A cool breeze flowed in through the open window.

The clear autumn sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, creating a perfect day to start the second semester.

I adjusted the slightly crooked angle of my tie as I looked into the mirror, wearing my fall and spring school uniform.

“This attire is quite enviable,” Geumyang said.

She lay on the bed, resting her chin on her hands, looking over at me while idly kicking her legs against the bed.

“Do you want one too?” I asked.

“Will you buy it for me!?” Geumyang sprang up, her upper body rising in excitement.

“This week is busy with tasks left over from the break, so I can buy it for you over the weekend,” I replied.

“Meh… very well,” Geumyang said, her expression melting into satisfaction.

“Oh, by the way,” she added.

Geumyang reached her hand into a small crack that appeared next to her, retrieving a letter from my desk. It was something I had recently received in the mail.

She shook the letter gently.

“What about this disciplinary issue?”

The letter was regarding the disciplinary committee meeting.

“I’ll have to face it head-on.”

“What if it doesn’t go well? The abuse of authority you committed this time is severe.”

“It won’t come to that.”

I created another crack, this time beside me, and snatched the letter from Geumyang, shaking it as she had.

“I’ll continue my duties as the disciplinary leader.”

I glanced at the figure of the disciplinary leader of Ahseong High displayed on the shelf. It was posed with a stern expression, pointing somewhere as if confronting a criminal.

I had to maintain that dignified image at least until my objectives were achieved.

“…But why are you shaking your leg?” Geumyang asked.

Oh.

“It’s gotten a bit cold. I’ll turn on the boiler as soon as I get home,” I replied.

“Hm…”

Honestly.

‘I’m nervous…!’

I was sure I wouldn’t be removed as the disciplinary leader, but if I received a suspension of more than a month?

If I ended up showing an unworthy side of myself during that time?

If the students and the disciplinary committee perceived my actions as severe abuse of authority?

A pathetic future of me constantly watching my back was forming in my mind.

It was very unappealing. Just like Ha Ye-song…!

“It doesn’t seem particularly cold.”

Geumyang sighed softly and sat cross-legged, straightening her back and holding her slim ankles.

“Do you realize this?”

“What?”

Geumyang pointed at me with her index finger.

“You’ve gotten considerably stronger. It seems you’ve properly absorbed the effects of your training and practical experience.”

“…Why the sudden praise?”

“Try using spatial leap to go to school today, just like last semester. You’ll feel what I mean.”

A little while later.

After informing Oh Baek-seo that I couldn’t go to school with her, I started using spatial leap to get to school.

“Huh?”

In just three jumps, I arrived at Ahseong High exactly where I wanted to be.

‘Was it always this easy to set coordinates?’

How could something that was so difficult become so effortless?

‘And isn’t my mana circulating faster since I recovered?’

This wasn’t just ‘growth.’ It had to be described with the adverb ‘dramatically.’

“……”

I remembered the time I fought Han Seo-jin.

As soon as I ascended to the 5th-tier and awakened my unique ability, I reached the realm of the 6th-tier. It was as if a blocked artery had been cleared.

Was that growth still effective?

‘It’s still not enough.’

It was fortunate, but with this level of skill, it was still difficult to survive safely against the principal.

I took a deep breath, calmed my emotions, and headed for the school gate of Ahseong High School.

My feelings settled.

“Disciplinary committee, the second semester has begun! We’ve switched to fall uniforms, and I’ve become even prettier!”

“Every time you open your mouth, it’s a lie.”

“Park Min-hyuk, shut it.”

In the disciplinary committee’s office.

Ha Ye-song was bustling around, spouting all sorts of stories.

“We need to start the second semester in a good mood! Otherwise, we won’t be able to overcome the sorrow of the end of the break! Right, Do-ha!?”

“……”

Ye-song sought agreement.

Yoo Do-ha was lying on the sofa with a book covering her face, fast asleep.

Ye-song walked to the back of the sofa, grabbed the backrest, and glared at Do-ha. She then yelled.

“Hey, is this a sleeping room!?”

“Shut up.”

Do-ha’s voice came muffled through the book.

“I know you’re worried about the leader, but calm down a bit.”

“Hmm…, that’s…”

Ye-song’s true feelings were exposed, causing her to let out a blank sound before her eyes gradually filled with tears.

“Do-ha…”

“Oh, please.”

“Will the leader be alright!? He will, right!?”

“Leave me alone….”

Ye-song shook Do-ha furiously, demanding reassurance.

Currently, Ahn Woo-jin was being reviewed by the disciplinary committee.

The matter had already been announced on the school’s website and application during the break, and the committee convened as soon as the break ended.

The disciplinary committee members testified as witnesses, clarifying the facts. They did not perjure themselves, and since the facts were clear, the committee proceedings wouldn’t be prolonged.

“Our school kids are so heartless! The leader is being reviewed, and no one has submitted a single petition! This is just too much, Do-ha!”

Ye-song continued to shake Do-ha relentlessly.

The book covering Do-ha’s face slid off and fell to the floor, revealing her annoyed expression.

“We are the disciplinary committee. If we have earned resentment from the students, they won’t support us. What do you expect?”

Moreover, the disciplinary committee itself couldn’t submit a petition. It would look like they were just protecting their own.

“But… what if the leader can no longer be the leader?”

“He seemed prepared for it.”

“You’re so cold! Lacking empathy! An icy person!”

“What are you even saying…?”

Do-ha grumbled.

“Min-hyuk, what about the leader…?”

“Hic… Leader….”

“?”

Min-hyuk was already in tears.

Imagining Woo-jin being removed as the leader had made him sad.

Ye-song narrowed her eyes.

“Why are you crying? It’s pathetic.”

Her tears vanished. A mirror cure.

At that moment, Oh Baek-seo came out of the break room.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be alright.”

“Baek-seo? Oh, thank you.”

Baek-seo handed each member a cup of coffee from the tray she was carrying.

Do-ha, noticing the number of cups on the tray, reluctantly got up to take her coffee.

As a fellow woman, Do-ha tended to feel a bit intimidated by Baek-seo. So whenever Baek-seo showed concern for her, Do-ha accepted her kindness without complaint.

“Aren’t you worried, Baek-seo?”

“The most important thing in this committee is how Mahyeon High responds. After all, we carried out disciplinary activities in their jurisdiction without their knowledge.”

Baek-seo sat on the sofa as Do-ha quickly folded her legs, making space for her. She sipped her coffee.

“But for some reason, Mahyeon High acknowledged that we had valid reasons for entering their jurisdiction. The committee will likely take that into account.”

“Huh? Why would they? Don’t they dislike us?”

Ye-song tried to sit next to Baek-seo, but Do-ha didn’t move her legs. Ye-song frowned and pushed Do-ha’s legs aside to sit down.

“I’m not sure. Maybe they appreciated us catching a dangerous criminal in their territory.”

“That doesn’t make sense. The achievement would be ours. Why would they accept that? Suspicious… Ah!”

Ye-song, stroking her chin, spoke seriously.

“They might be trying to make us owe them a favor! That way, we’ll have to help them out in the future. Clever!”

“Who knows?”

“Shouldn’t the committee be suspicious of some kind of deal? If I were on the committee, I’d find it suspicious.”

“We’re the offenders who invaded their jurisdiction. If there was a deal, it would have to be documented.”

“True…”

Baek-seo smiled warmly, sipping her coffee.

“So no matter what the committee decides, the leader won’t be removed?”

Min-hyuk asked, and Baek-seo nodded.

“Yes, that’s likely.”

“That’s a relief…”

Min-hyuk and Ye-song sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, Do-ha stared at the book that had fallen due to Ye-song. Her eyes reflected deep thoughts.

“What’s on your mind, Do-ha?”

“…Vice Leader. Are you hiding something?”

Do-ha asked, looking seriously at Baek-seo.

Baek-seo responded with her usual gentle smile.

“What do you mean?”

“……”

A deceptive smile. Baek-seo always hid her true feelings behind that smile.

A human’s ominous premonition often turns out to be correct.

A person’s mind subconsciously combines various factors and sounds an alarm based on accumulated data.

Do-ha could sense the reason for her ominous premonition.

“After seeing Moon Chae-yeon’s abilities, it didn’t make sense that you were captured so easily. You’re the strongest here. You should have inflicted significant damage at least.”

“Aren’t you overestimating me?”

“And one of the lackeys of the Six Sins revealed your location. It means this involved the Six Sins.”

The atmosphere grew tense, causing Min-hyuk and Ye-song to fall silent.

Do-ha stepped off the sofa and picked up the fallen book, brushing off the dust.

“You went alone because you needed to handle it discreetly. And if the Six Sins were involved, strong enough to capture you…”

The terms Federal Council, Spartoi, and Principal flashed through Do-ha’s mind, but she couldn’t continue.

“Dear.”

“!”

Baek-seo looked Do-ha in the eyes.

A chilling pressure enveloped Do-ha, as if a giant whispered for her to stay silent.

Do-ha instinctively shivered. It was a reflexive reaction when facing a predator.

Yet, Baek-seo only wore a gentle smile.

Ye-song and Min-hyuk watched them nervously, still respecting Baek-seo’s recovery period and hesitant to ask questions.

In her anxiety for Woo-jin, Do-ha had begun to hypothesize Baek-seo’s backstory.

Do-ha would eventually figure out the truth, and Baek-seo was silently warning her not to speak.

“Do-ha, calm down…!”

Ye-song whispered urgently to Do-ha.

“…Fine.”

Understanding Baek-seo’s unspoken message, Do-ha sighed and sat back on the sofa.

“We’ll talk later.”

“Sure, I’ll explain it later. Just be patient.”

Baek-seo smiled brightly.

She turned her attention away from Do-ha and continued sipping her coffee.

At that moment, the phone rang. Min-hyuk looked around at the other members before answering.

“Yes. …What? Who’s here? Hold on! Who gave them permission…!?”

Min-hyuk’s surprise made Ye-song and Do-ha look at him curiously.

Meanwhile, Baek-seo remained calm, leisurely sipping her coffee. She already knew what was happening.

─ ‘Just…, I need you.’

Baek-seo recalled Woo-jin’s words.

Woo-jin knew the principal was an enemy, yet he chose to stay with Baek-seo.

So, the path Baek-seo had to take was clear.

She would fight alongside Woo-jin.

“We will now announce the decision.”

The disciplinary committee chairman held the gavel.

“We hereby remove Ahn Woo-jin from the position of disciplinary leader.”