144) Chapter 21. ……Huh? (3)

Ugh, yeah, it still hurts a bit after all.

The visible wounds had healed for the most part, but that didn’t mean my body was completely fine yet, so even after returning to school, I ended up visiting a nearby hospital for a while.

Naturally, since the hospital appointments overlapped with class hours, I started missing school fairly often.

And, well, obviously, Soi and Chae-yi couldn’t come to the hospital with me every time.

It wasn’t like I was so badly injured that I couldn’t move around on my own. I could just walk there with my own two legs.

“You injured your lung, so obviously that affects your mobility, doesn’t it?”

“A-ah, no, it’s not that bad……”

Maybe if I tried sprinting with all my strength, it would be different, but ordinary walking caused no problems.

Besides, I only had to walk as far as the front of the school. After that, I took the bus to the hospital.

The Academy was a famous landmark in the area, and there was even a commercial district built around it, so buses passed directly in front of the Academy gates.

And the hospital I went to was a pretty large hospital too, so naturally buses stopped right in front of it as well. Meaning it was more than manageable for me to travel there alone even in my current condition.

Soi wore a sulky expression, while Chae-yi looked full of worry.

Did I really look that fragile?

“T-the doctor also said I’d recover quickly.”

Honestly, considering I almost died, I thought I’d gotten off pretty lightly.

Of course, saying something like that in front of those two would only make them worry more.

“……I’ll at least walk you to the front gate.”

“J-just to the front gate, right? You’re not planning to ride the bus with me too…… right?”

“…….”

Soi’s silence was a little scary.

Still, thankfully, neither Soi nor Chae-yi, nor Hyeonji or Jinwoo, actually boarded the bus with me. They all just hesitated for a while. No matter what, skipping school without permission was a bit much.

Even though we’d only be apart for the morning, Soi and Chae-yi both looked like their country had collapsed, and I waved at them before getting onto the bus.

The inside of the bus was quiet.

Since the Academy sat right on the border between Gyeonggi Province and Seoul, it wasn’t empty to the point of having no passengers at all, but—

It was just before nine in the morning, so all the commuters had probably already left dozens of minutes earlier. The only sounds inside the bus were the sounds made by the bus itself.

That feeling was a little unfamiliar.

No, maybe I should say it had simply been a long time.

There were almost always noisy kids gathered around me. Not just Soi and Chae-yi—these days, Hyeonji and Jinwoo followed me around wherever I went too.

Even if I didn’t say anything, someone would happily start talking to me, tell me what to do, or suggest doing something together.

I didn’t dislike that. If anything, I liked it. My personality was quiet and introverted, but that didn’t mean I hated people.

Still, every now and then, it was nice to enjoy this slightly unfamiliar silence too.

“…….”

I could see people outside by the roadside.

Students should’ve all just started classes by now, and office workers should’ve already begun work too. Maybe because I was aware of that, the people walking around outside somehow looked relaxed.

Had I really become this tired?

Even though I didn’t think I had any reason to be exhausted, why did seeing that scenery make me feel so at ease?

“Eh.”

What was that.

It felt like I’d just had a slightly bad thought.

Because all the people around me only ever cared about me so much. Soi did, and Chae-yi too. Even Hyeonji had been paying a lot more attention to me lately, and Jinwoo…… well, somehow she kept looking like she wanted to rely on me.

Thinking this way while having people like them around made it sound like I found everyone else annoying.

I hurriedly shook my head to drive the thought away.


“There don’t seem to be any particular abnormalities. Just in case, I’ll prescribe some medicine. Let’s take another look next week.”

That was what the doctor said.

So, well, there wasn’t really anything else to say. I just nodded, listened to the precautions one more time, received the prescription, and came outside.

The moment I stepped out of the university hospital building, I somehow felt lighter.

I was officially excused from school for the entire morning.

Of course, nobody would complain if I went back earlier, and honestly, from a student’s perspective, that would probably be the natural thing to do.

Would it be such a bad thought to take a little walk before heading back?

“Mmm……”

The fact that I felt slightly guilty just for thinking this probably meant my conscience was still functioning properly.

First, I decided to pick up my medicine, so I went to the pharmacy.

I handed over the prescription I’d been holding, sat down absentmindedly, and waited, when I felt someone sit nearby.

When I glanced sideways, it wasn’t the seat directly next to me but one seat over. A fairly young woman had sat down there.

It wasn’t exactly anything unusual, so I didn’t pay much attention to it, but—

“It feels a little strange, doesn’t it?”

The woman suddenly spoke first.

My body flinched, and I turned to look at her. The woman was looking at me.

Her clothes weren’t anything special. A short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. She held a small handbag in one hand.

Was she in her late twenties? Early thirties? It was definitely a face I’d never seen before.

“……Yes?”

Even while she was looking straight at me, she somehow felt strangely unreal, so I blankly asked back.

Apparently my mind had been floating around too much.

“You know, the idea that people with superpowers absolutely have to use them for others.”

“……What?”

The next thing she said was so sudden that I asked again.

But this time, it wasn’t because my head felt foggy.

If anything, my mood abruptly sank, and tension flooded me instead. Seeing my shoulders stiffen, the woman let out a small laugh.

“Ah, sorry. Um, I’m…”

She rummaged through her handbag and handed me a business card.

Korean Superhuman Association.

“I received a request to protect Miss Rua’s personal safety. I’m from the Association.”

“Ah, yes……”

The tension in my shoulders eased slightly again.

Not that I relaxed completely, though. But that was less because I was wary of her specifically and more because of my personality. Talking to someone I’d never met always made me nervous for no reason.

The woman leaned back against the chair again.

“I just suddenly thought about it. Miss Rua got hurt helping people too, didn’t she? And nobody even acknowledges it.”

“Th-that……”

I hesitated awkwardly.

It’s not like I could suddenly answer a question like that.

If I answered carelessly, I’d probably just get argued with.

If I had to say what I truly thought, then naturally the only answer was, “Because that’s better.”

Well, this world did strongly imply that superhumans “must become heroes,” but that didn’t mean it was impossible to have another job without using your powers.

If you really didn’t want to, you didn’t have to do it. It was just that the social status and salary guaranteed by being a hero were extremely high.

I mean, they were literally called “heroes.”

But if someone asked, “Then what else would you do with superpowers besides being a hero?” that was when the answer became difficult.

Most jobs I could do with this ability besides being a hero would probably just be physical labor jobs, and naturally those paid far less than being a hero.

So if you answered the question “Do you absolutely have to help people with your powers?” the wrong way, it immediately turned into the emotional response, “Then what, are you planning to become a villain?”

“In a way, you possess an ability ordinary people could never have, but the things you’re allowed to do with it feel too restricted. Even when dealing with villains, if you accidentally go too far and threaten their life, the one subduing them ends up being the one in danger, right?”

“…….”

Was she talking about what happened to me?

After that incident, the way the other kids treated me hadn’t changed dramatically.

To begin with, not every single student had seen what happened. And honestly, suppressing villains was often far rougher than suppressing ordinary criminals, so many students probably thought this case fell under that category too.

Still, there were definitely children who became a little more afraid of my ability, a little more wary of it.

Maybe, outwardly at least—even if they never said it to my face—there were children who connected me to the “Witch.”

Though honestly, it didn’t matter as long as I didn’t know about it.

……Or maybe she had read about my middle school years. If she’d been assigned to guard me, then maybe she had.

“Even with such an outstanding ability, it’s wasted for no reason…… Ah.”

Before the woman could continue, the pharmacy employee called my name.

As I stood up, the woman stood too.

Once I received my medicine, the woman shrugged.

“You’re heading straight back to school, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

I regretted answering a little afterward.

Maybe I should’ve asked first. Said I wanted to spend a little time outside.

But if I changed my answer now, that would probably seem strange too.

More than anything, this woman felt a little uncomfortable.

Why was she suddenly asking questions like this? Someone from the Association, of all people.

She hadn’t said it outright, but it sounded almost like she thought her own ability made her superior.

“Don’t worry. I won’t sit right next to you on the bus.”

That wasn’t really the problem, though.

Still, if I carelessly responded, it felt like the conversation would only drag on longer, so I simply nodded quietly instead.

===

A word from the author (A/N):

Thank you for reading today as well!

Only one chapter today……

I’m sorry it ended up being so late ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I’ll try to finish checking for typos as quickly as possible!

I’ll also try to upload the sponsorship thank-you messages as soon as I can…!

I’m sorry for making you wait ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

=

Thank you, eternalyg, for your support!

And thank you as always for reading my novel!

The reason writing novels can feel so enjoyable is because there are people who love the stories I write. Stories are always more exciting when someone else is there to listen, rather than just muttering to yourself alone! If not for all of you, this story would’ve probably remained nothing more than one of my short fantasies. But because I know you’re waiting for it, and because I know you look forward to it, I was able to write and upload another chapter today. Thank you so much! I’ll continue doing my best to consistently write stories for all of you! I hope you’ll continue supporting me in the future as well!

Edit

Pub: 27 May 2026 06:27 UTC

Views: 19