It was Monday.

The few students who had been excited about the start of the semester seemed to be getting tired of coming to school, as the mood on the way to school was less lively than last week.

There were many who had been at school during the weekend for club activities or the preliminary rounds of the exchange tournament.

However, the third-year students, who should have been busy with entrance exams and job preparations, were wearing brighter expressions than the younger students.

‘It’s a busy time with a lot of things to do, but with the school trip coming soon, the mental burden should be lighter.’

The school trip was part of the regular academic schedule, and to avoid overlapping with the tourist crowds during the weekend, it was usually scheduled on weekdays.

The third-year students' school trip was set for four days and three nights, from Tuesday to Friday.

Knowing what would happen, I couldn’t help but feel nervous as the trip approached. But the third-year students, who didn’t know anything yet, were very excited.

‘The fact that the third-year students are excited about the school trip is proof that no information has leaked. That’s a good sign. I need to make sure everything goes smoothly so they can safely finish the trip.’

Meanwhile, after attending the irregular luncheon, I spent the weekend in my dorm room, reviewing my plans one last time.

If there was anything I needed to relay to the noble family, I used the white tiger. However, Huang Ji-ho had expressed his displeasure.

[Huang Ji-ho] Jo Yi-shin...

[Huang Ji-ho] I really don’t like that the white tiger is delivering your message.

I understood.

But Huang Ji-ho’s face when the white tiger arrived and smirked wasn’t any better. It was a case of mutual dislike, so I hoped he could bear it.

[Huang Ji-ho] ...Got it. I’ll bear it.

I figured the white tiger must have told him to bear with it.

Though the idea of the white tiger smiling and delivering my message made me a bit annoyed, I decided to let it slide, considering it saved me the trouble of composing a device message.

Huang Ji-ho, seemingly displeased with the entire process, had been lurking on the way to school that morning.

“Finally, we get to talk face-to-face. It feels refreshing.”

Huang Ji-ho said with a look of distaste. The white tiger, the source of his irritation, stood next to him.

“Control your expression.”

Cheong Ho, who had breakfast with me in the dorm’s dining hall, seemed to share Huang Ji-ho’s sentiment.

Eun Ho was absent since he had to head to the first-year area, but if he had been there, he would have reacted similarly. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Seeing the two tigers teasing their friend made the tension subside a little.

‘The mood among the dragon and red lion factions was quite tense. If the main target of this incident was indeed the descendants of the noble family, the tigers wouldn’t be this relaxed.’

Today, our class had a perfect attendance.

Since the tigers were all here, those who knew about the noble family threw complicated glances. But today, the topic of conversation among the class was the upcoming school trip of the third-year students, so no one really cared if any tiger was laughing or not.

“When the third-year seniors leave for the school trip, things will get quieter.”

“Then we’ll need to stand out and move in style! We don’t have to feel lonely!”

“Right! Let’s come up with a new concept for tomorrow.”

Gu Seul-bi, from the horticulture club, and Ong Gil-dong, who was in the chess club’s stalemate group, often met with third-year seniors due to their club activities.

They were speaking like attention-seeking individuals, but deep down, they seemed a little disappointed that the third-years would be gone.

I had thought they’d be happy with the opportunity to stand out more, but perhaps they were more attached to the seniors than their need for attention.

“Did you hear? The senior Chansol went on a trip to Jeju Island last weekend! It seems like there’s a lot of preparation to do, since they’re going with Teacher Je-gal.”

“Wait, they’re not even in the student council or discipline committee, why would they go on a trip? Was Teacher Je-gal also going?”

“They went with the 0-class seniors.”

“Oh, we should also go on a trip when it’s our turn!”

Sa Wol-se-eum seemed to still be close with Kim Chan-wang and Chan, and shared some news.

Last weekend, the two had attended the irregular luncheon, and as soon as it ended, they seemed to head straight to Jeju Island.

It was strange that they went on a trip when they weren’t part of the student council or anything, and the school trip schedule had already been decided.

But then again, since Kim Chan-wang and his group were always strange, no one questioned it deeply.

‘As expected. No one thinks that those seniors went to Jeju Island for anything other than Teacher Je-gal’s trip preparation.’

It was hard to imagine that they had prepared for a battle against a hidden villain aiming for this world, even if they had been planning to party hard.

I hadn’t asked the seniors to do anything too dangerous, but if someone started suspecting their motives, or if the villain paid attention, things would get troublesome.

Kim Chan-wang’s group had probably had a busy weekend thanks to my request, but seeing that there were no complaints, they must have completed the preparations safely.

As I continued hearing about the 3rd-year seniors from my classmates, In Seon-oh spoke up when the conversation among the class members had quieted down.

“I heard that Senior Yeom Jun-yeol will be absent for a few days, and his fans are upset about it.”

When Yeom Jun-yeol’s name was mentioned, Dokgo Mi-ro, who had been quietly listening, turned her head and stared at In Seon-oh.

Dokgo Mi-ro, who had become close to Yeom Jun-yeol since appearing on the playlist broadcast, seemed to be carefully observing In Seon-oh, possibly because she felt uneasy.

As soon as Yeom Jun-yeol was mentioned, Jin Jeong-muk, who had been silently listening, spoke up.

“I saw him this morning. He looked very uplifted. It seems like he’s expecting the gye-haeng.”

“Gye-haeng? Why is he using such complicated words?”

“Gye-haeng can mean several things, such as ‘to continue,’ or ‘to set out on a journey.’”

When Maeng Hyo-don failed to roll the stone, Kim Yu-ri helped him.

As Kim Yu-ri explained, ‘gye-haeng’ had multiple meanings. One meant ‘to continue’ or ‘to keep going,’ while another meant ‘to set out on a journey’ or ‘to lead the way.’ Jin Jeong-muk must have been thinking of the latter meaning when he spoke.

When I heard Yeom Jun-yeol’s voice sounded off during our weekend call, I was worried, but hearing that he seemed fine today was a relief.

I checked the school bulletin board, and there was a post from a Hong-ryong fan saying that Yeom Jun-yeol’s expression was so good today that it was worth taking a photo. There was also a shot of him that seemed to have been taken with permission.

After saving the photo, I checked the atmosphere on the board, and most of the posts were about the 3rd-year students.

‘The 0-class seniors seem to have made thorough preparations for their trip,’ ‘The school trip schedule looks really tight. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) I wonder if they can get through all of it,’ and ‘Ji Ik-hwa seems to be doing something for the first time in a while, but he doesn’t look well’—most of the posts were related to the 3rd-years.

Even after school, when we were doing club activities, everyone was talking about the school trip.

“I want to follow the school trip and report on it... but... that’s not possible, is it?”

Moon Sae-ron openly expressed her disappointment.

The seniors who graduated last year didn’t seem so disappointed about not being able to go on the school trip, but this year was different.

As a reporter, Moon Sae-ron had a keen sense for stories, so perhaps she expected something to happen during this school trip.

‘Moon Sae-ron has good instincts and skills. That's why, even in Plmago, she was able to figure out and eliminate the hidden villain’s secrets.’

Moon Sae-ron, whether related to Eun-kwang High or Plmago, had always researched and written articles on any topic related to the school.

Moreover, she had a natural talent for investigative work, so she probably had a lot of unreported information too.

Given her sharp instincts, it seemed like she could vaguely sense that something would happen during the school trip, even though she couldn’t put it into words.

When the two tigers from the newspaper club, Huang Ji-ho and Eun Ho, looked at Moon Sae-ron, they secretly admired her, though they hid it and spoke up.

“This time, the head of the newspaper club will be doing the school trip coverage, so it can’t be helped.”

“Right, as the junior said. If another grade goes along, the 3rd years might feel uncomfortable, so it’s better to refrain.”

Hearing the term ‘junior,’ Eun Ho smiled and subtly looked at Huang Ji-ho.

Huang Ji-ho pretended not to notice the gaze and looked toward Moon Sae-ron.

“I know! So, I’m holding back.”

Moon Sae-ron sighed deeply while looking at the profiles of the prominent 3rd-year seniors, including Yeom Jun-yeol and Cheon Dong-ha, and the hologram of the Jeju Island trip course.

Since the head of the newspaper club, a 3rd-year student, would be doing the school trip coverage, it seemed like Moon Sae-ron wouldn’t have a chance to participate this time.

However, if something were to happen during the trip, she would undoubtedly regret missing the opportunity for a valuable scoop.

‘In the next incident, though, she’ll trust her instincts and dive into the middle of it no matter what. From now on, I should consider the possibility of Moon Sae-ron getting involved in future events.’

In Plmago, Moon Sae-ron had acted separately from Ju Su-hyeok and Ahn Da-in while investigating, and that’s how she got into trouble.

Moon Sae-ron was bold when it came to exclusive stories, so it was probably best to keep an eye on her.

Back in Plmago, when Ju Su-hyeok and Ahn Da-in became 3rd-years, Na Bi-ryeong had said to them:

—You said you had a question for me, right? But there’s no need. It seems that the cute girl who’s the head of the newspaper club in your school knows something, so you might want to ask her.

Hearing that, I tried contacting Moon Sae-ron immediately, but I couldn’t get through.

It wasn’t as bad as Plmago, but knowing too much in this world wasn’t necessarily a good thing either.

After finishing club activities, I found myself momentarily acting separately before heading to the tiger mansion.

Just as I reached the perfect timing, a message from Dokgo Mi-ro came through.

[Dokgo Mi-ro] I just received the item by quick delivery.

[Dokgo Mi-ro] I’ll leave it on your desk.

[Dokgo Mi-ro] I don’t know what you’re doing during the school trip, but do well.

It seemed like the King of the Tyrants had figured out something too.

Since Dokgo Mi-ro indirectly helped with this, it might be better to explain later.

I went by the classroom, retrieved the paper bag that Dokgo Mi-ro had left on my desk, and headed to the meeting spot.

The place we were supposed to meet wasn’t far from the school.

Even from a distance, I could see the senior guys, with their primitive and burly appearance, gathered in front of the 0-class alumni hall.

‘Considering the loss of muscle mass, I thought they’d show up right on time, but they came quickly.’

One of the seniors, possibly worried that I might not see them, waved both hands above his head to catch my attention.

It was Jeong Hae-soo, whom I had seen in Cheon Dong-ha’s replay.

The image of him crying after losing both his arms and now frantically waving his hands while looking too healthy for my mind to process almost made me stop walking for a moment.

“Our junior has arrived! Come on in!”

“Hello.”

“Always so polite!”

Jeong Hae-soo, who had once complained when he caught me as the homeroom teacher on Christmas Eve, greeted me as the representative of the 0-class seniors.

The leader of the primitive-like seniors, Woo Gi-hwan, greeted me as well, but he seemed too busy training his forearms with a counter-grip to speak much.

“Junior, did you bring what you prepared?”

“Yes, here’s a sample of the album’s limited edition goods. PVC stickers, fabric posters, message cards, keychains, and all types of random photo cards. But there are only two sets, so it’s unlikely the seniors will all be able to take one.”

“We’ll handle the distribution ourselves!”

Jeong Hae-soo and some of Dokgo Mi-ro’s hardcore fans’ eyes lit up as they raised their voices.

Though some seniors, like Woo Gi-hwan, seemed indifferent and just followed along, a few looked like they were ready for a brawl.

I proudly held up the paper bag containing the goods they were eyeing and said,

“Before I hand it over, I’ll check if the task I asked for was done well. Then we’ll head inside to talk.”

Since it was the precious goods of our class, I naturally couldn’t just give them away.