Chapter 57: Even if the World Forces Its Way, I Can Win.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Even if the World Forces Its Way, I Can Win.
I reconciled with Mom. I’ll skip the part about the five-page A4-sized melodrama—10pt font, Shin-myeong-jo typeface—filled with "I'm so sorry, my son, waaaaaah!" since I’m sure no one is interested in that.
Just comforting her drained all my energy. Even with Hindel standing right there, Mom buried her face in my stomach and sobbed for two hours straight. It was honestly embarrassing.
Once I finally managed to calm her down...
"Sniff... hic... Yong-hwan, do you really forgive Mommy?"
"I do, I do, I said I do, so stop cry—"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
She started bawling again. If she weren't so pretty, I would have gone off to be Hindel’s son instead. An elf’s beauty is truly a foul play.
"Ack! Ack! Stop! Stop crying! If you keep crying, you’re not my mom! You’re just a big sister! A bad sister!"
"Sniff... hic... Will you marry Mommy when you grow up?"
"I will! I will! I'll marry you, so just stop crying!"
I was too exhausted to keep up the proper comforting. I just humored her nonsense, and only after she finally settled down did she give a small cough and return to her usual self.
Grasha, on the other hand, didn't even wake up despite Mom making such a scene. She really is something else.
Anyway, my runaway escapade ended in less than six hours, so there isn't much else to tell. The rest of winter break rolled by as usual, with no special events other than Yuseoha selling her Mega Ukuleles like always.
Well, except for Grasha constantly trying to get one over on her older brother...
"Hello, I'm Jeong Yong-hwan... Nice to meet you!"
Aside from the event on the day of the entrance ceremony where I was introduced last because I was a boy, nothing much happened.
There were no commotions like, “Uhyooo! A boy! I’m gonna eat him up!” Maybe it’s because we were still at the age where kids don't really distinguish between genders, but the vibe was more like, “Oh, I guess there’s a boy here.”
In the co-ed schools I knew, it was normal to separate boys and girls into different classes, but since this was an elementary school, they didn't seem to do that. To be honest, in my first playthrough, I went to a co-ed school, but the classes were mixed then too.
Regardless, I didn't like the fact that the classroom was crawling with brats. Even though it was the first day and everyone should have been testing the waters, the kids were already buzzing around, forming their little groups.
"...."
I scanned my surroundings. Remembering Alicia’s advice that a man shouldn't be frivolous and strike up conversations first, I waited for someone to talk to me.
"Super Tyranno Alpha Saurus is way stronger!"
"Omega Drake is stronger because it has a Secret Combination form!"
The kids started fighting from day one. With the homeroom teacher called away to the faculty office, the classroom was already a mess. I could already see how my school life was going to go.
I figured I should settle this.
"Hey, stop fighting."
"But Super Tyranno Alpha Saurus is...!"
"Omega Drake is...!"
The kids mumbled, hanging their heads before me as if they were being scolded by an adult.
"Green Brachiosaurus Beta is the strongest. Don't get cocky."
The kids snapped their heads up.
"What? That piece of junk Green Brachiosaurus Beta is the strongest?"
Jeers flew in from elsewhere.
"The strongest is Dark Ptero Pi Saurus!"
Other lunatics started jumping in.
"Blue Stego Sigma Saurus is the strongest!"
The kids began to swarm.
"I said Green Brachiosaurus Beta is the strongest! Ah-shit-fuck, bring it on!"
I couldn't back down here.
***
I felt bad for Mom, whose heart had been swelling with pride at the news of Iris Cal Degrain entering the Academy at the top of her class.
"Fighting with the other kids on the very first day... Sigh. And a boy, of all things..."
Mom let out a long sigh. Seeing her rush over from the Bureau without even changing her clothes after hearing her son was involved in a school fight made me feel a twinge of what might have been a conscience.
But I stood tall.
"I fought thirteen of them and won!"
"...I am truly sorry."
Mom bowed her head to the homeroom teacher.
"It happens. No one was seriously hurt, and I heard the other children were the ones who used force first. Besides, Yong-hwan only subdued them."
To be honest, all I did was put one in a joint lock, drop eight others with liver punches, and rattle the brains of the remaining four with uppercuts to the jaw. And I wasn't the one who started it.
Even when they slandered Green Brachiosaurus Beta as the weakest, I had refrained from throwing the first punch, so I was innocent.
The arguments of children are predictable anyway. Once I started spewing sophistry using my superior intellect and basic knowledge of Magitech, the kids had no way to win.
When they realized their logic wasn't working, they tried to settle it with violence, and I simply 'subdued' them.
"Yong-hwan's mother, we're so sorry. Truly sorry."
"Oh dear, to a boy... We apologize."
"No, no, I'm the one who should be sorry."
"We're sorry...!"
Watching fourteen sets of parents bowing to each other was actually quite entertaining. The homeroom teacher didn't seem flustered at all, just laughing as she let the parents talk it out.
"Green Brachiosaurus Beta is the strongest, right?"
"Ugh... but... but... then Alpha Tyranno is second!"
"What are you talking about? Omega Drake is second!"
"Are you guys stupid? Blue Stego is second!"
The hierarchy was established. The kids were now fighting over second place.
Truthfully, looking at the settings of that bizarre show—a weird mix of Tokusatsu and animation—Green Brachiosaurus Beta was actually a bit weak. But what does the original source matter? Among brats, the one who talks the best and fights the best is the law.
Are you watching, Green Brachiosaurus Beta? I won!
A second round of fighting almost broke out among the fourteen kids in the faculty office, but since there were proper guardians present, it didn't escalate to fisticuffs.
"...Do you want to transfer schools?"
Mom asked cautiously in the car on the way home.
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, if the girls are bullying you..."
"No, I won. Compared to Im Su-yeon, they’re not even a warm-up!"
To me, who had dealt with an out-of-spec monster like Im Su-yeon, girls just one year older than me were nothing.
Weaklings, the lot of them.
They were pathetic compared to Im Su-yeon, who had skillfully dodged all my schemes—whether I was pretending to spill water on her, 'accidentally' knocking over her blocks, trying to snatch her blanket during nap time, or even when I 'trained' the Fluffy Teacher with spankings to make her take only my side.
"...If the girls bully or hit you, you have to tell Mommy, okay? My son, what about the Hero of Justice?"
"A Hero of Justice doesn't use their strength recklessly! You use it to protect yourself and the people precious to you!"
"Hehe, that's right. You know it well. Shall we have pork cutlet today? Just the two of us, it'll be a secret from Grasha."
"Yay! Mom, you're the best! I'm gonna marry you!"
I couldn't resist pork cutlet, which we only ate on very special days (the fact that my sisters bought it for me often was a secret).
And so, I made a grand debut at elementary school.
In other words, I was the king.
After I single-handedly thrashed thirteen kids and straightened out the class, no one dared to challenge me.
"Now, repeat after me. Who is the strongest?"
—Green Brachiosaurus Beta!
The children were very well-educated. Once the hierarchy was set, they were quite obedient.
Mom seemed worried about a boy being surrounded by girls, but the real danger to me wasn't kids my age—it was her friends who wanted to devour me.
Anyway, the lessons at the 'Basic' school were incredibly dull. I was secretly studying material from the future curriculum behind the teacher's back, but since I had already 'patted' the heads of my classmates a few times, no one snitched on me.
The first week came to an end, and the big day finally arrived.
"Now, is there anyone who would like to run for class president~?"
It was time for the class president election.
"...."
The children all stared at the floor.
"Is there anyone who wants to run, or anyone you'd like to recommend~?"
the middle-aged homeroom teacher began to coax the children gently. The kids were silent, likely because I had already 'prepped' them about my intention to run.
"I, Jeong Yong-hwan, would like to run."
I shot my hand up. Since no one else wanted to do it, she must be so grateful that one person volunteered. Surely, the teacher would be moved to tears...
"Is there anyone else~?"
Far from crying, she hurriedly scanned the room as if panicked.
"It seems I'm the only one. If you elect me, I will create class harmony and a school life free of bullying!"
I spoke with confidence. I wanted to gift everyone good memories by creating a class without bullying. For the record, I didn't misspeak. There wasn't going to be any harmony either.
Not unless they acknowledged Green Brachiosaurus Beta as the strongest!
"A boy is a bit... Are there really no other friends who want to try?"
"It! Seems! I! Am! The! Only! One!"
I shouted vigorously, but it didn't seem to intimidate the middle-aged teacher, who looked like she had at least thirty years of experience.
"...Then, we'll decide by drawing lots."
The teacher was about to cross the line.
I glared at the girl sitting next to me.
"...I recommend Yong-hwan!"
Then, I made eye contact with each of the students whose gazes were fixed on me.
"Yong-hwan!" "Yong-hwan should!" "Yong-hwan for...!" "Yong...!"
I had prepped them for this. This was the '2nd playthrough' vibe.
She was trying to challenge me with a mere thirty years of teaching experience? Of course, even if I combined my current life and my past life, I probably still wouldn't reach the teacher's age.
"...Sigh. Then, we'll have Yong-hwan as a candidate. Is there anyone else?"
"...."
The kids lowered their heads. The fist was close, and the teacher was far. Excellent.
For the record, the runner-up for Academy admission was Olivia de La Croix.