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Chapter 75: Observation Class (1)
A few days after successfully completing the exploration of the ruins, Professor Lucas addressed the cadets gathered in the lecture hall.
"As you all received on your Hero Watches, next week we have scheduled observation classes with parents invited."
Parent Observation Class.
This was an annual event that took place around this time each year.
It was one of the rare occasions when the hero academy, which operated as a fully boarding institution and strictly prohibited the entry of outsiders, including parents, opened its doors.
'There was a lot of talk about it being canceled due to the incident during the Sealing Festival, but it looks like it's happening after all.'
Of course, this event had little relevance to me, as I had no 'parents' to attend.
But that was only true for special cases like mine.
For the other cadets, it was a completely different story.
"Here we go again..."
"Ugh... I hope they don't come this time."
"Yeah, seriously."
"We're not a bunch of 10-year-olds, so why do we need a parent observation class?"
"Sigh. I thought it would be canceled after the Sealing Festival incident."
Sighs of exasperation leaked from various parts of the lecture hall.
Naturally, very few cadets were excited about the observation class.
As one cadet said, most were disgruntled, wondering why they had to go through this when they were no longer kids.
‘Well, the observation class also serves as a social gathering for active heroes.’
Because the traits of Stigmas, which were often passed from parent to child, many cadets' parents were active heroes themselves.
The observation class was essentially an event designed to give current heroes a 'reason' to gather.
‘I’ve even heard of cases where parents come to the observation class and don’t even bother to see their kids before leaving.’
Of course, such cases were rare.
Most parents would come to check if their children were doing well, if they were staying out of trouble, and to see how much the school's curriculum had changed since their time there (more than 80% of parents were graduates of the hero academy).
After that, they'd meet with other parents.
Even if the cadets were legally considered adults under continental law, to their parents, they still seemed like little kids.
"This year’s observation class will be prepared even more thoroughly under Principal Lionel’s special directive."
"Ugh!"
"Oh, please no."
"I’m already drowning in assignments, and now we have to prepare for this too..."
Sighs erupted again from all corners.
Professor Lucas let out a short sigh as he looked around at the disheartened cadets.
"Given the recent incident, you should understand the necessity."
The incident involving the rampaging monsters during the Sealing Festival.
Because of that, the school needed to reassure the parents: "Our school is this safe!"
"Now then. You’ve all participated in this last year and the year before that, so I’m sure you know what’s most important in preparing for this observation class."
“...”
"Anyone want to answer?"
Silence followed.
Professor Lucas’s piercing gaze scanned the cadets before landing on me.
"Alright, then Cadet Dale—"
"Hey, fine! I’ll answer!"
Suddenly, Albert shot up from his seat.
He glared at Professor Lucas, trembling slightly.
"You were going to call on me anyway, weren’t you?"
"No, actually, I was going to call on Cadet Dale this time since I’ve called on you so often."
"What? Re-Really?"
"Well, since you're already up, why don’t you answer, Cadet Albert?"
"Damn it!"
Albert slammed the desk in frustration, letting out a cry of despair.
Watching him from behind, I couldn’t help but smile brightly.
'Thanks, Albert.'
Because of you, I can stay out of trouble.
"Now then, go ahead. What’s the most important thing in preparing for the observation class?"
"That would be…"
Albert, thinking hard, pulled a small notebook from his pocket.
Inside was an old, faded photo.
The picture showed a younger Albert, smiling brightly with his parents.
"I believe it’s our ‘smiles’ as cadets."
"Hoo."
"Why do parents from the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Republic all come such a long way to the hero academy? It’s because they want to see for themselves that their children are doing well, that they aren’t hurt or struggling, and that they’re happy."
"Go on."
"So, in order to reassure our parents that we’re doing fine, we need to greet them with smiles! And to ensure that we can smile, the most important thing is to avoid giving cadets any excessive assignments, at least during this time. I believe that’s the most important part of preparing for the observation class!"
Albert, with his fist clenched and conviction in his eyes, gave his impassioned answer.
Professor Lucas crossed his arms and nodded, seemingly satisfied with Albert's response.
"Hmm. So, smiles to reduce assignments, huh... That’s one way of thinking."
"Th-Then!"
"But."
Professor Lucas shook his head lightly.
"Cadet Albert, you’re making a big mistake."
"...A mistake?"
With a sly grin, Professor Lucas wrapped his arm around Albert’s shoulder.
"A smile isn’t something you can only make when you’re happy and joyful."
"Excuse me?"
"Let me give you an example. Cadet Albert, try smiling right now."
"You want me to smile out of the blue...?"
With his arm still around Albert’s shoulder, Professor Lucas raised his massive fist and shook it in front of Albert’s face.
"Smile."
"Hahaha! Oh, come on, Professor! Hahaha!"
"How is it? Are you enjoying this, Cadet Albert?"
"Haha! I’m having so much fun, Professor!"
"Are you happy?"
"Of course! Hahaha!"
"Good, good. As expected of you."
Satisfied, Professor Lucas lowered his fist.
Albert, who had been laughing uproariously with a pale face, took a deep breath and scrambled out of Lucas’s grip.
"As you’ve all just seen, one doesn’t need to be joyful or happy to smile."
Even when you’re struggling and in pain, you can still smile.
That means...
"What we need to prepare isn’t something as simple as smiles."
The most important thing to prepare for the observation class is...
"Cleaning."
"..."
"An immaculate cleaning where not a speck of dust can be seen, where the floor is so clean you could lick it. That’s what you need to prepare."
Professor Lucas smirked as he placed the cleaning supplies he had prepared onto the podium.
"Today, we'll start with mopping the entire classroom."
"...Ah."
Groans spilled from the mouths of the cadets.
The thought of doing nothing but cleaning the school until the parents’ day event filled their minds with a dizzying sense of despair.
"Professor Lucas."
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Amid the sighs of hopelessness, I confidently raised my hand.
"What is it?"
"You said cleaning was necessary to prepare for the parents’ day event, but shouldn’t people like me, who don’t have any ‘parents’ coming, be exempt?"
"Oh?"
"I’ve lived my whole life not knowing my parents’ names. Having grown up lonely in an orphanage, you want me to clean to impress parents? This is a kind of violence!"
"Huh. I see. I haven’t considered how painful this must be for Cadet Dale…"
Professor Lucas let out a low sigh, unable to continue speaking.
I quickly stood up and made my appeal to him.
"Then you should exempt me from the cleaning…"
"I suppose there's no choice. This time, I’ll have to be Cadet Dale’s parent."
"What?"
What are you talking about, you crazy person?
"I may still be an unmarried bachelor, but what wouldn’t I do to comfort a wounded student’s heart?"
"No."
"From now on, you can call me father, Cadet Dale."
"No thanks."
"Even if you don’t like it, you still have to clean."
"Dammit."
Despite my desperate resistance, all the cadets, without exception, were roped into cleaning the school.
‘Even if you know the future, there are some things you can’t change.’
Facing the unstoppable current of fate, I felt a deep sense of helplessness as I mopped the hallway.
As we continued cleaning for a while.
"Hm?"
I noticed Yuren standing in the distance, staring blankly out the window.
"Slacking off?"
"Oh...? Da-Dale?"
As I approached and spoke to him, Yuren turned toward me with a startled expression.
"Why so surprised? Worried I’ll snitch to the professor?"
"N-no, it’s not that..."
Yuren scratched the back of his head awkwardly, giving a sheepish smile.
"I was just... thinking about something else."
"About what?"
"...It’s nothing."
The bitter look on his face as he avoided my gaze didn’t make it seem like ‘nothing.’
‘Well, if he doesn’t want to talk, no need to pry.’
People have at least one or two things they’re dealing with, after all.
‘If it’s Yuren, he’ll figure it out.’
He’s the very hero who fought against that ‘Demon God’ without fear.
If it’s the Yuren I know.
The sun I’ve always seen.
He’ll handle a minor concern or two without needing my help.
"By the way, your parents are coming for the event, right?"
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You’ve got your mom, don’t you?"
Come to think of it, I didn’t know much about Yuren’s mother.
By the time I teamed up with Yuren after finishing my mercenary life, she had already passed away, and Yuren himself rarely brought up his family.
"Ah... my mom probably won’t come. She’s a very busy person."
"Really?"
"Yeah. She didn’t come last year or the year before either."
"Heh. Then you’re just like me, huh?"
In my case, there’s no parent to come at all.
Anyway.
"Then why don’t the two of us find a corner and train that day? We can’t join the parents’ day event if we don’t have parents coming, right?"
"What? R-really? Let’s do that!"
Yuren nodded enthusiastically with a bright expression.
As we were setting a time and place to meet on the day of the event.
-Ding.
A clear chime rang out from Yuren’s hero watch.
"Oh? Hang on. I think I got a message."
Yuren opened his hero watch to check the message.
With each line he read, Yuren’s face, which had been glowing with happiness, quickly darkened.
"What’s wrong? What does it say?"
"M-my mother…"
Yuren’s voice trembled as he continued.
"My mother… said she’s coming to the school."
The expression on Yuren’s face was one I had never seen before.
That’s right.
In all the 10 years I had spent with Yuren, I had never seen that expression on his face.
Not even in the battle against the Demon God.
"..."
Yuren was scared.
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