Chapter 79: It Was Summer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: It Was Summer
In this world, history was valued above all else, and the Academy boasted a grand history spanning seven centuries.
That was why the newly established Joaquin Graduate School was classified as a subsidiary institution under the Academy.
Establishing such a clear hierarchy made management far easier—or so claimed my wife, Ryozo.
‘Classic behavior from the woman who laid the administrative foundations of modern Japan.’
...I really couldn't afford to give her any reason to hold a grudge or catch me slipping. I made a firm mental note, rubbing away the goosebumps rising on my skin.
‘Her competence is honestly bordering on excessive.’
The current Prime Minister of Japan was Ryozo’s older sister, Saki Hina. Early on, the overwhelming consensus was that she lacked the capability for the job, drawing suspicious looks from all sides.
Ryozo had stepped up to help her sister. First, she politically leveraged the phrase "The Honorable Death of the Archery Saint," exploiting a national ethos obsessed with honor.
"She wiped her political enemies off the board in an instant."
After that, she overhauled Japan’s parliamentary system—where hereditary succession had been the norm—into a direct election system. As a result, the mindset that the National Diet was subordinate to the executive branch took root naturally, allowing Hina to focus on running the country far more comfortably. Her political maneuvering, a masterful blend of history and honor, reportedly became a textbook case for nations around the world.
All of this was Ryozo’s doing.
Anyone in the know was well aware of it. Even Prime Minister Saki Hina herself didn't deny it; whenever a crisis arose in national affairs, she called Ryozo first. If worst came to worst, Hina was even prepared to hand the Prime Minister’s seat over to her younger sister.
Anyway.
Ryozo applied the exact same "experiment" she had conducted on her homeland to Joaquin Academy. By incorporating the higher learning institution—the graduate school—as a subsidiary of the Academy, she kept full control while minimizing tedious micromanagement. A smart, classic approach.
‘Classics are classics for a reason.’
Ryozo was exceptionally skilled at that kind of control.
She scheduled my entire day. She hung up the clothes I was meant to wear. And if I went on a business trip, she would sneakily send Choi Seol-ah to keep tabs on me...
‘Wait.’
Isn't all of this textbook psychopath behavior?
"Even if she isn't a psychopath, I'm pretty sure that falls under socio-whatever traits."
I had seen it in a Neotube Short once.
"..."
I shook my head violently to clear the thought.
Thump, thump.
Walking aimlessly, I eventually arrived at a door located deep within the top floor of the Graduate School building.
The wooden door assailed my nostrils like freshly baked bread—except it was emitting a pungent stench of fresh paint. My eyes stung, and even my frontal lobe throbbed.
Knock, knock.
I knocked briefly and stepped inside. The man sitting inside, holding his forehead, spotted me. A grin instantly broke across his face as he welcomed me.
"Heavenly Sword!"
"Just call me Geomma, President."
"If you call me Instructor instead of President, I'll do just that."
"...Those two aren't the same thing, you know."
I grumbled as I sat down across from him. Somehow, my defenses always dropped around this man.
Lee Won-bin crossed his arms and said, "Of course, of course. Whatever the Heavenly Sword desires."
"Tsk."
I smacked my lips, but a smile was already tugging at my mouth. Resting my elbows on the desk, I tapped my fingernails against the surface.
"How is it? Managing okay?"
Lee Won-bin's eyes dimmed with gloom.
"No. Not at all. I honestly haven't the faintest idea what I'm doing."
The person in overall charge of Joaquin Graduate School was none other than Instructor Lee Won-bin. For the record, while it wasn't his official title yet, we all addressed him as "President."
Initially, Lee Won-bin had expressed great reluctance at the heavy role suddenly thrust upon him. He was a man with exceptional self-awareness.
‘Excessively so.’
The weight of the title "Graduate School President" had clearly been quite burdensome for him. But after persistent persuasion, he had finally accepted. I could proudly say recruiting him had been harder than Liu Bei’s three visits to Zhuge Liang’s thatched cottage.
Anyway...
‘Hmm...’
His complexion looked far too pale. At this rate, the few remaining strands of hair on his head might blow away in the wind.
Right. I came here to comfort him, so let's do my best. I leaned forward across the desk.
"Ryozo told me herself—there’s no one better suited for this than you, Instructor. That’s why she trusted you with it. You know her, right? She’s not exactly the type to act out of sentimental warmth."
"I know all too well. She was a cadet in the Wolf Class under my charge, but I could never figure out what was going on in her head."
"Honestly, neither can I..."
"Ah..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
"B-but... you still love her, right?"
"Without a shadow of a doubt."
"Ha, haha. Then that's all that matters, you rascal!"
"Though it feels like my personal life is shrinking by the day!"
"That's part of the charm of marriage!"
"And it feels like someone's tailing me even on business trips!"
"There's a reason people call it an eternal bond! Spouses are bound together by an invisible thread!"
"Hahaha! Instructor, please make sure you get married too. Please."
"Hahahahahahaha."
Please, okay?
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
After a bout of hearty laughter, the atmosphere had lightened nicely. I got down to business.
"How are the professors?"
"Every single one of them is magnificent."
Not just "impressive," but "magnificent." Such an unfamiliar word coming from the mouth of an instructor who was usually strict with praise.
‘Well, makes sense.’
With a Dragon Lord and an Archangel as faculty, even the word "magnificent" felt a bit insufficient.
However, that wasn't all. To build a more systematic curriculum, I intended to invite a "third grand figure."
‘Sorry, Instructor.’
For dumping all this work on you.
...Though, honestly, it's fitting.
Lee Won-bin had no way of knowing Ryozo’s inner thoughts, nor mine. Since the graduate school was a subsidiary of the Academy, Ryozo’s directives were absolute.
‘Like the instructor said, Ryozo isn't particularly sentimental.’
So the fact that she showered me with such intense attention was touching, really.
‘Someone save me.’
While I suffered in silence, Lee Won-bin spoke with a gentle smile.
"So far, the feedback from the new students has been great. Attendance has been incredible even though it's still orientation week. Everyone is burning with zeal for learning."
"That's a relief."
"Being President is definitely a burden beyond my capacity. But seeing the passion of these new students makes me feel like I made the right choice."
"That's why Ryozo trusted you with this, Instructor. I've never met anyone with more affection for the students than you."
"My abilities may fall short, but that's one thing I can guarantee."
He thumped his chest with his fist.
Letting out a small chuckle, I pulled back my chair and stood up. Turning around, I let a few soft words trail behind me.
"That is an ability in itself, Instructor."
I felt his gaze on my back.
"The fact that not a single person in our generation strayed off track and made it this far is no coincidence."
"Hah..."
"So I think it's perfectly fine for you to hold your head high, Instructor. At least, that's how I see it."
Glancing back from the corner of my eye, Lee Won-bin's face was glistening. Ah—to be precise, it wasn't his scalp, but the rims of his eyes.
"Cringey words have officially exceeded the safety limit, so I'll be taking my leave. Don't push yourself too hard. That's why we assembled a stellar faculty, after all."
"U-uh, right."
Leaving his tearful voice behind, I stepped out of the room. I walked away, feeling a deep sense of fulfillment swelling in my chest.
The May 15th sunlight streaming through the windows of the long corridor was warmly inviting.
* * *
The teenage years are a fresh, youthful era.
There's a saying, isn't there? That it's an age where even a falling petal brings a giggle.
Perhaps because of their Blessings, the Academy cadets—endowed with minds clearer than their peers on Earth—were even more like that. They were pure in their emotions.
Although the Academy rules strictly forbade romance, trying to enforce it was like trying to block the sun with the palm of one's hand. The instructors merely issued warnings rather than actively stopping them. They knew as well: youth is only youth when emotions are poured out as they are.
In the 2nd-year Star Class, a rather juicy piece of gossip was circulating. It was about Ji Chang-hyuk skipping ahead to the graduate school.
"I envy Chang-hyuk."
"I wanna go to the graduate school too."
"Then aim for next year's Exchange Meeting."
"I'd rather wait another year and enroll officially."
"You think the graduate school would take someone like you?"
"Fair point."
Ji Chang-hyuk had voluntarily transferred to the graduate school as his reward for winning the Exchange Meeting.
However, he wasn't a full-time graduate student. He alternated weeks between the graduate school and the Academy—an arrangement suggested by Abel, who had been in charge of him.
Memories with peers are the most important part of youth—something irreplaceable.
In the noisy classroom, a female cadet rested her chin on her hand, gazing blankly out the window. Her melancholic eyes looked straight out of a scene from a youth drama.
Just as she was thinking that herself, an essential element of high-school romance—an extra—sidled up next to her. Her best friend struck up a conversation.
"Hey, hey. Yu-na."
"...What..."
"Why the long face? It's way too obvious that you like Chang-hyuk."
"Ah, shut up. It's totally not like that."
"'iT's ToTaLlY nOt LiKe ThAt?!'"
"Hey—!"
The female cadet snapped. Her tone was distinctly theatrical. Her best friend teased her precisely for that reaction—her responses were always so dramatic when teased slyly.
"Yu-na, why do you like Chang-hyuk anyway?"
"I told you I don't."
"Sure, sure. Let's go with that."
The best friend twirled a strand of her side hair, speaking mischievously.
"As a fellow Star Class cadet, what would you say is Ji Chang-hyuk's unique charm, Cadet Seong Yu-na?"
"...He's nice," the female cadet muttered.
"And he's sweet."
"Aren't those the same thing?"
Regardless, the female cadet recalled her first encounter with Ji Chang-hyuk. The morning she walked to school with toast in her mouth. The minor bump into him.
Ji Chang-hyuk had looked remorseful and picked up her toast for her, adding that three seconds hadn't passed yet.
It was a day in February.
Regardless, it was summer.
"More like he's a softie."
Glare.
"Ah, what's with that look? You said you didn't have any feelings for him."
"I said I don't like him. That doesn't mean I have no feelings at all. Besides, speaking poorly of a classmate..."
It was right then. A sudden stir rustled through the classroom. Annoyed by the cadets breaking her mood, the female cadet snapped her gaze toward the object of their attention.
‘Huh?’
Come to think of it, today was Monday. And last week was a week without Ji Chang-hyuk!
"Huh?! It's Chang-hyuk!!"
Her best friend slammed the desk and tried to jump up, only to be yanked right back down. The female cadet was holding her down by the shoulder.
"Don't make a scene. Sit down," the female cadet said in a low, strained voice, her jaw tightly clenched.
"W-what's wrong with you?"
She didn't answer.
‘Chang-hyuk will walk over here.’
He had to. Only then would the drama be complete.
The female cadet cleared her throat and forced her eyes back onto the window. Her best friend shook her head in sheer exasperation.
Step, step.
Footsteps approached.
Stay calm, stay calm.
‘H-he’s coming!’
She bit her lower lip nervously.
Pause.
A presence hovered right beside her cheek. She slowly turned her head. Sure enough, it was Ji Chang-hyuk.
Pretending to be completely unbothered, the female cadet put on a nonchalant, dignified expression and looked up at his face—careful not to stare too directly.
The strange vibe subtly shifted the atmosphere in the classroom. Extras were supposed to react to moments like this.
"Um."
Ji Chang-hyuk finally parted his lips.
"Could you move? That's my seat."
This was not the response she expected...
"And by the way. Why are you glaring at me like that?"
"Huh?"
"No, seriously, why the eyes? You think I'm a joke?"
H-hey, Chang-hyuk.
Y-you're not that kind of character.
‘You're not supposed to act like this!’
What triggered him was anyone's guess.
"Are you looking down on me just because I'm a graduate student?!"
Ji Chang-hyuk suddenly flew off the handle like a wild pony stung by a hornet. The female cadet tried to calm him down.
"C-Chang-hyuk. I know that representing the Star Class at the graduate school makes you proud, but the pressure must be really..."
"Wow. Are you taking a jab at me right now? You want me to wreck you in Subspace Sparring?"
The point of view pulls backward.
It breaches the window, encompassing the entirety of the Academy and the Graduate School. Light scatters across the edge of the frame into a rainbow spectrum.
Finally, a lush, vibrant late-spring-early-summer landscape fills the screen.
—It was summer.