Chapter 60

Soon, the dishes started arriving.

It wasn’t all served at once, and since the soup came out first, it seemed to be a sort of multi-course meal.

“By the way, Student Yu Hye-won, when would it be possible to have a meeting with your parents?”

“They’re not here. Mom’s on an overseas trip and won’t be back this month, and Dad already had his meeting with you, Professor.”

“That’s true. Well… I get it… In any case, why the sudden overnight stay? You could’ve told me in advance—I wouldn’t have been as surprised.”

“It’s because Hye-won probably wanted to spend time with you, hehe.”

At that, Yu Hye-won, who had been sipping the soup, turned to Han Min-ha with a fierce glare.

“Sorry… Hye-won.”

“Stop talking nonsense and eat your food. And eat moderately—we’re going swimming this afternoon.”

“Swimming…?”

“You can’t swim on a full stomach. By the way, do you even know how to swim?”

Han Min-ha looked at Yu Hye-won with wide eyes and shook her head.

“I don’t know how, and I don’t even have a swimsuit.”

“Are you serious? It’s summer, and you don’t have a swimsuit? That’s hard to believe.”

“Not that I don’t have one—it’s just at home. I didn’t bring it because I never expected we’d go swimming.”

“There’s nothing to be done about that. I’ll lend you one. Anyway, eat your food properly. Professor, do you know how to swim?”

Of course, I do.

At Sikrito, it’s part of the basic training process.

They throw you in the middle of the ocean on a rubber boat and let you swim back on your own.

Still, I have zero desire to swim with children.

“I don’t know how.”

“Really? Aren’t you a former hero?”

“As long as I could fly, there was never any need to learn.”

“It’s strange… How can a hero not know how to swim?”

Yu Hye-won muttered something and tilted her head.

The dishes kept coming one after another.

Yu Hye-won remarked that the chef in her ‘house’ was from a prestigious culinary school somewhere in Europe.

This chef had previously worked as the head chef at a top hotel.

It was true—the food was delicious.

Han Min-ha completely ignored Yu Hye-won’s warning to eat moderately and devoured the dishes as they were served.

“It’s so delicious!”

“Is this your first time eating something like this?”

“Yeah. It’s just like your first time trying grilled pork belly. Incredible. It’s absolutely delicious.”

“Professor, how about you?”

When Yu Hye-won looked at my face, I also nodded in agreement.

“It’s delicious. I’m glad I came.”

“That’s great. You passed inspection.”

Yu Hye-won gave a satisfied smile at the sight of Han Min-ha and I enjoying our food.

I didn’t expect someone to enjoy watching others eat so much—it’s surprising.

After taking a sip of water, Yu Hye-won brought up another topic.

“By the way, don’t we have a practical training session next semester?”

“We do.”

“Will students in the same class go to the same place?”

“No. The Office and Organization that hosted the Human Combat Ability Evaluation last semester will separately nominate students. Depending on the selection, you might go together or get separated.”

Han Min-ha, who had been eavesdropping with a worried expression, asked hesitantly.

“What happens if someone isn’t nominated? Won’t they not participate in the practical training…?”

“No, in such cases, they’ll send them to places affiliated with the Academy. But don’t worry about that—you, Student Min Ha, were the most talked-about during the last evaluation.”

“Eep?! Me…? But I only got hit repeatedly in the beginning and fainted at the end….”

“That’s why. Heroes are celebrities. Capturing the public’s interest is more important than quietly fighting. In that sense, Student Min Ha drew a lot of attention during the evaluation.”

“Haa…”

Han Min-ha let out a deep sigh as if it was a burden.

“Is it that bad? I didn’t even dare to check the internet because it scared me. Ugh, I really don’t like it.”

She has a similar personality to mine—she dislikes attention.

“What are you saying, fatty? There are truckloads of kids who beg for attention but don’t get it, and here you are, complaining with a full belly.”

Han Min-ha shook her head at Yu Hye-won’s comment.

“But if I get this much attention, even the slightest mistake will become a big deal from now on.”

“Then don’t make mistakes, dummy. And why are you already crying about something you haven’t even started yet?”

Still, Han Min-ha looked worried and turned to me.

“What if I get assigned to a scary hero’s office?”

“What do you mean by a ‘scary hero’?”

“Like Mr. Gos Hawk… working under people like that would be really tough.”

“You can always decline if it’s too intimidating. You won’t be forced to go.”

Yu Hye-wan, who’d been glaring at Han Min-ha like an idiot, stuck out her tongue and asked.

“Could you recommend somewhere I should go? There will probably be a lot of places wanting to nominate me.”

“Hmm. If you want to see a broader perspective of how things work on the field, going to the Organization would be the best choice. There’s more to learn institutionally and legally compared to a personal office.”

“What about going to a personal office?”

“For a personal office, it’s better to work with heroes who haven’t caused any ethical issues outside of their hero activities. A true hero has great power but doesn’t misuse it. There aren’t many like that, though.”

“Any examples?”

“There are heroes like Legalmight, for instance.”

“Hmm. Legalmight, eh…”

Yu Hye-won fell silent, mulling over what I said.

Han Min-ha, seemingly reading the mood between Yu Hye-won and me, quietly continued eating with relish.

***

After the meal, Yu Hye-won dragged Han Min-ha into her room.

I changed into more comfortable clothes in the guest room and headed directly to the pool.

I didn’t intend to splash around with the kids, but neither did I want to stand here maintaining appearances with folded arms.

I planned to lie on a sunbed, sip a cool drink, and enjoy some sunbathing.

I’ve spent the entire winter in a dull mood, and my face has become so pale that it looks dry. A little sun exposure might do me good.

Naturally, the pool was right behind the house outdoors.

A mansion like this without a pool? Preposterous.

There were a few staff setting up the pool area for our use.

I grabbed a sunbed under a parasol in the corner and lay down comfortably.

One of the staff quietly approached me and offered a drink.

It was a refreshing yellow cocktail-filled glass, which turned out to be Malibu Orange. Delicious.

“Ahh, Hye-won! Wait a sec!”

“Hurry up and come out!”

Just then, a noisy racket came from the other side of the building.

Looking back, I saw Yu Hye-won and Han Min-ha coming out, with a large towel draped over one of their shoulders.

For some reason, Han Min-ha resisted coming out, but Yu Hye-won was mercilessly dragging them by the wrist.

“I’ll just rest inside. Can’t you swim alone?”

“What nonsense! Hurry up! Professor is already here!”

“Eek! That’s why I don’t want to!”

But Han Min-ha was no match for Yu Hye-won’s strength.

Han Min-ha, brought over against their will, turned red upon seeing me and clutched the towel more tightly.

“Hello, Professor… Can you please talk to Hye-won? I really don’t feel like swimming now.”

But Yu Hye-won mercilessly picked up Han Min-ha and threw them into the pool with a splash.

“Phewk?! Hye-won!”

“Quit talking and just get in quietly.”

Yu Hye-won entered the pool with an evil grin.

Han Min-ha looked despairingly at the towel drifting far away.

Watching Han Min-ha, I now understood why they had been so adamant about not swimming.

Han Min-ha was wearing a borrowed bikini from Yu Hye-won, but the size didn’t fit properly, and the chest part bulged awkwardly to the side.

“Goodness gracious! Min Ha has such a great figure, doesn’t she?”

The secretary who had just approached me smiled fondly, watching the kids in the pool.

“Yu Hye-won seems to be having a great time. She hasn’t played in the pool since she was little.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. She suddenly asked us to prepare the pool because some friends were coming over, so we rushed to fill it with water and clean it.”

I see.

Watching Yu Hye-won playfully climbing onto Han Min-ha’s back, I thought it was a good decision not to refuse the invitation.

If I hadn’t come despite all the preparations, she would’ve been terribly disappointed.

“Professor, come in too! Stop lying there all soggy!”

Yu Hye-won shouted at me, and I raised my hand.

“I can’t swim. I’ll stay here and relax.”

In response, Yu Hye-won activated her aura and shot a blast of water at me. I casually put up a semicircular defensive barrier.

The water shot at me rebounded, drenching Yu Hye-won and Han Min-ha’s heads.

“Aww, no fun!”

Yu Hye-won shrieked, and Han Min-ha turned bright red while grabbing their loosening straps.

Koo-o-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-oo!!

Suddenly, a loud sound interrupted us, and everyone looked up.

High above, three heroes were flying at a rapid speed with tails of aura trailing behind them.

“Hey, they’re heroes. I wonder where they’re heading?”

The secretary shaded her eyes with her hand to get a better look at the flying heroes.

Three heroes at once…?

And in formation like fighter jets…?

Then, two more heroes flying from a different direction turned toward the path the first three had taken.

Five heroes flying in one direction?

What’s going on?