In the corner of the Old Training Ground, a sturdy tree was growing.
I didn’t know the exact species, but its roots were well-established, and the green leaves radiated a healthy vitality.
The leaves were plentiful, creating a spacious shade. It was perfect for hiding from the scorching sun on hot days.
Moreover, with the area being so open, a refreshing breeze would often blow in, making it a great spot to cool down a heated body.
After the major lecture, when I was completely worn out and flopped down in the shade, it was quite a comfortable place to be.
Currently, Professor Atra was leaning against that tree.
And in her arms, I was soundly nestled.
‘?’
I couldn’t quite grasp what was happening. When I came to my senses, I found myself being cuddled by Professor Atra.
Dazed, I began to mumble, using my powers of observation to take in Professor Atra’s appearance.
She was holding me so carefully, as if I were something extremely precious, and had me facing her while sitting on her thighs.
In that position, she wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me closer. Given our size difference, my face naturally buried itself in her chest.
It was certainly an embarrassing position, but Professor Atra seemed not to mind at all, gently stroking my head.
Embracing that affection, I recalled the recent situation.
I had sensed something off about Professor Atra today.
Her expression hadn’t been great since we arrived at the Old Training Ground.
Of course, given her usual stoic and cold demeanor, it was hard to distinguish, but her unease was glaringly obvious.
Even without sensing it, I had spent enough time with her that I could read her expression.
Then, while checking my own condition, I noticed her discomfort intensifying as we engaged in training.
Worried, I had asked her if she was okay, but Professor Atra was evasive, simply saying she was fine.
Since we were in the midst of training, I intended to ask her properly after the class ended.
With that thought in mind, we proceeded with the training.
Suddenly, Professor Atra stopped the session and scooped me up in her arms, sitting down beneath the tree’s shade and hugging me tighter.
‘What’s going on?’
That question remained unanswered. I knew something was off today, but I couldn’t grasp the reason for this behavior.
As I pondered this, Professor Atra pressed my head down firmly against her chest.
My head sank deep into her ample bosom.
The softness of her skin brushed against my face, and the warm body heat seeping through her thin shirt flushed my cheeks.
Yet strangely, I found it relatively easy to breathe. Even while enveloping me tightly, Professor Atra adjusted her position to ensure I wouldn’t suffocate.
‘…Ugh.’
What an embarrassing position this was.
The sensation of our stomachs pressing against each other flustered me, and the softness pushing down on my blushing face caused my cheeks to burn even more.
And then…
[Happy]
[Comfortable]
[Safe]
It was an incredibly cozy and comfortable position.
I felt a sense of stability that was hard to describe beyond just my cheeks turning red.
Also, it was a familiar position.
From almost three weeks ago to a few days back, I had lived alongside Professor Atra in the healing room.
During that time, I had been mentally unstable, instinctively craving human touch and warmth, which Professor Atra had readily provided.
I had practically spent every hour nestled in her embrace.
I always buried my face in her chest and was frequently stroked on the head.
Whenever phantom pain struck my missing left arm and my breathing would become erratic, her warm hands would pat my back.
That was how each day was. Professor Atra never displayed any signs of annoyance and always held me close.
With that context, finding myself buried in her arms like this felt less like ‘embarrassment’ and more like a sense of ‘familiarity’ at its core.
But that didn’t mean I felt entirely free of embarrassment. Even now, with my mind clearer, I was still shy.
Moreover, the situation was peculiar. She appeared to be in distress, yet suddenly she hugged me during training.
I tried to escape and considered nudging Professor Atra to signal that I wanted to be let go, trying to voice my desire for that ‘confession necklace’ to be unlocked.
– Stroking…
…But I couldn’t act on it.
Before my personal desire to stay embraced could surface, I noticed the look in Professor Atra’s eyes as she gazed down at me.
It felt painfully poignant.
The emotions she was displaying didn’t align with her usual cool demeanor at all.
So, I decided to remain in her embrace for just a moment longer.
But even that was reaching its limit.
[Sleepy]
[Like it]
[Happy]
The soft sensation enveloping me and the unique warmth of a human being clouded my consciousness.
I was already exhausted beyond belief, and being held by Professor Atra made me feel like I’d fall asleep any second.
Of course, my desire was to bury my face in Professor Atra’s embrace and drift off, but first, it seemed I needed to understand the reason behind that painful look in her eyes.
I gently tapped on her back with one hand.
[Let me go, please]
[Keep holding me]
[No]
“…Are you asking to be held or to be let go?”
Professor Atra looked baffled by my contradictory request, but with my continued insistence, she reluctantly loosened her grip.
I pulled my face out from where it had been buried in her chest.
– Hoo…
[Cold]
The chilly air brushed against my face, making me shiver involuntarily.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to bury my face back into her warm embrace and lifted my head.
Though I couldn’t see, I gestured that I was concentrating on the conversation.
And I was mindful of the confession necklace. Thankfully, the necklace was functioning properly without any glitches. Even the fairly long sentences worked smoothly.
[Did anything happen over the weekend?]
“No, everything went smoothly.”
[Then why did you do that just now?]
Just now, both Professor Atra and I knew exactly what I was referring to.
That moment when she seemed so anxious and hesitant during the training, and then suddenly embraced me.
A troubled expression flitted across Professor Atra’s face.
Her grip around my waist tightened.
It felt like she was hugging me as she had earlier, but I didn’t push her anymore.
I could feel the conflict and complexity swirling in her eyes.
“Years ago, I took on a student.”
Her tightly shut lips parted after a brief pause.
“At that time, I was… immature in many ways. I was much weaker than I am now, inexperienced in teaching, and lacked the skill.”
Professor Atra had once had a student. I hadn’t known that before, but I stayed quiet as she continued explaining.
“I was clumsy at teaching, couldn’t adequately identify my student’s shortcomings, and even the little support I could offer was subpar. On top of that, I couldn’t be resolute, and ended up teaching poorly.”
I blinked in surprise.
Given the current Professor Atra, those words didn’t seem fitting at all.
Throughout the lectures, she had pinpointed precisely where I was lacking and provided pathways for me to overcome those flaws.
Clumsy teaching due to indecision? I had learned through getting pounded during our training sessions.
Such doubts filled my mind.
“Eventually, time passed, and that student entered a dungeon, getting caught up in a rampage and died.”
The following explanation clicked for me. I could surmise the rest without needing to hear more.
“It was merely a level 4 dungeon’s rampage. Though I didn’t have the power to resolve the situation, it was not a case that should have resulted in a meaningless death.”
So, there was once a student.
But now, there wasn’t.
“But they died. Only a gruesomely torn-off arm remained, and they vanished as if they were a lie. I dug through the ruins in search of remnants, but… nothing came out.”
With a heavy sigh, her arms tightened around me more than before, my face pressing into her chest again. I tried to raise my head.
“Of course… I had regrets.”
An air of gloom and profound turmoil filled her gaze as it bore down on me.
Her eyes seemed to look straight at me, yet distant, as though she were gazing at something that no longer existed.
“I should have arrived sooner. I shouldn’t have been late. If only I had made it in time, they wouldn’t have died so pointlessly. I should have taught them properly to prevent that death.”
If only.
If I had arrived earlier.
Even if my abilities had been insufficient to break down the walls at that time, I should have offered some assistance somehow.
If I had provided better guidance.
Perhaps my student could have survived. Perhaps if I had indulged them less and given proper teachings, things wouldn’t have ended like that.
“…Regrets are far too late. They’ve already died, and I can’t take it back.”
Professor Atra’s eyes dimmed. Her gaze shifted, and now it was solely focused on me.
“That’s why I pushed you so hard in training.”
The sense of guilt filled her eyes as she spoke.
“I forced unreasonable training demands on you, using my personal regrets as an excuse, and treating you coldly to avoid experiencing that loss again.”
And I had become embroiled in a dungeon rampage.
It was exactly like the case of her previous student.
In that moment, I finally grasped why Professor Atra was reacting so sensitively.
A situation reminiscent of her irreparable past scars had confronted her.
“…I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
Her arms around my waist trembled as if they feared I might vanish at any moment.
While Professor Atra’s explanation had gaps and was heavily condensed in many areas, I could understand the general gist.
I found myself lost in thought for a moment.
What should I respond? How should I reply?
After a brief contemplation, a small answer emerged.
I concentrated on the confession necklace, making sure to avoid any glitches.
[Training was really tough.]
Professor Atra trembled at my opening words.
[From the first day, getting beaten with a wooden sword hurt, and I continued to get hit afterwards, which was painful.]
She flinched—Professor Atra’s body shook repeatedly.
[More than that, after class, you would simply hand me a water bottle and leave without saying anything, which felt a little disheartening. And there were times you didn’t even give me water and just left, which was even worse.]
“Gah…”
[I knew you were a good person, but still, being treated coldly all the time made me sad.]
“Ugh…”
Professor Atra groaned, as if my words were stabbing her like a dagger with each pause.
I briefly halted my speech, internally ordering my thoughts into a coherent paragraph.
What I truly wanted to say came next.
Upon reflection, this was something I should have said long ago.
[If only]
Professor Atra’s expression tensed, a clear sign of anxiety covering her face, filled with fear and regret about what might befall her next.
[If you hadn’t taught me, I would definitely be dead.]
Her face morphed—it was an entirely different look.
Professor Atra’s eyes were wide, reflecting pure surprise. The trembling gaze fixated on me curled up in her embrace.
It was evident she hadn’t anticipated hearing words like this.
[If I hadn’t acted to save others, I would have died if not for what you taught me.]
[I wouldn’t have been able to help others.]
[And right now, I wouldn’t be able to be embraced like this.]
These weren’t just the words from the incident at Shifnah; they were words I should have expressed long ago.
[Thanks to you, Professor, I could survive.]
[Thank you.]
Of course, I should have expressed my gratitude much sooner, yet it had come a bit late.
Now that I had set the mood to relay this, it felt somewhat awkward. Professor Atra’s swelling emotions only amplified my embarrassment.
I buried my blushing face deeper into her embrace, trying to hide my reddened cheeks.
…Although this only partially concealed my overheated ears.
I manipulated the wings of the sky to cautiously cover my ears as her arms tightened around me.
– Wugh?
My breath caught in my throat. The way she held me now was different from before, as if she couldn’t contain her overwhelming emotions.
Professor Atra embraced me with all her might.
My face sank deep into her ample bosom.
“I’m an unworthy person.”
Moments later, Professor Atra finally managed to calm her emotions and spoke.
I blinked at her revelation, momentarily gasping for breath as my head tilted in confusion.
Got something more to say? You look like you’re about to spill the beans.
Professor Atra turned her face slightly away in response.
“Contrary to the term ‘sensei,’ I have far too many inadequacies. I lack any true skill or intention in teaching someone.”
My brows knitted in irritation at that.
Noticing my expression, she continued hesitantly.
“I’m someone so inadequate, yet… I still want to teach you everything I can.”
This time my expression changed to one of surprise.
With an unusual look of anxiety, Professor Atra gently stroked my head and asked,
“Will you think of me as your teacher… despite my flaws?”
I pondered for just a brief moment.
Then I smiled, allowing a grin to break onto my face.
[Yes.]
[Sensei.]
[Sleepy]
[Pet me, please.]
*
[Player Correction System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Atra Clyde
●●●●●●●●○○(79▷80/100)
“Sensei” “Expectation” “Stability” “Longing for Affection”
…
●●●●●●●●○○(80▷81/100)
…
●●●●●●●●○○(81▷82/100)
…
[Conditions to end the “Curse of Silence” have not been met.]
[Conditions to end the “Curse of Solitude” have not been met.]
…
[Player Correction System: Measurements]
▶Mental State
…
“Fatigue”: Mind or body is fatigued and drained.
“Cutie”: Yearning to be pampered or made happy.
“Fulfillment”: A sense of completeness fills the heart.
…
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