First Day at Everlight Academy
Once I wrapped up my brief self-introduction on the first day at the academy, the students' curious gazes turned toward me.
"Allen Jest? You mean the founder of that famous Allen Trading Company? Why would someone like him come to the academy as a new teacher...?"
"I thought a guy who made it big at such a young age would be arrogant as hell, but he seems nice and friendly for someone so accomplished."
"His face is pretty average, though."
The students buzzed with recognition after my introduction. Fame really does open doors. But that one who called my face average? I remembered his face. Just you wait.
Whoops. No, can't go there. Image management. Image management.
...Huh?
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Thank you."
"Now, everyone. As you all know, Mr. Allen is an incredible person whose name is renowned across the entire continent of Hifnia, despite his young age. He's graciously taken on the role of teacher here for the sake of the academy's students. So, all of you, make sure to follow Mr. Allen's guidance diligently over the next year."
Lydia, the homeroom teacher for my class 1-A, said that to wrap up my introduction. She avoided meeting my eyes as she finished morning roll call. Was I making her uncomfortable? Or maybe she had some idealized image of me. Still, her fragile, timid impression bothered me a bit. If she ended up getting ignored by the students later, it'd just mean more headaches for me as her advisor.
Students have to keep moving between classes without a break during lesson times, but I'm here as a teacher, not a student. No need for me to shuffle around classrooms like them. One real perk of being faculty.
Actually, now that I think about it, this academy has a free elective system, so students are probably the same. I went to a classic Korean high school in my past life and skipped higher education this time around, so I got confused for a second.
...Something felt off. But this wasn't the time. What mattered was life at the academy going forward.
Following the homeroom teacher's lead, I headed to the staff room and sat down to slowly sort out my current situation and future plans.
First, the background on this academy where I'd ended up. I'd already organized that info, so now it was time to think about joining the main storyline.
The key to merging into the main plot was figuring out what fictional work this world came from. If I could recall what story this was, the major events ahead, central characters, key items, and settings would naturally come to mind. I could preempt them or take control.
The problem? I still hadn't remembered the title of whatever creation this world belonged to.
Stuck with no choice, I'd have to settle for deducing the genre at least. Events in stories tend to follow genre conventions to some extent.
My best guess? This world was romance fantasy. No hard proof, but I was at least 80% sure.
Typically, male-oriented fantasies can't skip over martial prowess. Swords and magic, monsters and adventures. Side elements like skills, heroes, demon lords, or unique world-building might pop up. But they all boil down to battles and growth.
Yet after living here over twenty years, I could confidently say: no magic, no monsters. The locals' combat abilities weren't any different from Earth's in my past life.
Sure, there were soldiers, but they were just ordinary professional troops, not some superhuman force. I'd wondered if maybe there was a hidden underworld of superhumans unknown to civilians—but come on. With my reincarnated knowledge, I'd climbed high in this world, rubbing shoulders with nobles and royalty to some degree. I didn't know every secret, but I wasn't clueless enough to miss a shadowy realm of superhumans operating in the dark.
The closest thing to magic was Gifts—innate special abilities some people were born with. But even those barely went beyond making daily life a tad more convenient, just enhancing normal human capabilities. No spitting fire from your hands or shooting beams from your eyes—nothing ordinary folks couldn't mimic on a good day.
The world was peaceful, combat mundane, and the sole fantasy element—superpowers—was downright trivial. My conclusion? Too boring for male-oriented fantasy.
Which left female-oriented fantasy. In other words, romance fantasy.
Hmm. I'd read plenty of webnovels and comics in my past life, but not much women's stuff. Still, if political intrigue was the main conflict, I could leverage that. Not the worst scenario. I'd have to improvise for the big stuff anyway.
"Um, Mr. Allen, why did you decide to come to Everlight Academy, if I may ask?"
"Feel free to speak casually. You're the homeroom teacher, after all."
"N-no, I prefer it this way."
As I mulled this over, Lydia spoke up. Maybe she'd thought I was struggling to adjust since I'd been sitting quietly since arriving at the staff room.
I tossed her a few flattering words to manage my reputation. They were just boilerplate, but Lydia looked deeply impressed. Falling for sweet talk this easily? How's she gonna survive this harsh world? Such a naive girl.
Glancing around, I realized she wasn't the only one. The other teachers had overheard and wore pleased expressions too. No way. Others as well?
Ahem. Looked like my reputation management was a smashing success on day one.
But still, staring at me like that was getting awkward.
"Mind if I take a quick tour of the academy? I'd like to familiarize myself with the layout since I'll be here long-term."
"Oh. Well, I-I could go with you and show you around..."
"No need. Don't you have your first class of the semester today, Lydia? I can't interrupt your prep. I'll just wander leisurely on my own."
To escape the teachers' gazes, I said that to Lydia and stood up. No one questioned whether I should be prepping my own lessons.
....
Escaping the teachers' heavy stares, I stepped outside and decided to scout the academy while I had the chance.
I'd finished sorting my situation, and without knowing the source material, I couldn't nail down concrete plans anyway. Better to memorize the geography for now.
Key event spots in the academy were limited, so getting familiar early would make things easier later.
Today, I'd start with the 1st Main Building.
With that, I leisurely toured the 1st Main Building, home to my 1-A class.
1st floor. 2nd floor. 3rd floor. 4th floor. 5th floor.
Educational facilities all felt the same, huh? Even though it was my first time, everything seemed oddly familiar, and I wrapped up my exploration.
I'd expected more excitement, but it was surprisingly dull. A little disappointing, maybe.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
Right on cue as I finished, the break bell rang.
With break time starting, students began filing out of classrooms.
"Anha-nyeong-yo-se."
"Yeah. Hello."
"...Geu-seu-rae mae-jeom-seo ppang-neun pa-i eom-na-cheong-ge it-mat-da-neun i-ya-gi it-deon gat-ji i-ga an-nae-ul?"
With students now milling about the halls, I decided to call it here. No sense risking a slacker image on day one.
Lunch was still a ways off, but with time to kill, I'd swing by the canteen for a snack. Grab a madeleine or something from the academy shop.
....
Heading out of the 1st Main Building toward the canteen, I suddenly felt a twinge of unease.
"...Huh?"
Wasn't there a girl trying to climb over that wall just now? But when I looked, there wasn't a student—or even a shadow—in sight.
...No. Why would I think that?
Come to think of it, Everlight Academy only admitted the continent's top talents or noble heirs. No way some foolish girl would pull a stunt like that on day one.
Something felt off today, more than usual. Shaking my head to clear it, I headed to the canteen.
....
At the canteen, I bought a cheese madeleine. The rich cheese flavor melded perfectly with the sweet, soft pastry.
Thus, my first day at the academy passed without incident. I returned to the faculty dormitory and turned in.
....
The academy's first day.
Standing at the podium, I smiled leisurely at the students.
"Hello. I'm Allen Jest, your new assistant homeroom teacher for class A starting today. I may lack teaching experience, but I'll share my knowledge and help you all grow."
...Wait. Something... something felt wrong.