"Hello again. Nice to see you."
"I'm Chun Yuseong, who just entered the academy."

Why is the person who said we wouldn’t meet again standing here?
Yuseoa was staring at the academy’s ranking board.
The test results had been announced.
Since they were posted online, there was no need to look at the board hanging in the hallway, but here she was.

"Hmm, you’re 28th."

Chun Yuseong spoke, glancing at her.
Yuseoa had hoped he wouldn’t notice her, but since he did, she might as well talk to him.

"Yes. And you?"

"That’s classified."

He said that, but if she searched for his name, it would come up easily.
She scanned the board, but the name 'Yuseoa' wasn’t among the top 100.
No, it wasn’t there.
Outside the top 100.
Anything below the top 100 wasn’t publicly shown; only the academy and the individual would know their score.

"Well, good luck."

"I’m fine."

He said that, but his face looked like he’d been crying.
Unlike before, he wasn’t wearing his usual eyepatch.

"What about your eyepatch? Didn’t you say it was sealing something?"

His eye color wasn’t different or anything special.

"Oh, uh..."

He touched his face, looking flustered.
He seemed to have just realized that he wasn’t wearing the eyepatch.

"...Well, sometimes that happens."

So what if the score wasn’t great?
It’s normal to be disappointed if you didn’t do as well as expected.
He was probably so shocked that he forgot to wear his eyepatch.

"..."

With a bitter expression, he touched the area around his eyes.
Was he thinking of an excuse?

"Well, it’s just for decoration. I don’t really need it."

He admitted that the eyepatch was just an accessory.
He seemed a lot less confident than when she first met him.

"Isn’t your bandage just for show too?"

Yuseoa decided to ask outright.
It might be rude, but she was curious about how he would respond.

"...Heh."

He laughed.
It felt like she touched a sensitive subject.
Maybe it was a mistake.
Touching on something personal was certainly rude.

"I wish it were."

He muttered softly to himself.
Was the bandage actually useful for something?

"Anyway, don’t worry too much. You can do better next time."

"...No, it’s too late. It can’t be."

"Huh?"

"I’m not number one."

Not only was she not number one, Yuseoa’s name wasn’t in second place either.
First place was Chun Yuhwa, my younger sister, and second was Hansihu.
I heard the ranking difference was just a close margin.

"I was always number one. In everything."

Yuseoa must have been used to being first her entire life.
Seeing the rankings at the academy must have been a shock for her.
It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing she could do.

"With more training, I’m sure you’ll improve."

Effort usually brings results.
At least, that’s what I believe.

"It must be a lack of training time."

"That’s likely."

"...Is that so."

She seemed to accept it.
It looked like she was planning to increase her training time.

"Training time, huh..."

I was curious about what kind of training she did.
I also wondered what abilities she had.
I was about to ask, but she seemed ready to leave.

"Well, you’re lucky to have had another conversation with me. We probably won’t see each other much from now on. Goodbye."

She said something similar last time.
Why do I feel like we’ll meet again?
There are a lot of strange people at this academy.

I checked the ranking board.
I wasn’t number one.
Why?
Number one should be set in stone.
How is Hansihu not in first place?

The protagonist is always number one.
No matter what he does, Hansihu is always the best.
The top of the top.

He should have been the best.

"Not enough training time."

Chun Yuseong was right.
Training and real combat are necessary to grow stronger.
But lately, Hansihu has wasted too much time because of me.

Time that’s been thrown away.
In the end, Yuseoa is the problem.

If things continue like this, the story’s progression will be completely derailed.
If even the protagonist falls apart, the world is doomed.
But it’s still just the beginning of the academy.
The protagonist is still strong.
There must be a way.

[17 hours 4 minutes]

"...What should I do now?"

It was the afternoon, and all the classes had finished.
Students were wandering around the streets.
Most of them were moving in groups.

When people think of school life, that’s probably the image they imagine.
Though there are more unusual things here than in a normal school.

But what about me?
Am I even a student?
I’m the only one in my class—it’s not like this is some small rural school.
Even in rural areas, having just one student would be extremely rare.
And the other classes are full of students.

I walked toward the dormitory.
I guess I’m a student since I’m assigned a dorm room.
That means I’m a student, right?
Still, I feel out of place as a student.

I’m a student at the academy, yet I haven’t made any friends.
And I don’t like having to kill a puppy just because I’m forced to.
I hate that the drug’s effects are being wasted too.

Click.

The door opened.
When I entered my dorm room, I saw ropes and knives lying around.
The bloodstains were only half-cleaned.
Is this really a student’s dormitory?

"A student..."

Ever since I came to the academy, I haven’t felt comfortable.
There are too many strange people.

"Me?"

This is so different from what I expected.
Just getting into the academy was a miracle, but I’m only here because of Hansihu.
I know that.
I don’t deserve to enjoy a normal school life.

"If only I hadn’t awakened..."

It would’ve been better if Hansihu and Yuseoa were normal.
They could have attended a regular school and lived peaceful lives.
The academy, sending kids to battlefields, is far from an ideal educational institution.

It would have been better if monsters and awakened powers didn’t exist at all.
Things would have been more peaceful.
Yuseoa wouldn’t have messed up her medication either.

-Stab.

"...Heh."

I can’t help but laugh.
It’s because the drug feels good, of course.

[21 hours 5 minutes]

The drug?
The time has increased.
Why did I use it?

I feel happy.
Maybe because I used it in a calm state.

"Hah."

I still had plenty of time left.
Why did I use more?
I could’ve just tolerated feeling a little down.
There was no need to use the drug.

I have eight 4-hour doses left at home.
That’s an amount that’s hard to save up with normal self-control.
But I just used one.
For no reason other than feeling bad.

"...Heh."

Stab.

I can’t stop.
It doesn’t matter.
With the time I’ve gained, there’s no point in saving it.
The tingling sensation feels good.

"Hah, hah."

Stab.

The third one.
The more I use, the better it feels.
It’s starting to feel like the old days.
That familiar rush.

[26 hours 55 minutes]

The amount of time I gained decreased.
That’s what happens when you use them in quick succession.
It’s inefficient.
But that doesn’t matter.

Clatter.

I hear the sound of a syringe hitting the ground.

Now I only have one left.
When did I use them all?

[33 hours 1 minute]

Is there no more?
For now, I’m fine.
I feel happy.
It’s a happiness that I like.

I don’t think about anything.
Someone else will handle whatever comes next.
Not me, though.
Right now, I just want to stay safely in this feeling of bliss.
The future me?
Who cares?
The present, right now, is what’s most important.
There’s nothing to be gained by putting things off.

No.
I had a plan, didn’t I?
I was trying to do something.

"...Huh?"

The door’s open.
This feels familiar.
I’m sure it was closed, but now it’s open.
Is it the doctor?
The only person who would walk in like this is the doctor.

"Doctor?"

"...Ah."

A voice filled with confusion.

"Who?"

It’s hard to see because of the backlight.
It doesn’t matter.
This might just be a dream.

"What are you doing?"

It’s a familiar voice.
Hansihu?

"Heh..."

I’ve been caught.
But it doesn’t matter.
I feel good for the first time in a while.

Now I understand why I keep dragging myself through life.
It’s for moments like this.
That one moment when the feeling pierces the sky.
That moment when I don’t want to fall, even though I can’t move my body.

"Don’t come any closer."

I know what you can do, Hansihu.
You’re good at nullifying the drug’s effects.
But not right now.
Let’s meet later.

"Get out."

I said it with a smile.
This is my room.

I held the last syringe behind my back.
I had been wondering when to use it.
I planned to use it when the high faded.
It seems like now is the time.

Hansihu looks like he might take it away, so I keep it hidden behind me.
Get out.
Just disappear.

"Okay, let’s go out."

Together?
What is he talking about?
I said to go alone.

"Let’s leave the academy and go home. We’ll go back home."

I didn’t expect to hear that from Hansihu.
Not Yuseoa, but Hansihu, talking about leaving the academy?
Maybe he’s lost his mind because of the drugs.
It must be some kind of hallucination or delusion.

"Home?"

"If we leave on our own, we might get wanted notices, but if we go to a faraway city, we’ll be fine."

"Uh, what?"

He’s talking about running away.
Can the protagonist even do that?
There’s still so much left to do.

The key characters haven’t even played their parts yet.
Some important characters have barely been introduced.
The story has just started. Can he really leave?

"So let’s go together."

Hansihu looked pained, like he was desperate.
No matter how strong the protagonist is, when things get this bad, their mental state will wear down.
I feel sorry for him.

"What about the drugs?"

The only reason I’m still here is because of the drugs.
I didn’t want to be stuck at the academy either.

"I found a supply route."

Hansihu held up some of the drugs from the academy.
But the academy shouldn’t be giving him drugs anymore.

"I can get the drugs even without the academy. So let’s go."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Hansihu is amazing, as expected.
As the protagonist, he can do impossible things.
Compared to someone like me, he’s on a whole different level.
He can even get the drugs without Yuram’s help.

"We’re going home?"

"It’ll be hard to go back to the original house, but we can find a new one. There’s no reason to stay at the academy. It’s too dangerous here."

I agree with that.
There are way too many strange people here.
This isn’t the school life I was hoping for.
It’s time to escape.

It feels like I can see the light.
It feels like the wind is blowing.
I feel refreshed.
Is it because of the drugs?

I still haven’t used the one I’m holding.

"So let’s go."

"When?"

"...Now."

Hansihu is serious.
This is real hope.
The first real hope I’ve seen in a long time.