Official Permission to Skip School
"I just can't get it into my head, though."
"Mwehahm."
Once lunch period ended, fifth period turned into everyone gathering around and just chatting. Baek Sang-joon was nowhere to be seen, so we all sat clustered together on the mats, trading this story and that. Apparently he was a senior enough teacher that this kind of thing happened now and then — that's what Yeonwoo-unni, who'd been at the school the longest, told us.
Since everyone here had awakened at a young age, there was plenty we could actually talk about together. We even had overlapping topics, you could say.
"So An Gyeong-won and Na Byeong-ho, you two knew each other even before you awakened?"
"Ah, not Gyeong-won. Gyeong-won was already an awakened when I first met him back in fourth grade."
"Really?"
Gyeong-won had awakened in fourth grade, and with a pretty high rank at that, but his family was on the conservative side and he himself had zero intention of risking his neck on hunter work — apparently because magic was one of those classes where a single mistake could kill you. On top of that, An Gyeong-won was famously a brilliant student. The two of them hadn't been close at all originally; it was only after Byeong-ho awakened in fifth grade that he marched straight up to Gyeong-won — the only awakened kid in the whole school — and nagged him relentlessly into entering Seoul Aegis together.
"What about you, Yeonwoo-unni?"
"Unni awakened in her second year of middle school."
"Whoa…."
Second year of middle school, with a high-grade single-target curse skill? That's basically locked into the Sana-unni route, and yet she looks this perfectly normal.
"Unni cried uuuuuper hard when she first awakened. 'Why, of all things, did it have to be an ability like thiiiis~' and all that."
"Whoa, really…."
"Well, honestly? I'm not crazy about my own skill either. But what can you do."
Cho-a wasn't thrilled with her skill either. Her hair had clearly turned red, and her eyes too — but instead of becoming a fire mage, she'd become a Berserker. Though the more I thought about it, the more it kind of suited her. She was just too young right now; give it time and she might turn into some seriously tall, ripped unni.
'But seriously, why am I not growing? If I go twenty years without breaking 130cm, then….'
And so, everyone unburdening their various troubles, fifth period quietly slipped away. Baek Sang-joon, who hadn't shown his face for a whole hour, had officially transformed into "the kind teacher who gave us free time."
"Eve! Cho-a! Head back with the class!"
"Yes, unni. If it's a hassle, the two of us can just go on our own."
"Will you be okay? You won't get lost?"
"Unni? I've been going here for three whole years now?"
"Oh right, that's how it was for you, Cho-a? Cho-a, keep an eye on Eve so she doesn't get lost. Eve, you stick close to Cho-a, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
I wasn't exactly a little kid, and it wasn't like the route was that complicated — I'd find it easily enough. Sure, it was a little confusing, but this sort of thing always sticks once you've actually walked it yourself… right?
"Eve, hold on, I need the bathroom. You can go on ahead!"
"Uh, uum…."
Now, which building was our classroom in again…? Yeah, I'd better wait for Cho-a.
"Princess, is school tolerable?"
"Mm... I'd say it's fun, more or less."
Honestly, given my special circumstances, it was hard to claim I was doing anything you could call meaningful learning. But waking up early in the morning to wash up and eat, keeping my nap schedule somewhat in check, and trudging around on my own two feet all day — it gave me the feeling of living a slightly more wholesome life. Meeting people, holding conversations nonstop… I think I'd actually gotten a little better, somehow. This is why people need their sunlight.
And with the weekend rolling around and me resting at home, I was feeling the happiness of a day off with staggering intensity. Eating food Ophelia had made, rolling around the house in my pajamas — simply the best. Still, I couldn't resist riling up the Gakboongies.
Han Dohui lived a pretty wholesome life, all things considered, so I didn't have anything to say to her. If anything, she might have been living more earnestly than me?
"Sigh... if I'd never awakened, I'd probably still be living like that, huh..?"
I'd most likely still be cooped up in that cramped one-room apartment, living with the mold, sprawled out on a thin mattress gallery-posting all day long. Sweating through summer, freezing through winter. And it wasn't just a possibility — it was practically a sure thing. I'd already lived that way for four whole years; what was going to change in three months?
I honestly don't know how I survived in that place back then. Looking back on it now, I was pretty damn impressive, if I do say so myself.
"Princess, using your phone during meals leads to poor eating habits."
"Yesss, ma'am."
With school in full swing, I'd been mulling over the weekend endlessly and furiously. I had to do this, and that, and this too — it felt like a mountain of fun stuff had piled up. Back in my shut-in days there was no such thing as weekends; I clocked in at 10 p.m. sharp every single evening, so I never understood it before, but now I got what office workers meant when they whined about the weekend, weekend, weekend.
I hadn't played Hyper Shot in ages, and there was that game that just got its big update to try out too….
'Uhihihi, this is gonna be great.'
And so, amid those delightful flights of fantasy — right in the middle of agonizing over how to spend today in the most fulfilling way possible —
"Princess, are your relationships at school amicable?"
"Mm... my friends? They're fine. I get along well with the general-track kids, and the hunter class seniors are all super sweet to me."
"I see. That is a relief."
Ophelia gave a small nod, then rose from her seat across the table.
"There is something I must discuss with you once the meal is finished. Please take your time eating, Princess."
"Uwah?"
Reading the mood, something about this felt deeply not okay. My throat tightened up all on its own, and suddenly the food wouldn't go down right.
'What is it..? Did I do something wrong..? Did I mess something up at school..?!'
Don't tell me Baek Sang-joon reported me for bad attitude..? Wrote a pile of utterly unhinged, terrible things in my student record, and Ophelia flew into a rage about it..?!
Or — or did I forget to hand some official notice over to Ophelia..!!
"O-Ophelia..? What's this about, exactly..? Can't you just tell me now..?"
"It seems the discussion may run rather long, so I believe it would be better after your meal."
I had absolutely no clue what Ophelia was planning to tell me. I wolfed the rest of my food down in something between swallowing and inhaling, then went and sat down beside Ophelia, who was staring at a stack of papers laid out on the table.
"Uuuum... Ophelia..?"
"Princess. You've finished."
"Y-yes, ma'am..!"
The moment I sat down next to her, Ophelia held out a single sheet of paper. It was absolutely crammed with text, and one look told me it was some kind of official document sent over from somewhere else entirely.
"These are documents from the Nova Guild. The Korean Dungeon Management Association is currently assembling its second preliminary survey team for the public auction of Silence Laboratory, located on the outskirts of the Sobaeksan mountain ridge. And in order to staff it adequately, they have sent an official request to Nova asking for a strike team dispatch — or so it appears."
"Uh, uhm..?"
"However, Nova itself appears to be having difficulty securing raid-unit hunters at present, and has reached out to us. They wish to know whether you would be interested in participating in the preliminary survey of Silence Laboratory."
"Uh…."
So basically, they're asking whether I'll tag along on the SilLab preliminary survey..?
"Is... that all..?"
"Should you join the preliminary survey strike team, one problem will arise."
"Wh-what problem..?"
"You may find yourself unable to attend school for a minimum of one week — as long as nearly three weeks, at the most. Will that be acceptable, Princess?"
Joining the strike team means I can't go to school..?
"Why would that be a problem?! Not going to school sounds amazing!"
I was so, so on board. This was a wonderful, wonderful piece of news. Everything I'd ever wanted, the thing I dreamed about!
"Yeehaw~~~~ No school!!!"
"Was school... not something you wished to attend?"
"N-no, well... school IS fun once I'm there, admittedly..? But school is the kind of thing you're always looking for an excuse to skip!"
Besides, at Aegis, any absence for hunter activities counted fully toward your attendance record. Meaning I could skip school and laze around with zero penalty whatsoever.
"And here I was thinking! You were about to chew me out over school!"
"Did you do something wrong, perhaps?"
"N-not exactly…."
When Ophelia laid down the law with this much gravity, even a totally innocent person ended up feeling a little nibbled at. Anyway — Ophelia had apparently been worried that since I wanted to go to school, I'd be sad about missing it if I joined the Silence Laboratory strike team.
"Eheheh, join the strike team?! Obviously, yes!"
I got to skip school, AND since it was a national job, the compensation would be absolutely fat. This was what you called killing two birds with one stone.
Like tossing Daengdaengi and bagging two Suris in a single throw.
Most of all — I hadn't done any dungeon raiding lately, and while school had its fun moments, at the end of the day I was a hunter at heart. Who knows, maybe an academy-invasion arc straight out of a manga would happen one of these days.
"Understood. If the Princess so desires."
"Yahoo!"
"And there is one more matter I must ask of you, Princess."
"Hm? What is it?"
A tablet materialized in Ophelia's hand, and above it floated a set of diagrams I couldn't make heads or tails of.
"This is the blueprint for the new engine currently under development."
"Ooh, is that so."
"I would like you to study and commit this blueprint to memory."
"Uwah?"
And why, exactly, would that be my job…?