The Spoon Villain Is Obsessed with the Hero Again Today

Training Seminar (2)

“Ugh… What is wrong with them, really!”

Thump! Thump!

Heavy footsteps that seemed to crush the ground with each step. From the very first day of the semester, Arna was noticeably furious.

“I was talking right in front of them, and they just ignored me? Ignored *my* words?”

The anger still wouldn’t subside. Maybe it was the summer heat, but this fury wouldn’t dissipate easily.

White steam almost visibly rose from the top of her head.

“Every time…! Always…! Making people feel embarrassed like that…!”

To be honest, Shin Yun-seong hadn’t exactly tormented her to the point of rage. He had simply not heard her.

If it were the Arna of the past, she wouldn’t have cared. So what if Shin Yun-seong ignored her? It happened all the time.

“Ughhh…!”

But the current Arna couldn’t let it go so easily. She kept replaying the incident, stewing in her anger, burning with resentment, giving it all her energy.

She couldn’t help it. She really couldn’t. This Arna was looking at Shin Yun-seong through completely different eyes than before.

He used to be seen as nothing more than a vile villain. A nuisance to be avoided. There were even times she wished he’d simply vanish from this world.

“….”

And now? Does she still despise him as before? Is he still just a bothersome human? Does she still wish for his disappearance?

No.

It’s different now.

He’s no longer a villain.

To Arna, he is one of the special ones.

“That’s why I’m even more angry…!”

Because he’s special, she can’t help but focus more on his actions. Each word he speaks carries undue weight.

Which means, she’s easily wounded by things that amount to nothing.

“He doesn’t even know how I approached him…!”

The rejection stings all the more fiercely for the expectation. That’s just how relationships are. The one who cares more invariably becomes the supplicant.

─Oh, it’s Arna!

─Arna! Long time no see! Saw you in the news! You got an award this time! A ministerial level one!

─See you at the lecture later!

Up until now, Arna had always been in the dominant position. Just looking at these people, you could tell. They were always the ones to raise her up.

This is the natural order. Arna waved back at them as usual.

“….”

But why is it?

Why doesn’t she feel any joy at all?

Even amidst the cheers and attention of the crowd.

This thirst in her heart is slow to quench.

*

“Whoa! Look at all the people! There are a lot of faces I don’t recognize, eh?”

I came to the outdoor training ground with Son Jecheon. Even in this sweltering weather, the place was overflowing with people.

It was a distinctly different scene than the last time I was here.

“Oho! That guy’s movements are ominous! Where does he hail from?”

As Son Jecheon said, there were many unfamiliar faces. Not students of this school.

They were all training fellows sent from the guilds.

“Kuh! There are opponents everywhere! Who should I tangle with first!”

Educational Training. A commissioned education program where each Guild selects some of its members to be sent to Hanyul Academy. The trainees are expected to attend lectures with us, train alongside us, and take evaluations together for a set period.

Think of it as the opposite of the dispatch we did during the last summer vacation.

“Shin Yunseong, you were from Geumseong Guild, right? How is it? Seeing any familiar faces?”

“Hmm. Not really, I don’t think so.”

Even though I interned at Geumseong Guild, I spent most of my time in Gangwon-do, so there’s hardly anyone I recognize.

If there’s anyone who comes to mind, it’d be Branch Manager Shim Junyong, but that man’s practically an old geezer. He’s not exactly the campus-life type.

Keep in mind, not just anyone can come to this educational training. At the very least, you’ve got to be around the right age, wouldn’t you say?

─Heh heh. Hanyul Academy isn’t all that special after all, is it?

From day one, the educational trainees’ behavior has been rather…unrestrained. They’re already having evaluation matches with our students.

─That’s three wins in a row! Who’s next to step up!

It seems the trainees are bound to be a bit more skilled. They’re battle-hardened veterans from the streets, who have clawed their way through the Guilds. Their accumulated experience sets them apart.

“I’m gonna go and fight one of those guys! Gotta protect the school’s pride, don’t I?”

“…”

“Hey you! This Son Jecheon is generously offering to be your opponent!”

That son of a b*tch wanted to fight me, but he’s already switched to someone else. What kind of b*stard is this? Should I just beat the crap out of him?

If I knew it would be like this, I would have gone to the Chinese restaurant with the others.

Should I just go back now? They’re probably just ordering the food.

─Hey. Did you see that trainee over there? They’re already at eight wins in a row, I heard?

─Eight wins? No way. A powerhouse like that came to educational training? Shouldn’t they be in the field?

─It’s true, I tell you. Look over there.

Apparently, there’s even a trainee who’s achieved an eight-win streak. An even more formidable opponent has emerged than before.

I wonder who it is. Even so, achieving eight consecutive wins against the students of this school won’t be easy.

To identify the target, I headed towards the crowd.

“Hee hee! That makes nine wins!”

A rather youthful girl’s voice rang out. Another victory so soon. Just one more win and they’ll reach ten consecutive victories?

“Next? Who wants to try next?”

More than that, this voice…

I’ve heard it somewhere before.

I pushed my way through the crowd towards the center of the arena.

“No one else? Is that all? You guys are more boring than I thought. I expected a little more from university studen…”

“Oh. It’s Middle School Grad Hunter, Son Iseo.”

“Don’t call me a middle school grad in front of people…!”

A welcome face. To think I’d run into her again in a place like this.

Son Iseo, from Hyungwang’s Combat Team 1, had come to the academy. Looks like she’s a trainee on a training course, too.

Son Iseo shrieked.

“Why are *you* here!”

“What’s wrong with a Hanyul Academy student being at Hanyul Academy? I should be the one asking that question. How dare someone like a middle school grad set foot in a university without even a high school diploma.”

“That middle school grad, middle school grad, just stop already! You’re ruining my image because of you!”

She had been showing off her prowess in front of everyone. Impressing upon them that this was the best guild in Korea, Hyungwang.

But that was just for a moment….

─ Ah, what. She’s a middle school grad?

─ Nowadays, middle school grads can become trainees too, I guess?

─ Her skills are excellent, but… still, a middle school grad is a bit….

One by one, the students started taking steps back at the fact that she’s a middle school grad. Before long, every student had cleared out.

Except for me.

“Waaah!”

Son Iseo sank down right there and burst into tears. The popularity she had painstakingly gathered with nine consecutive wins vanished in an instant.

Furthermore, the fact that she was a middle school grad had been exposed in front of so many people.

“Tsk tsk. See, why did you play at being a college student when it didn’t suit you, only to be humiliated? A caterpillar, as they say, must live on pine needles.”

“It’s all because you said I’m a middle school grad that this happened…! If it weren’t for you, this wouldn’t have happened…!”

“Are you now blaming your own humble education on others? You’ve become quite pathetic, Middle School Grad Hunter, Son Iseo.”

“Just stop calling me a middle school grad…! Waaah…!”

Where has that Son Iseo who used to beat up so many students gone, and now there’s just a crybaby bawling her eyes out.

I can’t just leave her like that, so I’ll take her under my wing for now.

“Middle School Grad Hunter. How about we go grab something to eat?”

“Eat…”

*Grumble-*

Son Iseo put her hand on her stomach. Right on cue, her belly button clock had gone off.

“I’m hungry…”

“Then let’s go to the cafeteria. I’ll buy you food as an apology.”

“Sniff…I want *donkatsu*…”

Having ceased her weeping just as quickly, Son Iseo began trailing after me. You know, when you get right down to it, she’s rather simple.

In any case, we headed to the student cafeteria for lunch. Son Jecheon, for all intents and purposes, was now a non-entity.

That monkey could surely entertain himself well enough alone. No need to fret.

“Ugh! So many people!”

It was right in the middle of lunchtime, and the cafeteria was swarming. Add the trainees to the mix, and the chaos was even more profound than usual.

“Let’s grab a number first.”

We made our way to the kiosk stationed at the cafeteria entrance.

“You pick your menu here first.”

“Hmph! I’ve done this plenty at food courts, you know?”

Son Iseo stood confidently before the kiosk. She reached out a hand to touch the display.

“Wait a sec.”

I called out to her.

“Our school’s kiosk has a special function hidden within.”

“Special function?”

“It’s a voice recognition system.”

A voice recognition function? She blinked a few times, as if hearing it for the very first time.

I elaborated.

“No need to search for the menu. Just speak your order right there, and it goes straight to the payment stage.”

“R-really?”

“Care to try?”

Her curiosity seemingly piqued, Son Iseo craned her neck. She directed her words toward the kiosk screen, voicing the menu item she desired.

“Donkatsu.”

“Can’t just mumble like that. The cafeteria’s so noisy.”

“Donkatsu!”

But the kiosk remained silent, unresponsive to Son Iseo’s command. It remained stuck on the main display.

“What the…! Why isn’t it working…! Donkatsu…! *Donkatsuuu*…! Pork Loin *Donkatsuuu*…!”

─*Donkatsuuu*…!

In the end, Son Iseo was practically squeezing the life out of her voice. The yell drew everyone’s attention straight toward her.

“….”

The cafeteria fell silent, as if doused with ice water. All mouths clamped shut at once.

It felt like time had stopped.

—Pfft!

In that quiet, someone snorted with laughter. Another turned away, shoulders shaking with suppressed giggles.

It was mockery directed at the girl standing before the kiosk.

“uuu….”

Had she finally realized she’d been tricked?

Tears began to well in the eyes of Son Iseo, the middle school dropout Hunter.