Chapter 1404

<Chapter 1404> 1404. The Academy’s Savior

The final exams were over.

The year-level rankings were announced the very next morning. In front of the bulletin board, students gathered to check their scores. Some cried, some laughed.

I was on the laughing side.

At the very top left of the board, my name was written.

1st Place: Sung Yoojin.

“Of course. A natural result.”

My gaze drifted downward. Those eligible to participate in the Japan Exchange Tournament were the top 10. I needed to confirm the lineup.

2nd Place: Ryu Hana.


3rd Place: Kim Cheonwoo.


4th Place: Choi Da Yeon.


5th Place: An Gisan.


6th Place: Yoo Mina.


7th Place: Clara Fairred.


8th Place: Hwang Seongju.


9th Place: Lee Si Eun.


10th Place: Ma Jinbae.

After scanning through the top 10 rankings, I nodded.

‘Predictable results.’

Most likely, all of them would accept the invitation to the exchange tournament. There’s much to learn from Arashi Academy in Japan. Besides, our opponent is Japan. As Koreans, we can neither afford to lose nor run away from this challenge.

‘If we retreat, we’ll be branded as traitors.’

My eyes lingered on the lone foreign name—Clara Fairred. Clara, a playable character, was an international student. We didn’t share the same class, and her behavior patterns were somewhat different, so I’d never crossed paths with her.

‘There shouldn’t be any issues. Clara doesn’t take initiative unless she’s the main playable character. This might be a good chance to get acquainted and become friends.’

Clara wasn’t just an academy student; she was also a famous singer. Her fame made it incredibly difficult to meet her within the academy. As soon as her classes ended, she’d leave for her entertainment activities.

‘The closing ceremony is in a week.’

The academy buzzed with excitement as the summer break approached. Welcoming vacation time—it’s the same story in every school.

Upon arriving in Japan, we immediately boarded a bus that took us to Tokyo Arashi Academy.

The history of Japan’s Arashi Academy stretched longer than Korea’s Maruhan Academy. And its scale was larger too—about twice as big. Not surprising, considering Japan’s population is roughly double that of Korea’s.

“This place feels old.”

Seated beside me, gazing out the bus window, Lee Si Eun spoke.

The buildings of Arashi Academy exuded a distinctly aged vibe. Still, they weren’t so dilapidated that there was any fear of collapse.

“Not all buildings are old. Look closely—there are new ones too.”

“Hmm… You’re right, Yoojin. They clearly have the ability and funds to build new structures… So why do they keep using these old ones?”

“To preserve tradition and history? Japanese elders tend to be pretty conservative.”

“Our academy is completely different. Our teachers went berserk trying to renovate the old buildings.”

“Heh. That’s true.”

The teachers at Maruhan Academy were always looking for opportunities to construct new department buildings. Even when the buildings were less than 10 years old, many teachers complained about their condition and petitioned the administration for renovations. Of course, the admin…


It doesn’t even matter.

The bus stopped in front of an old building.

“Alright, kids! Grab your stuff and get off!”

Yoon Hee-jung, one of the two accompanying teachers, shouted.

“Just hurry up, roughly.”

The other teacher was a 30-year-old man who looked like a bum. He absentmindedly scratched his unruly beard while lazily saying something. He’s Cho Mu-sang, the homeroom teacher for Class 3-2.

Ten students from my first year, including me, and ten from the second year got off the bus and stood in front of the old building.

The five-story wooden structure looked kind of precarious.

“…Teacher Yoon Hee-jung. This is really where we’re supposed to stay for two months?”

Choi Da-yeon said coldly. Though she looks calm, Choi Da-yeon isn’t mad at Yoon Hee-jung. She’s probably furious with the administrative offices of Arashi Academy and Maruhan Academy for arranging this decrepit dormitory.

“I heard the building was a bit old… but I didn’t expect it to be THIS bad.”

“Should we complain to the admin office? Maybe they’ll change it?”

“We were told there was only one available dormitory we could use before coming here.”

“What… what the hell…!”

Just as Choi Da-yeon was about to lose her temper and scowl,

“Choi Da-yeon! Your mom always said: even when you’re angry, be graceful about it!”

From the side of the building, someone approached. It was two women. My eyes widened when I saw them. One was Sung Ha-ri. Wearing jeans and a leather jacket collar, she waved at me with a bright smile.

Next to Sung Ha-ri was a woman with black short hair wearing a white dress. Everything about her—her clothes, accessories, and even the bag she carried—was luxury brand. Her presence radiated overwhelming wealth.

“Mother?!”

Choi Da-yeon exclaimed in surprise.

‘So this is Choi Da-yeon’s mother. They do look alike… if that’s even possible.’

I licked my lips as I looked at Choi Da-yeon’s mother. I sort of knew her name already; Choi Da-yeon was too famous not to know.

‘Choi Jung-hwa. Daughter of the chairman of Gold Coin Group and master of the Golden Tree Clan.’

Choi Jung-hwa appeared to be around Sung Ha-ri’s age. In other words, she was incredibly youthful-looking.

‘Would it be possible to date both mother and daughter? They definitely seem like tough personalities, though.’

There was no way I could give up on the possibility of a mother-daughter combo. Even if I had to use hypnosis stickers or something drastic.

They had already approached us.

Sung Ha-ri suddenly pulled me into a hug.

“Yu-jin. You seem taller than the last time I saw you.”

“But we met three days ago.”

“You don’t seem taller either.”

The crowd started murmuring at Sung Ha-ri’s appearance. Realizing the attention, she quickly let go of me but kept holding onto my arm.

“Alright, everyone, quiet down!”

Yoon Hee-jung calmed the murmuring students.

“Sung Ha-ri and Choi Jung-hwa will be joining us during the Japan-Korea Academy Exchange as temporary teachers. Everyone, say hello to Sung Ha-ri and Choi Jung-hwa. I don’t think I need to introduce who they are, right?”

Sung Ha-ri, the S-Rank Hero.

Choi Jung-hwa, the master of a major Korean clan.

As Korean academy students, there’s no way we wouldn’t know their names.

‘I thought it was strange that there were only two accompanying teachers for this trip to Japan… but this explains everything. Did they keep it secret just to surprise us?’

The surprise was definitely successful. I was shocked too.

They introduced themselves to us.

“I’m Sung Ha-ri. Please take care of me during the exchange.”

“I’m Choi Jung-hwa. If you need anything, just ask. I’ll help out. First things first… let’s fix this dilapidated dormitory.”

After speaking, Choi Jung-hwa reached into her designer bag for her smartphone, but someone silently approached her and slapped her thigh with the palm of their hand.

“Tsk! Calling it a ‘dilapidated dormitory’ is too harsh! This is Dongun Hall, a historic dormitory of Arashi Academy with 50 years of proud history!”


She appeared to be a girl around 9-10 years old, wearing a华丽 kimono. Her black hair was styled in the common hime-cut, and her irises glowed an eerie shade of purple. She exuded an air far beyond her apparent age, and her mastery of Korean was so proficient that one might believe she was a native.

“…Tensrai Principal…!”

Choi Jeong-hwa furrowed her brow and glared daggers at Tensrai.

Tensrai Nagisa.

The principal of Arashi Academy, she smiled with an unnerving grace for her supposed age as she glanced around. Don’t be deceived by appearances—she was over seventy years old.

I already knew Tensrai Nagisa from the original work, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.

‘Beyond this, I don’t really know much.’

It wasn’t my type, so I never bothered to delve deeply into her character information. Just think of her as your typical grandma disguised as a little kid.

“I am Tensrai Nagisa, principal of Arashi Academy. On behalf of the academy, I warmly welcome you, representatives of Korea participating in the exchange tournament. And… it’s delightful to meet old acquaintances here again.”

Tensrai Nagisa smiled gently at Seong Hali and Choi Jeong-hwa.

Seong Hali blatantly clicked her tongue, while Choi Jeong-hwa scowled deeply.

“Old hag. You’re still as immature as ever.”

“You too haven’t changed; still such a brat. Is the child next to you your son?”

“If you mess with Eugene… no, the kids, I won’t stay quiet.”

“Don’t be too wary. Times have changed since then. And Choi Jeong-hwa, unfortunately, I can’t fulfill your request. Maruhan Academy must stay at the Douun Pavilion during the exchange tournament.”

Despite Tensrai Nagisa’s firm words, Choi Jeong-hwa didn’t back down.

“I’ll pay for it myself. We’ll stay at a hotel nearby. It won’t interfere with the exchange tournament schedule, so please don’t worry.”

“The reason we assigned the Douun Pavilion isn’t to embarrass Maruhan Academy. Currently, Arashi Academy only has the Douun Pavilion available as spare dormitory space.”

“So, I said I’d use my own money to secure a hotel.”

“Is the importance of lodging greater than the safety of the students?”

“…Safety?”

“You all know how Japan’s current atmosphere is being disturbed by those trashy magicians. The Magician’s Guild doesn’t dare mess with Arashi Academy as long as I’m here. So, stay here. If you stay outside the academy… I won’t be able to protect you.”

“…”

Seong Hali and Choi Jeong-hwa exchanged glances and reluctantly nodded with disgruntled expressions. It seemed they had decided to stay in the old dormitory.

Tensrai Nagisa approached the students. She shook hands with each one individually, greeting them kindly. Finally, she extended her hand to me—it was small, just as her appearance suggested.

“Pleased to meet you, and I hope we get along well during the exchange. Child of genius.”

“Yeah, sure, nice to meet you too.”

She stepped back and addressed everyone from an appropriate distance.

“I sincerely apologize for assigning you the old dormitory. I regret that it may seem like we’re neglecting you, but please understand with a broad mind. It wasn’t done out of disrespect.”

Yoon Hee-jung stepped forward toward Tensrai Nagisa. With Seong Hali and Choi Jeong-hwa silently sulking, someone had to step up. As for the other teacher, Cho Mu-sang, he stood far away, pretending to know nothing like some seasoned veteran.

“We understand, prioritizing student safety is important. But… it’s surprising that the principal herself came to greet us.”

“Since I invited you, it’s only proper that I personally welcome you. Ideally, I would’ve shown you around the Douun Pavilion myself, but alas, even I, as the principal, have a busy schedule. If there are any inconveniences, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

With that, Tensrai Nagisa vanished like a ghost.