0. The Entrance Exam
My homeroom teacher continued to share all sorts of pleasant stories with us after that, and when every last one of them had wrapped up, she apologized for taking up so much of our time. Then she told us we were free to head home — or, if we wanted, to take a longer look around the Academy.
Well, I could have simply gone straight home…
But I found myself wanting to explore the classroom a little longer. This was, after all, the first school I'd ever attended in this world.
Strangely enough, though, I seemed to be the only one with that thought. Any given class had at least thirty or forty students in it, so for me alone to want to wander the Academy afterward was an odd thing indeed. So, feigning nonchalance, I pricked up my ears and listened to the others — and learned something interesting.
The other students already knew all about the Academy's facilities from various media. If you were interested enough to enroll here, they explained, you could have gone on a campus tour or a trial visit long before now. Yes, well. From what I heard, everyone more or less knew what the place looked like, even if they'd never laid eyes on it in person. On top of that, the entrance exam had worn them all out, so it seemed they simply wanted to go home and rest.
Before long, the students began filing out of the classroom.
I wanted to scream inside. Honestly, wandering the Academy grounds alone would have been just a little embarrassing. If there'd been someone to go with, I'd have happily trailed after them — but with everyone heading home, there was no way to explore the grounds at all. So I reluctantly gave up on the idea of touring the Academy.
That didn't mean I abandoned my plan to look around the classroom, though. I began examining it slowly, in detail.
The Academy classroom was, how should I put it — less like a high school classroom and more like a university lecture hall. And yet the desks and chairs were arranged much like a high school's. At the front of the room hung an enormous television screen, just like in high school, and beyond that there were all manner of contraptions you'd normally see used in university lectures. It was genuinely fascinating. Classrooms at these Academies usually leaned much closer to the university model — I hadn't expected a fifty-fifty blend of high school and college like this.
Truthfully, I would have loved to keep looking, but I stopped myself. It was starting to feel like the homeroom teacher's gaze was drifting my way. I couldn't speak for anyone else, but I had no desire to attract more attention than necessary from someone like her.
So, acting as if nothing had happened, I filed out with the rest of the students.
Nothing much happened after that. The students I'd gotten to know all headed home, and the others made no move to strike up conversation with me. It wasn't that they weren't interested… more that, with me looking like some street thug, they seemed to prefer keeping their distance and watching from afar.
Not that it mattered. I'd already hit my quota of talking to strangers for the day with the four friends I'd made. All that remained was to return home in peace and tell Ailee everything that had happened. So I made to leave without a second's hesitation.
…That is, if Vice-Principal Jang Mi-na and my homeroom teacher hadn't called me over.
"Is something the matter?"
I put on my friendliest smile. It didn't seem like a bad thing, for now.
"What does it look like is the matter?"
That was Jang Mi-na, regarding me with a grin brimming over with mischief. Honestly, my first instinct was to ask her to please quit playing games with me — but I doubted she'd listen even if I did. So instead, I sighed inwardly and started working through it. It wasn't as though I had many options.
"It's because I defeated the Villain, isn't it?"
"Close enough. Ah — have we been properly introduced? This is Mr. Park Hyo-rim."
"We introduced ourselves ages ago. So, could we perhaps move on to the point?"
"Mm, mm. Of course. Getting to the point, then…"
Snap. The sound of fingers popping cut through the air.
I puzzled over why she'd snapped her fingers, and then I noticed something strange. The students had been chattering loudly as they streamed out of the building — naturally, that noise had filled the air even while I was speaking with the teachers. But right now, there was nothing. Not a sound reached me from anywhere.
"Tell me, student. Have you ever been kidnapped? Or something along those lines?"
"…I'm sorry?"
"Forgive me if the question comes across as rude. It's just that it's important."
"…I'll answer after I hear your reasoning."
I let my displeasure show, plain as day. Of course, I wasn't actually displeased — it was the truth, after all. But this was a situation that called for an offended reaction, so I played the part. Instinct took over like a Manifestation: my pupils narrowed into a serpent's vertical slits, my tongue thinned and forked at the tip, and with a hiss I ground my teeth together.
"I treated your right arm, did I not?"
"…Yes."
"And I found your right arm quite peculiar? I assume it has something to do with your Manifestation."
"…"
"The problem is, a Manifestation of this kind is genuinely rare."
"…Is it?"
"It is. The cases are so few that it would make a worthy research subject."
"I truly had no idea I was so remarkable."
"That's not what I mean. You see, there was an evil organization conducting some rather… unusual research, starting roughly twenty years ago—"
"…"
"Now, if that organization vanished into thin air, and every Villain affiliated with it disappeared along with it…"
"…"
"Does that help you follow?"
Both teachers were smiling, but their eyes were not. I forced a laugh as their cold stares pricked into me like needles. So — this teacher apparently suspected that I was one of that organization's Villains. Infiltrating the Academy under a false identity, she must think, some hidden agenda in hand. If she only knew I wasn't one of them, the misunderstanding would dissolve in an instant. Jang Mi-na would apologize, and everything would blow over.
…Except her guess wasn't entirely wrong, was it.
I was no Villain of that evil organization — but I had been a test subject. Years of my life spent as an experiment, naturally, meant years of having all manner of drugs pumped into me. The fruits of that strange research… the vast majority of them were still alive and breathing inside my body. And the fact that the organization had vanished without a trace was tied to me as well, which was why my conscience twinged. But I was no heinous Villain. So it seemed safe for me to stand firm. Strictly speaking, I was the victim. Not the perpetrator — therefore, innocent.
No, the more I thought about it, the more genuinely unfair it felt. I was the victim, wasn't I? Not the criminal. So I opened my mouth to deny it — to say I'd never heard of any such organization.
But the moment things took this turn, some part of me wanted to needle Jang Mi-na a little. She'd been having her fun at my expense this whole time; it was my turn to play a prank of my own.
"And if I were that Villain — what would you do about it?"
So I said it, gauging the mood as I went. And the two of them, falling for it hook, line, and sinker, slipped straight into fighting stances.
Only then did it occur to me that things might have gone slightly sideways. I hadn't expected them to square up for a fight on the spot. Let's be honest — there was no way I'd win against two teachers. Just as I opened my mouth to explain it had all been a joke, Jang Mi-na burst out laughing.
And she kept laughing — leaving my poor homeroom teacher standing awkwardly in her half-cocked fighting stance behind her. Finally, after one last mighty chuckle, Jang Mi-na wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and spoke to me.
"Goodness, you're the first student in my entire life who's ever tried to prank me."
"…Busted?"
"It was written all over your face. You were absolutely delighted with yourself, hoping to get a rise out of me."
"…Ah."
"In any case, I owe you an apology for everything today. I jumped to conclusions, and for that, I'm sorry."
With that, she bowed at the waist — a full, perfect right angle — and offered her apology.
I stood there blank for a moment before telling her that wasn't necessary, but she flatly refused to stop, insisting that a matter like this demanded a thorough apology. Worried my entire school life might be derailed, I had to scramble to talk her down again.
"O-other students will see! What are you going to do about that!?"
"Ah, no need to worry on that front. I've blocked it off with magic."
"…Th-then that's a relief, I suppose."
"It was a reasonable suspicion, but an unpleasant accusation all the same. Wouldn't you agree?"
"…Yes."
"Good. Well, that's all settled nicely — shall we move on to a different subject?"
With that, she smiled as if nothing had ever happened. I returned the smile while feeling that all-too-familiar sting in my stomach — the kind I hadn't felt in a long time. Judging by the sour expression on my homeroom teacher's face behind her, Jang Mi-na was apparently famous for being utterly self-centered. She'd been jerking both me and the homeroom teacher around all afternoon, so the rumor wasn't far off the mark.
"Very few people can Manifest the way you do, so I wanted to propose special management for you."
"…Special management?"
"Yes. A raw gem must be cut well, after all. We'd invite excellent instructors from both inside and outside the Academy to—"
"C-could I consult my aunt about it and decide later!?"
"…Your aunt?"
One thing was certain: this was an honor far beyond anything I deserved. And equally certain: I couldn't make a decision like that alone. So it seemed best to ask my uncles and aunts first, and decide afterward.
Except both teachers' expressions turned rather grim. Jang Mi-na took a slow, deep breath, then asked me a question, carefully measured.
"Student, I believe you said… your aunt, just now… could it be…"
"Yes?"
"Is your aunt currently working in the field? The relevant field?"
"…Ah. Uh, yes."
Only then did I remember I'd phrased it strangely. In situations like this, a normal person says they'll consult their parents. Saying you'll ask your aunt is… not the usual phrasing.
"Of course she's in the field! Naturally…!"
"…Student. I am truly sorry. I believe I have just said something I should not have."
"…Did s-something happen?"
"Never mind. In that case… let's discuss it with your guardian first, and you can give us your answer later. Would that suit you?"
I nodded for now. Then, just as Jang Mi-na had asked, I saved her phone number into mine.
And I fled the Academy as if the building itself were on fire.