CHAPTER 232: FIRST DAY AS TEACHING ASSISTANT

Everyone at the table and even a few from nearby tables turned toward Gara.

"I’m just saying," Gara continued calmly. "We’re only first-years. We don’t really know what happened. What if there really was a victim? Wouldn’t that be tragic?"

The students at the next table nodded in agreement. Even Andine nearly nodded too, but quickly shook her head.

"But what if the rumor isn’t true? Wouldn’t that make Professor Langga the real victim here?" she argued softly.

Her wide, innocent eyes made Gara pause, didn’t corrupt her further. He let out a quiet sigh.

"Forget it," he said. "If the rumor’s false, Professor Langga will handle it himself. Just finish your meal."

Andine nodded and obediently returned her attention to the steaming bowl of supplement soup. Gara did the same.

Only Madha seemed uneasy. He kept sipping his soup while sneaking glances at Gara, his expression tight and restless.

...

In the Offense Class, Andine had wanted to duel Gara for quite some time. But every time she tried, something always came up to interrupt.

"Come on, Gara! This time, no random challenger’s gonna steal you away," the mermaid girl said, brimming with energy.

Gara chuckled but nodded.

Yuvika stood off to the side, acting as the referee.

Orman had dragged Madha off for training, and they were now out of sight behind a crowd of students. Fian was training on his own somewhere nearby.

"If only I were a bit stronger," Yuvika muttered, eyes sparkling as she watched Gara. "I’d love to fight him too."

Her admiration for Gara never seemed to fade, though lately, she had started to notice the strange, almost wordless bond between him and Madha.

With her arms folded, she carefully observed the duel. "It’s obvious Andine isn’t on Gara’s level," she murmured.

"But she’s getting better. Her attacks are more varied now. Still... Gara’s grown a lot too. His reflexes, precision, and calm. It’s on another level."

Before she knew it, a wide smile spread across Yuvika’s face. Luckily, no one saw it because she probably looked like a total psycho just then.

The duel didn’t last long, mostly because Gara held back, using it as a chance to guide Andine’s movements.

"I really need to train harder," Andine said between breaths, looking exhausted but full of determination.

Her gaze swept around the training ground, hoping someone in particular had seen her progress. But instead of him, she spotted Vania and her usual cronies.

Her brow furrowed. "What’s she up to now?"

Yuvika and Gara followed her line of sight.

The tiger girl with ginger hair stood with her arms crossed, scowling at someone. In front of her was a black-haired girl with long curtain bangs that nearly hid her eyes.

"The beastfolk in my class were gossiping about some Shereen girl who causes trouble with humans," Yuvika muttered. "Guess she’s been bothering others too. Who’s that girl? I’ve never seen her before."

"She’s from Class S," Gara said.

"Huh?" Yuvika’s head snapped toward him, startled. She mentally went through the names of the Class S students, everyone knew the members of that elite class.

After a moment, realization hit her. "Wait... there are only nine students I know from Class S. So she’s the mysterious tenth one?"

Gara nodded to himself. Even her own classmates barely know her, he thought.

Now that the ghost girl had finally shown herself, it was a shame she seemed to be in trouble.

Andine was about to step forward, but Gara stopped her. He tilted his chin toward the other side.

"Revan’s already on it. You don’t want another scolding, do you?"

Andine followed his gaze and spotted Revan walking up to Vania and Mona. She nodded with a sigh.

"At least he’s finally acting like a proper class monitor."

...

In the Herbalist Class, Gara no longer arrived before Professor Aura because now, he was her teaching assistant.

"I’ve been meaning to find an assistant for quite a while," Professor Aura said as they walked together down the corridor. "My current assistant is far too busy with the garden."

"Professor, would it be possible for me to visit the herb garden too?" Gara asked, his tone filled with hope. The herb garden of the academy wasn’t open to the public, after all.

"Of course," Aura replied with a smile.

Before long, they arrived at the classroom. Aura entered first, followed closely by Gara, who carried a small stack of papers.

Every eye turned to him as he walked in after their professor, but no one seemed too surprised. Everyone already knew how much Aura cared about Gara.

What they didn’t expect was for Gara to take a seat —not at his usual desk— but at the front corner seat reserved for the professor’s assistant.

The class practically exploded when Aura announced, "Starting today, Gara will no longer be a student in this class. He will serve as my assistant, helping me teach and assisting anyone who needs guidance."

From his seat, Gara offered the class a small, polite smile. The students, meanwhile, looked like their jaws might hit the floor.

"Let’s begin," Aura said, clapping her hands once.

But up front, Vania still hadn’t recovered from the shock. A few other students whispered among themselves, too stunned to change the subject.

"Professor, why is Gara suddenly your assistant?" one student finally asked.

"Ah, right," Aura said, as if just remembering. "I suppose no one’s told you yet. Gara is the creator of Alrova’s herbal products. I’ve heard many students talking about Alrova, so I assume I don’t need to explain what that is, do I?"

BOOM! It felt like thunder struck right beside Vania’s ears. She completely lost her composure.

Her eyes flicked toward the corner, where Gara sat with a faint, knowing smirk aimed directly at her.

"H-he..." Vania’s teeth chattered, but no words came out.

She couldn’t accept it. Gara was too good.

And when her heart started pounding uncontrollably, she muttered under her breath, "Crazy..."

Meanwhile, after flashing his victorious smirk, Gara turned his attention back to the lesson. This was his first time acting as an assistant, and he took it seriously.

...