“Good morning, Yeon-woo.”
“Oh, good morning, Seongryong. What, Namgung Seong didn't come with you?”
Yeon-woo turned his head and greeted the familiar deep voice. The two beastmen usually went around as a set, but today, for some reason, Seongryong was alone. It was exactly 9:00 AM. Not a minute before or after, showing a dedication that went beyond diligence and bordered on obsession.
He was probably the type who liked things to be perfectly on time….
He also tried to greet Baek In-hwa, who came in behind him, but she only nodded. Maybe she had low blood pressure.
“I'll open the window, just in case he comes before the professor.”
“Window? Why the window….”
Seongryong didn't answer, but if he said that, there must be a reason, so Yeon-woo opened the window. But more than that, he was shocked that Yoo Ha-yeon hadn't entered the classroom yet. The homeroom teacher of Class 5, was this really okay?
“……Duck───!!”
As he was trying to calm his worried heart, a voice that couldn't keep up with its speed hit his ears like a drag.
Unconsciously, Yeon-woo ducked his head, and something brushed past the back of his head, followed by shattered glass raining down on him.
Yoo Ha-yeon entered through the front door with a long yawn, and next to her, Namgung Seong was embedded headfirst into the wall like a cannonball. The combination of the two amidst the chaos was truly a spectacle beyond words.
The classroom was silent in the aftermath. Fortunately, there was no one in the trajectory except for Yeon-woo, who had narrowly avoided being hit, so the students were staring at the collapsed Namgung Seong with bewildered expressions. Namgung Seong, raising his head in the silence, looked around for a moment before clenching his fist.
“……Arrived on time!!”
“Bullshit. You clean that up. Got it?”
Whack! Yoo Ha-yeon, with a face like she had just bitten into poop, smacked Namgung Seong's head with the plastic board she was holding.
* * *
“Today, we'll have a rough test until twelve o'clock, and after lunch, you'll register for classes. Anyone with questions, raise your hand.”
Yoo Ha-yeon, with an expression that clearly said she would scold anyone who raised their hand, looked around the classroom. Namgung Seong was cleaning up the area near where Yeon-woo had been sitting. Yeon-woo raised his hand without hesitation. It was obvious she wouldn't like it, but honestly, he didn't care.
“……What.”
“I haven't heard about this, what kind of test is it?”
“……You don't know? Well, you might not. Every year, it's only been kids who already knew, but this year is a bit different. There's a minimum ranking based on entrance exam scores, but it's a sparring session to check again before class registration. You don't need to be too nervous. The results of the sparring won't affect your class registration or get you kicked out of class.”
“Ah, I see.”
It seemed like Yeon-woo was the only one who didn't know. The kids were staring at him like he was some kind of alien. Shar, what should I do? Dad's embarrassed.
[Your current attitude is what embarrasses me.]
‘That's too much.’
A cool and manly guy like Choi Yeon-woo ten years in the future might not need it, but the delicate fifteen-year-old boy Choi Yeon-woo needed this kind of sensitivity.
“Alright, everyone get up. Let's go to the third training ground.”
The students followed Yoo Ha-yeon, who was massaging her own shoulders with the plastic board, out of the classroom.
As he was trailing at the back of the group, Baek In-hwa, who seemed to be staggering slightly, was falling behind. The students were glancing at her with worried eyes, but they seemed hesitant to approach her.
Well, of course, no one could have gotten close to Baek In-hwa in that short time. Yeon-woo poked Baek In-hwa in the back.
“Hey, hey, wake up. Did you not get enough sleep?”
“Sleepy….”
Can't be helped. He lightly grabbed Baek In-hwa's wrist and placed it on his shoulder. Even so, carrying her on his back or something would be a bit much, wouldn't it? He intended to have her follow him like a train. This was the fifteen-year-old Choi Yeon-woo's delicate consideration.
“Don't let go and follow me.”
“Thanks…. Cool.”
It sounded like she was falling completely asleep? He looked back, but although she was staggering a bit, her steps themselves were fine. Was this the skill of a martial artist who had reached a certain level? Seeing her use it for something so utterly useless made him think she might as well give it to him instead.
He sighed and looked ahead so as not to fall behind the group, and a handsome young man with dark red hair caught his eye.
When their eyes met, the young man clicked his tongue and turned his gaze forward.
‘……Who was that.’
[Darius Blackraven. He's from the Alkeion continent. He has a nasty personality, but his skills are undeniable, so he's formed a group around him. Please try to remember the names of your classmates.]
‘…Ah, right. There was a guy like that. A promising talent who joined the ‘Ares’ clan after graduation, that's right. But why is he clicking his tongue at me, how rude.’
[I heard he likes Baek In-hwa.]
‘What does him having a crush on Baek In-hwa have to do with him glaring at me.’
[Well, you seem closer to her than Jegal Seongryong or Namgung Seong, right?]
……Ah, damn. He felt like he had gotten caught up in something troublesome.
Even though it was the forefront of Hunters and all that, in the end, it was a gathering of boys and girls in their prime.
It was impossible to tell these kids, who were at the age of struggling with sexual desire and love, to suppress their urges for the next three years, so no one cared who dated whom. Such relationships were also part of the academy's education.
The problem was that those guys with moderate skills tended to have high standards and become blinded by love. In other words, they were desperate to show off and couldn't stand seeing someone approach the object of their affection.
‘Honestly, it's none of my business who likes who….’
That guy, in his past life, there were rumors of school violence during his school days. Yeon-woo didn't care because he was from the academy, but he thought he could roughly guess what kind of situation had led to such an incident.
