56) Chapter 10. Hey, You—Come Out. (2)

After afternoon classes ended,

Hyeonji left the classroom immediately.

Maybe she realized I’d been following her around during lunch.

We’d see each other at the dorm anyway.

And the boy who picked a fight with me tried to get up but was called out by the homeroom teacher.

Was the principal serious about “scolding him properly”? But if he gets in trouble because of me, won’t he just come back even angrier?

Still, worrying about it now wouldn’t change anything. My doctor once told me not to dwell on problems I can’t solve. It wasn’t easy advice to follow, but I tried.

“I—I want to walk around the school a bit.”

“Huh? Should we?”

“Let’s do it. Mom said there’s a really good café on campus. The desserts are amazing.”

I didn’t see Cheong Hwirin often, but hearing Chae‑yi talk about her like this made it clear their relationship was better than I’d assumed.

Maybe what happened to Chae‑yi—the incident where she almost got hurt—was the turning point. She’d been under so much pressure she wanted to “go back.”

Even if the teachers at the orphanage were kind, it’s hard for that place to truly become “home.” When you’re little, maybe. But once you’re grown, you have to leave. And no matter how hard the teachers try, they can’t be parents to every child.

If seeing Chae‑yi wanting to return there made her mother realize something… then maybe that alone was a blessing.

Outside the school building, the two weren’t glued to me like in class. Probably because they didn’t feel the same level of threat here.

Still, both held my hands tightly.

Soi swung our linked hands with bright enthusiasm, thrilled just to walk around with me. Chae‑yi wasn’t as energetic, but the firmness of her grip showed how much she cherished me.

Did the original Seo Rua really exploit girls like these?

“……”

And Jinwoo… had absolutely no presence.

Well, he did call himself a “normal high schooler” in the original, so maybe being forgettable was accurate. But wasn’t he supposed to be at least decent‑looking?

…No, thinking about it, most students in our class were pretty good‑looking. It’s not like all superhumans are born attractive. Maybe it was just coincidence that our class was full of them, making Jinwoo look plain in comparison.

“Oh.”

“Huh? What is it?”

I stopped walking when a building caught my eye.

It resembled Myeongdong Cathedral—giving the impression it had stood there for ages. But remembering what the instructor said earlier, it probably wasn’t that old.

The area around it felt like a quiet park, though not many people were around.

Maybe teenagers found it boring.

“Want to go?”

Chae‑yi suggested.

“…Yeah.”

Not because I cared about the cathedral or the park, but because I remembered the nun‑instructor’s advice.

If there was one thing I’d learned in this life, it was that counseling genuinely helped stabilize my mind.

Even if it didn’t cure trauma, it kept it below boiling point. Without therapy, I would’ve exploded long ago.

As we approached the cathedral, the noise of the school faded all at once. It wasn’t a bustling city center, but plenty of students walked around, making noise.

Here, the only sound was—

“Snrrrk.”

—someone snoring.

…Huh? Snoring?

Soi and Chae‑yi also sensed something odd and looked around.

Then we found her.

A blonde beauty in black‑and‑white clothing lay sprawled across a bench, dozing in the warm spring sunlight.

The black‑and‑white outfit looked like a nun’s habit… sort of. Except the design was nothing like a real one—more like a cosplay made with less fabric.

“Mnyaa…”

She shifted, and her already short skirt flipped dangerously—

“Heh?!”

But I didn’t see anything. My vision went dark.

“Uhh?”

“Rua shouldn’t see things like that.”

“Right. It’s too early for you.”

……

I had many things I wanted to say, but saying them would only cause trouble.

Seriously, though—these two play games with bikini‑clad heroines and even set the one who looks like me as their lobby screen.

“Hm… mm?”

The nun stirred at the sound of our voices.

“What’s this? Why are you covering the kid’s eyes? Bullying?”

“No.”

Soi answered bluntly and lowered her hand. Chae‑yi did the same.

My vision cleared, revealing the nun‑instructor sitting up on the bench. Or… should I call her a nun? Or an instructor? Or both?

I kept calling her “nun‑instructor” because I couldn’t remember her name.

Even among heroines, some were important and some weren’t. She had her own episodes and even a romance scene, but the main heroines were the students.

“Haaam.”

She yawned lazily, still half‑asleep.

“So, what brings you here? Students don’t usually come this far. Oh—do you attend church?”

“No, not really…”

“Then are you planning to start? That’s tricky. You don’t become a member just because you show up once.”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Then just out for a walk?”

“Ah, yes.”

She shrugged.

“Well, relax. You can go inside if you want. And if you feel like cleaning while you’re at it, that’d be great.”

“Um…”

I tilted my head.

Aren’t priests usually in charge of cathedrals? I didn’t know the hierarchy, but unless it was a convent, a nun wouldn’t normally be the highest authority.

But she spoke like she ran the place.

Maybe religion worked differently in this world.

After all, in a world where superhumans exist, the religious landscape might have shifted too.

“Hm.”

She stared at my face, then tilted her head.

“You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

“Oh.”

I had thought earlier that regular counseling would help, but…

The principal was, well, the principal. She seemed busy, and meeting alone with a student too often could cause fairness issues.

This woman was also an instructor, but she was in charge of religious affairs too.

“When you’re troubled, faith is the best. Want to convert? I can help.”

“Uh—no.”

“Why not? It’s nice. When you don’t know who to blame, it’s convenient to have someone to blame.”

“Uh…”

So she was saying I could blame God?

Was she mocking religion? I couldn’t tell. If she were a devout believer, I’d think she was being sarcastic, but her tone was too casual.

“Wouldn’t… God hate that?”

“Who, the guy up there?”

“Uh, yes.”

“He’s not that petty. If he can’t handle that, why bother believing?”

“Uh… do priests say that too?”

“Huh? Priests? No way. That’s their livelihood.”

…Is that how it works?

“Well, the world won’t collapse just because you resent it a little. Better than walking around with that gloomy face. Though I guess you can’t help it, judging by your expression.”

She scratched her head.

“So, did you settle things with that bully?”

“Ah—no…”

He’d been called out right after class, so we hadn’t talked. Not that I planned to talk to him anyway.

Honestly, the reason I was wandering around outside wasn’t because I wanted fresh air—it was because I didn’t want to run into the other person waiting at the dorm.

Ridiculous, right?

I’d followed her around all lunch trying to talk, and now I was avoiding the dorm because she made me uncomfortable.

“Hm.”

The instructor crossed her legs (…and my vision darkened again), rested her elbow on her knee, and propped her chin on her hand.

“You don’t know how to pick a fight, do you?”

“……”

Of course not.

In my past life and this one, I’d never fought anyone.

Not because I was gentle—just because I endured everything. Even when bullied.

Fighting is scary. Getting hit hurts. And losing means more teasing.

“Want me to teach you?”

She suddenly stood up, hands on her hips.

Then she took a deep breath—

“HEY!!!!”

She shouted loud enough to split my eardrums.

I looked around frantically. Thankfully, no one was nearby.

Still… embarrassing.

Soi and Chae‑yi looked just as mortified.

“YOU—COME OUT!!!”

She yelled again, then lifted her chin proudly.

“How was that?”

“Uh…”

I stared blankly. She grinned.

“What, scared you might lose?”

“Uh… yes.”

“Well, obviously. If you shout like that and lose, it’s humiliating.”

“B‑but…”

“But do you think you’d lose?”

“…What?”

“I don’t think so.”

She plopped back onto the bench.

Then slowly lay down again and closed her eyes.

“Stay as long as you want, but keep it quiet. I’m sleeping.”

“Uh.”

Before I could respond, she was already snoring loudly.

…How should I put this.

She was beautiful, but something about her…

Kind of ruined the mood.

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Pub: 05 Apr 2026 06:47 UTC

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