Is This Really My Workplace?

The exact moment when the term Magical Girl became widespread is unclear, but the prevailing theory is that it emerged after the Curse of the Demon King, which had reshaped the previous world. The complete extinction of all males, followed by a drastic decline in the probability of male births. As a result, not only were men themselves exceedingly rare, but proper male Awakeners were virtually nonexistent. In this day and age, the very idea of a man holding any occupation felt alien. It was only natural that every Awakener came to be called a Magical Girl without anyone batting an eye.

......However, standing tall on the dais right now was that single exception.

"......Ahem. Hello, everyone."

Even the cautious clearing of his throat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before those first words sounded unfamiliar to them. It wasn't as if they'd never seen a man in their lives, but most had only caught distant glimpses. Every eye in the auditorium—students and faculty alike—locked onto him.

"My name is Jang Geon-woo, and I'll be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠teaching Applied Combat Studies for the first-years. Being asked to deliver the entrance ceremony address on my very first day feels somewhat surreal, but I see it as a challenge to do even better. That's why I'm standing here today."

Almost no one alive remembered what men of the previous era had been like. Even the concept of masculinity, manufactured as a 'commodity,' had faded into vague imagination. Yet every person present could feel it. His speech, his every gesture—they were utterly different from the weakened males of this age. It was no exaggeration to say so.

"You are all enrolled in the finest educational institution in the country—no, the entire world. I don't know what thoughts each of you carried when you walked through those gates...... but!"

His voice carried conviction. He swept his gaze clearly across the crowd, driving his point home. For a moment, it almost seemed as if the flag bearing the academy emblem behind the wide dais was fluttering in the wind.

Gulp—

Yu Se-ra, staring up at him, only then realized her palms were slick with sweat.

"There is one principle you must engrave in your hearts. I won't bore you with outdated talk about pursuing only justice. But never forget this: the responsibility that comes with your power, and your duty toward those who lack it."

They were words anyone could have spoken. Before entering the academy, they'd heard similar lectures countless times at Prodigium. Could the speaker alone make them sound this different? The auditorium was so quiet it was hard to dismiss the feeling as mere personal impression. Only when scattered applause began from the back did the rest of the crowd finally join in with a wave of clapping.

"......He's different."

The Yu family was now treated as one of those so-called prestigious houses. As the 'young lady' of a clan that essentially employed men protected by law as servants, such a life had been familiar to her. But the man before her eyes was unlike anyone she'd ever seen. Had all those men she'd longed for seemed so dull simply because she hadn't yet met the real thing—

Vrrr—!

A vibration from her terminal rippled through her body. Frowning, she checked the screen, which was flooded with notifications from the Halo group chat.

"......Tsk."

Watching the messages grow increasingly steeped in desire toward the end, she simply turned off the screen. Instead, she quietly replayed the scene from moments ago in her mind. With her eyes gently closed, she rewound the traces of that memory perfectly.

Direct Memory. A trivial derivative of her ability, it allowed her to perfectly replay any memory from the past few years. The clear gaze with which he'd looked out at the crowd from the dais, the figure preaching his beliefs—it all came back. Looking at it again, it almost felt like their eyes had met. No, they definitely had.

"Of course they did."

Because you are my destined partner.

Yu Se-ra nodded to herself with that thought. The Yu family had ruled Korea's top guild like a dynasty for three generations now. Their name was equally famous for the relentless tenacity that refused to let go of anything they desired......

"This feels like a total disaster."

A sigh escaped before he could stop it. Nothing seemed to be going right. The entrance ceremony had ended not long ago. After that brief speech, he'd tried greeting his fellow teachers, but their responses had been icy. It wasn't exactly taboo, but the way they treated him like a wooden log was incredibly stiff.

"I knew I didn't want to do this......"

It wasn't as if he had a silver tongue, and an entrance address was bound to sound stale and preachy no matter what. Still, the reaction in the auditorium felt borderline traumatic. He'd kept the speech as short as possible, yet all that remained at the end was heavy silence. If Nia—the combat physical education teacher he'd met that morning—hadn't started clapping, the chill in the air would have been unbearable. He was genuinely grateful. Maybe he should buy her a meal later......

"I want to go home."

It was a rather loaded statement. The urge to just head straight home surged up, but more precisely, he wanted to return to his original world. He'd tried to act calm, but his spirit already felt on the verge of breaking. One of his dark school memories—mustering courage to speak only to be met with awkward silence—floated up alongside it......

"Isn't this a bit much?"

Embarrassment and frustration had begun to mix with anger. At first, he'd tried to think positively. Logically, in a world with such a skewed gender ratio, wouldn't a rare male Awakener be welcomed no matter what he did? He'd even indulged in such delusions. But after sensing that the reality was closer to his worries, he'd erased those fantasies completely.

In this world, men seemed to be viewed solely as 'the opposite sex.' Not as independent individuals, but as beings of the other gender. ......To put it bluntly, borrowing a phrase he'd seen once on a community site, they were essentially sperm dispensers for humanity's continuation. Of course, no one would say such things openly, and the treatment they received was almost aristocratic, so it was probably an overstatement...... Yet it was undeniable that a man engaging in social activities was considered extremely bizarre. Which meant the idea of one becoming an educator might not be viewed favorably either. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That silence in the auditorium had probably been their way of expressing exactly that.

"This is honestly depressing."

That was why his original world had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been far better. After weighing all the realities, he'd chosen the path of academy teacher, but that didn't mean he lacked professional pride or purpose. His desire and goal to live as an educator were quite clear. So he had no intention of giving up over a small hurdle like this.

......It's going to be a rough road ahead, damn it.

The students likely held feelings closer to rejection or outright disregard than outright hostility. Teaching them was going to be a massive worry.

"......Starting with that one, I suppose."

Whoosh—!

"Uwaaaaah—!"

The voice that rang out was exactly the same one he'd heard just an hour earlier. The one who appeared with flustered movements was Siena—the very girl who'd led the other students to spy on the lounge.

"Whoa, wait. What the—those are pens...? You're a physical type...? And how did you notice this time...?"

"You're Siena, right?"

"Yeees... Hehe..."

She twisted the ends of her twin-tails with both hands, looking sheepish. He watched her for a moment, thinking. That morning his head had been too cluttered, and he'd also been quite the prankster during his own student days—

'It violates school rules, but considering you're a new student, I won't assign demerits or disciplinary action. Don't do this again in the future.'

—he'd ended the situation with that mild scolding.

"I clearly told you to refrain from this kind of behavior."

"......I'm sorry!"

But now it felt a bit irritating. Did she think he was a pushover? He couldn't suppress the petty thoughts and sense of victimization stirring in his chest.

"I could impose campus-wide disciplinary action or demerits for insubordination. Do you think I'm overstepping?"

"......No, sir. I was wrong."

The way she hung her head and mumbled didn't seem entirely fake. But she looked strangely puzzled—probably wondering how her invisibility had been detected.

"Are you planning to pull this kind of prank again?"

"......"

"Looks like you are, huh?"

"No! Um...... I absolutely won't do this to you again, teacher."

So it's fine if it's someone else? The sheer audacity of it made him let out a small, helpless chuckle. It seemed he'd misunderstood. It probably wasn't that she thought he was an easy mark. Still, the fact that she could read the room at all meant she wasn't completely reckless, and the way she couldn't quite manage a proper lie was oddly cute. Very seventeen-year-old behavior.

"......I can't just let it slide this time. You understand that, right?"

"Yeeep..."

"Since demerits or formal punishment feels excessive, I'll just give you a personal penalty."

"A personal penalty...?"

She glanced up, and a strange spark of anticipation flickered across her face. Why? He couldn't understand it at all.

"I'll tell you what it is later, so just follow me for now."

"Gulp, sssip...... Yes, sir."

The way she swallowed hard and followed after him looked somewhat dejected at first glance...... but he could tell. She was clearly delighted. The faint glow sparkling around her body gave it away. It was precisely thanks to this that he'd seen through her invisibility earlier.

It was no exaggeration to call this ability his everything. Thanks to it, he could roughly read the emotions of anyone he'd designated as a student. ......Which was also why he'd deliberately omitted it when submitting his powers to the association—it could feel a little unsettling.

"Huu, huuu..."

At any rate, Siena was currently in a very positive, heightened state. It was hard to believe she was on her way to receive punishment. That dissonance somehow sent a slight chill down his spine......