The philosophy of enlightenment transitioned the role of children from labor to education during the industrial society of the 18th century.
I am about to become someone who cannot fulfill my role as a child.
A jobless child. Or perhaps, a child jobless.
I might have suspected that one day I had to leave the academy.
Children form groups with peers who are similar in age or cultural background to gradually learn how to navigate the world.
In that process, they ponder the kinds of worries typical for their age, sometimes solving them, sometimes getting frustrated, and grow into proper adults.
But if I continue like this, my very existence will create a significant imbalance in the children’s lives.
Yeah, it’s like a gigantic Betelgeuse star unexpectedly appearing in the solar system.
Parents or teachers do not teach elementary students about politics or macroeconomic prospects.
When they should be worrying about how to articulate their thoughts clearly or how to maintain friendships, aspiring for more becomes detrimental to them.
“So, I’m planning to drop out of the academy.”
Adults did not favor the term “drop out.”
So, they often used the word “defer” instead, as if it were a euphemism, for elementary and middle school students.
It becomes an external management target.
“You can always return whenever you want, Na-me. Even after submitting the drop-out form, you’ll still be part of Sephiron Academy until you enroll somewhere else.”
“Understood. Thank you just for saying that.”
Principal Gu On-yu, who had given up on persuasion, reluctantly stamped the dropout form.
“Don’t you want to say farewell to your friends?”
“I’ll reach out to them personally.”
Once I exited the academy building, the vast, open sky stretched infinitely before me.
Rather than relief, a bittersweet feeling hit me first.
It was definitely different from my past life.
I must have really been satisfied with my life at the academy.
I crossed the school garden, complete with a vine tunnel, and stopped in front of a lilac bed that someone had lovingly planted along the school building.
These were flowers that 1st graders had planted with their parents during the entrance ceremony.
As the lilac fragrance tickled my nose, the pure voices of young children reached my ears.
The small sports field and playground behind the school were places for 1st and 2nd graders.
At that moment, a boy was earnestly running toward the garden with his short legs.
It seemed he was playing tag with his friends.
Having lived in the academy for a long time, I had developed a superpower to distinguish between 1st and 2nd graders, and this boy was undeniably a 1st grader.
As he kept looking back while running, he suddenly tripped right in front of me.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Uhh, I’m fine. But my palm…”
The brave-headed boy stood up and looked at his scraped palm, his face quickly twisting into a pout.
Seeing him try to hold back tears right in front of me was, for some reason, pretty cute.
Kids at this age really do get hurt non-stop.
“Can I see your hand?”
I used the organizational regeneration magic I had used on my friends to heal his palm.
The boy turned his face away, embarrassed, and couldn’t look me in the eye.
“B-but what class are you in?”
“A Class.”
“Hey, that’s a lie, I’m in A Class and I don’t know you.”
“3rd Grade A Class.”
“…!”
I showed him the yellow ribbon that marked my 3rd Grade uniform.
His expression changed dramatically as he processed this information.
Having unintentionally teased the little first grader, I smiled gently.
The boy examined my face intently before taking a deep breath.
“Um, is your name NoName?”
“You’re using informal language, buddy.”
“Are you NoName?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“My mom told me to run away fast and not talk to NoName if I ever saw you.”
“Oh really? Why’s that?”
“Um, she said it’s dangerous to be close.”
“What do you think of me as a friend?”
“I thought you were just another 1st grader.”
“You really say it like it is, huh?”
“…?”
After quickly finishing the treatment, I zipped up the boy’s jacket.
“If you’re playing tag, what fun is it if you runaway all the way here? You get better at running by being chased. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you shouldn’t judge people carelessly like that. It’s not a good habit. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“Um… um…”
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
The boy fidgeted with his hands and hesitated.
Then he bowed to me at a 90-degree angle.
“Thank you, pretty noona, for healing my palm! I’ll definitely brag about you to my friends.”
Without looking back, he dashed off toward the playground.
I hope he doesn’t fall again.
By the way, “pretty noona?” The flirting from a kid already seems unusual.
*
What day of the week is the most torturous?
Is it Monday, the day invented to describe “Monday sickness”?
Or maybe it’s Wednesday, positioned in the middle of the work week? Thursday could also be a contender.
But what does that have to do with me?
Day after day after day after day after day…
I was currently savoring the pinnacle of happiness.
“Ughhh…”
I rolled around on my bed with the blanket, uttering meaningless syllables.
When I received my suspension, resting didn’t feel like resting at all.
Thinking of returning to the academy felt suffocating; I felt like I had to reflect on my actions during the suspension period, and my thesis was its own burden—anyway, my emotions were complicated.
If I were an office worker, I’d surely empathize with the difference between suspension and termination.
The freedom from responsibility—what a great pleasure it is!
Staying at home meant no one was bothering me, so I felt no need to go out even more.
Originally, I wanted to practice some martial arts moves, and my body ached everywhere.
But nowadays, just lying down all day brought me complete peace of mind.
“Maybe it’s because it’s winter?”
I turned on the capsule beam projector in Saetbyeol’s room, which was filled with the scents of hair essence and body lotion.
I watched Adella’s practice match in real time as she participated in the 2052 Da-Gap-Da season 2.
Bump-!
[I’m in the tunnel now. I’ll just peek at the assassination possibilities. Draw some time at the guardian’s nest.]
[There are four of them. One spot on defense is open. Who’s the other one?]
[A sorcerer is stuck to me…! Hey, there are three over here! They’re all waiting by the tunnel entrance!]
[Sorry, one was a clone! Can you escape, Adella?]
[It’s certain I’m dead…! I’ll just try to stall for time.]
Adella sprinted at full speed, utilizing the advantages of her agile thief class.
However, being caught by a warrior under a paladin’s speed boost was just a matter of time.
[You came to rescue me!]
[Don’t come here! I’ve been caught too!]
The healer who came to save Adella also got snagged.
Miscalculating the number of people, the main force was surrounded and annihilated without even taking the objective.
With sighs echoing from all around, the final scream round came to an end.
Due to the overly dismal atmosphere, feedback was postponed for later.
[Thanks for your hard work.]
[You guys did well.]
[Great job, everyone.]
[Everyone worked really hard… This is where I’ll end the broadcast for today.]
She ended the broadcast with a voice that was almost fading away.
Fssshhh-!
Then, the capsule door opened, and she emerged, drenched in sweat.
It seemed she had cranked the heater in the capsule to the max.
“I watched the scream well.”
“How was it?”
“It was a total disaster, wasn’t it?”
“Ugh… Aaaah!”
“Hey, don’t come over! Stay back!”
Cheon Saetbyeol lunged at me like a zombie.
With a pillow between us, I desperately blocked her body.
But today, Cheon Saetbyeol’s obsession was unyielding.
She hugged me with the pillow and rubbed her cheek against mine, sobbing.
“I really tried my best. What’s wrong with our team? Even you can see it’s just hopeless, right? Everyone’s skilled, but we just don’t click. Ugh…”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You just watched my broadcast. Please tell me what’s wrong. If this keeps up, it won’t matter if I run the scream 100 more times!”
“Well, you could run it 1000 times.”
“Ugh, seriously! You’re jobless, so can’t you help me out? Please, please, please!”
I realized I had completely encouraged her bad habit.
Sympathizing fully with the blue raccoon robot, I quietly slipped out of bed.
I crossed my arms and pointed out all the things I found unsatisfactory.
“If you’re going to sweat like that, can’t you turn off the heater?”
“If my head gets cold, my reaction time slows down. I can’t help it.”
“Are you a cat? Will you break if it gets cold?”
“Stop nagging! By the way, there’s a reason you absolutely must help me. Didn’t you see the chat window?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m seriously going crazy because of this.”
With that, Saetbyeol pulled over the beam projector screen and set it to replay the broadcast.
[Chat Window – ON]
– Della, let’s create a life game sometime.
– If it flips, Silva is definitely the culprit.
– No way, how would that even work?
– No🧘♀️ come back.
– How long will you be in seclusion?
– Why are you looking for him here?
– Can I ask about it? You’re so sensitive.
– What’s so sensitive about it? Rules prohibit mentioning Taras.
– Please, let’s just watch the game quietly, guys.
– Adella, I’ve been a long-time subscriber to NoName. My parents were scammed when I was young and lost everything, starting from a semi-basement. My father, who has seizures, is quite ill. I think NoName might know a way to treat epilepsy, so I sincerely ask this. It might be a shameless request, but if you can’t help me, I’d be grateful for any loan for hospital bills. We can’t go to the hospital because we have no money. My phone number is 010-XXXX-XXXX.
– The chat window is going wild.
– I feel so dizzy;;
– Even with 10 managers, it looks tough?
– Oh, it was a waiting bait for the tunnel…
– The bounty’s all gone, haha.
“See? I’m already stressed out from the tournament, and now I have to manage the broadcast and public sentiment. My head’s about to explode! Plus, finals are next week, and I need to study English and science fast!”
While I was absent, Saetbyeol had kindly been taking the uproar from the crowd in silence.
With a pale face, she lowered her head.
“People asking to borrow money turn hostile after just one week on social media. I’ve heard every insult in the book throughout my life.”
She irritably shut the chat window and furrowed her brows.
Seeing her face about to cry, I slowly approached and matched her gaze.
“You’ve been really struggling because of me, haven’t you? I didn’t even realize because you were always so cheerful. I’m really sorry for not noticing.”
I gently brushed her damp bangs aside.
Saetbyeol simply closed her eyes in silence, and I touched her forehead lightly with my finger.
“I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. You would be a hundred times more stressed than I am.”
“You’re really making it so that I can’t refuse your requests again.”
“Sigh.”
“Alright, I’ll help you. But all I can do is provide you with useful information. Teaching others isn’t my forte, and I’m not in a position to do that right now.”
“I know that. But that’s more than enough.”
I had planned to take a complete break, but now I had work to do.
By the way, how am I supposed to deal with the damp sweat on my hands?
I pressed my palms gently against Adella’s cheeks.
Saetbyeol’s lips puffed out like a duck.
“What’s with that face?”
“It’s nothing. Just keep working hard. Do well on your finals too.”
“Of course! You know I don’t do anything half-hearted! Thank you for helping me!”
Saetbyeol waved her hands cheerfully and smiled brightly.
Alright, that felt natural.
*
“Are you really expecting us to do a 3 tank 3 healer combo without a ranger mage? It’s gonna be tough without ranged support in this meta!”
“How do you plan to cross the bridge, then?”
“Adella, is that really the case?”
“Well, it’s a bit complicated, but I think it’ll fit our team, so let’s treat it as a gamble and try it out! I’ll give a detailed briefing in-game.”
