abcnovels
Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Academy's Nurse Appearance (2)
Academy's Nurse Appearance (2)
"Hoyeon… You haven't been up to anything unusual outside, right?"
I was left dumbfounded by Professor Kim Jinhyuk's question. Honestly, I had been up to some questionable things, so I couldn't really argue with him. But I also couldn't exactly confirm anything, so I just played innocent.
"Professor, what are you talking about?"
"Hmm, the chairman heard some rumors about ‘you and some women' floating around. Just checking, I don't want to invade your private life, but you are my student, after all."
"…"
Could it be? Nah, probably not. If my scandalous affairs were exposed… that would be a real mess.
"Hmm…"
Thinking about it, I had no real reason to worry. I'd been involved with five women—Lumi, Im Sol, Lucy, Baek Ahyeong, and Liliana. Except for Lumi, none of the others had been caught.
Lucy had only experienced the lust magic with Felix, and no one else knew about what actually happened that day, except for Liliana and me. Professor Im Sol and I had our encounters only in her research lab, so there was no chance of getting caught. Baek Ahyeong and I had a few outdoor adventures, but I always set up protective rune barriers, so we never got busted. As for Liliana, she only hung out in my dorm, so her existence was practically unknown.
The only one left was Lumi, and honestly, we got caught quite a bit. We'd gone to a motel together twice, and recently, we got busted having fun in the clubroom. Even so, if someone investigated us, the most they'd find out was that Lumi and I were a couple. Nothing shady. In conclusion, I had nothing to worry about.
"Don't worry. I'm not that kind of guy. I may not talk about it, but I volunteer at an orphanage every week, and I often see the Saint there. Plus, during the dungeon practice ordeal, she and I got transported together, so we became friends. That's probably why."
"Oh… you volunteer? I knew you got transported together during dungeon practice, but there's more to it, huh. It makes sense that you'd become friends. If my words bothered you, I apologize."
Yeah, this was the typical response. After all, I had dealt with a demon invader in the academy, worked diligently as part of the student council's PR department, saved Baek Ahyeong during the dungeon chaos, and even enhanced the academy's reputation as a rising star. I was also volunteering every weekend. Where could you find an ace like me?
"No worries. Where is the chairman? Should I head to his office?"
"No, he's on his way here. I have to run off for my class, so you can have the chat right here."
"Okay. Thanks."
"Everyone knows you're a hardworking student, so don't sweat it and just speak your mind."
"I will. Have a good class, Professor."
After Professor Kim Jinhyuk left to prepare for the joint class, I took a moment to relax and let my body unwind.
Usually, when dealing with organizations, things can get quite complex. When it came to the chairman of the academy, you could often skip most formalities. In fact, the chairman held more power than the principal, regardless of your abilities as a hunter or your authority. I wasn't sure what he wanted to discuss with me, but just to be polite, I thought I'd prepare some coffee. After all, even a small courtesy can go a long way, right?
I placed instant coffee into the coffee cup and waited without pouring hot water.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Is Lee Hoyeon here?"
"Yes, I'm here!" It was time. I naturally poured the hot water, trying to make it seem like I was offering coffee courteously.
The chairman, who entered the room after opening the door, appeared to be a middle-aged man. He had a neat appearance and an approachable demeanor. Wearing glasses, he somewhat resembled a scholar in his aura and atmosphere.
This person is Moon Soorin's grandfather… Someone who demonstrated that even in old age, the strength of a powerful hunter doesn't diminish.
"Ah, you must be Lee Hoyeon, a freshman. Nice to meet you." Chairman Moon Jaecheol extended his hand to me. I shook his hand politely with both of mine. The chairman, without paying much attention to my earnest coffee-making, took a seat. It was a bit disappointing.
"Well, Lee Hoyeon, do you have any idea why I wanted to talk to you?"
"I'm not sure."
Maybe it's about Baek Ahyeong. Since I've done volunteer work with her and we were transported together during the dungeon practice, he might want to ask about her.
"You're known to have some connection with Saint Baek Ahyeong, the hunter. Is that true?"
"Yes. While we don't have an extremely close relationship, we maintain a reasonable acquaintance."
For now, it's best to make it seem like we have a moderate acquaintance. There's no benefit in pretending we're very close.
"I see… Yesterday, she suddenly expressed her desire to be assigned to the academy. Did she tell you about this beforehand?"
"No, I also received that information from Professor Kim Jinhyuk this morning."
"Hmm…" Moon Jaecheol took a sip of the coffee on the table.
"As a freshman, you make coffee quite well. Anyway, there's a catch."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know what conditions Saint Baek Ahyeong demanded? She doesn't need money. What she wants is simply not to use the image of a saint for the academy's benefit. And she wants opportunities to interact with the freshmen easily."
"…"
To get a grip on the situation, I quietly tuned in to the chairman's words.
"From the academy's perspective, there's really no reason to decline her. The saintly image has already been thoroughly exploited by the association, and simply broadcasting the news that ‘the saint is leaving the association for the academy' will be a massive boon."
That logic holds up. Baek Ahyeong had firmly established herself as a saintly figure, thanks to her striking looks and her constant care for the injured on-site. Not just the media, even active hunters rallied behind her, so the public perceived her as a genuinely kind-hearted saint. For someone like her to opt for the academy over the association was already a considerable gain for us.
"But the idea of easily mingling with the freshmen… that does raise a few eyebrows from our perspective."
"Agreed."josei
"Is she attempting to poach freshmen for the association? That's simply preposterous. Is she planning to whisk away the freshmen and start her own guild? It sounds absurd. That leaves us with only one possibility. Among the freshmen, there's someone who's piqued her interest…"
"…"
"…and that someone is you, Lee Hoyeon."
A shiver ran down my spine. I could sense the chairman's determination to uncover my secrets, no matter the cost. This man had climbed to the position of chairman of the academy, after all. If I were just an ordinary freshman, I might have spilled a bunch of fabricated facts about the professor's office, the situation, and the chairman's status under this pressure. But I was different. My Clear Mental Strength allowed me to keep my emotions in check in any situation.
The academy's information-gathering abilities were a bit unsettling. They had uncovered Baek Ahyeong's intentions involving me within a day. However, this was the moment to remain composed. My response here was of utmost importance. What did this man want to hear from me?
"I'm not heartless. If it's true that Hunter Baek Ahyeong came to the academy because of you, then I plan to show my gratitude, Hoyeon. So, there's no need for falsehoods."
While the chairman's words sounded like that, he had already pieced together the truth. In reality, if you were to ask the hunters who rescued Baek Ahyeong and me during the dungeon rampage, or the daycare teachers at the orphanage, they would likely know that she and I were quite close. Of course, if I vehemently denied it, I could temporarily extricate myself from this situation, but it wouldn't resolve the underlying issue. After all, Baek Ahyeong, who had infiltrated the academy, would eventually reach out to me.
Perhaps it's best to say that we're dating…
If Baek Ahyeong and I were declared to be in a relationship, that would clear up everything. People often change jobs for their significant other. However, just as I was about to utter the words, I hesitated briefly. If they had conducted such a thorough investigation, they probably knew about my relationship with Lumi as well. In that case, declaring we were dating wasn't an option.
What should I say?
After a moment of contemplation, I spoke up, "Well… the truth is, the Saint has taken a liking to me and is following me around."
Sorry, Ahyeong.
"What did you say…?" My unexpected response caused Chairman Moon Jaecheol, who had been wearing a poker face while trying to read the atmosphere, to widen his eyes.
***
"Was that… She caught feelings for you after the dungeon incident and has been following you around…"
"Yes, that's right. I volunteered at the orphanage last weekend as part of the student council, and she knew about it beforehand and tagged along. You can even check with the orphanage director."
"Hmm… Just give me a moment." Moon Jaecheol tapped his smartwatch and sent a message. "Confirmed. I've spoken to the director."
"Yes."
"Hoyeon, if you ever feel like you need protection, the academy can relocate Hunter Baek Ahyeong right away. What do you think?"
Oh, that's intriguing. Chairman Moon Jaecheol had some personal principles, even as the chairman, to consider sending a saint away for the sake of a single freshman. After all, he's Moon Soorin's grandfather, so he couldn't be a bad person.
"No, thank you. I'm still in the stage of thinking about my relationship with the Saint."
I thought I gave a decent response, but the Chairman was scrutinizing me intently. "Hmm, you're definitely not your average freshman."
"It's no big deal."
Oops, did I play it too cool?
But rather than making mistakes while pretending to be a real freshman, a composed response without errors was better. I was confident there was no better approach.
"It's more than that. You're on a different level compared to those nervous guys who stand before me. That alone makes it understandable why Soorin might be interested in you."
"Yes…?"
Did I mishear? How did the Chairman know that Soorin was interested in me?
"But you see…"
My heart started racing. Chairman Moon Jaecheol wasn't emitting any mana. Yet my combat instincts were telling me this situation was dangerous.
"If you want to get close to my Soorin… at the very least, you should have all your relationships with other women sorted out and be in a state where you're solely focused on Soorin. Otherwise, I don't even know how I'll react."
"Alright…"
Chairman was smiling, but it didn't seem entirely genuine.
"You're not bowing down completely, and I respect your determination."
He seemed to appreciate my attitude except for my relationships with women. Fortunately, he didn't seem to need further explanations. Since he wasn't in a state of extreme anger, it appeared he didn't know about my pursuit of Soorin yet. That was a relief.
"I'll send Soorin over. Thanks to you, we've shifted the Saint's affiliation to the academy, so we should definitely offer fair compensation."
The problem was, I hadn't even started pursuing Soorin yet. Will he be cool if I try to flirt with her? I have no idea…
***
The chairman wrapped up the conversation and headed out. With no chance to skip class, I rushed to the auditorium where our joint session was underway.
As I pushed open the creaky auditorium door and stepped inside, I spotted a mix of first-year and second-year students receiving instructions from the professors. I exchanged a nod with Professor Kim Jinhyuk, who was addressing the first-year students, and then took a seat beside Lucy.
"Oh, Hoyeon, you made it?"
"Yeah, where's Lumi?"
"She's in the restroom. We're just finishing up mental training, and it's time for some sparring. You arrived at the perfect moment."
"Ah, really?"
I noticed there were fewer professors than usual, but they were setting up multiple sparring rings at the back. It seemed like everyone would have a chance to spar today.
"Okay, first-year students, gather over here. We're going to have practical sparring sessions with the second-year students."
Whispers spread through the room.
"Wow, those second-years must be tough, huh?"
"But aren't there no famous figures among the second-years? All the promising students are in the first-year."
That's a valid point. For the sake of gameplay progression, the promising students were often concentrated in the first year, leaving the second-year students as somewhat overlooked.
"Hey, anything noteworthy happen in the year the first-years were born?"
"Well, it's probably just luck."
I'm grateful that we first-years don't have titles like "Golden Generation Star, Lee Hoyeon." If I ever heard something like that, I'd want to vanish into thin air.
"So, how should we decide the order? Any first-year students eager to spar with the second-years first?"
As Professor Kim Jinhyuk briefly stepped away to help set up the sparring rings, Professor Yeo, responsible for Class B, took the stage and asked the first-year students. It was clear that today's session had piqued the interest of the freshmen, given the rare opportunity to spar with their more experienced peers.
I swiftly raised my hand, not willing to let this chance slip away to someone else.