Void Princess's Gift #4
Void Princess's Gift #4
"Ahn Do-min! You little shit, I know all about the bullying you've been pulling in class! It's the same reason you went after me, isn't it?! Yes or no!"
"Hrrk...!"
Once I grabbed him and started barking, Ahn Do-min caved, head down, mouth clamped shut.
Still, seeing him scared was a good sign. Fear's the thing that moves people, one way or another. If you understand violence with your heart and your body both, education gets real simple.
"Why aren't you answering? Hey! Is it because I'm some no-name, family-less scrub who isn't worth talking to? Huh?!"
"N-no! That's not—I just...!"
"Just what! Spit it out! Yes or no!"
That shout made him—
"Fuck!"
He cussed at me!
"What the hell do you want me to do? You think I'm gonna get wrecked like last time? If my grandfather finds out you're pulling this shit over something that's already over...!"
"Hey."
"What!"
At least he's got some pride—he glared at me. So I just squeezed his shoulder.
—Crunch.
"Aaaagh!"
"Ever since that incident... I still haven't gotten an apology from you."
Strictly speaking, after that whole clusterfuck.
I never received a proper apology from Ahn Do-min.
Under the superhuman code, I have every right to demand one. And if he refuses? That'd be grounds for a duel with absolutely no problem.
And even if I did get an apology right now, it'd be the same deal. Knowing Ahn Do-min, he'd toss out some half-assed "sorry" and then just keep acting like a prick later—and that's plenty of reason to doubt his sincerity and beat him bloody again.
In the end, superhuman society is built so the one who fucks up first takes the massive hit. That's why superhumans guard each other's honor just as much as their own. If they don't, they get weeded out.
Just like Ahn Do-min right now.
"If you don't apologize and I beat the shit out of you again, wouldn't that be perfectly righteous under superhuman law?"
"That's...!"
"So let's talk. Yes or no. You've been acting like a piece of shit to the whole class, haven't you."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Ahn Do-min answered.
"Fine. I've been a piece of shit."
"Why were you a piece of shit?"
"...Just because."
"Not 'just because,' you bastard. The way you talked, you were going on about family and all that bullshit. Tell me straight. What made you act like such a piece of shit?"
I leaned into his face, rolling my eyes in all directions like a strabismus case, and his mouth clamped shut again.
"You crazy...!"
But when I kept darting my eyes and pressed my forehead against his, he opened up quick.
"J-just because! They're all nobodies from useless families, so I looked down on them, alright!"
"Right. That's it. Just admit it honestly. Anyway, living with that mindset is what's wrong. The number of people you've made miserable ain't small."
The Mage Class rallying behind me proves that.
"So let's apologize formally in front of everyone. Say you've been leaning on your family name and treating them like idiots. Exactly like that, and ask for forgiveness. Got it?"
For the First Year Grand Unification, Ahn Do-min has to apologize.
"No answer?"
"Crazy...!"
"If you apologize and show you can get along, I won't touch you anymore. If you don't, I'll be touching you every single day. From arrival to dismissal."
I mean that.
"Hrrk!"
Looks like it hit him hard.
"W-why should I do something like...! Fuck, fuck!"
"Quiet."
—Thump.
I placed a hand on top of Ahn Do-min's head.
Honestly, seeing him waffle like this is pissing me off. I want to just beat him down. Maybe responding to that feeling, my Blood Energy was thrashing around inside me.
—Goooooo.
My magic power stays stable no matter my emotions, so maybe this is just the Blood Energy's nature.
There it goes again.
Anyway, I'm not hitting him.
"Want to live with me touching you from now on? Or apologize to your classmates? Pick one."
"Ah, ahhh...!"
"Answer me!"
Blood Energy!
"I-I'll do it! I'll do it, okay! I'm doing it!"
"Good!"
At that, I finally cracked a smile!
"Yeah! That's it! You only move forward by fixing past mistakes! You hear me? I'll be watching! Go with your friends and make a public apology today! Got it!"
"Friends...? Those bastards just..."
"Don't talk back!!!"
"Aaaaagh! Fine! I'll do it! I will! Just please, your hand...!"
"Fine."
I took my hand off his head, threw an arm around Ahn Do-min's shoulders, and headed for the classroom.
"Pal, you know how it is, right? From now on, huh? You apologize. You get friendly with the class. Got it?"
"..."
"Ignore me one more time and I'll take it as you brushing me off because I'm family-less. I'll beat you until you're fucking dead, so keep that in mind. Understand?"
"Alright, I get it! I'll do it!"
Now this is superhuman-style communication that prioritizes efficiency. I've got zero intention of actually hitting him, but just hinting at it made convincing him stupidly easy.
Look.
Didn't I turn this asshole into a docile sheep with just a few words? That's superhuman society. The bastards get weeded out.
* * *
Ahn Do-min wanted to cry.
'Nggh...!'
It had already been one shitty thing after another.
He'd been utterly beaten. His grandfather had gotten absolutely wrecked too. At home, he'd been chewed out for everything. Parents who'd previously shown almost no interest and only ever gave orders about schoolwork and training suddenly decided to "act like parents" by grabbing a club.
On top of that, his standing at school was gone, and the guys he used to boss around had started subtly blowing him off.
And in the middle of all that, he was humiliated yet again.
"Answer! I said answer!"
That bastard Kim Geun-cheol had dragged him off, barking like he was going to beat him to a pulp, and said those things.
He's scary.
He's terrifying.
His pride wanted him to fight back, but he'd just been savagely beaten. He never wanted to taste that pain again. Still, resentment lingered, and he tried to put up some resistance—
—Thump.
When the guy's hand landed on his head.
—Shudder.
Something truly twisted.
"...!"
He sensed an alien, abnormal aura.
"Want to live with me touching you from now on? Or apologize? Pick one."
That sensation seeping in from the crown of his head.
Was it killing intent? In the confusion, Ahn Do-min felt an immense terror. Because he realized the thing in front of him was a genuinely wrong kind of freak.
An ominous premonition told him that if he didn't snap out of it, that force would blow his head apart...
"Answer!"
"I-I'll do it! I'll do it, okay! I'm doing it!"
So Ahn Do-min had his spirit broken and decided to accept the humiliation of a public apology. He was already worrying about having to actually do it.
After a few more exchanges, he ended up returning to class with Kim Geun-cheol.
And.
"Hmm."
"Eh, about what I expected."
Leona and Woo Yu-ri, who had been watching the whole thing from the start, nodded.
"He was yelling so much I thought he was gonna beat the shit out of him. But he just talked him down and ended it?"
"Woo Yu-ri? What exactly do you take Kim Geun-cheol for? Sure, he might have a bit of a violent streak, but he'd never throw a punch over something unjust."
Naturally, Leona had trusted Kim Geun-cheol, so she knew perfectly well that nothing bad was going to happen.
"I mean, I know that, but just look at the vibe—it's exactly that, y'know?"
"The vibe was great, actually? He talked it out, and it looks like he even succeeded at making him apologize. Pure love and peace. Delicious."
"Geez, you're like his mom or something. You approve of everything. Guess I can't really argue."
Watching Leona put a hand over her heart and proclaim how proud she was, Woo Yu-ri scratched the back of her head in mild exasperation.
If you looked at it, Leona seemed to give Kim Geun-cheol unlimited affirmation.
That guy is absolutely not the type you should indulge like that... He's got a serious ego problem—if you just keep praising and affirming him, he'll launch himself sky-high and go around acting insufferably arrogant.
Obviously, some appropriate carrot is needed, but Leona is the type to dump truckloads of carrots and then call for more trucks.
She's like a mom smothering her kid.
"Wh-who's calling me a mom?!"
She yelled it with a red face, pretending she's not one, but that stage is already long past.
"You!"
"Urk...! But! Kim Geun-cheol is just that positive! Isn't he?"
"Too positive!"
"Well... you're not wrong. Still, nothing to worry about. Even if the kid's a bit unreliable, he manages to handle things himself in the end."
At that, her head nodded on its own.
Woo Yu-ri nodded and slipped her hands into her pockets.
"Yeah, that's true... Hey, let's head back in. Class is about to start."
"Right."
Walking into the classroom.
The two girls thought similar yet different thoughts.
'Rather than just constantly affirming him... after the carrot comes the whip. I bet she thinks more about scolding him, huh?'
'Woo Yu-ri is warm, but her words and actions are pretty harsh. It's not like Kim Geun-cheol would actually get hurt by that... but if I hold him close, I think he'll think about my side more.'
The subject of those thoughts, Kim Geun-cheol, was—
"Kahahahahahaha!"
—for some reason standing in front of Lee Si-hoo, doing a professional arm-wave dance and laughing loudly.
'Oh, come on.'
'Please.'
* * *
"Hello-hello! Well now, well now! It's time for a fun combat-theory class with Instructor Kawar and Instructor Lee So-ra! Let's all dive deep into the sea of learning today!"
Alright!
Class had begun!
I instantly snapped into hyper-focus mode and stared intently at Instructor Kawar. Kim Geun-cheol here is a man who diligently absorbs even the theory—I'm going to completely master today's class.
"Ahh! Such a passionate gaze already! Kim Geun-cheol, your class participation attitude is excellent!"
"Mine is always excellent. Because I'm an honor student."
"An honor student...! Then today's first presentation will be by Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Hey, why always the one who's actually trying hard—namely me?!"
Why does this always happen!
Not that it matters!
Even a presentation will contribute to my learning!
"You've got a loud voice and you speak well, don't you? When it comes to summarizing class content, there's simply no talent like Kim Geun-cheol."
"She's right. Let's begin the class, Instructor Kawar."
"Yes, yes. So, today's class, we'll look at combat data from heroes who actually participated in operations—their explanations and the squad leaders' judgment—and then examine how those operations unfolded and discuss them."
A standard lesson plan.
Nothing sticks with trainees better than things that happened in real combat. Instructor Lee So-ra soon played a video, and the class got underway.
