Side Story Chapter 35 – Kids Should Fight Among Themselves
Let’s take a moment to think.
Someone wants to shift the responsibility onto others.
But there are various reasons making it hard to do so.
What actions that person might take.
There are many possibilities, but the simplest and most common one is.
To completely impose the blame onto unrelated outsiders.
And that was happening right here and now.
Whether they realized that fighting us with words would yield little chance of victory.
Or perhaps they just needed a garbage bin for their emotional grievances.
A woman suddenly starts hurling insults at those around her.
Surrounding bystanders seem to share a hateful look.
“You guys just watched my Junwoo get hit, you bystanders!!!”
“Don’t call us bystanders.”
Maybe that got on someone’s nerves, as a rebuttal immediately follows.
“If you’re not a bystander, then what are you!”
“What if we get hit too while trying to intervene?”
It’s not always the case, but in this situation, that retort seemed correct.
No matter how the fight started.
Was there really a reason for third parties to interfere in their fight?
They were merely kids fighting over impulses.
Who would be responsible for any damages that might occur by getting caught up in it?
“You’re a teacher, you dog!”
“Do you know how scary kids are these days?”
The only problem was that a teacher was saying that.
I wasn’t too pleased with the neglect so far.
But at least they weren’t mindlessly stopping the fight.
After all, it was Junwoo who had hit Yumi first.
It only made sense for Yumi to deal with it directly.
Simply put, it was a kind of self-defense.
“Quick, mediate! What kind of ridiculousness is this in a kids’ fight!”
“Yes, understood. Mom.”
Still, the title of teacher wasn’t just a facade.
Despite the woman’s somewhat unreasonable insistence, he responded appropriately.
Soon after, he approached Junwoo, bowed down, and met his gaze.
With a kind smile and a scrutinizing look, a combination that felt odd.
“Junwoo, kid.”
“……”
Junwoo maintained his silence, simply avoiding eye contact.
His rude attitude raised doubts about his upbringing.
But the teacher neither yelled at him nor pressed him with force.
Instead, he persistently tossed out probing questions.
“Can you tell me what mistake you’ve made this time?”
“……”
“You didn’t fight for no reason, did you? There has to be a reason, right?”
Did the teacher’s effort ring imaginary to someone?
“I didn’t get permission…”
“Permission for what?”
Finally, Junwoo’s tightly shut mouth opened.
“I didn’t get permission to read the book!”
“That’s not Junwoo’s property.”
“It’s all mine! In our class, you have to ask me for permission for everything!”
But all that came out of his mouth was pure sophistry.
Though kids often make excuses, I thought this one was overboard.
Especially when he suddenly raised a fist to the surrounding kids, throwing threats around.
“Hey! I’ll admit I’m wrong!!! If I’m wrong, tell me!!!”
It was a shocking statement, but no one could answer easily.
Like powerless subjects unable to confront a tyrant.
Order through power must have already pervaded the kindergarten.
I had no idea what gave him the confidence to act like that.
Meanwhile, the teacher’s gaze shifted from Junwoo to Yumi.
“Yumi, kid.”
“Okay.”
“Can you tell me what mistake you made this time?”
This wasn’t right, no matter how you looked at it.
Yumi was merely defending her just rights as the victim.
She hadn’t overreacted; she just stopped at an appropriate level.
Now, out of nowhere, was the teacher trying to enforce a false equivalency?
“What did I do wrong?”
“That’s right. Yumi also must have made mistakes. Just tell me three things.”
“Speak faster!!!”
Junwoo, who hadn’t done anything right, was yelling in annoyance.
I thought he seemed alright before dropping him off for class.
But it turned out to be such a rotten place.
I genuinely considered transferring kindergartens.
Could I leave my child in a place with such a subpar teacher?
“One, two, three.”
“Wow! Yumi really knows her mistakes!”
“It’s empty, you trashy bitch!!!”
That was a real teacher.
The kids spoke out their wrongs, and he rewarded the one who understood.
It made sense why this kindergarten was considered good.
“So am I wrong, you idiot?”
“Yumi, you should speak nicely to your friends. Now, let’s try saying it again.”
If a child strays off course, the teacher should correct them.
“★☆★So am I wrong, you idiot?★☆★?”
“Well done!”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them the living conscience of this harsh era.
Meanwhile, Junwoo’s face turned red, trembling with rage.
Was he angry because of Yumi’s sharp words?
Or was he just frustrated that the teacher pointed out his mistake?
Either way, it seemed too difficult for him, at such a young age, to manage his emotions.
At that moment, Junwoo suddenly raised his hand.
“I swear I won’t let any of you off!!!”
– Whoosh!
His hand ignited with blazing flames.
It was strange that other kindergarteners remained still despite his shouting.
With powers like that, it was no wonder he acted so arrogantly.
He must have oppressed others through what could literally be called the violence of abilities.
Still, I found it odd.
In a world ruled by hunters, with Yumi having awakened her ability, why was I surprised again?
The magnitude of his power seemed unusual.
For a child to awaken at such a young age, the size of the flame was too much.
Even if Yumi was Hyeji’s child and had a powerful ability, this level was not something a kid could easily handle.
At that moment, for the first time, the teacher raised his voice.
“Junwoo’s mother! What on earth is this!”
“Why? Our kid just wants to use his ability.”
Not directed at Junwoo, but at his mother.
“This is too different from what was written in the personal information!”
“I found gene modification treatments to be excellent. Our kid is satisfied, too.”
Of course, she said it all nonchalantly.
Based on her words, it seemed like she enhanced his ability through gene manipulation.
I could question how implausible that was, but it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.
After all, it’s a half-crazy world with hunters and gates.
‘What if someone sabotaged my gacha and ruined it?’
[That’s not sabotage; it’s a natural flow.]
‘…Please say it’s sabotage…’
I was just a bit surprised.
It was a very dangerous, low-probability treatment with various conditions.
That such a young child would actually undergo it.
In that moment, Yumi hinted at Junwoo.
“Hey, did you get gene modification treatments?”
“Yeah! Are you jealous? Of course, you are!”
Junwoo seemed to burst with confidence, increasing his flames again.
The flames twisted and flickered around him, threatening to engulf the area.
Yet, Yumi didn’t appear frightened by such a scary sight.
She simply asked a pure, childlike question.
“Why didn’t you do your face, though?”
“……”
“Why didn’t you choose the more expensive package?”
“……”
Of course, pure curiosity wasn’t always safe.
In that moment, as Junwoo seemed as if he’d been stabbed by a knife and couldn’t speak.
Yumi clapped suddenly, as if she had realized something she had missed.
“Ah, are your parents maybe free-to-play?”
“Fck, fcking bitch!!!”
Did Yumi’s remark pull the trigger? His flames flared even larger than before.
Still, Junwoo’s mother merely watched silently.
Given her absence of intervention, she might have wanted this sort of situation.
Having let the kids’ fight resolve among themselves so far.
But this time, it seemed like I had to step in.
“Yumi, this time you went too far.”
“Why should I?”
At that moment, Yeonwoo, who had been quiet, suddenly jumped between Yumi and Junwoo.
“Come on, even if that’s true, you’re being too harsh.”
“What’s your problem?”
“Hey! Move aside!!! You’re going to get hit too!!!”
Despite Yumi’s brusque voice and Junwoo’s rough threats.
Yeonwoo calmly continued speaking, not caring about the danger of getting hurt in Yumi’s place.
It was as if he had something crucial to say to Yumi more than just that.
“It says in the Bible that God didn’t create anyone ugly.”
“……That’s true.”
A surprisingly grown-up statement from a child.
Caressy had previously shown the Bible to the kids.
Personally, I doubted it would have much effect.
But now, seeing Yeonwoo, it seemed otherwise.
“God created creatures in his image, so would it be bad for you to tease someone about their face, Yumi?”
“I’m sorry, Yeonwoo. I didn’t think it through.”
“Hmph! I actually like you a bit!”
Yeonwoo had grown up to be considerably thoughtful toward others.
No wonder Yumi apologized to him immediately.
While Junwoo wore a rather satisfied expression.
He was able to extinguish the blazing flames in an instant.
If Caressy witnessed this scene, she would have wiped her tears away in pride.
“But who the hell made you?”
“You f*cking bitch!!!”
Aside from the cruel sentence Yeonwoo hurled at Junwoo at the end.
