Chapter 41: Chapter 41

On a late spring morning at a brunch café.

A woman settled into a spot by the window where the gentle sunlight streamed in. Her long, pure white hair shimmered softly in the morning light.

With a neutral expression, the woman surveyed the café's interior—vibrant paintings hung on the walls, soft music played in the background, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

The relaxed atmosphere of the café pleased her, and she nodded lightly.

Moments later, the café door opened, and another woman walked in. Spotting the woman by the window, she smiled and waved.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Yeah, you?”

Si-hyun and Ji-ah exchanged casual greetings. Ji-ah sat across from Si-hyun, her medium-length hair gently cascading around her shoulders.

“You must have had a tough time with your business trip.”

“Heh, thanks. It happens every time, but it’s tiring nonetheless.”

Ji-ah let out a light sigh.

“The timing for today’s meeting was a bit awkward, wasn’t it? Sorry, I could only manage to meet now.”

“No, it’s fine! You made time for me despite being busy.”

“Still… ah, let’s go eat something delicious when I finish my backlog.”

“Sure! When do you think that will be?”

At Si-hyun’s question, Ji-ah started to vent lightly. Si-hyun smiled gently, supporting Ji-ah in releasing her stress.

With the encouragement of her companion, Ji-ah’s stress dissipated, and she beamed a beautiful smile.

Afterward, the two exchanged opinions on what to order from the menu. Once their order was taken, the server walked away.

Ji-ah propped her chin on her hand, gazing at Si-hyun in front of her.

Normally, Si-hyun wore her long hair down without much styling, but today, for some reason, she had elegantly styled her hair.

It was clear that her appearance shone even more beautifully with the added touch.

“Your half-up hairstyle looks pretty. Did Si-yoon do it for you?”

“…Yeah. I learned how to do it.”

Si-hyun awkwardly adjusted the tied part of her hair. Feeling shy, her earlobes turned a slight shade of red.

Seeing this cute reaction, Ji-ah chuckled and said, “You really thought to learn?”

“…It was a forced lesson.”

“It was forced, huh?”

“Uh-huh…”

As Ji-ah asked, Si-hyun fidgeted with her knees, responding.

“They even gifted me some merch, so I had no excuse not to learn…”

“Ah-ha.”

Ji-ah quickly understood. It meant that Si-yoon had used the Mobamin merch as leverage to teach her sister a lesson. Moreover, it seemed Si-yoon had taught her to do it herself.

Ji-ah could vividly imagine this scene and couldn’t help but giggle.

“Is it, uh, strange?”

“It looks great! How about you keep styling it like that?”

“…I know it was bullying back then, right? But I’ve heard so many times not to act out of place when I’m not pretty…”

“…Ah.”

Though the subject was omitted, Ji-ah understood completely. It was yet another incident involving that damn hero party.

“No, you’re really pretty and it suits you! I think you should have more confidence and style yourself up.”

“R-really…?”

Si-hyun responded while pressing her cheek with her hand. Her slightly hunched shoulders straightened a bit.

“Yeah, take your time to work on it.”

“Okay! There’s no rush.”

Ji-ah nodded with satisfaction. Si-hyun’s usual response to refusals was “I’ll think about it.” Her agreement signified that she was genuinely considering it positively.

“Your food has arrived.”

The server approached, placing their meals on the table.

The two began to eat, engaging in light conversation about their lives—how things were going in the academy, if they had made any new friends, etc. During this time, Ji-ah checked her phone for the time and spoke.

“Actually, I wanted to discuss going to a dungeon together later.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine as long as it’s not on a lecture day.”

In recent days, Si-hyun had been busy working alongside the members of the Wing Guild, almost wrapping up her requests.

While Si-hyun showed a positive attitude, Ji-ah lightly shook her head.

“I reserved an A-rank dungeon that’s coming up soon, but a large guild swooped in.”

“……Huh? Swooped in?”

“Since it’s a high-level dungeon. Just applying doesn’t mean you get in right away; the management office considers various factors.”

“Ah-ha.”

Understanding the explanation, Si-hyun nodded in agreement.

“I’d love to receive your buffs again…”

“Heh.”

As Ji-ah slumped slightly, Si-hyun smiled lightly. For a supporter, that was nearly the highest praise.

“There’ll be another opportunity. How about another A-rank dungeon?”

“Although the timeframe is generous, it’s just too far. It wouldn’t be doable as a day trip.”

“Hmm, I see.”

It didn’t have to be a day trip, but if it was too far, it could wear them out mentally and physically.

If they really had to go, they would plan properly at that time. The two shifted topics from dungeons to other matters.

After finishing their breakfast-lunch meal, Ji-ah checked the time again and said,

“Si-hyun, isn’t today a lecture day? Do you want me to give you a ride to the academy?”

“Uh, is that okay?”

“Yeah, there’s still some time left. I think it’ll be fine.”

“I’d appreciate it if you did.”

Since Si-hyun was already out, she planned to spend the remaining time at the professor’s office. She gladly accepted Ji-ah’s consideration.

---

* * *

In the 3rd and 4th period of the academy.@@novelbin@@

Students from close-combat hunter classes gathered in groups on the playground, attending their lectures.

Among those students, Kwon Jae-woo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Oh, that beautiful professor is here.”

“Where? Where?”

A few male students chatted as they looked toward the stairs at the corner of the playground. Jae-woo glanced over as well.

Professor Jeong Si-hyun, who taught Introduction to Monsters, was sitting on the stairs, observing the students.

She sipped from a disposable plastic cup, the straw stuck in it, and when the male students recognized her, she smiled lightly and waved.

“Wow, she’s really beautiful. A goddess, for sure.”

“Ugh! I should have taken Introduction to Monsters as an elective.”

“That class is in the same building as ours, right? Every time I pass by, my heart races.”

“Her voice must be pretty too, right? I’ve never heard it before.”

“Isn’t it? If she has a deep or husky voice, it would ruin the image.”

Jae-woo didn’t participate in the conversation but found himself nodding subconsciously. Introduction to Monsters was located in a corner at the end of the hallway, and Professor Jeong didn’t use a microphone.

If one wasn’t a student, they likely hadn’t heard her voice.

“Hey, you guys! Take a decent break and get back to it!”

“Got it!”

The male students quieted down only after being scolded by the professor, who was in the middle of a lecture. But it didn’t last long.

Before long, the 3rd period ended, and it was time for a break, prompting Professor Jeong to leave her seat. However, the male students began chattering among themselves again.

“I heard that professor is a close-combat hunter. I wonder if she’ll teach a major lecture later?”

“What major lecture would a D-rank give?”

When the rank was mentioned, the male students chuckled.

Jae-woo silently opened and closed his mouth without saying anything. Though he hadn’t spoken up, he had already built a rapport with them.

He fell into thought for a moment.

“Honestly, what does she have aside from her looks?”

“Hey, that looks are a scam!”

“That’s true! The lecture probably isn’t anything special. Everyone probably signed up just for her looks.”

“……Didn’t you hear the rumors?”

Unable to hold back, Jae-woo interjected into the conversation. He couldn’t bear to listen to them disparaging Professor Jeong.

“Word is, the content of the Introduction to Monsters lecture is incredible.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’ve never heard that before.”

The others looked taken aback, as if it were news to them. However, Jae-woo didn’t care at all.

“Check the community after the 4th period ends. There’s definitely something there.”

“Do we have to?”

“Well, if you think of it, you could look it up.”

The male students showed indifference.

However, Jae-woo’s efforts were not in vain.

“Oh, I think I saw something too. There was a post on the community last week.”

“Oh, really?”

Other students jumped into the conversation.

“What was it? Detail? I remember it being mentioned as incredible.”

“Oh, that! Was that the Introduction to Monsters?”

“I think so.”

“And to say she’s an academy professor just because of her looks, does that even make sense?”

“…….”

The voices of the students responding to Jae-woo’s comments grew louder. As a result, those who had previously been dissing Si-hyun quieted down.

Jae-woo returned to his attentive posture. He felt satisfied with the outcome.

The male students who had been dissing Si-hyun didn’t say a word until the end of the 4th period lecture.

---

After the major classes of the 3rd and 4th periods ended, Jae-woo had a light meal at the underground store of the building.

He needed to attend the Introduction to Monsters lecture in the 5th and 6th periods, so the timing was tight. With nowhere to kill time, he headed into the lecture hall early.

And then, he discovered something.

“M-monster?!”

On the desk at the front of the lecture hall stood a menacing-looking goblin!

Startled, Jae-woo hurriedly pulled out his weapon from his status window, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

He had never seen such a terrifying-looking goblin before.

Tensing up, he prepared himself to fight at any moment.

“……?”

Then he noticed another figure standing behind it.

Professor Jeong Si-hyun leaned against the lectern, a playful expression on her face as she looked at him.