Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 226

Chapter 226

End of Summer (5)

T hi s w as c o p i e d f r om ki n g m t l . o rg
September, when summer comes to an end, marks the beginning of the school year at Stella.

Unlike other magic schools, Stella’s opening ceremony is held not on the sports field but in the grand auditorium, where temperature control magic runs continuously 24/7, so there’s no worry about fainting from the heat.

Even the principal’s address is extremely brief.

-Work hard this fall.

Just one phrase.

That’s all.

-Ahem, ahem. Now, we’ll move on to the vice principal’s address…

The speech was so short that Vice Principal Aki Haydn had to come out and awkwardly fill in the time. He seemed to have an endless list of things he wanted to say, pushing the students’ sensitivity levels as he dragged on with his lecture for quite a while.

‘…It’s starting again.’

Aiselle realized that she had become quite accustomed to life at Stella. She had entered with grand ambitions for her lofty goals and lived with constant tension, but now she had some room to breathe.

It felt like just yesterday that she entered the academy, but already it was the second semester. Perhaps it was because the first semester of her first year was packed with intense incidents, and even the summer vacation was spent in a whirlwind of activity.

Time seemed to have flown by in an instant.

‘I need to study hard this semester too!’

Aiselle’s determination was a part that had once made Flame wonder, ‘Is this really possible?’ while reading the original romance fantasy.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r om kin gm t l . o r g
Not everyone is like this, but realistically, if you were an ordinary high school student, the idea of working harder in the second semester would likely be more tiresome than motivating.

However, Flame herself also studied quite diligently, so from Baek Yu-seol’s perspective, she was quite an anomaly.

-This concludes the opening ceremony.

After the ceremony, the students gathered in their respective classrooms.

First-year S-Class.

A class with significantly fewer students compared to other classes, but filled with peculiar and genius students.

And in this class… Baek Yu-seol was also present.

Unlike other classrooms, there was no lively and noisy atmosphere of excitement for the new semester. Instead, there was a calm silence, and at the center of it, Baek Yu-seol lay sprawled on his desk, taking a nap from the very first day.

Aiselle naturally sat in a seat diagonally behind him, not too close yet not too far, a perfect distance that wasn’t too burdensome or distant.

Clatter….

After sitting quietly for a while, the back door of the classroom opened, and Hong Bi-yeon entered. She first glanced at Baek Yu-seol lying there, then briefly made eye contact with Aiselle, who was seated nearby, before quickly averting her gaze.

T h is wa s co p i e d f rom k i ng m tl . o r g
‘What’s her deal…’

Ever since that day, her hatred for Adolevit had grown even deeper. But when it came to Hong Bi-yeon… there was something strange. She wasn’t particularly fond of her, nor did she dislike her to an extreme degree, just a weird feeling.

Clatter!

Unlike the quiet entrance of Hong Bi-yeon, the front door of the classroom opened noisily, and Instructor Lee Han-wol of S-Class strode in.

He scanned the interior of the classroom with his deep eyes, pausing as his gaze landed on Baek Yu-seol’s seat, and frowned.

However, as if he didn’t care, he walked over to the podium and spoke.

“It’s been a while. Some of you may have spent the summer vacation partying and having fun, while others may not have. Starting from the second semester, we’ll be diving into serious practical training, so I hope none of you in S-Class have been slacking off.”

Twitch.

Baek Yu-seol’s body trembled slightly as he slowly raised his upper body, perhaps feeling a pang of guilt. He stared blankly at Instructor Lee Han-wol with half-dead eyes.

“I don’t care what you did during the break. However… before we begin the practical lessons for the second semester, there’s something we can do to indirectly evaluate your accomplishments.”

All the students in S-Class, who understood what his words meant, began pulling out their notebooks, reports, magical parchments, and handmade magic books. Aiselle was among them.

“Let’s start with checking your summer assignments.”

Stella’s summer assignments are done in report format. It’s not just simple problem-solving; some students even write new theses or develop magic or magical tools from scratch.

The difficulty level is high, but that’s to be expected at Stella Academy.

Although each subject requires individual submission, it seemed Lee Han-wol intended to review them collectively, so Aiselle prepared a few reports.

Even though she had spent the summer with a hectic schedule, these assignments were not particularly challenging for her.

Probably, not just Aiselle but most of the outstanding S-Class students at Stella would have tackled these assignments with ease.

“…I’m doomed.”

However, for some reason, Baek Yu-seol, sitting diagonally in front of Aiselle, was clutching his head and bowing it deeply.

‘Huh…?’

Aiselle, curious, glanced at his desk, but there was nothing on it.

‘No way…?’

T h i s wa s co p i e d f r o m kingmt l. o r g
It seemed her suspicion was spot on because even as Lee Han-wol slowly circled the classroom, Baek Yu-seol didn’t produce anything.

“…Baek Yu-seol. Where’s your assignment?”

“I had prepared a perfect, brilliant report, but…”

“But?”

“I think I left it in the refrigerator by mistake. Should I go get it now?”

“…Look forward to a special curriculum.”

“Yes…”

Although Baek Yu-seol was getting scolded, Aiselle couldn’t help but smile quietly.

As Lee Han-wol returned to the podium, Aiselle discreetly moved to the seat diagonally in front of Baek Yu-seol to approach him.

Previously, she had no reason to sit closer, but now she had a valid reason.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? Why?”

With a half-dead expression, Baek Yu-seol responded. Aiselle subtly pulled out a spare notebook and handed it to him. This notebook contained the results of several magical circles she had doodled while studying, which had accidentally evolved into entirely new magic.

“Would you like to take this? It might help you avoid getting penalized.”

Even as she spoke, she was slightly worried.

Typically, genius mages have strong egos and high self-esteem, to the point that even if they made a mistake, they are reluctant to rely on others for help. If it were Hae Wonryang or Hong Bi-yeon in the same situation, they would likely write a new spell within five minutes rather than borrow someone else’s assignment.

“Um, if you’re uncomfortable with it…”

But before she could finish, Baek Yu-seol, without any semblance of pride, grabbed Aiselle’s notebook without hesitation.

“Thank you!”
T h i s w a s c op i e d f ro m k i ngm t l . o rg

“Huh, what?”

She hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic reaction, so Aiselle was slightly taken aback.

“I’ll take this favor to the grave.”

“There’s no need for that…”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mtl . o r g

Although he seemed overly grateful, Aiselle couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that she had been of help to Baek Yu-seol.

Even though it was a small favor compared to what he had done for her, if she kept repaying him in small ways like this… perhaps one day…

One day?

Suddenly, her thoughts seemed to be accelerating, so Aiselle hurriedly tried to stop herself.

She felt strangely uneasy.

* * *

The first day of the new semester at Stella is a relaxed one.

While other magic schools might start the new term with intense, grueling schedules that make it feel like hell, Stella knew how to grant proper relaxation when it was due.

T h is was c o p ie d f r o m k i n g m t l . o rg
As a result, most students attended their classes and went through brief orientations before quickly returning, making S-Class particularly crowded today.

Of course, halfway through, Flame got bored and jumped up from her seat, running around other classrooms shouting, “Looking for soccer players! Just need you to join!” but that was a minor detail.

Starting with handing over the summer assignment, Aiselle now had a valid reason to stick close to Baek Yu-seol, and she followed him around wherever he went, except during the hours when their classes diverged.

But even during those times, she couldn’t help but ask.

“…You want me to tell you my lecture schedule?”

Aiselle, sitting across from him, nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and Baek Yu-seol looked at her with a perplexed expression.

“What will you do with it? Are you planning to follow me?”

“Yes.”

“What’s this? Do you have a crush on me or something?”

Just like in the first semester, he threw it out jokingly, but Aiselle responded nonchalantly again.

“That could be the case.”

“…Huh?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Well, not really… but don’t you have other things to worry about?”

She hesitated for a moment, touching her lips in thought, before smiling brightly.

“I’ve got a little more room to breathe now. Thanks to someone.”

“Well… I don’t know who you’re talking about, but that’s a bit troubling…”

Baek Yu-seol was genuinely troubled.

In a few years, say three years from now, Aiselle would undoubtedly grow into an exceptional mage and one of the top beauties in the world, but for now, she was still just a high school student.

He couldn’t help but think of her as a kid, too young to have romantic feelings, so if she really did start approaching him with those intentions… that would be quite problematic.

‘…Am I getting ahead of myself?’

Let’s think again.

She asked if I was interested, not if she liked me.

It’s possible that Aiselle, being so clueless about love, answered that way with a completely different meaning in mind.

‘Hmm, that must be it.’

In the original game, Aiselle doesn’t start falling for the other male leads until the second year. Before that, the main content focused on the male leads obsessing over Aiselle one-sidedly, so it’s still too early for this to happen.

Moreover, unlike the original male leads, there hadn’t been any events where I teased or played with Aiselle’s emotions, so it’s safe to say it won’t happen.

“Phew, I got worried for nothing.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Given that she had helped him out with the assignment, he figured the least he could do was treat her to a meal, being a good Korean and all.

“There’s nothing much to do today; shall we go grab dinner?”

“Huh? Isn’t it a bit too early for club activities?”

“That’s separate. I’m just talking about having a meal. You don’t need a club activity as an excuse to eat. I’ve got plenty of money, so I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

Aiselle stared blankly at Baek Yu-seol for a moment before nodding her head quickly.

“S-Sure.”

“Then we’re having pork soup.”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d fro m k in g m tl .o rg

“…Didn’t you say you’d buy me whatever I wanted?”

“You’ll like it.”

“I’ve never heard of such food before…”

“Trust me.”

Although Aiselle pouted slightly, she suddenly had a thought.

‘…What if I really do end up liking this strange dish called pork soup?’

It felt a bit odd.

Baek Yu-seol, who was so sure about a dish she didn’t even know, as if he knew her secret.

‘I’ve been watching you.’
This w a s c o pie d f r o m k i n g m tl .o r g

A memory from a spring day suddenly came to mind.

Standing with Stella bathed in sunset light behind him, Baek Yu-seol had said those words to her. She hadn’t understood their meaning then, but now she thought she could grasp it, at least vaguely.

‘A regressor or a time traveler.’

Baek Yu-seol is a man who freely traverses time and has had a profound impact on his past. Could the words, ‘I’ve been watching you,’ from such a person be ordinary?

No, they couldn’t.

In various timelines, he must have encountered countless versions of ‘me,’ and perhaps… he might even know me better than I know myself.

“…Alright. Let’s go eat that strange thing called pork soup.”

So, she decided not to doubt Baek Yu-seol’s words anymore.

Even the suspicious food that seemed like it would be weird just from its name, she was confident she’d end up liking it.

Because Baek Yu-seol had said so.

“Oh, wise choice.”

Seeing Aiselle accept more readily than expected, Baek Yu-seol grinned and dragged her to Arcaneum.

…And the moment she took her first bite of pork soup, Aiselle regretted it.

“It’s awful…”

“Huh? Back where I lived, everyone in town raved about how delicious this was.”

“Maybe it’s just the town’s people…”

She realized far too late that the reason Baek Yu-seol was so sure she’d like it was simply because he liked it so much himself.

“Geez. How could you not like this? Try adding some pepper and take a proper bite.”

“No thanks. I’ll eat it the way I like.”

Aiselle got up and went to the kitchen, coming back with different seasonings, and somehow managed to adjust the dish to her taste, creating a clearer, lighter broth. Now, as she cautiously sipped the somewhat improved soup, she found herself staring at Baek Yu-seol sitting across from her.

There was no elegance or grace in the way he shoveled food into his mouth, yet… she couldn’t help but keep watching him.

End of Chapter
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g mt l . or g