At the academy’s assassin department.
Let alone S-grade, there weren’t even any A-grade instructors in the assassin department.
The quality of education was inevitably lacking.
That’s why during my 1st semester, I only took one class.
Just a throwing skill-related class called < Understanding of Throwing> .
And now a lecture by Yoo Eun-seol, a super rare level of instructor, will open in that barren land…
Along with the passionate cheers of assassin students, there will surely be unprecedented competition for course registration.
“What is it?”
Hearing my mutter, Kang Juyeon in front of me asked.
I quickly snapped out of my daze and apologized.
“Ah, sorry. I was suddenly thinking about the academy.”
“…The academy?”
“Yeah. This time, S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol will come as a short-term instructor.”
“I see….”
“She’s a really rare level of instructor for the assassin class, and this semester might be her last one, so… the competition for course registration will be intense.”
Yoo Eun-seol’s instructor contract was only a short-term one.
She would work as an instructor this semester, but it was uncertain what would happen next semester.
A top-notch learning opportunity that you don’t know when it will come again.
It was natural for students to be interested.
The server might crash on the day of course registration.
Bubble bubble-
Tss tss-
The prepared dishes were cooking nicely.
I tasted them bit by bit and adjusted the seasoning.
“It’s almost done.”
We were at a self-cooking concept restaurant.
Since I received so much help from Kang Juyeon after joining <Judgement of Fire> as an intern, I had been thinking for a while that I should treat her to a meal someday…
But it was uncomfortable in many ways to invite her over to my studio apartment.
Considering her social status, and who knows what trouble could happen if Kang Woo-hyun finds out about this.
So I found this self-cooking restaurant concept.
It was a unique concept restaurant located in Yeongdeungpo. Not only vegetables, greens, and other side ingredients, but also various cooking utensils and seasonings needed for cooking were equipped.
“…What are you making now?”
“This is galbi-jjim (braised short ribs). Here’s japchae (stir-fried glass noodles). Ah, this is shiitake mushroom… Do you remember the Korean restaurant we went to together last time?”
“Yeah.”
“I tried making it with reference to the shiitake mushrooms we ate there. Try it and compare the taste.”
Although I had eaten with Kang Juyeon many times after joining <Judgement of Fire>, I rarely cooked for her myself.
At best, I grilled some meat for her in the company cafeteria?
So this time, I properly treated her to a meal.
The menu was Korean food.
My own course meal was inspired by the Korean restaurant we went to last time.
Nom-
Kang Juyeon picked up her chopsticks and tried the shiitake mushrooms first.
With her trademark curt expression, she chewed the mushrooms.
Even though I knew my [Cooking] skill was now good enough to surpass most chefs, I still tensely asked.
“How is it?”
“…Delicious.”
Fortunately, the result was the best.
Getting a ‘delicious’ verbal reaction instead of just a nod from Kang Juyeon means it really tasted good.
I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
“Compared to the restaurant last time?”
“Yeah. It’s softer.”
Getting such high praise with additional explanation, I was finally able to comfortably continue cooking.
Soon, most of the dishes were completed and…
“Let’s eat well.”
“…Let’s eat well.”
We started eating together.
The ensuing casual conversation about this and that.
The conversation pattern was always similar.
I would ask questions and Kang Juyeon would answer.
Since Kang Juyeon had a quiet personality to begin with, and I preferred leading conversations anyway.
Of course, when the topic of clans came up, Kang Juyeon would sometimes take over the conversation.
“There are only 2 weeks left until the semester starts.”
“…You’re right.”
The topic of this conversation was ‘the start of a new semester’, an extension of the previous talk about Yoo Eun-seol.
The long vacation is ending, and the semester starts in 2 weeks.
The meaningful <Judgement of Fire> internship was also nearing its end.
While talking about the beginning of the semester and preparations, I suddenly asked Kang Juyeon.
“Which club will you join?”
Clubs.
Similar to ‘circles’ in high school or college, a variety of gatherings within the academy with no restrictions on common hobbies, runes, disciplines, etc.
1st years can join starting 2nd semester, and can participate until the graduation semester of 3rd year.
It was a gathering you could experience in most schools, a common trope that appeared ordinarily in novels.
But for Kang Juyeon, clubs were quite important.
The club she would join in 2nd semester, <Flame Dance>.
More precisely, the 3rd year club president Yoon Ji-ah.
After meeting her, who demonstrated the ability of a mature flame, B-grade Holder, Kang Juyeon gradually grew into an A-grade Holder.
It was the fertilizer and wall for her growth.
<Flame Dance> held that kind of meaning for Kang Juyeon.
It was a huge opportunity for Kang Juyeon’s growth in the mid-late part of the story.
So even though I knew she would obviously join <Flame Dance>, I still asked just in case…
With all the recent deviations from the original, I asked to be sure.
And…
“…What about you?”
As expected, the developments strayed again.
Damn.
Again, a-gain.
Why the hell is she curious about which club I’m joining?
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