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“Stop messing around, Gyeoul. This is a proper incident for our first patrol, so let’s take it seriously.”

“Got it.”

Hayan saying that much… I must have been messing around a bit too much.

Back to the incident.

Mr. A was eating dinner at the time of the incident and came out after resting in his room. The student sharing the room was away at the time, making it hard to verify… But that’s something we can just ask the dorm supervisor about. We can also check the CCTV using our Student Council privileges.

First off, this guy seems innocent.

Mr. B said he ate a salad in the club room instead of the cafeteria, then headed to the gym and has been working out until now. His story seems legit since his gym clothes are soaked with sweat.

There’s no CCTV in the gym, so we can’t verify it. But there were probably gym rats there at the time, so we can ask them.

Lastly, Mr. C. He’s a bit suspicious.

Mr. C, who’s from a different class, claims he doesn’t even know what the broken assignment was about. But according to Mr. D, they all talked about the assignment together at a café.

Which means… he’s pretending not to know.

And Mr. C, who was working on the assignment in the classroom, was alone. The assignment was so heavy that he had to stay back to finish it, but where did everyone else go?

“By the way… what exactly is this assignment Mr. D mentioned?”

It seems like they had to make something using materials like leaves, branches, and mud that you can find in the woods…

“Huh? Why don’t you know?”

“Why wouldn’t I know? I don’t know because I don’t know!”

Mr. D looked at me like it was abnormal not to know.

How would I know about another class’s assignment?

“You’re in the same class as me.”

“…What?”

“We’re in the same class.”

“…Class 12D?”

“Yeah, I thought you were helping because we’re in the same class.”

A shocking revelation from Mr. D.

Hayan, me, and even Hong Yeom senior were all speechless, unable to hide our shock.

Mr. C is from Class 12A.

The rest are from Class 12D, like me and Hayan.

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine, we’ve never really talked anyway. You guys aren’t interested in class stuff. You disappear to the Monster Club or somewhere right after class every day.”

…

Honestly, I can’t tell if he’s joking or serious.

“…But what’s the assignment? I don’t remember getting one.”

“Didn’t the class rep tell you? You were asleep when it was assigned, so the rep said they’d tell you later.”

“…We have a class rep? Hayan, do you know who the class rep is?”

“…I don’t really know either.”

“How do you not know the class rep? Well, it makes sense. You two sleep during theory classes, go to the snack shop during breaks, and disappear right after class.”

“…How can you not know that?”

“Exactly, you two managed to pull that off. Anyway, it’s an assignment for Introduction to Monster Studies. It was assigned before the class switched to practicals. It’s due tomorrow.”

Oh my god.

I didn’t even know what the assignment due tomorrow was.

Whoever the class rep is, they definitely tried to screw us over.

Hong Yeom senior looked at us with disbelief.

“I heard you guys were loners at the academy, but it seems like you’ve been avoiding the whole class… I get Gyeoul, but Hayan, you didn’t know either?”

“No… I had no idea.”

“Why are you singling me out?”

“Anyway, let’s solve this case first, then you guys can go do your assignment. The patrol’s almost over anyway.”

“Yes, senior.”

My words are completely ignored.

It seems like Hong Yeom senior has naturally taken over as the lead in solving the case.

First, we headed to the girls’ dorm to verify Mr. A’s alibi.

“…This is a new sight.”

After greeting the dorm supervisor, we asked about Mr. A’s whereabouts.

She said he was in the dorm until just before and left recently, and she could show us the CCTV if needed, but since the supervisor is trustworthy, we didn’t bother checking.

“Thank you!”

“Sure, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m glad I could help.”

With Mr. A’s alibi confirmed, it was Mr. B’s turn.

We headed straight to the gym.

It’s clearly labeled “Gym” above the door, so why does he call it the “training room”?

Is he that famous military-enrolled high school girl?

Anyway, a gym rat who lifts 700 pounds confirmed Mr. B’s story.

They were working out together until recently, and Mr. B left without showering because he was running late for an appointment.

“He was supposed to spot me next, but he ran off saying he had an appointment! You know how much of a difference having a spotter makes, right? But that selfish jerk… he got his turn and then just bolted. He doesn’t deserve to be called a gym rat.”

I don’t really get the rules of gym rat culture…

Anyway, that confirms Mr. B’s alibi.

Now, Mr. C.

Mr. C says there was no one around him at the time.

And he was running late, so he climbed through the window, meaning he wouldn’t be on the CCTV at the main entrance…

“But what were you guys planning to do together at that time?”

“…A treasure hunt.”

“Treasure hunt?”

“There’s a rumor that there’s treasure hidden behind the shelter in the mountains…”

“Ugh… that again?”

“Again?”

“That rumor was around when I first enrolled. A few crazy guys practically turned the mountain upside down, but nothing came of it.”

The four female students were apparently planning to become hyenas scavenging the mountainside for treasure.

I should’ve asked that first, but I missed it.

“But… why did you make the assignment here?”

“Not many students come around here, and I couldn’t bring something this dirty into the dorm, so I planned to let it harden here and take it tomorrow… Then I heard the treasure rumor and decided to meet in front of my assignment, and this mess happened.”

I should’ve asked that second, but I missed that too.

I guess I’ve lost my grandfather’s honor on my own.

Hong Yeom senior, though.

Maybe it’s the vibe that comes with experience.

He showed the makings of a detective.

“So, except for Mr. C… sorry, it’s Minjeong, not Gyeoul. Everyone else’s alibi is confirmed. How should we verify Minjeong’s?”

“Me! I can show you the assignment I did earlier!”

Unlike before, Minjeong, or Mr. C, stepped forward eagerly.

Maybe she’s panicking because everyone else’s alibi is confirmed, but she has no way to prove hers.

“Let’s see. What’s the assignment?”

“It’s from the basic ability class…”

“What ability class?”

“Super Ability.”

It’s chilling. Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

I don’t remember seeing Mr. C in the ability class.

Plus, there are less than 10 students in the Super Ability class.

Considering Class 12D has nearly 50 students, it’s strange not to know.

But why didn’t I know?

“Gyeoul… just asking, but did you do the ability class assignment?”

“…I didn’t even know there was one.”

“Right, I asked a dumb question.”

“…”

Come to think of it, Mr. C did seem a bit familiar when I first saw him.

Really…

“So, what’s the assignment Minjeong did?”

“It’s about the types of information you can get through psychometry and the correlation with the reliability of that information.”

“…Super Ability students have to do that too? I’m glad I’m in the Physical Category.”

The students who heard about the assignment looked at me and Mr. C with pity.

“…I doze off a lot in class, but I don’t remember getting an assignment like that.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Everyone’s looking at me like they’re hearing a dog bark.

This is unfair.

I might not know about Introduction to Monster Studies, but the ability class instructor always wakes me up when I doze off.

If there was an assignment, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.

“Ah, Gyeoul’s right. This was an assignment just for me.”

“…?”

Everyone looked like they had question marks floating above their heads.

Including me.

“Since there are so few Super Ability students, the instructor gives personalized assignments.”

“But Gyeoul said he never got one?”

“The instructor said he’s still thinking about it. If he gives Gyeoul an assignment that’s helpful, it’s beyond student level. But if he tailors it to student level, it’s just child’s play for Gyeoul…”

As soon as Mr. C finished speaking, everyone’s eyes turned to me again.

But the look in their eyes was completely different this time.

“Hehe.”

I tried to keep a serious face like a genius, but I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from rising.

“Anyway, that means Minjeong is a psychometrist?”

“…Yes.”

“What? You didn’t tell us? That’s stingy.”

“Sorry, the instructor said it’d be a hassle if it got out since it’s a rare ability…”

“Then Minjeong can just look, right? Problem solved!”

But even if Mr. C uses psychometry to see the moment Mr. D’s assignment was destroyed, it wouldn’t hold up.

Since Mr. C is also a suspect in this case, there’s a high chance he could be lying.

“I think we’ll have to call in an instructor who can do psychometry tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to escalate things that much… I’ll just make a new one. Thanks.”

With Mr. D giving up on solving the case, it ended inconclusively.

‘This feels really unsatisfying.’

I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Even if it’s not admissible as evidence, why don’t we let Minjeong try it once?”

“Should we?”

“…No! That’s enough. It’s late, everyone should go to bed. I need to redo my assignment too.”

“Yeah, it is getting late.”

We headed back to the Student Council room with Hong Yeom senior, put away our gear, and returned to the shelter area to start working on the Introduction to Monster Studies assignment with Mr. D.

“…So, what exactly is the assignment?”

How many times have I asked what the assignment is?

“It’s making a monster model. The materials don’t matter, so I went with the cheapest option.”

“Really? Easy.”

Using telekinesis, I instantly made a jaguar.

My assignment, modeled after a red jaguar, turned into a grass-attribute jaguar that might not even exist.

“…”

Mr. D was speechless.

Hayan, who saw me making the jaguar, also manifested her magic.

An ice sculpture of a Behemoth.

The scale was massive.

“…”

Mr. D was speechless again.

“I’m sleepy, let’s go to bed, Hayan.”

“Okay.”

“You cheaters!”

I forgot about Mr. D.

Unlike us, Mr. D has to make everything by hand.

“Want some help with the assignment?”

“…Yeah, please.”

We made three monsters together and headed back to the dorm.

But… won’t the ice one melt and disappear by tomorrow?

Eh, Hayan’s not an idiot. She’ll figure it out.

I was able to return to the dorm in a good mood.

I think I can restore my grandfather’s honor.

‘Mr. D, what were you trying to pull with that stunt?’

 

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