"I ate before coming to school, so that's why. Haha…"
"Really?"
"Of course."
Sung Suah smiled at my words and then spoke in a playful tone.
"Just kidding. But it's true that I was disappointed you didn't come today even though I waited."
"I'll definitely come tomorrow."
At my words, Sung Suah smiled and slowly began eating.
She steered the conversation toward the cadets, keeping the atmosphere from getting awkward.
"Starting today, the new cadet I mentioned before will be joining."
"Ah… that…"
"…?"
Caught off guard by the sudden mention of the cadet, I panicked as I couldn't remember the name, but Armonia quickly reminded me.
[It's Seo Ji-eun.]
'Oh, thank you, thank you!'
The 20 days had completely robbed me of my memory.
After hearing the name from Armonia, I smoothly glossed over it.
"Cadet Seo Ji-eun… I'm worried about her."
"She'll be fine. She's so talented that she grew too quickly and seems to have lost her footing for a while."
Fortunately, Sung Suah didn't seem to realize I'd forgotten the name.
"For now, she won't be directly participating in classes and will only observe."
"Well, it wouldn't be easy to keep up with the other cadets in class."
Rumors say she's overwhelmingly talented in pure ability alone—unless her skills were weak, that is.
If she loses control during class and starts harming those around her, things could spiral out of control.
If she harms other cadets instead of instructors, it'll turn into complete chaos.
"Cadet Seo Ji-eun wants to resolve things on her own. But she also doesn't want to harm the other cadets, so she's really struggling."
"Hmm…"
Not being able to control one's power is a fatal flaw.
A shadow that beheads allies and targets one's own heart while using abilities.
If I were in that situation, I wonder if I could keep my sanity and try to overcome it.
Who knows, I might end up crippled or even dead while using my abilities…
Sung Suah and I spent the meal talking about Cadet Seo Ji-eun.
***
'No matter how much I think about it, I can't understand.'
[Are you talking about Seo Ji-eun?]
'Yeah.'
No matter how many strange things happen in this world, I couldn't help but question it.
If she couldn't control her abilities from the start, that would be one thing, but suddenly losing control? It didn't make sense.
'Wait, now that I think about it, that lightning-attribute professor in Stura also died by his own magic…'
[But wasn't that just an incredibly unlucky case?]
'Well… I guess it's not fair to compare the two.'
That lightning-attribute professor had such bad luck it was like three lifetimes' worth of misfortune crammed into a single day.
And lightning-attribute magic is something even Stura, which has developed magic through precise magic circles, struggles to handle.
From what I've heard from Sung Suah, Cadet Seo Ji-eun was so skilled with her abilities that she reached the level of perfect unity with them.
As I was lost in thought about Cadet Seo Ji-eun, Armonia spoke up.
[But you haven't even seen Seo Ji-eun in person yet, and you're already showing a lot of interest in her.]
'Ah…'
I looked out the window at the blazing yellow sun and said.
'It reminds me of the past…'
[Is she a character from a game?]
'…'
I didn't answer and just kept staring outside.
Sensing something from my silence, Armonia suddenly began apologizing.
[I'm sorry. I assumed it was another game character…]
'Huh? She is from a game, though?'
[….]
I-I feel a murderous aura!
I could feel killing intent through the communication link.
'Uh… well… her name is the same as a character I used to like…'
[….]
At times like this, silence is the best policy.
I cautiously made my way to Magic Class 7 alone while keeping an eye on Armonia's mood.
Originally, Sung Suah and I were supposed to go to Magic Class 7 together after finishing our meal.
Maybe because the VR game made me less hesitant, I didn't hesitate to touch her, and if nothing special happened in the afternoon, we'd often stick together.
In just a week, we'd settled into that kind of relationship.
But now, she had a scheduled meeting with the new cadet, so we parted ways right at the cafeteria.
I trudged alone to Magic Class 7.
From inside, I could hear a lively commotion.
-"I hope the network gets fixed soon."
-"Can't you see my hands shaking? I'm going crazy not being able to play games."
-"Isn't it a good thing you can't play games at that point?"
The cadets inside were laughing and chattering noisily.
The atmosphere was completely different from the Combat Department.
Unlike the Combat Department, which exuded discipline, the Magic Department was incredibly free-spirited.
Magic cadets said whatever they wanted, and classes were conducted as self-directed training.
In contrast, Combat Department classes were more rigid, with instructors leading the lessons.
Not that the free-spirited Magic cadets looked down on instructors or assistant instructors.
They, too, were polite and focused hard during class.
At this point, I grew curious.
'…What's the Assassin Department like?'
I knew nothing about the Assassin Department and had never even been to their building.
Given how little information was available externally, it seemed even assistant instructors like me couldn't freely come and go.
'I should start gathering information about the Superhumans soon…'
[Why not ask Sung Suah while you're at it?]
'Ah, that's a good idea. We've built some rapport now. She won't think anything weird, right?'
[No need to worry. She's already a woman full of weird thoughts.]
'….'
Judging by that remark, I guess Armonia's mood has improved?
...
...
...
'She's late.'
I waited alone in Magic Class 7 for Sung Suah.
Even though some time had passed since class was supposed to start, she still hadn't arrived.
While waiting, the cadets were busy chattering away.
As I waited, I glanced around the classroom.
This large class had only five cadets.
Those five cadets had haphazardly arranged their desks in a messy layout, sitting however they pleased.
'Geez… If I find that uncomfortable, does that mean I've become an old fogy?'
[I also find it uncomfortable.]
It was the moment the CEO and COO of NTL Corporation were revealed to be old fogies.
Honestly, if they're going to sit like that, do they even need desks?
Might as well decorate the place like a kids' playroom.
As I observed the cadets' noisy antics like I was at a zoo, the sound of the door opening reached my ears.
The person who entered was…
"Sorry. You've all been waiting, right?"
Sung Suah and…
"…Hello."
The elegant girl I'd seen at the main gate this morning.
...
...
...
=======
[Name: Seo Ji-eun]
[-Traits-]
[Magic], [Anxiety], [Discouragement], [Introverted], [Impatience]…
=======
I quietly observed Seo Ji-eun's traits while sitting in my chair.
We weren't sticking close to each other.
Under the pretext of respecting each other's space, we sat at a slight distance.
'Her expression is calm and composed, but inside, she's trembling with anxiety.'
[Nothing is as helpless as not being able to trust your own abilities.]
'Show me her magic-related levels.'
[Understood.]
Seo Ji-eun's detailed magic stats expanded.
-[Magic Power Lv.25], [Anti-Magic Lv.14], [Shadow Attribute Lv.19]-
Her levels already far exceeded those of a typical cadet.
While the average Magic Power level among Magic Department cadets was around 15, Seo Ji-eun had a staggering level of 25.
What's more, she'd reached that level without formal training for a while, which was impressive.
'She must've been insane as a freshman.'
[If she'd continued growing steadily, she might've reached a level comparable to instructors by graduation.]
The potential was clearly there.
If she received proper training, that is…
Seo Ji-eun noticed my gaze and stared back at me with her dark eyes.
For five seconds.
Then she turned her head back to watch the cadets training.
From what I could see of her traits, one thing was clear.
'It's not a trait issue, is it?'
[She does show signs of considerable anxiety, but no traits related to loss of magic control.]
'….'
In the end, all I could discern about Seo Ji-eun was that, despite her calm expression, she was a girl riddled with anxiety inside.
She might've been someone unrelated to me, but as an assistant instructor, I had to try to make a good impression on Sung Suah by doing what I could.
'Well, it's not like observing her will solve anything, but…'
[Suho.]
'Yeah?'
[Sung Suahis looking at you with a sinister gaze.]
'….'
Sung Suah was staring at me with a puzzled expression.
She was looking at me, but… where exactly was the "sinister" part…?
***
"Whew, another day done~."
I returned to my dorm room right after finishing work.
The inside of my dorm room was so tidy it was hard to believe it had been empty for 20 days.
Well, technically only 2 days…
I flopped onto the bed at the far end and fiddled with the VR device on the bedside table.
Looking at the VR device reminded me of Sung Suah.
Right after class ended, she said she'd probably have to talk with Cadet Seo Ji-eun again today and asked me to wait no matter how late she was.
Given her personality, she wouldn't just rush through the conversation.
She'd probably do her best to talk things out with Seo Ji-eun.
"Since Suah is the host, there's no point in me logging in now, right?"
[Now that you mention it, isn't Sung Suah's account still on there?]
"…Yeah, it is."
Now that I thought about it, when Sung Suah gave me this device, she hadn't reset it.
Back then, I'd checked her profile and chose Animal Village, one of the games she'd played the longest.
[You won't be able to log in without authentication, but you can check her profile in detail, right?]
"…Let's try it!"
I put on the VR headgear and booted up the device.
Instantly, a black space filled my vision, accompanied by floating blue holograms.
Looking at the holograms, I said,
"First… let's check Sung Suah's profile."
I opened the profile I'd skimmed before and examined it carefully.
Honestly, the profile only had basic info like name, gender, and age.
But one thing caught my eye.
"Birthday? Huh? It's coming up soon."
Her birthday was in 20 days.
"Well, this counts as info too."
[I'll note it down just in case.]
"Thanks. Now… can I see anything else? Ah, the friends list is accessible."
The friends list was longer than I expected.
And there were tons of pending friend requests on the side…
"Wow, she's really popular… Huh? Cho Seo-hyun's here too."
Cho Seo-hyun was on the friends list.
That made sense. The two had known each other for a long time.
"…She's playing a game right now?"
Her status showed she was online, along with the game she was currently playing, her ID, and playtime.
I already knew from entering her dream last time that she enjoyed gaming.
But to jump into a game right after work…
The game was 'Watch of Legends,' her ID was 'Tiny Swordsman,' and she'd only been playing for less than 10 minutes.
Luckily, I could also check Cho Seo-hyun's profile from the friends list.
Her profile said…
"24 years old? Don't you have any shame?"
Cho Seo-hyun was actually 30.
Well, just looking at her, you'd believe she was 17…
Given her insane youthful looks, it wasn't a big deal, but still.
No shame indeed…
While browsing, I also found her birthday.
"Next month."
It was early next month.
As I was busy gathering intel on Cho Seo-hyun, Sung Suah's voice came through.
"Phew… Instructor Suho, I'm here."
***
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