The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Words of Thanks

It wasn't hard to make those brothers bow deeply in apology.

There are always some kids with strong personalities in every class, and such kids are usually full of petty pride.

Their specialty is always "bully the weak, bow to the strong".

Lacking real strength, they desperately try to look superior by picking on someone weaker than themselves.

That's all there was to why Kang Ah-rin was bullied.

However, these types are very susceptible to provocation. If you accept their picking a fight and let it go graciously, you'll just be pegged as a pushover.

This is even more true when it's among kids, since they haven't tasted the bitterness of life yet.

In the end, Ahn Jaewook took the bait and called for his older brother, resulting in the two siblings getting utterly humiliated in front of everyone.

Only a day had passed since then, but the school's SNS had already exploded.

The incident had spread as videos and photos, and the comment section was filled with ridicule.

But there was no room for sympathy.

They were the ones who started it, hurling insults and bullying a classmate, while the so-called older brother did nothing but try to shield his sibling's behavior.

Of course, the likelihood that these types would reflect on their actions in just one day was basically zero.

There was still a last struggle left to play out.

.
.
.

"What exactly did my son do wrong that you're canceling his admission?!"

The principal's office at Daesang Elementary School.

A parent's threatening voice boomed so loudly it was heard even out in the hallway.

Next to the shouting woman sat Ahn Seongwook and Ahn Jaewook. Just as expected, they had called in their mother as their last desperate move.

And sitting across from them was me.

'Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.'

I could understand why Ahn Jaewook's mother was this angry. Not only had her son been humiliated at school, but the tower of effort she'd built had come crashing down.

"Do you know how hard my son worked to get into Hand? And you're going to throw all that effort away just like that?!"

In the end, Ahn Seongwook's admission to Hand was revoked. For his parents, it probably felt like a bolt out of the blue.

I could roughly guess why she was so angry, but... she wasn't exactly in a position to be shouting like this.

"I'm terribly sorry, Ma'am, but even if you say that, nothing will change."

The principal replied as politely as possible. Even though he was about a decade older than the late-thirties parent, he didn't drop the formalities.

"Your son has even forgotten how to suppress the very basics of magical power. He even tried to attack a first-year student with a hand imbued with magic. Now that this is widely known, there's no point in insisting otherwise."

The entire school knew about the incident overnight. It had naturally reached the faculty's ears, and it was now recorded in the student's life record.

That record would be checked during the middle school admission process, and considering Hand's high standards, everything was now for nothing.

"Insisting? Principal, are you saying my son did this on purpose? You're canceling his admission over one little mistake?!"

"Well... if I'm generous, not suppressing his magical power could have been a mistake. Sometimes when you lose your temper, you lose control. But how will you explain him swinging his fist at a younger student?"

The principal spoke, nodding toward me.

What would have happened if I hadn't caught his fist and just let it hit me, drawing blood? Since it was clear deliberate assault, it probably would not have ended with just a canceled admission.

"The children were supposed to settle things with a slap game. But it was your son who refused to admit defeat and swung his fist."

"Do you have proof of that?"

"It's already all over the internet—on PellisBook, on Linstagram. Plenty of kids were recording at the time. Have you not seen them?"

"It's... true?"

Realizing this late, the parent's face went pale. Even if she wanted to scold the kids who uploaded it, there were clearly too many onlookers to do so.

"Of course, we are going to delete the videos soon, but there's plenty of evidence. I can show you right now if you want."

"Then why is that kid getting protection?! My son punched him and he's perfectly fine!"

Now the woman pointed at me and yelled. True, I didn't have a single mark on my body. She was clearly trying to use that fact as an excuse for her son.

"In fact, it's my sons who are the victims here. That kid publicly humiliated my boys in front of everyone!"

It was true that her kids were humiliated by me. But that was the result of a bet, and they had accepted it themselves. There was no way I'd go easy on them now.

"Do you really think that excuses their wrongdoing? That's pretty naive."

"What? How dare you butt in while adults are talking!"

The moment I spoke, the parent shot me a fiery glare. Since she couldn't refute my words, she was simply trying to silence me by any means.

It was classic stubbornness of old-fashioned adults.

I understood the desire to protect your own child, but I couldn't sympathize with people who treated others' children as nothing but an annoyance.

That's why I had my own move prepared. They'd brought their parent as their final card, but I had done the same.

"Seongjin, quiet."

"Yes."

The man sitting next to me patted my head and spoke. He was Ma Jun-sang, my father in this life. Since I seemed to be acting out of line by interrupting adults, he told me to hold back.

"I apologize for my son's rudeness. But I'd also like to say something. Was there anything my son said that was wrong?"

But my father's thoughts were in line with mine.

Even as the other parent's gaze grew more hostile, my father continued with a look of disdain.

"I hear your sons bullied a classmate first. How do you explain that?"

"What?!"

"No need to act surprised. Your sons humiliated a little girl first, but now you're talking about your sons being humiliated? Isn't that a bit much?"

No one but someone utterly shameless would ever say such a thing. What Ahn Jaewook did to Kang Ah-rin was absolutely the height of humiliation.

"No matter if the victim is a Mutermit, she still has legal rights. Especially these days, when Awakened individuals are precious, it doesn't even need explanation."

"Wh-what?"

Unable to retort, the parent recited an obvious line.

"Who do you think you are to lecture us about the law?!"

At that, my father smirked and handed over his business card. The parent's eyes widened, and even the principal looked surprised.

"I'm a prosecutor. Understood?"

"......"

At last, the opposing parent fell silent. Gulp—she swallowed dryly, probably feeling the psychological pressure.

"My son may have been a bit rough, but he deserves no punishment. Your sons accepted the challenge, and my son did it to stop the bullying, not out of malice. He didn't even use his fists."

As said, there was plenty of evidence and testimony that the incident was a bet.

Even if I had come off as merciless, the moment their side swung a magically charged fist, it was them who became politically disadvantaged.

Magical power is seen like a gun or knife in society, so Ahn Seongwook might as well have threatened me with a lethal weapon.

"And even if you're stubborn, the Hand admission cancellation won't change. I'm not an admissions officer, but once it was revealed he threatened someone with magical power, which is as good as a weapon, and ignored a basic rule known by even first-graders, it was over."

"Then what are we supposed to do about our son?!"

The parent furrowed her brow in grievance. Who knows how many years they spent building up to that school, but life can shatter with just one mistake.

I still didn't really get what she found so unfair, though.

"And that's not all. Do you have any idea what kind of reputation your sons will have after this?"

"Huh...?"

"Hand admission canceled, school violence revealed for all to see. These days, even first-graders use SNS a lot, so you can imagine what's in store for them."

Not only the parent, but also Ahn Seongwook and Ahn Jaewook sitting next to her turned pale.

"These days, online bullying is worse. Not just their own class, but the entire school could join in."

"Are you saying they'll be bullied?! Prosecutor... what will happen to my boys?!"

Now, understanding the seriousness, the parent started to cry. And while it felt ridiculous to hear her call my father "prosecutor"... what else could she do?

She'd just have to hang on with grit and determination, if she wanted to stay in this school.

"There is a way."

"What is it?!"

At that moment, the principal interjected, and the parent's eyes snapped wide. But since it wasn't the answer she wanted, her expression quickly darkened again.

****

The principal's office meeting ended, and the parent went home.

In the end, Ahn Jaewook and Ahn Seongwook were transferred to another school—that was their only escape.

Rather than be the laughingstock here, better to start fresh somewhere else. And it was better for Kang Ah-rin not to have them around.

'It was disgusting working with you; let's never meet again!'

On the way home, my father cautioned me not to cause trouble. I'd realized since my rebirth that having a father involved in the legal profession was a stroke of luck.

It let me keep my birth information (horns included) hidden, and gave me the confidence to challenge those boys with my wager.

In other words—life here was going to be a lot easier!

'When I get home, I should shine Dad's shoes or give him a massage.'

A little later, with the final period over, it was homeroom time.

The teacher was talking to the students about the dream drawings we did yesterday.

"If you didn't finish, make sure to complete it at home over the weekend. It's your homework. After we present our dreams, we'll hang them on the back wall, so don't forget."

Some kids groaned about having even more homework.

Then, one student raised a hand.

"Teacher! Is it okay if it just looks like doodling?"

In other words, could they get away with drawing stick figures?

The teacher smiled brightly and replied, "No, it isn't. This is your future we're talking about—you'd regret not taking it seriously. Do your best, okay?"

She was really saying not to slack off and try to get away with the bare minimum. Of course, maybe I was just sensitive to her words; the other kids just sighed and took it in stride.

I felt a bit out of place with their vocabulary and wished I could mature as quickly as a high schooler.

"Don't you all want to grow up faster, too? Then do your best and draw!"

The kids all replied in chorus—

"Yeeees!"

—and I joined in even louder. It was like she'd read my innermost feelings.

After that, it was finally time to go home, and the kids ran out with their backpacks. I hurried too, eager to play the dutiful son at home.

I passed the school store, turned into the alley, and went up the stairs.

The area was full of residential buildings, and aside from locals, it wasn't a place with much foot traffic.

So it was easy for even an ordinary person to sense if someone was following them.

"......"

According to my detection skill 'Observer', the person following was an Esper, but had no hostility. In fact, it was someone I felt safe with, so I turned around.

There stood a girl with the ears and tail of a canine.

"Why are you following me?"

Now that Ahn Jaewook had transferred, there was no reason for her to be bullied anymore. So I wondered what she wanted from me.

"Um..."

The girl spoke up, gathering her courage.

"I just... really wanted to thank you..."

It was a sincere voice, from someone who had never even exchanged a word with me before she transferred.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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