The New Instructor
The training ground I arrived at, holding hands with Shine of Team Harmonize, was already packed with people.
"Have you made any friends?"
"No."
"Really...? It's been over a week, though."
Shine didn't reply, simply shaking her head. I knew she wasn't the social type, but I hadn't realized it was this bad. The moment Shine and I stepped into the training ground, not a single person came over to greet her. If things kept up like this, I'd probably end up the same way. Letting out a sigh, I decided to wave first.
A man sitting in the distance, who had been watching me, quickly turned his head away in embarrassment at my wave.
"Why is he acting like that?"
"Who knows."
The reaction was worse than I expected. As I looked around while waving, every single eye that had been tracking us vanished in an instant.
"I guess nobody wants to say hello."
"It's weird..."
It really was strange. A moment later, while I was sitting and passing the time with Shine, the training session began. To my surprise, the person instructing the trainees was Victor.
"Victor?"
"It was someone else until yesterday."
Looking exactly as he always did, with his usual slight scowl, Victor looked around and spoke.
"Everyone, line up."
At Victor's command, Shine stood up and walked over to him. I followed close behind her.
"You're probably all wondering. The instructor who was in charge of you until now has changed."
Victor spoke as he scanned the trainees. Hearing his words, a timid-looking girl raised her hand and asked a question.
"Um... where did our previous instructor go?"
"Allen is on long-term leave starting today. He probably won't return until after the next exam."
"Does that mean you'll be teaching us from now on, Sir Victor?"
"As you can see. Yes."
I gently tugged on Shine's hand and whispered, "Hey, Shine. What's her name?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Yeah. I never asked. And I didn't bother to remember."
Shine's social skills were a total mess. I stroked her hair with a worried expression. If she was always like this, how on earth had she been getting along with others?
"You runts over there. No unauthorized chattering."
As Shine and I whispered to each other, Victor's sharp voice cut through the air. Seeing Victor act so differently from his usual self, I couldn't help but feel a little impressed. When I stared at him blankly with my mouth slightly open, he cleared his throat and looked away.
"Victor came because he was worried about me," I muttered quietly.
Shine nodded. "It seems so."
"Maybe Victor is actually a nice person."
Victor's briefing continued. He took questions and answered them, letting the time tick away. Just as my legs were starting to ache from standing, Victor checked the time and shouted to everyone.
"We will start with light sparring. No abilities allowed, keep it light. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
The trainees' roaring response made my ears ring. I hastily covered them. Since we received our trainee numbers in the order we entered, Shine and I ended up at the very end. Numbers 19 and 20. With the small number tags pinned to our chests, we sat down and watched the others.
The first match featured the timid-looking girl who had asked Victor the question. It was quite impressive how she managed to say everything she wanted to say despite her shy demeanor. I didn't know her opponent's name either. Numbers 1 and 2 faced each other and bowed. Under Victor's watchful eye, the sparring match began.
Just like when I had sneaked a peek at Shine's training before, the two exchanged blows with light, nimble movements. Hands and feet tangled in a dizzying blur. Fists and kicks grazed past skin. It felt like watching a carefully choreographed stunt show. I shifted restlessly as I watched. Could I really do this? Since I had rarely fought anyone without using my abilities, anxiety naturally began to creep in.
"Do we just jump right into it without learning anything first?"
"Yeah. It was like this when I first joined too."
I sat blankly, observing the sparring matches. I could learn a lot just by watching—how to move, how to react. I wasn't sure if I could move my limbs as freely as they did, but it looked doable enough.
The light sparring matches ended quickly. As soon as the match between Numbers 17 and 18 concluded, Shine and I stepped forward.
"Am I fighting you, Shine?"
"Yes."
Walking toward Victor, I checked the reactions of the people around us. The moment Shine stepped forward, they began whispering among themselves. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Frowning, I glared at the muttering crowd. Perhaps sensing my gaze, a man who had been speaking in hushed tones gasped in fright and quickly hung his head. Their reactions were incredibly bizarre. As I stared in confusion at their terrified behavior, Victor spoke to me.
"Number 20."
"Yes?"
"Keep your head in the game."
Victor's stiff tone felt unfamiliar. When I looked up at him with wide eyes, he placed a hand on my head and pushed down lightly.
"Focus on the match."
"Okay..."
I nodded and stepped up to face Shine. Standing opposite each other, our eyes met, and we both smiled.
"Let's have a good match, Shine."
"Okay."
I slowly regulated my breathing. My arms and legs moved without any issues. The thought of raising my hands against Shine bothered me a little, but seeing how the others had sparred, it seemed direct, heavy impacts weren't allowed anyway. If that was the case, I could do this.
"Start!"
The instant Victor's command left his mouth, Shine lunged forward. *Patter, patter.* Her light footsteps echoed, sending a faint vibration through the tips of my toes. To prepare for her seemingly slow approach, I took a step back and raised both hands. But just as I assumed a basic fighting stance and braced myself, Shine suddenly vanished from my sight.
"Ah."
A short gasp escaped my lips as my body tilted. What just happened? The vanished Shine reappeared in the blink of an eye. Her white hair scattered in all directions, blurring my vision, while her arms and legs slipped past my shoulders and swept under my legs. My body lifted into the air. In that moment, as time seemed to slow to a crawl, Shine's eyes met mine in midair.
Thud! A dull impact hit my back. It didn't hurt because of the thick, cushioned mat, but all the air in my lungs was instantly knocked out.
"Ugh."
A short groan escaped my lips. Having pinned me down, Shine immediately made her next move. Straddling my waist while locking my arms in place, she looked down at me with a bright smile.
"I won."
The match had ended in an utterly anticlimactic defeat. Unable to even react, I let out an awkward laugh as Shine pinned me down. My arms were locked so tightly that it was hard to move. I tried twisting and turning to slip them free, but Shine's weight pressing down on me made it impossible.
"When did you learn how to do this?"
"When you were hurt, Jeff."
"Winner, Number 19."
I let out a small sigh at Victor's announcement. Number 19 was Shine's number. I tried to wriggle my hands free from Shine's grip and sit up, but she wouldn't let go. Why? The match was already over.
"Um, Shine? Shouldn't you get off me now?"
"Okay."
Yet, despite her verbal agreement, she made no move to get off. Her white hair cascaded down, tickling my face.
"Why are you getting closer?"
Shine's face was drawing nearer and nearer. Feeling a strange sensation as she slightly tilted her head, I squirmed in sheer panic.
"Just kidding."
Shine let out a soft chuckle at my reaction and finally stood up. Once her tight grip on my hands released, I scrambled to my feet. My heart was pounding strangely. Clutching my chest, I sat there and tried to catch my breath.
"Everyone did well. Except for one person, that is."
I knew exactly who Victor was talking about. I naturally lifted my chin.
"Yes, you. Number 20."
"It's only natural since today is my first day!"
I was actually quite shameless about it. Placing my hands on my hips, I puffed out my chest at him.
"Starting today, you are my personal responsibility."
At Victor's declaration, everyone's eyes locked onto me. Their gazes were far from friendly. Doubt, envy, admiration, and jealousy—a flood of emotions washed over me all at once. As I flinched and took a step back in embarrassment, Shine stepped in front of me, shielding me from their view. The moment her icy gaze swept across the room, every single eye darting toward me vanished as if washed away.
"Um... that's a bit much..."
"I won't take any complaints."
The girl who had raised her hand to protest grimaced at Victor's firm tone. I stuck my tongue out at her. Blehh. Victor was on my side. It was only natural since we were on the same team. With that thought, I puffed my chest back out with confidence. There was no need to feel discouraged. Considering my position, I was an incredibly high-profile rookie who had parachuted in from the very top. I was somewhat used to these kinds of looks anyway. Suddenly, the image of the chubby Dr. Hebrum crossed my mind. Was that pig of a doctor eating well? Even though his personality was awful, he had helped me a lot, so I'd probably remember him for a long time.
"Do some self-directed training for a bit."
Saying so, Victor turned around and began walking away. Seeing him head toward a small door at the far end of the training ground, it seemed he was going inside. As I watched his retreating back, I spotted the sign on the door he was heading toward.
LOUNGE
"Number 20. Follow me."
Standing there blankly, I nodded at Victor's call and jogged over to him. Shine, who was standing beside me, naturally followed along.
Once inside the lounge, Victor let out a heavy sigh and slumped into a chair. His exhausted face made me worry, so I stepped closer and placed a hand on his thigh to comfort him.
"Are you exhausted?"
Victor didn't answer.
"You shouldn't touch things like that."
Shine, who had been standing quietly behind me, snatched my hand off Victor's thigh and pulled me toward her.
"Victor, you came all the way here because you were worried about me, right?" I asked the tired-looking Victor.
"It was Amy's request."
"Amy's?"
"Yes. Which means I didn't come because I was worried about you."
I stared at Victor in silence. It was almost certainly true that Amy had asked him. However, as equals, they could easily refuse each other's requests. Someone of Victor's high standing was always short on time—one only had to look at Amy to know that. Yet, Victor had given up his own time to take on the role of instructor. He had even sent the original instructor on leave to do so. It was a massive abuse of power, to say the least. It was only natural for the other trainees to complain. This would undoubtedly have a negative impact on his reputation. In other words, Victor had taken on the instructor position for my sake, fully prepared to bear all those consequences.
"Both of you. Make sure you pass the next exam, no matter what."
I nodded at Victor's words.