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chapter 198
“About Ms. Son Ji-hye… I don’t think she has a sense of humor.”
“They say no one’s perfect, you know.”
The kids were talking about something Ms. Son Ji-hye said at the end of the morning assembly.
No matter how you looked at it, the teacher, who clearly appeared female, claimed to be a man. Even if it was an April Fool’s joke, it probably seemed ridiculous to the students.
“So, what do you think of the teacher’s prank, Geon-woo?”
“……”
I, knowing that the teacher was actually a cross-dressing man, didn’t say a word.
“… Geon-woo?”
“… Not funny.”
“You think so too, right?”
Still, to avoid standing out among the other kids, I nodded in agreement.
“Anyway, we need to think of our next prank!”
“… Next class… when the teacher comes in… how about… blowing up the classroom?”
“Are you crazy?! What if the teacher gets hurt?!”
“Then… before they come in…”
“Maybe then it would be okay.”
“Do you think it’d really be okay?”
Just a little while ago, the teacher had firmly warned them not to play such extreme pranks, but it seemed the kids hadn’t listened at all. Especially Kim Eun-yeon, who, in her typical stammering way, was planning a terrible prank. Some of the other kids even seemed to agree with the idea of blowing up the classroom.
“Enough joking around….”
“It’s not a joke….”
“It has to be a joke. Blowing up the classroom? That’s just terrorism. Anyway, the next class is science, right? So how about we all wear the white lab coats from Eun-yeon’s lab and pretend to do a chemistry experiment?”
Ryu Ah-young stopped Kim Eun-yeon and suggested a new prank.
…Actually, this prank would also take time to clean up afterward, so it wasn’t really ideal for class, but compared to the earlier “blow up the classroom” idea, it was much safer.
I wasn’t the only one who thought so; all the kids in the class agreed, and we went to Kim Eun-yeon’s lab to grab white coats and various lab equipment.
“Oh, you look smarter than I expected.”
“Even if I look like this, I’m top of the class in notes, you know?”
“Even if you look like this… you’re saying you know you normally look dumb?”
“What, man?! You look dumb even wearing a lab coat, you know?!”
“What did you say?!”
During this, Elliot and Lee Doo-min, both wearing lab coats, teased each other…
“Both of you, quiet! If you fight and break the lab equipment, will you take responsibility?! If you don’t want Sarang to bite you, behave!”
Growl…
“Yes…!”
“Yes….”
The two immediately lowered their heads at Lee Ha-eun’s warning, who had summoned Sarang. Even the most aggressive ones would quiet down in front of Sarang, who could devour even an Aura Master.
While watching them freeze in front of Sarang, Kim Eun-yeon, wearing safety goggles, handed me a beaker with a suspiciously colored liquid.
“Here… take it.”
“Hm? What’s this?”
“Just water with food coloring… it’s fine even if you boil it….”
Since real chemicals could be dangerous if boiled, she had simply added food coloring to water. We were supposed to put it in the beaker and pretend to heat it. Thinking that, I lit the alcohol lamp, recalling my past experience.
Kim Eun-yeon blinked at me and asked,
“… Geon-woo… how did you light that?”
“Hm? Ah…”
She had a lighter in her hand, probably meaning for me to use it. She must have been surprised because the alcohol lamp was already lit.
‘I guess I unconsciously used Sammae Jin-hwa to light it.’
Now that my identity as the Artist was officially revealed, I had less reason to hide my abilities. Thinking that, I must have unconsciously used Sammae Jin-hwa.
“Magic.”
The Artist is known as a multiple-ability user who uses not only aura but also psychokinesis. Plus, I’ve been seen using magic while wielding the Harmonizing Divine Sword. So saying I used magic shouldn’t be a problem.
‘Technically, Sammae Jin-hwa isn’t really magic.’
But hardly anyone would notice. Even if they did, they’d likely just think it’s a special flame magic I modified myself.
Kim Eun-yeon looked slightly surprised when I said I used magic, but then seemed to understand and turned to the other kids.
A little later…
Clatter.
“Class time. Everyone, please take your seats…”
The science teacher stopped mid-sentence, speechless, upon seeing our class dressed like lab researchers and pretending to conduct experiments.
“Huh… hehe.”
The teacher chuckled awkwardly and said to us pretending:
“I’ve seen a lot of April Fool’s pranks, but you guys are the best since the amusement park illusion. Oh, and it was your class that caused the amusement park illusion today, right?”
The teacher clapped, drawing everyone’s attention, then placed the attendance book and textbooks on the podium.
“It’s fun, but we have a lot to cover today, so clean up quickly and take your seats.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Hearing this, we cleaned up faster than we had prepared for the prank. Since it was tricky to return all the lab equipment to the lab, we just placed it neatly at the back of the classroom. Luckily, our class size was small enough to allow this. After science class ended, we returned the equipment to Kim Eun-yeon’s lab.
“Alright then…!”
Shall we prepare the next prank? After cleaning up, Ryu Ah-young said, enticing everyone. Thanks to her, we continued pranks every class after science, even adjusting themes to match the subject. Apparently, our competitiveness inspired other classes in the same grade and even upperclassmen in other grades to prank their teachers as well.
“… I’m scared to see what pranks the kids will pull in the afternoon.”
“You too, teacher? Me too. When I saw them gather in the middle of the classroom like performing a voodoo ritual after clearing the desks… wow.”
“… In the art room, some were holding a fashion show.”
“In the music room, some were preparing an orchestra. It looked convincing, but the performance was terrible.”
During lunch, the teachers discussed these things. It wasn’t all the time during class, just a brief moment before lessons started, but it must have been stressful for them.
“Do you think the kids are influenced by the seniors attending the academy?”
“Perhaps… I’ve heard that April Fool’s at the academy is like this every year.”
“One of the academy instructors I know said it’s like a war every year. The students are all skilled, trying to conquer dungeons, so even the instructors can’t stop everything.”
Passing nearby with trays, I overheard them. Our school’s pranks today were extreme, but compared to the academy, it was nothing. Graduates who attended the academy honed their abilities, so on April Fool’s they use them collectively, and the instructors can’t stop them all.
Of course…
‘This year’s academy might be slightly different, though.’
Thinking that, I sat at the table occupied by our class. As soon as I did, Ryu Ah-young asked everyone:
“What should we prank in the afternoon?”
She spoke loud enough for many to hear, including the teachers nearby. The teachers twitched but then listened closely, confirming their attention.
“… Let’s take it easy. We’ve done enough in the morning, right?”
I suggested stopping for the teachers’ sake, but…
“No way, the morning was just warm-up!”
“That’s true.”
“We still have plenty we want to do.”
“……”
Other kids agreed with Ryu Ah-young’s determination. The morning prank was dangerous, and they called it a warm-up? I could almost foresee the teachers passing out in the afternoon. Not that I had any precognitive abilities like Oracle.
‘This is…’
It was pitiful to see teachers pass out from pranks, but there was no stopping the kids now.
As I predicted, a teacher did faint during an afternoon prank. Knowing this would happen, I immediately rushed out, caught the collapsing teacher to prevent injury, and brought them to the infirmary. Luckily, no serious harm occurred.
“See? Even for April Fool’s, you need to take it easy.”
“Yes…”
“Mm…”
“Yes…”
The kids seemed to realize they’d gone too far. I told them:
“First, let’s clean up. Wash off any red paint on your body.”
The teacher who fainted taught a course on Understanding Aura. The kids had staged a scene as if we were murdered by aura, so seeing ten students ‘killed’ at the doorway would naturally make anyone faint.
‘Though it wasn’t a real crime scene.’
Anyway, the magician kids erased the red paint with magic, and the others tidied the classroom. We also lifted the illusion magic making the scene appear normal from outside the classroom.
Clatter.
When we finished, the front door opened.
“This must be the classroom where the teacher fainted.”
“Yes, probably.”
The substitute teacher had seen us before but never taught our class, so they were relatively unfamiliar.
“Let’s see… the attendance book and textbooks are here. Understanding Aura? Hmm, not my class, but it’s first grade level, so it should be fine…”
The substitute teacher reluctantly began the lesson. Thanks to them, our class didn’t fall behind in Understanding Aura.
