The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Gas Prices Are No Joke.

The start of the new school term arrived quickly.

The students arrived at school wearing the same uniforms, but their spirits seemed anything but good.

To a bystander, they might have looked like people who, afflicted with a terminal illness, had abandoned all hope.

They simply lacked any motivation.

'Of course, there's no way they'd be feeling good.'

Everyone in my class who had come to school was no different.

A sense of despair from having lost the precious vacation time floated through the entire classroom.

It was like feeling that thirty days had gone by in just three.

Like how a newly enlisted soldier's three-night, four-day leave feels like 3.

4 seconds.

The kids chatted with their classmates about what they had done over the vacation.

All with gaunt expressions.

A song came to mind that I wanted to sing at a time like this.

"Monday is great~ I love Monday~"

I chuckled and sang even more enthusiastically.

"Monday, monday, monday... I love Monday!!"

"Shut up!!"

Then one of my classmates yelled at me.

Already feeling down because school had started, listening to this crazy song wouldn't make anyone feel better.

Even though it wasn't Monday but the start of the new term, the same mechanism applied since the holiday was over.

'This is actually kinda fun, isn't it?'

Just as I was about to sing one more time, I spotted Sang-ah.

She was surrounded by girls from our class, chatting.

While the others looked cheerful, Sang-ah seemed deeply troubled by something.

"Sang-ah, where did you hang out during vacation?"

"Uh... well..."

It was an ordinary question from a classmate.

But Sang-ah hesitated, unable to answer, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Where did she hang out?

There were definitely some parts that were awkward to explain.

What would happen if she said, 'I spent the whole 30 days at Seongjin's house!'

'That's basically the same as sleeping over.'

And it wasn't even at a friend's place of the same gender... but at a male friend's house, no less.

It was clear as day how the classmates would exaggerate after hearing that, like reporters with a scoop or online gossip mongers.

'Especially kids this age.'

They're at an age where they could go wild at the slightest provocation.

So I sent Sang-ah a signal through my magic power.

Sang-ah, catching my signal, looked this way.

'Keep your mouth shut.'
'....'

I gave Sang-ah a gesture as if zipping my lips shut.

Seeming to understand what I meant, she hesitated even more.

"Um... well..."

Then she voiced the excuse she had racked her brain to come up with.

"Absolutely nothing happened!"

"...?"

Huh...?

"Nothing happened at all."

She crossed her arms and said this triumphantly.

I could guess who she was imitating, but compared to the original, it looked endlessly awkward.

****

Since today was the start of term, school ended early.

Since we could leave before lunch, Sang-ah and I headed to Hand Street.

As we strolled through Hand after a long time, we could see some changes here and there.

"What's that?"

A few robots stood still, glowing blue from their eyes.

Curious, Sang-ah walked up to them.

"Why are robots here?"

"Oh, those. They're the security robots we saw last time."

"Oh..."

Only after a delay did Sang-ah recall what they were and exclaimed.

Last time, when I had gone out to eat with Chohyang-sunbae, we caught a brief glimpse of these robots too.

Supposedly, they're robots under development to improve Hand's security.

Back then, they were just standing around, but now they were actually patrolling.

It looked like development had progressed.

"I've only seen robots in comics before..."

Curiosity piqued, Sang-ah sneakily touched a nearby robot.

Then... the robot spun its head around in an instant.

—Warning! Warning!
"Heek!"

As the robot's neck twisted around like a ghost, Sang-ah jumped back in fright.

It was like watching a LEGO toy's neck rotate 180 degrees.

—If you attack a security robot, you will be fined ten million won, and if you damage a robot, the fine could exceed fifteen million won. Every security robot is equipped with surveillance cameras, so it is recommended that you not touch them.

"Y-yes!"

The moment she heard the word 'fine,' Sang-ah withdrew her hand instantly.
Of course she was startled at the mention of a fine.

She even worried she might have to pay if she left a scratch.

And since the surveillance cameras attached to the robot's body would provide evidence, it was even riskier.

—Recognizing... recognizing...
"Huh?"
—Middle School 2, class 1-4, student Kwon Sang-ah.

Sang-ah's eyes widened upon realizing her identity had been recognized.

Next, the robot turned to look at me.

—Middle School 2, class 1-4, student Ma Seongjin.
"...."
—Please conduct yourselves as befits Hand students. If you cause any trouble, the school will be notified immediately.

The robot said that, then resumed walking.

Its impassive and dry attitude made me frown.

Even though I hadn't done anything, it felt as if I'd just been warned, 'If you do that one more time, you're dead!'

"Tsk. As if someone could say it's not a robot."

"It seems like it only cares about its job without any other thoughts."

"Well, that's to be expected. It's a robot."

It seemed like that robot was the only one of its kind in this vicinity for now.

They said they'd continue the test run until next year before deciding whether to increase the number.

No telling what the board would announce.

"No one would actually dare mess with it, right?"

"What kind of lunatic would attack that, ignoring the cost? You'd be losing ten million won."

"Yeah, true."

Because of that, no one dared even approach the robot.

Apparently, word about the security robots had spread everywhere already.

If someone accidentally broke one, they'd be solely responsible.

Even the tough-looking students purposely avoided the robot as they passed by.

"Let's just get going to where we were headed."

"Alright. Middle School 3... it was that way, right?"

Currently, we were heading to Middle School 3 to meet someone.

The pastor's son I met during vacation actually attended Hand, too.

I'd seen him several times at church.

After the service, while chatting briefly with Dad, his face had caught my eye.

Since I didn't pay much attention back then, I never learned his name.

I wondered if he would remember my face.

"His name is Go Donghyuk. He's in the second year, class 5 at Middle School 3. Plus, he's ranked in the school's top ten."

"His parents are from another world, but he has a Korean-style name?"

"His mother is Korean, so he probably took her last name. The pastors, too, tried their best to adapt to this world."

Their church had relocated now.

The church had been rebuilt on land provided by the Hwasan Guild.

They expressed their gratitude to me for that.

A slight concern was that the area was a bit too close to the Hwasan Guild.

"But about this Go Donghyuk senior... He's not some weirdo, is he?"

"You're worried because of what the pastors said?"

"Yeah, after hearing such things, of course I'm worried."

Just like other Hand students, they said Senior Go Donghyuk was a bit out there.

According to the pastors, he's called a figure of terror at school.

"He's not someone who loses control like me, is he?"

"Let's hope not."

If he had such a reputation, it would be more than just 'tough guy' status.

I became curious about what kind of quirk he must have to be called that.

He didn't look scary at church, at least.

Thud—!

Just then, Sang-ah accidentally bumped into someone passing by.

Turned out it was the delinquent-looking students who had avoided the robot earlier.

"I'm sorry."

Sang-ah immediately apologized, trying to move past it without trouble.

But then, they grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

"Wanna hang out with us?"

"Huh...?"

The tallest one asked.

Breathless with confusion, Sang-ah felt flustered.

She'd never been propositioned by unfamiliar guys before; it was only natural to feel uncomfortable.

"N-no, we're busy—"

Sang-ah tried to brush them off, but the guy grabbed her shoulder again.

"Aw, why so cold? Especially since you have such a pretty face."

"Wha...? Even so..."

The sudden compliment left Sang-ah weak in the knees.

Honestly, it wasn't a lie.

Thanks to the genes from her mom, who is bedridden in the hospital, she stood out among the other girls.

But since Sang-ah wasn't used to such things, she was all the more flustered.

"So why don't you just— Oww, ow ow!"

At that moment, the guy holding Sang-ah's arm cried out as his wrist twisted.

I had grabbed it and twisted it lightly.

"She said no, so how about you back off?"

"Who the hell are you to butt in and meddle!"

"Meddle my ass. Didn't you notice I was right next to her all along? Do you not have a single brain cell left?"

"Wha... what?!"

The guy, feeling humiliated, clenched his fist.

But I continued speaking.

"I can tell just by looking at you that you're some punk trying to pick up girls. When someone politely refuses, you just leave—that's the proper thing, isn't it?"

A dyed-blond, gangster-looking punk.

His hair wasn't dyed, but everything else fit the image perfectly.
He started freaking out.

"So, what's your relationship with her then?"

Hmm... good question.

What should I say?

Simply a classmate who spent the whole vacation, all 30 days, at my house.

... Can't say that, right?

"What, would it make a difference? Would you have a reason to back off if you knew?"

"You're not even her boyfriend!"

He grabbed my collar to shove me out of the way.

He pulled with all his strength, but I didn't move an inch.

Sensing something was off, he looked up at me anxiously.

"What, if I said I'm her boyfriend, you'd back off?"

"You little—!"

He ended up swinging his fist at me.

I dodged several times, and in the end, he even tried using magic power on his hand.

Grab—!

But as I casually caught his wrist, the color drained from his face.

"We could be siblings... I could just be showing her the way..."

I swung his arm and slammed him to the ground.

"We could just be friends, you punk!"

"Gah!"

He staggered, collapsed on the ground.

'If this was Mewzealand, you'd have already lost your head, you brat.'

The impact must've been severe; he couldn't stand up right away.

The other punks tried to help him up and glared at me.

"You bastard! Don't you have any conscience?"

"We just wanted to have a little fun, why so uptight!"

Ha... these crazy idiots really had screws loose.

They were trying to drag a girl away by force, and she said no, that's all.

And now? Calling me uptight?

"How could anyone like an orphan-looking kid like you!"

They even resorted to tasteless insults about my parents.

Looks like one slam wasn't enough.

"Get lost."

That's when it happened.

Sang-ah spoke up, her voice sharp as a blade.

It was a complete transformation from her timid self earlier.

After hearing the insult aimed at me, she'd changed 180 degrees.

"Get lost...?"

"I don't know which middle school you're from... But if you don't disappear right now, this time you'll have to deal with me."

"You little—!"

They ignored her warning and charged at Sang-ah next.

Just like with me, they threw punches.

But the current Sang-ah was different from before.

Wham! Wham! Wham—!

With a few light punches from Sang-ah, the punks collapsed.

They weren't badly hurt, but they each had a lump on their heads.

Still, they kept running their mouths.

"Ow, ow, ow... You damn Mutamit bastard!"

"Looking more like an animal than a human!"

"If you're a beast, you should obey when a human speaks, sh*t!"

At those words, Sang-ah's eyes went dull and scales appeared on her hand.

For someone to say that in Hand, which was full of Mutamit... It was laughable, but Sang-ah seemed to have lost her reason.

Her scale-covered fist was just about to crash down on them, so I raised my hand to stop her.
There was no need to go that far; I could just use mind-control magic to make them see nightmares.
Just then—

—Arrived at the scene.

A robot suddenly appeared, blocking our path.

—Any violence beyond this point cannot be allowed.

It was the same robot Sang-ah had touched earlier.

I guess it was still on patrol nearby.

It looked like it was doing its job efficiently by getting here on time... but I got a bad feeling.

Because the ones who had been beaten up were those guys.

"Robot! Punish those bastards for us!"

"Yeah! I got thrown down, my head's bleeding!"

"We're the ones who got beaten up!"

They started making a big fuss, as if they'd been saved at last.

"Just look at them, these f*ckers! Why'd you attack us for no reason!"

"Filthy Mutamit bastards!"

"Go get expelled!"

Since they were the ones who took the beating, they claimed we should be the ones punished.

Honestly, I felt a strong sense of foreboding.

This setup was strikingly similar to the cliché of inept police arresting those acting in self-defense while letting the real criminals off.

Tsk—

Handcuffs shot out from the robot's lower body.

At high speed, it slapped them onto the punks' wrists.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Sang-ah, the punks, and even I were all surprised.

—The subjects for punishment are not these individuals, but you.

What is this?

—Everything that happened between both parties has been completely recorded via video and audio.

Huh? This isn't the kind of cliché I know.

—After analyzing your behavior on the scene, an accurate conclusion has been reached.

Seriously?

—Middle School 3, year 2, class 1, Yoo Beom-seok.
—Middle School 3, year 2, class 1, Oh Seung-geun.
—Middle School 3, year 2, class 1, Kang Seok-jae.
—The aforementioned students are hereby subject to suspension and expulsion.

Damn, the gas price is no joke, isn't it?

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】