I Became the Crazy Instructor at the Academy

N – 15. End

“It started here.”

The finger pointed to the bed.

“I definitely fell asleep in my pajamas, but when I woke up, I was wearing a uniform.”

“If it were me, I would have thought it was a dream.”

“I wished it was too.”

Slowly, I moved towards the bathroom.

Reflected in the mirror was a man’s face.

Hard and sharp,

A face that looked like it would cut if touched.

“Until I rushed to the bathroom and faced a face that was unfamiliar yet familiar.”

It was Ivan.

Ivan Herson.

A game character and a third-rate villain.

And the true ending boss who hit me in the back of the head.

Ivan was reflected in the mirror.

I had become Ivan.

“And then?”

The girl in the red hanbok said.

Although it wasn’t a costume that blended well with the medieval-style private room-

“…Stop talking.”

Nevertheless, she was beautiful.

Enough to be momentarily dazed.

“……”

This time, I headed to the desk.

There were neatly arranged documents and writing instruments.

“I had to find it.”

Among them, I picked up one document.

“Who?”

“The protagonist Adam, who will get me out of here.”

The list of students where I couldn’t find the protagonist’s name.

The memories of despairing over that fact.

“…Pfft.”

Now that it has become a memory,

I accepted her laughter without minding it.

“Isn’t it a reasonable judgment?”

“Pfft, haha… The protagonist was looking for the protagonist.”

“……”

Feeling awkward, I flipped through the documents.

The list I was flipping through soon stopped.

Because one name caught my eye.

“Now that I think about it-“

A small name.

It must have been visible when I was flipping through the documents that day, but in my haste, I missed her name.

“I should have found you first.”

Scarlett Rain.

She puffed her cheeks slightly.

“You should have.”

“Haha…”

“Then it would have been more dramatic.”

“Is there a need for it to be more dramatic?”

“You still don’t understand a woman’s heart.”

Conversations with her were always like this.

Slightly sharp, like tossing a volleyball back and forth.

But, my hand opening the door to the private room was-

As comfortable as could be.

“Anyway, at that moment, didn’t you hear a knock?”

“What?”

“I hesitated a bit before opening the door-“

Creak-

I opened the door and looked at the empty hallway.

“It was there.”

“Who, who was?”

“The idiot who can’t even prepare a meal by himself and had to rely on someone else…”

I could hear the gulping sound from here.

She seemed quite curious about who I first met after my possession.

But it was a coincidence.

“Uh… was it Meina? Or Rafel?”

“Ah.”

A supporting character for the grand first meeting.

It’s understandable to feel deflated.

Scarlett, as if refusing to accept the fact, waved her hand and asked.

“Not Paula? Not Adela?”

“No.”

“Just that… girl?”

“That’s right.”

“Is that it?”

“That’s it.”

“Ugh.”

Scarlett staggered towards my bed as if dizzy and flopped down.

“It should have been me.”

“It would have been nice.”

I slightly reconsidered after saying that.

“Wait. Would it have been nice?”

“That’s romantic.”

“It’s romantic now, but think about our relationship back then. If it were you at that time, wouldn’t you have thrown a plate at my face-“

“You idiot!”

A pillow flew instead of a plate.

This side was at least bearable.

I held the pillow that hit my face with one hand and gestured to her with the other.

It’s time to close the door.

Because tomorrow is the wedding.

“How long will it take to fix that personality…”

I handed my pillow to her as she grumbled out.

I meant for her to throw it back on the bed, but Scarlett just hugged it.

“What are you doing? Not closing the door.”

“Why are you taking that-“

“To sleep with it. When your clueless nonsense suddenly comes to mind just before I fall asleep, I can’t hit you while you’re sleeping next to me.”

“That’s harsh.”

I grabbed the doorknob.

Just before closing it, I looked at the bed once more.

The place where everything started.

To say goodbye to the room I won’t stay in anymore, I decided to indulge in my thoughts for a moment.

“……”

But only for a moment.

She tugged at my sleeve.

“What are you thinking so much about.”

“This and that.”

“Summarize it. You’re an instructor.”

I raised my right hand and looked at it.

And said.

“…It feels like it’s finally over.”

“You’re saying the same thing.”

She didn’t give me a chance to continue.

Scarlett, hugging my pillow-

Leaned against the hallway wall.

“It must have been the same when you first woke up there.”

“……”

“So this is the end. I thought it was over for me.”

Even though she had become quite girlish since I last saw her,

my wife was sharp.

“I felt the same.”

“Pardon?”

“When I lost my family, home, and friends all in one night. When I was wearing rags and fell into the gutter.”

Her eyes were looking at a distant place.

“I thought everything was over. The person named Liz Blaze was finished, and only a girl living out of a sense of duty remained.”

The path I walked from that bed.

The life she lived in the back alleys.

They were strangely similar.

Above all-

“But, I couldn’t give up.”

“Were you afraid of dying?”

“To be honest, living was tougher. But I didn’t want to lose either.”

We didn’t give up. We didn’t die.

That saved us.

“And you know, as I kept living like that…”

She straightened her back and walked slowly.

“I got a name.”

Scarlett Rain.

Her second name, given on a rainy day.

“I also made connections and gained responsibilities.”

“……”

“And then…”

After gently removing my hand,

she grabbed the doorknob.

“I found you.”

Scarlett smiled brightly.

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Isn’t this nice?”

Creak-

The door slowly closes.

“It’s time to end this. And then-“

Click-

The door closed,

Leaving only us in the hallway.

“Let’s start anew.”

“…So?”

“So?”

“I mean, I know you two did something embarrassing yesterday. So what’s the conclusion?”

Even in the bustling wedding hall, small talk continued somehow.

The three women in different dresses enjoyed their conversation until just before the ceremony.

Because they were the bride and friends.

“What conclusion are you looking for? I was just bragging.”

Correction.

Only she enjoyed it.

When the red-eyed girl shrugged her shoulders,

The white-haired lady gritted her teeth.

“I knew it! I’m the fool for listening to you!”

“That’s too much!”

It must have been quite harsh, as the blonde saint also chimed in.

“I’ve known him longer, you know? Seeing you try so hard to appeal, you must be really desperate-“

“Do you want to get hit?”

“Yes! Scarlett, you went too far this time!”

For a moment, I wondered if I should stop them-

But I decided to just straighten my suit instead.

We’ll be taking a photo soon.

“Shouldn’t we stop them?”

Mr. Fox, who suffered from the same occupational disease, asked, but I just shrugged in response.

“@$!@$!#$!”

Starting with an unintelligible squabble,

something flew towards us.

Whoosh-

A bouquet. A bunch of flowers.

Judging by the blue color, it must be Adela’s.

I tried to catch it unconsciously,

but someone else got it first.

Swoosh!

A tail cutting through the sky.

A black dress blocking the sunlight.

It felt like a scene from a movie.

Thud!

“…Hmm. Somehow, I ended up catching it.”

“Somehow?”

After jumping two meters in a sergeant jump?

“Oh, now that you mention it, you did.”

Miho, who was smelling the bouquet, said.

“In your country, there’s a superstition that you have to get married within six months if you catch this, right?”

“…Yes, there is.”

“Hmm.”

Should I say she was ‘looking’ at me, or ‘staring’ at me?

“I like it.”

I decided not to think about it.

“Brother!”

“Instructor!”

“Hey!”

Three different titles called out to me.

When I turned around, there they were, having finished their squabble.

It would have been nice if their flushed faces were because they were looking forward to today’s wedding, but…

“What is it?”

“I’ll ask just once. Answer well, okay?”

“Think carefully, you can’t take it back, oppa!”

I pushed back the two who were shoving their faces at me and looked at the relatively less excited saint.

Of course, she was slightly blushing.

What could they be asking?

“…Who.”

“Pardon? Who?”

“Who, who……….”

Paula, twisting her limbs in distress.

After a long time of endurance, I could finally hear it.

A very awkward question.

“Who…… is the prettiest?”

“Ah.”

Every cell in my body screamed.

Danger.

Perhaps even more than a monster.

“Me, right?”

“It’s me, though?”

“It could be… me, right?”

Imagine if I picked one of them.

Two would try to devour me,

and Paula would smile while crying.

Ah. I see.

Now I understand.

I will have to keep pondering this in the future.

So this is what a new beginning is like.

If so, at least here…

“Do you see over there?”

“What is that? What is she holding?”

“I told you beforehand, it’s a camera.”

I led them to the center.

Students and guests surrounded us.

“I will judge with this.”

“Alright. Hey, switch places with me.”

“Why are you going to the back when you’re taller?!”

“My classmate’s younger sibling told me. You have to go as far back as possible to make your face look smaller.”

“I will never move!”

“Still, I want to stand in front of the instructor!”

Miho stood at the very back.

We were in the center.

Looking around, I saw many familiar faces.

The principal… no, the princess and the instructors.

Pellia, who dressed up with an eye patch.

Even Elin and Celeste.

People who were once game characters,

have now become my people.

Just as they met me,

I was able to meet them too-

“…Haha.”

I felt grateful.

“Alright, taking the picture now? I just press this, right?”

“Yes.”

It felt like a countdown.

“One~ Two~”

The sound that signals the end and the beginning.

“Three!”

“`

End of the side story.

“`