Class Assignments
[This concludes the entrance ceremony. New students, please proceed to your assigned classes for today. There will be a class orientation at 11:30 a.m. Once again, this concludes the entrance ceremony….]
The entrance ceremony came to an end.
The students were making their way out of the central hall to head to their assigned classes.
Yeon Haneul and I, who had been watching the ceremony from below the stage, also decided to move.
Just then, I saw several people coming toward us against the flow of the departing crowd.
“Haneul! Gyeonwoo! You did great on the freshman oath without getting nervous! You looked awesome! I even took pictures!”
“Indeed. There were so many people that I think I would have been nervous too, but you did well without showing it. It was impressive.”
“You two worked hard! I could feel your spirit even from far away!?”
“Hey! Hey! Hey! When we told the people around us that we were your friends, the way they looked at us changed, didn’t it?”
“They were secretly jealous of us, you know? Looks like we’re going to benefit from knowing you.”
“But don’t feel pressured! If anyone bothers you, we’ll take care of them ourselves!”
Go Eunbi, Lisa, Yong Haerang, and the triplets.
They approached us and chattered away, sharing their impressions.
In Eunbi’s case, she even suddenly threw her arms around Yeon Haneul from the front.
“Eee! Haneul, you were so cool! I’ll show you the pictures later! Do you know how pretty you looked when you said ‘I swear’ with that serious expression? I think it would make a great profile picture! How about changing it from that rabbit plushie you bought last time to one that shows your face!? Huh!?”
“E-Eunbi…! Let go for a second and then talk! Where are you touching— Eek! Why are you touching there!?”
“Ah, I’m so happy I was born a woman.”
“G-Gyeonwoo! Help me! E-Eunbi is…!”
“…At least she isn’t touching your ears or tail. She may look like that, but she knows where to draw the line.”
“Th-That’s not the point…! Why are you putting your hand inside my clothes!?”
Go Eunbi, who was slightly shorter than Yeon Haneul, took shameless advantage of the fact that they were the same sex and freely ran her hands over Haneul’s body.
With her rabbit ears standing straight up, Yeon Haneul was startled out of her wits by the unwanted touching and sent me a plea for help. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do.
Eunbi didn’t seem to have any malicious intent. It appeared to be her own way of showing affection.
It was difficult to simply pull her away.
And….
“Mmm….”
‘She looks like she’s secretly enjoying it despite putting on that act.’
As her childhood friend of five years, I could tell that Yeon Haneul didn’t exactly hate it.
If she had truly wanted to, shaking Eunbi off would have been easy.
The fact that she was allowing it to happen meant that she had tacitly permitted it.
As someone who had majored in Yeon Haneul’s behavioral psychology for five years, my guess was that she was merely unfamiliar with experiencing something like this and was too embarrassed, so she was trying to drag me into it.
“You two… look really close….”
Meanwhile, Lisa muttered as she looked at Yeon Haneul and Go Eunbi.
As someone of imperial princess status, she seemed envious of the two of them casually fooling around with each other.
“Go ask Eunbi to do that to you too. With Eunbi’s personality, she’ll probably agree if you ask nicely.”
“Hmm…. No. Even so, I think that would be too stimulating for me.”
“Then go over there and join in tormenting Haneul.”
“…!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Gyeonwoo, are you perhaps a genius?”
“….”
“That’s right. I could do that.”
Lisa spoke excitedly, as if she had just thought of something brilliant.
With a mischievous smile on her face, she approached the two of them.
“Like this? Is this okay?”
“L-Lisa, you too…!”
“Touch a little lower than that! Haneul seems to like it there.”
“I-I’ve never said I liked it…!”
“Ah, is it here? I think you’re right.”
A look of betrayal spread across Yeon Haneul’s face.
But Go Eunbi and Lisa paid her no heed as they continued tormenting her.
“G-Gyeonwoo….”
“….”
Yeon Haneul called my name plaintively, as if I were her last hope.
Was she asking me to come over and torment her too?
Unfortunately, Go Eunbi and Lisa had already occupied both spots, so there was nowhere for me to join in.
I pretended not to hear her.
‘Haneul, I’m sorry. I don’t think there’s any other way if we want to reach the game’s ending.’
Wouldn’t it be a good thing if sacrificing one Yeon Haneul brought Go Eunbi and Lisa closer together?
I was grateful for her sacrifice.
At the same time, to ensure I never became someone who looked away from the things I had done, I kept her in my sight.
‘So she likes it when you touch there….’
So that I would never forget Yeon Haneul’s sacrifice.
I engraved it in my mind.
* * *
After Go Eunbi and Lisa’s mischievous handplay finally came to an end.
Yeon Haneul, who had barely finished straightening out her disheveled clothes, glared at me accusingly.
“Why… didn’t you help me?”
“….”
“I… asked you to help me….”
“Are you all right?”
“Do I look all right?”
“….”
It was clearly Go Eunbi and Lisa, not me, who had teased her.
Even so, Yeon Haneul vented her frustration on me for choosing to stand by and watch.
I felt a little wronged, but in order to cheer her up, I simply let her vent.
“I’ll… remember this. Just you wait. Next time you ask me for help, I won’t help you either.”
“Want some strawberry milk?”
“….”
“There seemed to be a vending machine outside. Should I go buy you some?”
“You think I’ll forgive you just because I drink that— Where are you going!? Come back!”
I had already memorized where the vending machine was.
Before Yeon Haneul could stop me, I hurried outside.
Then I bought some strawberry milk and returned.
“Here, Haneul. I brought a straw too.”
“I said I don’t need it….”
Despite saying that.
When I put the straw in and offered it to her, Yeon Haneul reluctantly accepted the strawberry milk.
Her rabbit ears perked up.
With the straw between her lips, she put on a stern expression.
“I’m only forgiving you this once. Got it?”
“Sure. Thanks for forgiving me.”
With my swift response and some delicious strawberry milk, I managed to soothe Yeon Haneul’s anger.
Soon, I looked around at the others and spoke.
“They said there’s a class orientation. Let’s head to our classes now.”
The central hall had become quiet before we knew it.
We couldn’t spend any more time there, so we decided to go find our classes as well.
Each class was located in the Academic Affairs Building.
After leaving the central hall, we found the nearby building.
It was time for us to part ways.
“Teacher Go Eunbi.”
“Yes! Father of Do Gyeonwoo!”
“I’ll be leaving Haneul’s commute to school in your care from now on.”
“Don’t worry, Father! I’ll take good care of Haneul by her side!”
As we headed toward our respective classes.
I jokingly made that request to Go Eunbi, who was walking arm in arm with Yeon Haneul.
She played along with my joke.
With a crisp salute like a soldier, she made me a bold promise.
“Am I a kindergartener or something…?”
“Then, Gyeonwoo! See you this evening! Haneul, let’s get inside too!”
“Eunbi, wait…! See you later!”
“Yeah, see you later.”
Standing between us, Yeon Haneul couldn’t hide her displeased expression.
She was led into her classroom by Go Eunbi.
I waited until I saw her take her seat before finally turning away.
I headed toward Class 17 of the first year.
‘Is this it?’
After checking the sign posted beside the lecture room.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
“….”
The lecture room was filled with long desks arranged in rows.
The students had taken seats wherever they pleased.
It seemed that not many of them knew one another, since most were sitting apart.
“Isn’t that Do Gyeonwoo? The second-ranked freshman.”
“Wow, he’s in our class too. That’s great. We’ll have an advantage during the class competition.”
“That cub from the Divine Sword Do clan….”
“If things go well, we might be able to become friends with him.”
“I should try talking to him sometime.”
There was no way the students could have failed to recognize me, who had just sworn the oath as the freshman representative.
As I entered the lecture room, I could hear them whispering among themselves.
The gazes that turned to check on me seemed to hold a measure of goodwill.
Unlike during the entrance practical examination, we were no longer competitors but classmates who would spend the next year together, so it made sense.
I didn’t avoid their gazes either, wanting to familiarize myself with their faces.
‘Still, where should I sit…?’
I couldn’t keep standing there.
I looked around for a suitable seat.
There were plenty of empty ones.
I decided to find one I liked and sit down.
That was when my gaze came to a stop.
‘That girl….’
In the very front row of the lecture room.
A female student with striking red hair was sitting alone at the long desk.
Though all I could see was the back of her head, I had a good idea who she was.
I had seen her during the examination, so she was familiar to me.
‘Min Arin is in the same class as me too.’
There was no doubt she was Min Arin of the Magic Min clan.
This was perfect.
It was an unexpected stroke of luck.
I hadn’t intended to sit in the very front row, but I decided to change my mind.
I walked toward her.
“Is it all right if I sit here?”
“Sorry, but there are plenty of other seats, so— Hm?”
As if telling me not to bother her.
Min Arin was resting her chin on her hand, wearing an irritated expression.
When I spoke to her, she tried to respond while staring straight ahead, her annoyance plain on her face.
Then she saw my face and stopped short.
“You’re….”
“When we saw each other during the exam last time, we didn’t properly exchange greetings, did we? Thanks for helping me back then. If you hadn’t helped me, I would’ve had a pretty hard time.”
“The Divine Sword Do….”
“That’s right. I’m Do Gyeonwoo of the Divine Sword Do clan. You knew who I was.”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t know someone from the Divine Sword Do clan. You also entered the academy as the second-ranked freshman this time. Wouldn’t it be strange if I didn’t know you? I’m Min Arin. It looks like we’re in the same class, so I look forward to spending the year with you.”
Min Arin let out a small sigh.
Even as she exchanged greetings with me, she didn’t seem particularly pleased.
‘Well, I suppose that’s understandable.’
At this point in the game, she considered herself superior to everyone else.
She believed that all other people were inferior to her.
That belief applied without exception even to people from other prestigious clans, though she did distinguish between degrees of inferiority.
So, from her perspective, it was irritating that someone inferior to her had spoken first.
That was the kind of character Min Arin was.
A character with an intense superiority complex.
Her disposition didn’t change even after she joined Kang Hanbyeol’s party.
A personality that had been shaped since birth was unlikely to change easily.
「Min Arin」
—W-Who said I was worried about someone like you?! If you’re weaker than me, you’ll only get in the way, so just stay quiet and let me protect you!
She displayed her superiority complex in that sort of way.
Since I knew her personality, I took it calmly.
Meanwhile, she voiced her displeasure.
“But there are plenty of other seats. Do you really have to sit here of all places?”
“Why? Can’t I sit here?”
“I want to study quietly, so could you sit somewhere else if possible? I’m only asking because you’re from the Divine Sword Do clan. I simply drove the other students away, you know?”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m going to study too.”
“….”
“It’s in the very front, so I’ll be able to see the screen well, and the lectern is right in front of us. It’s a perfect spot. It should be a good place to study.”
…After saying that, I realized I wanted to move to another seat myself.
But I couldn’t do that now.
I did my best not to show it.
Then I provoked Min Arin.
“I have no intention of moving, so if anyone’s going to move, it’ll have to be you.”
“What? I sat here first, so why should I…?”
“It’s not like this seat belongs to anyone. It was empty from the beginning, wasn’t it? In a situation like this, the person who’s uncomfortable should move. I don’t mind sharing the seat with you, but aren’t you the one who wants to use it alone?”
“Grrk….”
I had every right to sit in an empty seat, and Min Arin had no grounds to object.
She couldn’t come up with a proper reply.
Nor was she the type to move to another seat.
‘At this point in time, Min Arin is especially packed with pride. If she moved seats here, she’d think it meant losing to me.’
Indeed, Min Arin merely furrowed her brow and made no move to get up.
If anything, perhaps because she was conscious of what I had said, she even gripped the chair tightly.
She tossed out a remark.
“Hmph. Do as you please. But be quiet. Don’t disturb my studying. Got it?”
“Yes, you of all people should stop getting in the way.”
“Look who’s talking….”
In the end, Min Arin couldn’t bring herself to send me away, but she couldn’t leave either, so she allowed me to sit with her.
Satisfied with being able to sit beside her, I stopped bothering her.
If I provoked her any further, she might develop a grudge against me.
Since we would be spending the year in the same class, there was no need to rush things. We could gradually grow closer.
Not long after that.
‘It should be starting soon….’
It was time for the class orientation.
I waited for the homeroom teacher and assistant homeroom teacher who would be spending the coming year with us.
I hoped to meet good people, even if they weren’t instructors who appeared in the game.
Before long, the front door of the lecture hall opened.
Click, click.
Two women entered.
I checked their faces, then blinked blankly when I saw, above all, the woman leading them.
“…”
She strode toward the lectern, swept her gaze across the room, and opened her mouth.
When she saw me, the corners of her lips twitched.
She seemed happy to see me.
“Hello. My name is Hong Yena, and I’ll be in charge of you all for the coming year.”
Hong Yena, the Seven-Colored Witch.
Fortunately, she was my homeroom teacher.
* * *
Before the class assignments were announced.
Hong Yena was summoned by So Hyeyul.
“Hello, Chairwoman.”
“Come in, Instructor Hong Yena. You must have been busy with work, so I’m sorry for calling you here so suddenly.”
“Not at all…. I’m fine.”
“Come over and sit down.”
“Yes….”
“How have you been? What does it feel like to return to your alma mater as an instructor after graduating? Have you gotten used to life at Geumgang Academy?”
After offering Hong Yena a seat, So Hyeyul asked about her recent life in a friendly tone.
Hong Yena answered each question dutifully, but she couldn’t shake off her suspicion.
‘Why on earth did she call me?’
It had been a sudden summons.
So Hyeyul wouldn’t have called her merely to ask how she was doing.
There had to be another reason.
Hong Yena covered her lips with her teacup as she tried to figure out what So Hyeyul was really after.
Meanwhile, the conversation began drifting in a strange direction at So Hyeyul’s prompting.
By the time she realized it, it was already too late.
“You must be very happy that Instructor Hong Yena’s student was admitted as the top-ranked student. Where did you meet such a child? Personally, Yeon Haneul is one of the students I’m looking forward to this year.”
“Ah…. I’m sure Haneul will be happy to hear that you’re looking forward to her, Chairwoman. I’ll tell Haneul next time I see her….”
“And Do Gyeonu as well.”
“…”
“I’m personally looking forward to him. In fact, he might be the student I’m most looking forward to among this year’s incoming class. Even more than the Battle Demon’s disciple.”
“…I see. Do Gyeonu’s abilities are certainly extraordinary. It’s only natural that you would be looking forward to him….”
“But it seems you and Instructor Hong Yena have some sort of connection, don’t you? I heard you taught Do Gyeonu magic a few years ago?”
“…I only tutored him briefly at the request of the Divine Sword Do Clan. I mainly taught him basic elemental magic, so it would be difficult to say that I taught him….”
“Judging by the fact that Do Gyeonu asked Instructor Hong Yena to appraise the Doll Ghost Woman’s soul stone, it seems the two of you are quite close. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
As if she had already investigated everything and knew there was no point in denying it, So Hyeyul silently smiled at Hong Yena.
Hong Yena had no choice but to awkwardly smile back.
All the while, she was cursing Do Gyeonu inwardly.
‘Why is he doing this to me?’
She didn’t know why So Hyeyul had suddenly brought up Do Gyeonu’s name, but judging from the direction of the conversation, it seemed she had called Hong Yena over because of something related to him.
Hong Yena had a bad feeling about this.
Years of experience had taught her that nothing good ever came from getting involved with him.
Sure enough, her premonition proved correct.
“So, after much deliberation, I decided to assign Instructor Hong Yena as Do Gyeonu’s homeroom teacher.”
“Pardon?”
“I said I’ve decided to put Do Gyeonu in your care, Instructor Hong Yena.”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no use pretending you didn’t hear me.”
“…”
Hong Yena thought she must have heard wrong.
She desperately hoped she had.
But So Hyeyul paid no heed and simply informed her of the decision.
“From my perspective, it was the best possible choice.”
“Why…?”
“Because of the Doll Ghost Woman.”
“…”
“Although I’m controlling the information, the Doll Ghost Woman will eventually learn about Do Gyeonu. So I judged that it would be best to place a reliable instructor near him to protect him.”
“If you need an instructor who specializes in dealing with demonkin, I believe there are many people more qualified than me….”
“But isn’t Instructor Hong Yena the only person Do Gyeonu trusts?”
“…”
Hong Yena couldn’t bring herself to argue.
She simply hated Do Gyeonu even more.
She had no idea why he kept making her suffer.
“More importantly, in my experience as an educator, students like Do Gyeonu tend to attract all kinds of incidents and accidents. Whether they want to or not.”
“…”
So you’re entrusting that walking disaster to me?
Hong Yena couldn’t say it aloud and could only click her tongue.
Perhaps reading her feelings, So Hyeyul answered with a bitter smile.
“It can’t be helped. The more troublesome a child is, the more they need a reliable teacher to watch over and support them from close by. That’s our role, isn’t it? Do Gyeonu needs someone like Instructor Hong Yena, someone who trusts him enough to let him pursue whatever he wishes.”
“Yes….”
“Then I’ll be counting on you for the coming year.”
And so.
Hong Yena ended up taking on the homeroom teacher position of Do Gyeonu—a role that had never been part of her plans.
“You damned brat….”
I Became the Mid-Boss’s Childhood Friend