The Gentle Wolf's Endless Bad Luck
His voice carried a softness I could never have imagined, tickling my ears and triggering instant cognitive dissonance. Then came his pure, innocent way of speaking—like that of a newborn babe fresh into the world—delivering a second, solid whack to my skull. Ah, sure, a real newborn couldn't talk, but that's just the vibe.
"Ah, uh."
I was so flustered that no proper words would come out. Maybe my reaction looked weird, because the wolf beastkin tilted his head slightly before letting out a small chuckle, as if something had just clicked.
"You must be tired. Grapes and lemon are great for relieving fatigue. Broccoli too. It's delicious if you blanch it lightly. Want some?"
With that, he pulled a Lock & Lock container from his bag and popped the lid. Inside were seven grapes, four lemon slices, and five neat little bunches of blanched broccoli.
He brought his own fruits and veggies?
"Whoa... He lives even more diligently than I do," Shaolin muttered softly beside me.
Tell me about it. The disconnect was insane. He looked like he could crush a person whole, yet acted like some pure-hearted manga protagonist.
"...Yeah, thanks. I'll have some."
I blinked a few times, picked up a grape, and popped it in. Perfectly sweet, nothing special.
"I usually don't have time in the mornings, so I replace breakfast with simple stuff like this. Glad it's helping."
The wolf beastkin watched me chew, a faint smile on his lips. That rugged face breaking into a grin... yeah, it was seriously bizarre.
"Can I have some too?"
"Of course. Help yourself."
"Thanks! You're such a nice guy! Truth be told, I was too scared to talk to you at first."
"Happens a lot. But it's fine. Once the misunderstanding clears up, everything's solved, right?"
"Totally! Ugh, this lemon's so sour..."
Shaolin grabbed a lemon slice, crammed it in, then scrunched up her face and wriggled like crazy. The wolf beastkin covered his mouth and let out a quiet laugh at the sight.
Only then did I finally relax. Just a really kind student with an intimidating face. Incredibly kind, even.
"Your name's... Tsuno Ume, right?"
I dredged up the name from the screen board and asked.
"Yes. Tsuno's the family name, Ume's the given. Feel free to call me Ume."
"Like you said earlier, I'm Park Jeonghyeon."
"I'm Shaolin! Cat beastkin! You from Kirinus too?"
"Yeah, from the Nise district in Kirinus. Small, but beautiful."
"Oh! I know it! The place with tons of plum blossoms! Their plum blossom pancakes are supposed to be amazing."
"The subtle sweetness is the charm. If there's a chance, I'll make some for you."
"For real?! You can cook too?"
"...My mother taught me."
Ume always replied with that faint smile. Watching him closely, I tossed out a question.
"So, what's with the bandage on your jaw? Hurt yourself today?"
"Ah, yeah. A little incident."
"What happened?"
Shaolin jumped in, and Ume closed his eyes briefly before continuing.
"Well... I stepped outside to head to school, and a dog came charging at me, drooling like mad."
"Ah... So it scratched you."
Even superhumans can't dull dog claws, after all. Totally plausible.
"No. I peeled open the sausage I was gonna eat on the way, and it calmed right down."
Ah, tamed it.
"After saying bye to the pup and crossing the crosswalk... a truck ran the red light and barreled toward me."
"A tr-truck?! D-don't tell me you got hit, dragged across the pavement, and—"
Shaolin's eyes went wide, her voice trembling.
"No, I dodged it."
Ah, dodged it.
"Then, on the way to the main building... a thick branch suddenly dropped from above."
"Scratched by the branch...?"
"No, it hit me square on the crown. Stung a bit, but no wound."
Ah, tanked it.
"Next... I was about to go down the stairs when I slipped on a plastic bag and tumbled."
"......"
"Luckily, no major injuries. As I got up and headed to the main building again, my chin started itching—probably a mosquito bite—so I scratched absentmindedly. Too hard, apparently; it bled. So I'm bandaging it."
"...Kinda anticlimactic ending."
Shaolin muttered in a deflated tone, the conclusion feeling so hollow.
But seriously, was any of this normal? Step outside: feral dog attacks. Crosswalk: red-light truck. Street: falling branch. Stairs: plastic bag slip 'n' fall. All in one commute to school? Was this guy the incarnation of misfortune?
"Bad luck today, or is it always like this?"
Ume kept smiling as he answered.
"Pretty much always. But today's good luck, actually. No pickpockets on the way."
Pitiful, in a way.
"....."
"...Uh, hang in there."
Shaolin shot him a sympathetic look; I offered some encouragement.
"Sure~ Let's all do our best."
Ume replied with that bright, sunny face. Right then—
-Rattle!
The classroom door slid open.
-Click-clack, click-clack.
Crisp high-heel steps followed immediately. It felt like every eye in the class snapped to attention. Probably wasn't a feeling—likely reality.
The one who'd just entered was A-Class's homeroom teacher: Eirin.
Wait, Yonghui-nim is our homeroom teacher? No way. She's probably just here for a quick announcement.
Whoa... she's gorgeously beautiful.
Murmurs like that rippled around the room. Eirin scanned the students coolly, unfazed as if accustomed to it.
"I'm Eirin, your A-Class homeroom teacher. Call me whatever, as long as it's not rude."
It sounded casual on the surface, but her charisma and aura forbade it. She'd end up as Yonghui-nim or Professor to everyone, same as always. No one forced it; it just flowed that way naturally.
"...It's 8 o'clock, so we'll start orientation. Anyone entering after this is tardy, no exceptions."
I turned to whisper to Shaolin about the time, but she'd already bolted to her seat. Quick one.
"First off, one thing. I am..."
Eirin was about to continue when—
-Rattle...
A small noise from the back door. Everyone, me included, whipped around.
There stood Serena, peeking in with the door half-open, slowly scanning the room.
"Ahaha... Didn't mean to draw this much attention."
She scratched her cheek with an awkward grin.
"Diligence is a purifier's basics, Eldrain. One tardy checked."
"Too bad. I even sweated buckets rushing here to avoid it."
Not a drop of sweat on her; she looked fresh as ever.
"Fifth row back, right side by the window."
"Yessir~"
Serena sauntered to the window seat Eirin indicated, plopped down without a hint of tension, and leaned lazily against the frame. With those half-lidded eyes, hard to tell if she was dozing or awake.
"...Continuing. I'm no miracle-working mage. I can't turn you all into high-rank purifiers like me."
Eirin pressed on coolly.
"But I can draw out every bit of potential you possess. At least, if you diligently follow my classes and the other professors'. So, trust me and keep up."
Follow, and I'll max out your hidden talents. From anyone else, it'd earn a scoff; from her lips, I found myself nodding unconsciously.
"Of course, that means gauging your aptitudes first. Time's not infinite. Even now, villains somewhere are stealing innocent lives, erosion entities trampling our lands. No room for waste."
-Snap!
Eirin flicked her fingers lightly, and the whole class shot to their feet. Immense mana and precise control hijacking our movements for a moment.
"So, first period: hunting the gems hidden inside you. Follow me."
With that, she click-clacked out the front door.
"Hm... 'Hunt for gems'—metaphor?"
"Probably."
I gave Ume's head-tilt an ambiguous reply.
But I knew what was coming.
Aptitude test. Extracts and analyzes students' mana to visualize innate talents. Wonder what mine would show.
"Everyone's going. Let's hurry."
"Right."
With all those consciousnesses, would it say talent in every field? Or reveal the raw potential of this body alone, sans skills? Time to dig deeper into myself.