63) Chapter 11. I Should Have Said Something (3)


“But about that… the thing you said about wanting to make friends.”

I almost spat out the soup in my mouth when Hyeonji brought that up while we were eating.

My face heated up instantly.

Well, even I knew it wasn’t exactly an easy thing to say.

Saying I wanted to make lots of friends… that’s not really the kind of semester goal a high schooler usually has. It sounded more like something a kid entering elementary school for the first time would say.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

I hadn’t even finished the sentence properly and ended it with something like “or something.” At the time, I was embarrassed for saying it at all and just wanted to wrap up the sentence somehow, so I stuck on whatever came to mind.

Thinking back, I probably didn’t need to add that at all.

I’d forgotten about it for days, but of all people, the one who heard it directly—Hyeonji—was the one to bring it up again, and it caught me off guard.

“Uh, yeah.”

I barely managed to answer without choking. Hyeonji hesitated for a moment, then said:

“Then… do you want to be friends with me too?”

Her face was faintly flushed as she said it.

For some reason, Soi—sitting across from me—and Chae‑yi—sitting beside me—both stiffened. Why?

But I understood why Hyeonji was blushing.

Friendships don’t usually start with “let’s be friends.” More often, you just talk naturally, get closer without realizing it, and one day you can’t even remember when you became friends.

But I understood why she said it this way.

We weren’t exactly close from the moment we met.

“Uh… should we?”

I answered. Hyeonji nodded.

“……”

And then, after agreeing, none of us said anything.

Soi and Chae‑yi just kept eating quietly, and Hyeonji’s face grew even redder than before.

Hmm.

Now that I think about it, it’s true.

I’ve never really had a proper conversation with Hyeonji.

Even if you don’t remember exactly when you became friends with someone, you usually have a sense of why you got close. Even if you talk often because you sit near each other, if your interests don’t match, it’s hard to become real friends.

What does Hyeonji even like?

I tried recalling the novel, but it didn’t describe characters’ hobbies much. In harem stories, heroines join the harem not because of shared hobbies but because the protagonist helps them in some big way.

“So, um… Hyeonji, what do you usually do when you’re resting?”

“Me? When I’m resting?”

She thought for a moment.

“I train, or read.”

“Do you watch dramas or movies?”

“Sometimes.”

“I see.”

And the conversation died again.

Maybe she’s bad at making friends too?

Actually, that made sense. She’s a disciplinary committee member. Those types are usually strict rule‑followers with very narrow social circles.

People often forget that pretty girls naturally attract social connections, or that being in the disciplinary committee requires at least some social skills.

Honestly, the fact that Korean high schools still have disciplinary committees at all is kind of funny.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Rua, what do you usually do?”

Maybe the silence felt awkward to her too, because she asked.

“I—”

I started to answer, then froze.

Ah.

My hobbies.

“……?”

I hesitated so long that Hyeonji tilted her head.

“Ah, um. Dramas and movies… sometimes.”

“Really?”

“And I train, and read books. Yeah.”

Not exactly a lie.

Even if I’m an otaku, it’s not like I never watch dramas or movies. These days there are plenty of dramas with genres otaku like. And I watch superhero movies… and anime movies count as films too, right? They’re included in box office numbers, so they’re basically films.

I don’t love training, but I still do it every day. It’s a routine from home. Even if I don’t want to, Soi and Chae‑yi never skip, so I end up following them.

And books… well, I read manga. That’s technically a book.

“You’re kind of similar to me.”

Hyeonji smiled faintly.

“Y‑yeah.”

My conscience screamed, but I managed to get through it.

Soi and Chae‑yi looked like they were holding back laughter, but I pretended not to notice.


The academy’s classes are mostly normal high‑school subjects.

Which makes sense—we are actual high school students.

Legally, this school is classified as a high school too.

But if all we learned were normal subjects, there’d be no reason to gather the nation’s teenage superhumans into one place.

So a few times a week, we have classes meant specifically for superhumans.

In first year, most of those classes are theory‑based. How society perceives superhumans. What additional penalties apply if a superhuman commits a crime. How investigations into superpowered crimes work, and what measures are taken depending on the situation.

“And there’s sparring too. But we won’t be doing real sparring in the first semester. At least not in my class.”

The blonde nun standing before us declared.

“Of course, if someone really wants to, I won’t stop you. But not during class. Do it during lunch or after school. I’ll arrange a referee.”

As she explained, one student sitting on the training hall floor raised a hand.

“Yeah, you. Question.”

“Then what do we learn in this class?”

“How to fight.”

“Uh… without sparring?”

“Yeah, without sparring.”

The kids looked confused.

If this were a magic school, that explanation would make sense. If everyone used the same type of power, there’d be a whole academic field dedicated to studying and teaching it.

But superpowers don’t even have a known mechanism.

Abilities vary wildly, and even common ones manifest differently from person to person, with different strengths and weaknesses.

So it was natural to feel like there wasn’t much “theory” to teach.

“That’s why I’m here. Oh—did I not introduce myself?”

Ahem.

The instructor straightened her back.

“I’m Justina. Just call me Instructor Justina. I prefer that over ‘Sister.’ Oh, and I’m not a foreigner. My family name is Choi.”

So Justina must be her baptismal name. If she was baptized at birth, that made sense.

Hearing her name jogged my memory a little…

“It’s a bit disappointing that we’re not starting off with a big flashy fight in a class literally called ‘Sparring.’ You all came expecting that, right? Outside, people probably scolded you for using your powers even a little.”

A few kids laughed awkwardly.

Maybe some of them had caused trouble with their powers before.

Well, if someone had powers from a young age, it wouldn’t be strange if they lost control and caused accidents.

Thinking about that made me wonder if I’d been too scared back in middle school…

No. I couldn’t think that way. I was still terrified of how people saw me.

And in my case, it wasn’t just misuse of power.

“For the whole first semester, what I’ll be doing is counselling. I’ll look at each of your abilities, analyze them, and teach you how to fight effectively. There will be some sparring, so don’t worry.”

The kids who had laughed awkwardly now looked relieved.

“Instead of having everyone fight each other, I’ll pick a few assistants. Normally, I’d take volunteers and choose the most suitable ones. But in this class, I already have two people in mind.”

Oh.

Her gaze flicked toward me, and I flinched.

“You, Seo Rua. And Moon Chae‑yi next to you. Stand up.”

“……”

I stood silently. Chae‑yi practically jumped up, thrilled to be chosen with me.

Crack.

Huh.

Did something sound weird just now?

I looked down toward the sound. Soi was looking up at me.

Smile.

She gave me a small, sweet smile when our eyes met.

……Why does that feel scary?

Why does it feel like she’s angry?

“Your abilities are the most straightforward. Easy to apply. You two will be class leader and vice‑leader. Decide among yourselves who’s which. Oh, and there are no extra points for this. If I gave points, someone would complain. Now come to the front.”

Chae‑yi and I walked to the front and stood facing the class, leaving some space between us and Instructor Justina.

Dozens of eyes shot toward my face.

Surprisingly, not many looked openly displeased or confused about me being chosen. Not that there were none.

Still, it was nerve‑wracking.

“Alright, shall we begin? We’ll go in attendance number order.”

Instructor Justina announced, looking oddly cheerful.

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Pub: 08 Apr 2026 05:09 UTC

Edit: 08 Apr 2026 05:33 UTC

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