Education System Reform (1)
"Everyone. It seems we have to say goodbye now."
"Whaaat...?"
Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha rose from their seats and looked up at me with puzzled expressions.
"It's an emergency recall order from the academy."
When I showed them my phone, the screen's glow tinted the children's faces red.
"What is this?"
"An order to fly back immediately."
"What's going on?"
"I don't know either. It's urgent enough that they can't provide details."
"So what exactly is this about..."
I raised my hand to cut Yoo Hee-won off.
"I have to leave right now."
I immediately exited the theater and climbed the stairs, with Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha following close behind. I considered retrieving my luggage from the room but decided against it. Flying while carrying bags wasn't feasible anyway.
When we stepped out into the wide courtyard, the city's nightscape spread out below. From the urban sprawl, auras of various colors shot upward like missiles, one after another. They had to be academy personnel returning from vacation.
Just then, my phone blared with another urgent alarm.
Thoroughly maintain vigilance when returning / Recommend formation flight
"Professor... please be careful..."
Han Min-ha mumbled, lightly pinching the hem of my shirt with her fingertips.
"It won't be anything serious, Min-ha. Besides, other academy members are flying alongside us over there."
"Okay..."
Though I suspected otherwise. I also addressed Yoo Hee-won, who was glaring disapprovingly at Han Min-ha's grip on my shirt.
"Thank you for the invitation, Hee-won. I'd like to stay until tomorrow if I could, but circumstances won't allow it."
"I understand."
"Don't fight with Min-ha. Enjoy the rest of your break, and I'll see you both at the academy."
"Got it. I'll have the car sent to the academy later."
"Thank you."
After offering each of them a smile, I activated my aura.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-!!!
A crushing pressure slammed down on my head as the ground dropped away beneath my feet. Yoo Hee-won, Han Min-ha, and the mansion shrank rapidly, revealing the full sweep of the city's night lights.
Once I reached a stable altitude and eased my speed, a fleeting sense of liberation washed over me, my body floating weightlessly. I turned toward the academy and accelerated into high-speed flight.
Breaking the sound barrier would have been faster, but without a suit my clothes would shred. Landing at the academy naked held no appeal whatsoever.
It had been a long time since I'd flown like this. Since arriving at the academy, I'd mostly traveled by car.
Leaving the city's glow behind, I soared through the dark sky until a brown aura gradually approached from the side. The aura's owner was Professor Jin Se-yeong.
She spotted me, smiled cutely, and waved. I returned the gesture with a smile of my own. It would have been convenient to communicate by radio in suits, but that wasn't an option now. So we flew side by side in silence, heading for the academy.
* * * * *
The academy came into view ahead. Boundary lights lined the perimeter of the vast grounds at regular intervals, comparable in scale to an airport. Inside stood the runway and various base facilities.
With the emergency recall in effect, the anti-aircraft batteries scattered around the academy remained silent. Unauthorized flight would have triggered a storm of missiles and Vulcan fire from every direction.
Besides Professor Jin and me, numerous others descended in sweeping arcs toward the academy, trailing auras of every color. We followed them and landed in the parking lot in front of the research building.
"Phew... Did you have a good vacation, Professor Kyo?"
Professor Jin greeted me while brushing off her clothes.
"I did. How about you, Professor Jin?"
"I only just finished my students' home visits yesterday and was finally resting when this happened. I have no idea what the commotion is about."
"Indeed. I saw five heroes flying in formation this afternoon. It might be connected."
Professor Jin looked mildly surprised.
"Five heroes? Could they have been sidekicks?"
"I'm not sure. Let's go find out."
It was now late enough to call night. In the faculty office, several professors who had arrived earlier were already seated.
"Professor Kyo Suhyeon!"
Professor Heo Tae-hyeon called out and waved me over. Since he was a former spy, I figured he might have useful information, so I approached.
"Hello, Professor Heo. Did you enjoy your vacation?"
"I did. How about you?"
"Same here. But what's going on? Nothing's appeared in the media yet."
"Would the academy announce an emergency assembly to the press?"
"Hmm. Still, you know something, don't you?"
"The department head will explain everything anyway."
Just then, the department head burst into the office, sweating heavily and clutching a thick stack of papers.
"Everyone here?"
He quickly counted the professors.
"All present."
"What's happening, Head? My vacation's already been ruined by home visits, and I'm in a foul mood."
Professor Yu Hyeon-ju spoke with arms crossed. The department head flinched. Normally cool and reserved, she had been extremely irritable since the home-visit orders. Wasting expensive flights and hotel bookings would do that. Her presence was commanding, and with anger added, the department head wiped his brow while glancing nervously at her.
"Just a moment... Wait. What was it again? How do I operate this? Brutus?"
The department head pointed to the large television mounted on the wall. Professor Heo stood, connected the department head's phone to the TV, and asked,
"Should I play this?"
"Yes, yes. Play that."
Professor Heo started a video from the department head's gallery.
"Gasp...!"
Professor Jin drew a sharp breath. The screen showed a burning warehouse and buildings on the outskirts, far from the city center—an isolated industrial site. The footage, clearly from a hero's body cam, jerked and swayed unsteadily.
[Hero-nim! Above!]
At a presumed sidekick's shout, the view snapped upward. Through the smoke-filled sky, a villain wielding daggers in both hands leaped down.
[Dodge!]
The screen spun wildly amid curses from its owner.
[Damn it...! There was another one?!]
[Everyone be careful! There are more than just one or two here!]
At the same time came the roar and flash of what sounded like a heavy grenade launcher.
[Aaaah!]
[Fall back! Flank from the side! Don't charge straight in!]
[These bastards set up an ambush on purpose?!]
Chilling laughter, flashing explosions, and the thunder of engines filled the audio.
[Hero-nim! We can't handle this alone! Request support!]
[Damn it all! I thought we'd finally landed a big case...]
[At this rate we'll all die! If we retreat, the office is finished!]
[Kyaaah hahaha!! Looks delicious!!]
A woman's piercing laugh rang out.
[Kuh...!]
[First sidekick hit! Combat ineffective!]
[Hero-nim! Request support!]
The screen shook violently.
[Request support! Tell anyone to come as fast as possible!]
[Understood! Management Bureau! Management Bureau! Appear! This is...]
[Another one's coming! What the hell is that?!]
The view lurched toward a specific area where a massive mechanical construct with limbs staggered forward. It looked crudely assembled from scrapyard gears and random parts. Instead of a head, a small figure sat inside, operating the controls.
A mobile suit...? But why so ramshackle?
[Take that one out first! Everyone else avoid contact until support arrives! Keep circling!]
[Understood! All units evade! Third sidekick, hit the unidentified machine with Eye Race!]
Two blue Eye Race beams streaked from the top of the frame and struck the machine. The instant they connected, a black vortex materialized between the beams and the construct, swallowing the aura like a black hole. Simultaneously, another vortex formed directly facing the camera. The screen flashed blue, then cut to black.
"Gasp..."
Professor Jin covered her mouth, breathing hard. The other professors stared at one another in stunned silence.
"This occurred this afternoon. An entire hero office was wiped out."
At the department head's words, murmurs rippled through the room.
"What exactly happened, Head?"
The department head explained the incident shown in the footage. Summarizing his account: villain activity had broken out in an outlying industrial complex. The nearest hero office was assigned the case. Because the area contained sensitive facilities, the hero deployed with all his sidekicks—only to encounter multiple villains. As seen in the recording, they urgently requested support from the Management Bureau. Regular patrol heroes and standby units responded, and the situation was barely contained.
"Strictly speaking, it wasn't containment. The moment support arrived, the villains all vanished."
"So that's why the emergency recall was issued so suddenly?"
"On top of that, the results of the emergency joint meeting between the Ministry of Education and the Management Bureau have been delivered."
The department head flipped through the stack of papers in his hands. It was an official directive issued under the Ministry of Education's name. Sighs escaped the professors as they read it.