Chapter 7: How Can Someone’s Name Be Yoo Joo-joo LOL

The Felix Academy first-year special class classroom was unnecessarily spacious for a mere ten students.

Each student had a personal seat better than most airline first-class seats, equipped with the latest tablet PCs and desktops for learning.

Not only that, but the cafeteria rivaled the faculty dining hall in quality, the training room was filled with well-maintained equipment, and the lounge had snacks and plush beds.

Naturally, students in the beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes complained about this preferential treatment, but the academy chairman had no intention of changing his policy.

If they had complaints, they could improve their grades and join the special class.

Since the opportunity to join the special class was open to all students, everyone at the academy focused on improving their skills.

—And, of course, this included the special class students, who were determined to keep their spots.

“Haa!”

“Huff, huff…”

After school, the training room bustled with special class students working on their physical conditioning, a fundamental requirement for Hunters.

Students panted on treadmills, others strained on bench presses with reddened faces, and some lifted barbells in front of mirrors. Each had their own training style.

However, not everyone was diligently exercising.

“Hahaha…”

“No way, really?”

A group of students chatted in a corner of the training room. They were wearing training clothes, but they seemed to have chosen socializing with their new friends over tedious exercise.

“That’s right, a Skeleton Lord? I can take it down with just my fists, bam!”

A student in the middle of the group punched the air, making the surrounding boys laugh.

“Hey, Yoo Juju, aren’t you exaggerating a bit?”

“It’s just a C-rank skill, right? How can you defeat a Skeleton Lord?”

The student who spoke shrugged.

“Hey, you know what I mean.”

Small stature, round bobbed hair, and a healthy tanned complexion.

Combined with a gender-neutral voice, it was hard to tell at first glance whether they were male or female. Moreover, the name “Yoo Juju” embroidered on their training uniform further contributed to the ambiguity.

“Pwahaha!”

“You’re funny, dude.”

Yoo Juju shoved their hands into their training uniform pockets and chuckled.

[155cm tall, 53kg, ranked tenth overall in the placement test. Tank position.]

They had a small frame and delicate, cute features, but their toned muscles, typical of athletes, were surprisingly well-defined.

Juju was a year younger than their classmates, having entered Felix Academy a year early. However, perhaps due to their cheerful and bright personality, they didn’t seem intimidated by the surrounding boys.

“Well, you need an A-rank skill to take down a Lord.”

“Where can you even learn an A-rank skill?”

“Even if a good guild scouts you, it might not be enough… huh, I guess it’s good to already have one.”

At one boy’s words, the group’s attention focused on a single person.

A girl who was sweating profusely on the squat machine.

“…Haa.”

“……”

As Hoshikawa Himari, who had just racked the barbell, exhaled and wiped her sweat, the boys all gulped simultaneously. She had taken off her outer layer and was wearing a tank top.

Yoo Juju tilted their head.

“What? She looks good.”

“I’m going to start studying Japanese from today.”

“Hmm.”

Yoo Juju stroked their chin, observing Himari. Himari seemed oblivious to their gazes and was about to start another set.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never talked to her.”

“Huh? Really?”

“I’ll go say hi!”

Yoo Juju strode towards the squat machine without hesitation, hands still in their pockets.

“…Hmm?”

Seemingly noticing their approach, Himari re-racked the barbell and faced Yoo Juju. Himari was about a handspan taller.

“Hello, Miss Hoshikawa.”

“…Hello.”

Himari wiped her forehead with the wristband on her arm and politely greeted Juju. She showed no signs of annoyance or displeasure at being interrupted.

“I realized I’ve never spoken to you, Miss Hoshikawa. I came to say hello.”

“You can call me Himari. In Korea, we call each other by our first names.”

“Is that so? Nice to meet you! I’m Yoo Juju!”

Yoo Juju took their right hand out of their pocket and extended it to Himari.

“To be honest, I thought you’d be cold because you have an intimidating aura, but you’re not.”

“……”

Himari stared at Juju’s outstretched hand.

“I look forward to getting to know you.”

“……”

Himari didn’t take Juju’s hand.

“…What are you doing?”

She simply glared at Juju coldly.

Juju tilted their head at Himari’s sudden change in attitude.

“Huh? What? I’m trying to shake your hand…”

Himari’s expression darkened as if she had seen a hideous monster. Juju quickly withdrew their hand, wondering if they had made a mistake, but it seemed the damage was done.

“Get out of my sight, now.”

“…Huh? Wh-why?”

Juju, bewildered, scurried back to where they had been, fleeing Himari’s piercing gaze.

Even after talking with their other friends, no one could figure out why Himari had acted that way.

Infirmary.

“Phew, this should do it for the partition.”

A large cardboard partition stood in the middle of the infirmary. Ruah had brought it in herself, assembled from several cardboard boxes she’d collected from the dumpster and taped together.

Its purpose was—

“—Remote treatment…!”

After working in the infirmary since the entrance ceremony, Ruah had identified several problems.

The biggest one was that more students visited the infirmary than she’d expected. Since many classes involved physical training, there were bound to be injuries. For Ruah, who dreaded meeting strangers, this was a problem that needed an immediate solution.

And so, she came up with this method.

“Now, I’ll set this up next to the desk…”

She set up the partition, tall enough to reach from floor to ceiling, dividing the infirmary into two sections. The inner section, where her precious desk and sanctuary were, and the outer section, where the entrance was.

—Clatter!

She took out a box cutter and made a small, square hole in a suitable spot.

—Scribble, scratch.

Then, she wrote in large letters with a permanent marker above the hole:

“Yep, perfect.”

Ruah immediately went inside to test it out.

She sat at her desk, now cozy and completely separated from the outside, and extended one hand through the hole.

‘[Healing] requires palm-to-injury contact.’

All the students had to do was enter the infirmary and place their injured body part against Ruah’s hand. She would feel the contact and activate [Healing], completing the treatment.

It was a brilliant strategy that allowed her to heal without having to face the students. This way, her privacy was protected, and she could enjoy a comfortable shut-in life even during work hours. With butterscotch candies, of course.

“Ah, this is nice.”

Ruah made himself a cup of coffee, went inside her enclosure, and smiled.

‘Yes, I can plan things without being interrupted in here.’

With one hand outside the partition, Ruah took out her tablet PC and stylus and began taking notes. One of the reasons for creating this space was to strategize for the future in secret.

—Scribble.

Ruah drew four circles on the white screen.

‘I can’t train all these students by myself.’

She needed to focus her efforts. In the game, only the protagonist’s party participated in the final battle. She planned to select the party members in advance, approach them, raise their affinity, and train them.

‘The basic party composition in Hunter Hunting Academy is four members.’

[A tank who absorbs enemy attacks and draws aggro,]

[A damage dealer who inflicts the actual damage to monsters,]

[A healer who treats injuries,]

And a mage who uses various buffs and ranged attack skills.

She had already decided on two of the roles.

—Scribble, scribble.

Ruah wrote her name in the healer position and Himari’s name in the damage dealer position.

‘It’s better for me to participate in combat directly.’

Ruah’s healing abilities were top-tier, even compared to active Hunters. Plus, she had game knowledge, making her essential.

‘Himari is a flawless damage dealer too.’

While she wasn’t the absolute best, irreplaceable damage dealer, she thought it would be easier to recruit her because of the bond(?) they had forged in the restroom incident a few days ago.

‘For the tank… right, there’s a third-year student I can recruit.’

Ruah snapped her fingers, recalling a high-performing tank in the third year with a dedicated quest. It would be ideal if she could somehow fulfill the quest requirements and recruit them.

‘I’ll put that on the back burner for now.’

The only remaining role was the mage. It was a versatile position, and there were significant differences between students. She had to consider whether they focused on offensive skills or support buffs.

‘This is tough….’

Ruah sighed. Come to think of it, the main story should be starting soon—

—Click.

As Ruah was massaging her forehead, she heard the door open on the other side of the partition. It seemed another student had arrived.

Normally, she would have jumped up, tense, but not this time. She had her state-of-the-art remote treatment device.

—Tap, tap, tap.

The footsteps approached, and something touched Ruah’s hand. Ruah muttered, still looking at her tablet PC.

“[Healing].”

However, reality differed slightly from her expectations.

“What is this, Nurse Han?”

“……?!”

A middle-aged man’s voice, one he shouldn’t have heard. Ruah jumped up in surprise, pulled aside the partition, and looked at the visitor.

“Is this how you’ve been working?”

“Eek…!”

It was the notoriously strict vice-principal.