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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Director is Confused
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After Choi Ah-ram collapsed so helplessly, she was carefully packaged to be handed over to the Hunter Management Bureau.
'Her body was already weaker than an average person's; there was no need for such meticulousness…'
Her entire body was tightly wrapped like a mummy, with only small holes for her nose and mouth. However, they ran out of bandages, so her head wasn't fully covered, revealing her neatly shaven scalp, which gleamed.
Immediately after Choi Ah-ram was dealt with, the seniors swarmed around us.
"Thank you so much!"
"You saved us. If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened to us…"
"That Choi Ah-ram, to pull a stunt like this… *Sigh*. As your senior, I'm ashamed."
"If you hadn't stopped her earlier, we really would have…"
Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee, somewhat accustomed to such situations, naturally accepted their thanks, while Lee Yu-ri and Im Ga-eul, unaccustomed to such gratitude, wore embarrassed expressions.
'I'll have to get used to this, too. We've got so much more to gain from this in the future.'
Just as I was watching them from behind, nodding, a senior approached me and spoke.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Earlier, I saw you wielding your sword. It was truly amazing. What's your name, junior?"
'I didn't directly participate in the rescue, so I didn't think they'd come to me…'
Still, it seemed some people had been watching me amidst the chaos.
"Jin—"
Just as I was about to answer, feeling a slight sense of pride, another senior cut in from behind.
"Um, I'd like to thank you personally, would you mind giving me your number?"
"Oh, that's a bit…"
*Whoosh—*
It seemed everyone else had just been waiting for an opening, because as soon as that person spoke:
"That—that damned bitch cut in line!"
"Hey! Don't push!"
"Ah, damn it!"
Even the seniors who had been thanking my other party members turned their eyes to me, gleaming, and rushed forward.
"Thank you! If you hadn't stopped Choi Ah-ram, we would all have been finished!"
"Uh, excuse me! It looked like your party didn't have a healer, do you perhaps need one!?"
"You're a damage dealer too, right? I'm also a damage dealer who uses a sword, could I possibly get some personal lessons?"
"Hey, why are you asking a junior for sword—!"
"If a Hunter uses a sword well, they're a senior! What does age matter?!"
"*Sip!* Wipe the drool from your mouth before you speak, you hag!"
"Look who's talking!"
*Mutter, mutter—*
Hundreds of women surrounded me. It felt like being a celebrity surrounded by reporters, only without the cameras. Their gazes seemed quite dangerous for some reason. Perhaps because they weren't my classmates but seniors, they had no reservations, which made it even more awkward. I felt an even greater sense of crisis than when Choi Ah-ram had begun her Maw-fiend transformation earlier.
"Uh, uh…"
As I instinctively stepped back, overwhelmed by their pressure, Kang Do-hee stepped forward first, separating me from the seniors. Then, the incredibly reliable Lee Yu-ri shielded me with her body like a barrier. Shin Se-hee, too, poked a senior's wound with her finger, threatening her in a low voice.
"…*Hic*."
"…*Whimper*."
"*Gasp—!* O-Ow!!"
Having just witnessed them utterly crush hordes of monsters, the seniors, though clicking their tongues in disappointment, had no choice but to back away.
*Stumble, stumble—*
Amidst this, a woman holding her stomach approached me. A woman with a sharp expression and short black hair.
'Huh? Isn't that the senior who spoke rudely to Lee Yu-ri this morning?'
It seemed she had also been caught up in the chaos. I frowned.
Kang Do-hee, perhaps sensing my discomfort, extended her arm to block the woman.
"Don't come any closer, Senior."
The woman glanced at Kang Do-hee and said, "No, I just have something I want to say personally. Alright, if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't come any closer."
"Kang Do-hee, wait a moment." I lowered Kang Do-hee's arm and stepped forward. "Senior, you have something to say to me?"
The short-haired senior stared at me intently, then abruptly bowed her head.
"I apologize."
"…For what?"
"For speaking rudely to you this morning. And I apologize for laying hands on you as well."
She offered her apology directly, without any excuses or prevarication.
"And thank you for saving me."
I looked at her for a moment, deep in thought.
'Hmm, well, seeing her apologize and thank me like this, she doesn't seem like a complete jerk.'
However, accepting it right away wouldn't feel right. Although I was angry at her for how she treated me, my anger towards her was fundamentally for a different reason.
"Yes. I'll accept your apology to me. Now, what about her?" I placed a hand on Lee Yu-ri's shoulder, who was standing in front of me.
"Huh…?! If you're the only one getting an apology, I—I'm fine!"
"No, I can't stand seeing my party members insulted."
The short-haired woman stared at Lee Yu-ri intently, then nodded.
"…Right, I see."
And she bowed her head again.
"I apologize. For looking down on you as a first-year student, and for trying to forcibly bring you into my party against your will."
Lee Yu-ri scratched her cheek, then nodded.
"Uh, um… It's fine. Honestly, what made me angry was you laying hands on her. Well, it seems the person involved has forgiven you… So, I don't really have anything else to say. I'll accept your apology."
And finally.
Behind me, Im Ga-eul was smiling brightly, looking like a mother watching a youth drama unfold. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.
"E-Eh…!?" She looked flustered as she was pulled along.
"Ju-junior!?"
"You might not have heard, Senior, but you were also insulted. As I just said, I can't stand seeing my party members insulted."
"I—I'm still in a party, though…"
"*Sip—!*"
Im Ga-eul, looking like she thought this wasn't quite right, nevertheless stepped forward.
"Im Ga-eul."
"Yes, Su-hyun."
"I'm sorr—"
"No, I really don't need an apology."
Im Ga-eul grabbed Kim Su-hyun's shoulder and spoke.
"At that time, I really was a burden to the party. Because of my lack of ability, the entire party suffered disadvantages. And you did your best back then."
"…"
"So, it's fine."
Im Ga-eul gently patted her shoulder, then turned away as if she had no regrets. And Kim Su-hyun watched her back with trembling eyes.
"Are you sure it's okay? That senior earlier…"
Im Ga-eul brightly cut me off and nodded.
"Yes, it's true that Su-hyun gives off a very easily misunderstood impression. But she's not a bad person. I've known Su-hyun for quite a while, you see?"
"…"
As I stared at her, Im Ga-eul began to ramble, making excuses.
"W-Well, of course, her methods are a bit rough! She's quicker to use her fists than her words! She swears like a sailor! And she's so stubborn that she doesn't listen to a single word anyone else says…!"
"Hmm."
"And deep down right now, she really doesn't want to admit it, and tomorrow, she'll probably be so prideful about today's events that she'll lash out everywhere…!"
"Senior?"
"She was so excited for the new students to arrive this year! The reason she got demerit points and went out for gate training was because she skipped class secretly to look after the new students and got caught outside the academy!"
"…Just swear at her, already."
"…S-So, I don't have to accept Su-hyun's apology separately, right?"
"Right."
Kim Su-hyun, her face flushed with shame, buried her head and trembled.
"Yay—that's great! Su-hyun! Right!?" Im Ga-eul spun around and said to her in a bright voice, but what came back was an expletive.
"…Get lost."
Somehow, I felt I understood why Kim Su-hyun harbored such resentment towards Im Ga-eul.
***
The tallest building in the academy. The main building's clock tower, top floor.
Board Director Lina tapped, tapped—on her desk, lost in thought.
Lately, she had been living with a peculiar sensation. It had begun with this year's academy entrance ceremony. Since then, no matter what she did or where she went, she experienced a sense of déjà vu, as if she had already lived this reality somewhere before.
But it was merely a feeling of familiarity. It wasn't a power to foresee the future. At first, she considered it a sign of her magic evolving further, a blossoming of precognitive ability, but she shook her head. Magic, after all, was the manifestation of mana. This phenomenon was simply a phenomenon in itself. It contained no trace of mana. Her brilliant mind was capable of detecting traces of mana even within sensations.
'Perhaps the reason her body wasn't growing, and the inexplicable will that told her 'she must not step forward,' were connected to this déjà vu.'
Tap—
Tap—
Her finger tapping the desk grew faster.
'But lately, this unpleasant sensation has been disappearing more often…'
In her mind, something like black hair flickered, just out of reach.
That's when it happened.
*Bang—!*
The Director's office door burst open, and an instructor rushed in, his face frantic.
"Director! An academy student has undergone Maw-fiend transformation!"
"…What!?"
At his words, Lina's eyes widened in surprise. However, what surprised her wasn't that a student had become a Maw-fiend.
'That was definitely… supposed to happen around the weekend…'
Huh?
She felt something was off for a moment, but that peculiar confusion was instantly erased from her mind. She hardened her expression and asked the instructor, "What about the damage?"
"Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of several students, there was no damage! And we successfully secured the student who underwent Maw-fiend transformation!"
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes! It's truly a stroke of luck!"
"Then, first, contact the Hunter Management Bureau to hand over the student who underwent Maw-fiend transformation to their Maw-fiend department, and then summon the students who resolved the situation."
For some reason, Board Director Lina felt a deep sense of pride swelling within her. As if she had been hoping for things to turn out exactly this way.
"So, who are the students who resolved the situation?" she asked with a voice full of anticipation.
"Student Jin Yu-ha, who just enrolled this year, and four others!"
"…Jin Yu-ha? That name again…?"
Even though it was clearly something to be happy about, Lina's eyebrows slowly drew together.
'*Sigh*! I was already regretting promising that Subspace tattoo back then…! Why did I get so unnecessarily excited!'
She had promised a Subspace tattoo just for winning a mere student sparring match. Even if she *had* managed to land a blow against the Hunter Management Bureau regarding the male quota issue, it was clear she had been possessed by something back then.
'No, of course, I'm grateful that they handled the Maw-fiend! But at least give me some time between accomplishments!'
How much more would this cost her? And how much would Seol-hee torment her again?
A stifled sigh rose within her.
"For now, bring them in."