NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
“Good morning, everyone. Judging by your expressions, it seems you’ve all had a good rest.”
On the morning we finally returned to the Academy, Justitia looked around during the morning assembly and genuinely expressed her relief.
She specifically asked Blanca if she was feeling alright.
“I’m perfectly fine, like nothing ever happened,”
Blanca said as she shrugged, showing off that she was unscathed.
“That’s such a relief. I was really scared when I saw you collapse, Blanca.”
Justitia’s reaction seemed entirely reasonable. No, it was definitely the right thing to think.
What teacher would dare ask a student who had been severely injured and underwent surgery if they were okay?
Unless they were a total garbage teacher, Justitia wasn’t that kind of person.
Even if her choices were occasionally misguided, she was truly someone who wished for justice.
So, it made sense.
…It should have.
I just couldn’t see that expression as being purely one of concern for a student.
In fact, I was still grappling with how to interpret her behavior.
Was it the concern of a comrade worried for another? A teacher checking in on a student they’ve been keeping an eye on? Or perhaps a mother worried for a child that bore some resemblance to her own?
I couldn’t tell.
I had no idea how much of Blanca’s statement was truth and how much was falsehood.
The only things I could rely on were my knowledge of the original story and the status window, but those were only gnawing at me like poison.
I didn’t understand her identity or her intentions.
All I could do was think hard with the hands dealt to me, and somehow get closer to her to glean more from her.
But I was afraid of approaching her.
If I got too close, another element I hadn’t even considered could emerge. If that happened, I wouldn’t even be able to dare to figure out her true identity.
That scared me.
Knowing kept me from acting, and I was frightened to learn more about her.
…Yet I couldn’t just sit back and watch, so I had no choice but to investigate.
If I didn’t act, nothing would change.
Who knows? If I got close enough, she might just let go of her facade without me needing to rely on the status window.
I knew that was a ridiculous delusion. Could I really overcome her before Justitia made her move?
Even if the relationship points keep increasing like this, it seemed tough.
Maybe I need to be bolder.
“Minho?”
“Ah, I just got lost in thought for a second. Yes?”
“It’s understandable after everything you’ve been through. It won’t be easy to refocus on your studies, but you’ll have to. The midterms are in two weeks.”
“Ugh…”
As soon as Justitia mentioned the midterms, a groan escaped from Seolhwa sitting next to me.
That groan spread like a virus among the students.
Justitia smiled at the sight.
“Even after such an incident, Heros Academy shows no mercy, so please be sure to prepare diligently. I want to see you all for a long time.”
With that last remark, she concluded the assembly.
“Exams… why do we have exams…?”
Seolhwa seemed to deflate the moment exams were mentioned, while Lapiz next to Blanca whined to her about not wanting to study.
“You need to study hard too, Lapiz. Being good at punching alone doesn’t make you a great hero.”
“B-but my grandmother says you can live just fine without studying…”
“That’s because your grandmother is exceptionally gifted. If your health isn’t good, your brain will suffer, Lapiz. The world works that way.”
“It’s so unfair…”
“Wouldn’t it be great if the world were fair?”
Blanca still seemed quite unfazed by the impending exams, maintaining her usual oddly cynical yet kind demeanor.
Is that truly her true self, or just an act?
…That’s something to slowly figure out.
* * * * * –
“So everyone, is your exam preparation going smoothly?”
“Not at all.”
“I-I don’t know…”
“I’m trying my best, but… I don’t feel confident… hehehe…”
“I’m no different from Yeonhwa.”
“If you observe, you’ll know. Until then, we just keep preparing.”
Lunchtime. Student cafeteria.
Ageha casually threw in a comment, and suddenly the mood at our table plummeted as if a tragedy had occurred.
“How’s Blanca doing, by the way?”
While we were busy digging into our meals, Ageha called out to me.
Exam preparation, huh.
“What’s there to prepare for? It’s not that hard…”
When I said that like it was obvious, Ageha looked at me in shock.
“Haven’t you always been dozing off during class…?”
“Why would I nap? I already know the material, so of course I drift off. I’ve reviewed it to the point of boredom.”
I couldn’t forget it even after coming to this world, having gone through it ad nauseam.
“That’s… interesting. I honestly thought you would nonchalantly say, ‘I’m not prepared at all’ while looking unfazed.”
“Ageha, what do you think I am?”
“Well, the stereotype is that Ain’rs tend to struggle with studies, so maybe that’s why, Blanca. I was honestly surprised.”
My blood boiled for a moment at Jinhyeon’s casual remark about Ain discrimination, but it wasn’t completely without merit, so I couldn’t lash out.
After all, Ain’rs generally grow up in tough conditions.
It’s much like saying that poor people can’t study.
It doesn’t mean they’re lazy; absolutely not. I’m living proof of that.
The problem is that when you’re poor, it’s just hard to get the chance to study properly.
People worried about their next meal tend to be stingy.
When people are stingy towards others, they become stingy towards their children. When parents are stingy, their kids become stingy too.
Those who are stingy with others become stingy with themselves, and it becomes a self-destructive ulcer.
When an ulcer arises, you can’t move forward or upward. You just decay slowly from within.
It’s possible to remain unselfish even in dwindling conditions.
But everything is scarce, including knowledge. You don’t even know how to study or how to pursue a better job.
No one knows. So when you seek guidance, it’s often hard to find.
It’s an endless cycle that feels impossible to break.
It’s almost faster to cut everything off and start over barehanded.
…Well, that’s just how it sounds.
I actually haven’t observed how Ain’rs live in this world deeply, so I wouldn’t know.
I’m just basing it on my own experiences and making assumptions.
“…Uh, sorry, Blanca. I spoke without thinking.”
“Because we’re friends, I’ll let it slide. If you said that to an Ain’r on the street, you’d be punched.”
Jinhyeon quickly apologized when he realized he misspoke after looking at me.
I wasn’t going to cut ties, so I let it go.
He really is a hopeless case.
“So aside from you, Blanca, everyone else still feels uncertain, huh? In that case… maybe I should ask? Would anyone like to see my summary notes…?”
Ageha seemed to be fishing for something, and jumped straight to the main point. She wanted to share her notes since it appeared no one turned her down. Everyone was eager to see them like they’d met a savior.
“Wow, that’s a positive response… then I’ll show you this weekend when we go to the clothes shop!”
Ageha seemed pleased by the interest and puffed up just a bit.
“I’d like to add some edits during that time. Is that alright, Ageha?”
I didn’t want to rain on her parade, but I decided to join in too.
I may not care about those things, but they could very well end up in a lower class if they don’t catch up with studies.
“That’s perfectly fine. But there probably won’t be anything to edit.”
Ageha didn’t seem to take my comment too personally and continued to revel in her glory.
Actually, it wasn’t Ageha that was going to suffer the deluge—it was someone else.
“Um, are we meeting for the first time? Who are you?”
When I regained awareness, our table area had somehow become quite crowded.
It was mainly faces I had never seen before.
Oh, I wasn’t expecting that to happen, huh.
I knew immediately what was going on, but I kept my mouth shut to avoid ruining the original story.
“Of course we’re meeting for the first time. The people of this world don’t know us…”
The nervous-looking boy who seemed to represent the chattering crowd said that.
But he wasn’t just any background character. He was actually the class representative of Class B.
His ability… what was it again? Memory interference or something. That would be it.
“A-class. You’re the ones who always bring the storm, aren’t you?”
“We didn’t want to bear that reputation either.”
Even Jinhyeon, who usually lacks awareness, seemed to pick up on the vibe and mirrored their statement.
“I see. Of course… that must be how you feel. But the truth is, there are many who think otherwise. They wonder why you catch so much attention since you already captured the world’s eye since first year, while we’re just here doing nothing.”
“So, what’s the point of this conversation?”
Minho asked the representative with a hint of hostility in his tone.
“During the Sports Festival in May, we’re going to defeat you and make our name known to the world. In short, this is a declaration of war. We genuinely want to succeed.”
With that, his words trailed off, and I had to push the conversation forward.
“Is that it?”
“Yeah. That’s it. Especially you… Blanca, right? Just you wait.”
So that was all they had to say? The classmates from the other group scattered quickly like a swarm of bugs.
“Just you wait…”
Yeah.
I’m really looking forward to the Sports Festival.
Really.