I was young.
— You’re really quick-witted.
— If you ever drowned, only your tongue would stay afloat.
— Uh, exactly what kind of drugs were you on to come up with this…?
And so on. I’d lived my life hearing praises that only a genius would receive.
Anyway, since I needed to consume nutritious food, I headed to the cafeteria with a heavy heart.
“…Huh?”
To my surprise, the student cafeteria wasn’t operating. A notice was posted in front of the entrance:
[The student cafeteria will begin operations on March 15th.]
Ah, right.
Come to think of it, they couldn’t possibly run the cafeteria for just a few early move-in students.
Also, if I recalled correctly, at this damn Leilan Academy, everyone except full-scholarship students had to buy meal tickets to use the cafeteria.
Ah, I remember the major events and settings well enough, but I keep forgetting these tiny details.
Haha, I’m screwed.
I rummaged through my pockets, but naturally, I didn’t have a single cent.
My body hurts, I’m exhausted, I’m starving to death, and I don’t have a penny to my name.
Is this… despair…?
As I closed my eyes, giving up on everything, I felt a sunlight that was quite warm for March weather.
“Oh my!”
Hm?
When I turned my head, I saw, surprisingly, a vision of my precious secret friend, Professor Cathy.
Ah, perhaps I was already psychologically dependent on her.
To see her image in such a desperate situation.
Is this how a person stranded in the desert feels when they find an oasis as a mirage?
As I collapsed to my knees, the vision surprisingly ran toward me.
“Cadet So-hyun, are you okay!?”
Wait.
Are visions supposed to touch people like this?
“Are you really Professor Cathy?”
“Then who else would I be…?”
Well, I don’t know why she’s here, but anyway, I’m saved.
Does the reason even matter?
Maybe the Chairperson hasn’t completely lost interest yet, or something like that.
“My stomach…”
“Your stomach!? Does it hurt a lot!? Cadet So-hyun, do you want to go to the hospital!?”
“I’m so hungry…”
“…Pardon?”
It’s embarrassing as hell, but I have to survive first.
* * *
In truth, she had been tailing Kang So-hyun ever since she happened to spot him today.
She hadn’t intended to go this far, but it was all because of the Chairperson.
— Is it because he looks like your younger brother?
At first, she didn’t think so, but after hearing those words, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
His efforts to overcome a weak body, his selflessness for others without regard for his own loss—they were identical. Even his favorite foods were the same, so now, looking at him truly reminded her of her brother.
She knew it was rude, but she couldn’t help overlapping the image of her brother—who would have entered the academy this year if he were still alive—onto him.
He was a hard worker.
To overcome his frail body, he never stopped trying, even if he lagged behind others.
Though his efforts began with a 500g dumbbell that even an ordinary person could lift easily, how could the value of that effort be the same as an ordinary person’s?
— A million and twenty-three!
The boy had shouted cheerfully when he reached twenty-three reps.
Knowing it was a joke to lighten his own gloomy mood made her heart ache even more.
After focusing on his workout for several more hours, he fiddled with his smartphone and began to trudge somewhere.
The cafeteria?
He worked out, so he was going to eat something nutritious.
She understood his logic, but that only made her more concerned.
“…The cafeteria shouldn’t be open yet.”
A certain fact occurred to her.
Hadn’t he almost gotten into big trouble just yesterday because he didn’t know the school rules?
The moment she thought that, he squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his head as if he were dizzy.
“Oh my!”
The moment she cried out in surprise, he looked her way with a wistful expression and then collapsed to his knees.
Rushing to him, she saw him stare blankly at her for a moment before speaking.
“I’m so hungry.”
She had thought something truly terrible had happened, so should she say it was a relief?
She immediately pulled out her smartphone and placed an order at a restaurant she knew well nearby.
* * *
I survived.
Fortunately, perhaps thanks to the recovery reinforcement from the ring, the food went down well despite my exhaustion.
Only after emptying two bowls of omurice did I finally feel like I was living again.
Life is beautiful.
And those two plump mounds of omurice were even more beautiful than the joy of living.
Though they were now in my stomach, I wouldn’t forget the beautiful silhouette those two hills drew for at least another three hours.
“Professor, thank you so much.”
I think I used formal speech earlier, but whether it was because she had calmed down or because we were at a restaurant outside the academy, she naturally spoke informally.
“Yes, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I thought you were fainting when I saw you suddenly drop to your knees. Do you know how much my heart sank?”
As she placed her hand on her chest, my gaze briefly drifted to her breasts, which boasted a distinct size even through her shirt.
“How was it?”
“Yes!?”
“Why are you so surprised? I mean the omurice. This place is good, right?”
“Ah, yes. The omurice. Yes, the omurice.”
I thought I was truly busted.
I did look for a split second, but there was almost no ulterior motive. Really.
“Um, it was delicious, but the one you made for me last time was better, Professor.”
How about that?
A classic transmigrator trait: being so dense that they just say it’s delicious and leave it at that?
That doesn’t exist in my dictionary.
I was a man who could accurately catch and say exactly what my secret friend wanted to hear.
Given her setting of being confident in her cooking, she was bound to love this kind of compliment.
However, contrary to my expectations, she looked a bit surprised and then gave a bittersweet smile.
“Actually, this is a place my younger brother used to love. Whenever I was busy, he always ate omurice here.”
“Ah, I see.”
Shit.
Classic transmigrator trait: being incredibly dense.
I guess that applies to me too.
“He always used to tell me that my omurice was better, too.”
I was screwed.
She wasn’t crying or anything, but since I’d said something similar in a restaurant filled with memories of her brother, I doubted she felt particularly great.
“…You really do resemble him.”
The look in her eyes as she watched me seemed a bit affectionate, but I forced myself to look away.
I told you, I don’t plan on getting that close to you yet, Professor!