Engraved (8)

“Oh.”

Uttering a short and simple exclamation, I scanned the window with curious eyes. The brief and accurate description also recorded information Kang Sihyun didn’t tell.

How is this possible?

Looking at the crystal ball, I was wondering if there was a certain radio wave coming out. Meanwhile, the teacher smiled briefly at the sight, coming closer to me.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“Then, can you say ‘imprint’?”

“…?”

This isn’t some magical girl thing. As I tilted my head, wondering if I was supposed to imprint on the machine, the teacher urged me. Reluctantly, I sighed and muttered “Imprint”, before light poured from the registration machine, attacking my eyes.

Impressed by the sudden light, I widened my eyes as I felt the information about my ability enter my head. The scene Kang Sihyun showed me in my dream replayed in my mind. It seemed to show the copy skill again.

As the light faded, my mind became quiet. I blinked at the strange phenomenon.

“It’s over. It’s simpler than you think, right?”

“…Yes.”

It was so simple that I couldn’t help but wonder how. Looking at the crystal ball, I thought about if this was actually a magical girl novel. I narrowed my brows.

Fantasy, magical girl, and now that I transmigrated…

It was the first time in my life to be involved in a mash-up of genres in an Inso.

“Since it’s a new class, the Awakening Centre will contact you, so I’ll guide you again later. You might need to do an interview, but you should tell them the class name and roughly what kind of ability it is.”

“Ah, okay.”

After answering with a nod, the teacher, who said they needed to check if the imprint was correct, asked me where the Awakening mark was. I kept my mouth shut.

Perhaps the class test was over. I thought I could move on quietly without them looking at the mark, but I guess not.

What do I do now?

I thought I could hide the fact that I was a dual class so I kept my lips shut. My eyes wandered. I honestly didn’t want to get caught. It was already hard, but now it’s going to get even more difficult if it is revealed that I’m a dual-class. When I didn’t answer, the teacher covered her mouth.

“Oh, is it in a difficult place? Should I call another teacher?”

“Huh?”

When I widened my eyes, the teacher smiled in an attempt to reassure me, saying, “Sometimes, people have marks appear in such places.”

I narrowed my forehead and stared at the teacher from her absurd misunderstanding.

Smiling, the teacher laughed. There seemed to be no escape.

“…It’s on my neck.”

I tried to fake the location of the mark but people already knew because Dawoon said so in the entrance ceremony. After mulling over it, I closed my eyes from resignation and lifted my hair. The teacher approached and checked the nape of my neck.

“Uh…”

Is the registration machine faulty…?

A bewildered voice lingered in my ears. I could hear her say ‘No’ behind me, but I kept my mouth shut, my body tensing up like a defendant waiting for the trial result.

“It can’t be…”

It was normal for the mark to light up after the imprinting was done. Since it was written in the guidelines, the teacher stroked her chin and instructed me to say ‘Imprint’ again. This was where I felt a sense of deja vu.

It was definitely like the class test.

The result isn’t going to change no matter how many times I tried it, so I bit my lip and reluctantly said the word.

“…Imprint.”

[This Awakener has already completed the imprinting.]

“…”

The machine didn’t change its response. If anything, it confirmed the result, with its voicing ringing throughout the tent. The teacher widened her eyes and looked back at me. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding.

No way…

“Sihyun, you…”

I avoided the teacher’s gaze, rubbing the nape of my neck out of embarrassment. She seemed to have noticed.

‘Could you please keep it a secret?’ That definitely won’t work. Muttering the absurd words internally, the teacher, who blinked in disbelief, grabbed me by the shoulder out of excitement.

The moment I frowned, the teacher’s mouth opened.

“Sihyun, are you a dual-class?!”

Dual-class?

“…”

Does this teacher have a megaphone ability?

She said it so loud that her voice echoed in the playground. Not once, but twice. It echoed so much, but apparently it wasn’t enough.

“…”

The silence was so quiet that I could hear the crows croaking. As expected, everyone broke the silence one by one.

“What?!”

They all spat out in astonishment from all sides. I buried my face in the palm of my hand after instantly receiving attention from everyone. This truly felt like deja vu. My ears burned from embarrassment. Really?

I wanted to hide in a hole.