I Became the Traitor in an Academy Story

Chapter 214




“I reflected on how the culture in this world ended up like this during the brief flight.”

So, where to begin… Ah, right. The gate incident.

It still hasn’t been fully explained why it happened, and even the original source didn’t clarify why it occurred—talk about a classic MacGuffin!

The only rumors around are that the returnees might be involved, but even that got denied in the story, so the truth remains elusive.

They say the returnees crossed dimensions, leading to the gate incident, but they consistently claimed it wasn’t their fault.

Depending on their powers or methods, the consistent statement was that they suddenly could cross the dimensional barrier when they previously couldn’t.

But by the time they managed to cross, the gates had already opened.

If we’re debating which came first, you could argue that the gates opened, allowing the returnees to come over.

So, saying we don’t know why that gate appeared is pretty accurate. Not that it matters anymore now.

Anyway, back to the culture talk.

Suddenly, monsters flooded out all at once across the world, and the existing social order and culture pretty much collapsed.

As you can guess from my usage of “pretty much,” superpowers like the U.S. or countries like Korea and Japan, which have a weirdly high number of returnees, managed to survive relatively unscathed.

Countries like Japan, France, and those with distinct cultural traits still maintained their cultural foundations despite being wrecked.

However, ultimately, it was Heros Company and the U.S. that established the order of this new world, leaving little cultural color behind.

Those two are a tad more… culturally liberal.

Japan, which barely managed to preserve its culture, had a lot of returnees and rich cultural backgrounds, but merged into Heros Company, leaving its culture to survive only within its own borders.

Well, that’s about it. That’s why almost all traditions got smashed.

Looking back, the U.S. felt absurdly out of touch. They had hardly any returnees but managed to take down monsters purely with gunpowder and artillery.

Moreover, they hardly had that many gates open, boasting that their military and civilian firearms could handle it. What a setup!

America, are you the strongest even in another world?

“You can look forward to it; it’ll definitely be an unforgettable memory!”

The captain’s announcement that we’d soon arrive had the kids buzzing, and Ageha was hyping them up.

Having seen the original work and been to Japan myself, I wondered if it would live up to that hype, but it seemed my thoughts were more aligned with the others, excluding Minho.

Having lived in Heros City all their lives, it would be their first encounter with another culture. No matter how insignificant it seemed, it would undoubtedly be unforgettable.

Lapiz was so excited her tail was flapping around on her lap; that said it all.

“I’m so looking forward to it, right?!”

“Huh? Oh, I guess I am a little excited. By the way… you must find it uncomfortable traveling with that thick tail of yours every time.”

I answered that I was excited, but honestly, I wasn’t that hyped up, so I shifted the topic.

The tail. Now that I see it every day and even help take care of it, it doesn’t really feel that fascinating. But sitting on a chair with it blocking your back must be a hassle.

Mine’s thin and flexible enough that I can wrap it around my waist or slide it out beside the chair, but she wouldn’t be able to do that.

“Well… it is uncomfortable, but not overly so. I’ve gotten somewhat used to it since I was young.”

“So, you’re saying it’s uncomfortable but bearable.”

If this happens again, I thought I might have to create a customized chair with slime for her. I wasn’t sure if the owner of this vehicle would appreciate that.

With enough money, breaking a chair wouldn’t be a huge deal, right?

“Even so… I can’t just change every chair in the world for my sake, can I? I’ll just have to endure the discomfort; what else can I do?”

That’s such a kind-hearted mentality, but it drives me up the wall every time I see it.

“Miss, it’s alright to say you’re uncomfortable. If you dislike something, you should say you dislike it. Humans are so intelligent yet foolish; if no one speaks up, they don’t realize there’s a problem.”

I told Lapiz that it’s okay to voice discomfort; if not, others won’t know there’s an issue.

“Look at Heros Company. They don’t care about the weak at all. And look at me. I’m quite a bad example, but…”

Our way of voicing discontent is too extreme, making it a problem, but that doesn’t mean we can’t voice out discomfort.

For us, our voices are too small, but for the families of returnees, their voices would carry more weight, so a subtle hint would probably be enough for them to get it.

As I was dropping hints about how to wield power, the plane landed shortly after.

“I’ll fill you in on this later, Miss. For now, let’s get moving since we’re here.”

After getting off and collecting our luggage, as we followed Ageha, I noticed a line of people in black suits.

Do we have to clear them if they’re from Heros Company? Sighing as I prepared to unleash my poison, suddenly-

“““Miss, it’s been a while!!!”””

The black-suited folks bowed as if they had a script, practically low enough to touch the ground upon seeing Ageha.

They didn’t seem like Heros Company employees. Now that I think about it, their suits had a different design, didn’t they? Oh no, could they be… Ageha’s family?

“Oh, Papa, you really shouldn’t have called when I said you didn’t need to. You can lift your heads; it’s not like I was gone for long!”

“Uh, Ageha? Who are these people…?”

Yeonhwa looked anxious as she scanned the crowd of unfamiliar faces bowing, then turned to ask Ageha.

“Oh right, I should’ve introduced them sooner. They’re our staff. Hehe, it’s a family-like company!”

Yeonhwa pondered why the company’s staff were welcoming Ageha and soon seemed to reach a conclusion, asking her.

“Hey, Ageha, are you the daughter of the president…?”

Ageha blushed and muttered, “This is why I said not to call me that,” before nodding in affirmation.

“Heehee…”

Yeonhwa seemed so intimidated by her friend’s status that she clung tightly to Alice, asking, “You’re normal, right?!”

“Uh, um, yeah?! I think? I’m not so sure…?”

Well, considering those criteria, Yeonhwa isn’t especially normal either. Being the Hero’s daughter and a student at Heros Academy puts her in the top 5% of this world!

But then again, “normal” is always understood personally. I just want to hear more about Ageha’s family when we get to her house.

“Right, there are a lot of people here… and I want to introduce you all to Mama and Papa. Let’s go!”

“Sure. But, Ageha, you surprisingly call your parents in a cute way.”

When I pointed that out, Ageha seemed a bit flustered and hastily added that it’s not her choice and that her Papa or Mama get sad if she doesn’t call them that.

As if someone would fall for that… oh, at least Lapiz did!

Minho didn’t seem tricked at all, but he pretended to fall for it, maybe just to score points.

“See? You don’t know how spoiled they are… not that I mind. Still, being treated like a baby, even though I can walk, feels a bit much.”

“They say kids always look like babies to their parents, but maybe Ageha’s parents take it a bit too far?”

Minho probably already knew, but since Ageha never spoke about them, he pretended not to know.

But we both understood why they were so protective. Ageha was their precious youngest daughter, born after they had four sons.

Plus, her lovable personality meant she grew up receiving affection from the whole family and company staff.

It’s amazing that she only ended up slightly spoiled after all that pampering.

What do you mean by “staff,” you ask?

The staff is simply that—staff!

Her parents might pretend to be company heads, but they were actually the heads of the organization.

You know, like a yakuza gang, just… without the actual beating or extortion, merely inheriting the name and facade of an organization right before society crumbled. Still, it’s an organization.

We rode in a fancy limousine that looked expensive, heading to what appeared to be her home, a traditional Japanese house.

The kids were in awe, having never seen such a house in their lives, and I could only imagine how their minds would spin once we got inside.

Ageha, confident, urged them to expect greatness while cheerily knocking on the door, announcing her arrival in the cutest voice.

“Mama, Papa! I’m home~!”

The kids were not surprised that her parents were older but were more astonished that Ageha had such a voice!

This is going to be fun.

 

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