Became a Traitor in an Academy

Chapter 7 - The Duel



The Duel

Even Heros Academy taught regular high school subjects during morning hours. In other words, it was boring enough to make you yawn. While history was interesting enough to listen to since it was quite different from what I’d inferred from the original work and story, the rest was like sleeping pills. I even had the ridiculous thought that maybe the teachers were hypnotists and we were building mental attack resistance. Of course, there was nothing like that, it was just boring classes. Other students were listening with burning enthusiasm even to that. It wasn’t strange since they were the type to sit in front rows rather than back. Something like – you need to do your best even in studies to be truly the best. That mentality of trying to stand above others by getting even one more point in written tests. Of course, that didn’t apply to me. I just needed to score higher than the white-haired guy in front of me. With that mindset, I casually passed time until it was suddenly lunch time. Maybe because it’s still the start of the semester, the students seemed awkward with each other. They didn’t try to get close, perhaps thinking of each other as competitors rather than friends. However, even then, there were some students moving in groups. The ‘victims’ who confronted me yesterday, and the group Yeonhwa formed by making friends with her sociability in just one day. Though it was just those and the hangers-on around Lim Chang-won.

Min-ho was already trying to progress with the female lead, asking the girl sitting next to him if she’d like to eat together if she had no one else to eat with.

Her name was Seolhwa. With light blue hair and blue eyes, her appearance was beautiful even to my eyes. Though I wanted to see her up close, that would be a nuisance, so I was satisfied just watching contentedly from afar. More than that, groups forming in just one day. It was much faster than I thought. What would have happened if I hadn’t forcefully created a connection with Min-ho yesterday? Just imagining it made me dizzy. If I had awkwardly approached trying to get close, I’d be met with cold glares from the heroines. Clear malice asking how dare some random girl cling to him. …Ugh. Let’s stop thinking about it. Just thinking about it made my stomach hurt. As I headed to the cafeteria to put something in my aching stomach, someone called me from behind. It was Yeonhwa. “Blanca, sorry! We were wrong yesterday. I apologized by text too, but that didn’t seem enough…! Really sorry!” “…I’m sorry. I didn’t know I shouldn’t have interfered.” They were apologizing to me for yesterday’s incident. Why are they apologizing? For a moment I was blank, not knowing how to react to their behavior, before finally opening my mouth. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who should apologize.” “But… you looked really angry…” “It’s fine? I just got emotional for a moment then. Bad memories came up. Now I really don’t mind at all.” “Are, are you really okay…?” “Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry too much, Yeonhwa.” When I smiled pretending to be easygoing, Yeonhwa smiled as if relieved, saying it was really fortunate. “Then want to eat together? Actually I wanted to eat together yesterday too, but you disappeared before I could ask. If you don’t have anyone else to eat with, with us…” That’s right. That’s why I came to the academy. When I gladly accepted, Yeonhwa was overjoyed enough to jump. They think they were in the wrong. Then… I guess I don’t need to buy banana milk. While watching Yeonhwa bounce around, I suddenly felt a gaze and looked to the side to see a female student watching me. It was Lapis who sat next to me. Her tail tapping the floor showed anyone could see she had something to say but was hesitating. And I knew what she wanted. She probably wanted to be friends with me. But, I was a bit troubled about whether I should accept her. Because she needed to be alone. In the original work, she yearned for friends. But due to her different appearance and background, she was a student who couldn’t blend in with everyone and was left alone. Min-ho reached out to such a lonely Lapis, and when she gladly took his hand, their relationship began… If I accept her now, won’t the development where Min-ho and Lapis connect later disappear? Such thoughts occurred to me. But after consideration, I decided to accept her. Of course, not sincerely reaching out like Min-ho, but more like sharing a chicken skewer with a street cat. I had no intention of sincerely reaching out to her. I shouldn’t. That was Min-ho’s role. But I thought it would be fine to play at being friends moderately until then. If I act like I’m going to be friends while maintaining distance like that, it might make Lapis yearn for true friendship. Then it’ll be easier for Min-ho to snatch her up. After finishing my calculations, I asked Yeonhwa if it would be okay for Lapis to join. “Lapis? Ah, the one who plowed up the ground? Sure! The more people to eat with the better! But… are you two close?” Yeonhwa looked at me with pure curiosity. “Not really, but she doesn’t seem to have anyone to eat with either, like me.” Lapis’s eyes widened and she smiled brightly, but then quickly covered her mouth as if belatedly realizing her teeth were showing. Teeth closer to a carnivorous beast than a human’s. She hated that terribly. Yeonhwa had already approached Lapis saying let’s eat together and was pulling her along. She looked at me and blushed her brown cheeks, mouthing thank you. Though I’m not really trying to be friends. You’re quite pitiful too. That’s all I thought while looking at her.

Unlike the morning, the academy’s afternoon hours were dedicated to ability improvement and teachings for becoming a hero. In other words, it was time to move our bodies. “Since it’s the first day, there won’t be any serious training. After receiving individual feedback from me about yesterday’s test, you’re free to do as you like. Just let me know when leaving the training grounds.” Saying that, Justitia started giving feedback to students in the order they took the test. In the game, this was when the enhancement system unlocked and Yeonhwa explained how to use it… Here, I was just doing exercises with Jin-hyeon without any of that. Indeed, this world isn’t exactly the same as the game world. Then what am I doing, you ask? I was sunbathing, lying spread-eagled in a sunny spot. I wasn’t being lazy. Lying still right now was a very important process of taking in substances needed to use my ability and processing them into usable forms. Not napping. Just as the gentle sunlight was making me drowsy, someone approached and cast a shadow over me. It was Lapis. I naturally thought it was those people from before coming to pick a fight, but surprisingly not. “Um… uh. So, you’re Blanca… right?” Though hesitant, she resolutely spoke to me. If I hadn’t made a connection with Min-ho yesterday, wouldn’t she have spoken to him with exactly that attitude? “Yeah. So why are you looking for me?” “Th-that… um. I wanted to… say thanks for including me at lunch…” As she said this, she covered her face with her hands as if unable to bear the embarrassment anymore. “Why make a big deal of that? I just included you because you looked pitiful being alone.” She trembled slightly as if shocked by being called pitiful, but soon seemed to interpret even that positively somehow and kept saying thank you. “S-so, if possible, could we… eat together again later…?!” Lapis asked if we could eat together again later as if asking for something she shouldn’t. “Sure.” When I casually agreed, she showed joy different from Yeonhwa’s, looking ready to jump. Because of that, she didn’t notice the group of students approaching behind her. “If you’re done, could you move? I have some business too.” “Eh, eh…?” “Do you really want to become a hero? Did you really come here for that?” “Um, hey guys…? W-why are you with Blanca…” It was them from yesterday. Right. I thought it was too quiet. That wasn’t like them at all. It wasn’t surprising since they were the ones who picked fights with the protagonist from the beginning in the original work. Maybe they’re clinging to me just because I stand out the most. “Well, because we have an apology to receive.” An apology to receive – that won’t be easy. I smiled and stood up. “The thug’s right for now. Step back a bit, Lapis. I don’t want you getting caught up in this.” “B-but Blanca…” Lapis tried to approach as if unable to watch her first friend in trouble. But she couldn’t do anything, pressured by the hostile aura of the victims showing animosity toward me. “Oh, did you develop a mind to apologize? Good, a full bow would be-” “Shut up and all of you come at me. Seriously.” I cut off the thug’s condescending words and gestured with a grin for them to come at me. “…Your arrogance reaches the heavens. Are you serious?” The girl who would become a heroine in the future frowned as if finding me ridiculous. “I’m serious.” The others were the same. Among them, the thug seemed properly scratched, glaring at me with veins popping on his forehead. “Let’s see if you still say that while crying and begging.” “How scary.” He was a typical thug in both personality and appearance. A blonde, tanned thug wearing various gold accessories. His ability was similar to his appearance too. Though he does get his act together later on, that wasn’t a reason not to knock him down now. Honestly, he kept being annoying until the middle part. I wasn’t foolish enough to pass up a chance to beat up such a guy. “What’s this commotion? And Ageha student. I’m sure I called you. Why aren’t you coming and what are you doing here?” However, this time Justitia intervened. “Ah, teacher. That’s…” Those who were protesting against me lost their momentum when they saw Justitia. The girl called Ageha who was confronting me first and that thug were no exception. In contrast, Lapis ran to her as if saved the moment she arrived and explained everything about why the atmosphere was so hostile. “So that’s what’s happening now, please stop them…!” “I see. During the entrance exam…” Justitia listened to Lapis’s explanation, crossed her arms in thought, then spoke. “Very well. I approve. However, I’ll limit it to the form of a duel. No objections, right?” “None.” “None.” “Teacher?!” It was the start of an unplanned duel.


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