BXBX NOVEL Chapter 70 - Portrait of a Kidney Bean (1)
Chapter 70: Portrait of a Kidney Bean (1)
The voice was so powerful that it was hard to believe it came from such a small frame.
“How could you do this to me…?”
Yoo Ji-eun was on the verge of tears.
“Ji-eun, shouldn’t you be at school? Isn’t today a school day?”
“I can’t believe you’d do this, Teacher!”
The small Yoo Ji-eun ignored my words.
“Why aren’t you at school, and what are you doing here?”
“Is school really important right now?!”
My life is tiring enough as it is, I don’t want to make it even more exhausting by adding a child’s tantrum to it.
Both small Ji-eun and big Ji-eun are the same in not listening to a word I say. But fortunately, little Ji-eun has something she’s afraid of.
“Yoo Hye-eun! Come and take your sister away!”
“What? My sister?”
Yoo Hye-eun, who was in the classroom with Kim Chae-min, poked her head out of the window. Her eyes widened when she saw Yoo Ji-eun.
Yoo Hye-eun jumped right over the window. Although healers are physically weaker compared to other Hunters, they’re still much stronger than non-Awakened people. Yoo Hye-eun used the window as if it were a door and ran straight to her sister.
Seeing her terrifying older sister, Yoo Ji-eun’s earlier bravado disappeared, and she shrank back, hiding behind me.
“Yoo Ji-eun! Didn’t I tell you not to skip school!!”
“I-I didn’t skip!”
“And I told you not to leave early either!”
“But you didn’t say anything last week!”
“Last week was last week, but this week you can’t!”
“Why not?!”
“It was never allowed! I just let it slide last week!!”
The sisters continued their pointless argument.
Now that they knew Hong Seok-young was safe, they both regained their energy. It’s better to see them lively than moping around.
But that’s all.
As their energy returned, they became more of a nuisance. While Yoo Hye-eun dealt with Yoo Ji-eun, I turned to Kang Tae-woo. He was about to say something important when Yoo Ji-eun interrupted.
Talk about timing.
“So… what do you want to do?”
Kang Tae-woo, who had been staring blankly at the Yoo sisters, snapped out of it a beat late.
“Ah, yes! Honestly, I’m not sure if I want to become a Hunter yet… but I still want to give it a try.”
“You know that the full name of our school is ‘Hunter Training Pilot High School,’ right?”
“Yes. But since I’m here, it’s better to give it a proper try, isn’t it?”
Since I brought him here under the pretense of protection during the chaos of the orphanage attack… I can’t deny that it was somewhat deceitful.
But it seems my words got through to him, as his eyes now showed a clear determination. It’s different from the half-dead look he had back when he was No. 3. This is much better.
It seems my fishing hook had some effect.
“Alright. In matters like these, your own will is important.”
“Me too! I won’t lose when it comes to willpower!!”
Even with her cheeks pulled by her older sister, Yoo Ji-eun managed to eavesdrop on the conversation and jumped in.
I ignored her.
“Good. Since you just Awakened, it will be tough to keep up with the other kids in class….”
The curriculum I painstakingly put together is getting messed up.
But with only nine students, it should be a piece of cake compared to adjusting the schedules of dozens of Hunters from the Ability Management Agency.
With Kim Chae-min around, there’s no need to worry about the magic classes… or I could just gather the kids and teach them about dungeon structures and monsters. There are Daseon Hunters too.
I’m planning to personally handle the dungeon raids. I can’t trust the current level of Hunters in this era. If they teach the kids the wrong raid methods, it could be disastrous. Once bad habits are formed, they’re hard to correct.
“For theory classes, just think of it as listening to stories. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me later.”
“There are theory classes too?”
“It’s still a school, you know? The classrooms aren’t just for decoration.”
Before I arrived, they were indeed used for decoration, but there’s no need to mention that.
“Shall we start with a simple test?”
“A test? But I don’t know anything….”
“That’s why we need to do it.”
The first thing we need to do.
Figure out what kind of awakening Kang Tae-woo has.
If it’s a natural Awakening, it’s simple. Just treat him like the other kids.
But if it’s not natural, if it’s the product of those experiments from his time in the Research Lab…
Then careful management is required.
It might be troublesome, but if I can persuade him well and keep him under my wing, it will be worth it.
“It’ll take some preparation, but it’s a simple task, so no problem.”
I folded my arms and looked at the girl standing beside Kang Tae-woo. A girl who was at least a head shorter than him, wearing a middle school uniform: Yoo Ji-eun.
“Why are you standing there?”
Her cheeks were still red from being pinched by her sister. Yoo Ji-eun looked up at me with an eager expression, her flushed cheeks accentuating her determination.
“I want to take the test too!”
“No.”
“Why not!”
Her expectant expression crumpled, and her lips pouted.
“There’s still a year left before you can enter the pilot high school.”
“I can enter now!”
“No.”
“But he did!”
Yoo Ji-eun pointed at Kang Tae-woo with a sulky face. Startled by the finger pointing at him, Kang Tae-woo flinched and took a step back.
“He? He’s your oppa, and he’s older than you.”
“He’s only a year older!”
“Older is older.”
Her sister Yoo Hye-eun is well-behaved, so why is Yoo Ji-eun like this?
“But…! If someone a year older than me can enter, shouldn’t I be able to enter too? I awakened earlier than him!”
Yoo Ji-eun was being unusually stubborn. Normally, when I firmly say no, she grumbles but eventually gives up.
“Seventeen is the usual age to enter high school, but sixteen isn’t, right? Wait until half a year later. I won’t stop you then.”
“But I want to now!”
“Do you want to take classes in the same class as your sister?”
Yoo Ji-eun’s face lit up.
“Can I?”
“I said no.”
Seriously, why doesn’t she listen?
Is it that both the small Yoo Ji-eun and the big Yoo Ji-eun refuse to listen to me? This is too much. I’d appreciate it if she at least pretended to listen. Am I asking for too much?
“He didn’t enter as a first-year, right?! So I should be able to enter too, shouldn’t I?!”
Hmm…
The entrance criteria for Hunter Academy are such that minors who aren’t yet high school students sometimes enter early. But that’s Hunter Academy, not the pilot high school.
There’s one crucial difference between Kang Tae-woo and Yoo Ji-eun. A difference that can’t be ignored.
As a teacher at the pilot high school, it’s not something I want to talk about lightly, but…
Judging by the determined look in her eyes, she wouldn’t back down easily. There’s no choice.
“Student Yoo Ji-eun.”
“…Yes.”
At least when called, she answers.
It’s proof that there’s still a chance for Yoo Ji-eun. A chance that she won’t grow up to be that grumpy woman in the future.
“There’s a very important reason why you can’t enter the pilot high school yet.”
“…Is it my age?”
“It’s related to your age, yes. But specifically…”
Yoo Ji-eun looked at me with suspicion. Her eyes were arrogant, as if she was curious to see what I would say next.
“You haven’t graduated from middle school yet.”
“…What does that have to do with anything?”
“Since the pilot high school isn’t an official educational institution yet, if you come here before properly graduating middle school… you’ll be treated as a dropout instead of a graduate.”
This is a critical issue.
No matter how you look at it, having only an elementary school diploma as your highest level of education is not acceptable in a country where middle school education is mandatory.
“Are you planning to take the GED later? It would be much better to just get your diploma in half a year.”
“……”
It seems she hadn’t considered this at all, as her mouth hung open in shock.
“The principal is working hard to get the school officially recognized as an educational institution by next year. But even that isn’t guaranteed. So it’s safer to just graduate first.”
“……”
“Do you understand, student Ji-eun?”
Yoo Ji-eun nodded with a dumbfounded look on her face.
I gestured to Yoo Hye-eun, who was hesitantly lingering in the background. She nodded politely and approached to take her sister away.
“I’m sorry, Teacher….”
“It’s fine. Take Ji-eun and head to Hunter Ji’s café, get her something to drink. I’m not sure if she’s eaten yet.”
“Ji-eun’s the type who’d die if she skipped a meal, so she probably ate well on her own.”
“Is that so?”
Yoo Hye-eun smiled shyly as she led her sister back to the classroom. Yoo Ji-eun followed her quietly without saying a word.
If I had known this would work so well, I would’ve mentioned it sooner.
The commotion finally subsided.
I could focus on Kang Tae-woo again.
“What were we talking about earlier… Oh, right. We were discussing the test.”
The somewhat dazed look in Kang Tae-woo’s eyes cleared up.
“It’s nothing difficult, so there’s no need to be nervous.”
If anything, he seemed to tense up even more.
I chuckled. It really was a simple test.
“Wait a moment. I’ll go grab what I need.”
* * *
Scratch, scratch.
“……”
Scratch, scratch.
“……”
“Can I ask what kind of rune that is?”
“No.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that.”
Kim Chae-min circled around me like a restless puppy.
It had been a while since I drew a new rune. Since Kang Tae-woo hasn’t made up his mind yet, I couldn’t draw it in front of him. Park Seo-hyun briefly glanced at the parasol on the playground, then turned back to watch me draw the rune.
It’s been a while since I last drew this rune, and this one is much more complex than the ones I usually draw, so I didn’t have time to respond to every question.
I could only speak once I was almost done with the rune.
“It’s for a simple test.”
“A test? What kind of test?”
“A mana conductivity test.”
“Conductivity?”
Kim Chae-min tilted his head in confusion.
“Why do you need to test that?”
“Because it’s necessary.”
Explaining this would involve mentioning Ark, which isn’t something I can discuss in front of the kids.
I subtly looked over at Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo, then pointed my chin towards Kang Tae-woo outside. Kim Chae-min quickly caught on. She nodded and closed her mouth.
This is why it’s good to work with someone who’s quick on the uptake.
“…Is it for him?”
“Hmm?”
Now that Kim Chae-min was quiet, it was Park Seo-hyun’s turn. She had been staring intently at the rune and now tucked her hair behind her ear.
Choi Jin-woo chimed in from beside her.
“You never did this kind of test for us.”
“…I heard about you from the principal.”
“Can’t you do this test for us too?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Park Seo-hyun narrowed her eyes. Since her bangs weren’t down, it’s still okay for now.
“This test isn’t necessary for you.”
“But it’s necessary for him?”
“Of course, I’m doing it because it’s necessary.”
“What’s the difference between him and us?”
I narrowed my eyes as well.
When I didn’t answer, Park Seo-hyun smirked, as if she’d figured something out.
“I want to take the test too.”
“…I told you, it’s not necessary for you. If it was, I would’ve done it already. I didn’t do it because it’s pointless.”
“How do you know it’s pointless?”
“If I didn’t know that, how could I be teaching you?”
I checked the completed rune.
I handed it to Kim Chae-min to activate it, but Park Seo-hyun intercepted it.
“Park Seo-hyun?”
“…It’s just activation, right? I can do it too.”
It doesn’t really matter who activates it, but…
I hid the inexplicable unease I felt and took the rune back from Park Seo-hyun.
“Can I watch the test too?”
Park Seo-hyun asked, looking me straight in the eye.
Normally, I would have said it was fine, but this time it’s different.
If Kang Tae-woo really is the result of a successful experiment…
I shook my head.
“No. Where are you going during class? I’m sorry for interrupting, Teacher Kim.”
“No, it’s about student Tae-woo, so it’s fine. Just let me know the test results later.”
“Of course.”
Before leaving the classroom, I glanced at Park Seo-hyun. Her face, usually pale, seemed even paler today.
Maybe it’s just my imagination.
*****
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