Chapter 18: Real Trait: Can’t Say No

—Wham!

—Bang!

The sound of gloves relentlessly pounding a sandbag reverberated throughout the gymnasium.

After school, free practice time.

With midterms approaching, all the students in the first-year special class had signed up for night self-study. Perhaps because it was their first exam since entering the academy, everyone was nervous, and the practice atmosphere was quieter and heavier than usual.

—Wham!

Han Ruah, who was there as a safety officer and supervisor, stared blankly at the students practicing for their practical exams.

‘Himari is in the classroom studying….’

Of course, Himari had said she would follow Ruah to the gym, but Ruah had instructed her to focus on her studies during exam period.

‘It feels empty.’

Perhaps it started during the fitness test, but when Himari wasn’t around, Ruah felt a sense of emptiness, and when they were together, she felt at ease.

Even when they parted in the evening, Ruah felt a pang of regret, wanting to spend a little more time with her.

Ruah was aware of this change but dismissed it as simply getting used to having someone around.

—Wham!

“Whoa!”

The student holding the sandbag lost his balance and sprawled on the floor, unable to withstand the force of the punch. The student who had thrown the punch quickly rushed over and extended a hand to his friend.

“Sorry! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just lost my balance.”

“Your knee is scraped! Did you do that when you fell?”

Tanned skin radiating health, a neatly cropped short haircut, and a tank top revealing defined abs. She didn’t seem aware of it, but Ruah, watching from afar, noticed the male students glancing at her.

‘Yoo Juju.’

It was Juju, who had previously been active as a tank in the Gate. Having been mistaken for a boy by Himari before, she lacked femininity, but at the same time, she possessed a boyish charm.

“Teacher! Can I get some [Healing] here?”

“Oh, sure!”

Juju called Ruah, pointing to her friend’s scraped knee. Ruah got up and climbed into the boxing ring where Juju was.

“[Healing].”

“Thank you, teacher.”

The student bowed his head. He stood up and held the sandbag again, and Ruah stepped back.

“Okay, let’s go again!”

Juju adjusted her gloves and took her stance. Ruah leaned against the ropes and watched.

“Ha!”

—Bang! Wham!

‘[Triple Punch].’

—…Wham!

—Whoosh, Bang.

‘[Charge Straight]. [Arang Fist].’

Juju seemed to be testing various skills. Familiar with the game, Ruah could recognize each skill.

“Ha!”

After throwing a few jabs as a finisher, Juju wiped her sweat and stopped.

“Juju, did you come up with that skill sequence yourself?”

“Huh? Yes, teacher. Last time, when we were fighting the Skeleton Knight, I couldn’t do anything but defend. I was wondering if it would be good to create a skill sequence that integrates offense and defense.”

Intrigued, Ruah leaned against the ropes and crossed her arms.

“The idea sounds good. But how about switching the order of [Charge Straight] and [Arang Fist]?”

“Switch those two…you mean?”

“Yeah, it would be more efficient. Bang-whoosh-bang-bang, or boom-whoosh-bang-bang, would deal more damage in the same amount of time than bang-bang-whoosh-bang—”

“Oh, oops.”

Nerd trait: Talks a lot when she knows something.

“I, I was just imagining it!”

Blushing, Ruah waved her hands, trying to retract her words.

“Hmm, then I’ll try it.”

Though doubtful, Juju took her stance again.

“Hup!”

—Bang! Wham!

—Whoosh, Bang!

—Boom!

After finishing the sequence, Juju caught her breath.

“The efficiency is definitely better.”

“R-Right?”

“But…it’s a little difficult to transition from [Arang Fist] to [Charge Straight].”

Juju explained, swinging her arms in the air.

“It’s hard to swing from bottom to top, and then immediately from right to left.”

“Ah, is that so….”

Ruah nodded and muttered. In the game, it didn’t matter because the character moved automatically when a skill was activated, but here, the laws of physics applied.

“That’s something you have to overcome with physical ability….”

“…….”

Juju’s expression was complex, but she soon smiled again.

“Got it! Since you taught me this, teacher, I’ll practice hard!”

“Y-Yeah! Thank you.”

A smile appeared on Ruah’s face. Juju’s characteristically energetic atmosphere seemed contagious.

“Alright, then, another set—”

—That’s when it happened.

The gym door opened with a bang.

“?”

All the practicing students turned their heads. They thought it might be a classmate from the same class who had finished writing and came to warm up, but if so, they wouldn’t have opened the door so forcefully.

“Yo, little ones!”

It was a group of male students. They strode in confidently, carrying their respective equipment – swords, spears, shields – on their shoulders.

“Were you studying hard?”

Ruah recognized them at a glance. Both the swaggering leader and the handsome boy behind him were in her memory.

‘Third-year special class…!’

They were the special class two years above. They were truly the top students at Felix Academy, graduating at the end of their third year.

“Um, who are you?”

One of the first-year students asked bravely.

“Haha, you don’t recognize your seniors?”

“In our time, we went and greeted them as soon as we were assigned to a class—”

“Such a boomer.”

They chuckled and joked amongst themselves, and the first-year students huddled together nervously.

“Um, what’s going on?”

Juju asked.

“If you’re here to use the gym, we have the permission slip….”

“Oh, no, no. We’re not here to interrupt your practice.”

The second male student in the third-year group smiled comfortably and waved his hand. He had a handsome face and a smooth, gentle voice.

“Sorry, this guy is just trying to act tough.”

“Ouch!”

He pulled on the ear of the male student who was trying to act cool at the front, causing laughter among the third-years. The first-years seemed to relax a bit.

“We just wondered if you were here. We’re going to start practicing now too.”

“If…we are here?”

“The nurse, I mean. Ah, there you are.”

Ruah’s mind snapped to attention when the male student pointed her out.

“Ah, uh, yeah. I’m here….”

“Hahaha, you’re always so funny.”

He extended a hand towards Ruah.

“Our practice gets a bit rough, so we need a healer. Will you come with us?”

Ruah looked back and forth between Juju and the male student.

“I’d like to help, but… I’m supervising here right now….”

“Teacher.”

The male student continued to smile.

“We’re more important than the little ones, aren’t we? We’re about to take the guild entrance exam.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll be taking the guild entrance exam soon. If a lot of us get into large guilds, it’ll raise the school’s prestige and open doors for our juniors, right?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but.”

“Then what are you worried about? Let’s go to the second gym over there.”

“…….”

Ruah hesitated. Of course, from the perspective of the academy as a whole, it was right to follow the third-years as the male student said, but she couldn’t just leave the first-year students.

She wanted to stay here, but—

“—Okay.”

Ruah nodded.

At the same time, the faces of the first-year students fell, while the third-years looked smug.

“Thank you, teacher. Come with us.”

The male student subtly tugged on Ruah’s arm.

“S-Sorry… I’ll be back after watching them for a bit.”

“…Okay.”

Juju replied in a disappointed tone, but quickly regained her bright smile.

“Teacher, I heard the third-year seniors’ practice is very intense. Don’t overexert yourself!”

Ruah nodded and left the gym, surrounded by the male students.

—It wasn’t for any other reason that she accepted the male student’s offer.

‘Because he’s the one I have my eye on….’

The smiling male student was the person Ruah had in mind as a party member for the final battle.

‘His name is Lee Hwi-seong, a provocation-type tank.’

He had good provocation skills, high-level defense skills, and could even deal some damage, making him one of the top two tank characters available for recruitment.

Ruah had been thinking about how to approach him, so she was thankful he came to her first.

‘It’s earlier than expected, but the plan is to build a connection by helping with practice and become close enough to recruit him as a party member.’

Thinking this, Ruah entered the second gym.

“Cough!”

The moment she stepped inside, she coughed involuntarily due to the thick smoke.

“Hey, put out your cigarettes! The teacher’s here, so let’s start practicing!”

At Hwi-seong’s shout, the third-year special class students got up, stretching their muscles. They casually tossed their cigarette butts on the gym floor and extinguished them with their feet.

It was fine for them to smoke since they were adults, but to smoke inside school facilities without even trying to hide it…

“What, you’re already here?”

“You found her quickly.”

“Ugh….”

Their lifeless eyes and the strong smell of cigarettes gave Ruah an inexplicable sense of unease.

‘It’ll be alright…right?’