In early autumn, a bright yellow spring bloomed.
Watching Name push the children out of the boundary with swift motions, Professor Chun couldn’t take his eyes off the petals swirling around her.
Azaleas originally have pink petals.
Perhaps that’s why he could see light pink sparks bursting between Name’s golden aura.
‘Chorong’s aura…’
The reason he couldn’t stop her, even knowing about Ham Chorong from the National Martial Arts Tournament, lay in her bizarre aura manipulation.
The opponent had to divert their punches or redirect them to create rotational force in the same direction as Ham Chorong with each attack.
However, in the complex battle, it was nearly impossible to read all the tricks she used.
That was why she could always seize victory.
Did Name recreate this immediately after only hearing what Principal Gu On Yu told her?
Professor Chun could only admire her genius once again.
Name had a knack for surprising people like this every time.
But it wasn’t only Professor Chun whose heart raced.
“No, Han Gyeol!”
Parents stood up one after another, calling out their children’s names.
Children flew towards the mattresses like autumn leaves.
However, strangely, the children’s faces were filled with joy.
“Wow! Name, me too! Please let me!”
“Throw me further!”
“Hey, I’m first! No cutting in!”
“…? Wait, this isn’t right…”
The rules that Name announced ahead of time were completely disregarded.
Leading the charge, Yoon Si Hoo and some children screamed, “Kyaaa!” as they flew into the air and, as soon as they landed softly on the mattress, gave a thumbs up.
They must have truly felt the thrill that can only be experienced on amusement rides.
Not knowing that their parents were anxious, the children kept pestering Name to let them do the same.
Eventually, a teacher had to come and intervene.
“Name, can’t you do it normally? Just lightly push like this, come on!”
“Oh, that’s… yes…”
Feeling a bit dejected after being scolded by the teacher for trying to show off, Name pushed the children out of the line lightly.
Only then could the parents feel relieved and take their seats again.
“Huh… I thought it was amazing since it was on TV, but seeing it in person, I’m at a loss for words.”
“Genius really is different…”
“Even with twenty of them, they can’t do anything against that little girl. What’s more surprising is that she shows such guts in front of twenty.”
Parents all praised Name in unison, but it was barely managed words that came out.
In reality, they couldn’t fathom what kind of scene this was or why the homeroom teacher remained so calm.
The magic scholar from Raon Clan was shaking one leg, focusing on every move she made.
“No matter how you look at it, that’s not the audacity of an eight-year-old.”
Unless you’re a well-trained martial artist, it’s natural to flinch when a punch comes flying your way.
In contrast, Name predicted and responded to the movements of children darting in all directions without a blink.
Amid the chaos, she firmly held her ground, evoking outright admiration.
Such a thing isn’t composed of personal effort or education; it’s pure talent.
“Name wouldn’t be out of place even if paired with upperclassmen.”
“You must be really looking forward to the tournament, sir. I thought Name was only good at studying, but she has talent in this area too.”
Anyway, defeating Name would be impossible for their children.
Thus, parents emphasized that they were all from the same Seviron Academy, raising her praise for her future performance in the tournament.
Professor Chun subtly turned his gaze towards Name.
Seeing her flicking the forehead of a classmate who was pulling at her clothes.
It was during such ordinary play that one could catch a glimpse of her innocent expression fitting for her age.
Before long, the fun ended, leaving Name alone in the stadium.
The homeroom teacher summoned the eliminated kids together to explain the significance of today’s lesson.
“Second graders, it’s really important to maintain your position while casting magic. So today, we’re going to practice holding our ground even when pushed from the side. Let’s pair up in twos and face each other, shall we?”
When the caster’s position significantly changes during casting, the gathered mana dissipates immediately.
So while coordinate transformation is crucial in a magic circle, teaching this to second graders is challenging.
That’s why academies nationwide developed this kind of curriculum for their lessons.
“Now, Name, let’s tidy up the cones with the teacher.”
“Yes.”
As the fifth class of practical training wrapped up smoothly, Professor Chun shook his head, reflecting on what the parents had just said.
“Name will not participate in the tournament this year.”
“What?”
“Why not!”
“Isn’t this a golden opportunity to make a name for yourself, sir?”
“That’s right! If it’s a health issue, we know a famous doctor we can consult.”
“It’s not about that.”
Of course, Name’s body wasn’t fully healed, so those concerns weren’t entirely unfounded.
However, more fundamentally, there was a separate reason why Name couldn’t participate in the competition.
[Children under 120cm tall are prohibited from entering for safety reasons.]
It was the moment everyone learned the internal regulation of the foundation, which had never been relevant until now, revealing a shocking truth.
*
“Noname, do you want to drink my milk too?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You should drink a lot of milk to grow taller quickly.”
“If I drink more, my stomach will hurt, thanks for the offer, Seori. Okay?”
“Chee…”
“Chee?”
“Nothing!”
Since the public lesson, it seemed the number of times my classmates offered me milk had notably increased.
“Hey guys, are you embarrassed that I’m so short?”
Just because they are young doesn’t mean they lack awareness of appearance.
In fact, children can be more obsessed with how they appear than adults.
Is it embarrassing that a small kid like me is in second grade and may be known to other academy students?
“No, not at all! It’s just that my mom and dad said they wished Name would grow taller quickly.”
“Why are they worried about my height? Ah…”
Is it because of the tournament?
I could infer this somewhat, given the principal’s previous reaction.
If the purpose were to win the Academy tournament, I could easily slice through either the lower or upper grades since I was alone.
However, the reason the principal made me be in charge of educating the children participating in the tournament was now revealed.
Since I couldn’t participate due to this damn height, half, or rather most, of the academy’s strength would be lost.
[Shouldn’t you just ignore that regulation?]
The height restriction rule came into existence due to an incident that occurred long ago.
A small child got crushed under a kid thirty centimeters taller and twice as heavy, resulting in a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Of course, if the Seviron side proposed to modify the entry regulations, the Altair Foundation would never approve it, so I was destined to miss this year entirely.
“So what’s your height now, Name?”
“About 113cm, I guess?”
“Exactly! You measure your height every morning.”
“You force me to measure it, don’t you? I don’t want to!”
One thing that changed after the public lesson was that every time I went to school, the kids stopped me at the back of the classroom to measure my height with a ruler.
Each time, I had to endure the humiliation of being forced to do so.
“So how tall is it?”
“112.4 cm.”
“Whoa, didn’t you grow by 1mm? Right?”
“Exactly! I think you were 112.3 yesterday.”
“Guys, a person’s height doesn’t grow that much overnight. A millimeter can change from day to day.”
“Really? That’s a bummer…”
“You study well, but why don’t you grow taller quickly?”
“Seoyuna, if you’re serious, today is your memorial day.”
“Aha, just kidding, just kidding! Aaaah, help me!”
Academy life generally flowed like this.
During normal times, I would be quiet, but every now and then, kids would tease me, and I would respond appropriately.
“Uhhhhh…! It hurts…! Name, I’m in pain!”
It was when I was giving a temple massage to Yuna, who was stressed from recent classes.
“Noname! Come here and look at this!”
“I’m serious! Hand my notebook back!”
“Zunzu, so why is Noname’s name written here?”
“Ugh, it’s not! Just give it back quickly!”
“Noname toss!”
Suddenly, a notebook flew toward my face.
Han Gyeol had passed Baek Yohan’s notebook to me.
A friend who had been Yuna’s seatmate at the beginning of the semester.
Since I introduced the game of air in class, he became friendly with the boys in our class.
Yohan, having escaped Kim Han Gyeol, quickly reclaimed his notebook and stuffed it back into his bag.
“Ha! Baek Yohan, you confessed, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t!”
Baek Yohan blushed and vehemently denied it.
As I squinted my eyes, he seemed to flinch, as if he was struck by something, and promptly turned his gaze away.
It kind of fits, doesn’t it?
“Wow, Baek Yohan, you’re awesome. Totally a manly man.”
“Name, I saw you write your name in Korean and English too.”
“Wow, what? Are we in a situation where Yohan is confessing to our Name?”
“Hey, was that you? Did you write that letter?”
After defeating Hong Joon in arm wrestling, Seoyuna, who was now known as the new class president, threatened him.
Yohan, completely under pressure, could barely speak, shivering pitifully.
“Yohan, come here. Shall we have a word?”
I gestured for Baek Yohan to step outside the classroom.
Enduring Yuna’s fierce gaze and the children’s cheers, he cooperated obediently.
I intentionally moved to the first floor, away from prying ears, to find a place that was less crowded.
Sitting on a bench behind the academy, piled high with fallen leaves, I gestured for him to take the spot beside me.
“Yohan, why are you sitting so far away? Do you dislike me?”
“No!”
“Then do you like me?”
“No…”
“Why? You wrote that love letter! I can’t stand liars.”
“…”
Finally acknowledging his crime—or rather, misdeed—Baek Yohan hesitated to admit he had written the letter.
“Why didn’t you write your name in the confession letter?”
“That was a mistake… I was originally going to throw it away. I mixed up the compartments in my shoe locker…”
“That sounds a little like a lie…”
“No, this is genuine! It’s definitely not a lie…”
“Then why didn’t you want to give it to me?”
“Because I thought you wouldn’t like me… right?”
“Why? Would it be nice if I accepted your confession?”
Baek Yohan’s face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Now his voice was almost inaudible, like he was whispering.
“What do you like about me?”
“Um… you’re cute and nice…”
“No, no, no. Try again.”
“You’re cute…”
“Try again. Think of something else.”
“…? Hmmm, you’re mature.”
“That’s a bit vague. Don’t you have anything else?”
“You’re short.”
“That’s not a compliment. Do you want to be buried here?”
“No, no! You’re short but really strong!”
“True, that’s the correct answer.”
Offering compliments of any kind is a hard job.
“Do you like that I praised you for being strong?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you recognized my efforts. Good or bad, it’s still something.”
“Hmm…”
“If Yohan studies really hard and gets 100 on a test, do you think you’d feel good?”
“Of course.”
“But if no one praises you, would you still want to try for another 100 next time?”
“I’d probably be really sad. I might not try hard.”
“I feel the same way. To become stronger than now, I reward myself.”
Yohan furrowed his brow, deeply pondering the meaning of my words.
At his age, those words might not resonate.
Even if I told the same words to mature Yuna, it would probably be similar.
“Why do you want to become stronger?”
“So I can protect the people important to me.”
“Then I’ll keep complimenting you, saying you’re strong.”
“Wow, that’s really showing your intention to gain points with me, isn’t it? Are you also a guy?”
I playfully tugged at his cheek and smiled mischievously.
“Sorry, but I don’t like boys. I’m really sorry.”
Yohan was left in shock, as if struck in the back of his head, and he struggled to find words for a while.
“Then… do you like girls?”
“No? I don’t like girls either.”
This time, Yohan took another blow to the head.
He was completely KO’d.
It seemed he had only two choices in his mind.
“Then do you just dislike all people?”
“That could be true. I’ll become the strongest in the world and destroy the planet!”
“…”
“Hey, I’m joking! Why are you taking it so seriously? So what do you want, Yohan? Should I tell the others that you didn’t write the confession letter?”
Confessions aren’t a bad thing at all.
Making a confession or even getting rejected isn’t such a terrible situation, so I tried to empathize with his feelings as much as possible.
“Yeah… I would appreciate it if you could say I didn’t write it…”
“Okay, don’t worry.”
“Ugh…”
“Why are you crying again? Come here. Were you really that sad about being rejected by me?”
“No, it’s just… you’re so nice…”
Being close with second graders, I naturally learned a fact.
Listening to what these children usually say, they often seem like they’re no different from twenty-year-old adults. However, they are surprisingly honest about their feelings in some places.
Therefore, I understood why he suddenly burst into tears.
I hugged his head and pat his back until he calmed down.
Even so, as it was in front of me, he didn’t cry and snot everywhere, just enough for him to sniffle.
Now, how should I comfort this kid from the pain of unrequited love?
It’s quite a strange situation to both be rejected and offer comfort, but what else can I do?
He asked me to keep his confession a secret, so I should support him.
“Hey, Yohan, let me show you something fun.”
Thinking about the typical way boys comfort each other with drinks or cigarettes, I decided to take a wholesome approach since we were in second grade.
I pulled out a wand, which had shrunk to the size of a pencil from my pocket, and unleashed a marking spell.
[Marking: Heat Transfer-Coil]
I bit down on the tip of the wand and pursed my lips.
Puffing my cheeks, I exhaled the vapor that I had stored in my mouth.
“Whoo.”
The vapor shaped like a donut floated into the sky.
“Wow! But isn’t this bad for your body?”
“No, no! It’s made with magic, so it’s not harmful at all. Of course, it doesn’t taste like anything. Isn’t it fun? Want to see another shape?”
“Yes! That’s so cool!”
Having not used liquid potions since that one time, I found this moment surprisingly helpful.
I increased the output of the wand and created even more vapor this time.
“Whew.”
With my dazzling vaping tricks coming to an end, it seemed like the commotion surrounding Baek Yohan’s confession letter was wrapping up well.
“Hey! What are you kids in elementary school doing? Do you not put that cigarette down? Stay right there! Move and you’re dead!”
Until a middle school teacher wielding a stick caught sight of us over the wall.
“Oh.”
“Ugh… what now, Name!”
“What can we do? We’ve messed up now.”
You shall pay for confessing to me.
