It’s unfortunate news for Teacher Jackie, but most of her passionate lessons seemed unnecessary to me.
“The influence of the sun on us is, firstly, it helps plants create the nutrients they need from sunlight. Also, using sunlight, we can create ‘thingamajigs.’ Does anyone know the word that goes in this blank?”
Inside, I screamed, “Electricity!” and slipped back into my daze.
Of course, I personally enjoy this dazing time.
When zoning out, the brain’s DMN gets activated, enhancing memory and creativity, so it’s not all that bad.
“Me! Me! It’s electricity!”
The monster born from attitude scoring, Seo Yu-na, raised her hand to answer again.
Thinking back to my first life in Korea, I couldn’t help but realize the differences from this world.
Firstly, the amount of the curriculum.
Even if you generously estimate, the college entrance exam could be reviewed in one month, as the scope is narrow, but each question requires deep thinking.
However, the current KGSAT lumps all the subjects into ‘Magic Studies,’ ‘Transmutation Studies,’ and more, making it on par with the public exams in a way that’s hard to believe.
As such, if students fell behind even once, it was nearly impossible to catch up again.
Of course, if you don’t choose a magic subject for college entrance, your quality of life will improve exponentially, but thinking about the status that theoretical wizards and combat wizards hold in modern society makes it hard to give up.
In politics, wizards and non-wizards are vehemently opposing each other, eager to undermine each other’s rights, but that’s a story from another world. I was reminded of it this morning when it was being discussed on the news.
What else is there?
Perhaps due to inflation, nearly every university has started the era of tuition fees of ten million won?
I can’t remember well, but the university I attended back then cost around 12 million won per year.
Ding dong ding—
“Na-me! Let’s go! Run!”
The bell signaling the end of the fourth period rang, stimulating Pavlov’s dogs.
When I regained my senses, most of the kids had already dashed out of the school.
What’s the big deal about eating a little earlier than others? But it was genuinely one of the important issues for kids.
With my wrist grabbed by my friends, I sprinted in a no-mercy lunch race, finally arriving at the dining area.
Still, geographically, our 2nd Grade A Class was at the very end, making it hard to avoid coming in last.
“Wouldn’t it be better just to come late and eat? You could get your food more freely.”
“No way!”
“Why?”
“Just because! We must eat early!”
Once a thought settles in your brain, it’s tough to shake off.
While waiting in line with a mindset of “You guys do what you want,” I reviewed the academic journal I had seen in the morning.
[Jealous…]
A powerless voice of Adella came from the drone.
“Yeah?”
[I’m jealous. Your older sister’s friends.]
“Why?”
[Just that. But it doesn’t seem like you’re doing much at the academy? In other vlogs, they seem to be taking notes hard and all.]
“It’s all stuff I know. I’m just happy sitting here among these kids.”
[Wow…! That was quite the criminal statement!]
Adella’s grumbling continued even during lunch.
She seems to be in a bit of a funk again, so to lighten the mood, I threw her a question.
“By the way, when’s your virtual YouTuber debut? Didn’t you say it would be in October? The month is almost over.”
[Wow… I’m disappointed. Did I just get hurt?]
“Why?”
[It’s tomorrow! How could you not know this?! Aaaaah! Right, I’m just a piece of data without a body! If I disappear, no one will come looking for me! Hwaaaah!]
As she went into a frenzy, the drone lost balance and crashed on the floor.
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
Before more eyes could turn to us, I rushed to the spot where the drone fell to retrieve it.
I turned on my phone and called Adella via video.
[He… hello?]
“Oh, so it was tomorrow. I’m really sorry for not knowing, Adella. I think I’ve been too busy to take care of you lately. Will you forgive me?”
Apologies really are about speed.
[When did I ask you to take care of me? I just casually mentioned it, so don’t take it too seriously.]
“Will you forgive me?”
[Oh, fine! I forgive you! Take this as forgiveness! Hurry up and eat, you inferior humans bound to this material world!]
“Ha, cute. Call me whenever you want tomorrow. Let’s stream together.”
[What? I can do well on my own!]
This is why I really appreciate simple-minded people like Adella.
No need for intense emotional management, and it’s comforting just being around them.
As I picked at my rice, my friends looked at me with puzzled expressions.
“What’s up?”
“Na-me, I didn’t know you could smile!”
“Yeah, I’m usually the type to smile a lot.”
“No way! You never smile normally. Once? Twice?”
The kids quickly counted on their fingers. There’s no way all five fingers would be extended.
“But you’re so cute when you smile! Hehe.”
Yuna flashed a bright smile.
“I’ll try to smile more often.”
By the time I’d finished most of my meal and set my chopsticks down, a group of about six upperclassmen from the Elementary Division stumbled over to us.
They all had something in their hands and were standing with their arms behind their backs.
“Hey, you go first!”
“You called me here…!”
“Are you handing this off to me? Haah… Um, Na-me, could you give me an autograph?”
Swish—
The male student knelt as if proposing, presenting paper and a pen to me.
“Huh?”
“It’s… my sister is in the High School Division and wanted your autograph… Oh, and sure, I want an autograph too! But my sister mentioned it first—”
“I’ll do it. Just give it here.”
“Really? Wow!”
“Can I too…!”
I tapped the table, pondering for a moment.
How do you sign?
Until now, all signatures I’ve done for contracts were done with standard signatures.
However, considering the sensibilities of this age, who likes cute and special things, there was a need to accommodate.
Under the pressure of time, I ran a simulation to draw the right conclusion.
I decided to mix the alphabet of my name, NoName, naturally.
I perked ‘N’ up like cat ears and drew a cat face inside the letter ‘O.’
Of course, I didn’t forget to add three whiskers on both sides.
Finally, I connected the end of the ‘e’ back to the head part—voilà! A loaf cat was complete!
“Wow! Awesome!”
“Here you go.”
“So cute! Thanks, Na-me!”
Before I could even receive the next paper, I spotted a long line of kids stretching behind.
Twenty, thirty, and kids keep gathering by the moment.
“Hey, you guys… head back to class first.”
“Okay…! Good luck!”
“Na-me, we’ll bring your tray back!”
Today, it seems my wrists won’t survive.
From the sigh I let out, I unknowingly exuded a faint fatigue.
—
Somewhere, Adella and Na-me can be considered to be in a similar predicament.
Adella, an artificial neural network born from recklessly replicating people’s brains inside Valpurgis’s laboratory, and Na-me had to survive in virtual reality, trapped in a capsule for seven years due to Valpurgis.
The only being who understood her pain and loneliness, Adella held a significant status for Na-me.
Only Adella knew that the streamer who amazed the world was an elementary schoolgirl, and only she was aware that she was a victim of the Valpurgis terror.
When Adella heard about Na-me’s past directly from her, she wept under her blanket, hiccuping for days.
However, as Na-me’s identity was revealed one by one to the public and knowing that information became utterly common,
another wave of intense loneliness washed over Adella.
Yet, she didn’t show it, as someone once advised that everyone carries a loneliness in their heart.
After all, once she gains a body, those problems will be resolved.
‘Filming Na-me’s vlog could also be a process of overcoming myself. Let’s hang in there a bit more.’
Na-me was truly a quiet and well-mannered child at the academy.
During most class times, she would zone out, enjoying her own thoughts.
But there were moments when she poured all her energy into her activities, especially during magic practice.
Even after class had long been dismissed and break time began, Na-me showed no signs of closing her mouth.
“Lee Ha-ru. Start over. Who told you to make the anti-reflux spell so carelessly? The safety guidelines textbook said never leave it out! Are you rebelling against your mother now?”
“Eek! Wait, is this a play concept? Seems way too serious, Na-me… I mean, Mom…!”
“Where are you getting smart…?”
“Ahhh! Help me!”
The play session had been going on since lunch.
Na-me was playing the mother role, forcing Lee Ha-ru to assume the role of the youngest daughter, engaging in what looked like child abuse under the guise of discipline.
“Lee Ha-ru! If you don’t listen, you won’t be as tall as Mom! Hehehe.”
Seo Yu-na, playing the father role, held Na-me’s armpits and swung her around in the air.
“Seo Yu-na, you get down too.”
“Hey Na-me! When calling your husband, you usually say ‘You’ or ‘Daddy Ha-ru’ instead—”
“Three, two, one.”
“Okay…!”
Two promising talents in Korea could only comply with her command.
“Anti-reflux spells are especially essential when dealing with water magic. Do you know what happens if it’s interrupted during casting?”
“What happens?”
Cast: Stream Flow!
Na-me imperfectly drew the magic circle and poured in all her mana.
Then she raised her left arm and brought her right arm down forcibly.
Swish–!
Mana circuits overloaded, causing Na-me’s right arm to flail around like an octopus.
Just as her already pale arm turned even whiter from restricted blood flow, Na-me calmed it with her aura-infused hand, soothing the mana flow.
“Got it? If a second-circle spell is like this, imagine when you handle a fifth-circle spell later. Dangerous, right?”
“It seems dangerous…!”
“Alright, up you go. This is the last time I’m playing pretend. You guys have had enough fun, right?”
“Yeah, yeah…! Once is enough… pretend play isn’t all that fun, haha!”
“Eh really? I thought it was fun?”
“Seo Yu-na, please be aware of the situation…!”
Ha-ru tugged on Yu-na’s ear.
If pretend play continued, Ha-ru’s mental state would be in shambles.
Na-me, stretching her shoulders, held the drone and whispered to Adella.
“It’s almost time to go home. You worked hard piloting the drone all day.”
[I’m just moving my hands around, so what hard work? Plus, I’m planning to film until you sleep tonight?]
“I usually sleep past midnight. Does that bother you?”
[I’m jobless today too, so it’s fine. Ah, your sister is calling.]
“I’ll take it later since we have the closing ceremony now.”
The kids, grabbing their school bags, sat down with excitement.
After all, the end of Ha-ru’s school day is always a thrilling time.
“Shall we give a round of applause to Na-me for her efforts in the Academy Competition once more? Now everyone, applause!”
Seeing the kids clapping as if competing over who could be louder, Na-me waved her hands in embarrassment, but her face wore a broad smile.
Once in a while, Na-me’s childlike appearance caught Adella’s eyes.
‘She really is cute.’
Adella thought, feeling grateful to have such a child in the family while launching the drone into the sky.
Hoping that one day, she could feel her warmth against her skin.
—
“Hello. Yes, which embassy? Ah, Israel…”
[What? Why does my sister get so many calls from embassies?]
Seems the call was hard to hear, so Na-me pushed the drone away and covered her other ear to focus.
“Ah, but I’m a bit busy tomorrow. I mean… could you postpone the ceremony a bit?”
Her brow furrowed slightly, signaling the seriousness of the matter.
[What’s going on then?]
“Well, you’ll have to proceed without me. Yes, yes. I’m not refusing the award… Just let them do as they wish. I’m fine with either receiving it or not. Yes, thank you for your hard work as always.”
Click—
Without much thought, she slid her phone into her pocket.
Na-me’s puppet-like expression increased Adella’s curiosity even more.
[What is it?]
“Oh! The Wolf Foundation contacted me. They selected me as the winner of the Wolf Math Award, and they said I’d need to prepare for the ceremony tomorrow.”
[Wolf Math Award? What’s that? Is it famous?]
“Well, it’s quite famous here, if you put it that way. But we agreed to stream together tomorrow. So I just told them to handle it themselves.”
[Did it really have to be that way…? I don’t know what to say since I don’t know what it is… But is it truly okay?]
“Of course it is.”
Na-me replied affirmatively.
Adella felt greatly moved that Na-me prioritized her over something she didn’t even know about, like the Wolf Award.
[Hehe. Tomorrow, it’s debut day!]
As she felt recognized for her existence, Adella kept grinning until Na-me arrived home.
