I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Transforming into a child could lead to various problems.

What if I successfully transformed but couldn’t return to my original form?

“Hey kid. Where did the librarian Do Ji-hwan go?”

“He suddenly turned into a child.”

“…A power to turn into a child? I’ve never heard of such an ability user! Take this kid for research immediately!”

That would make me a subject of investigation.

So, in transforming, I had to be very careful about returning to my original form, and more than anything, I needed to freely switch between child and adult states.

But surprisingly, it wasn’t a big problem.

There was no delay in returning to my original form after transforming, and I could change my body at will.

I was not permanently invisible like the Dark Knight, but like a ghost agent, I could maintain the child state as long as I continuously used a small amount of mana.

In Doul’s case, the transformation was to reduce mana consumption, but in my case, I needed to use mana to transform.

There must be some advantages to being a child, but so far, I have only experienced one.

“Manager Do! Come here! I’ll give you a hug.”

“Teacher, can I keep hugging you? Can I sleep hugging you instead of a body pillow?”

…Other than Doul and Yumir’s increased physical contact, there were no clear benefits.

Hiding Do Ji-hwan’s identity was meaningful, but if my identity was revealed, it was better to be in spirit form.

Well, anyway.

“Hello, Ji-hwan.”

“You must be tired, Seol-hee, after a normal lecture in the afternoon.”

“Well, that’s… Did you grill meat?”

“Yes. I grilled beef.”

I, as the adult Do Ji-hwan, greeted Baek Seol-hee and was busy ventilating the room.

“Did Yumir grill it well?”

“No? The teacher did. I just received it. Hehe.”

“You, Ji-hwan, personally?”

“Yes. It’s awkward to grill in a restaurant, worrying about others’ stares, and I didn’t want to be caught in gossip. So, I bought it in advance.”

“I should have just said I wouldn’t have dinner then.”

Baek Seol-hee slumped in the chair, looking gloomy.

“Didn’t the staff have a beef party?”

“It’s different depending on who you eat with.”

“Ah.”

The enjoyment of beef depended on the company.

Eating beef with someone uncomfortable was like sitting on pins and needles.

“And I didn’t eat properly.”

“Why not?”

“A crazy professor who had been drinking started grilling, not with tongs but with his chopsticks.”

“Eww. You should have said something, right?”

“When I mentioned it, he said, ‘I might become a devil! Haha,’ and the gathering just fell apart.”

“……”

Was it worse to flip meat with one’s chopsticks instead of the provided tongs, or to make such an inappropriate comment to an ability user?

Personally, I found the former worse, but from an ability user’s perspective, the latter was far more offensive and annoying.

“You’re here. Should I grill more?”

“No, it’s okay. I ate a lot before that old man came. And it’s airing out.”

“Did the professor go around with alcohol, from table to table?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, that’s terrible.”

Yumir grimaced and shook her head.

“Then he goes around with a glass, offering drinks, right, unnie?”

“Exactly. He even tried to clink glasses with the saliva-covered side.”

“Eww, that’s gross.”

“And then he started smoking.”

“Aaaaah!”

Yumir screamed in disgust.

“Eww. That’s really terrible…”

“Yumir, you could have experienced it too. Korean K-drinking culture.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, it’s a rule to have a drink on Friday with your practice mates.”

Even if the practice went terribly, we still ended up entering Sejong Island together.

Unless we become sworn enemies for life, we usually would have a meal or a drink together at the end of the practice and share various stories.

Initially, the staff created such an atmosphere, and ability users gathered around the tables to converse.

“Ability users getting drunk can be a bit dangerous, but isn’t that why staff and heroes are around to take care of them? This time, though, it was a disaster.”

“It felt more like a funeral than a dinner party.”

Naturally, the group that summoned the devil, along with those whose practice ended on the first day and had to return to Sejong Island, couldn’t enjoy a proper dinner party.

At best, they exchanged contacts or had a brief chat on the first day.

A meaningful conversation was out of the question.

“Haah. If only they had made the decision a little sooner, the dinner would’ve ended earlier, and I could have come to eat the meat Ji-hwan grilled.”

“The decision?”

“Yes, about Yumir. They’ve decided on the treatment for the ‘Platinum Sun’.”

“…Oh.”

Yumir had just taken a bite of her dessert ice cream, and her eyes sparkled.

“It’s weird calling it ‘treatment’, but can we talk about this now?”

“As long as you don’t say ‘Baek Seol-hee told me’, it’s fine. You too, Ji-hwan.”

“…I’ll pretend I heard nothing.”

Though our house cat might have overheard.

“Ahem. Anyway, the government announcement will come out tomorrow morning… For the Platinum Sun, the association has decided to formally request cooperation.”

“Cooperation?”

“Yes. Since Platinum Sun is a ‘hero’, unlike asking a villain for help, asking a hero is feasible, right?”

Baek Seol-hee stood up from her chair, swinging her arm as if holding a baseball bat.

“We’ve decided to ask Platinum Sun for help, whether it’s once a week or every ten days. If someone is captured as a demon, we’ll request Platinum Sun’s purification services.”

“So it’s not every time a demon appears, but on a set schedule?”

“Yes. It’s a form of consideration for Platinum Sun.”

“Consideration? It sounds more like they’re scheduling regular exploitation.”

I felt a surge of annoyance for no apparent reason.

“They just want to use Yumir at their convenience. First, they tried to make the Goblin carry out executions, and now they want to use Platinum Sun.”

“That’s correct. That’s the government’s decision.”

“What do you think about it, Seol-hee?”

“……”

Baek Seol-hee bowed her head for a moment.

“Firstly, I think ‘purification’ needs to happen. Regarding the compensation, we need to discuss it further, but the conclusion today was to ask Platinum Sun for support.”

“And you made that decision at a dinner party?”

“Yes. The opinion that Platinum Sun deserves compensation was in the minority, including me… It was dismissed with ‘let’s meet later for a meeting’. I’m used to it—budget issues, public interest, etc.”

“So if I don’t go, that’s the end of it?”

Yumir tilted her head.

“Why does everyone assume I’ll naturally go to purify demons…?”

“Don’t you?”

“I will go to purify, but from what you’ve said, it seems like the government has those expectations…?”

Yumir narrowed her eyes and placed her index fingers on her temples.

“Using the demon purification ability of Platinum Sun not just for Korea but also for demons from other countries, and benefiting Korea in the process… Something like that.”

“Right. That’s accurate. Now, Korea is trying to start a ‘Demon Purification Project’ against the demons of the world. The key holder and core, Platinum Sun, is being persuaded by this.”

“Patriotism?”

“I’m a foreigner. Even my eye color turns gold when I use my powers.”

“You don’t go around saying you’re a foreigner. It’s not uncommon for ability users to change their hair or eye color.”

Baek Seol-hee pointed at her hair.

“I have white hair, too. My eyes are nearly gray.”

“Hmm… So they think I’m Korean and want to use my patriotism for national interests?”

“Yes. They’re exploiting your belief in the need to purify demons. Yumir.”

Baek Seol-hee looked firmly at Yumir.

“Don’t be swayed. I may be helpless, but you’re free. You could even return to your original country, Canada. Your identity might be slightly revealed, or you could emerge as an S+ hero in the U.S.”

“Seol-hee?”

“As a hero senior, as an unnie, and as a colleague. Don’t let the state exploit you. You should be the one to shake the nation. Understand?”

“Hearing this from you feels strange. Isn’t that right, teacher?”

“Indeed.”

Baek Seol-hee, who always worked hard for the country, was saying such things.

‘Is it because of Yumir and me?’

She hoped that others wouldn’t be bound by the nation like she was.

Just having that thought showed that Baek Seol-hee’s purity was gradually becoming clouded.

“Phew… Okay. Thank you for the advice, Seol-hee. It seems like you’ve already said what I needed to hear from the teacher…”

“Ji-hwan feels the same way, right? Right, Ji-hwan?”

“…Yes.”

No.

A curveball here…?

“Oh, right. My mind. Ji-hwan, I brought you a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. As a token of gratitude.”

Baek Seol-hee handed me a shopping bag she had brought.

“This is…”

“Shoes. I thought you might wear them for work.”

“……”

This.

It’s a trap.

“Shoes…?”

“Yes.”

Baek Seol-hee answered calmly, looking at me.

Her audacious face right now was more unbelievable than the advice she had given to Yumir.

“Shoe size, 280mm.”

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