The First Day at the Academy
“Allen Jest? The founder of that famous Allen Trading Company? Why would someone like him bother becoming a new teacher at the academy...?”
“I thought he'd be some arrogant prick since he made it big at such a young age, but he's surprisingly kind and seems like a decent guy.”
“His face is pretty average, though.”
“....”
Something about this conversation... hadn't I heard it before? A intense sense of déjà vu washed over me as I scanned the classroom. This was clearly my first time here, yet it felt like I'd visited a dozen times already.
“Now, now, everyone. It seems you're all a bit tense since it's Mr. Allen's first day on the job. 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 become a teacher here for the sake of the academy's students. So, all of you, make sure to follow Mr. Allen's instructions diligently for the coming year.”
Even Lydia's words from beside me felt like something I'd heard repeated a hundred times, stirring an uncanny discomfort. What was this? What the hell was going on?
By then, morning homeroom had ended, and I followed Lydia's lead to the staff room. Even that procession felt like a scene I'd lived through endlessly—a déjà vu that clawed at me.
If this déjà vu wasn't just my imagination...
Once inside the staff room, I tested my senses by deliberately freezing in place, pretending to mull things over without moving a muscle. How many minutes passed like that? Sure enough, Lydia approached me just as I'd anticipated.
“U-um, so... why did you decide to come to Everlight Academy, Mr. Allen?”
Exactly as expected. Even her cautious approach sent a powerful wave of unease through me. No, beyond that—I'd foreseen her saying something like this the moment I stepped into the room.
“....”
“Mr. Allen?”
“Ah, it's nothing. You were asking why I came to the academy, right?”
I followed the script dictated by the discomfort, conversing with Lydia, and her reactions—along with those of the surrounding teachers—unfolded precisely as I'd predicted.
“...I'm going to take a quick look around outside. Since it's my first day, I might as well get familiar with the layout.”
“Oh, in that case, I could come with—”
“Shouldn't you be preparing for class, Ms. Lydia? I'll go alone. I appreciate the thought.”
Could this unease be tied to the academy's main storyline? Had I unknowingly gotten entangled in it without realizing?
If so, there was only one thing to do. First, I needed to uncover the source of this sensation.
. . .
Leaving the staff room, I let the unease guide me, slowly surveying the 1st Main Building of the academy. From the first floor to the fifth. End to end down every corridor.
The result? An overwhelming sense of familiarity. Not just because school layouts all followed a similar blueprint—no, this was something deeper, inexplicable.
What was it? This déjà vu plaguing me all day.
Then, following the pull of the discomfort, the next step would be...
The snack bar, obviously. And before that, something about the perimeter wall... meeting someone? Or not?
The prophetic hunch that had dogged me since morning homeroom suddenly grew foggy like mist the instant I tried to recall the wall. What the hell? Why did the sensation fade whenever I focused on the perimeter wall?
Was I missing something?
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
The bell signaling break time began to ring.
...Better move. If I followed the déjà vu, I needed to head to the snack bar right now. Stick to the script as closely as possible.
But as I started walking, students flooded the corridors for break. Those who recognized me bowed and greeted me in passing.
“Anha...nyeongyoseo.”
“...Hello.”
As I brushed past the girl who'd greeted me, heading for the snack bar, a chill suddenly ran down my spine.
“Wait—what did you just say...?!”
I whipped around to find her, but she had already vanished into the crowd.
. . .
Something was nagging at me intensely, but I pressed on to the snack bar as the sensation urged. I bought a chocolate madeleine. The bittersweet cocoa meshed perfectly with the cake's sweetness, creating a sublime synergy.
. . .
Afterward, I wandered various spots trying to pinpoint the source of the unease, but in the end, I returned to the teachers' dormitory without answers and turned in for the night.
I drifted off to sleep.
. . .
The first day at the academy. Standing at the podium, I smiled leisurely at the students.
“Hello. I'm Allen Jest, your new homeroom teacher for Class 1-A starting today... Huh?!”
Mid-introduction, a jolt snapped me alert. It wasn't a fluke. Now I was certain.
I'd repeated this day already—how many times?
“What? Did he just trail off?”
“Cute for a new teacher. Hehe.”
“Wait, did he say Allen Jest? The famous one?”
A few students snickered at my abrupt pause, but I had no bandwidth for such trivia.
What the hell was happening? Reliving the same day over and over? And I hadn't even noticed the loops until now.
How many 'todays' had this been?
“E-everyone! Mr. Allen seems a bit nervous since it's his first day teaching. But as you all know, he's an amazing person whose fame spans the entire Hifnia continent at such a young age. He's become a teacher here for your sake, so please follow his instructions faithfully from now on. Got it?”
Meanwhile, Lydia stepped in, finished my introduction, and wrapped up homeroom.
I returned to the staff room with her.
“It's okay. When I first stood at the podium, I was even more nervous than you, Mr. Allen.”
“...Ah, no need to worry. I'm fine.”
Of course I wasn't. But not for the trivial reason she imagined—like botching my intro.
She didn't seem convinced, but perhaps to give me space to compose myself, she didn't press further this time. It bought me quiet moments to think...
What could be causing this? A time-reversal ability user? But this world had no such superpowers.
Was I wrong? Did a hidden 'dark world' exist beyond ordinary folk, populated by superhumans?
No—priority one: the cause of this loop. Without solving it, I'd be trapped indefinitely.
A person? An object? Or a natural phenomenon unrelated to either?
How do I stop it? Hell, what even do I know to stop?
I pondered for a full hour in the staff room but found no answers.
No good. I had too little info. If only I knew the title of whatever fictional world this was...
That was when it hit me.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
The break bell. With its chime, a flash of insight struck.
Right—the girl from 'yesterday's' break. She'd acted strangely.
. . .
Recalling the one potential lead tied to this mess, I bolted from the staff room to the classroom corridor where I'd encountered her. Thankfully, I arrived just in time.
She hasn't come out yet? I waited anxiously by the corridor when—there she was, the girl from before.
“Anha...nyeongyoseo.”
“...Hello.”
She was blatantly off.
“...Geu...seorae mae...ejeomseo ppang-eun pai eomna...cheongge itmatda-neun i-yagi itde-neun gatji i-ga an-raeul?”
“Really? But eating bread now might make lunch awkward, no?”
Her words were utter gibberish, incomprehensible. What made it worse? Everyone else treated her like a normal person.
Suspicious as hell.
“Hold on, student. Sorry to bother you during break, but could we talk for a sec...”
“¿Ne”
I swallowed hard. Cold clarity hit like ice water.
Why had I dismissed her as just quirky? What was I about to say? Her gaze blanked my mind.
Because she'd turned her head. Body passing by, head swiveling 180 degrees to stare.
“....”
No, not just her. Among the horde of students pouring into the corridor, 'they' blended in—silently staring. Mimicking humans. Mimicking students.