Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

32 – Someone More Oblivious than a Stray Cat ☆

Throughout the whole journey, I’ve been thinking.

Synite knew that Temulik Stained had purposely let him win. After all, he had also learned martial arts, including Bongsul, and Terra Simond had been caught by the throat during the match. Even a person who knew nothing about martial arts would be able to tell that it was a defeat given out of mercy.

“Why?”

However, the reason for losing even when he could win remains unclear.

“Could it be because of me?”

An indescribable suspicion deepens. Distress, excitement, worry, joy, and various other emotions are mixed together, making it impossible to define this feeling, so I continue to ponder. The way she arrives at the truth has always been through deduction. The Saint had never learned anything about holiness or a man’s heart, so she was accustomed to using logic to grasp the truth.

“It’s strange that the gymnasium burned down too.”

Clearly, Temulik Stained swore in the name of the Virgin that it was a true story. That’s why doubts arose, but everyone decided to suppress them and believe. They believed that they wouldn’t lie under the name of God. However, today’s events make me unsure. Even though he could have turned it all around, he endured two blows and knelt.

Why did that happen, and for whom was this defeat?

“It must be because of me, Temulik-nim gave me this victory.”

Even if I blame myself for narcissism or perhaps call it narcissism, the conclusion doesn’t change. He committed such an act in order to consider my discomfort and prevent my rejection of his proposal. And then, somehow, I become concerned about his shoulder and arm, which were hit consecutively.

“Um, Temulik-nim.”

“Did I pronounce it correctly?”

Temulik Stained is a bit difficult to articulate at the tip of the tongue. Even though I don’t know why I’m concerned about this, Sennite feels anxious, wondering if he’s calling his name like a clumsy tongue-twister.

“Yes.”

“I think I said ‘yes’ before, right?”

The novice saint, who hadn’t even experienced first love, was unable to grasp her own feelings due to her lack of understanding.

“By any chance… did you let me win on purpose?”

“No.”

It was an obvious denial. Unable to believe it, I asked again.

“But it felt that way to me.”

“When I had his collar earlier, my hand slipped, and I missed the opportunity. I could have continued the fight, but I felt a clear gap in skill, so I gave up early. If I had continued to the end, I would have exhausted myself and suffered a more humiliating defeat.”

─ That’s a lie.

Senith was surprised by the words that came to him unknowingly and reflected on them.

─ I’m sorry, it was an impious thought.

“So, you could consider it a rational judgment or a strategic decision.”

Senith’s doubts did not disappear with the words that fit as if they were prepared. He wanted to ask more, but decided to remain silent as the crow with horns shaped like question marks wandered inside him. Doubting others’ words is a sin. If he said it wasn’t him, he had to believe it.

“I understand.”

“Saint, I need to meet Jeffrey, so I might not be able to have dinner.”

“Oh… I was planning to pack and eat in my room!”

“Then, should I just take you to the restaurant?”

─ Strange.

“No, I can go alone.”

“Take care, and carry a iron bar wherever you go.”

He waved his hand with a jingling sound of a ring as a greeting.

“Would you like sugar too?”

In the quaint restaurant she entered, when she asked for the bread to be generously coated with sugar, the owner warned that the cost of sugar would be more than the bread. After assuring there was no problem, she bought three pieces of bread and a lump of cheese with dried apricots and returned. When she came back to her room, she went to the place with the altar and kneeled.

─ Holy Mother.

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Quietly entering her inner self, she repented of today’s suspicions and asked for this distrust to disappear.

“But it still doesn’t make sense.”

After the prayer, her heart felt much lighter, but it seems this horned crow still had some energy left. Senith bit into a piece of bread── and once again fell sweetly into the pit of suspicion.

“It’s too ironic.”

It was occasional that the gym burned down after she walked with him, and it was coincidental that he deliberately lost when she showed signs of feeling burdened by Genoa. She desperately pondered the connecting link of truth between this accidental fire and intentional defeat. After a long thought, the conclusion she reached even surprised herself.

─ No way!

Senith vehemently denied and kneeled in front of the altar prepared for prayer.

“Holy Mother.”

And she bowed her head and whispered.

“Please make Temulic not like me.”

As there was no mirror in her room, she had no way of knowing the shape of her eyes and the corners of her mouth right now.

[#32 – Love Story]

Kennis stood in the usual place where she always waited for Jeffrey. He was certainly not smart or talented, but he had perseverance. Most people would have given up by now, but he never begged and faithfully fulfilled the tasks he was given every day.

The following week was dedicated to the production of supplementary materials for the administrative track.

In a sense, it was a lower grade compared to a thesis, and I had supplemented it and submitted it as a complete paper when I graduated from the academy. Since it was only published in second-tier academic journals, I didn’t write it fiercely.

At that time, I chose marine science as the topic due to the background of the Rada family. However, the cross-validation was taken care of by the assistant, and the professor took charge, so I didn’t feel like it was my own work. Therefore, I never mentioned it anywhere and couldn’t even be proud of it.

Of course, that was only Kensis’s perspective.

For a tropical sixteen-year-old to complete a paper of academic journal quality with the help of an assistant and a professor was quite unusual. For this reason, the advisor presented the paper under the pseudonym ‘Vasascius Penchef,’ not Kensis Rada, to avoid potential rejection due to his young age.

“Instructor!”

Suddenly, Kensis raised his head at the sound calling him. Jeffrey approached eagerly, striding confidently.

“Are you enjoying teasing me?”

“Explain what you mean so I can understand.”

“This!”

He tapped a water bottle on the floor. Upon closer inspection, the material could be discerned.

“It’s an aluminum water bottle.”

“Who wouldn’t know that?”

Continuing to grumble, Jeffrey picked up the note attached to the water bottle.

“Only a fool worse than a cat.”

Kensis replied nonchalantly.

“It’s not that bad.”

For some reason, Jeffrey seemed angrier, and Kensis, fearing he might also get irritated, asked directly.

“Are you misunderstanding that I wrote this?”

“If not you, then who else would it be, Instructor?”

“Jeffrey, even a cat has more sense than you.”

“True. Why do you keep scratching my pride after saying you won’t?”

Kensis asked, looking sternly at his foolish disciple.

“Do I have any gain in writing this?”

“Teasing me is fun.”

“So, what you’re saying is, the homeroom teacher went out of his way to prepare an aluminum bottle, wrote a note on it, and enjoyed it?”

When Kensis stared intently, Jeffrey also thought it didn’t make sense and bit his tongue.

“If there’s a chance of misunderstanding, let me make it clear. I am not a pervert, and I have perfectly normal taste.”

“No, then who would do such a thing?”

“Even if you just pay attention to the handwriting, you can tell it’s not me.”

Kenneth picked up a fallen pebble from the ground and wrote, “More clueless than a cat, that’s for sure.”

“Despite seeing me write every day, such misunderstandings persist below these lines,” he added.

“There’s no one else to do it but the instructor, right?”

“I said it wasn’t me, proved it, and I have no interest; deducing the culprit is not my concern.”

Stating only the facts dryly, Jeffrey wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand, changing expressions constantly.

─Making unreasonable misunderstandings again.

As Kenneth noticed Jeffrey’s complexion brightening, he warned him not to let his student be hurt by baseless fantasies.

“It’s not Diana either.”

“I know.”

“There’s no reason for this.”

“Then who, and why are they doing this?”

At this moment, Kenneth pondered the gains and losses of expressing his opinion to Jeffrey. In the world, there are those who mock the efforts of others for no reason, and it might be necessary to remind them that the ones being cowardly are themselves. Those who ignore others can’t even attempt what they do.

Choosing the path of becoming humble is also due to the lack of courage and perseverance to move forward. Therefore, lazy crowds who crush their opponents only with words, carrying their meager pride, have existed in any generation and any world. If this is a malicious insult, Jeffrey was doing it right. That’s why his words as a homeroom teacher were clear.

“You’re doing well.”

“What do you mean?”

“If someone mocks you, it means you’re doing well.”

So don’t waver, drink all the water in this bottle, and even write a note if necessary.

“A note?”

“It means to write on the back.”

He didn’t point out the lack of vocabulary for someone aspiring for administration. Jeffrey was already embarrassed, but he wasn’t someone who didn’t know effort, just a bit slow.

“Now, what should I write?”

As Kenneth softened his tone, Jeffrey, who was emitting a sweat odor all over his body, quickly finished a bottle of water.

“I’ll write it.”

When handed a pencil, he immediately wrote:

“Thanks for the drink!”

─This guy might turn out okay.

In not retaliating against insults and enduring, Jeffrey had the potential to change. Having always guided exceptional individuals and those with talents, initially, Kenneth considered all C-8 class students as third-rate.

However, even among the same third-rate, there is a clear difference. Those who strive to improve, those who linger, and those who want to fall even lower. Although Jeffrey’s skills may be no more than a C grade, his attitude was on par with an A grade.

“Well done.”

“I’ll go and bring it.”

“Since we have something to do next week, let’s walk and talk together.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Jeffrey, it’s not a good habit to worry about what others think.”

“I understand.”

Kennis told her to prepare because they would have to make the supplementary materials together starting next week.

“I’ve never done something like that before.”

“I learned it for the first time at the academy too. I’ll help you, so just take it step by step.”

“What’s the use of making that anyway?”

Jeffrey was silently protesting with a look that seemed to say, “Will Diana appreciate this?”

“Among the subjects you take, there’s one related to administration.”

“So?”

“Choose one and make the supplementary materials, then give them to the designated officer.”

“But that only benefits the officer, is there really a need to do it?”

“The Rhyland Academy is so small that you can run two laps around it every day. Once you start running every day, you’ll realize how small it is here. If you’re not convinced, you can even run three laps every day.”

“No, I already feel that way now.”

“Then no matter what kind of supplementary materials you make, it’s bound to spread rumors, right?”

Even if Diana couldn’t hear it, the students who take the same class would know, and maybe even her friends would follow suit. Jeffrey quietly nodded in agreement. They arrived at the spot where they had picked up the water bottle. It was the exact turning point. It was almost exactly 2.1 to 2.3 kilometers, so maybe this was planned as a joke.

“Jeffrey.”

“I know, don’t say anything else since I’m going to do it.”

“I think it would be better if you write the answer on this note every time.”

He gave a perplexed expression, saying that it should be written in a more kind and friendly manner. It was a puzzled expression of someone who was lacking in sensitivity. Instead of telling him the current presumptions, which might cause mistakes, she deliberately gave a different reason.

“The best response you can give to someone who insults you is to not lose your politeness until the end.”

So let’s politely counter rude jeers, he thought to himself, smiling as his lips curled up.