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Today is the entrance ceremony day at Hero Academy.

Dad will probably finish his speech and leave within 30 seconds anyway.

After a brief introduction of the faculty, it’ll likely be time for the seniors to set the tone.

Once that’s done, it’ll be around 11 o’clock.

Since the ability assessment starting at 11 is something I can’t miss, arriving by 10:55 should be fine.

I planned the perfect schedule and glanced at my watch…

It’s 10:54.

“Hmm… Dad always said that when you think you’re late, you’re actually the earliest.”

And then…

On my way to the auditorium, I ran into Dad and got scolded hard.

“Kim Shin! What were you doing to show up only now?!”

“…Didn’t I arrive just on time?”

“The entrance ceremony started at 9, and it’s now 11:01. Explain to me how that’s ‘on time.’”

“…I’m sorry. Since I’m late, I should hurry in.”

“…We’ll talk after this.”

Normally, I’d joke around, but…

Dad’s eyebrow is raised on one side.

A clear sign he’s really mad.

If I mess around now, things will get worse.

I quickly bowed my head and dashed into the auditorium.

“Numbers 120011 to 120020, please come forward.”

Let’s see… my number is 120011.

Perfect timing, as expected.

Dad’s words are never wrong.

I thought I was late, but I took my time.

Thanks to that, I arrived at the perfect moment.

“Kim Shin, A-Class, Super Ability Category, ability is this.”

Some abilities like mine are obvious even if you don’t hide them.

I don’t get why people bother hiding them.

If a Magic Category user uses fire, I can’t tell if it’s elemental, spirit, or alchemy-based, but if a Super Ability user uses fire, it’s just a fire-starting ability.

After the ability assessment…

I got a school uniform that fit, changed, and headed to the cafeteria.

I got my food and sat down.

“Kim Shin! You’re late! Can I sit here?”

“Sure.”

“Did you finish your ability assessment? I was hoping to open a few more circuits and get bumped up to B-Class, but I’m still C-Class.”

“Yeah.”

Some guys recognized me and acted like they knew me, but I have no idea who they are.

‘So noisy…’

I gave vague answers and was about to start eating when…

“More, please.”

“Come back after you finish, you’ve already taken 10.”

“It’s annoying to come back… I can finish all of this.”

“Where do you think that tiny body of yours is going to fit all that? Come back later if you finish.”

“I’m serious… Hayan, you go get 10 too.”

“Huh? One is enough for me.”

“Stop talking and get 10.”

“Okay.”

I saw two female students stacking a tower of pork cutlets.

“Let’s sit there.”

“Okay! But there’s so much pork cutlet, it might fall.”

“Just use magic to hold it.”

“…You want me to use magic for pork cutlet?”

“What do you mean ‘just pork cutlet’! Hayan! How did you fall so low!”

“What are you talking about! Pig!”

They sat right across from me.

Thanks to the zigzag arrangement of the tables, they were directly in front of me.

‘…What? Why are they so pretty?’

Other students’ uniforms make their faces stand out, but these two make the uniforms stand out.

They could be the school’s uniform models.

Maybe I should suggest it to Dad.

If I approach them naturally while offering the modeling gig…

“Psst… it’s them, don’t make eye contact.”

“Do you know who they are?”

“Shin, you don’t know them?”

What kind of dumb question is that?

If I knew, why would I ask?

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.”

“The one on the left is Jeong Gyeoul, and the one on the right is Lee Ha-yoon.”

“…That monster duo?”

I’ve heard of them.

The youngest Awakened One and an S-Class Awakened One.

I heard they applied for admission together, so I guess it’s true.

I was staring at them without thinking…

‘Oh no!’

My face turned bright red.

My ears probably turned red too.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“…Nothing.”

“…?”

Jeong Gyeoul suddenly sat cross-legged in her chair.

‘Why is a girl in a skirt sitting like that?!’

Her underwear… is showing.

I couldn’t find a place to look.

I was about to get up, take off my school blazer, and cover her knees, but…

Someone beat me to it.

“…What is it?”

“Kim Heum-soon.”

“…Not your name. The reason.”

“You’re wearing a skirt.”

“So?”

She’s still sitting cross-legged, staring at the guy who just showed up.

Meanwhile, her hands haven’t stopped moving.

She’s eating without even looking.

But… why is she still sitting cross-legged?

Even if it’s a habit, shouldn’t she have uncrossed her legs when the skirt was mentioned?

The girl next to her, Lee Ha-yoon, finally noticed and looked at Jeong Gyeoul’s legs.

“Gyeoul! Close your legs!”

“…Ah!”

Ah? She doesn’t seem that embarrassed.

Isn’t she only 14…?

Kim Heum-soon seemed like he was just going to quietly cover her with his blazer and leave.

But because Jeong Gyeoul took so long to notice, other students started staring too.

At such a sensitive age, having her underwear exposed in front of so many students…

“Thank you, was my underwear showing?”

“…Yeah.”

She just smiled brightly.

She seems a bit off, or maybe just incredibly cool.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“…I wasn’t trying to tell you, just being considerate. You’re the one who announced it.”

“Whatever it is, I’m still grateful.”

“…Alright, enjoy your meal.”

“Yes!”

Why is she so cheerful?

The faces of the guys nearby were all red.

But Jeong Gyeoul didn’t seem to care at all.

“Look at her… she’s crazy. Wearing a skirt and sitting like that…”

“It’s her first time, cut her some slack.”

“…Right, the sisters were desperate to get her into a skirt. Be careful from now on.”

“Got it, let’s just eat.”

Again.

She’s laughing so brightly.

Is she doing this on purpose?

She’s a real fox.

‘Dad said to be careful of foxes and queen bees. They can ruin your entire career.’

But I’m already enchanted, my heart is racing.

I’m sorry, Dad.

I guess I was wrong.

“But that guy seems like a really good person.”

“Who? The one who took off his blazer?”

“Yeah, he didn’t steal my food or bother me while I was eating. He even wished me a good meal.”

“…That’s what normal people do.”

“…Not in my experience.”

What kind of life has she lived?

Having her food stolen, being bullied while eating.

Never having worn a skirt before.

Come to think of it, I once saw an interview with Park Seol-hwa, the alchemist hero.

She mentioned that the Demon King might be abusing her younger sister.

It was taken down shortly after, but I definitely heard it.

Could that have been true…?

‘To still be so bright despite that.’

She’s beautiful.

Not just as a woman, but as a human being.

The academy I got into because of Dad.

I was just planning to coast through and graduate, but…

I think academy life is going to be fun.

‘Thank you, Dad.’

But… why is she walking towards me?

Could it be… she feels the same way?

***

As soon as I entered the cafeteria, I caught everyone’s attention.

Carrying 10 pork cutlets each.

I thought it was natural since I was with someone as pretty as Hayan.

But people staring at me while I ate was a bit unexpected.

Then…

A guy with the funny name Kim Heum-soon came over and put his blazer on my lap.

I thought he was hitting on me and almost threw up my food.

Turns out, my underwear was showing, and he was trying to cover it.

Other guys would’ve just kept staring without saying anything.

Sure enough, most of the stares disappeared.

They weren’t admiring Hayan’s beauty, they were checking out my underwear. Perverts.

Heum-soon seems like a really nice student.

Polite and quiet.

He’s got a handsome face too.

He even wished me a good meal before leaving.

I was planning to stick with Hayan, but now I’ve got a potential subordinate.

In my experience, guys like him go far.

I’ll keep an eye on him and maybe set him up with Hayan…

By the way, even though my blazer covered me, someone keeps staring.

Are they waiting for me to make another mistake?

Or maybe… it’s not just about the underwear.

Perverts!

The combination of a school uniform skirt and stockings.

A combination that would drive any pervert crazy.

And that guy seems to be one of them.

While everyone else is eating, he’s been staring at me since earlier.

I’ve made up my mind.

Guys like that shouldn’t become heroes.

Who knows what they’d do after saving civilians?

I put down my spoon.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

For Hayan’s sake, we can’t have perverts like that here.

Not just for me, but thinking about Hayan being stared at with those lecherous eyes makes my blood boil.

“I’ve got something to take care of.”

“Huh! Gyeoul, you’re skipping a meal to take care of something? Did a monster appear? Or a villain? It’s a villain, isn’t it! A villain disguised as a student!”

At Hayan’s surprised words, the cafeteria suddenly became noisy.

Everyone turned their ears this way.

“…It’s a villain!”

“There’s a spy from the villain side in the academy!”

“I thought security here was perfect!”

“Damn it! Someone call for help!”

…?

Guys.

Wait.

Where are you going?

As the students started moving, the pervert voyeur quietly got up.

I can’t let that bastard escape!

I approached the male student who had been staring at me.

“Hayan! Close the distance! That guy over there, Kim Shin!”

“Okay!”

The Hayan-Gyeoul duo’s first real battle.

 

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