At the sound of Asrad's voice, Mrs. Lucia immediately turned to look at me.
I already knew she had been watching me for a while, but the thought of what the teacher might say next terrified me beyond words.
I was well aware that there were many suspicious aspects about my situation.
That's why I was so conflicted about what to say.
My absence from the Academy for several days was due to the attack on the Academy.
I had gone missing, and quite some time had passed before I reappeared. I wondered if anyone would believe my explanation for that gap.
I couldn't let people think, "She betrayed humanity to side with the Mysterious Person, then betrayed the Mysterious Person again."
It's difficult to get a second chance after breaking someone's trust once. You end up living under constant suspicion that you might turn your back on them again.
To prevent that, I needed to speak up myself rather than let Mrs. Lucia report on me.
Even knowing this, I hesitated.
It felt like I was walking toward a cliff of my own volition, making it impossible to judge whether this was the right choice.
I felt my mind going blank with fear.
I swallowed the small groan that threatened to escape.
I stepped forward, hoping desperately that this was the best choice.
"...It's me."
Hiding would only make me more suspicious. Having someone else report on me might seem even stranger.
With that calculation, I came forward voluntarily, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
Under the weight of everyone's stares, I felt like I might get dizzy at any moment.
As I walked toward Asrad, the man with navy blue hair and black eyes, he looked at me with interest and said, "Hmm."
Unlike his lively eyes, my spirits were sinking.
My bandaged right hand clenched tightly.
"Well, could I first ask for your name, student?"
I nodded and answered his question.
*
After dealing with the collapsed Wall, I quickly returned to the Academy.
Although a monster had apparently caused chaos for a while, I could tell from the return journey and from a distance that the crisis was winding down as there was no monster in sight.
I had learned a lot from the hero, Sela, but that didn't ease my anxiety.
That's why I had no choice but to return quickly.
I hadn't expected Sela to accompany me on the way back, so I glanced at her cautiously.
"Senior, why are you coming back with me? I thought you'd be returning to your agency."
"Hey kid, are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No! I'm just genuinely curious."
"...Well, I have my reasons. I heard other heroes got emergency calls. We didn't get contacted because we were busy defending the Wall."
"I see..."
Hearing that made me more worried.
The Academy had already been attacked once before, so they had established defenses to prevent the same kind of attack from happening again.
Yet someone had broken through those defenses again and then vanished without a trace, making me wonder what their true objective was.
If it had something to do with Kanna, what would happen? My concern must have shown on my face because Sela asked me a question.
"Yoon Ha-min, do you have someone you like at the Academy? Why do you look so gloomy?"
I swallowed my words along with my saliva.
Waiting for a taxi at the high-speed transit station felt like an eternity.
I was in such a hurry, yet everyone else seemed so relaxed.
"...It's not that I like someone, exactly. There's just someone I'm concerned about."
"You? Concerned about someone? Then they must be a good student too, right?"
"Not really."
For a moment, Orca's face flashed through my mind, but in truth, Orca and I were just friends who studied together and looked out for each other. We didn't have much meaningful contact beyond that.
So there weren't really any emotions involved.
If someone asked if I felt grateful to her, I would say yes.
On the other hand, there was someone who wasn't academically successful, didn't have a rivalry with me, and didn't particularly look after me, but whom I wanted to take care of.
That was Kanna.
Of course, rather than "liking" her, it might just be confusion caused by my racing heart after seeing her naked, sharing a bed with her, and witnessing her vulnerable moments. But I could definitely say that I was concerned about her.
As these thoughts crossed my mind, I noticed Sela watching me with a smirk forming at the corner of her mouth.
"I didn't ask if it was a girl, but I guess it is a girl, huh?"
"..."
Come to think of it, when she asked if there was someone I liked, I had volunteered unnecessary information, which I now regretted.
Her lips twitched as if she'd found something amusing.
"It's not like I have those kinds of feelings. Besides, she doesn't seem interested in me anyway."
Maybe that's why I was unconsciously emphasizing that there was nothing between Kanna and me.
Was I trying to make excuses that I didn't like her? But saying that only hurt myself.
When some girls showed interest in me, I could sense their subtle glances and the atmosphere, but most of them gave up and turned away because Orca was always by my side.
Kanna approached me regardless of that, acting completely natural.
It was a bit frustrating how she treated me like a same-sex friend.
She even asked if she could stay with me, if she could sleep with me, and we ended up sharing a blanket. It made me wonder if I had no appeal as a man at all.
I emphasized that we were nothing to each other,
I made excuses that Kanna had no feelings for me.
And those words dampened my mood.
I shouldn't be feeling this way, I thought.
After hearing my unnecessary comments, Sela sighed briefly.
Then, speaking as a senior in life rather than as a hero, she advised me:
"Why do you think she's not interested? Is she completely indifferent?"
"Not exactly. She's just too... friendly, I guess..."
Without realizing it, this had turned into a counseling session, but I didn't mind.
I was just desperate to grasp at any straw.
Sela made a humming sound after hearing my words.
That "hmm" sounded like she had realized something.
"That could be because she's comfortable with you, or because she trusts you a lot. I don't know exactly how you two interact, but there must be reasons why she acts that way, right?"
Her words made me reconsider some things.
Even as we got into the taxi and headed toward Central, those thoughts continued.
Could it be that the reason she was so unguarded around me, the reason she asked me for help instead of anyone else, and the reason she could sleep peacefully next to me was all because she trusted me?
If so, that would make me incredibly happy.
Trying to think positively, I realized there was plenty of room for optimism, which made me smile.
I also gave a bitter smile at how ridiculous I was being, getting so worked up over this.
Seeing my expression, Sela chuckled.
"What's that? Feeling better?"
"Yes, thinking about it, I guess I am."
"That's good. I wish you luck."
"...Wish me luck?"
Her words at the end of our conversation made me feel like my face was heating up, and I covered my mouth with my hand.
In the awkward moment that followed, I turned my head.
The changing scenery greeted me.
Having arrived from the Wall to Central, where the Academy was located, I walked with a leisurely yet slightly hurried pace.
Sela, knowing I was worried about someone, didn't say anything more, which I appreciated.
There was nothing unusual at the Academy entrance, but as we went deeper inside, signs of impact became evident.
There were cracks in the floor and buildings, and the lawn was so severely trampled that it seemed beyond recovery.
I swallowed hard and unconsciously turned my head.
I suspected that the Mysterious Person had the ability to store monsters inside themselves and release them at will.
Or perhaps they could create monsters directly.
"...Where was it again?"
Sela began looking for directions on her Device behind me.
I glanced at her briefly before turning my head sharply.
I was considering using my ability to pinpoint the location, but then a sound that pierced my ears made that unnecessary.
"Aah, aaaaaaaaah!!"
A high-pitched female scream made me look up instinctively.
"What's that?!"
Sela also flinched in surprise and seemed about to head toward the source of the voice.
Of course, I intended to follow her, but recognizing the voice as Kanna's, I ran there even faster.
I reached the source of Kanna's voice before I could even get out of breath.
There were heroes.
There were teachers.
There were students as well.
And Kanna...
"Ugh, aaaaaaah!"
She was crawling on the ground.
She was struggling, unable to control her ability, with sparks flying from her body.
Perhaps because the colors were similar, the purple lightning looked almost like the Mysterious Person's ability.