NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
“If you try to hurt Jinhyeon, disaster will strike. That was a lesson I learned the hard way after trying to kill him a few times.”
And every single time, that guy somehow got saved by some kind of luck, while I ended up facing consequences as if luck was smacking me back.
Like that time when a wall suddenly fell towards me while I was passing by a construction site.
Or when a tire from a car accident came flying and hit me… you know, those kinds of freak disasters.
So, by the fifth attempt, I just gave up.
This time, I didn’t plan to take out any villains; I just wanted to see if I could make some connections.
…But who would’ve thought that would backfire into a disaster?
Or maybe it was just my karma coming back at me.
But honestly, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Right when my classmates were telling me to brace myself, Jinhyeon had to swoop in and cover me.
That just ticked me off, and I ended up telling him to mind his own business and just get lost, so if that’s not a disaster, then I don’t know what is.
With that, all the goodwill I built up from saving them was definitely shot down.
I’ll have to apologize. As much as I hate the idea, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
Maybe I’ll bring him some banana milk tomorrow or something.
Normally, I’d be hanging out with the main character’s group, chatting about silly stuff to build friendship, but this whole thing is already a mess.
I grumbled as I walked home from school.
Pulling out my phone, I saw messages in the chat room from Yeonhwa, worried about me.
Even Jinhyeon was checking in to see if I was okay.
Whether he did it of his own will or because Yeonhwa nagged him, I couldn’t ignore it, so I texted back that I was just a bit on edge and apologized.
Speaking of which, someone had been tailing me since I left the school gate. Who the heck could it be?
It didn’t feel good having someone watching me from a distance.
Whoever it was chased me all the way to the subway, so they must not be some ordinary person. At the very least, they were definitely an Academy student.
Could it be one of the ones telling me to brace myself earlier? Or maybe it was somebody I knocked out during the entrance exam?
There were too many people who might be chasing me with a grudge, so figuring out who it could be was impossible.
How nice it would be if I could just slip away as usual.
Both of us in Academy uniforms made it frustrating, since I couldn’t deal with them like that.
If it were a regular person, it wouldn’t really matter if I suddenly disappeared.
But as soon as I vanished, everyone around me would probably be probing the area like their feet were on fire.
Not that I wanted to reveal where I live, so I turned down a deserted side street.
But I wasn’t trying to shake off my tail.
It was almost like I was signaling where I was going, having lingered on that side street for a while before entering it.
Not running away, but inviting them over.
There’s a certain image to maintain, so I can’t just fight in the open street—I’d rather have it out in the less crowded places.
I had no intention of escaping from a brawl.
My classmates? I’d like to get along with them overall—yeah, right.
What really matters is maintaining good relations with the main character and the heroines surrounding them.
They weren’t just some random side characters in a novel or game.
No way I was going to let those guys ever hold me back again.
Thinking about getting bothered by them at the Academy, it was easier to let them know what’s going on now.
Waiting for the challenger to show up, I prepped myself to the point where white mist was escaping from my breath.
However, no matter how long I waited, the challenger never showed up.
I heard some noises near the entrance to the side street but nothing more.
What gives? Did they just chicken out? Or could they be a stalker? I twisted to head back to the road, my tail curling in confusion.
But the footsteps that had been following me disappeared.
What on earth was that? Felt like someone cut my cold noodles with scissors.
I wanted to at least see that smug face of theirs.
Could it be they wanted to leave me hanging on purpose?
I wondered if there was such a stingy student among the Academy lot, but then I vaguely remembered that kind of character might exist in the original story.
Some loser who, despite losing to the protagonist, would sickly bother me since they didn’t have the guts or strength to confront me directly.
Somehow, I had managed to hit one of those losers.
What a mess. That’s exactly how I felt. Since nothing went wrong, disaster can creep up in this way.
I felt my hatred for the story writer deepening as I emerged from the alley and headed home again.
With someone like that trailing me, it might get a bit annoying when trying to meet up with Justitia or do any “business” in the future.
I need to find and deal with them quickly.
“I’m back… Oh, right. Nobody’s here.”
I instinctively greeted that I was home, only to remember I wasn’t in my boss’s hideout but a small rental room.
Guess it just stuck with me. Chuckling to myself, I tossed aside my shirt, flopped onto the bed, and relaxed.
The cool blanket slowly warmed up to my body temperature, making me feel drowsy and ready to close my eyes.
It wasn’t even 2 PM yet. It felt too soon to be sleepy.
But hey, maybe a nap wouldn’t hurt?
I wasn’t physically tired, but mentally, I felt drained. I had braced myself, but the Academy was definitely not an easy place.
So many troubles already on the first day.
I wanted to live a smooth, easy life.
I just want to go through life without getting entangled in troublesome situations, but why can’t the world cooperate?
Sneaking my tail around my thigh or scratching the blanket with my nails, I felt like it was a waste of time to sleep like this, so I pulled out my phone and dialed someone.
Considering the time difference, it was still early morning where the boss would be, and the boss wasn’t the type to work through the night.
So there was only one place to call.
“…Gah, hello, Sister. Or should I call you Teacher?”
-T-Teacher? Just call me casually. I’m not at that level yet…
Justitia didn’t sound like her usual self but more like someone catching up with an old friend since we hadn’t spoken in a while.
She had just visited my house yesterday, after all.
Anyway, she was still at her job, so I figured I couldn’t discuss anything serious with her.
What I really wanted was just to chat with a friend, so whatever works.
“So, what do you think about teaching students at the Academy?”
-Teaching… Hmm. It’s my first time, so it’s a bit weird, but it’s also fascinating. I had no idea there were so many talented kids out there.
“Same here. I never thought there’d be that many. Oh, do you remember that boy from earlier? The quiet one? I stayed still because I knew you had the ability, but he was pretty calm too.”
-How could I forget? He had this look like he’d conquered the world, yet he acted nonchalant while setting a new record. Hehe, oh, I shouldn’t have said that.
So Justitia found Minho impressive too. Uh oh, that’s not great.
If she started showing interest in Minho, it wouldn’t be good for her.
The reason the Liberators got wiped out before they could storm the Academy was because Justitia spilled all her identity and information after being completely enchanted by Minho.
Yeah. She was one of the leading members of the Liberators, just as I was the junior position here.
The story goes long, but that’s a bit much to cover now, so I’ll skip it.
For now, my job was straightforward. Stop her from getting too interested in Minho.
“Guess it’s fine. No big deal if I know about it. Anyway, I just called because I was bored. Sorry for bothering you when you’re busy.”
-Oh, there’s no need to apologize. I’m more sorry that I can’t talk longer. How about we have a meal together later?
“Sounds good. Let’s meet at the place that makes good carbonara, then.”
We ended up casually picking the next rendezvous spot. Didn’t plan on doing that.
But hey, planning it ahead isn’t worse than doing nothing.
When the call ended, silence fell in the room.
Hmm. I should probably organize what I need to do.
Find out the security vulnerabilities of the Academy and formulate the optimal raid route based on that.
Get close to the main character while making sure they don’t get too strong.
Transmit information about Heros Company, which can only be accessed at the Academy, to the Liberators.
Provide some mental care for Justitia.
That’s a lot.
None of it would be easy. And definitely not something to tackle when I’m exhausted. So…
A nap sounds like a reasonable choice, right?
– – – –
Following Blanca was solely for information gathering.
I didn’t want to do it, but from the start, she twisted things up because she knew what I knew, so I had no choice.
Now, while I said that, it was really because of a vague sense of unease.
Chasing after her wouldn’t mean I could magically discover who she was; that was just common sense.
It was pretty much a pointless act just to rid myself of my anxiety.
That was the idea, anyway…
But she caught on to the fact that I was stealthily following her.
Her sudden turn down a side street was a clear invitation to follow.
This only piqued my curiosity even more about who she really was. Of course, I wasn’t crazy enough to actually follow her.
I needed information from her, but I doubted it would be worth exposing my identity for it.
Above all, I was afraid. Following someone like her, who had so much uncertainty about her, was daunting.
Her ability far surpassed regular students when it came to skill and physical techniques.
Plus, her demeanor shifted in a flash depending on the person. She definitely didn’t come off as an ordinary student.
Who on earth are you, Blanca?