Chapter 1

I finally found a web novel that I managed to finish from start to finish for the very first time in my life!

In the midst of my busy reality, where I usually drop out of any work halfway through, I actually completed this novel all the way to the end.

Its title is ‘A Garden of Love at the Academy.’

The genre is female-oriented romance fantasy, where various guys swarm around the heroine, making it a reverse harem.

Some might say, “How is it possible that a guy like me conquered a female romance web novel?”

But, ‘A Garden of Love at the Academy’—colloquially known as ‘Asa-flora’—actually had a solid male readership as well.

It was so popular that it was often mentioned in male-dominated communities as ‘Asa-kotch’.

There are multiple reasons why male readers are into it, but for me, it all boiled down to one character.

Daniel Crawford.

He’s one of the heroine’s love interests and a highly significant side character alongside the protagonist, Nina.

Daniel is a newly appointed professor at the Kia del Academy, where the story takes place, and he is the homeroom teacher of class F, which the heroine is assigned to.

His personality is awkward and clumsy, making him a total loser character who receives ridicule and disdain from the other professors.

His kind nature is his strong point, as he often plays the hero who helps Nina, who is suffering from the same discrimination.

He’s the mentor who’s always ready to provide guidance and support whenever necessary, helping his students mentally.

At the same time, he’s a hardworking person who decides to change himself while witnessing his students grow.

Maybe that’s why Daniel’s growth is tackled throughout various parts of the novel, and each time, I found myself cheering him on.

I often thought, “Is this really the loser I knew?” feeling proud of his progress.

Then, during the final showdown, the fruits of his hard work were finally revealed, and his last line brought tears to my eyes.

[“I know I’m lacking a lot. I’m a pathetic teacher who can’t lead from the front and falls behind my students. But it doesn’t matter; if I can’t guide from the front, I’ll be the teacher who pushes my students forward from behind!”]

With those iconic words, Daniel unleashed the power he had been diligently honing.

His power struck at the final boss’s weakness, allowing the protagonist to land a successful finishing blow.

In the end, during the closing moments, he took full responsibility for all the events that had occurred for the sake of his students and left the Academy.

“Fuck, the whole storyline and character depth were truly cool and enjoyable…!”

The problem was, the ending was less than satisfactory.

Daniel ultimately resigned from his professor position and wandered the world, resulting in an open-ended conclusion.

After crafting such a fantastic character, ‘Asa-flora’ concluded without even a single side story.

While other supporting characters ended with nice closures, it was unclear whether Daniel faced a happy or a bad ending.

Is this right? Hey, author?

“Hmpf…!”

Even if I get mad, nothing will change.

In fact, I’d be the only one at a loss after throwing a tantrum.

So I lay in bed, pouring out my complaints.

“If I were Daniel, I would have lived much happier than in the original story.”

With a sigh of regret, I clicked my tongue and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, sleepiness hit me like a thud, and my eyelids grew heavy.

Bitter as it was, I decided to forget my favorite character and fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up, what the hell?

I was in a place I had never seen before, and my usual self had vanished.

“Huh?”

With long, droopy eyes, messy brown hair, a disheveled outfit, and a slender body.

The reflection in the mirror showed an unkempt man, a face I knew all too well.

My beloved character and the unfortunate defeated heroine. I had become Daniel Crawford.

*

I became the eldest son of the Crawford family three years before the story takes place.

Back then, I was still a professor-in-training, not yet an official professor.

At first, I thought it was a dream, so I pinched my cheek, but the pain confirmed it was reality.

Although bewildered, I accepted that my complaints before sleeping had come true.

I didn’t merely become an unnamed extra; I was reborn as the character I loved.

So there’s no way I can’t live happily!

Thus, I resolved to achieve Daniel’s happy ending that couldn’t be seen in the original story.

Filled with eagerness, I set my goal, but before I could celebrate, I bumped into my first hurdle.

For Daniel to step onto the stage of Kia del Academy, he had to become a professor.

To become a professor, he had to pass the exams, yet I was utterly clueless about this world’s knowledge outside of the novel’s background!

Since a professor is someone who teaches others, there was a mountain of stuff I needed to learn, and the qualification exam boasted a ludicrous level of difficulty.

Because of that, I spent three years crazily studying and training my body after being reborn.

Having graduated from university and thinking I was done with studies, I never expected to find myself back in this situation.

‘At least I enjoyed handling magic…’

Even that was challenging because I had to learn magic from books, which was tough in many ways.

Since Daniel was the son of a declining baron, I had no choice but to self-study without a mentor.

After three grueling years, I barely managed to pass the incredibly high-difficulty exam.

And just like that, I could step into Kia del Academy, the main stage of ‘Asa-flora.’

Now, as the professor in charge of class F, I just needed to spend three tumultuous years coexisting with the protagonist.

I envisioned us getting to know each other, growing together, and blossoming love… But…

“Damn it, I worked my ass off, and it turns out everything crashed before it even started!”

With just one notice, I fell into despair.

I had anticipated that my actions would create a butterfly effect, leading to a situation different from the original, yet who could foresee that unexpected events would occur even before the semester began?

Moreover, all my three years of intense study was supposed to qualify me as a professor.

‘Seriously, where did it all go wrong…?’

The special class I was supposed to be assigned to was meant to be taught by Professor Pernelson.

Pernelson was the villain who would turn the students of the special class into the antagonists.

Thinking in the context of the protagonist overthrowing the villain and slowly growing, Professor Pernelson was the necessary evil.

But then, fate played a trick between me and this necessary evil.

‘Isn’t this just too much?!’

I became the professor for the special class, and now Pernelson was taking over Class F.

That sociopathic, cold-blooded professor casually snagged my position with ease.

It’s driving me insane. One of the perks of being possessed was supposed to be predicting the future, but now that’s all been distorted.

At the very least, I can assume that half of the exclusive events with the protagonist have flown out the window.

‘This is going to drive me nuts…’

And it’s not an issue I can solve by myself.

It’s not like I could officially protest the dean’s decision and reverse the outcomes.

With no connections, Daniel’s position was the one that constantly faced harassment from senior professors.

Since the moment I went to ask the dean about class assignments, I had been receiving glances that could cut through steel.

I pressed my throbbing head and grabbed my teaching materials and attendance sheet.

For now, I had to carry on with what they ordered.

I then turned my steps toward the special class, which was a villain’s playground.

‘A disaster struck upon me, while the sky seems worryingly clear…’

Sunlight poured in from outside, warm and inviting, while students chattered animatedly in the hallway.

Some students bowed their heads when they realized I was a professor, but many others simply ignored me.

Those were mostly the scions of high-ranking nobles who seemed to know about my fallen noble status.

The academy is a place of learning, but it’s also society in itself.

In modern times, it wouldn’t be surprising if controversies arose, and the media cornered the situation.

In this academy, filled with all sorts of schemes, one could hardly survive with a half-hearted mindset.

Especially in the special class I was heading into, unless I steeled my heart, I wouldn’t be able to survive.

“Haah…!”

Standing in front of the dreary black door, I took a deep breath.

Checking the nameplate that read ‘Special Class’, I slowly pushed the door open.

Creeeak!

As the unpleasant creaking sound echoed, I stepped inside the room.

Simultaneously, I was greeted by a truly fantastical sight.

“Eh, stop that…!”

“What are you talking about? We’re just getting started!”

A blonde boy with dark skin, overly unbuttoned uniform, and a scruffy face was getting thoroughly beaten up by a much larger classmate.

“I can’t believe I have to be in the same space as these barbarians.”

“I like the buzz!”

“Ugh! So noisy…”

Even as a classmate was getting pummeled mercilessly, the other students seemed to react indifferently.

Girls were disdainful of the fight yet remained as onlookers.

One girl was grinning as if nothing was wrong.

And there was even a girl pulling out a pillow from her bag to prepare for a nap.

These guys would become the main villains of ‘Asa Flora’ and my students starting today.

“Ahh…”

I really wanted to submit my resignation.