I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 80

EP.80 New Heart, New Start (1)

Leaving the bloodied Kenji in the park restroom, Kang Seo-jun and Jin Se-rin returned to the dormitory to take some time to regroup.

After washing their sticky bodies and changing into fresh Student uniforms, it was already past 10 AM.

The academy had just started its second period.

Kang Seo-jun and Jin Se-rin hurriedly headed back to the academy to avoid accumulating more absences.

As they briskly walked, just as they were about to leave the park, Kang Seo-jun’s smartwatch rang.

[Caller: Instructor Kim Ju-hee]

It was a call from his instructor, Kim Ju-hee.

Kang Seo-jun was about to answer the call when he hesitated and glanced at Jin Se-rin.

He had been caught contacting Kim Ju-hee before, which had led to a brief scuffle.

Although he had managed to smooth things over back then, Jin Se-rin still didn’t seem too pleased about his contact with Kim Ju-hee.

“Hmmmm…!!”

Sure enough, Jin Se-rin was glaring at Kang Seo-jun’s smartwatch with dagger-like eyes.

“……”

Despite feeling quite self-conscious, Kang Seo-jun decided to ignore it and answered the call.

In the future, as he lived his harem life, such situations would be frequent.

If he backed down over something like this, he wouldn’t even manage a threesome, let alone a harem.

– Beep! –

“……Hello?”

[-Um! Ahem! Student Kang Seo-jun, no…. Seo, Seo-jun? Ahem!]

“……Yes. It’s me, Noona.”

“……Whaaaaat?!? No… Noonaaaaaa???????”

When Kang Seo-jun called Kim Ju-hee “Noona,” Jin Se-rin looked up at him with wide eyes, her expression fierce.

Kang Seo-jun had just admitted that his relationship with Kim Ju-hee was more than just instructor and Student.

He didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention from Jin Se-rin in this way, but since Kim Ju-hee had bravely called him by his name, he couldn’t coldly refer to her as “Instructor” and risk hurting her feelings.

“……………”

He could feel an intense gaze from below his chin.

Despite feeling incredibly self-conscious, Kang Seo-jun endured it with the willpower of 33.

Enduring such situations was part of the process for living a harem life.

[-Ahem! Um! I called because I noticed you were not only late but also absent for the first period today. Is everything alright?]

“Ah. Yes. I should have contacted you, I’m sorry.”

Kang Seo-jun hesitated for a moment, wondering how to explain, then quickly continued.

“……I had a stomach flu.”

It felt a bit awkward to mention stomach flu to a heroine, but having already shown his worst side to Jin Se-rin and Seo Eun-ha, it seemed silly to act coy only with Kim Ju-hee. So, he decided to be honest.

Of course, he had no intention of mentioning what had happened with Kuyamoto Kenji.

While he wasn’t shy, some secrets needed to be kept.

[-Ahem! I’m glad it’s nothing serious. Are you feeling better now?]

“Yes. I’m on my way to school now.”

[-I see. Understood. I didn’t mark you absent for the first three periods, which are under my supervision. I won’t mark it as sick leave either, so it won’t affect your attendance record.]

“Wow! Really?”

At the Korean Hunter Academy, attendance is also factored into grades.

Increased tardiness or absences could negatively impact his chances of obtaining the ‘Fruit of the Sun.’

Thanks to Kim Ju-hee, one of his worries was alleviated.

“Thank you, Noona!”

Kang Seo-jun’s heartfelt gratitude slipped out.

“Hmmmm????????? Again with the Noona????”

Jin Se-rin glared at him, her entire body forming a question mark, but Kang Seo-jun swallowed hard and tried to ignore her.

[-Y-yes…. But next time, please let me know in advance. I-I get worried….]

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

[-Good…. But…. Seo-jun.]

“Yes, Noona.”

“Again???? Still calling her Noona????”

[-I noticed Student Jin Se-rin was also absent today. Were you together?]

“Ah.”

Kang Seo-jun paused to think.

How should he answer this?

She was waiting while I was dealing with my stomach flu?

No…. That wouldn’t do….

But saying they were apart would mean Jin Se-rin would definitely be marked absent.

‘I don’t want Se-rin to suffer because of me.’

Ah!

At that moment, a good answer suddenly came to mind.

“Se-rin also had a stomach flu. We had dinner together last night, and something must have been spoiled.”

He didn’t want to lie if he could help it, but there was no other way.

If he explained it like this, Noona would likely understand Se-rin’s situation as well.

[-…I see.]

“……?”

Noona’s voice seemed to drop a bit. Was it his imagination?

[-Is Student Jin Se-rin with you right now?]

The atmosphere felt a bit off. Was it okay to answer honestly?

“…Yes. We’re heading to school together.”

[-Good. Then please relay this message to her. Sick leave without prior notice to the instructor will be marked as an absence without exception.]

“……!? What!? But that means her treatment is different from mine…!”

– Click! –

– Beep…. Beep…. Beep…. –

The call ended before Kang Seo-jun could finish speaking.

– Ding! –

A message from Kim Ju-hee arrived immediately.

[※Message from Kim Ju-hee: I’m currently in an out-of-service area, so communication is unstable. Let’s talk later.]

“……What out-of-service area….”

She had just said she was in charge of classes up to the third period herself….

It was obvious she was in the main academy building.

What a flimsy lie….

And if she was really in an out-of-service area, how could she send a message?

She just wanted to penalize Se-rin….

‘Se-rin and Noona both have quite a bit of jealousy. It’s going to be a headache. I’ll need to think about how to mediate between them going forward.’

Kang Seo-jun had mediated between the two several times while playing the original game [Grand Hunter Academy], but that was a game, and this was reality, requiring much more thought and effort.

‘Hmm. But there’s a more urgent problem right now….’

The gaze from beside him was burning.

It was time to calm the angry Jin Se-rin.

– Gulp! –

Kang Seo-jun swallowed hard and slowly rolled his eyes to the side.

“Huh, huh!”

At the same time, Kang Seo-jun couldn’t help but be startled.

Jin Se-rin’s face was right next to his eyes.

She had somehow climbed onto his back and was staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

– Goooooo…! –

‘She has the eyes of a murderer…!’

Someone save me.

The first time he was caught contacting Kim Ju-hee, he could brush it off as just a relationship between an instructor and a Student, but this time, they had been caught calling each other “Noona” and “Dongsaeng,” so he had to provide an explanation.

– Goooooo…! –

“Ugh…!”

If he didn’t say something, it felt like she might strangle him on the spot.

Should he apologize for not telling her in advance?

No. That would be like admitting to a fault he didn’t commit.

After all, Kang Seo-jun had only been in contact with an instructor, or rather, a close Noona.

He hadn’t cheated or deceived her in any way.

Was it wrong to hide that he called Kim Ju-hee “Noona”?

But even so, he couldn’t apologize.

If he did, he might lose control of the conversation and the power dynamics in their relationship to Jin Se-rin.

In situations like this, it was essential to act as if nothing was wrong and maintain a confident demeanor.

Kang Seo-jun tried to sound as relaxed as possible.

“Um, Se-rin. Instructor Kim Ju-hee…”

“Noonaaaa!???”

However, it seemed he had already lost control of the conversation.

“Since when did Seo-jun start calling her Ju-hee ‘Noona’? Hmm? I’m really curious??”

“Uh, uh…”

For a moment, Kang Seo-jun felt a sensation he had never experienced before.

His hair stood on end, and a chilling sensation ran through his bones.

It was the feeling of murderous intent, something often mentioned in novels or anime.

The source was…

Without a doubt, Jin Se-rin.

‘W-what is this?! What am I feeling!? No way… Is this… Is this the trigger for the yandere route…?!’

In the original [Grand Hunter Academy], every single heroine had a yandere awakening route.

Therefore, this situation couldn’t be brushed off with a casual ‘What’s the big deal?’

If Jin Se-rin’s yandere route switch had indeed just been flipped, all of Kang Seo-jun’s plans would be completely derailed at this moment.

‘No way. But I was just talking to Ju-hee Noona. How did it come to this?’

If Jin Se-rin awakened as a yandere and attempted kidnapping or confinement, Kang Seo-jun would have no means to counter it.

He had already used ‘Counter Time’ against Kenji, and trying to use the dimensional shop would leave him vulnerable while navigating the system window.

– Squeeze! –

“Ugh, ugh!?”

To make matters worse, Jin Se-rin’s grip on his back was tightening.

“Seo-jun??? Why aren’t you saying anything??? I’m curious, you know?????”

“Se, Se-rin!”

There was no more time to think.

He had to say something, anything.

“I love you!!!!”

The words that came out were an unexpected confession.

Why he suddenly confessed, he didn’t know.

But.

“W-what, wha-wha-wha-what!!?!?”

Seeing Jin Se-rin’s face turn bright red and her stammering, it seemed surprisingly effective.

“D-don’t think you can just brush it off like that!!??”

Despite her words, the murderous intent had completely disappeared.

Instead, he could now feel a warm heat rising from his back.

Perhaps this was another stroke of luck, a divine intervention.

It seemed he had managed to get through the crisis.

He needed to capitalize on this opportunity.

Kang Seo-jun, still carrying Jin Se-rin, shouted as he ran.

“I’ll make you happy!!!!!!”

“H-huwaaa!!! Okay, okay! So put me down!!”

Jin Se-rin had become as hot as a fireball.

Despite being the one who initiated the kiss, she was now incredibly embarrassed by a mere confession.

She was so cute, he couldn’t help himself.

Kang Seo-jun adjusted his grip, turning Jin Se-rin around and holding her in a princess carry.

“Let’s run all the way to the academy!!!!”

“H-huwaaa…!!”

To an outsider, it might have looked like a giant muscular zombie from Left 4 Dead’s Tank kidnapping a player, but in Kang Seo-jun and Jin Se-rin’s minds, an oxytocin waterfall was flowing.

The radiant sunlight of mid-April, the fresh breeze, the fragrant scent of flowers.

In the midst of it all, Kang Seo-jun’s heart swelled as he ran with the heroine in his arms.

At that moment, he truly felt happiness. Of course, Jin Se-rin felt the same.

‘From now on, there will be many more enjoyable moments.’

With the semester starting, all sorts of events would unfold.

Of course, not all of them would be lively and charming.

There would be countless battles against terrifying and cruel enemies.

But Kang Seo-jun’s heart was filled with happiness and anticipation.

‘Whoever tries to block my path will only become fertilizer for my happy life.’

– Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! –

Kang Seo-jun quickened his pace.

It was time to officially start the new semester.

There was Park Shin-hoo, now Park Shin-hye,

Li Xiaoming from China aiming for the Fruit of the Sun,

Lim Chae-Won trying to recruit Kang Seo-jun by any means,

And many other diverse characters….

Kang Seo-jun’s full-speed sprint towards an enjoyable academy life had begun.