Episode 1. First Meeting
Episode 1. First Meeting
"With that, we conclude the entrance ceremony for Seohyun Hunter Specialized Academy!"
"......?"
March 2nd, 20XX, exactly twelve o'clock.
I had been transmigrated into the world of a novel.
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When I came to my senses, I heard someone announcing the end of an entrance ceremony.
The uniquely amplified sound from the microphone buzzed through the space.
'What is this, seriously?'
I turned my head and looked around.
In what appeared to be a spacious auditorium like any ordinary high school, children wearing identical clothes—school uniforms—stood in orderly rows.
It was unmistakably an entrance ceremony.
'What the hell...'
"......"
Of course, having read many web novels, I had a rough idea of what was happening.
Transmigration.
And I knew well that wondering why or how I transmigrated, or why it had to be me, wouldn't be of much help.
Rather, figuring out who I transmigrated into and how I should live from now on was the priority.
First, should I try to speak?
"Ah, ah."
'Huh...?'
My voice was thin. It felt like melted glass flowing softly across the floor.
'No way?'
I immediately examined my body.
My fingers and wrists were very slender. The skin I checked by rolling up my sleeve was snow-white.
I felt my chest over the blouse.
They weren't... large, but they were perky and felt soft, so they seemed developed enough to be recognized as a girl's.
Huh?
Developed enough to be recognized as a girl's?
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I immediately dashed to wherever the bathroom was.
I'd never been to this damn school, so I ran for a long time before finally finding the bathroom.
"Haa, haa......"
Leaning against the wall, I breathed heavily.
Now that I was here, I was afraid to check the mirror.
The reason was probably because I had already keenly realized what I must look like now.
The fact that I had unconsciously entered the 'women's' bathroom was evidence enough.
I gulped down the thick saliva pooled in my mouth and approached the mirror.
"Ah......"
The girl reflected in the cleanly wiped mirror let out a slight sigh, her mouth slightly agape.
Examining her features one by one:
Her hair was long and jet black. It came down to just above her waist, with no signs of being tied up—just completely straight hair. It was somewhat tangled from running wildly.
Her pupils were as dark as her hair. Yet, they seemed to pulsate with a certain vitality. Every time she blinked, it felt clear, like a water droplet plopping onto the surface of a lake.
Her nose bridge was prettily defined, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from being out of breath.
Her glossy lips had a red, healthy color.
And she was wearing a blouse, not a man's dress shirt, with moderately sized breasts rising beneath it.
Though she seemed of average height, her proportions were good and her limbs were long and slender, making her appear taller than average.
Yeah, she's a girl.
And a beautiful one at that.
I couldn't help but press my hand to my forehead.
Beads of sweat trickled down my palm.
"Don't talk nonsense, seriously......"
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Anyway, since the entrance ceremony was over, I went outside.
Turning my back, I glanced at the main gate.
[Seohyun Hunter Specialized Academy 10th Entrance Ceremony]
The banner with those words fluttered like a flag in the gusting wind.
The excessively long school name lingered in my mind.
I definitely remember it......
'Ah, right.'
It's definitely the school from that novel I read.
The novel's name was 'The Pure Love Couple of the Hunter Academy'.
It's a Hunter + Academy story, yet it's about pure love.
Not that I'm looking down on pure love. It just feels like a mismatch.
Anyway, as the title suggests, the main focus was the pure love story.
Because of that, unlike other Hunter or Academy stories, no major incidents occurred; villain attacks only happened sporadically.
Instead, it focused on the emotional line between the male and female protagonists.
'That's a relief.'
At least the risk of death should be somewhat lower, right?
'But it's kinda annoying.'
The reason was that I hadn't even finished reading this novel; I was just a typical reader who dropped it midway.
I have zero elements for transmigration.
"Haa......"
I had another foolish thought.
Questioning the reason for transmigration is something only beginners who've just started reading web novels do.
Let's just think about how to survive.
I approached a small bench in the nearby empty lot and sat down.
First, looking at the name tag pinned to my uniform jacket, I learned that this girl's name is 'Eun Yubin'.
The next thing to think about is... residence?
Seohyun Hunter Specialized Academy, hereafter 'the Academy', has a dormitory.
Not all students use the dormitory; some commute.
So which one is this girl?
The dormitory seems better.
If she commutes, I'd have to find out her home address, which would be a bit troublesome.
I first opened my phone. It was a bit old but worked properly.
'I need to get some information.'
I opened the messenger app. It looked exactly like KakaoTalk.
Sure enough, her name was Eun Yubin. I scrolled down to check her friend list.
"......"
It didn't take long. Her friend list was very short.
Anyway, the conclusion from snooping through the girl's messenger was...
'This kid, she doesn't have parents, does she?'
That's right.
There's no mom or dad in the messenger.
Only people who seem to be local public officials or from welfare facilities.
An orphan.
Of course, the bad points would far outweigh the good... but let's think positively.
With no parents, maybe I can act a bit more freely.
Is there anything else?
"......"
No.
I stretched my body out, almost lying down on the bench. My skirt rode up a little, but I didn't have the energy to care.
Anyway, the next thing to check is my abilities.
There's an easy way to find out.
In this novel, once registered as a Hunter, your information is listed in an app called the 'Hunter Interface'.
Of course, only you or the government can view it.
'Then... shall I take a look?'
I opened the app and pressed firmly on my profile, causing text to cascade down.
Extracting only the important information from there, it was as follows:
[Name: Eun Yubin]
[Age: 17]
[Birthday: July 25th]
[Specialty: Buff]
[Abilities:
Heal (D)
Vitality Boost (D)
Intuition (S)]
Here, 'Specialty' and 'Abilities' can be understood as job class and skills, respectively.
The government measures the skill values and assigns grades.
But Heal and Vitality Boost are D-grade?
Just one step above the lowest, E-grade?
"What kind of... for a buffer..."
Was she just a pretty-faced, useless girl?
The protagonist runs around with A-grade, S-grade skills......
However, there was one skill that stood out like a gem in the mud.
An S-grade skill, Intuition.
I was worried about transmigrating with nothing, so this is at least some comfort.
'But what does this skill do?'
Really, just literal intuition?
I pondered deeply, losing track of time.
"Hmm......"
Clunk- Clatter!
"Eek...!"
At the sudden dull sound from beside me, I instinctively flinched.
The girly voice was a bonus.
'Even if my mind is the same, my body has changed, so I react like a girl.'
It feels disgusting.
Anyway, the sound came from a vending machine placed in a corner of the empty lot.
And standing in front of it was a female student.
'Huh?'
That uniform is the same as mine.
But it's not the same.
What I mean is, my uniform looks shabby and worn out in places, as if it's hand-me-down, while that girl's is perfectly pressed and fits her body snugly, like a prestigious high school's uniform.
To think there's such a difference with the same clothes.
'Orphans really are different.'
That's when it happened.
The girl holding the drink suddenly whipped her head around to look behind her.
Since I was staring right at her, our eyes inevitably met.
I immediately turned my head away, but the sensation that the girl was still looking at me subtly crept up my spine.
And then... it finally happened.
"You, do you go to Seohyun Academy?"
The female student had walked right up to me and initiated a conversation.
"Huh, huh?"
"Your uniform is the same as mine. You go there, right?"
"Y, yes! Yeah. Seohyun Academy......"
I answered in a tone so stiff it was awkward to anyone listening.
It can't be helped.
I only know how to have textbook-level conversations......
Fortunately, the girl didn't seem to find it strange.
Instead, she giggled.
"Eun Yubin?"
"Mmhmm. You are... In Seyeon, right?"
Seyeon nodded her head.
In Seyeon.
It sounded a bit cheeky, but she was a pretty girl like me.
Her style was almost similar too. Long black hair and the aura emanating from her face.
However, she seemed a bit taller than me, and her pupils were a glossy red.
It wasn't strange. After all, even the protagonist has red hair and gray eyes.
Seyeon sat down next to me and continued talking.
"Did you get in by taking the exam?"
Exam?
Judging by her asking that, is there another way to enroll besides the exam?
Anyway, I just transmigrated today, so I couldn't possibly know.
So I dodged the question appropriately.
"...Yeah."
"I got in through the Mixed Species Special Admissions Track."
"M, Mixed Species?"
"Yeah. ...You're not uncomfortable or anything, are you?"
Seeing Seyeon's eyes trembling slightly with anxiety as she asked, I hurriedly shook my head and answered.
"Absolutely not. Who discriminates against Mixed Species these days......"
"I've seen a few people like that."
"That's just them being bad people."
By now, you probably realize that Mixed Species exist in this novel.
With the setting that otherworldly energy enters Earth through Gates, causing blah blah~, Mixed Species are occasionally born.
They mix with beast-people, orcs, goblins, and even monsters that aren't in human form. Most look hideous.
So discrimination against Mixed Species is inevitable.
"But, you don't look like a Mixed Species."
"Ah, that's......"
Seyeon fidgeted with her fingers, hesitating, before finally speaking.
"I, I'm mixed with a succubus......"
"A succubus?!"
"Hey...!"
I unintentionally repeated it in a loud voice.
Seyeon, surprised, covered my mouth.
"Ah, s, sorry. I was just a bit surprised."
"I'm surprised too. I was just lucky. To be mixed with a succubus, not some other monster. I guess you could say I was born pretty."
"Uum......"
I guess that's true.
"But it was a bit hard. Even if I don't look hideous, I still get discriminated against just for being a Mixed Species."
Seeing Seyeon's gloomy expression, I quickly erased the various curiosities that popped into my head.
It seemed like she would be really sad if I actually asked.
"I'm glad."
"About what?"
"You're the first friend I've made. You seem like a nice person."
"I, I'm not really. Nice, I mean."
"All nice people say that."
Seyeon smiled brightly.
And she continued speaking.
"I'm glad. Really."
"M, mhm."
"I'm glad."
Clap, clap, clap......
Muttering like she was casting a spell, Seyeon clapped her hands gently.
The sound of applause dully echoed around the empty lot.
"Seyeon-ah, what are you—"
Just as I said that.
My buttocks arbitrarily floated up from the bench.
'Huh?'
There was no time to question it.
Suddenly, all the nerves in my body stood on end.
"Wh, what is this, haa, haa......"
"Yubin-ah, what's wrong?"
My mouth was parched, and my chest vibrated like a drum, thump, thump, crazily.
Sweat was already trickling down my back.
All these reactions pointed to one single conclusion.
Run away from here. Now.
"I, I......"
"Yubin-ah."
"I, I think I should go. Yeah. S, sorry—"
"Eun Yubin."
Clap, clap, clap.......
Seyeon's voice tone lowered. Still clapping her hands, she called my name.
Clap, clap, clap.
With each clap, my consciousness felt like it was sinking deeper into the ocean.
Into a deep, warm ocean.
Something is wrong.
I don't really know, but I need to get out now. I don't know where to go, but at least somewhere that isn't here.
I hastily moved my feet, turning my back on Seyeon"Eun Yubin."
Clap - !
"Stay still."
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"You're an interesting one, aren't you."
Interesting?
What's...?
My body felt heavy like bloated cotton. It felt like it would melt into a puddle on the floor any second now.
"Yubin-ah, is it hard?"
Seyeon's words echoed multiple times like a reverberation.
I couldn't speak and just nodded my head slightly.
What... was I trying to do?
I was talking with Seyeon, so why did I suddenly jump up—
"Let's just sleep for a bit, okay?"
Seyeon clapped her hands.
Clap.