The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Cancel it while I'm being nice

Before they knew it, as March arrived, Hand began a new semester.

The trees, which had lost their leaves to the biting cold, gradually started to regain their strength and shed their old husks to reclaim what was lost.

It was also time for the students to recover their motivation, which had slackened, in order to greet the new term.

And it was also time for the teaching staff, who had finished their long break, to sharpen their gaze and ready themselves to guide the students.

Especially for newly joined staff, strict training in controlling their expressions was mandatory.

"Listen up. I've probably said this before, but you must never become a laughingstock in front of the students. You know well enough what happens if you show such weakness, don't you?"

A staff member of Middle School 2 at Hand was explaining the cautionary points to the new junior colleague.

In order to educate the slack Hand students, candidates were selected among Awakened Ones who exuded a massive aura.

Just being selected as a newcomer at such a place was enough proof of their aura, but still, the senior staff felt obliged to repeat the explanation.

"It may be tedious to keep saying the same things, but that's how important this is. You must've heard the rumors about the student who committed a dismemberment murder at our School 2 last year, right?"

"Yes, sir!"

It was the case where an innocent person lost their life because of the misdeeds of a delinquent student named Michael Kang.

Some students had almost become victims as well, so this incident was still talked about frequently.

Besides that, there had been other various incidents and accidents at Hand in the past.

Reckless students had stolen motorcycles and run off, or, desiring to become stronger without effort, had dabbled in the black market.

Once, there had even been a case of a student assaulting a woman on a nighttime street.

Of course, they had all been expelled or sent to juvenile detention, but they must've been released after brief sentences, and now there were rumors they had stepped out onto the streets and joined hands with the darkness.

"From now on, such students must never arise at our school, not even if hell freezes over. You must make stern and just judgments when needed. Don't hesitate to use corporal punishment if it's necessary. Understood?"

"I will bear it in mind."

"Good."

The senior relaxed, reassured by the firm will and aura exuded by the newcomer.

Then, gazing quietly at the newcomer's face, he spoke.

"But you... your face looks familiar somehow...?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"How old are you now?"

"I turn twenty this year."

The moment he heard that age, the senior leaned closer, inspecting the face more intently.

When the junior tensed up, his body frozen, the senior soon drew back as if it was nothing.

"Never mind. I joined as staff when I was 21 too."

"...."

"These are the students you'll be in charge of. It's good to familiarize yourself, even if the group is large."

Letting go of his suspicions, the senior handed over the student roster for the class he'd be responsible for.

Then, as if his business was finished, he left the teachers' office.

As soon as the senior left, the newcomer let out a relieved sigh and murmured.

"Phew~ That was close. Almost got caught."

The tension and shrinking earlier hadn't been from the senior's authority.

It was the anxiety that he might have been discovered as someone who used to be a student at Hand.

Choi Jinyoung. Long ago, when he was a student, he'd caused significant trouble in the upper school.

The severity grew over time, escalating to the point where he stole motorcycles and became involved in the black market.

Naturally, his fate was juvenile detention, and even after his release, he hadn't corrected his ways.

"If I hadn't changed my face with plastic surgery and switched my identity, I'd have been screwed."

With nothing to his name after release, he'd been able to change identities thanks to a helping hand from the underworld.

That hand was none other than the Sura guild of China.

They were secretly expanding their followers throughout Asia.

Especially, they preferred to offer pardons to discarded Awakened Ones and draw them in.

Choi Jinyoung. He too was an Awakened One tamed by the Sura guild, and was now infiltrating Hand under their orders.

"Now, let's see... Who am I supposed to find again...?"

He muttered, perusing the student roster.

After all, he'd been ordered by the Sura guild to find a particular student and corner them with pressure.

'There are some pretty girls here. Are these transfer students?'

Seeing the faces of the children in his class, Choi Jinyoung grinned slyly.

His mindset, viewing students as possessions rather than disciples, was an existence Hand could hardly tolerate.

"Found you."

He smiled at the roster entry for 'Ma Seongjin'.

Driving this student to the point of suicide was his specialty.

During his school days, he'd frequently bullied children, once even driving someone to suicide.

Moreover, there was general sentiment lately that students had become mentally lax, so harsh discipline was warranted.

"Kehihihihi!"

Pushing a kid like this to their death was nothing for him.

But one question arose.

'If they want him dead, why not just have him assassinated? Why bother with this method?'

He must not become a murder victim.

He must be found dead in a manner that appears to be suicide.

The reason—known only to the higher-ups of the Sura guild—was a secret to Choi Jinyoung.

In any case, the holiday ended today and it was nearly time for the students to return.

Classes resumed the next day, and before that, he wanted to leave a clandestine impression on Ma Seongjin.

The stronger the first impression, the greater the student's fear.

Bzzzz—

Suddenly, his phone vibrated briefly.

'What's this?'

He hadn't entered any events, nor did he have friends to contact him.

There weren't many who would send him a message, so Choi Jinyoung pulled out his phone.

"Huh...?"

The content of the text stunned him.

It was an order to go to the office of Hand's chairman.

.

.

The chairman's office at Hand was located far from Middle School 2, over in the upper school area.

In the city center, towering over the middle school buildings, was the impressive high school structure, and at its core a tall tower stood, inside of which was the chairman's office.

'Why did they call me out of the blue?'

Arriving at the tower, Choi Jinyoung waited for the elevator, deep in thought.

Why would the chairman call a mere teacher like himself?

Had he already been found out? No, that was impossible.

He'd changed his face and name perfectly; unless they did a DNA test, he couldn't be discovered.

As anxiety began to surface, someone else stood before the elevator.

"Excuse me."

"..."

It was a young student in a middle school uniform.

As soon as Choi Jinyoung saw the student, his eyes widened.

Black hair and a dull-eyed face—that was definitely 'Ma Seongjin', as listed in the roster.

"Are you Ma Seongjin by any chance?"

"Yes, that's right. But why?"

The student stuck his head forward and asked.

"How do you know my name?"

With a lazy expression, hands in his pockets, he asked impudently.

A brat like this, oblivious to the dangers of the world, needed a beating fierce enough to set his head bleeding.

Ding—

At that moment, the elevator arrived.

They boarded together.

Wherever this kid was headed, it was a great chance to leave an impression.

"You've been assigned to class 2-4 at School 2, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm your homeroom teacher for 2-4."

"Oh, really?"

Seongjin finally looked at him with interest.

"My name's Choi Jinyoung. Let's get along well."

"Pleased to meet you."

Choi Jinyoung offered his hand for a handshake, and Seongjin accepted without suspicion.

As he grasped Seongjin's hand, Choi Jinyoung's face twisted grotesquely as he squeezed.

"Yes, let's get along, Seongjin!"

"...."

"Kuhahahaha!"

Accompanied by a goosebump-inducing laugh, he tightened his grip ever further.

Unaware of anything, Seongjin should be feeling pain akin to his hand being crushed like a tin can.

But...

"Yes, let's do that."

"Eh?"

He was sure he was exerting pressure.

Not enough to shatter bones, but enough that any child would be screaming for mercy.

Yet Seongjin looked utterly unconcerned.

"Why are you doing this? You were just making a funny face like a comedian."

"You don't feel pain?"

"What do you mean?"

"...."

He didn't seem to be faking; he genuinely seemed fine.

Could it be he had an Invulnerable Body trait like Diamond Body?

Choi Jinyoung increased his strength enough that he could've crumpled a rock like a cookie.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?"

"Huh?"

Still, Seongjin seemed unaffected.

So he squeezed with enough power to crush steel.

Exerting that much force was taxing even for him, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

The smile on his face finally twisted into a look of agony as he applied ever more strength.

"Would you mind letting go now?"

"W-What?!"

Even with all his might, Seongjin's hand remained uncrushed.

It was no different from a baby tugging at the hand of a statue made of iron.

Choi Jinyoung, aghast, released his grip and stepped back, suddenly gripped by anxiety.

"Now what's wrong? You're making a big fuss all of a sudden."

"What?"

"Aren't you used to treating students this way? You're really skittish."

Seongjin acted as if nothing had happened.

Could it be that the grip strength just now hadn't affected him at all?

Ding—

The elevator arrived at the intended floor.

Seizing the chance to escape, Choi Jinyoung hurried out, but Seongjin descended with him.

"Eek!"

"Do you have business on this floor too, teacher?"

The only room on this floor was the chairman's office.

Then this kid was...

"Great timing. Let's go together."

He had no choice but to walk down the hallway with Seongjin.

Just what had allowed him to withstand that grip earlier?

No matter how invulnerable the child might be, there should've been a difference in level between student and staff.

He, a proven infiltrator of Hand, was definitely skilled.

'Maybe I didn't use enough strength?'

After rationalizing thus, he found himself before the chairman's office.

Behind him was a glass wall, beyond which the moonlight shone on their backs.

Below, the nightscape of Hand sparkled in multicolored lights.

'Enough, forget about that now.'

The pressing issue was why he'd been called to the chairman's office.

Recalling his duty, Choi Jinyoung struggled to regain composure.

Knock, knock, knock—

At Seongjin's knock, a voice told them to enter.

As the door opened, both stepped in.

Why had this kid also been summoned to the chairman's office?

It was too late to ponder.

****

Hand, an Awakened Ones' educational institution established in Korea.

As it was made by The World, a global organization, there was no doubt it was internationally renowned.

'Raven Holbat', known as the founder of Hand.

What was publicly known about him was only that he was The World's number-two man.

Other information about The World's executive board was rare.

Nobody knew what they were hiding, but one thing was clear: their power was absolute.

Burying a single person was not difficult for them.

All the more so if it was someone who had colluded with the darkness to infiltrate Hand.

"Khak... kuhak!!"

From the spacious chairman's office, rough groans could be heard.

That pristine place was filled with countless bats fluttering around.

The bats began biting and tearing at one of the guests who had entered.

"Sa... save me..."

The man once called Choi Jinyoung barely stretched out a hand, but, after all his blood was drained by the bats, became a desiccated corpse.

Controlling the bats, Raven Holbat lowered himself before a certain boy.

"It's truly been a long time."

Kneeling, Raven looked up at the girl's face with desperate, wistful eyes.

The boy's once black hair had turned pure white, and wings and horns had sprouted from his head.

Upon seeing that, the man known as Hand's chairman revealed his true name.

"I, Vern, at long last greet the Demon King after many years."

The moon beyond the glass glowed coldly on their reunion.

Yet the Demon King's expression was dissatisfied in front of a subordinate returned after so long.

"Vern."

"Yes! Demon King!"

"I'm glad to see you, but there's something urgent you must do."

"Anything...!"

The Demon King, holding a book titled 'Great Quotations,' spoke.

"Cancel this publication immediately!"

"What?"

"─Right this instaaannt!!!"

Suddenly, the Demon King's face twisted and he shouted.

It was completely different from the Vern knew.