Chapter 1022 – #245_시범학기
#1016
1.
Siwoo, Rinne, and Dorothy had a passionate night together after a long time.
But a relationship isn’t just about matching bellies.
After a day of intense reward, Siwoo took on the role of a Seoul guide for Rinne and Dorothy, who must have felt stifled the other day.
A trip granted under the guarantee of his teacher and the approval of Branch Manager Sua, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.
If he had his way, he would have spent money lavishly to give them the best day.
Like a full-package staycation in a presidential suite at a luxury hotel.
Or at the very least, buying them all the clothes they wanted from a department store’s luxury boutique.
He knew it was a luxury considering he was already struggling with debt from the academy’s operation, but Siwoo wanted to do anything for the two of them.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Of course~ Absolutely.”
But the two of them didn’t seem to want anything so grand.
Their destination was the food section in the basement of a department store.
It was an ordinary mart, with nothing special about it except that the chicken sold in the food court was a bit cheap.
He felt guilty even while pushing the shopping cart around.
No matter how carefully he looked around, it felt like they would be done in an hour.
“Then, would you like to go somewhere nice after this? Or maybe have a nice meal…”
“Oh my~ Darling worries too much. Right, Rinne?”
Dorothy, wearing a white dress and a wide-brimmed round hat tilted to one side, smiled, bringing her hand to her bluish eyes.
It was from being hit by Rinne, who was furious right after the incest-flavored role-playing situation that Dorothy had led yesterday.
For the record, Siwoo also got hit in the side for trying to stop them.
“Take your hand away.”
Judging by Rinne’s murderous tone, she still hadn’t calmed down.
But Dorothy provoked Rinne, as if she had no remaining debt after being hit once.
“Are you going to hit me again?”
“……”
“Honey~ The little lady is committing domestic violence because of jealousy, sob sob…”
“…It’s amazing you haven’t fought yet.”
He didn’t know about their compatibility, but their relationship might be better than he thought.
Anyway, he didn’t want any unnecessary discord on a day meant to be enjoyable, so he intervened appropriately.
“Rinne, I’m sorry. I got too caught up in the mood yesterday too.”
“Husband is also hateful. But the biggest problem is Dorothy.”
Rinne calling Siwoo hateful.
She must be seriously sulking.
According to Takasho, the best way to appease a sulking lover is through praise.
“By the way, that dress is really pretty. You look like a model.”
Rinne’s outfit today wasn’t her usual kimono, but the dress Siwoo had given her last time.
To be precise, it was a casual long dress made of a lively beige fabric, and it suited Rinne, who looked like a doll, really well.
“…It’s natural since it’s my husband’s gift.”
“Should I give a gift as an apology too? Which floor is the children’s clothing section~”
“Dorothy! Please… My stomach is churning. Rinne too.”
“Okay, sorry~ sorry~”
Rinne, who seemed a bit cheered up after being praised for the pretty clothes she had been cherishing.
And Dorothy, who couldn’t resist teasing her again.
And Siwoo, who was horrified and tried to stop Rinne from looking for a sword she didn’t even bring.
It was a small happiness that could only be enjoyed in a peaceful daily life.
“Well~ to continue with my answer from earlier, I really wanted to do this.”
“Do what?”
“What else? Shopping together.”
“I like it too.”
Even Rinne, who had been at odds, nodded readily.
Come to think of it, these two must be used to all sorts of flashy, high-end culture.
In a way, this commoner experience might be more special than the ‘special’ event Siwoo was trying so hard to prepare.
“More than that… this is really attracting a lot of attention.”
“Really? Isn’t it because Darling is too handsome?”
He had expected it to some extent.
After the recent ‘Flood’ incident, the veil of mystery that had hidden the witches’ identities was lifted.
Now, even those who weren’t high-ranking officials or business tycoons were aware of and remembered the existence of witches.
This had a huge impact on all aspects of society, politics, and culture, accompanied by conflicts and syndromes.
In the case of Korea, they had unknowingly endured the Flood without damage thanks to the help of witches, so they were quite favorable towards them.
Anyway, perhaps because it was an ambiguous time, he could feel the few shoppers glancing at Siwoo’s group.
But unexpectedly, no one approached them first.
After all, both Dorothy and Rinne were public figures who had lived for hundreds of years.
Aside from the intimidation that their beautiful appearances, far surpassing humans, automatically gave, their unique charisma and imposing presence created an atmosphere that was difficult for ordinary people to handle.
Thanks to that, they were able to continue shopping without any particular trouble.
They bought cheap but decent food from the food court, looked at the lobsters swimming in the live fish section, saw the piles of vegetables and fruits, and picked up a few bottles of decent value wine.
The total amount came to 168,400 won.
For the record, the wine took up the most.
After returning with their arms full of groceries, they ate yubu-chobap (fried tofu sushi pockets) that Rinne had made herself.
He thought it would just be a common, ordinary taste since it was a ready-made product, but it was much more delicious because Rinne had added variations with lotus root and burdock that she had simmered herself.
They took a bath together, and while bathing, they also had some slightly naughty hand play.
From the time the late summer sun began to set between the buildings, they sat side by side on the sofa and watched a romance movie, with the wine they had bought earlier.
Dorothy was smiling all day, as if something was so good.
Rinne also didn’t show it, but she was in a relaxed mood.
“Heeeeeum, this is life.”
As the movie was ending, Dorothy, who had covered Rinne with a thin blanket as she began to doze off from the alcohol, leaned her head on Siwoo’s shoulder.
“Are you that happy?”
“Yeah~ very~”
Siwoo was just a bit puzzled.
Wasn’t it a day that had nothing really special about it, considering it was their first time meeting in a while?
A boring day that could be summed up in a few lines in a diary.
But Dorothy was giving it a more satisfying evaluation than any other day she had spent so far.
As if she had achieved the wish of a lifetime.
“Is it that strange?”
“No, well. It’s not that strange.”
Dorothy, who had buried her nose in his neck and was sniffing Siwoo’s scent, said in a small voice.
“…It was a very precious day for me.”
It was a very small truth, as if she didn’t want it to be heard.
2.
After spending two nights and three days in the present world, he returned to Gehenna.
He had taken a vacation and returned after postponing his already packed schedule.
From the crack of dawn, he combed his hair back like a knife and put on a suit.
It was his position to show a demeanor befitting a noble at any time and place.
But he didn’t feel the fatigue of having to act out of character or the aftereffects of the holiday.
Instead, a blazing passion was burning.
“Who am I? The owner of the Hesed Academy.”
The Hesed Academy had to build authority and power as soon as possible so that it would be possible to bring Rinne and Dorothy.
Once he had a goal, he had no choice but to run until he collapsed from exhaustion.
He went straight to the academy office in the Tiferet mansion and began sorting through the accumulated paperwork.
“Haaam, Siwoo, you’re already here?”
“It’s only been about an hour.”
Sharon, who would soon be in charge of paperwork assistance, also came to work, brushing her messy hair.
Of course, it wasn’t a real part-time job, but she was one of the department heads, participating in the paperwork.
“Ugh, it was so hard while you were gone. How much work do you do every day? You’re such a workaholic.”
“Department Head Evergreen, you have no fear in front of the academy president. I’ll include that in your next evaluation.”
“Pfft, hahahahaha! Oh my! You’re so cute, really.”
After a light skit that ended with Sharon treating him strangely like a child, he asked about the issues to be checked.
“More than that, was there any special news while I was gone? Any contact regarding partnerships?”
“Ugh, it seems like Auntie Calistro is still blocking everything. I sent letters, but there’s no reply.”
“What about your existing four academies?”
“There’s nothing unusual. Ah! The Forget-Me-Not Garden is going to establish a material alchemy branch within the Hesed Academy.”
“That’s good.”
“The hired professors also have to complete the curriculum together, so they’re currently exchanging preliminary information.”
As expected of Sharon, the icon of diligence.
She had not only meticulously handled the problems that had arisen while Siwoo was away, but had also created a clear list and reported it.
“And this is the financial statement… What, what is this! I didn’t do it! Count Deneb took care of it!”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
He accepted it with a light laugh, but his face soon hardened.
“……”
The amount set for the professors’ salaries, various academy operating expenses, and initial costs for laying the foundation was truly astronomical.
They had formed partnerships and were able to appoint ten witches from minor academies as professors, but witches were a tremendous high-end workforce, so there were corresponding costs.
As a result, the amount of money that could buy another Tiferet mansion was marked as planned expenditure.
For the record, it was all going to be debt.
He had never lived with a single penny of debt in his life, and the amount of debt he had incurred for the first time was this much…
He felt like he couldn’t breathe.
How hard must it have been for poor Sharon?
“Why, why are you looking at me with such pitying eyes?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
But there were plenty of opportunities to overcome this.
The Hesed Academy was a non-profit organization that claimed to be an educational institution, but it still had to cover its operating expenses on its own.
There were no plans to provide such high-quality education for free.
Of course, they would be receiving academy member registration fees and tuition fees, and donations once the foundation was laid.
If they could receive registration fees and tuition fees from about 100 people at this point, they could put out the immediate fire.
“Have you collected all the academy member registration forms that have come in?”
“Yeah.”
That’s right.
It was a successful founding ceremony, and they had already recruited four academies despite Count Calistro’s interference.
They had opened a drink bar for witches who were constantly suffering from a thirst for magical exploration, so wealthy witches would surely be poking around, even if they had to pay a high price.
That was definitely supposed to be the case…
“So far, there are a total of 45 people.”
“Is that all?”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
Siwoo snatched the application forms from Sharon’s hand and scanned them.
It wasn’t just wrong, it was completely screwed.
Much, much, much lower interest than expected.
At this rate, the academy would have to close its doors within a year of its founding.
It was difficult to attribute it to the interference of the Emerald Tablet or the Truth and True Name Academic Conference.
Even if their influence was strong, it was impossible for them to exert pressure on every single witch.
But the fact that even the exiled, rehabilitated witches who didn’t belong anywhere, the very target audience Siwoo had initially aimed for, had no particular interest was completely unexpected.
Had he taken things too lightly because everything had been going too smoothly so far?
He didn’t know what the problem was, but he couldn’t let it fail like this.
The ‘special measure’ he had originally planned to use a month later.
It seemed like he would have to bring that date forward a bit.
