While I was completely engrossed in dark magic, somewhat neglecting my academic duties, the clock at Shinhwa High School continued to tick along just fine.

Of course, I didn’t entirely ignore faculty meetings or other responsibilities, but my heart was undeniably more invested in the world of dark sorcerers than in school affairs.

During this time, many decisions were made without my input. I was too preoccupied to handle the trivial details, or so I told myself.

Naturally, not all the teachers were pleased with my lack of attention.

Take those two teachers gossiping about me from a distance in the cafeteria, for instance.

“Honestly, this is why you can’t trust someone who didn’t graduate from a Korean university.”

“Be careful, Ji-young. He might hear you.”

“Oh, come on. We’re too far away for that.”

“True, he probably can’t hear us from here.”

I usually didn’t care much about what others thought, so I ignored them. But the spirit I had contracted with wasn’t as indifferent.

– Splash!

“Ahh!”

A sudden stream of water materialized out of thin air, abruptly halting their gossip.

The two teachers looked around, their eyes briefly landing on me, but I was just busy eating my lunch.

They couldn’t find the culprit. After all, they couldn’t see Cynthia, who hadn’t materialized.

[Who do they think they’re badmouthing? These foolish humans!]

[C-Cynthia…]

Even as Gemut tried to calm the angry Cynthia, I just shrugged. I was too busy to care about idle gossip.

With a backlog of academic tasks, extra class preparations due to Han Hye-jin, and new research projects, even meal times had become work sessions for me.

“…Sir?”

“Hmm?”

“Um… Eating so fast isn’t good for your health…”

“I’m eating slowly.”

“But you’ve almost finished in just three minutes…”

Hana hesitated as she spoke.

“And you haven’t said a word…”

I tilted my head, noticing Hana’s slightly pouty expression.

[Contractor, say something to her.]

‘Why?’

[Hana looks bored.]

‘Bored?’

Puzzled by Cynthia’s words, I glanced at Hana. She was still eating, but her cheeks were puffed out in a peculiar way.

‘Oh, she needs someone to talk to?’

Hana spends all day cooped up in the lab. Of course, she’d need someone to talk to.

[Exactly. You’ve been neglecting her. Hana looks up to you so much.]

‘Hmm. You’re right this time.’

[Wow, you’re actually agreeing with me?]

‘…’

What does she think of me? Even if I’m not great at understanding girls, I know this much.

[Good. That’s a relief.]

I decided to take Cynthia’s advice and spoke to Hana.

“Yeah, I’ve been neglecting you lately, haven’t I? You must have felt lonely.”

“W-What?!”

“Even if I’m busy, feel free to talk to me whenever you want.”

“Really?!”

“Of course.”

Hana’s eyes widened in surprise as I continued.

“I’m your only family, after all.”

“…”

Hana’s expression suddenly froze.

Did I say something wrong?

[Contractor, are you an idiot?]

[C-Cynthia! You shouldn’t say such mean things!]

[Why not? He’s wasting that handsome face of his!]

[That’s true, but still! You should be more tactful…! It’s not like he’s ever had a girlfriend. Right, Contractor?]

‘Gemut.’

[Yes?]

‘You’re worse.’

That hit a sore spot.

Sure, I might not be great at understanding girls, but…

She’s only three years old, after all. The generation gap is huge…

– Splash.

Suddenly, water was dumped on my head.

Cynthia and Gemut fell silent, not saying another word.

I wanted to summon both spirits and scold them, but…

“Pfft.”

Hana suddenly started laughing.

“Hahaha.”

She laughed heartily, which was unusual for her.

Since the lab incident, or even before that, I couldn’t recall a time when Hana had laughed so openly.

‘Well, as long as she’s laughing, that’s what matters, right?’

Using wind magic stored in my mana circuit, I dried my hair and chuckled to myself.

“By the way, sir!”

Hana, now in a much better mood, spoke up.

“Did you hear about the field trip chaperone thing?”

“Chaperone?”

“Yes.”

“Well… I am going as a chaperone.”

“Oh, you didn’t know, did you?”

Hana began explaining, as if she had rehearsed it.

“There’s a tradition at Shinhwa High.”

“A tradition?”

“Yes, it’s called the field trip race.”

The field trip race was a mini-game where students competed to reach the destination without using any public transportation.

“What a pointless activity…”

That was my honest opinion.

I understood the intention. They’d probably claim it was part of magical education or a way to test practical magic skills.

‘It is beneficial, but…’

To reach the destination without public transportation, students would have to use magic suited to their abilities.

Their magic proficiency would undoubtedly improve in the process.

…But I thought it would be more efficient to spend that time on training.

“This school really does inefficient things.”

“R-Really?”

Hana replied, her shoulders slumping.

“Well… You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to…”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you won’t get the prize or the reward… They said the prize is a 1 million won voucher for the school store… And there’s a separate cash prize…”

Hana looked genuinely disappointed.

She does like snacks, but…

I was too busy to consider participating in a strange race…

‘Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, a word Hana mentioned caught my attention.

“Prize?”

“…Yes!”

Hana answered eagerly, but I was still skeptical.

“The prize can’t be that much. I still think this race is…”

“Three hundred million won.”

“I have to participate.”

“You’re participating?!”

“Of course. I was planning to all along.”

“But earlier you said…”

“You have to listen to the end in Korean.”

“Oh, I see!”

“Yeah. Let’s make sure we win that prize!”

Hana clenched her fists in determination.

“And the store voucher too!”

We both started salivating for different reasons.

***

Since Min Hae-jun reincarnated as Lee Jae-sang, the division at Shinhwa High had deepened.

In response to the Korean University cartel centered around Yoo Hae-in, the non-Korean University cartel began to consolidate.

Most non-Korean University graduates were on temporary contracts, so their influence was limited.

But with Lee Jae-sang’s presence, this issue was easily resolved.

And Yoo Hae-in wasn’t pleased with the situation.

That’s why he gathered his cartel in an empty classroom under the guise of a social gathering.

“I don’t like it… The way things are going at school these days is really bothering me.”

The teachers gathered there were watching Yoo Hae-in’s reaction.

Yoo Hae-in was a second-generation chaebol.

His father was a major benefactor of the school, wielding significant influence.

“I don’t like it either. That guy acts like he’s friends with the students.”

“Right? Doesn’t he have any pride as a teacher? Even if teacher authority is declining…”

“Some students even speak informally to him.”

“Really? Aren’t we going to be looked down on too?”

Their excuses varied, but the theme was the same.

They didn’t like that Lee Jae-sang, a non-Korean University graduate on a temporary contract, was expanding his influence.

“He’s been getting too much attention since the open class.”

“And the Korean Magic Scholars Association is personally sponsoring him… He must have used some dirty tricks, right?”

“Of course. Isn’t he ashamed as a teacher?”

They seemed blind to the efforts Lee Jae-sang had put in.

All they saw was the result: him getting all the attention and monopolizing research funds.

“I heard he’s participating in the race too?”

“Really? How greedy!”

“Exactly! And look at his team. Bae Jae-ho, Liz, Shin Hae-ryeong. He took all the ones with immeasurable mana!”

“Oh my… That’s so sneaky. How can someone be like that?”

At this point, they didn’t care about the reasons and continued their criticism.

“Are you just going to let this happen, Hae-in?”

Yoo Hae-in, who had been listening quietly, finally smiled and replied.

“That’s why I gathered you all here.”

“As expected of Hae-in! You have a plan!”

“I’ve procured some things from the black market.”

“B-Black market?”

When a teacher questioned the mention of the black market, a sharp gaze turned towards him.

“…Is there a problem?”

“N-No.”

The dissent quickly subsided.

The Korean University cartel was a group gathered in hopes of receiving favors from Yoo Hae-in, so they had no choice but to appease him.

“This is what I brought.”

Yoo Hae-in smirked as he placed a crystal orb on the table.

“What is this?”

“It’s a spirit stone. It contains a high-level wind spirit.”

Using a spirit stone allows one to temporarily borrow the ownership of a spirit without a contract.

However, due to the risk of mana exhaustion and even death for the seller, both selling and buying were illegal.

But none of the teachers objected.

Instead…

“…To think you could acquire such a rare magical item!”

“As expected of Hae-in! We couldn’t do without you!”

Everyone in the room was busy expressing their admiration.

For those who had abandoned their professional ethics, all they could see was the future reward they hoped to receive.

“If it’s a high-level wind spirit, we can definitely win!”

The fastest way to reach the field trip destination was to open portal magic to its maximum capacity repeatedly.

But none of them could open portal magic consecutively like that.

So the next best option was to use a mount.

Among the many mounts, a wind spirit was the best.

As long as there was enough mana, they could fly all the way to Gyeongju, the destination of the school trip, without stopping.

This was a completely different case from making a contract with a living being.

“This is what I’ve prepared… and I’d like you all to disrupt Lee Jaesang. In your own ways.”

As soon as Yoo Haein finished speaking, everyone began to respond enthusiastically.

From those who planned to prepare interference spells in advance to teachers who intended to launch a secret attack.

Having long forgotten their duties as educators, all that remained for them was their fragile pride.

Watching them, Yoo Haein smirked slyly.

Everything was set.

No matter how formidable Lee Jaesang was, this time wouldn’t be easy for him.

“Unless he rides in on a dragon, that guy doesn’t stand a chance.”

Yoo Haein looked at her spirit with a face full of confidence.

***

While Yoo Haein’s group was plotting their scheme…

“Ugh, why is my ear suddenly itching?”

Liz, who was visiting Shin Haeryeong’s dorm, scratched her ear furiously.

“Someone must be talking about you. Maybe they’re badmouthing you?”

“Hmm? Why would my ear itch if they’re badmouthing me?”

“Uh…”

Shin Haeryeong stopped herself from explaining.

She remembered almost staying up all night last time trying to explain common sense.

“…It’s a curse spell.”

“Really?! Who would do that?! I’ve never been a nuisance to anyone!”

‘Aren’t you being a nuisance to me right now?’

Shin Haeryeong glanced at the clock without saying a word.

11:59 PM.

But since Liz barging in at this hour was nothing new, she decided to let it go.

“So, Haeryeong, which one do you think is better, this or this?”

The reason Liz had barged in was simple.

The school trip was starting the next day.

She wanted help deciding what to pack.

The problem was, most of what Liz wanted help choosing were snacks.

“Liz.”

“Yeah?”

“They’ll serve meals there, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“…You know, and you’re still planning to bring that many snacks?”

Shin Haeryeong looked down at the floor.

One suitcase was already filled with snacks.

The other suitcase was also being packed with snacks.

‘Who brings two suitcases on a school trip… and it’s not even overseas!’

“But you see, Haeryeong,” Liz said with an innocent smile.

“This is my first time going on a trip like this!”

“Your first time?”

“Yeah, it’s my first time going to school, too.”

“Oh.”

It was a fact she kept forgetting, but Liz was a dragon.

Her experiences were bound to be different from humans.

“So I want to bring as much as I can and have a party with everyone.”

“If that’s the case…”

Shin Haeryeong trailed off.

She felt like she was being the bad guy for nagging.

But even considering her lack of experience, wasn’t she bringing too much? Shin Haeryeong opened her mouth again.

“I get it, but if you bring too much, you’ll have to bring it all back.”

“Really? I thought the teaching assistant could eat all this by herself…”

“Wait, you’re inviting the teaching assistant too?”

“Of course! She’d be upset if I didn’t!”

Only then did Shin Haeryeong understand Liz’s grand plan.

If the teaching assistant came, one suitcase of snacks would definitely not be enough.

They might end up just chatting without any snacks at all…

Even though she wasn’t a fan of snacks, she didn’t want the snack party to turn into just a talk fest.

“Liz, let’s pack more snacks.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

The two agreed.

“Then help me choose. Which of these should I bring?”

“Why choose? Let’s bring them all. I’ll lend you space in my suitcase.”

“There’s a way! Thanks, Haeryeong!”

Excited, Liz packed the snacks into the suitcase.

“I’m really looking forward to the school trip. And the race tomorrow!”

Shin Haeryeong found Liz’s childlike excitement endearing.

She didn’t know how much longer Liz would stay in the human world.

But as long as she was here…

‘I hope she keeps smiling like this.’

Watching Liz giggle, Shin Haeryeong couldn’t help but smile herself.