Chapter XLI – School Principal

The morning sun peered through the window, obscuring Arthur’s vision, making him lean onto the desk with his left elbow. Shielded his eyes with his palm, he tried focusing on the ongoing lesson. Dae-Hyun, their biology homeroom teacher had just finished with the lesson and left around ten minutes to spare before the class ended.

Everyone dreaded these ten minutes because he’d prefer to spend it pop quizzing the students. However, his intentions proved different this time around.

Sitting down, he closed his book and smiled towards the class. Nobody welcomed such a smile, especially because they believed it had malicious intent behind it. Apart from Nabi, nobody really liked biology in the first place, not even Arthur who learned the material ahead of time.

“Why such long faces?” he chuckled. “I have good news for you.”

“We won’t be having pop quizzes anymore?” said Yang Ji-Hu, one of the twenty other classmates that Arthur never really interacted with.

His comment made some chuckle, but the teacher simply cleared his throat to restore order.

“Not quite,” he said while taking out a folder, within it was a pile of paper. “Some of you might have heard that the school was planning a trip around this time a year, and I’m happy to announce that the rumors are indeed true.”

The students seemed happy to hear the news as some already started whispering.

“Quiet down,” the teacher said taking out one of the papers. “Everything that your parents need to know will be on this sheet of paper. Including costs, duration of the trip, and so on. Dong-Sun, give out the sheets to everyone in the class.”

Don got up and approached the teacher’s desk, taking the pile and beginning to give them away from left to right.

“The trip this time around will be to Busan,” everyone cheered at the announcement since Busan was quite a popular destination. “Settle down. . . It’s only a two-day trip, and we won’t be exploring Busan itself. . .” the latter comment killed down the hype. “Still. . . We will be spending a full day at the Beomeosa Temple. Which, as some of you may know is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism that dates back 1200 years to the Later Silla National Master Doui, who brought Seon and the practice taught by the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, from China around 820 CE. Your history teacher, Miss Seong, will give you a proper tour of the place. It’ll be a good lesson, and a way to spend a day outside of the noisy city. Later that night, we will be spending time at a hotel that is about two kilometers away from the temple. The hike will do you good.”

“Hike? Ugh. . .” Chan-Yeol dreaded.

“Yes. . . A hike,” the teacher shook his head in disbelief. “As I said, all the details are on the sheets. Make sure to bring them back by the end of the week, as the trip starts early Sunday morning. We'll be returning mid-day on Monday."

Students refrained from stating the obvious dissatisfaction with the fact that the trip took place during the weekend and not the first two school days.

Once Don was done giving away the papers, he sat back down. Arthur quickly glanced over it but knew that there was probably no way for Sophie and him to go due to the short notice and the combined price.

As the period ended, the school trip was all everyone talked about, mostly discussing who they wanted to sit with and share a room at the hotel.

“Not exactly what I was expecting,” Tjay commented while leaning against the table with the boys gathered. “What do you guys think?”

Irene approached from behind, pulling up a chair to sit down on. Nabi meanwhile sat on Don’s desk while avoiding eye contact with Tjay. She felt a bit uncomfortable but tried to act as naturally as possible.

“I think it’s a great deal,” Max said looking over the paper.

“I’m not going,” Arthur announced, cutting off Max.

Everyone looked at him initially surprised but quickly realized what was going on. Awkward silence took place since nobody had anything fitting to say.

“But. . . I’m just not feeling it,” Max said smilingly. “I mean, who’d want to spend all day at some temple when we can have kickass time here while skipping classes. It’s basically an extended weekend.”

“You’re totally right,” Tjay said with a grin. “Maybe we could throw a party at Don’s place.”

Irene and Nabi both chuckled as Tjay shamelessly invited himself over. Seeing Nabi smile at his comment, made Tjay happy, but at the same time saddened that their conflict was still ongoing.

“We could go to Cyber Shark again,” Don mentioned, agreeing with the ongoing consensus of not going to the school trip.

“Cyber Shark?” Irene asked curiously.

“PC bang that we went to a few days ago,” Don explained. “You should come with us sometimes.”

“Hey! No girls allowed!” Max said somewhat jokingly.

“You know what? I might just do that,” she said just to spite Max with a grin on her face.

"You don't even play games. . ." Max mentioned.

"Good as any other time to try them," she teased.

“You guys should go,” Arthur said with a faint smile.

He knew that they were staying behind because of him, but at the same time, he didn’t want to feel like he was dragging everybody down. Truth was, they all wanted to help him finance the trip, but at the same time didn’t know if he’d find it insulting or not. They were all aware that his household financial situation wasn’t the greatest due to his grandfather being the only source of income. At the same time, it wasn't so bad that they typically needed to think about it, which often led to them forgetting.

“We’ll see,” Max winked at him. “In the end, it’s our decision, not yours.”

“My man spitting facts,” Tjay commented smugly.

“Well, as touching as this is, I’ll be right back,” Irene mentioned as she got up and started heading out of the classroom.

“Where are you going?” Max asked curiously.

“It’s a short break, where do you think I’m going?” she said without directly answering his question.

The chatter continued after Irene left, but it switched to gaming talk. Nabi awkwardly orbited around the group, and if it wasn’t for Max involving her in the conversation, she’d feel like an outsider. Arthur agreed with Max when he said that this needed to get resolved quickly.

Irene was strangely late for class for a few minutes, but the teacher paid no mind to it.

Classes continued normally.

During the lunch break, Sophie acted cheerfully. She didn’t let the school trip get to her, and overall stayed with her classmates. Irene on the other hand was getting swarmed by other female classmates that wanted to sit with her on the school bus, making her school day experience dreadful. While she didn’t enjoy it, she didn’t see it fitting to be rude to those that asked her since they were nice towards her, which didn't help dissuade them from asking her further.

By the end of the day, right as everyone was about to leave, the teacher called Arthur over.

“Yes Miss Kim?” he asked the English teacher.

“The school principal wished to speak to you after class, so don’t keep him waiting.”

“Do you know what it’s about?”

“I haven’t asked, but it didn’t seem like you were in trouble if that’s what you’re asking.”

Arthur nodded and returned to his seat to pack his stuff.

“What was that about?” Max asked.

“The principal wanted to see me.”

“Oh? What’d you do?”

“Nothing. . . No idea what he wants.”

“Well, I’ll wait outside for you.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“Does it matter? I got nothing better to do anyway,” he chuckled, tapping him on the back.

Proceeding to the principal’s office, Arthur looked around the teacher’s lounge. It felt strange being in a room full of teachers that were finishing up their business. He also never saw the principal's office and didn’t know what to expect. With a gentle knock on the door, he waited to be called in.

“Come in!” he heard a loud, powerful male voice.

Opening the doors, he entered the principal’s office. At first glance, it was surprisingly cozy. The large window overlooked the school courtyard. His desk had a monitor and a laptop resting next to it, while being covered in hundreds of different papers, along with a small bobblehead toy of a man in a suit.

Looking at the man behind the desk, Arthur saw a middle-aged man with more than a few grey hairs, while keeping cleanly shaved. He wore a suit and was surprisingly a fit man.

“Ah, you must be Arthur,” he said rising to his feet and extending his hand.

He was fairly taller than Arthur. Shaking his hand, he also felt a firm grip as he squeezed his hand, but Arthur matched the strength which made the principal grin.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

“Please, have a seat,” he gestured to the front of the desk while sitting back down.

His nametag was on the table, Principle Chang Ji-Min, and he felt no need to introduce himself.

“May I ask why I was summoned?”

“Well, I think it was about time the two of us met,” he said, but it left Arthur feeling like there was a double meaning behind it. Everything regarding this first meeting felt strange. “I’ve been meaning to see how you were doing after the accident. Then it came to me that it might be a good time to call upon you.”

“I see. . .” Arthur mumbled warily.

“No need to be alarmed, I just wished to see how you were adjusting to the whole ordeal.”

“I’d say I’m used to it by now. It was tricky at first, but once you get to know things it becomes significantly easier.”

“Ha! If only all the students viewed school that way,” he commented while taking a look at his laptop. “Seems that your midterm scores were above average as well. Surprising, considering it was reported to me that you were suffering from amnesia.”

“Yes, that would be the case. . .” once again, Arthur spoke with a lowered tone while trying to figure out what he was aiming for.

Seeing how nervous Arthur was getting, he looked at him softly and smiled. “Don’t worry. As I said, I’m just checking out how you are doing. I’m not questioning you. As the school’s representative, I’d like nothing less than to congratulate you on your success and recovery.”

“Thank you,” Arthur lowered his guard a bit.

Whatever it was, there didn’t seem to be any malicious intent. If anything, it felt as if he was slightly testing him.

“Now, tell me. . . How are you feeling?”

“Feeling rather fine. I’m physically fit and mentally sound. Can’t ask for more than that. Got a good group of friends around me as well, which made the entire transition much easier.”

“Yes, having good friends around is certainly important, especially at your age,” he placed his hands on the table and gazed into Arthur’s eyes. “I’m glad that things are going well. I’m expecting great results from you.”

“I shall not disappoint,” Arthur smiled.

“Good. . . Now,” he picked up a sheet of paper. “There was also one more thing I wished to talk to you about. I presume that your homeroom teacher did his job properly and has announced the school trip?”

“Yes. . .” Arthur looked somewhat disinterested in the topic, knowing he can’t go most likely.

“Not interested?” he perceptively noticed.

“It’s not that, but I’ll most likely skip out for private reasons.”

Arthur refrained from giving out any details.

With a sigh, followed up by a warm smile, the principal placed the paper back on the table. “Arthur, the school board had discussed this trip and decided upon many things. Among those, considering what happened with the accident, the board deemed it fitting to finance the trip for Sophie and you.”

“Huh?” Arthur was left astounded by the offer.

“It might sound confusing, but the school does have a budget for this sort of thing. Such a trip doesn’t impose a challenge for us to cover. With the stress that the accident caused, the school board deemed it a good way to aid the recovery. Your sister must’ve gone through quite a lot as well. Especially due to the stress of just entering high school.”

Arthur remained quiet for a bit, not sure what to say. It was everything he needed to spend time with his friends, but something about it felt wrong. Typically there was a double meaning behind each gift he received in his past lives when it came from a figure of authority. But, at the same time, the principal didn’t have that vibe, even if his initial introduction felt strange.

“I don’t know if I can accept that sir,” he sighed. “As I mentioned, I’ve recovered fully and as much as I’d like to, it would feel wrong to misuse the accident to gain any sort of preferential treatment.”

“What about your sister?” he asked which left Arthur mildly conflicted, but he already had an answer for it ready.

“If you wish to offer her the same deal, go ahead. That's her choice. Even if she too refuses, but still wishes to go, I’ll be sure to help her with that,” Arthur answered knowing that they could afford to send at least her.

“Hmmm. . .” the principal leaned back into his chair. “I’m impressed. Not many would decline such an offer.”

“Right. . .” Arthur mumbled.

He already felt like he had enough. Greed was never a part of him.

“But I must insist. . .” the principal chuckled. “You are young and should enjoy the adventures that await you. While I admire your honesty and apparent asceticism, there is no need to decline this offer. To be blunt, you’re not stealing or taking someone else’s funding. This was decided out of goodwill, and I advise you to learn how to accept it. I’m sure those friends of yours and your sister would be exhilarated to go with you. So live out your youth. It’s fine to be greedy from time to time. After all, life is short.”

Arthur was left speechless. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but what he said wasn’t wrong. As Andras, Arthur spent all his time struggling to survive in order to save the world from a catastrophe. He never indulged in the pleasures the world had to offer. Never did he get to explore the world in peace and see the beauty of it all, but instead analyzed everything as if it were an obstacle.

His dying words were that he was sick of such a life and that he wished to live out his next to the fullest. Limiting himself based on the financial situation of his family when there is a sound solution right in front of him would go against his wishes. He wanted to spend time with his friends and family, to see the world for what it truly was.

“Thank you,” Arthur said completely relaxed and smiling. “I shall take your advice to heart.”

“Good. Then we are all sorted here. Take this paper and have your grandfather sign it. I'll take care of the rest, personally..”

The two shook hands once more before Arthur took his leave.

A beaming smile appeared on his face as he slowly left the school. He saw Max still waiting for him, and next to him were Sophie and Irene. They seemed to have a friendly chat.

“So what did the old man want?” Max asked smilingly as he saw how happy Arthur was.

“Well, turns out the school offered to cover the cost of the trip for Sophie and me.”

“Really?” Sophie asked shockingly.

“Yeah. He mentioned that the school board made the decision due to the accident. So I guess we can go.”

Sophie cheerfully jumped as she grabbed the paper he was holding. She avoided reading the details because she didn’t want to hype herself up for a trip she’d most likely have to skip out on.

Max on the other hand instantly took out his phone and snapped a selfie, catching all four in it before posting it in the group chat.

Irene slowly approached Arthur and whispered teasingly. “I’ll gladly accept sitting next to you on the bus.”

“Thank you,” Arthur chuckled as he watched her smile happily that they get to go together.

Their phones exploded with notifications.

Max – Guess who’s going on a school trip!

Under the message was the attached group photo.

Tjay – Fuck ye dude

Don – That’s awesome. Guess we have to come up with the seating order.

Nabi – Sweet, I’m glad we’re all going.

Tjay – Calling dibs on Arthur.

Irene – No shot.

Irene – Just sit with Max

Max – Why me?

Nabi – Don, you’re with me.

Don – Sounds good to me.

Max – Guys???

Tjay – I don’t wanna sit with Max

Max – GUYS!

Max – Come on Don, you gonna leave me just like that?

Don – She called dibs.

Max – That’s not a thing!

Tjay – You know what. . . I’d love to sit with Max

The chat continued throughout the night as everyone kept discussing the details of the trip that was taking place at the end of the week. Arthur was excited to go on his first-ever school trip.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.