Just Because I Have Narrow Eyes Doesn’t Make Me a Villain! - Chapter 61

 

“…It really has a different impression.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. It’s already been half a year.”

At Amelia’s words, Siwo finally realized how fast time had flown by.

It’s already been half a year.

He was so focused on the fact that it was summer break that he didn’t realize that much time had passed.

“I definitely thought you would make a bunch of friends and spend it ordinarily.”

“You dream big, Siwoo.”

“…No, is it really dreaming big just to live an ordinary life?”

“Looking at your situation, isn’t that accurate to say?”

…Yeah, it’s true. No one would expect their school life to become this entangled right from the start.

He never imagined becoming this close with a student whose identity is impossible to grasp and another student whose thoughts are indecipherable.

Half the reason his life isn’t ordinary is because of Arte, and the other half is because of Amelia.

‘I wonder if she knows that?’

She definitely doesn’t. Even now, she has a clueless expression.

Sighing, he spoke to Amelia.

“In the end, we couldn’t find the secret room.”

“From the beginning, it was a mistake to think we could find it in half a year, as you said.”

“So the plan was impossible from the beginning?”

“Ugh…”

For half a year, they searched all over the academy.

Using club activities as an excuse, they turned every location upside down, so to speak.

…But it wasn’t there. No matter how hard they looked, something like a secret room simply didn’t exist.

“Maybe something like a secret room really doesn’t exist after all? Senior seemed eager to help us, but she also lost motivation.”

“… It’s not just her you can say that about, Siwoo. You and I also gave up a long time ago.”

“Yeah, well. That’s true.”

To be honest, at first, everyone enthusiastically ran around.

They thought it would be fine if they could somehow find the secret room while enrolled in the academy and secure that dangerous artifact first.

That’s why they joined the Exploration Club and told the president about it, embellishing it in various ways.

The excited president tagged along to find the secret room no matter what and earnestly searched for several months.

…Yes, they ‘searched.’ Now, not a single person in the club was bothering with it.

“Whew, you need to make at least some progress to do anything. I experienced firsthand the saying that motivation plummets when stuck on the same part.”

“…It was my first time feeling that way too.”

Over the past half-year, they have realized why people dislike repeating the same thing.

Why people dislike training.

“I didn’t know the lack of progress could be this difficult.”

“Yeah. I honestly didn’t get it when Granny said many people dislike training. But now I think I understand.”

They have seen countless times how their classmates dislike attending classes and honing their skills.

And whenever they saw that, they wondered why they disliked it. After all, the sense of achievement from being able to do what was impossible with just a few days of practice was enjoyable.

…And through their emotions, they found the answer to that question.

“That feeling when the thought suddenly hits you that you’re just spending time without any results… Ugh.”

Amelia rubbed her arms as if she got chills.

Yes, that’s why they gave up. Accepting the fact that they were arrogant.

…A secret room that the academy’s founder painstakingly hid so that no one could find it for hundreds of years–how could mere students do it in less than half a year?

Not to mention without any clues.

So they gave up on finding it first and waited for Arte to find the artifact.

They changed their approach to somehow seizing it right before she got her hands on the artifact.

She surpassed the level of strength of a student, had clues about the secret room, and even had comrades, though Siwoo didn’t know the exact number.

So they decided to get stronger and ambush her to subdue her right before she grabbed the artifact.

That plan was also discarded yesterday, though.

“…Ah, it’s Dorothy. Over here! Over here!”

Amelia raised her hand high and waved it while shouting.

Only then did Dorothy come running over in a hurry, her brown hair fluttering from afar.

“Huff, huff… Ah, hello.”

“You could have come slowly. It would have been fine.”

“Sti, still. We said we’d hang out together to celebrate summer break, so wouldn’t it be a bit much if I arrived late?”

Dorothy’s brightly smiling face was dazzling.

How commonsensical her words were.

If it were Amelia, she would surely say, “Is that so? Then it should be fine if I’m a little late next time?” and start arriving a bit late each time.

“… What’s with that unpleasant gaze?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Did he unintentionally stare at her?

He made an excuse to Amelia, who looked puzzled. He said it was nothing and glossed over it.

It would be a bit troublesome if she kept asking about it.

“It looks like it’s about to start, so let’s find our seats.”

“Okay… But where’s Arte?”

“…Huh? I saw her over there a little while ago. Where did she go…?”

Despite their efforts to somehow find Arte, they couldn’t see her.

Where on earth did she disappear to…?

Amelia poured out her complaints towards Arte.

“When we said let’s go hang out somewhere after the ceremony… Where did she vanish to?”

“Who knows? Calling her after it’s over should be fine, so let’s sit for now.”

“Sigh… I’ll endure it, I’ll endure…”

…To be honest, Amelia and Siwoo’s wariness towards Arte has greatly diminished.

They were almost certain she was a member of Übermensch.

They thought that was the correct answer, but wariness towards her has gradually faded since they couldn’t prove it.

It’s odd for someone aiming to be a hero to have these thoughts…

But if Siwoo had to be honest, he didn’t know much about the dead people.

He only heard the news that they died, but they were people completely unrelated to him.

And the victims weren’t upstanding citizens either.

They were villains who relentlessly tormented those citizens.

There was even news that among the dead villains, there was a villain who murdered 30 civilians and was released from prison, right?

They may not have committed crimes. The dead villain may have been falsely accused.

…But is it because he’s biased that he can’t help but think they deserved to die due to the blatant circumstantial evidence?

Is it because he is a cruel person that he doesn’t feel much aversion to the thought that Arte may have killed people?

Siwoo was unsure.

“Ah, ah. The summer break ceremony will start soon, so students, please take your seats…”

“Haa. Where on earth did she disappear to?”

Where did Amelia’s hostility go? To think she’s feeling friendliness towards Arte.

Excluding him, Arte, and Dorothy, whom she recently started talking to, Amelia converses with only a handful of people.

Perhaps she also thinks she must stop Arte, but she might consider her a friend.

She’s been starting to treat her without reserve, so it’s probably certain.

“Hey, it’s really starting. Sit, sit.”

‘But I can’t say much with how empty it feels without Arte…’

She’s indeed dangerous. He didn’t know her background, and she might be watching him while plotting something dangerous.

…But he still hoped that she wouldn’t disappear.

Even if it had been only half a year, he had come to consider Arte a precious friend.

Whether Amelia’s plan succeeds or fails.

He sincerely wished that she would have a good experience over the break.

***

“And lastly, the various things you students have learned over the past half year at the academy…”

“It keeps going…”

The principal’s speech, which showed no signs of ending, lasted over ten minutes.

Thinking it would end, but it doesn’t, and thinking now it will really finish, but it continues again.

Siwoo was despairing that even when he thought an hour had passed and looked at the clock, only about ten minutes had gone by, and once again, their voice pierced his ears.

In that seemingly eternal, boring time, Dorothy was voicing her complaints.

“Amelia, do you… She fainted.”

Her half-collapsed, absentminded appearance was completely different from usual.

To think someone so lively would end up like this.

Just as he started to feel his body stiffening, he suddenly recalled.

…This spot, this seat.

It felt familiar. Like he had seen this seat many times before.

Where was it? The only memorable thing about this auditorium is the monster attack…

“S-Siwoo?”

“You there, student! What’s going on? Quickly return to your seat!”

Ignoring the teachers far away reproaching me as they approached, he looked at Arte’s seat on the day of the entrance ceremony.

Arte isn’t here. But he felt a sense of déjà vu.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t shake off the uneasiness. To the point of having the illusion that his head was splitting.

Where did Arte disappear to?

He hurriedly opened the closed window to check outside the auditorium.

“…This is crazy.”

“Student! Take your se- what the, what is that?”

Like a passing storm, a wave of darkness approached.

_________________________

Author’s Notes

While reading the comments yesterday, I suddenly realized something.

If things continue like this, the number of incidents until the summer break will increase dramatically! With that in mind, I skipped the time period and even the description I had to include.

I added an explanation.

I’m feeling sleepy today.

Good night, everyone.