Episode 75. Parent Observation Class (1)

A few days after successfully completing the ruins exploration.

Professor Lucas opened his mouth to the candidates gathered in the classroom.

“Everyone must have received the message through the Hero Watch, but next week we have scheduled a Parent Observation Class where parents will be invited.”

Parent Observation Class.

An annual event held around this time every year. It’s one of the rare occasions when Reynaldo Hero School, which operates on a full dormitory system and strictly prohibits entry to outsiders including parents, opens its doors to the outside.

‘There was a lot of talk about it being canceled due to the incident during the Sealing Festival, but it seems it’s happening after all.’

For me, it was an event with little relevance since I don’t have any ‘parents’ to visit.

But that’s only applicable to special cases like mine.

For other candidates, the situation was entirely different.

“Is this time of year coming around again?”


“Ugh… I hope they don’t come this time.”


“Same here.”


“Come on, we’re not 10-year-old kids anymore, what’s with this Parent Observation Class?”


“Sigh. I thought it would be canceled because of the Sealing Festival incident.”

Sighs of despair echoed from various parts of the classroom.

Naturally, only a very few candidates welcomed this observation class.

As one candidate put it, most candidates were dissatisfied, wondering why such an observation class was necessary when they weren’t a bunch of 10-year-old kids.

‘Well, this observation class also serves as a social gathering for active heroes.’

Given the hereditary nature of the Holy Mark, most candidates’ parents are active heroes.

The Parent Observation Class provides a ‘reason’ for active heroes, who rarely get the chance to gather, to come together.

‘I’ve heard that in extreme cases, some parents come to the observation class without even seeing their child’s face and then leave.’

Of course, such cases are extremely rare, and most parents check if their child is behaving well and not causing trouble, see how much school has changed since their time (over 80% of parents are graduates of Reynaldo Hero School), and then meet other parents.

Even though the candidates are classified as adults by continental law, from the parents’ perspective, they still see them as no different from 10-year-old kids.

“This year’s observation class will be prepared even more thoroughly under Principal Reynaldo’s special instructions.”


“Ugh!”


“Please, no.”


“I’m already swamped with assignments, what’s with this preparation…?”

Sighs of despair erupted again from various places.

Professor Lucas sighed briefly as he looked around at the candidates.

“Given the recent incident, everyone should understand.”

The monster rampage incident during the Sealing Festival.

Because of that incident, the school needs to show off to parents, ‘Our school is this safe!’

“Now then. Since you’ve done it last year and the year before, you all know what’s most important in this ‘preparation,’ right?”


“……”


“Anyone want to answer?”

Silence continued.

Professor Lucas, who had been looking around at the candidates with an intense gaze, turned his eyes toward me.

“Now then, Candidate Dale…”


“Ah, geez! Fine! I’ll answer!”

At that moment, Albert stood up abruptly.

Albert looked at Professor Lucas, his fists trembling.

“You were going to call on me again anyway, weren’t you?”


“No. I was thinking of calling on Candidate Dale today since I always call on Candidate Albert…”


“Huh? R-really?”


“Since you’re up, why don’t you answer, Candidate Albert.”


“Dammit!”

Bang.

Albert slammed his desk and let out a scream.

I smiled brightly as I watched Albert’s back.

‘Thanks, Albert.’

Because of you.

I exist.

“Now, go ahead and answer. What’s the most important thing in preparing for the observation class?”


“That is…”

Albert, who had been thinking, pulled out a small notebook from his pocket.

Inside the notebook was a faded photo.

The photo showed a young Albert and his parents smiling brightly.

“I believe it’s our ‘smiles.'”


“Oh?”


“Why do you think parents from the Empire, Holy Kingdom, and Republic travel all the way to Reynaldo Hero School? Isn’t it because they want to see with their own eyes how well their children are doing, if they’re hurt anywhere?”


“Go on.”


“In other words, the smiles that can reassure those parents that we’re doing well! And not giving us excessive assignments during this period so we can smile! I believe that’s the most important element we need to prepare for the observation class!”

Albert shouted with a strong conviction, his fists clenched.

Professor Lucas nodded as if agreeing with Albert’s answer, crossing his arms.

“Hmm. Indeed… Asking to reduce assignments to smile… That’s one way.”


“T-then!”


“But.”

Professor Lucas shook his head slightly.

“Candidate Albert. You’re making a big mistake.”


“…A mistake?”

Professor Lucas put his arm around Albert’s neck and raised the corner of his mouth.

“A smile isn’t something you can only make when you’re happy and joyful.”


“Huh?”


“Let me give you an example. Candidate Albert. Smile for me now.”


“Even if you tell me to smile suddenly…”

Professor Lucas, with his arm around Albert’s neck, clenched a fist the size of Albert’s head and waved it in front of Albert’s face.

“Smile.”


“Ahahahahahaha!!! Oh, come on! What are you doing, Professor!!! Ahahahaha!”


“How is it, are you happy now, Candidate Albert?”


“Ahahaha! So~ happy, Professor!”


“Are you joyful?”


“Of course! Ahahahaha!”


“Good, good. That’s more like you.”

Professor Lucas smiled contentedly and lowered his fist.

Candidate Albert, who had been laughing hysterically with a pale face, gasped for breath and escaped from Professor Lucas’s embrace.

“Now, as you’ve seen, people don’t need to be happy and joyful to smile.”

Even if it’s painful and hard, people can still smile.

Then.

“What we need to prepare isn’t smiles.”

The most necessary thing to prepare for the Parent Observation Class.

That is…

“Cleaning.”


“……”


“A perfect cleaning where not a speck of dust can be seen, where you could lick the floor with your tongue. That’s what you need to prepare.”

Professor Lucas raised the corner of his mouth and placed the cleaning tools he had prepared on the lectern.

“Today, we’ll start with a full water cleaning of the entire classroom.”


“…Ah.”

Sighs of despair flowed from the candidates’ mouths.

The thought of doing nothing but cleaning the school until the Parent Observation Class filled them with dizzying despair.

“Professor Lucas.”

Amidst the despair-filled sighs, I boldly raised my hand.

“What is it?”


“You said cleaning is necessary for the Parent Observation Class preparation, but shouldn’t those like me, who don’t have any ‘parents’ coming, be exempt?”


“Oh?”


“I’ve lived without knowing my parents’ names. I grew up lonely in an orphanage, and now you’re telling me to clean to impress parents?! This is a form of violence!!!”


“Oh. I see. I didn’t consider Candidate Dale’s painful feelings…”

Professor Lucas let out a low sigh and couldn’t continue.

I stood up abruptly and appealed to Professor Lucas.

“Then, please exempt me from cleaning…”


“There’s no helping it. This time, I’ll have to be Candidate Dale’s parent.”


“Huh?”

What are you talking about?

“Even though I’m still a bachelor who hasn’t even married! There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to comfort a wounded student’s heart!”


“No.”


“Now, you can call me father from now on, Candidate Dale.”


“I don’t want to.”


“Whether you like it or not, you have to clean.”


“Damn it.”

Despite my desperate resistance, in the end, all candidates were mobilized for school cleaning without exception.

‘Even if you know the future, there are things you can’t change.’

In the face of an unstoppable flow of fate, I felt a deep sense of helplessness as I cleaned the hallway with a mop in hand.

While I was busy cleaning.

“Huh?”

I saw Yuren staring blankly out the window in the distance.

“Are you slacking off?”


“Huh? D-Dale?”

When I quickly approached and spoke, Yuren looked startled.

“Why so surprised? Did you think I’d tattle to the professor?”


“N-no. It’s not that…”

Yuren smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

“I was just… thinking about something else.”


“What were you thinking?”


“…It’s nothing.”

Seeing him avoid eye contact with a bitter expression, it didn’t seem like ‘nothing.’

‘Well, if he doesn’t want to talk about it, there’s no need to pry.’

Everyone has one or two worries, right?

‘Yuren will handle it on his own.’

After all, Yuren is the hero who fought fearlessly against the ‘Devil God.’

The Yuren I know.

The sun I’ve seen.

He’ll solve a couple of small worries without me stepping in.

“By the way, are your parents coming for the observation class this time?”


“…Me?”


“Yeah. You have a mother, right?”

Come to think of it, I knew almost nothing about Yuren’s mother.

By the time I finished my mercenary life and teamed up with Yuren, she had already passed away, and Yuren himself rarely talked about his family.

“Ah… My mother won’t come. She’s a very busy person.”


“Really?”


“Yeah. She didn’t come last year or the year before.”


“Hehe. So we’re the same then?”

In my case, there are no parents to come.

But anyway.

“Then on that day, should we just hide somewhere and train? We can’t join the observation class if our parents aren’t coming, right?”


“Huh? R-really? Should we?”

Yuren nodded with a bright expression.

As we were arranging a place and time to meet during the observation class.

-Ding.

A clear chime rang from Yuren’s Hero Watch.

“Huh? Wait. I think I got a message.”

Yuren turned on his Hero Watch and checked the message.

With each line he read, Yuren’s face, which had been bright, rapidly darkened.

“What does it say?”


“Uh, my mother…”

Yuren continued with a trembling voice.

“My mother… is coming to school.”

As he said this, an expression I had never seen before appeared on Yuren’s face.

Yes.

An expression I had never seen in the 10 years I’ve known Yuren.

An expression he didn’t even show during the battle with the Devil God.

“……”

Yuren was now terrified.