PE Teacher: Geum Taeyang-3
"Aaagh! This is all your fault! We're late for class!"
"I definitely felt an evil aura, taemp! There's definitely a monster from the Shadow World somewhere in this school, taemp! Even I've never felt an aura that vivid and terrible, taemp!"
Han Somi ran and ran. If the acting class president caught sight of her, a lecture was guaranteed. Still, she couldn't very well stroll along at the regulation pace. The class president wasn't around, and showing up late to class would earn her a scolding several times more tedious than getting caught running in the hallway.
This was all Tambourine's fault.
"My school life is a wreck because of you! I was even late to the entrance ceremony!"
"You're Carol Muse of Justice, taemp! Defeating monsters descending from the Shadow World is more important than entrance ceremonies or classes, taemp!"
If she just couldn't talk, Somi wouldn't even hate her. She glared at her mascot. Before her eyes, a bizarre yet adorable creature that defied any explanation as an Earth organism fluttered its wings as it flew.
Tambourine.
By her own account, she was a spirit of hope who had descended from the Magic Realm. On the day of Jinglebell Middle School's entrance ceremony, Han Somi had met Tambourine and become a magical girl.
"Don't be too upset, taemp! You're the queen of tardiness anyway, taemp!"
"Ugh! I have reasons for every time I'm late. Like when I see a grandmother carrying a heavy load, or a child who's lost their mom…"
"Finding and purifying monsters is a hundred times more important than that, taemp!"
"But there weren't any monsters at school in the end. If we'd found one, I wouldn't be saying this."
"That's… Even if we didn't find it today, it's definitely hiding somewhere in the school, taemp!"
The small, plump, bronze-colored slime spread the angel wings on its back as it spoke. The appearance was adorable; the words were infuriating. Even so, Han Somi had no choice but to cooperate with her.
According to Tambourine, if the Shadow World spread its unholy power into the human world, countless people would fall into misery — and eventually, the human world itself would meet its end.
Han Somi could not accept a future like that. She had no way of knowing how much of this cute slime mascot's words were true, but at least one fact was certain: the Shadow World's monsters were a catastrophe for humanity. She had already encountered them more than once.
Kind by nature, Han Somi had never been able to walk past someone in trouble, not even as a child. That same kindness was why she had been able to become a magical girl — and why she so often ended up paying the price for it.
Today was no different. Because Tambourine had insisted she sensed a suspicious aura at school, they had rummaged through every corner of the building. Thanks to that, Somi was late for PE. PE class already ate up extra time just changing into gym clothes.
"Sorry I'm a little late!"
Han Somi flung the gymnasium doors open with a clatter and called out. Nearly ten minutes had passed since the bell; even by some stroke of luck, getting off without being marked late was a lost cause. If you've done something wrong, apologize first. That was one of her mottos.
"Somi!"
A girl in thin-framed glasses glared at her. Bae Jeongmi, the acting class president. They hadn't held elections yet, so the title was still provisional — but she would almost certainly become the official one. Rumor had it she'd never once lost a class president election, even in elementary school.
"What are you doing being late to class?"
"Sorry, class president. Ah — I'm sorry, sir. I suddenly had to use the bathroom really badly…"
Han Somi pressed her palms together, bowed her head, and wore a genuinely sorry expression. She was sorry — more for the lie than for being late. The rule that a magical girl must never reveal her identity left her no choice, but lying still sat heavy and painful in her chest.
Geum Taeyang stood with his arms crossed, looking down at her.
Han Somi.
A beauty, just as expected. On a completely different level from the extras. Her glossy white hair was gathered into a side tail with a golden ribbon, and her gold-lit eyes sparkled with extraordinary brightness. She stood about five-foot-one, but her limbs were so long and clean-lined she could have debuted as a model. Every feature of her face sat in perfect harmony, composing a face of such pure, fresh beauty that one could only look forward to how she would bloom.
The only girl in this class who could stand comparison was perhaps the acting class president. Geum Taeyang understood at a glance why her childhood friend Shin Wooju had fallen for her.
Just as I thought — a seed that's perfect for cultivation.
Honestly, he wanted to devour her right then and there. He held back for the sake of the quest, and opened his mouth with a serious expression.
"So you're the problem child Ms. Yang told me about. I heard you've been late no fewer than three times in a single week. She said she's never had a problem student like you since becoming a homeroom teacher."
"Th-that's all because I had reasons…"
Han Somi kept her head bowed, fidgeting by pressing her two index fingers together. Of the three tardies, two had been because of monsters from the Shadow World, and one because she'd stopped to help a lost grandmother. Her mouth itched with the urge to tell the truth — but a magical girl's secrets had to be kept.
"I'm sorry."
Being late to class was a clear wrong. The only thing she could do was ask forgiveness for it.
Geum Taeyang felt a thrill looking down at the bowed Han Somi.
"Come to the Guidance Office after PE. It seems you need some firm guidance."
"Yes, sir."
Han Somi answered with a downcast look. Watching her, the acting class president pushed up her glasses. She knew perfectly well that Somi was no delinquent.
Just the other morning, she had witnessed Han Somi helping a lost grandmother on the way to school. Even though it might make her late, the sight of her stopping to help someone else had filled Jeongmi with respect.
Surely there was some reason this time too. Somi's a surprisingly diligent girl, after all.
Bae Jeongmi wanted to ask what the circumstances had been. The atmosphere wasn't right for it, so she held her tongue.
PE class ended without further incident.
I returned to the Guidance Office after PE. It was the base I had established at Jinglebell Middle School. Aside from teaching, my actual work was handled by the other two guidance teachers.
I had shoved both of their desks into the corner. They jammed two chairs into a single desk and did their work in cramped discomfort — because I had ordered them to. I didn't want to look at those bastards' faces, and the space I was willing to allocate them was cramped besides. Thanks to that, the two of them worked in conditions that would have looked at home in a notorious political prison camp.
On top of that, they had to handle my workload as well. I'd taken a paddle to them the moment they slacked off even a little, so by now they followed my word without a peep.
As expected of the Common Sense Alteration Talisman. Its performance is rock-solid.
Against anyone whose willpower wasn't particularly high, it delivered guaranteed results. With it, I had become the king of the Guidance Office.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door. The only person who would come looking for me right now was Han Somi, whom I'd told to report here. I opened the door myself. The person standing outside, however, was not who I'd expected.
"Hm? Aren't you the Hope Class president?"
"Acting president, sir."
A girl in black-framed glasses, her hair neatly braided, bowed her head in greeting. Bae Jeongmi, class president. Provisional for now, but according to the original story she would become the official one. Strict by temperament, yet because she looked after every classmate with painstaking care, she commanded genuine respect. In every respect, she was the kind of flawless overachiever who couldn't possibly exist in real life.
"I don't believe I called for you."
"I have something I'd like to tell you, sir. May I come in?"
I nodded. A perfect opportunity to test the Common Sense Alteration Talisman.
Bae Jeongmi was a supporting character with quite high willpower. Composure was practically her trademark. Of course, she was still just a middle schooler. I was curious whether the talisman would take. If I confirmed it worked on her, I'd also know whether it would work on Han Somi.
"Huh? Why are those teachers working at a single desk in the corner like that?"
Jeongmi asked, looking at the two guidance teachers hunched in the corner. They didn't so much as glance at the girl who had entered, absorbed in their administrative work.
"Ah. So they prefer it that way."
She made a puzzled face at the two teachers laboring like slaves in the corner. I casually tossed a suggestion her way.
"But that's normal. Working like that is more space-efficient."
"Hmm… they didn't do it that way in elementary school, though."
As expected, the suggestion didn't take. Her willpower was as strong as I'd figured.
Wait — then those two teachers had weaker willpower than a middle schooler? What a pair of idiots.
Well, willpower did tend to scale with age, but it wasn't an absolute rule. In this case, maybe I just had to give Jeongmi credit.
"Right. Have a seat for now."
I pulled out the student counseling chair. Jeongmi sat across from me.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"It's about Somi, sir."
"Somi?"
"Yes. The one who was late today."
If it was Han Somi, I knew her better than anyone. I hadn't expected Bae Jeongmi to bring her up, though. The two of them would become best friends later, but this was still early in the original timeline. They'd first met at the entrance ceremony. Somi had caused enough trouble that Jeongmi was keeping an eye on her, but I didn't remember them being close. Not at this point, at least.
"I know. Did Somi hit you or something?"
"No. It's nothing like that at all."
Bae Jeongmi waved her hands in denial.
"It's the opposite. The day before yesterday, I saw Somi helping a lost grandmother on the way to school."
"A lost grandmother?"
"Yes. That's why she was late. Somi is a fundamentally good kid. I haven't seen that much of her, but she's definitely kind and diligent. If she was late, there must have been a reason. So… I was hoping you wouldn't scold her too harshly."
She had come to defend Somi. A friendship so touching it could bring tears to your eyes — and the two of them weren't even properly friends yet. It was bonds like this that made the Somi x Jeongmi pairing one of the biggest ships in the fandom.
More precisely, is it a class president's sense of responsibility rather than friendship?
I recalled the original. Bae Jeongmi appeared often enough as a supporting character that she had her own episodes. There was one where she suffered tremendous stress and anguish under a sense of responsibility so unshakable you could hardly believe she was a middle schooler. In that episode, she was moved by Han Somi's innocent nature, came to realize her own identity as a child, and that was how it ended.
Heh heh. If I use Jeongmi's sense of responsibility well, I might be able to stir up something interesting.
I considered how I could turn that responsibility to my own convenience.
"Hmm. So you came here to tell me not to scold Somi?"
"I'm not saying you shouldn't scold her. I'm asking that you take into consideration that Somi surely had a reason."
For a kid, she sure used some fairly sophisticated words. Then again, she was class president — maybe that was normal. I crossed my arms and shook my head.
"Certainly, Somi might have had circumstances. But she was late to class. Arriving on time is a student's duty. As this school's Guidance Director, I don't think I can treat her lightly for violating that duty."
"But…"
"On top of that, Somi lied to me."
Jeongmi's eyes flickered. I barely managed to hold back the smile that threatened to slip out.
"A lie?"
"That's right. A lie. Somi clearly said she was late because she went to the bathroom. But after class, another teacher told me that at that hour, she was the only one in the first-floor girls' restroom. In other words, Somi lied to me."
"Th-that could have been a restroom on another floor, couldn't it? That teacher might have been mistaken…"
"What reason would a first-year like Somi have to use a restroom on another floor? She was clearly late for some other reason and made an excuse to me."
Han Somi was fundamentally an honest girl. Unless it involved being a magical girl, she never lied. If she was late to class, the reason was always one of two things: she had run into someone in trouble, or something had come up in her duties as a magical girl.
Today's tardiness to my class was clearly the latter. There was no way she'd run into a grandmother carrying a heavy load or a child who'd lost their mother inside the school.
"But… there might have been a reason…"
The confidence had drained from Jeongmi's voice. I pressed her as if driving her into a corner.
"Even if I concede a hundred times and overlook the tardiness, I cannot overlook a lie. A needle thief becomes a cattle thief — let a student get away with little lies, and they'll grow into a full-blown swindler."