Chapter 10
Simultaneously with the bell signaling the start of class, a low rumble vibrated through the floor beneath my feet. I turned to see the thick doors of the shooting range slowly closing. What? When did the time…
I’d been so lost in thought that I hadn’t realized it wasn’t just the cold winter air that had been sealed inside. The two instructors for the cross class, along with all the students from Guide Class 3 and Esper Class 1—about thirty people in total—were now lined up in formation. A wave of tension washed over me as I prepared to face the impending accident among them.
"Geumi, class prez… I think class is starting," Hyeonseo whispered from my side.
"Looks like it. It’s my first cross class," Seonho murmured back.
It was understandable that they were nervous. The first class for graduating seniors was a high-level joint session. While the guides were all more or less on the same level, the esper class was full of students with monstrous abilities.
"The esper class guys keep looking over here," Seonho noted.
"Y-yeah. I just made eye contact with one of them…" Hyeonseo stammered.
"But isn’t that guy your pair, Geumi?"
My pair? Was he talking about Yoon Geonwoo? I followed their hushed conversation and looked up. I didn’t have to search for long before my eyes met Geonwoo’s menacing glare. Even from under his shaggy bangs, the ferocity of his gaze was unmistakable.
He’s going to burn a hole through my face…
I felt a momentary flicker of intimidation, but then annoyance took over. What’s his problem? I glared right back. It was better than being ignored like a complete stranger, but did he really have to stare at me like that?
"C-class prez, Geumi… did we do something wrong?" Hyeonseo whimpered, shrinking closer to me as my staring contest with Geonwoo continued.
Seonho must have sensed the hostility in Geonwoo’s gaze too, because he dropped the arm he’d had around my shoulders and squared himself to face Geonwoo directly.
"Geumi. Are you sure you want to be paired with that guy?"
"…It’s not about what I want. We’re already a pair."
"Hah, what kind of esper looks at their own pair like that?" Seonho whispered with a look of disgust.
I understood his reaction. I had wronged Geonwoo, so I tried to be patient, but his glare was undeniably hostile. And now, that hostile glare was completely blocked by Seonho’s large frame. But that only made me more anxious. It was like wearing a blindfold because you were scared of a ticking time bomb. I tugged on Seonho’s arm, pulling him aside.
"It’s fine… We just have to do our part."
"Then you should just crush everyone today."
"Me?"
"You can do it, Geumi. You’ve gotten an A in every shooting class so far."
As Seonho said, I had never once missed scoring an A in shooting since starting high school. I had a knack for it, and it suited my personality. I particularly liked the precision of aiming at a specific target, so I always gave it my all. But today, something else was more important.
"I can’t. There’s something I need to pay more attention to than my shooting score today."
"Something to pay attention to? What?"
"Um… your safety?"
"What? It’s not like you to say something so thoughtful." Seonho seemed pleased with my answer and ruffled my hair. The static made my curly hair stand on end. I wish he wouldn’t do that.
"Ah, Han Seonho!"
I shot him a sharp glare, but he just laughed and said I looked like a dandelion seed. From the stifled giggles nearby, I could tell Hyeonseo was trying not to laugh too.
As I was playing along with them, a murmur went through the class as someone appeared on the platform at the front of the range. Sensing my gaze shift, Seonho spoke up at just the right moment.
"That’s esper Jeong Ui-chan and guide Kim Ji-hwan, who will be in charge of today’s practice. They’re both A-Class."
He was as sharp as ever. I had just been thinking that we had an extra instructor because it was a cross class, and he’d provided the answer right on cue.
SAA’s ultimate goal was to prevent the loss of talent and cultivate individuals with abilities who could be deployed immediately upon graduation. For that reason, practical courses outside the regular curriculum were taught by active-duty espers and guides dispatched from Central Headquarters. These contracts were typically month-to-month, so these two would likely be our instructors for at least the next month.
But there was a problem. These weren’t the instructors from before my regression.
"Aren’t they the busiest people around these days?" I asked Seonho in a low voice.
"Yeah, their team just cleared a new A-Class dungeon last week."
Seonho’s answer made my head spin. I remembered a school news article I’d skimmed a few days ago.
SAA NEWS: New A-Class Gate Cleared in Record Time
At 05:00 on the 23rd, a new Gate, presumed to be A-Class, appeared. Following a Level 1 alert, espers from Central Headquarters were dispatched. The high-risk Gate was neutralized in just three hours, drawing public attention. Participants included esper Jeong Ui-chan (A-Class: mental-type), esper Park Hwan-hee (A-Class: special ability), esper Kim Jong-chan (A-Class: nature-type), and their dedicated pair guides. Video link: https://www.youtubeee.com/watch.boom
SAA Reporter, Joo Yeo-rye. zooyr@saa.net
It had only been a few days since I saw that article. Why were these famous people here? Is it really okay to assign such high-level personnel to a student class? Having such skilled instructors would certainly be better for handling the accident I was anticipating, but… these people were at the peak of their careers. They surely had the power to refuse such an assignment. Why had they come all the way to the school?
Could it be the Vice Director’s doing? No, that didn’t make sense. No matter how much influence SAA had, these were a high-ranking pair from Central who handled top-level operations. The Vice Director didn’t have that kind of power. I’d already thought the sudden cross class was strange, but now that the instructors were different too, something was definitely suspicious. The only thing that had changed between my past and present life was that I had guided Yoon Geonwoo. But that alone couldn’t have altered the first day of school this drastically. Not only was I in a shooting class with Geonwoo, but the instructors were renowned experts. At this point, I couldn’t ignore the changes even if I wanted to.
"Esper Class 1, Guide Class 3. Looks like everyone’s here," the guide instructor, Kim Ji-hwan, said from the platform.
Despite my suspicions, the instructors seemed intent on fulfilling their roles.
"Ah, but there’s… this student was requested by…"
"That student is separate… I see. Then let’s do this."
They were too far away for me to hear clearly, but they seemed to be discussing some issue with deep concern.
"If there’s a student who was a class representative last year, please raise your hand," the esper instructor called out, his voice amplified by his ability.
Seonho, who had also been the rep in our second year, raised his hand. Fortunately, a student from Esper Class 1 raised their hand as well.
"You two will be temporary class reps for today. I’ll make sure you get extra credit for your trouble."
The instructors looked relieved. They couldn’t waste precious practice time on something as trivial as electing a class rep. After brief introductions, they got straight to explaining the day’s lesson.
"Cross class will be conducted completely differently from the separate classes you’re used to at SAA," the guide instructor explained, his voice calm and polite. "Unlike previous lessons where you shot at stationary or moving targets, from now on, these will be fluid practicals where espers and guides can conduct joint operations. Since this is the first class, we’ll start with a light warm-up."
Seonho, drafted as a temporary rep, stood near the platform to assist the instructors. I listened to the rest of the explanation with my arm still linked through Hyeonseo’s. After the brief overview, the guide instructor had the guide and esper classes form two lines facing each other. The unexpected command left everyone looking bewildered, but because the instructors were so well-known, everyone complied without much complaint.
"Since this is shooting practice, you’ll form teams of one guide and one esper, regardless of your matching rate. Of course, if there are students who want to work together, you’re free to switch partners."
The line was formed randomly, so the person standing in front of me was an A-Class esper I’d never spoken to before. With his large, muscular build, dark skin, and short buzz cut, he was clearly a physical-type esper.
"I know you. Kim Sogeum? Park Sogeum? I heard you’re good at shooting," he said, breaking the ice.
"It’s So Geumi. Last name So, first name Geumi. And I’m not that good."
"Oh, you’re humble too."
He had a straightforward, easygoing personality.
"Is there an esper you want to team up with?" he asked.
"Me…? Uh, well…"
"If not, want to just team up like this? I’d like to work with you."
An esper I wanted to work with? Of course, there was. It was a selfish thought, but I wondered if I could use this opportunity to exchange a few words with Yoon Geonwoo. I’m curious about his contamination level, too…
But before I could answer, the guy had already boldly proposed we team up. I was about to nod unconsciously when the guide instructor’s urgent voice cut in.
"However, those who have already formed a temporary pair are an exception."
What…? The timing was too unnatural to be a coincidence. And maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw the instructor’s eyes briefly flick toward Yoon Geonwoo. When his gaze then shifted to me, a thought struck me.
The person who arranged this wasn’t the Vice Director, but…
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