Chapter 115 : Whose fault was it meant to be?
Whose fault was it meant to be?
With the end of summer break, I returned to school and attended the opening ceremony.
Now a sophomore, my newly assigned class wasn't much different from when I was a freshman.
The students who made noise and played pranks and the overall class atmosphere were basically the same, though there were a few differences.
The students I used to know had moved to other classes. The most prominent example was Sang-ah.
However...
"Hi! Good morning~!"
Ah-rin bounded in on the first day, greeting everyone cheerfully.
Her pink hair, topped with fox ears, and the twitching tail that swayed behind her always left a striking impression.
Since I already knew she was transferring here, I wasn't surprised, and I had told Sang-ah about it in advance, too.
But unlike us, the rest of the class gawked at Ah-rin in astonishment.
"Wow, who's that?"
"There was no one like her among the freshmen."
"She's pretty."
"Is she a transfer?"
"She must've passed the new student entrance exam, huh?"
"That tough exam?"
"She's got the looks and even the skills."
"She's a total flower."
Because of Ah-rin's extraordinary appearance, the boys in class were saying all sorts of good things about her.
Ah-rin seemed to have heard their whispers and smiled happily.
At the sight of her smile, the boys looked dazed and slack-jawed.
It really looked like watching hapless men enchanted by a fox.
The other students kept staring at Ah-rin, but her gaze was on none other than me.
"Seongjin! I'm in the same class as you! Of course, I'm going to pick a seat right here."
Ah-rin trotted over and sat down next to me.
Even though seat assignments weren't settled yet, she was determined to sit by my side, no matter what.
"It could change later, you know."
"I don't care! We'll have to sit boys and girls together anyway—the usual!"
Ah-rin beamed at me, grinning widely.
As the boys who had been watching Ah-rin saw all this, more conversations erupted.
"What's up with Ma Seongjin?"
"Him again? Seriously?"
"What's their relationship?"
"He used to hang out with Kwon Sang-ah, now he's got another girl by his side?"
Jealousy began to radiate among them.
If there's only one pretty girl in the class and a guy monopolizes her attention, he becomes the focus of envy.
But to me, it was just childish squabbling—not worth paying much attention to.
And then....
─Zzt.
"Eek...!"
Ah-rin, hearing their whispers, turned her icy gaze on them.
At her cold stare, the boys fell instantly silent.
If anything ever did happen out of jealousy, I didn't need to step in.
Ah-rin would take care of it all herself.
Clatter—
At that moment, a woman who appeared to be our homeroom teacher opened the front door and entered the classroom.
With her entrance, the entire class quieted down, and everyone looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
The woman who would be our homeroom teacher had skin pale as a corpse.
Her eyes, lifeless and staring out over the classroom, made her look like a walking corpse.
Naturally, anyone would get chills just seeing her.
"Nice to meet you. From today, I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next year."
When she spoke with a smile, the icy tension eased.
Despite her terrifying looks, her smile made her unexpectedly beautiful.
The charm of that contradiction caused the students' cheeks to redden, and as she wrote her name on the blackboard, she continued speaking.
"My name is Karen Reyhold. I used to work as a hunter in Europe, but now, by request of someone important, I'll be your homeroom teacher."
Since I already knew her, I just smirked quietly.
But one student raised a question.
"Um, we heard our homeroom teacher would be a man—did something change?"
"There was someone originally assigned to be your homeroom teacher, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I've taken over instead."
"What kind of circumstances?"
"Just... circumstances."
There are always "adult circumstances" that can never be shared.
And honestly, the reason is because of me and Vern.
"Teacher, you're so pretty!"
"Oh, you sillies."
"At first, you looked scary, but now you seem like someone else."
"Well, thank you for the compliment~"
Karen beamed at the students' cheers.
Thinking of Karen from Mewzealand, who always had a haggard face due to betrayal by humans, her current appearance was completely different.
Although she'd become undead, her life had changed ever since Vern took her in.
There was no longer any trace of her bloodstained demonkin past; now she simply looked like a pure-hearted teacher.
The more I saw Karen like this, the prouder I felt.
"Teacher! Teacher!"
At that moment, Ah-rin stood up with her hand raised.
"Yes, the pretty student over there."
"I have a question."
Ah-rin, sensing Karen's bright and friendly demeanor, spoke openly.
"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"
"Never, punk."
Excuse me?
"I told you, not even once, you brat."
Um... Karen...?
Suddenly, the once-gentle Karen's expression turned ghostly cold.
"From now on, don't ask about stuff like boyfriends or whatever. It's disgusting."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Karen's undead nature had appeared in an instant.
Not just Ah-rin, but all of the students looked thunderstruck.
Honestly, I felt the same way.
What's wrong with her all of a sudden? Just a moment ago, she looked like a daycare teacher.
"Let me give you all a piece of advice. Romances are just fleeting illusions. Try dreaming about a boyfriend or girlfriend, and you'll end up like me."
So seriously, what happened?
Did Vern bully her or something?
"So, from now on, boys will sit with boys and girls with girls when we assign seats. No objections, right?"
"What?"
No one was more shocked by Karen's words than Ah-rin.
What exactly happened to make her snap like this in front of the students?
I'll have to ask Vern about it later.
****
Class 2-6. Student number 10.
That was Baek Eunseol's new identity as of today.
Sitting in her homeroom, Eunseol trembled as she watched students run around.
Her purpose for joining Hand was to blend in with kids her age, but having dropped out of her previous middle school and holed up in her room, it wasn't easy.
Others were already chattering among themselves while she sat quietly.
'What am I even doing here?'
She scolded herself for doing nothing.
She wanted to force herself to move, to try to communicate with someone, anyone.
But her body felt glued to the chair.
She didn't even have the courage to lift herself off it.
"Who are you? I've never seen you at this school."
"Are you a transfer?"
"What's your name?"
That was when the other kids approached her.
Since she didn't come to them, they came to her.
"She looks like an angel."
"Do you like games?"
"What are your hobbies?"
With her pure white wings, Eunseol's beauty naturally drew the kids' attention.
It was both a golden opportunity and a looming challenge.
If she hesitated now, she'd definitely become the butt of jokes.
While the kids were gathered around, she needed to show her appeal.
"I... painting..."
But Eunseol spoke stiffly, as if her mouth had frozen.
At her awkward response, the kids frowned in confusion.
She so desperately wanted to break out of her outsider's shell, but having the others so close made her stomach twist and her breath short.
"Painting...!"
She didn't deserve to be friends with anyone.
That suffocating guilt grabbed hold of her, consuming her body and intensifying her pain.
At last, just as the kids started to lose interest and turn away—
Clatter—
The homeroom teacher entered at the perfect moment.
At his arrival, the kids returned to their seats.
Standing at the front was a beastman shaped like a huge elephant.
The students found it fascinating, but in a time when people were born with wings, a walking elephant wasn't that strange.
"Nice to meet you, everyone. I'll be your homeroom teacher, jeon Gigan. As you can see, I'm a Mutamit with an elephant's trunk. Look, watch this~"
The teacher introduced himself and waggled his giant trunk.
The kids, picking up on his sense of humor, burst into laughter.
He went on to explain the upcoming schedule and education plans, managing the class as if he'd done this many times before.
From the way he used his Mutamit features as a punchline, he gave off a definite veteran vibe.
"And now, let's introduce our new transfer student. You there, the pretty one."
"Yes...!"
That transfer student was, of course, Eunseol, who stepped up to the lectern.
Come to think of it, this was her chance.
The chance to make up for her earlier awkwardness and show off to her classmates!
Some kids who'd seen her say nothing earlier might find her odd.
She could turn things around now!
'Don't get discouraged, Baek Eunseol.'
My name is Baek Eunseol.
In my family, I have one grandfather, and I'm a winged Mutamit.
My hobby is painting. I haven't settled on a dream yet, but for now, my goal is to help my grandfather after graduation.
'Alright. Perfect!'
Having run through it in her head, Eunseol shrugged her shoulders with confidence.
If she mentioned her painting hobby, the classmates or teacher would surely ask to see her art.
She happened to have some saved on her phone, so she could use that to make an impression.
It felt promising!
"Transfer student, write your name big on the board."
"Yes."
Jeon Gigan stretched out his long trunk like an arm and handed her a marker.
Seeing that, Eunseol smirked and said,
"Your trunk dangles so much."
"Right? It's not just an ordinary trunk—it's rubber. Rubber rubber~"
"Puhahaha!"
The teacher mimicked a famous pirate manga with his wobbly trunk.
That flash of humor triggered another round of laughter, and Eunseol, standing close, managed to laugh along too.
Her heart felt lighter, and she didn't need to worry about getting stomachaches—at least for now.
She should be grateful for the dangling trunk...
"Dangle dangle...?"
Just then, as she held the marker, Eunseol suddenly froze.
She kept staring blankly at the teacher's trunk as it swung back and forth.
"Transfer student?"
"Dangle...?"
The elephant's trunk swayed before her eyes.
She was certain she'd seen something just like that very recently.
Yes, the secret room hidden in the chairman's office.
That was where she'd met the boy she'd been longing for.
Especially that astonishing sight the boy revealed.
It looked just like the elephant's trunk swinging before her.
"Long...big..."
Thud—
Murmuring, Eunseol suddenly collapsed onto the floor.
Her mind whirled, her eyes spinning like a top from psychological shock.
"Transfer student? What's wrong—?!"
With no warning, Eunseol's collapse shocked both the teacher and the kids.
Although she hadn't bumped her face, blood started to drip from Eunseol's nose.
Nobody knew what had happened, but she had to be taken to the nurse's office, urgently.
"I'll—"
"No! I'll take her!"
Just then, a student raised her hand and volunteered.
The girl with red hair and horns walked up to the lectern and heaved Eunseol onto her back.
"You're a kind student. What's your name?"
"Kwon Sang-ah."
"Alright, Sang-ah. Come by later to get your reward."
"Thank you."
And so Eunseol was carried on the girl's back to the nurse's office.
Eunseol's chance to impress her new classmates evaporated in an instant before all of them.
Not knowing what had caused her to collapse, the students soon labeled her as "the weird girl".
Already, on her first day, her social life was in shambles.
Whose fault was it meant to be?