Chapter 67: I Became a Teacher at the Hypnosis Academy (1)
Chapter 67: I Became a Teacher at the Hypnosis Academy (1)
'To think I’d end up becoming a teacher.'
I’d briefly harbored a dream of becoming a teacher when I was a kid, but so much time had passed that I’d forgotten I ever even had such a dream.
In fact, unless it’s a part-time gig at a cram school or private tutoring, it’s rare for someone my age to become a teacher—but I was an exception. Just as the Association Chairman had said, I had been officially invited to the Hero Academy as a "teacher."
'Well, technically not a permanent one.'
I suppose I was closer to the image of a student teacher. Of course, since I wasn't an education major, I wouldn't be treated exactly like one. If I had to put a label on it, "contract teacher" would be more accurate.
"Whew."
This was a completely different realm from my life as a hero, where I just had to mindlessly smash villains or slaughter monsters. However, I felt more anticipation than nerves.
Was it because this was a new experience? Or was it for some other reason?
'...How should I set up a defeat play?'
It was easy to frame a scenario when the opponent was clearly a villain, but thinking about it in the context of a school made things a bit ambiguous. I couldn't exactly do what I did with the university basketball club. Back then, I was in my civilian form, so I could commit to it without worrying about the aftermath, but things were different now.
'Since it’s the Hero Academy, I’ll obviously have to stay transformed the whole time.'
I started cycling through various delusions assuming I was in my transformed state, but nothing felt quite right.
'A gangbang with the students? Well, even if they are students, I heard some of them are older than me.'
If I went through with that, the overall setup would be similar to the basketball club incident. But unlike then, I was going in as Magical Girl Floss this time, so the risk of being caught was too high. If there were multiple students involved, it would be even harder to ensure their silence.
'Then maybe the opposite? The principal or the other male teachers...'
That was also tricky. Defeat play usually only works if the opponent is a lunatic like Michael or Shin Tae-geon, or someone openly lewd like the Association Chairman. There was no guarantee the school would have someone like that.
Furthermore, since it was the Hero Academy, many of the teachers were former heroes themselves—though there were several civilian teachers for non-combat subjects—so even if I gave them an opening, the chances of them taking the bait weren't high.
'Besides, openly seducing someone is an automatic disqualification for defeat play.'
Meanwhile, I was walking down the hallway toward the faculty office. The corridors of the Hero Academy were packed with both students and staff. It seemed the news of my arrival had already spread far and wide.
"Isn't that Floss?"
"I heard she was coming as a contract teacher..."
"It's my first time seeing her in person, and she's freaking gorgeous."
Unaware of what I was thinking internally, the students gazed at me with eyes full of admiration. I heard compliments about being "pretty" from all directions—praise that had felt awkward a few months ago but was now familiar.
'They probably think they're whispering, but I can hear everything.'
Actually, I might be more popular than I thought. I didn't expect this much of a crowd to gather.
Come to think of it, I hadn't really felt the weight of my popularity before. At most, it was just the sound of camera shutters from reporters when I visited the Hero Association.
Unless I was on a mission, I rarely walked around the streets as Magical Girl Floss, so I’d never leisurely strolled through a crowded place in my magical girl form like this.
'That’s probably why I spent more time ego-surfing on internet communities.'
On hero-related communities, A-rank or B-rank heroes and below barely get mentioned; S-rank heroes take up over 90% of the discourse. Since I was an A-rank, I had relatively fewer mentions compared to the S-ranks, so I might have been underestimating my own fame until now.
"Waaaaah! Flosssssss!!"
"I love youuuuu!!"
...There was no other way to explain why they were cheering like that.
Only a few students knew I was coming beforehand, but the rumor must have spread like wildfire after I arrived, because the enthusiasm only grew as I walked. Before I knew it, the hallway became so congested that it was impossible to pass through.
At this point, I started feeling self-conscious around the other faculty members, so I had no choice but to walk as fast as I could into the faculty office.
Thud!
"Huff, huff..."
"Haha, you've arrived. It seems the children gave you a very passionate welcome."
"It seems so..."
I quickly shut the office door and caught my breath. Even though it was closed, I could still feel the heated atmosphere from beyond the door. A Vice Principal with a gentle expression and a half-balding head greeted me.
"Please, have a seat. Let's have some tea while I explain what you'll be doing at this school."
*
The "duties" the Vice Principal briefed me on were roughly two-fold.
Even though there were two, the first one was practically optional. After all, for general academic subjects, I just had to drop in and observe whenever I felt like it.
Even if it was a Hero Academy, they didn't just learn how to fight. A school was still a school. There were subjects that taught the common sense, systems, and laws necessary for a hero's life.
'I usually just leave all that stuff to the Association...'
The irony was that I, the one who had come as a teacher, had been scouted immediately and skipped that entire educational process, so I knew absolutely nothing about it.
In short, I could just skip this whenever I didn't feel like doing it. There was already a teacher in charge and students attending; I was just there to observe. They probably wanted me to be a sort of "intimidation totem" to keep the hero trainees—who might look down on civilian teachers because of their superpowers—in check.
'The second duty is the important one.'
On the other hand, the second task absolutely required my presence.
It involved the Gate I had personally raided with my sidekick, Dark Swan, at the Academy's request. After I had defeated the boss monster, the Slime, the Academy had invested time and resources to recently complete a field training site there.
'So they're putting me in charge of the Gate field training.'
They could have assigned it to someone else, but since it was the first time a monster's domain had been converted into a training ground for hero trainees, it seemed they wanted to give it some symbolic significance by having me lead it.
Well, I probably knew that Gate better than anyone else. Of course, active hero work and teaching trainees were two completely different things, but I wasn't lacking in confidence. I was actually quite interested.
'So, about the defeat play...'
But the thought of defeat play still lingered in my mind. I wondered if I should just let it go and stay quiet this time, but I couldn't give up easily.
'If it's Gate training... the boss mob is dead, but there should be some slimes left. Maybe I could show myself getting defeated in front of the students?'
That seemed like the most plausible scenario. It felt a bit too similar to when I entered the Gate with Dark Swan, which was a bit disappointing, but if I was going to do it, this seemed like the only possibility for now.
"Well then, why don't you wait here until class starts? The excitement outside is still quite high."
"Ahaha... you're right. Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment."
Even after making a decision, I was still smacking my lips in slight disappointment when a certain male student caught my eye.
'Whoa.'
I thought I’d closed the door, so I snapped my eyes open, thinking a student had sneaked in just to see me. However, I soon realized he was just having a regular interview with a woman who appeared to be his homeroom teacher.
But something felt strange. For no reason, my eyes kept drifting toward that male student. Even when I tried to look away, I’d find myself staring at him again before I knew it.
'What is this?'
I couldn't immediately understand this sensation myself.
'It's definitely not... love at first sight.'
He looked to be around my age, but with his shaggy hair and short stature, he wasn't objectively the type to draw attention. Furthermore, I had even less interest in a man's appearance than most.
While I was wondering what the cause could be, the nameless male student's eyes met mine.
"Hello?"
Unlike me, who froze in surprise, the male student gave a creepy smirk. His eyes, partially hidden by his hair, curved into crescents.
Goosebumps broke out across my arms. After a moment of daze, I finally snapped out of it. I awkwardly nodded back in greeting, but I couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
'...Threatening?'
Only then did I realize why I was so tense. No matter how I looked at it, I was in a state of high alert.
But even though I recognized the emotion, I couldn't easily understand it. Me, on high alert? Against a single hero trainee whose superpowers hadn't even been revealed yet?
'That's impossible.'
However, I couldn't simply ignore the anxiety I felt. It was something welling up from my instincts.
It was rare for my instincts to react before my mind could process the situation. It meant the opponent was that dangerous, yet I couldn't see any reason why that nameless boy appeared dangerous on the surface.
It was the same even when I sharpened my magical girl's sixth sense, which could even detect invisible men. Then again, if the cause was the boy's superpower, it wouldn't be something detectable by human sensory organs.
"Then I'll be going, Teacher."
"Uh, yeah. Go on back. Class is starting soon."
Having finished his interview with the homeroom teacher, the male student quietly opened the door and left. He didn't even look back at me, but I didn't lower my guard until the very end.
Once his footsteps were no longer audible, I slightly lifted my hips and moved to the seat where the homeroom teacher who had interviewed him was sitting. Whatever it was, I intended to find out about that student. It would be even better if I could find out what his superpower was.
"Um, hello?"
"Ah, you're the one who arrived today..."
Fortunately, she knew who I was, so the conversation flowed easily. Without further delay, I asked point-blank.
"What were you interviewing that male student about just now?"
"The interview?"
"Oh, if it's a problem, you don't have to tell me."
"No, it's not really like that."
The homeroom teacher tilted her head and continued.
"Actually, strange things have been happening frequently in my class... Class 7, lately."
"Strange things?"
I pricked up my ears. Was it something like that? You know, the Seven Wonders of the school or something.
Any school that's been around for a while is bound to have rumors about its "Wonders." Of course, the Hero Academy wasn't that old.
"I'm the homeroom teacher for Class 7, but lately... my memories of morning assembly, closing assembly, or even when I go in to teach my subject are a bit hazy."
"Your memories are hazy?"
"Yes. Only in Class 7 do I struggle to remember how far I got in the lesson, and I feel inexplicably exhausted after leaving that room... specifically, my waist and jaw tend to feel quite sore."
"That's strange. It's only Class 7?"
The homeroom teacher nodded. It was definitely a strange phenomenon, but I still hadn't heard the reason for the interview.
"It's not just me; other female teachers have said similar things, so I don't think it's just my problem."
"Hmm..."
"So, I'm calling the kids in one by one. If they're playing pranks with some strange superpower we don't know about, I'll have to give them a piece of my mind to make them stop."
The homeroom teacher let out a deep, frustrated sigh. After listening to her vent a bit more about how a civilian has no proper way to resist the mischievous pranks of superpowered hero trainees, I was finally able to ask my question.
"Then, what was that male student's superpower?"
"Yuseong's power is Telepathy. So, honestly, he probably has nothing to do with those strange occurrences, but I called him in just in case he knew something. I've been interviewing all the other kids in Class 7 one by one as well."
I nodded, but I didn't fully accept her words. There was no way I would feel this threatened and enter a state of high alert over a mere telepath.
'There's definitely something more.'
Did she say his name was Yuseong? I’d have to look into that student further.