01. A sword for you (1)

“Lee Jin-ah, at this rate, you will fail hey.”

After school when the ordinance ends.

I was dragged to the teacher’s office and in front of my homeroom teacher, Lee Song-ha, I sweated profusely with my head on my head.

“May I ask why?”

“You have to hear that to know? Really….”

Teacher Songha let out a deep sigh. It was the attitude that he did not know if he could be good for this problem child in his class.

Because I was well aware of the fact that Teacher Song Ha was a true educator who cared for his classmates, I just hung my head feeling a little guilty.

“I know that application and classes are difficult. It is a job that requires more creativity and skill than others. What’s more, your major isn’t that popular… Big! Making weapons that are notoriously difficult.”

“It is true that they are not popular.”

“This is the part I was going to skip for you, do you really have to point that out?”

As the teacher glanced at her mischievously, she put her slightly raised head back down.

“But no matter how much… Isn’t it too much that you haven’t been able to submit a finished product even once since admission? D grade, no, even if I made only E grade… The teacher wouldn’t have received a bunch of these!”

Teacher Song Ha puts the documents on the desk! Unfold

Ijin Kim (1-3), Support Division, Grade F.

Ijin Kim (1-3), Support Division, Grade F.

Ijin Kim (1-3), Support Division, Grade F….

It was the first semester midterm report card with the names of all the teachers I had taken classes with. It was very impressive that all the report cards had an F grade written in large letters.

“The last place is certain. hahahaha.”

“Ooh, ooh, laughter… Are you laughing now!? Ah, the head….”

Teacher Songha lowers her head helplessly as she grabs her hair, which is getting farther away.

Then he suddenly realized that he was still in counseling and looked at me again with a deep sigh.

“Lee Jin-ah. This is really no laughing matter… You know that if you fail even once, you will be expelled, right?”

“… ….”

Yes. I almost ruined my grades for the first semester of my freshman year at the academy. If you keep getting this grade even in the final practical exam at the end of the semester, you can never avoid failing. And the price of failure is expulsion.

I had to leave the academy, which I had difficulty entering, after attending only half a year.

“… I can’t help it, what.”

“Are you convinced by the fact that it can’t be helped? Really?”

I kept my mouth shut. I know what Song Ha means. You’re worried about me However, there are things in the world that cannot be helped no matter how hard you try.

I thought I was talented. Only until middle school.

Ever since I was young, I have been working hard to make the best sword, learning skills and building my skills.

My grandfather, my only family, always supported me and encouraged me that I had the talent to become the best swordsman.

Fortunately, when he was young, he accidentally awakened his psychic powers, became an awakened person, and became able to handle magic… That’s how I got into the academy.

And then I realized. That there are so many geniuses in such diverse fields in the world. I felt that I was just a frog in a well.

“Lee Jin-ah. Teachers know that you have worked hard up until now. That’s why Jin-i Lee doesn’t want to see you leave like this.”

The teacher carefully placed a piece of paper on her desk. Unlike my report card, which was speckled in red, it was a crisp, clean paper.

“What is this?”

“Combat Department Transfer Application. This is what the teacher called you for today.”

“… ….”

The academy is divided into two majors: combat and support. Those who awakened combat-oriented skills went to the Combat Division, and those who awakened non-combat auxiliary skills went to the Support Division.

However, there are cases where talent and aptitude do not match with people, so students who have difficulty fighting in front even if they have S-class attack skills, or students who show excellent fighting ability even with only F-class auxiliary skills appear.

The system for such students is application for transfer. You can change your major only once, from combat department to support department and from support department to combat department.

That’s why teacher Lee Song-ha is telling me this as a homeroom teacher.

Since you have no talent, give up now.

“Fortunately, Lee Jin, you have good physical stats and know how to handle magic to some extent, so you will be able to do better in the combat department than you do now. You will have to diligently follow the class, but I think this will suit your aptitude better. If you suddenly find it burdensome to take the same class as combat and other kids, I….”

“No, sir. It’s okay.”

I made eye contact with Teacher Song Ha and shook my head quietly.

“I have no intention of transferring to the combat department. I will continue to be in the support department.”

“… Even if you don’t have any talent? Of course, the teacher also wants to believe in Lee Jin-yi. But with this score, it’s really….”

“It’s really good. My resolve is firm.”

If I was going to give up because it was difficult and I couldn’t see the future, I would have given up long ago.

But even if I had to give up everything else, I couldn’t give up on my dream.

“Haa…… Okay. If you say that, I won’t force you any more. The practical exam for the final is right around the corner, but the teacher caught me too much. Just go back The classroom door will be closed.”

“Oh, yes. Then let’s go.”

I bowed my head, got up from my seat, and walked out the door of the teachers’ room. However, the moment I went out to the hallway and tried to close the door to the teachers’ room, my eyes met Teacher Song Ha, who was looking at me with worried, sad eyes from inside.

“Cheer up. Kim Ijin. Don’t forget to cheer the teachers on.”

“… Yes. I will do my best.”

Drreuk-Tak.

I thought as I closed the door to the classroom and walked to the classroom.

Teacher Lee Song-ha is a really nice teacher who takes care of even the last in the school like me.

Cheer up means nothing to someone who is already working hard.

–

The classroom after school has passed the dismissal time.

Because the consultation lasted longer than expected, the sunset was already red outside. The softly burning sun was slowly setting over the building.

It will get dark soon. Gotta go back soon

Thought so, I stopped in an empty classroom and grabbed my bag.

“Huh?”

A back seat in an empty classroom. One of the lockers used by the class was wide open.

It’s a sight you can’t miss even if you just want to pass by. I was a bit concerned about the open locker.

Who forgot to close it?

In that case, I approached the locker with the intention of kindly closing it. I didn’t mean to look, but I was able to look inside the locker naturally, and then I realized.

“This is….”

The textbooks were all torn up in a mess.

A torn textbook as if it had been cut with a knife. Even the inside of the locker was severely scratched in places as if it had been cut with a knife.

As I hesitated in surprise at the unexpected sight, something caught on my heel. Looking down, I could see the broken lock.

It was a lock made of 3rd grade magical steel.

This is expensive….

Is it just verbal bullying? Did something like this happen secretly in our class? Should I go back to the teachers’ office and tell teacher Songha?

The moment I was lost in thought while standing there.

Drreuk-Tak!

Suddenly, I heard the classroom door open.

The door opens and a female student enters through the back door of the classroom. She has an impressive expression that looks somewhat displeased. She is that girl, and she is definitely her classmate like me.

The name must be… Yoon Seo-hee? She never shared her words, but she remembers it as that name.

I was startled by the sudden presence, and I froze with the lock on. And… Her eyes met hers.

An empty classroom with no one in it.

A broken locker and torn textbooks.

Me holding a broken lock.

Wait, isn’t this a bit dangerous?

In this situation, I would be suspected of being the culprit.

“That… no. This is not me….”

“Ah! My locker!”

What? Unknowingly, my gaze returned to the locker.

I didn’t pay attention because the door was wide open, but looking at it now, the name [Yoon Seo-hee] Was clearly written on it.

“You… It was you, you thief! I finally got it!”

“No, wait a minute, this is a misunderstanding-! 100 Million!”

Yoon Seo-hee’s body seemed to be blurry for an instant, but her vision flipped over in an instant. Bang on the back! The shock was transmitted and I gasped for breath. A back choke immediately choked me to the floor in an instant.

Come to think of it, he… It was combat!

“It just took! This Lee Hyeon-woo follower bastard! Where is my sword!?”

“Gp… no, wait….”

What Hyeonu? What sword suddenly? I wanted to explain something, but I couldn’t think because my breath was tight. I felt blood rushing to my head.

I thought I had to live and see, so I tapped the floor and showed my intention to surrender as much as possible. Yoon Seo-hee must have felt sorry for her as well, so the strength of her arms strangling her loosened. Then I was able to catch my breath.

“Cough, Cough… ! Huh, it’s a misunderstanding! Listen to people I just got in here!”

“Are you trying to escape from a subject caught as a criminal in practice? Would you like to die here? Yes?”

Aww… It wasn’t like before, but I was horrified when I felt the strength go into the arm wrapped around my neck. I hurriedly tapped Yoon Seo-hee’s arm and rolled her head as much as I could.

It looks like you’re excited, but to prove that I’m not the culprit….

“Sir! Teacher Songha! I was with teacher Lee Song-ha a while ago! You will know when I call. I just entered the classroom….”

“What? Teacher Song Ha?”

At those words, Yoon Seo-hee let go of my neck. With her barely freed, she was sitting on the floor and stroking her neck while Yoon Seo-hee crouched down in front of me, staring at my face.

“Are you in my class?”

No, I didn’t know that yet.

I got up and rolled across the floor, dusting off my crumpled and messy school uniform.

The white shirt of the school uniform was stained with black dust, as if the cleaning staff did a rough cleaning today. Even after shaking it off, it seemed like it needed to be washed.

With a deep sigh, I looked at Yoon Seo-hee, who was still crouching down and looking up at me.

“Have you calmed down? Are you willing to believe that I am not?”

“Ummm….”

She narrowed her eyebrows with a displeased look on her troubles and remained silent. She narrowed her eyes and carefully opened her mouth.

“You… You have nothing to do with the boy named Lee Hyun-woo? Really?”

“You are sleeping in a relationship, and I am hearing the name Lee Hyeon-woo for the first time now.”

“Yes, I guess… He’s in 1st class… You’re not even in combat.”

Does that mean I wouldn’t have known about it if it was in the combat department? No matter how much the combat department and support department have nothing to do with each other, I think it’s too indifferent.

I still knew the face and the name….

“Sorry.”

Yoon Seo-hee bowed her head with a serious expression and apologized. I was a little taken aback by the quicker and more sincere apology than I thought.

I was obviously angry that I was suddenly kicked up, but it was a situation that could be misunderstood, and apart from that, receiving an apology in such a sincere way was somehow unfamiliar and burdensome.

“Raise your head. Because I’m fine.”

Yoon Seo-hee slowly lifted her head at my words and looked at me. Earlier, when he was strangled, he raised his voice with an angry expression, but now he has become quiet as if his appearance earlier had been a lie.

Are you sorry… ? I thought.

“Sorry though. I’m a bit impatient… My eyes widened at the thought of catching the culprit. I must have been a little sensitive because a lot of bad things happened these days.”

“If anything bad, like this locker?”

“Yes. Other than that….”

Yoon Seo-hee checked my broken locker. Then he squeezed her fists tightly, furrowing her brow. With such force, she heard the sound of wood crushing at the locker door. I secretly inhaled.

“As expected, it disappeared again….”

“Did you mean the sword by disappearing?”

There was nothing in the locker except torn textbooks. I’ve often seen battles and kids store their weapons in lockers, so if I took something, I wondered if that was it.

Where is my sword? And shouted

“Right. The textbook is just a vicious prank done with both sides, and the truth is that it was aimed at my sword.”

“Um….”

That’s strange.

I remember all the battles in my class and what weapons the boys use. It’s like my personal hobby, so I actually memorized Yoon Seo-hee’s name while looking at the sword.

If I remember correctly, the sword Yoon Seo-hee uses must have been a basic supply provided by the academy.

Stealing basic supplies, not expensive workshop weapons.

It’s hard to see that it’s worth stealing because it’s something everyone gets once they enter the combat department.

Of course, even if it’s a supply item, it’s definitely a weapon made of magical steel, so if you bring it outside and sell it, it’ll be worth the material cost…. Is that enough to dabble in crime? It’s ambiguous if you ask me.

So, is it bullying?

I looked over Yoon Seo-hee’s shoulder at the messy locker. A trace full of someone’s malice. That someone just wants her Yoon Seo-hee to suffer and that means she only did this for her own pleasure.

“… ….”

I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t seen it, but since I knew it, passing by pretending not to know somehow felt heartless. I thought it would be good to hear the circumstances. That way you’ll know if you need help or not.

“What the hell happened?”

Yoon Seo-hee hardened her expression with an uncomfortable face at my question and continued her worries. Eventually, she nodded her head slightly.

“Let me tell you. Instead, let’s change her place because she’s about to close her classroom.”

Looking out of her window, the sunset sky was colored indigo blue and the street lights were coming on one by one. A guard will be patrolling soon. The classroom was not suitable for long talk.