“Heh, heheh~ Heheh~”

[Reader, you seem to be in a good mood.]

“Of course. I’ve made acquaintance with the main character.”

Wow, that was an unexpected gain.

Come to think of it, the main character also took down a monster, right?

It’s natural that the main character is here, too. I had forgotten because of the Author.

We shook hands when we were alone, so I should be able to gradually become friendly with him, right?

“Everyone, quiet down and take your seats.”

The teacher came barging through the door.
…They must be the protagonist’s homeroom teacher.

“I’m Claire, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher from now on. Pleased to meet you.”
“C-Claire? Don’t tell me…”

“The famous hero…?”

“I heard she retired, but I guess she became a teacher.”

[Umm… Like other academy novels, I set up a famous and strong person as the homeroom teacher, but why would such a person be a mere teacher at the academy…?]

“Isn’t that an obvious thing to ask?”

There are a few to pick from.

Either she suffered a plot-convenient injury that made prolonged fighting difficult but allowed short bursts.
Or she saw a subordinate or colleague die and became disheartened.

We can just go with something along those lines.

[As expected of you, Reader! Should I start calling you the Settings Basket? Thank you! Hehe, a homeroom teacher who’s an aloof beauty type with a hint of world-weariness is a delicious setting no matter how often I see it!]

I mostly tuned out the Author’s words.

They’re all nonsense, as usual.

“First of all, I’d like to express my regret over yesterday’s unfortunate incident. I apologize on behalf of the school.”

Bowing deeply.
The students were flustered to see their idol lower her head like that.

“P-Please raise your head, Teacher!”

“Yeah! We’re not concerned about it!”

Despite the students’ protests, Claire kept her head lowered for a while. Finally, seeing the students become uncomfortable, she raised her head.

But she seemed unsatisfied somehow.

It seems she wanted to apologize more.

“T-Teacher! What’s the topic for today’s lesson!”

“Yeah! Haha, I’m eager to learn!”

“…Lesson? Ah, right.”

Did she forget?

This is really ridiculous.

Claire scratched her nape in embarrassment, cleared her throat, and lowered her voice.

“I don’t know what weapons you’ve used until now. However, the weapon you choose here is the one you’ll continue learning at this academy, so choose carefully.”

Ah, that one.

Weapon selection.

The quintessential first lesson at academies that always shows up.

“But Author, isn’t there an issue with this…?”

[Huh? An issue? What is it?]

“Well, I don’t know how to use weapons?”

[…Ah, you’re right.]

My head started hurting, so I tightly shut my eyes.

Here we go again!

[B-But Reader, you can just pick anything…!]

“Didn’t heroes and villains in this world have one special ability?”

[Ah, yes. That’s right.]

“Why would someone who can breathe fire need to wield a weapon?”

[…Huh?]

Why would someone capable of breathing fire need to wield a blade up close?

They could just walk up and breathe fire on someone’s back to kill them instantly, right?

Wouldn’t it be more advantageous for them not to use a weapon?

If they wield a weapon, it would just raise caution needlessly.

Wouldn’t training their personal abilities be the best the academy can do?

You were saying the academy was competent earlier. This is a setting contradiction.

[M-Mana! We’ll say it’s because of mana! Um… Ability users have mana circulating in their bodies, increasing their physical abilities! So they don’t die easily! If they don’t use their abilities, they can conserve mana!]

*sigh*…

[And if you’re going to argue about that, what about guns?! People die if shot by guns! So ability users also don’t die easily to firearms, as a setting! Wow! Perfect! And guns don’t contain mana! I just decided that!]

Honestly, it’s not a completely convincing setting.

But having read countless web novels, I couldn’t be too mad.

Instead of ‘In this world, why use weapons when you have abilities?’
I realized I should accept that ‘In this world, they use both abilities and weapons.’

The only problem is that this is now the world I’m living in.

“Alright, follow me. You need to choose your weapons from the warehouse.”

Come to think of it, this is one of those academy novels where you select weapons, right?

Instead of being divided into Class A, B, and C, the classes are divided based on what weapon you chose, right?

Don’t tell me the Author failed to notice and set it up.

I waited with bated breath for a sliver of hope but didn’t hear anything.

Which means they didn’t notice. Damn it.

“Author, in the novels with weapon selection, the classes are assigned after choosing weapons.”

[Ah, really?! Was it like that?!]

“Probably most of them, I’d say?”

Of course, right…?

The teachers can’t be assigned one student each, can they?

That would be grossly inefficient.

[Ah, ah… Got it! After-school clubs! Y-Yeah, let’s do it like clubs! You take normal lessons in class, but for a few hours a day, you get intensive lessons with separate instructors specializing in each weapon! Eh, eheheh…!]

Ah, this is tiring.

Why is our Author so stupid?

I wish they would think things through at least a little when setting things up!

“This is the weapon warehouse. Choose the weapon you want. You’ll be using it at the academy from now on, so pick carefully.”

Well, nothing to be done about the setting now that it’s been decided.

Let’s see what weapon our main character will choose.

I peeked at the back of his head amidst the noisy students choosing their weapons.

…As expected, a sword.

I saw him using a sword against the monster, so it’s only natural.

Main characters mostly use swords. Very standard.

“Hmm, is there a problem? You haven’t been looking at the weapons.”

“Oh, teacher.”

“Don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“…Which group would daggers be assigned to?”

“Daggers?”

Yes, a dagger.

To be honest, I don’t have confidence in using a sword.

It would just be like swinging a pointy stick.

A bow? I don’t think so.

A spear might be better, but storing it is a hassle…

A dagger seems best.

It’s small enough to easily carry in a case.

And it doesn’t require complicated techniques; you just hold it and stab.

If I had to learn something, it would still be easier than a sword.
Plus, if I’m assigned to swordsmanship, I can keep an eye on Yu Siwoo. That’s actually the main point.

“Daggers are a type of sword, so you’ll likely be assigned to the sword instructor.”
“I see. Thank you.”

Oh, good to hear.

I gripped the dagger without hesitation.

“So it seems to be a puppy love situation. I don’t recommend choosing your weapon based on your fantasies, but I’ll cheer you on.”

“…Pardon?”

Did she notice me watching Yu Siwoo?

Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to find it suspicious, but she has misunderstood in a strange way.

That’s not it at all?

I was about to refute her, but she had already moved on to advise other students.

Should I just leave it be?

It’s not the truth anyway.

I cautiously approached Yu Siwoo, who was holding his sword with a satisfied smile.

“Ah, did you happen to choose the sword?”

“…?! Oh, y-yeah…”

Why is he trembling like that?

Is he cold? It’s a bit chilly being a warehouse, but it doesn’t seem cold enough to tremble that much.

“…Do you have a cold?”

“Ah, no. I’m a bit nervous… It’s the first class at the academy.”

Is that so? It feels more like preparation than a class, doesn’t it?

And his voice seems to be trembling slightly.

…Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter.

If it’s a cold, he can take some medicine later.

“Still, I’m not surprised you chose a sword, though I’m more of a dagger person myself.”

“Oh, I see. A dagger. Yeah, it’s a good weapon.”

“Haha, it seems like fate. We’ve defeated the same monster and are taking the same weapon class.”

“Yeah, right. Oh, uh-haha…ha…”

Your expression is really pale now. At this point, I’m starting to worry, even if it’s just a cold.

You need to grow up healthy so you can defeat the final boss, whoever that might be.

“Are you okay? You seem really sick.”

“Yeah. I-I’m fine, so don’t worry.”

Even though they insist they’re fine, pushing further might be impolite.

Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do. If there’s a problem, I can always ask the Author for a solution later.

“Your face looks pale, so you should rest well. See you later!”

Leaving Yu Siwoo, who was sweating profusely, behind, I started looking at the weapons.

Actually, it’s my first time seeing these kinds of weapons. They’re incredibly fascinating.

“You chose a spear? Haha, you’re a total spear-maiden.”

“Hey! Why would you joke like that…”

“Why? It’s true. A woman with a spear. Spear-maiden.”

“You, you…! Get over here!”

At some point, the tension eased, and I noticed students joking around with each other.

They seem lively.

“Phew, that’s a relief… No major clashes in the setting!”

It’s totally spot-on, though, isn’t it, Author? I didn’t say it out loud because I felt like I might burst into tears.

Poor me.

“Everyone, if you’ve made your choice, head back to the classroom! Today’s lesson ends here!”

At Claire’s words, the students gathered and returned to the classroom.

Of course, I was walking back alone.

It’s really lonely, seriously.

***

“Hu, phew… Phew…!”

Yu Siwoo thought he was going to die.

His heart was beating so loudly that he thought it might leap out of his throat.

‘Arte, that woman… She was definitely looking at me…!’

He always kept her in his line of sight. And she only picked up the dagger after he touched the sword.

It was unmistakable.

‘For some reason, she harbors a significant interest in me!’

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Yu Siwoo couldn’t quite determine. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem good.

Yet, he had no memory of ever acting in a way that would attract such attention from a woman like her.

‘I can’t discard the sword and choose another weapon to avoid her.’

The weapon Yu Siwoo had used until now was the sword.

Trying to wield something else at this point would only set him back.

As Yu Siwoo entered the academy to become a hero, nothing was more unacceptable than that.

“Why on earth is she showing interest in me…?”

He couldn’t understand.

Someone who could hack into the academy’s database in an instant and infiltrate as a new student—what possible reason could they have for showing such interest in him?

He had expected to make friends and train hard in the academy once he enrolled.
Instead, he wanted to cry alone.