Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

“Speak up. If you have a complaint, then just challenge me to a duel. What do you want from me?”

The masked male student growled nervously.

There was barely a hint of sympathy or kindness in his voice.

“…”

However, the dazed Jin Yeseo let his words slide by effortlessly. She didn’t move an inch, as if she couldn’t hear him at all.

She was just thinking about how she wanted to see those graceful movements again.

“Ha…”

As Jin Yeseo showed no reaction, he could no longer contain himself and let out a deep sigh filled with despair.

Before her eyes, a blue-veined fist unfolded, repeatedly clenching and unclenching.

“…Go ahead and keep wasting your time. Not my problem. Judging by how it looks, you’re about to lose to Choi Woojin next time.”

After yet another failed attempt to chase Jin Yeseo away, he spat out an annoyed remark and turned away again.

“What… did you say?”

But at his last comment, Jin Yeseo suddenly felt a fierce rejection.

Her competitive spirit against Choi Woojin was her Achilles’ heel. How dare this rich kid try to measure up to the five clans? And Choi Woojin was practically a spearhead of that obnoxious entitlement.

Caught off guard by her unexpected retort, the masked male student turned around instantly.

Jin Yeseo was glaring at him with slightly refocused eyes.

“What… did you just say?”

“Didn’t you hear? I said you’re about to lose to Choi Woojin.”

“…Cancel that.”

“Cancel what?”

At his penetrating words, Jin Yeseo clenched her jaw.

“Cancel that nonsense you just said. Who would lose to a monkey like him…!”

“It’s not nonsense. Choi Woojin was tougher.”

“What…?”

“Choi Woojin was harder to deal with than you. Far tougher, actually.”

The masked male student was the only one who had defeated both Jin Yeseo and Choi Woojin in the rankings.

By his assertion, the sharp-tongued Jin Yeseo suddenly found herself speechless.

“Isn’t that to be expected? Others are busy training their magic according to their aptitudes. Be it Choi Woojin, Moon Yeowool, or anyone else.”

The male student added one more remark while watching her dazed expression.

“They’re still getting stronger quickly. But you’re just wasting time clinging to a release-type that doesn’t suit you. Of course, you’re getting weaker. What good is it to be talented if you don’t use it?”

“How… do you know that…!”

Jin Yeseo’s heart sank momentarily. She thought her secret of practicing the blade had been discovered. Why did he suddenly bring this up? Was he trying to threaten her?

But the masked male student continued in an irritated tone, seemingly indifferent.

“You’ll know when you fight. And there’s no way the professors aren’t aware. You surely can’t be ignorant of it, either. Am I wrong?”

Just as he said, Jin Yeseo had been encouraged multiple times to change her major after the elemental compass test at the beginning of the semester.

But she had flatly rejected all those suggestions.

“And even while causing trouble for others, ha… what are you really trying to do…”

– Sigh…

“You… how dare you say that.”

Suddenly overwhelmed by sorrow, Jin Yeseo’s tightly clenched fists trembled. It wasn’t that she had wanted to be told that.

Once, she had enthusiastically swung a practice blade in her dreams.

But she had simply accepted the reality placed upon her once she became more mature.

“What do you know! Carrying the burden of the clan is incredibly grueling and hard…”

“Is that your goal?”

“What?”

“Something about black flames, or whatever. Your family’s unique magic. Is that your goal?”

“Of course…!”

Jin Yeseo, wide-eyed and ready to argue, suddenly clamped her mouth shut. For some reason, her voice had vanished.

The masked male student carried on regardless of her reaction.

“Many people in the world have not been blessed. And those people can’t achieve what they desire or protect what’s precious to them. They can only breathe; they can do nothing else. Just watch. Like watching a river flow by. Powerlessly.”

The masked male student continued, treating his words as a monologue. A self-deprecating term for those who couldn’t blossom into wizards.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s release-type, circulation-type, or some fundamental power of unknown origin. What matters is absolute strength. That alone can grant all your wishes. If you can grasp it, who cares about the methods?”

His words jabbed at Jin Yeseo’s ears like needles.

“And you’re not one of the unblessed. You have the ability to seize what you want. You can reach out any time, if only you put your mind to it.”

“…”

“But you don’t. You just waste time with that stubbornness. I really… hate people like you.”

With that, he spilled out every single word pent up inside him. The masked male student, still radiating anger, headed back towards the sparring room.

Jin Yeseo stood there, her head bowed, like a scarecrow. She was stuffing all of his words into her previously empty self.

And after some time passed…

“Methods and means… don’t they matter?”

Jin Yeseo murmured to herself, still in a trance.

In her eyes, a flicker of her former determination was weakly rekindling.

*

“…Are you listening to me?”

“Yes?”

Suddenly turning toward the sulking voice, she found Yeon Minha stopping in her tracks and staring at her with that characteristic sharp gaze.

“…You weren’t listening, were you? Were you thinking about something else?”

“I did listen. What’s up with the upcoming third request?”

“What? Oh, you were actually listening… was I mistaken?”

After finally recalling the conversation, Yeon Minha tilted her head. Perhaps it was because she was a spirit master, but she was quite perceptive.

Before she knew it, she was recalling the childish argument she had with Jin Yeseo yesterday.

It felt somewhat cathartic to expel those accumulated words, but there was also a feeling it might have been too harsh…

In any case, it wasn’t quite as refreshing as she’d hoped. The fact that she’d managed to say nothing at the end showed how significantly shocked she’d been…

“…Anyway, you’ve completed all the second requests, so the third request will come by designation. You’ve maintained the first rank neatly all this time. And when you complete the third request…”

“Wait a moment.”

Just as she was about to shake off that uncomfortable feeling and focus back on her conversation with Yeon Minha.

She sensed a presence approaching from across the narrow hallway where we were walking. Two pairs of footsteps. Female. And it wasn’t just an aura she felt.

Now, the air around them was thick with the scent of a particle reminiscent of daffodils. However, there was something else trying to creep in… the familiar yet tingling scent of forget-me-nots.

Realizing who the source of the presence was, I froze on the spot.

“…? Why suddenly…”

Yeon Minha, who had been tilting her head at my reaction, promptly halted her steps. It seemed she too sensed the presence approaching from beyond the hallway. Judging by her frowning face, she must have recognized the person as well.

I quickly surveyed the realistic situation. Yeon Minha and I were now walking close enough for our shoulders to brush.

I managed to regain my composure and whispered to Yeon Minha.

“Youn, let’s move apart a bit. If they catch anything…”

I was worried about Yeon Minha’s reputation. Although it was because this area was deserted, in the standards of the academy, such proximity could provide ample excuse for an attack.

“…Youn?”

“…”

However, Yeon Minha didn’t budge. Even when I called to her again, she remained silent. She only glanced up at me for a fleeting moment with a somewhat angry, and strangely uneasy look in her eyes.

In that split moment, instead of distancing herself, she unexpectedly slipped her slim arm through my elbow and pulled even closer.

“Youn? What on earth…”

“…Just stay still.”

Yeon Minha left that vague command and tightened her grip on me. Then, in an instant, her expression completely changed as she directed her signature teasing gaze towards the opposite end of the hallway.

We were now intertwined like a pair of snails.

Before I could say anything, the presence around the bend in the hallway finally revealed itself.

“…What’s going on?”

A girl with hair braided on both sides and round glasses, Choi Ireh, frowned as soon as she saw us.

This unexpected encounter was unwelcome for both sides.

Additionally, she was, as expected, accompanied by a group.

Although my racing heart and narrowed vision made it hard to see clearly, I could easily guess the identities of her companions without needing to face them directly.

Today’s luck didn’t seem very good. In this vast place of the academy, of all spots, why here in the narrow hallway with no escape…?

“Yeon Minha. You’re being really open about this, huh?”

Choi Ireh, looking at us closely intertwined, twisted her face in dismay.

Unlike Ireh, her group stood there, silently watching and saying nothing.

“Is this boldness or stupidity… This is pretty much a public disorder. You could get disciplined for this.”

“So what? Discipline it if you want.”

However, Yeon Minha brushed off Choi Ireh’s words as if they were insignificant. I absolutely could not comprehend her rationale for her behavior.

Although Yeon Minha’s personality was slightly prickly, she was by no means foolish. She would know better than anyone that there are times and places for provocations and fights.

So why was she giving them an excuse to attack in a place like this…?

“I mean, if I want to enjoy causing a disturbance, how does that concern you? This is hilarious.”

Confidence oozed from Yeon Minha’s words as she continued speaking.

Then, she suddenly turned her focus on the one who had been silently standing next to Ireh.

“Isn’t that right? Seoyeon.”

There was a tone infused with provocation as well as half-seriousness in her voice.

And along with those words, the warm spring air that had filled the hallway began to dissipate rapidly.

A chill reminiscent of the beginning of winter lingered in the air. I could even see faint puffs of breath forming in front of us.

At the same time, a somber, trembling, and gritted voice spoke from ahead.

“…Yeon Minha. I clearly told you… to keep it reasonable…!”

“That’s exactly right. Please temper it somewhat… huh?”

Choi Ireh was about to agree when her voice turned panicked.

– Crack… Crack!

The glass panels along the hallway began to show cracks. That discordant noise rang loudly in my ears.

Using magic without permission inside the academy is absolutely prohibited. So it was no wonder that Choi Ireh felt alarmed.

But why…

Had they really fallen for such a thinly veiled insult, that lightly casual provocation?

“Seoyeon…? Why… all of a sudden…”

Choi Ireh also seemed taken aback, caught off-guard by the situation.

Yeon Minha retained her cold smile, still focused on whoever was approaching her.

She cracked her opposing hand’s knuckles. A flicker of sparks ignited, quickly growing in size.

“Let’s see, shall we? Sounds good.”

Yeon Minha’s words sent my head spinning. Something was definitely off. Had we all lost our minds today or something?

I could no longer stand by and watch this situation unfold. Unlike Ireh, who had a reputation, Yeon Minha had a much bigger risk of falling if she slipped up, even once.

I could ask Yeon Minha about the reasoning later, but for now, I needed to defuse this tense situation.

Just as I was about to move in to stop Yeon Minha and make my escape.

“Chick…! Junior!”

Suddenly, a cheerful voice resonated through the narrow hallway.

Kwon Yuri came bounding down the stairs in a hurry, full of energy.

“Oh my! How long have I been looking for you!”

After catching her breath for a moment, Kwon Yuri came straight towards me and greeted me like an old friend. Her completely casual demeanor seemed utterly out of place to me. Was she even aware of the situation?

“Ha… what is going on?”

“Minha, hey! Your makeup looks great today, you look pretty~!”

Though Yeon Minha’s icy comments were met with nonchalance from Kwon Yuri.

“The Professor Shin Jae-yu from the first year is looking for you urgently. I was just helping out a bit. If there’s nothing wrong, I’ll take you with me?”

“Who gave you permission to— wait a minute.”

While Yeon Minha was firmly refusing her intention,

Suddenly, Kwon Yuri’s expression shifted as she caught a whiff of something.

“This scent… That day…! You…!”

She was about to unleash her wrath onto Kwon Yuri with her fierce gaze.

“Sorry! I’m a bit busy right now! I’ll take the junior with me! Seoyeon, Ireh! Let’s meet later!”

Without even listening to Yeon Minha, Kwon Yuri quickly grabbed my wrist and swiftly fled down the hallway.

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