Far in the distance, Academy City came into view.
Beneath a sky crossed by featherlike clouds, the full panorama of the artificial island floating upon the sea revealed itself.
“Wow…”
The blue surface of the water, reflecting the sunlight and sparkling like gemstones.
The scenery of Academy City, woven from lush greenery and rocky cliffs.
Sleek buildings that blended exquisitely into nature while still asserting their presence.
And above all, the enormous World Tree standing tall at the center of the artificial island, rising as if to pierce the heavens.
“So that’s Academy City.”
Gang Hanbyeol, who had come out onto the ship’s deck, could not help but marvel at the sight of Academy City.
Resting his arms on the railing, he stared up at the city in a daze for a long while.
This was the place where he would live from now on.
At the thought of living in that magnificent city, the corners of his mouth lifted.
[This passenger ship will be docking at Academy City. Thank you for using our passenger ship today…]
Before long, the ship docked at the pier.
Hearing the announcement, Gang Hanbyeol quickly gathered his luggage and disembarked.
The moment his feet touched the pier, he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.
Along with the distinctive briny smell of the sea came the scent of a cool breeze.
It was the scent of Academy City.
To him, who had spent the past five years training in the mountains, it felt nothing but fresh.
He felt as though he would never forget it.
“But how am I supposed to get to Geumgang Academy?”
Soon, Gang Hanbyeol blinked.
He had only thought about coming to Academy City, and had not looked into how to get to Geumgang Academy.
But he was not worried.
‘Well, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow. Should I ask those people over there?’
Just as he had when coming to Academy City, he could ask people for directions.
He also had the smartphone his master had given him when he descended the mountain.
If push came to shove, he could search for information or find his way with a map.
For now, Gang Hanbyeol decided to follow the students who looked to be around his age.
‘Are they taking the bus?’
Before long, a bus stop came into view.
By asking the people around him, Gang Hanbyeol was able to find out which bus went to Geumgang Academy.
Geumgang Academy was located in Academy City’s District 23.
He stood at the stop and waited for the bus heading there to arrive.
It seemed the bus would arrive in ten minutes.
That was when—
“As training, running there myself wouldn’t be bad either! It’s all about guts!”
Perhaps he hated waiting for the bus.
A male student standing at the same stop suddenly blurted that out and dashed outside.
The boy, who had a short sports cut with his bangs swept up, was wearing a black martial arts uniform.
Soon, dragging a suitcase in each hand, he disappeared into the tunnel on the hill.
The people watching seemed to lose their words as they stared at the tunnel.
“Training, huh… Not bad.”
“…”
Gang Hanbyeol seriously considered it.
Before long, he shook his head.
He did feel the urge to look around Academy City on foot, but he had to restrain himself.
‘I’m going to meet the chairman, so I can’t show up drenched in sweat.’
It was a shame, but it could not be helped.
He could tour Academy City anytime.
Comforting himself with that thought, Gang Hanbyeol decided to keep waiting for the bus.
Before long, the bus stopped at the station.
[Boarding.]
The bus Gang Hanbyeol boarded passed through the tunnel where the boy in the black martial arts uniform had disappeared moments before.
Once they passed through the tunnel, the scenery of Academy City unfolded outside the window.
And so, he made his way toward Geumgang Academy.
* * *
I opened the wardrobe.
Inside hung the Geumgang Academy uniform I had had tailored in Seoul.
‘It should fit me even if I don’t try it on.’
On the left breast of the gray blazer jacket, the crest symbolizing Geumgang Academy was embroidered.
A crest reminiscent of a dragon clutching a diamond.
Meanwhile, inside the jacket hung a red necktie and a beige vest.
A pair of navy slacks could also be seen.
On the floor of the wardrobe lay several unopened dress shirts and a few pairs of socks.
‘Three sets should be enough for now. If it feels like it’s not enough later, I can just buy more.’
As befitted a uniform worn by academy students, the uniform, which looked nothing but stylish on the surface, had been subjected to all sorts of magical processing so that it could adapt to temperature and not wear out easily.
Heat resistance, cold resistance, and waterproofing were basic, and it even had a self-repair function.
It would not have been strange at all to call the uniform itself a kind of artifact.
Naturally, its price was bound to be absurdly higher than an ordinary uniform.
For someone whose financial circumstances were not good, even buying one set would be difficult.
‘On top of that, if you add the admission fee, tuition, and all sorts of educational materials…’
It came out to a considerable expense.
Even more so when living expenses in Academy City, where prices were high, were taken into account.
Unless one received sponsorship, it would be a burden for an ordinary household to handle.
Of course, that did not apply to me, a direct descendant of the Divine Sword Do Family.
Even if I bought additional uniforms, it would not burden me in the slightest.
After checking the condition of the uniform I had ordered, I closed the wardrobe door.
‘I should unpack first.’
Since the room had been cleaned once the day before to match my move-in date, there seemed to be no need for me to clean it again.
I began taking things out of my bag and suitcase and organizing them.
I also opened the delivery boxes.
Since it was not easy to peel off the tape, and there was no box cutter in the room, I cut it with the Navy-Blue Sword.
‘If Dad had seen this, he would’ve scolded me, asking how I could use a family treasure as a box cutter.’
My father’s reaction naturally came to mind.
With a faint laugh, I took the clothes out of the delivery box.
Since they had already been folded, I was able to place them neatly into the drawers without needing to organize them further.
‘I need to put on the bedsheet too.’
The pillow stuffing, pillowcases, blanket, bedsheet, and so on that were on top of the mattress.
After removing the packaging and taking out the bedding, I fitted the sheet over the mattress.
When I was at home, I had mostly left this to the servants or my mother, so it was the first time I had done it since I was born.
But because I had memories of living alone in my past life, I did not struggle and was able to make the bed without leaving any wrinkles.
“Perfect.”
For no reason, it felt rewarding.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I praised myself and flopped down onto the bed.
When my feet, which had been planted on the floor, lifted away, I felt a wave of languor.
It would not be bad to take a short nap like this.
Just as I thought that—
Bzzzz.
A call came in.
Feeling the vibration from my pocket, I took out my smartphone.
It was a call from Yeon Haneul.
“Hey, Haneul.”
[Hello? Are you done unpacking?]
“I’m almost done now. Why?”
[Eunbi contacted me. She asked if we wanted to go downtown together and buy groceries if we had time. What do you want to do?]
“Eunbi did? That works out. We had things to buy downtown anyway. Let’s go. We can eat dinner outside and come back.”
[Then I’ll tell Eunbi. Meet on the first floor in ten minutes.]
“Got it.”
After ending the call with Yeon Haneul,
I got up from the bed to get ready to go out.
I stretched lightly to loosen up, and when it was time, I went down to the first floor.
The people I had arranged to meet were waiting in the lounge.
“Gyeonwoo! Over here! Here!”
“It’s been a month. Have you been well?”
“You’re here?”
Go Eunbi, Lisa Grace, and Yeon Haneul.
Since all of them stood out in appearance, I could spot them easily even without Go Eunbi waving her hand so vigorously.
I walked over to them.
The triplets were also sitting there.
Yong Haerang was nowhere to be seen.
“What about Haerang? Didn’t he say he was coming to Academy City today too?”
“Yes, he sent a message a little while ago saying he’d gotten off at the pier, but…”
“And then he stopped responding. He didn’t even pick up when I called. He just left this message in the group chat.”
Lisa gave a gentle wry smile.
As if to show me, Go Eunbi held out her smartphone screen.
I leaned my head toward the screen.
[Me]: What time is everyone arriving?
[Yong Haerang]: Running there
[Me]: Huh??????
[Me]: You don’t mean you’re running all the way from the pier, do you???
[Lisa]: I’m on the bus. I think I’ll arrive in about twenty minutes.
Since I had been organizing my luggage in my room, I had not checked the group chat and did not know.
It was hard to infer much from the short message, but it seemed Yong Haerang was indeed running here.
Given his personality, that was entirely possible.
‘He must be running as training.’
I could picture it without seeing it for myself.
By now, he was probably somewhere in Academy City, running while dragging his suitcases.
He would be sweating and running frantically, leaving him no time to message anyone.
There was no telling when he would arrive.
I was not even sure if he would be able to find Geumgang Academy today.
Yong Haerang had no sense of direction, after all.
“If we can’t reach him, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s leave Haerang behind and go by ourselves.”
“Phew, yeah. This isn’t my fault. Haerang’s the one at fault.”
“Still, it would be nice if we could get in touch with him. I’m a little worried. He is coming along fine, right?”
“Mm… He’ll probably be okay, won’t he? I feel like he’d survive anywhere you put him…”
“Haneul is right. There’s no need to worry about Yong Haerang.”
We could not wait around for Yong Haerang when we had no idea when he would come.
We decided to go downtown and buy groceries among ourselves.
Putting that aside.
“Why have you guys been grinning like idiots since earlier? It’s annoying.”
I turned my head toward the triplets, who had bright expressions on their faces and had not taken part in the conversation.
They answered while smirking.
“The room was better than I expected.”
“I think coming to the academy was the right choice.”
“There were three beds. Hehe.”
“It’s a three-person room, so of course there are three beds. You’re stating the obvious.”
“That’s not what we mean.”
“We each had our own bed.”
“It wasn’t a bunk bed!”
Listening to the triplets, it turned out that when they were at home, their room had been cramped, so they had used a bunk bed where the lower drawer opened into another bed.
But when they entered their dorm room, there were separate beds for each person, and apparently they had been deeply moved.
“You got that worked up over something like that?”
“Do Gyeonwoo! What do you mean, something like that?”
“Have you ever used a bed for three people?”
“Have you ever fought at the drop of a hat since you were little over who got to sleep on the first floor?”
“A sheltered kid like you wouldn’t understand.”
“We… fought desperately every time just to sleep comfortably.”
“Do you have any idea how it feels when sleeping is a war!?”
“When we go downtown later, I should look for some decorations for my bed.”
“I did bring my sleeping pillow, but since this is like starting fresh here, I should buy a new pillow too.”
“I’m going to put a doll on mine!”
Ignoring the fact that I was there,
the triplets chattered happily among themselves, as though they were having the time of their lives.
I could understand how they felt a little.
Though it had been in my past life, there was a time when I too had longed for a sleeping space of my own.
When you lived in an orphanage with many others, longing naturally took root.
‘So when I left the orphanage and got my first home and bed, I was just as happy as them. Even if it was a monthly rental.’
If it was a memory, then it was a memory.
I decided to leave the triplets to enjoy themselves.
Meanwhile, Yeon Haneul had also somehow joined them.
“I think I understand how you feel too. I was happy when I got my own room as well. I want to hurry and decorate it to my taste.”
“Haneul! You understand!”
“I knew you’d get it!”
“As expected, childhood friends are the best.”
The triplets swarmed toward Yeon Haneul.
Before they could try to get closer to her, I slipped in between them.
“What do you mean, childhood friends? You’re just lackeys. She’s my childhood friend.”
“Do Gyeonwoo! We also spent time with Haneul—”
“Geumdong-hyung! Shh! Look at his eyes!”
“R-right! We’re just friends! Elementary and middle school classmates! Just people who know each other from the neighborhood!”
When I stood in front of Yeon Haneul as if shielding her and glared at the triplets,
they finally came to their senses and hurriedly backed away.
‘These punks are trying to bother Haneul?’
I clicked my tongue softly.
Just then, I felt a gaze from behind me.
Yeon Haneul was staring at me.
“What is it?”
“No, it’s just…”
“What?”
Whatever she found so amusing,
Yeon Haneul did not say anything and merely giggled.
* * *
As it happened, the admissions office was located on the way downtown.
We headed to the admissions office first.
“Ugh… I don’t want to go…”
In front of the administration building, at the admissions office.
Yeon Haneul could not readily bring herself to move and let out a groan.
In her expression, her tone, her posture, and her atmosphere, she was making it abundantly clear that she did not want to go in.
For her, awkward in front of people and hating being the center of attention, it was only natural that she would dislike this.
To be honest, I felt much the same.
‘How did things end up like this, seriously….’
Neither I nor Yeon Haneul had intended this.
We had merely done our best on the entrance exam to get high scores.
But perhaps our scores had been too high, because we ended up taking first and second place in admissions side by side.
It even went so far that we earned titles.
Yeon Haneul received the title of Top Entrant, and I received the title of Second-Ranked Entrant.
[Second-Ranked Entrant]
◆ Title Origin
―A designation referring to the student who enters Geumgang Academy in second place.
◆ Effects
―While enrolled as a first-year, receives a certain amount of attention from students, instructors, and other academy personnel.
―While enrolled as a first-year, learning efficiency in class increases slightly.
As you can see, it was a title that only had an effect during one’s first year, and seemed to focus more on honor than on practical benefits.
I doubted there would be much use for it.
At any rate, as a result of becoming the top and second-ranked entrants—
We were made to take charge of the freshman oath at the entrance ceremony as representatives of the new students, and after being contacted to come in for an explanation beforehand, we had come to the Admissions Office.
‘In the game, Min Arin was the top entrant….’
And the flow of the game was that Kang Hanbyeol would attend the entrance ceremony and become aware of Do Sieun, who stood on the podium as student council president, and Min Arin, who gave the freshman oath.
I had no intention of following the story, but with the flow changing from the entrance ceremony onward, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Where exactly had things gone wrong?
‘Did Haneul’s and Min Arin’s systems overlap, and Min Arin got pushed out by Haneul?’
Even if Yeon Haneul’s skills were excellent, Min Arin was not someone who would be pushed aside so easily.
As far as I knew, she had also achieved fairly high marks on the practical exam.
The qualitative evaluation reflected in the practical exam should have been higher for her.
Because Yeon Haneul had been acting with me, she probably hadn’t had many chances to show off her abilities.
And yet for her to lose the top spot—I couldn’t figure it out no matter how much I thought about it.
‘What can I do about spilled water?’
In any case, the top entrant changing would not have a major effect on the story.
It was not as if the world would end.
It had nothing to do with a bad ending.
I decided to think positively and move on.
“Let’s not stand around like this. Let’s hurry and go.”
“Okay….”
I soothed Yeon Haneul, who looked ready to cry, and entered the Admissions Office.
We found the department in charge of the entrance ceremony and heard an explanation about the freshman oath.
“Please be waiting behind the stage thirty minutes early. This is what the students will recite during the entrance ceremony. You might get nervous, so we’re giving it to you so you can practice. As for the oath… shall we try it once here first?”
Fortunately, since we would be reading from the oath, it didn’t seem like it would be difficult.
As the staff member instructed, Yeon Haneul and I recited the contents written on the oath.
“I swear. I stake my name and soul…”
“Student Yeon Haneul, your voice is trembling. Please be careful at the entrance ceremony.”
“Yes….”
There wasn’t much of a problem with me, but the problem was Yeon Haneul.
After being cautioned by the staff member, Yeon Haneul looked utterly lacking in confidence.
After that, we practiced a few times and left.
“Ugh…. If I could turn back time, I’d want to go back to the practical exam.”
“Don’t worry too much. If it’s you, Haneul, you’ll do just fine.”
“…Do you really think so?”
Yeon Haneul let out a deep sigh.
Her rabbit ears drooped downward as well.
I encouraged her.
“And you’ve got me, don’t you?”
“…”
“It’s not like you’ll be making the oath by yourself. I’ll be doing it beside you too, so what’s there for you to be nervous about? If you make a mistake, I’ll take care of it, so don’t be scared.”
“…You’re messing up my hair.”
With a light pat.
I placed my hand on Yeon Haneul’s head and gently patted her.
Though she pouted, she didn’t bother trying to push my hand away.
Soon, she seemed to cheer up.
“Then I’m really going to trust only you, okay? If I make a mistake, you’ll fix it, right?”
“That doesn’t mean you should mess up on purpose.”
“Hmph, I wasn’t planning to, you know.”
Yeon Haneul gave a faint laugh.
I took my hand off her head and left the Admissions Office.
Before long, Go Eunbi, who had been waiting outside, called out to us.
“Guys, hurry up and come on! They said if we go now, we can get on the bus right away! We have to go grocery shopping!”
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss