[145] Hero Academy [24]

While heading to the cafeteria with Song Ara, I received a communication from Armonia. 

[I didn't expect Cho Seo-hyun to show up there.] 

'Yeah, if it had just been the two of us, she wouldn't have noticed. Lena, thanks.'

[Thank you for the praise. I only did my duty, Master.] 

When I was distracted giving Song Ara advice on archery, Lena happened to be waiting in the warp room for her shift. 

She noticed the faint sound and Cho Seo-hyun's barely visible presence on the screen—things neither Armonia nor I had detected—and alerted us. 

It also seemed that Cho Seo-hyun's stealth wasn't particularly high, which helped in spotting her. 

The moment I realized Cho Seo-hyun was there, I immediately started praising her, even if it disrupted the mood with Song Ara. 

Though it might have made me seem like an overly serious instructor to Song Ara, Cho Seo-hyun was the priority at that moment. 

Fortunately, Song Ara understood my awkwardness. 

[But even knowing Cho Seo-hyun was watching, I didn't expect you to praise her so excessively.] 

'It wasn't exactly untrue.'

[....] 

Despite the suffering she endured in her school days, she came here and worked tirelessly for the cadets. 

…Though her cat-like temper was a problem. 

While communicating like that, Song Ara and I arrived at the cafeteria. 

It was already 8 PM. 

'Hehe… Let's eat quickly and then— Huh?'

The moment we entered the cafeteria, someone was waiting for us. 

"Huh? Teach?" 

"Instructor Cho Seo-hyun?" 

"..." 

Cho Seo-hyun was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, glancing at us. 

But her posture and expression felt different from usual. 

She always carried a certain weight, but now, her presence felt even heavier. 

After silently watching us for a while, she straightened up and spoke to Song Ara. 

"Where have you been?" 

"Ah~ Instructor Suho helped me with training. We're here to eat now." 

"…I see." 

Cho Seo-hyun smiled faintly, glanced at me briefly, then picked up a tray and said.

"If you're eating, let's eat together." 

*** 

The lights turned on in the dark room, greeting Cho Seo-hyun. 

But she didn't react to the welcoming light, walking expressionlessly before flopping face-down onto the bed. 

Burying her face in the pillow, she muttered.

"…So embarrassing." 

As she muttered, Seong Suho's words from the shooting range echoed in her mind. 

"You shouldn't speak about Instructor Cho Seo-hyun that way. She spends all day thinking about how to teach you all better. It's disrespectful to describe someone like that as 'cute,' don't you think?"

"From what I've seen, among all the instructors here, no one is as responsible and hardworking as her. It's no exaggeration to say she's dedicated to teaching you all."

Cho Seo-hyun had spent her whole life striving for recognition. 

Her first efforts were met with continuous violence and contempt during her school days. 

After joining a small-to-medium guild, she overcame her trauma and worked hard to earn recognition. 

But all she got in return was the shadow of Cho Kang-hyun's fame and colleagues who treated her like a child behind her back. 

They didn't mean any harm. 

But that constant treatment gradually evaporated her camaraderie, and eventually, all her colleagues drifted away. 

With her family, colleagues, and friends gone, she tried to overcome her loneliness—until she received the notice for instructor duty at the Hero Academy. 

She saw it as an opportunity. 

A chance to untangle the knots in her life… 

She never laid a hand on the cadets. She genuinely worked hard for them. 

It seemed to be going smoothly. 

But there was a problem. 

The assistant instructors. 

Every single one who was assigned lacked even a speck of responsibility. 

Even the ones she thought she could work with ended up quitting. 

Despite being the best workplace, the difficulty and burden of the work were no joke. 

On top of that, assistant instructors who experienced the disparity in treatment firsthand often lost motivation due to frustration. 

Even if she understood them, she couldn't help but grow emotionally distant. 

But that man was different. 

"So stupid… Why did I cry there?" 

The moment she heard Seong Suho's words, she found herself crying without realizing it. 

She couldn't even remember the last time someone had acknowledged her like that. 

Seong Suho's unexpected words struck a chord in her heart, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. 

After being caught by the two, she immediately returned to her dorm to compose herself, but for some reason, she didn't want to. 

For the first time, she let her heart lead her—waiting for Seong Suho in front of the cafeteria and eating together. 

"…Will we be able to eat together tomorrow too?" 

Muttering to herself, she smiled and buried her face in the pillow. 

*** 

After putting on my VR headgear, I immediately checked Cho Seo-hyun's login status. 

'…Huh? She's not playing today.'

[Given her reaction earlier, I think she might be resting early today.] 

Cho Seo-hyun, who had run away earlier, waited for me and Song Ara at the cafeteria and ate with us. 

It was completely different from when we had lunch together. 

She didn't say a word throughout the meal. 

She just ate quietly, occasionally glancing at us. 

As I thought about Cho Seo-hyun, I unknowingly laughed. 

'This is really funny.'

[What part, exactly?] 

'Well, when you think about it, it's hilarious. We haven't even seen Cho Kang-hyun yet. Forget gathering intel on him—we haven't even spoken to him. But we've gotten pretty close to Cho Seo-hyun and Sung Suah. That's funny.'* 

Well, since they were the targets, it wasn't a problem. 

But at this point, I was starting to get curious about Cho Kang-hyun's face. 

It had been two weeks since I arrived at the Hero Academy, and even though I met Sung Suah and Cho Seo-hyun every weekday, I hadn't seen a single strand of Cho Kang-hyun's hair. 

While I was thinking about Cho Kang-hyun, Armonia suddenly changed the subject. 

[Suho. It might be a good idea to reconsider your time allocation during this opportunity.] 

'Huh? Out of nowhere?'

It sounded like a completely random suggestion. 

But the reason Armonia brought it up was directly related to Cho Kang-hyun. 

[The fact that Cho Kang-hyun hasn't appeared yet could be an opportunity for you.] 

Armonia was right. 

Just because Cho Kang-hyun wasn't meeting the two women now didn't mean he never would. 

If he suddenly started meeting them frequently a month later due to some circumstance, it would be a huge problem for me. 

[Since Yggdrasil is stable now, I thought it might be a good time to focus deeply on Sung Suah and Cho Seo-hyun.] 

'Yeah, that makes sense. Then I'll need to figure out how to be away from Yggdrasil for at least a full day.'

To spend two weeks (14 days) at the Hero Academy, I'd need to arrange things so I could be absent from Yggdrasil for at least 34 hours. 

Or openly take two days off and stay at the Hero Academy for three weeks. 

'Thinking about it, wasting weekends at the academy isn't very efficient.'

[Exactly. It might have been fine until now, but it's time to start coordinating personal meetings.] 

It might feel like getting ahead of myself, but if dating were to happen, weekends would have to be used. 

Weekdays at the academy were far too busy. 

Even if it wasn't a date, spending long hours together in this VR game on weekends would help. 

While I was lost in thought, Sung Suah's voice reached me. 

"Are you here?"

***

"Ah… so you're not free this weekend either?" 

"I feel bad for interrupting our daily sessions because of me." 

"Hey! It's just about taking it slow and enjoying it." 

Sung Suah smiled as she… patted my head. 

At this point, I was starting to wonder. 

'Can you have sex in VR?'

It was a ridiculous question, but I was curious. 

I mean, it should be possible, but if the game software didn't have that function, would you even feel the tactile sensations during intercourse? 

Armonia provided the answer. 

[In Animal Village, it's programmed to be possible, but the sensitivity is set lower than basic skinship.] 

Since the game was also made for long-distance couples, sexual activity was possible. 

However, since the main purpose of the game was wholesome slow-life, the sensitivity for sexual acts was low, and—hilariously—there was even mosaic censorship on genitalia. 

VR mosaic censorship? I kind of wanted to experience it. 

'…No, it might be fun at first, but I can already imagine my future self cursing how stupid it is.'

[....] 

In NTL games, 99 out of 100 had mosaic censorship as standard. 

I still didn't understand it. 

If it's an adult game, why the hell is there mosaic censorship…? 

While I was pointlessly agonizing over this, Sung Suah smiled and spoke up. 

"Now that I think about it, we're almost done paying off the first loan." 

"If we do well, we might finish by tomorrow." 

The house Sung Suah and I were living in was a small cabin. 

Originally designed for one person, it was too small for proper interior decorating—just a basic residence. 

If you didn't pay off the first loan, NPCs wouldn't move in, and basic game progression was hindered. 

Most people playing this game would have paid off the first loan long ago and started decorating the village. 

But Sung Suah and I took our time enjoying the game, so our progress was slow. 

Even now, while fishing, we often just sat quietly waiting, even if no fish silhouettes appeared. 

As we chatted idly, it grew late again. 

"I'll sell the fish and come back." 

"Ah, it must be annoying for you every time. Let me—" 

"No. You go home first." 

"…Okay." 

I stayed in place until Sung Suah's figure disappeared. 

And the moment she was gone… I carefully moved. 

There was definitely no one around. 

Only two special NPCs lived in this village, but I moved cautiously to avoid being seen. 

I arrived not at the cabin where Sung Suah and I lived, but at another building. 

It wasn't exactly tidy, but compared to the cabin, it had the distinct feel of a main building… 

I stepped inside the lit building and shouted. 

"Bangul!! I missed you!!" 

[....] 

***

I stroked the fluffy fur on Bangul's paw and muttered. 

"Haa… haa… So cute…" 

"Thank youuu!" 

Even though the AI was rudimentary and only gave simple responses, the cuteness was undeniable. 

If I were a woman like Sung Suah, I might have hugged her and gone crazy. 

But as a man, I couldn't go that far—I just rubbed Bangul's big paw and chuckled. 

'Wow, it really feels like a dog's fur. I love it…'

[Up close, it's undeniably cute, but from afar, it looks a bit… dangerous. You should be careful.]

'….'

Up close, it's affection—from afar, it's harassment!? Huh!? 

While I was still engrossed in Bangul's fluffy paw, Armonia warned me. 

[Suho. It's already been five minutes. You should head back soon.] 

'Haa… haa… Just one more minute…'

[If Sung Suah comes here…] 

BAM!

The door burst open with a loud crash. 

And in rushed a certain woman… 

"Haa… haa…" 

"..." 

As Sung Suah loomed over me, her eyebrows twitching, she spoke quietly. 

"Instructor Seong Suho… What are you doing here?" 

"Well…" 

Overwhelmed, I couldn't even make an excuse and just screamed through the comms. 

'This is all Armonia's fault!!'

[....]

***

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