Chapter 49

“Rumors spread fast, don’t they?”

It took just half a day for everyone to hear about my rampage in the Magic Arts department.

No one among the Martial Arts kids treated me like I had my head on straight.

My reputation in the Martial Arts department was already pretty rocky, after all.

Those who didn’t want to get on the bad side of the Magic Arts kids took this chance to badmouth me.

It was a bit disappointing that it had only been my Martial Arts peers talking smack, but now I had the Magic Arts kids joining in the fun, so I guess I was feeling a little excited about it.

“Wow, Lightning Sweet Potato is a big deal now. What made you do that?”

Seron, too, had caught wind of it and looked at me with amazement.

“Is there some hormone that makes you unable to stand not being insulted?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why I’m currently brainstorming what crazy thing I can do to get you to insult me right now.”

“Don’t worry. I can insult you just fine without you doing anything.”

Seron snorted.

He’s always the same.

“So, what happened?”

Seron propped his chin on his hand and gazed at me.

“I know you’re a weirdo, but you’re not the type to do something like this for no reason.”

Surprisingly, my rating from Seron seemed pretty high.

“If you look at how you treated Isabel, I don’t think it looks like there was any reason behind it.”

“Come on, do you think I’m a fool? I have eyes too, you know?”

“Wasn’t it?”

Seron lunged at me like he was ready to kill.

But it seemed like he caught on that I wouldn’t spill the beans, so he huffed in annoyance.

“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. I just wanted to ask because you came back like that after going to confess your feelings.”

“Confession, my foot!”

Even now, I still felt like giving Dorara a good smack in the face.

Time passed, and before I knew it, it was school dismissal time. I stood up from my seat.

I needed to head back to the dorms, balancing training and studying as I slowly prepared for the next chapter.

“Hey, you.”

And at that moment, I ran smack into Isabel.

“I heard you did something again in the Magic Arts department.”

Isabel fixed her gaze on me intensely.

I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, “What can I say?”

“I just showed those Magic Arts kids a lesson.”

“For Lin’s sake.”

Did she notice?

Seeing my face that probably screamed “What are you talking about?” Isabel exhaled a heavy sigh.

“Lin’s rumor has been spreading, you know.”

It seemed like Isabel had indeed heard the rumors about Sharin.

“I was planning to step in myself, but…”

Isabel gazed at me, seemingly mulling over when to make her move. It looked like I had jumped in unintentionally at just the right moment.

“Now that you’re involved, those rumors have all but disappeared.”

“That must be a coincidence.”

Isabel’s stare felt particularly sharp.

Moreover, she seemed hesitant.

Isabel had changed a lot recently through various events.

As I waited for her to say something, she continued.

“…Look, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Did you happen to insult Lucas?”

The conversation started veering in an unexpected direction.

My heart sank for a moment.

She trailed off, her lips mumbling.

“Sorry, it’s nothing.”

With that, Isabel turned and walked away.

Could it be that after seeing what happened with Sharin, she, too, reflected on her own situation?

That’s not a good sign.

Isabel had changed quite a bit recently, but there was still a hint of unease lingering.

I hoped she wouldn’t dig herself into a hole again.

The main heroine had me worried, for various reasons.

But for now, there was nothing I could do about it.

I’ll have to give Isabel some time and keep a close eye on her.

After finishing my conversation with Isabel, I began walking back to the dorms again.

Swish—

Before I knew it, I was flailing in mid-air.

Stuck in that airborne position, I slowly turned my head.

Between the buildings.

In the shadowed area, hair that looked like it caught the starlight shone bright.

The girl standing there was gazing at me with languid eyes.

The problem was, the light in those eyes was anything but gentle.

Here we go.

“Hanon, do you have something to say?”

“I’ve never done anything to be ashamed of in my entire life.”

“Right, fair enough.”

My body began to float higher in the air.

Felt like a balloon.

“I’m sorry. I acted out of anger.”

As I rushed to apologize, Sharin brought me back down to the ground.

Thought I was going to become a star.

Feeling relieved, Sharin stepped out of the alley.

“What was that all about?”

And she asked for a reason.

Sharin was sharp.

She must have somewhat guessed why I acted out. But still, she asked again to confirm.

It wouldn’t do any good to hide it from Sharin; it would just leave her feeling bad.

That wasn’t being considerate.

“Like I said earlier, half of it was because I was angry, and the other half was that I didn’t want my useful ally to get into a tough spot.”

As I shared my honest thoughts, Sharin stared at me intently.

It felt like she was trying to uncover my truth.

But I stood firm.

“You chose to take all the heat for me, huh?”

Sharin’s eyebrows took on a frown as she seemed even more upset by my integrity.

I’d never seen her so riled up before.

“You know, I’ve already been getting a lot of flak in the Martial Arts department. It’s not like adding some more from the Magic Arts department is going to cause any real trouble.”

“That’s not how it works! Now you won’t even be able to communicate with the Magic Arts kids!”

Sharin asked how we would handle team issues from now on.

Collaboration is super important at Magung Academy.

Being at odds with your long-range Assassins won’t get you anywhere.

“It’s okay. Sharin, you’re here, right?”

Sharin blinked in surprise.

“…Who said I’d team up with you?”

“Oh no, this is a big problem! I thought you’d definitely want to team up with me!”

“You really can’t act at all.”

Did my intentions show through that clearly?

Grinning like a fool, I continued.

“Even if I get insults from the entire Magic Arts department, if I can gain the trust of the top student from Magic Arts, it’ll be more beneficial than this, right?”

Without a doubt, I could confidently say that no one from the Magic Arts department could match Sharin’s strength.

Sharin bit her lip.

She seemed to have a lot to say, but after taking a deep breath, she sighed long and hard.

“I knew you were reckless, but I didn’t expect it to be this out of hand.”

“Just remember, moving forward.”

We had a lot more meetings ahead.

“To be honest, even if you say that, I still don’t quite understand why you went out of your way to help me. It’s nosy.”

Sharin is sharp enough to manage her own affairs without any help.

Even if she gets bullied in the Magic Arts department, she’d just be a little annoyed.

She doesn’t place any significant value on being bullied.

So my actions must have seemed far too risky for her.

“But thank you.”

Yet, despite everything, Sharin expressed her gratitude.

“I don’t want my mom to get slandered like that either.”

Sharin closed her eyes for a moment, reminiscing.

She’s sharp.

And has a good memory.

She always acts as if she forgets things easily.

But that brilliant mind of hers remembers everything clearly.

No matter how painful those memories might be, she’d never forget a single one.

So I was being nosy.

Her good memory would ensure that she remembers, for life, the hurt of being socially ostracized.

That memory would be more than enough.

“Hanon, can I ask you something?”

Sharin threw a question at me.

Her face shining under the falling sunset looked somewhat lonely.

“What is it?”

“Your name.”

Sharin could tell through her starlike eyes that I was hiding my appearance under the bandages of a veil.

“Can you tell me your real name?”

Yet until now, Sharin had never asked for my real name.

Sharin and I were in a relationship that felt stretched between friends and something else entirely.

My connection with Sharin revolved around Isabel.

But now.

She was asking me my name.

Whatever her feelings were, I had no idea, but this was the first time she seemed curious about my name.

“I can’t.”

So I shot back a quick response.

There’s no way I could let them find out I’m Bickamon.

Sharin gazed at me in disbelief.

She looked like she never expected me to refuse.

“After you graduate from the academy.”

Instead, I placed a condition.

“I’ll tell you then.”

In a world where the bad ending would conclude.

If that world came, I wouldn’t have to hide my identity anymore.

Sharin, who had been staring at me, said nothing further and turned away.

“Do as you please.”

Was she slightly pouty now?

The fact that she was showing her feelings this openly was probably due to how much closer we had gotten.

I wore a gentle smile.

As Sharin passed through the twilight, she didn’t look nearly as lonely today.

* * *

Time trickled on, and soon it was mid-summer.

Everyone was fanning themselves, and everyone’s clothing had become lighter.

Before we knew it, the time for the next Magung tournament was fast approaching.

“Everyone’s sprawled out, saying it’s summer.”

Once again, Professor Veganon sighed as she looked at the exhausted students during the morning class.

Like she said, the students were all worn out.

Even though the classroom had cooling magic activated, it couldn’t change the fact that summers were hot everywhere else.

“Just hang in there until the Magung tournament. After that, you’ll get a short break.”

Once the summer Magung tournament wraps up, the students will be given about 10 days of vacation.

What they do during that time is entirely up to them.

But her words didn’t boost the students’ spirits much.

After clicking her tongue, Veganon placed her book down.

“I originally didn’t want to tell you this, thinking it could distract you, but there will be a barbecue party outside today.”

In an instant, the students’ eyes changed.

At this time, there’s nothing the students enjoy more than eating back-to-back.

Especially since the Martial Arts students are always on the move, they love food to no end.

The kids cheered wildly at the mention of barbecue.

Since the student council was already helping with barbecue preparations.

I already knew about it.

“So everyone, focus on your studies. It’ll benefit you in the long run.”

Professor Veganon said this and resumed the lesson.

The students eagerly awaited the barbecue party.

“It’s over!”

“Barbecue time!”

Finally, the afternoon class wrapped up, and the students erupted in cheers.

Each one of them hurried off to the barbecue party location.

Since this barbecue party is divided by department.

There were Martial Arts students from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years all gathered together.

“I’m heading to help the student council.”

“What? Then where am I supposed to eat?”

As I was about to head to the student council, Seron cried out.

Seron was not mingling with anyone else from the Martial Arts class but me.

Leaving him all alone felt a bit sad.

“Then do your part in the student council.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to do that.”

All thoughts of feeling sorry for him vanished.

Just then, a familiar face passed right in front of me.

“Ban.”

When I called his name, Ban turned towards me with a relaxed expression.

“What’s up?”

“Could you take Seron with you? I need to head to the student council.”

Ban glanced over at Seron.

Recently, he hadn’t hung out with anyone else besides me, so maybe that was why.

Seron nervously poked my back.

“W-What about Lightning Sweet Potato!”

“If you follow Ban, Isabel will be there too. I’m sure she’ll take care of you.”

“Well, there is that.”

Seron hesitated for a moment.

Ultimately, he decided it was better than eating alone, so he agreed to follow Ban.

After seeing Seron off, I headed straight to where the student council was meeting.

The student council of the Martial Arts department had a total of five members.

Two 3rd-year students, two 2nd-year students, and one 1st-year student.

Though Nikita spent the most time in the student council,

other students regularly punched the clock too.

“Hanon.”

When I arrived, Hamel, a fellow 2nd-year council member, greeted me.

We had a neutral relationship, not particularly good or bad.

Among Martial Arts students, he’s the most neutral of them all.

So, there hadn’t been any issues between us.

“Wow, Hanon-senpai has arrived.”

And next to him was a smiley boy who welcomed me with a cheerful grin.

This 1st-year boy with bright blue hair and a yellow name tag looked happy to see me.

This cheerful boy was Midra Fenin.

The deputy of the 1st-year Martial Arts.

We didn’t have many opportunities to get close, but he tended to act friendly towards me.

“I heard about what happened in the Magic Arts department! They say you really taught those magic nerds a lesson.”

“Don’t underestimate those Magic Arts kids; it’ll be a pain when we form teams later.”

“Yep, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Given how Midra wasn’t that significant in the earlier stories either, I had no clue what he was thinking.

“What are the 3rd-year seniors up to?”

“They’re over there helping the instructors.”

As Hamel pointed, two 3rd-year seniors were chatting with the instructors.

One was Nikita, the vice president.

“Nikita-senpai!”

As I approached, I called out to Nikita, who turned to look at me.

When she saw me, Nikita smiled brightly.

“Welcome, junior.”

My body froze for a moment.

That smile seemed different from before.

It clearly looked like something was off with that smile.

The light in her eyes no longer reflected me.

Instead, I felt an unexplainable pressure from her.

Moreover, there was an indistinct chill.

Then it hit me.

‘Disaster Dragon Maiden.’

She had actually gotten involved with that.