I tensed up completely as I poured out my ability.
I could tell there was more mana stored than I'd expected. Above all, thanks to my prosthetic arm allowing me to use my ability more efficiently, the consumption rate was quite low, which helped.
After firing once, I felt better and continued.
As I felt the mana gradually depleting from my body, I held onto that sensation and kept going.
I repeatedly drained mana to the point where I didn't need to control it.
If nothing happened—if nothing went wrong—I could live without removing my prosthetic arm. I wouldn't need to rely on someone else every time I bathed, and I wouldn't need to fear myself.
Having no mana left in me meant that even the wavelengths that Mysterious Persons could detect would diminish, giving me the advantage of minimizing ways they could find me.
But I couldn't let my guard down completely.
Even if they didn't attack immediately, if Mysterious Persons led monsters to attack tomorrow, the day after, or even a week later after preparations, I might have to face them without knowing what to do.
I wanted to trust Yoon Ha-min, who said he would protect me.
But I couldn't blindly place my trust in him. He was a student with limited influence, so he couldn't truly protect me. He would certainly face restrictions in what he could do since he had to follow orders from above.
All I could hope for was to find ways to protect myself within my capabilities.
With that desperate wish, I continued depleting my mana.
*
Inside The Wall, tension still lingered.
The three invasions spanning March and April had inevitably kept people on edge.
But even tension requires energy, and recharging is necessary.
Perhaps that's why? Now that time had passed and June had arrived, people were wearing subtle expressions as they tried to reclaim their lives.
"This must be the kind of incident that happens once every few decades, right?" people would say as they tried to move on, seeking cool days despite the increasingly hot weather.
News began to emerge that more people were heading toward the sea—the only place in this country without walls.
Toward the ocean, where there were no walls, only barriers that blocked the flow of mana.
Although barriers extended to a certain distance for fishing operations, they were irrelevant boundaries for those going to beaches purely for enjoyment, which seemed to be everyone's destination.
Under the increasingly hot sun, I felt like I might melt little by little.
Soon July would come, then August, and I wondered if wearing a blazer would be too much.
I was gradually getting used to a life that had become better than expected.
"Miss Kanna."
Wednesday at the Academy. Days of alternating between practical training every other week and taking exams.
I approached the teacher at the podium to receive my test results.
Although I always dreaded getting report cards on exam days, now it was fine.
I was even looking forward to it.
"You'll soon escape the Bottom Rank."
I accepted the report card Mrs. Lucia handed me and tried my best to hide my overwhelming emotions.
Murmurs rose around me.
The reason my classmates were buzzing was that I was about to escape the Bottom Rank despite receiving a zero in one subject.
"...Yes."
"Keep up the good work."
"I will."
By sacrificing one subject, I had raised my overall performance in others.
Doing this meant that those just ahead of me were feeling the heat as I caught up to them, which wasn't surprising.
My overall average had improved in the written exams. Thanks to high scores in the newly added geography subject, it seemed like I could overcome my ranking soon.
When the Academy day ended, everyone murmured and glanced at me before going their separate ways.
Yoon Ha-min briefly spoke with Orca about something, then showed her his report card and made a V-sign with his fingers.
Orca stared blankly at it before giving a bitter smile and nodding.
After watching this briefly, I slipped my report card into my bag and zipped it closed.
"Kanna, there's a nice shaved ice place on the way home. Want to stop by?"
"...Sure."
The hot weather was already making it difficult to wear the required blazer.
Yoon Ha-min's suggestion of shaved ice was an irresistible offer, so I nodded.
As soon as we left the Academy, we entered a waffle shop where I encountered the shaved ice he mentioned.
I wasn't particularly fond of red beans, but I was pleased to hear they used chocolate instead.
I hadn't intended to show my preference through my expression, but Yoon Ha-min seemed to detect my likes and dislikes from subtle facial changes and handed me a spoon with a smile.
"I was worried whether you'd like it, but I'm glad."
"Was it that obvious?"
"Well, just..."
I touched my face as I asked, but Yoon Ha-min gave an ambiguous answer and trailed off.
I tilted my head, wondering if I was bad at controlling my expressions.
Well, that aside, ice has a limited lifespan, so I thought it wiser to move my spoon rather than dwell on such concerns.
My body shivered as I tasted the sweet, cold sensation.
Yoon Ha-min also took a bite and nodded once.
As I enjoyed the collaboration of chocolate and ice melting in my mouth, Yoon Ha-min brought up what seemed to be his real purpose.
"By the way, it seems like things aren't going well between you and Orca... what do you think?"
My shoulders tensed.
I wanted to become friends again, but considering that her family had been criticized and had to clean up the mess because of me, I felt too guilty to approach her first.
Of course, I thought it might be better to try talking to her at least once, but since she wasn't approaching me either, it felt awkward for me to make the first move as the one who seemed like the perpetrator.
Besides, it appeared she was being urgently assigned family duties differently than before because of this incident, so even if we became friends again, we probably wouldn't have much time to talk.
"I think we still need more time..."
"Is time going to solve this problem?"
"Maybe, for now?"
Seeing my troubled expression, Yoon Ha-min smiled bitterly and nodded.
Then he let out a deep sigh.
He looked intently at his Device screen before changing the subject.
"I hear people are already going to the beach because it's hot."
He seemed to be looking for news to quickly change the topic.
It was news I had seen while eating breakfast that morning, but the fact that he brought it up again confirmed my suspicion.
"Really? The beach..."
I pondered for a moment. What would happen if my prosthetic arm touched seawater?
Even if it was waterproof, seawater was different from regular water—would it be a problem?
After realizing that the very idea of going to the beach with mechanical limbs made no sense, my interest quickly faded.
I wasn't particularly eager to go anyway, since being in seawater wouldn't protect me from the hot sun, and even traveling there would be hot.
For me, the best way to spend summer was staying indoors with the air conditioner on, wrapped in a blanket, lazing around.
"Why? Do you want to go to the beach?"
"No, with this body, I couldn't go even if I wanted to."
Not wanting to flatly state my lack of interest, I spoke in a small voice.
I slightly waved my hand holding the spoon, and Yoon Ha-min immediately sighed and closed his mouth.
I had meant to deflect by implying my prosthetic was the issue rather than saying I disliked the idea, but this seemed to make things worse, which made me feel a bit sorry.
Feeling awkward, I put more shaved ice in my mouth and chewed.
"...Besides, staying in a cool place is better than moving around in the heat."
As I added this unnecessary comment, Yoon Ha-min smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Is that so? That's a relief. I thought you wanted to go but couldn't."
"Ah, no. That's not it."
Having this body meant restrictions on everything, making it difficult to speak freely.
I didn't want to make him worry that I felt limited because of my body.
Yoon Ha-min relaxed his shoulders upon hearing my words, seemingly relieved.
Then he moved on to another topic.
"Come to think of it, draining your power completely seems to have been the best approach."
"Yeah. Good thing you suggested I try it... Oh, should I have left enough for the exam?"
"You should have."
I chuckled as I asked, and Yoon Ha-min laughed in response.
Even as we joked, we both knew it was uncomfortable to freely use abilities powered by unrefined mana in such places.
The flow could make other students uneasy, and I might receive another warning, so I was being cautious.
As we exchanged these silly jokes, something rumbled with a "thud."
Just as I was beginning to feel happy about nearly escaping the Bottom Rank despite sacrificing one subject.
Thud.
"...Kanna."
Yoon Ha-min's face seemed to turn pale.
Rising from his seat by pulling his chair back, he called my name softly.
The shop owner and customers all startled, jumping to their feet and preparing to flee.
Everyone fled the building as if hypnotized by the massive vibration that suggested they should escape, whether it was an earthquake or something else.
Thud.
When we rushed outside, we could see The Wall in the distance.
The enormous wall, visible from anywhere regardless of distance, was crumbling.