44) Chapter 8. This Year for Sure! (7)

Because Soi clung to me unusually tightly, as if afraid I might disappear somewhere, I woke up pressed against the wall more than usual.

Still, compared to how I felt after hearing the news yesterday, I was feeling just a little better.

Yeah. When I think about it, nothing has really changed, has it?

They said far more people had been assigned to watch over us now, not just one person.

And another incident like last time would be much harder to happen again. They’d strengthened security, increased personnel, and above all, not everyone who was arrested had escaped.

So it would probably be impossible for her to draw attention somewhere else, pull away all the guards, and come meet me directly.

That’s what I decided to believe.

Maybe because my expression had improved a little, Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun also looked slightly relieved during breakfast.

We ate like usual, went to school like usual—
But the atmosphere was not usual at all.

The eyes that had stopped looking at us were now fixed on us again.

More precisely, on me.

The escape had been reported widely on the news yesterday. It wasn’t something that could be hidden.

It was the kind of thing people needed to know about, to be warned about. Of course, we even got an emergency alert.

Auntie Yujin said it wasn’t my fault at all, but people always attach whatever reason they want.

These kids, too, seemed to think it was somehow because of me.

…Fine.

Ignore it.

I can guess the reason.

After all, this school really had been attacked by that woman.

Our homeroom teacher had returned this year, but she still flinched at small noises. The kids probably had their own traumas too. Naturally, she wasn’t assigned to my class again.

Maybe that’s why all the kids who were in my class in first year were scattered into completely different classes in second year.

So I could understand that much.

But—

Whisper, whisper.

The murmuring around us continued.

At this point, I wasn’t even sure if it counted as gossip anymore. Maybe they were just trying to make me feel bad.

Maybe they thought I should transfer schools.

…It happens. People pick someone they all dislike, someone they label as “evil,” and use them as an outlet.

So it’s fine. Someone like me. Even I would have connected the dots like that. Even now, I’m connecting them myself.

But—

“Anyway, Soi is still sticking to her.”

“Seriously. Those two…”

Do they have no learning ability?

Or do they just act like they don’t notice because I ignore it?

Or maybe they’re confident. Confident that nothing will happen to them.

Smack!

A loud sound rang out.

Loud enough to make the whole class jump.

Honestly, even I was startled.

I can’t say “I didn’t mean to.” I did want to scare them.

But I didn’t mean to make it that loud.

Soi stared at me with wide eyes.

Before I could say anything—

Crack.

A fracture spread across the window.

The hallway-side window.

Crackle, crack.

Like electricity running through it, thin white lines spread like a spiderweb.

The kids sitting near it jumped up in shock. Their faces were pale. Mine probably was too.

My palm stung faintly, as if I’d slammed it on a desk.

Sniff.

Someone sniffled.

The murmuring died instantly.

Everyone looked at me.

Not with contempt.

But with fear.

If superpowers are a blade, then a superhuman is someone who always carries a blade.

If they never swing it, it’s fine. But if they’ve swung it even once—
If they’ve shown the edge even as a joke—

Of course people would be afraid.

Crackle, crackle.

Only the sound of the cracking glass filled the classroom.

Until the teacher rushed in, no one said a word.

*

“……”

“……”

“…Rua.”

“…Yes.”

It was the obvious outcome.

When a student causes serious trouble, the school calls the parents. It was natural for Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun to come.

Honestly, considering the situation, they were being lenient because of who they were.

Normally, they’d send me home immediately and keep me separated from the “victims” until a disciplinary meeting.

Maybe they held back because they knew how I’d been treated at school.

Even when teachers warned the others, some kids only acted worse afterward.

“…Did you do it?”

Carefully.

Why did Auntie Yujin have to speak so cautiously, as if she were the one at fault, when I was the one who did wrong?

I kept my mouth shut.

I didn’t want to talk.

I’d been holding back precisely because I didn’t want this to happen.

No matter the circumstances, superhumans were always treated as the “strong.” Before Seo Arin appeared in front of me, I’d been admired for my powers. Superpowers made people look special.

But that also meant non‑superhumans were the weak ones.

Any conflict meant I’d be the one punished.

Auntie Yujin placed her hand over mine.

“…Shall we talk at home?”

Carefully.

Even though I was the one being stubborn, she spoke as if everything were her fault.

I bit my lip.

I didn’t want to. I didn’t love this school, but I didn’t want to leave like I was being kicked out.

But I couldn’t just refuse.

So I nodded.

*

Whisper, whisper.

Even as I packed my bag, the kids whispered.

As if they’d expected this.

I hadn’t actually hit anyone, but using my powers to scare them was enough to get expelled. So they acted like they’d been right all along.

I didn’t hear the word “witch,” but I was sure it was in those whispers.

“……”

Soi silently packed her bag beside me. She hadn’t done anything wrong. If she stopped being friends with me, her school life would be easier. But she chose to go home with me.

That made me feel guilty, frustrated, and overwhelmed.

“…You guys.”

But before I could speak, Soi did.

Her voice had a slight growl to it, and the class fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at her.

“Don’t you think you’re being too much?”

“Soi.”

I grabbed her arm.

She looked like she wanted to say more, but when she saw my expression, she shut her mouth.

“……”

Her face twisted, like she was about to cry from sheer frustration.

My heart pounded.

I was furious. But I didn’t know how to let it out. If I exploded here, it wouldn’t just be Soi—Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun would be dragged into it.

And Chae‑yi too. It wouldn’t end with paying for broken property. They were too well‑known. People would twist it into something huge. They’d say being friends with me was a mistake—

Bang!

The window shook again.

The kids jumped up.

Their eyes turned to me.

But—

Bang!

Another sound.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Something struck the window repeatedly.

The kids scrambled away from it.

This time it wasn’t the hallway window—it was the window facing outside.

The window near my seat.

On one of the panes, a round red mark appeared. Like a paintball had splattered against it.

But then—

Crack!

A loud sound like a gunshot made me flinch and step back.

It wasn’t an invisible hand. If it were, we wouldn’t see anything.

The thing hitting the window was a bird.

A pure white bird. About the size of a small dog. Not a normal bird you’d see in this country.

Strangely enough, it was a parrot.

Thud!

The bird flew again and slammed into the window hard enough to shake the frame.

And then—

Crash.

The window shattered, and the bird—its white feathers stained red—fell into the classroom.

The kids screamed. Much louder than when I cracked the window earlier.

Some ran out of the room immediately.

The parrot lay on a desk near the center of the room like a corpse—
Then suddenly sprang up as if nothing had happened.

I’d once seen a video of a chicken walking around after its head was cut off.

It looked like that. One side of its head was caved in, its eye wasn’t normal, yet it looked around as if perfectly alive.

Its gaze met mine.

Then it looked at me and Soi packing our bags, then at the kids standing up in fear.

Then it turned back to me and spoke.

“Who was it?”

A strange sound.

Almost silly. Because it was a parrot. That kind of voice.

But the next words were not funny at all.

“Who did it?”

—As if it were my mother, the parrot asked with genuine concern.

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Pub: 29 Mar 2026 01:42 UTC

Edit: 29 Mar 2026 01:46 UTC

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