96) Chapter 15. ……It Was Warm (9)

“Ah, don’t worry too much. I’m not suspicious of you or anything.”

Instructor Justina said that as she rested the baton casually on her shoulder.

“In situations like this, it’s best to share what we learn quickly, right?”

The slithering sound beneath the ground had stopped.

But I didn’t think the villain had gone far. If they had, we would’ve heard screams from another direction.

“It breaks down stone and wood without distinction.”

Instructor Justina looked down at the ground as she spoke. Her voice was oddly light.

But the faint wrinkle between her brows showed she wasn’t taking this lightly.

Maybe she was trying not to make us worry too much.

“Superpowers are weird, aren’t they?”

She suddenly said.

“They’re so inconsistent. Look at Soi — she can set her body on fire, breathe fire, and fly. Isn’t it strange how all of that works like one ability?”

“Uh…”

Is it?

In the world I lived in before, there were characters who flew around while on fire, so I didn’t think much of it.

And not just fire — all sorts of abilities let people fly for all sorts of reasons. Even people without powers flew around using gadgets or special suits.

“That guy too. What kind of ability is that? Stone isn’t just stone. Scientifically, it’s made of all sorts of elements. And trees aren’t even related to stone — they’re living organisms. If everything that touches the ground counts as ‘earth,’ then anything partially buried should be breakable too, right? And if that’s the case, you could lock him in any building and he’d just break out.”

“…….”

When I didn’t respond, she chuckled.

“Well, I guess that’s why we call them superpowers. They appeared out of nowhere and threw the world into chaos. There are rules, but they’re impossible to grasp.”

She looked up at the sky briefly, then closed her eyes and exhaled.

“Hey, Rua. I know I was lecturing you about adults and responsibility earlier, and I feel a bit bad, but… can you help me?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

Instructor Justina said:

“You and Soi are the only ones who can stay safe here.”

“Me?”

Soi tilted her head.

“He’s attacking from underground. The safest method is not touching the ground.”

“Ah.”

“Right? But Soi, you still can’t control your strength well enough to carry someone safely. So for now, just focus on keeping yourself off the ground.”

Then she looked at me again.

“And you understand, right?”

“Ah—yes, b‑but I…”

“Only have two hands?”

She smiled faintly.

“You’ve got someone next to you who can lend you theirs. What’s the problem?”

“M‑me!?”

Jinwoo yelped.

“Yeah. Your ability. I saw you use it last time. You can handle it. One person each. You can do that, right?”

“H‑huh?”

Soi sounded extremely displeased, but she couldn’t exactly say, “I suddenly don’t feel like flying today.”

“Well? Got a better idea? We don’t have time. He’ll recover soon and come right back up.”

“W‑what about you, Instructor?”

“Oh?”

She flicked my forehead lightly.

“Kids don’t worry about adults.”

Then she looked between me and Jinwoo, and gave Jinwoo a teasing smile.

“Well then, it might be a little embarrassing between a boy and a girl, but you two will have to hold hands for a while.”

“W‑wait, what!?”

Chae‑yi shouted in protest, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the time for emotions.

I hesitated for a moment, then held out my hand to Jinwoo.

It wasn’t like we’d never touched before. Actually… had we ever held hands? Maybe I’d only grabbed her sleeve to pull her along.

Since Jinwoo acted like a boy on the outside, I’d been treating her that way too, so I guess we never held hands.

“…….”

Jinwoo’s face turned bright red as she nervously reached out.

It wasn’t hard to hold hands, but…

It felt complicated.

When I held hands with Soi or Chae‑yi, my heart raced and my body tingled. But Jinwoo… until recently, I thought she was just a boy. Even after learning she wasn’t, I’d been treating her like one. So she didn’t feel like a girl to me—

“Hey, seriously? We don’t have time. The situation is bad. Are you two going to stand there being all shy?”

Instructor Justina cut in sharply.

I’m innocent here.

I held out my hand. Jinwoo was the one hesitating.

Grrr.

I turned my head at the sound of grinding teeth — Chae‑yi was glaring daggers at us. Why was she angry?

“Hup.”

Jinwoo inhaled deeply, as if making a huge decision, and grabbed my hand tightly.

Hmm.

Maybe because we’re the same height? Her hand really just felt like a girl’s hand.

…Or maybe I just can’t tell because every hand I’ve held in this world has been a girl’s hand.

My other hand was suddenly grabbed by Chae‑yi, who interlocked her fingers tightly with mine.

Of course, when using telekinesis to lift us, I wouldn’t just pull by the hands — my arms would pop out.

Chae‑yi stared at me intensely. I couldn’t look her in the eye, so I focused forward and moved my invisible hands.

“Kh…”

It hurt.

I was lifting my body off the rocky ground with invisible hands.

The more I imagined the hands, the bigger and stronger they became. The more I felt myself rising, the more solid they felt.

I still moved my real hands unconsciously when using my ability, but that was just to help me focus. My power didn’t actually follow my physical movements.

“Ah.”

Chae‑yi flinched when my invisible hand wrapped around her waist. With one hand held by her, our bodies pressed together.

“Grrr…”

Why was Soi making that sound?

I could feel her heat from here. I didn’t dare look.

“…….”

Hyeonji stood silently beside Jinwoo. But unlike Chae‑yi, she looked extremely uncomfortable, as did Jinwoo. Both were looking away stiffly.

But thankfully, Jinwoo could handle my power. Not as strongly as I could, but enough. She could only accept a little force, so with four telekinetic arms, we managed to lift ourselves just over two meters off the ground.

…Dangling two meters above the earth wasn’t exactly pleasant, though.

“You’re all still far from ready for real combat.”

Instructor Justina tapped the ground with her baton.

“The academy is just an academy, not the military. The curriculum is what it is.”

She sighed deeply.

“But we still have to teach you how to survive situations like this. And if you help each other, no one has to get hurt. Good. He’ll burst out soon. Follow my instructions. First, Hyeonji.”

“Yes.”

“When the dirt bursts up, freeze everything. Don’t worry — he won’t die. That’s part of his ability.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Chae‑yi, wait. If you use your power before the real body comes out, you’ll just scatter dirt.”

“Yes.”

Chae‑yi answered seriously.

“What about me?”

Soi asked.

“Unfortunately, you can’t this time. It’s too dangerous. This is a mountain. There’s nothing stable to ride on. And if dust ignites, that’s bad.”

“Ah…”

Soi deflated instantly.

“But stay ready. Having a strong fighter watching our backs is reassuring.”

“Y‑yes!”

“Good. You two hold onto Chae‑yi and Hyeonji tightly. If I say run, run as fast as you can.”

“Y‑yes.”

“…….”

Jinwoo looked extremely tense.

Seeing her clinging to me like that somehow calmed me down.

“Alright—”

Instructor Justina raised her baton again.

“He’s coming!”

With a sharp sound, dirt exploded upward.

The cloud of dirt rushing toward her froze instantly.

“Ghk!?”

A startled groan came from below.

“Good! Freeze everything around it! As solid as you can!”

Hyeonji nodded and released her power.

An ice spear shot from her hand into the ground.

The surrounding area froze over like a sheet of ice.

Bang!

Something slammed against the ice from below.

Like someone trapped behind a heavy door, pounding in panic.

Bang! Bang! The sound moved sideways, searching for an unblocked path.

“Chae‑yi, get ready.”

Instructor Justina followed the sound.

It rose upward, toward the edge—

“Ha!”

Thud.

“……!?”

The moment the man’s head emerged from the ground, her baton struck it.

With a dull thud, the body burst apart.

“H‑huh…!?”

Jinwoo recoiled in shock.

But the man’s body crumbled into dirt before we could even see his face.

Of course he wouldn’t show himself easily.

He came here for revenge.

He must have been determined to drag at least one student away.

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Pub: 01 May 2026 09:55 UTC

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