Contract Relationship?
At first, the classes were boring.
But the more I listened, the more a certain kind of interest began to take hold. I was glad of it. Academy classes would actually help me live as a hunter, so I couldn't just coast through them.
Of course, just like middle and high school in my previous life, there were still the occasional subjects that seemed completely useless. History and tax studies were helpful enough. Math, though? I couldn't see the point—at least not for a hunter's life.
Most of the students felt the same way I did, openly wondering why math class even existed. Professor Santoto had an explanation for that.
At the 10th Academy and everything ranked below it, a great many of the hunter hopefuls who'd enrolled had already given up on studying. People who couldn't even handle basic math were everywhere. In other words, the place was overflowing with boneheads whose brains had calcified. So they taught math to loosen those hardened brains back up.
Or so she said.
"Carrot! Do you know what kinds of hunters die early and die often in the dungeons? Weak hunters. Arrogant hunters. And stupid hunters! No matter how strong the boneheads who can't even do basic math get, the moment they meet a highly intelligent monster like me, they'll get toyed with and end up dead!"
None of the students could argue. Just as the professor said, it seemed there really were a lot of people who couldn't manage basic math.
"Well, we don't give separate tests for subjects like these, so listen at your ease! There's no harm in learning it, so I'm teaching it! Carrot!"
A few students breathed sighs of relief, clearly put at ease by the news that there wouldn't be any tests.
"Anyway, that's it for this morning's class! Everyone have a delicious lunch, carrot!"
"What does that mean, Professor?"
"It means a delicious lunch! Tsk tsk, a young thing who doesn't even know abbreviations like that!"
And just like that, morning classes came to an end.
That was when Seo I-eung stood up from her seat and came over to mine.
"Hey. What're you gonna do?"
Come to think of it, I still hadn't answered the note from earlier.
I was originally just planning to eat comfortably with a guy…
I hesitated. Eating alone with a beautiful girl was uncomfortable. But thinking back, yesterday's lunch with Seo I-eung hadn't been that bad. We hadn't even made eye contact—just sat there in silence and ate. There was no guarantee today would go the same way, though.
What should I do?
After a brief deliberation, I made my decision. Partly as a way of working through my trauma, I would just eat with her.
Besides, until yesterday Seo I-eung had been the most uncomfortable of all the female students—but that was no longer true. Maybe it was because we'd stuck together all day, but she was better than the others now. Still uncomfortable, either way. Just… a little less so.
There was also a practical advantage to hanging around with her. Women wouldn't casually approach me. Seo I-eung served as a breakwater that blocked other girls' advances simply by existing.
If we stick together for lunch, people might misunderstand our relationship…
That was actually fine by me. Other women would be even less likely to approach.
"What're you gonna do? Answer already. If you're not eating with me, I'm going alone."
"…Let's go."
At her urging, I stood up—then tried inviting Jang Mugeon in the seat ahead of me as well.
"Jang Mugeon."
"Hmm?"
"Want to come to the cafeteria and eat with us?"
"Ah. I appreciate the offer, but sorry. I brought my own lunch."
He pulled out a chicken breast and waved it. So the guy was a gym rat. We wouldn't have been able to eat together anyway.
"Kang Hahwi. Hurry up. I'm hungry."
I nodded, and we left the classroom together.
As we headed for the cafeteria, Seo I-eung always kept a certain distance and spoke as little as possible. It had to be out of consideration for me. She was nothing like the women who barged in without stages and tried to get close all at once, and I liked that about her. Aggressive girls were exhausting—my head would spin and my stomach would churn. Narrowing the distance the way Seo I-eung did, slowly, was the best approach. It would help with recovering from my trauma, too.
At a cafeteria inside the academy, Kang Hahwi and Seo I-eung sat across from each other eating when the whispers started.
"Why are those two eating together?"
"Right? Did they get close when they were partners yesterday?"
Plenty of students were watching from a distance, most of them classmates who'd secretly followed Kang Hahwi.
"They're not dating, are they…"
"Don't be ridiculous. Would a guy date a girl he just met yesterday? And with someone like Seo I-eung?"
"They're definitely not a couple. I've been watching—they keep walking apart and only have the bare minimum of conversation. Does that make sense for a couple? Even regular friends don't act like that."
"Dating or not, it does seem like they became friends. Otherwise there's no reason to eat together."
"Why are friends that awkward?"
"They're not that close yet. Still getting to know each other, I guess."
"Why would Kang Hahwi even befriend someone like that…"
"Exactly. Seo I-eung's the daughter of a mob family, right?"
"For real? Whoa, that's terrifying."
"Maybe they already knew each other?"
"Didn't seem like it."
A good number of students were openly puzzled. Among them, some started guessing at why the two were sticking together.
"It's obvious he hired her."
"Hired?"
"I think Kang Hahwi is deliberately hanging out with Seo I-eung so women won't approach him. Look over there."
The student pointed toward Kang Hahwi. A girl had gone up to him and was shyly trying to speak—
"Hey. Can't you see we're eating? They say even dogs don't mess with people when they're eating—don't bother us during a meal and get lost. You're worse than a dog."
—only to take a scathing verbal lashing from Seo I-eung and back off with a frightened look on her face.
Not long after, another girl casually sat down next to Kang Hahwi.
"Hey. There are plenty of seats—why sit here?"
"Uh, um? Just…"
"Don't sit there. Go sit somewhere else."
"Okay…"
She was driven off by Seo I-eung and moved to another seat. The watching students started whispering again.
"See? Seo I-eung's blocking all the girls from approaching?"
"Yeah. So is it really a contract relationship? Like a fake girlfriend?"
"They're not acting all lovey-dovey, so calling her a fake girlfriend is a stretch. Fake friend is more accurate. Or you could think of her as a bodyguard."
"What about just being friends?"
"How much do guys value a girl's personality? Why would he be friends with a thug like that?"
"Maybe he's being threatened?"
"Then he would've asked the professor for help."
"But then why go that far just to push women away…"
"Why even ask? He has zero interest in women, and they keep bothering him, so it's uncomfortable."
"True, he always seemed annoyed whenever we tried talking to him."
"So he doesn't even want to look at people like us? Because we're the rejects of the 17th Academy?"
"I'd probably do the same if I were a guy. With that face, no one but girls from the 1st Academy would catch his eye."
"He's at the same academy as us, though…"
"Guys and girls aren't the same."
"He's really living off that face."
"I'll give him the looks, but his personality sucks."
"I actually like how cool and aloof he is. Cold pretty boys are my type."
"Same. There's a thrill in conquering a guy like that."
"You're crazy."
"A lot of people are just jealous of Seo I-eung. Going on about employment contracts and crap."
"Leave them. They're just idiots."
While the students kept glancing at Kang Hahwi and talking, one woman was frowning as she stared at him openly.
"I don't like it."
A fellow member of Class 3—the British student, Isabella Chambers.
"How can anyone be that full of themselves? Even a prince complex needs limits. Just because he's got a pretty face, he doesn't know his place and struts around…"
Isabella muttered quietly to herself, deciding Kang Hahwi was an unpleasant jerk.
After lunch period ended, afternoon classes began.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Instructor Supttoki-ttoki. Call me Instructor Suptoto for short. Lotus root."
This time it was training—basically PE, if you wanted a simple way to put it. We didn't go outside, though. After pushing all the desks to the back, we'd be doing physical conditioning right there in the classroom. In other words, not formal training—just a light session to loosen up the body.
"If you only sit through classes, your body can stiffen up, so even on days without formal training you need to air things out like this for your health. Lotus root!"
She wasn't wrong. Hunters made their living with their bodies, after all. And right after a meal, drowsiness always hit, so plenty of students wouldn't have been able to focus on a regular lesson anyway.
"Lotus root! We'll start with some light calisthenics!"
Leg exercises. Arm exercises. Neck exercises. Chest exercises. Side stretches. Jumping jacks. Breathing exercises, and so on. We finished the simple routine.
"Now we'll begin the real training. First we'll do sit-ups, so pair up with anyone you get along with! Lotus root!"
The reason for pairing was obvious—someone had to hold your legs down and keep them fixed while you did sit-ups.
I absolutely have to pair with a guy for this.
I couldn't pair with a girl. Physical contact with a partner was unavoidable. I was about to hurry over and ask Jang Mugeon when—
"Jang Mugeon. Let's do it together."
"Sure."
—I got beaten to the punch. The tattooed guy had proposed to him first. He was quick on the uptake.
Ah. I should've spoken a little faster…
Panicking, I scanned the classroom. Countless female students had their eyes locked on me, like hyenas eyeing an opening. Were they seriously about to ask me to pair up?
…I'm in trouble.
There were only three guys in our class. No male partners left for me. There was no choice.
"…Seo I-eung. Let's do it together."
"Uh, yeah…"
Once again, I had no choice but to pair with Seo I-eung.