I Became the Traitor in an Academy Story

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Tracking suicides. Studies. Preparing for the Sports Festival. And getting along with the kids.

But none of it really resulted in anything remarkable.

The whole tracking suicides issue was one that Justitia was struggling with even at Heros Company, so there was no way I could do anything about it.

As for my studies, I already knew everything, so there was no point in putting in effort.

I’m doing some preparation for the Sports Festival, but since so many incidents keep coming up, the developments differ from what I know, and I’m not seriously aiming for first place, so I’m just going with the flow.

I really don’t want to draw any attention, and I have no motivation to make an effort just to win.

Of course, if I ran into Jinhyeon, I’d give it my all, but that’s only if we happen to meet.

The one thing I can consider an achievement is just getting along with the kids.

I’ve been snacking on various things at the store with Ageha and enjoying the desserts that Lapiz buys at the academy café.

Sometimes, I’d drink tap water to earn a little sympathy from the others. That was pretty much it.

And no, I wasn’t drinking tap water just to replenish electrolytes. Eating salt already brings along electrolytes, so what’s the point?

It may seem a bit random, but it just means I lived my usual life.

And thus, May rolled around.

This world, until the 21st century, was an ordinary Earth, so it started to get warmer around May.

Thanks to the Gate incident, civilization worldwide got wrecked a bit, improving the Earth’s environment, but global warming isn’t something that can be solved easily in just a century.

Maybe that’s why, while training, some kids would go over to Seolhwa or Jinhyeon and ask them to create a cool breeze or make ice for them.

No, wait, I take it back. It was more like half the class.

“Phew! I can finally breathe. Thanks, Seolhwa!”

“It’s Seolhwa.”

“Ah, right! Thanks, Seolhwa! I must be losing my head with this heat!”

Lionel was munching on the ice that Seolhwa made, while the other kids were either hugging ice or rolling around in the snowfield she created to cool off.

Yeonhwa was no exception. Despite her flame ability, she was with Ageha, who was blowing cool air with magic since her efficiency drops when it’s hot.

“Woohoo, Ageha! Wanna be a combo later?! I think it’d work really well!”

“Combo…? Sure, but I think I need to think that one over. Still… Yeah. Let’s at least consider it.”

Minho was just running around really fast and shivering because it was cold, while Jinhyeon, wearing that thick costume, was silently embodying various emotions in the air.

…Right, the costume. Damn, seriously, the costume.

I had tried not to care about it, but this damn slime or whatever it is suit just wouldn’t let me get used to it no matter how many times I wore it.

But, after a week of exhausting—mostly pointless—effort, I managed to learn how to maintain its shape so it wouldn’t squirm like it’s alive.

If I think really hard about the image of a bodysuit and coat, I somehow managed to stabilize it without squirming.

The reason it’s a bodysuit is that, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s the simplest and most stable form there is.

Of course, I tried hard to make real clothes. Jeans, short-sleeve shirts, at least a dress or something.

But after that one time when the form fell apart and almost spilled, I just accepted it quietly.

But here’s the kicker: Whenever I started moving a bit more vigorously, it’d start squirming again as if it were alive.

It didn’t reveal skin like it did the first time I wore it. I was gritting my teeth to make sure that nasty situation didn’t happen.

But the mere fact that some parts might thin out to the point of possibly revealing skin was already stressing me out.

To be specific, it was stress that made me synthesize dopamine or serotonin seven times over the week when I normally wouldn’t even produce them.

On the bright side, I didn’t have to endure the heat like Lapiz sitting next to me.

“Huff, huff, huff… Is Blanca not hot…?”

As if it needed to be said, Lapiz’s costume was literally a full-body armor. Just that alone must be hell, and she covered it with black to absorb even more light.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the inside was like a sauna.

If she didn’t have dragon blood mixed in her, she probably would have fainted from heatstroke a long time ago.

“No matter how hot it gets, it’s like going naked, so how can it possibly be hot for you, Lapiz?”

It’s not even summer.

When I said that, Lapiz panted and let slip a comment about how envious she was.

“Then, do you want to wear this? Just give me that armor!”

Now, it’s not Lapiz’s fault, but I couldn’t help but find her annoying, so I placed my palm on her cheek and asked.

Lapiz grabbed my hand with both of hers, rubbing her face against it like she was trying to cool off her overflowing heat in any way she could.

She looked so cute that I went along with it for a moment, but pulled my hand back just in case some slime got on her.

“That… might be a bit much… Ugh, I can’t…! How did Grandma adventure in something like this…?!”

She looked like she couldn’t take it anymore and dashed off to the snowfield Seolhwa made, rolling around. Then, she quickly jumped up, saying she was freezing.

She said yesterday that the cold was harder to bear than the heat, but she couldn’t handle the heat and rolled in the snow, saying she was going to freeze to death.

“…Ugh. What the hell am I supposed to do with this ridiculous outfit during a fight?”

As I sat far away from the kids, lamenting, Im Changwon approached me with long strides.

“As the Vice Class President, how long are you going to sulk like that?”

Why is this guy starting something?

“Did I ever want to be Vice Class President?”

I snapped back, but Changwon didn’t back down and stood his ground.

“Even if you don’t want it, if people expect it, it’s your duty as a hero to meet those expectations. As a student in Class A dreaming of being such a hero…”

“Do you really want to meet any expectations you don’t want?”

He kept droning on, so I picked out one cutting remark that could sink him with a single throw.

Just as I expected, Changwon stopped like he had just taken a low blow and stared blankly.

“I have no intention of doing that.”

Changwon frowned as if he was going to say something, but couldn’t quite manage to formulate his thoughts like someone who just got hit on the head with a hammer.

That must have been a critical hit. He, above anyone else, was someone who received the most uninvited expectations.

“So, could you just leave? I’ll manage to practice on my own. Unless you want to try working out in a bodysuit where your body is all visible.”

As I tried to move away with another comment, Changwon didn’t let me go and called out to me again.

What now?

“Even if you didn’t want it, the seat you’re in comes with responsibilities. At least fulfill that responsibility.”

What’s he talking about? Is he giving me that look like he’s had an epiphany?

I wanted to distance myself from his apparently fake pain. Like avoiding something gross, not out of fear.

Im Changwon stood there blankly for a while, seemingly shocked by what I said. It was the first time I’d seen him like that, and I almost thought he was broken, but I decided not to dwell on it.

Honestly, it’d be nice if he really was broken. Having more comrades would be welcome.

Even if it’s just a little differently broken than someone born that way. There’s a difference between having lost limbs due to an accident and being born without them.

He might end up being a good conversation partner.

– – – –

I really don’t think she said that with the insight of my family history in mind.

She probably didn’t have any deeper thoughts that inspired such insightful comments.

Asking if I wanted to meet unwanted expectations was probably just a way to get under my skin.

Blanca is that kind of woman. Harsh and mean-spirited.

But.

Her one remark shook the very foundation of the concerns I had struggled with my whole life. Do I really have to meet those expectations?

Is there any responsibility laid on me?

Is it my duty, following my father, to become a director at Heros Company? No.

Nothing should be my responsibility. That should remain a choice for me, something no one else can impose on me.

There was no need for me to escape towards being a hero. There was no need to escape at all. That wasn’t my duty.

All I needed to do was ignore those choices that I didn’t like.

So, why was I doing everything I could to run away from that choice that could be resolved just by not choosing?

I hate it; that one word could have solved everything.

Why have I never said no to my father’s words?

He said I bore the responsibility of the eldest son. But was it really a responsibility? Or was it just his stubbornness?

No, it can’t be. Responsibility is. Responsibility wasn’t meant to be used that way. If I haven’t acted, it could never be a responsibility. My future was something I must choose entirely for myself.

Not something decided by someone else.

So then, what do I want to be?

I entered Heros Academy purely to escape.

I didn’t want to follow my father’s wishes, but I was too scared to tell him, so I ran away pathetically.

Do I truly want to be a hero and exist among these people?

Am I worthy of being here?

I felt like I needed to think about it some more.

 

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