50) Chapter 9. Do You Want Me to Be a Villain? (2)
There are several academies across the country, and superhuman students are usually assigned to the one closest to their homes.
Even so, it often takes hours by car, but since all academies require students to live in dorms, it’s not a huge issue.
…Well, anyway.
I stepped into the classroom and glanced around a little awkwardly.
Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one acting like this. If you’ve lived your whole life in one neighborhood and only attended local schools, you’d at least know a few people. But coming to a regional hub academy like this makes that nearly impossible.
On the other hand, if there had been another superhuman from my neighborhood, we would’ve inevitably met here.
But the only supers from my area were me, Soi, and Chae-yi, so I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone else.
The person I was actually looking for first was the male lead of the original novel.
The only problem was that I had never seen an illustration of him.
Unless a web novel becomes extremely popular and gets a webtoon adaptation, authors have to be selective about which characters get illustrations. And of course, the ones chosen are usually the heroines.
In a harem story, the heroines are the main selling point.
So his appearance could only be imagined through the novel’s descriptions.
Thankfully, I had read the early parts of the novel quite diligently, so I could vaguely recall how he was described.
He didn’t describe himself much—just “ordinary.” But the heroines had lines describing him:
“He’s not that tall,” “He’s not exactly handsome, but he’s cute,” “Isn’t he kind of delicate?”
Surprisingly, there was only one boy in the room who matched those descriptions perfectly.
A boy in the corner, nervously glancing around.
Judging by his seated height, he didn’t look tall. Compared to the well‑built kids around him, he was definitely smaller, a bit delicate, with a pale impression. But—
I frowned slightly.
“Not exactly handsome,” huh?
He is handsome? Well… maybe “cute” fits better, but whether a guy looks cute or pretty, it still falls under “good‑looking,” doesn’t it?
“Hm.”
“H‑huh?”
I had been sneaking glances at him as discreetly as I could, but a snorting sound right next to me startled me.
I turned my head—and Soi’s eyes were suddenly right in front of me, so I quickly leaned back.
Clatter.
My chair scraped loudly against the floor, drawing a few stares.
“What, already checking out boys?”
Soi asked.
“N‑no, I’m not!”
Her question was so ridiculous that I denied it much more strongly than I intended.
But maybe that strong denial sounded different to her.
Soi propped her elbow on my desk and stared openly at the boy.
Thump, thump, thump. My heart pounded.
No, seriously, did she have to stare that hard?
My eyes had wandered for a moment, that’s all. And I didn’t even know for sure if he was really the male lead.
A strange uneasiness crept up on me.
Why? Why did it bother me so much that Soi was looking at him? Because he was good‑looking? Because she might fall for him?
“Oh.”
Right.
I realized it a bit late.
Soi was a heroine. So was Seo Rua, and so was Chae-yi. The three of us were heroines in the original story.
I had no intention of bullying the male lead, but that didn’t change the fact that Seo Rua was often described as having a crush on him.
Sometimes it even sounded like she bullied him because she liked him.
Back then, I thought it was just typical harem‑novel nonsense. But now that I see him… maybe his looks were the justification.
“What? What is it?”
A voice came from behind me.
Someone tugged on my arm, so I turned and saw bright pink eyes.
They curved into crescents. Chae-yi always smiled at me like that.
Though I didn’t actually feel any joy from that smile. Was I imagining it?
Her gaze soon followed where mine had been earlier.
Staaare.
Two beautiful girls staring at the same boy.
A gaze has no physical force, but the boy—already nervous—noticed and flinched, then stared straight ahead.
Even from afar, I could see him sweating bullets in panic.
Most minors awaken their powers due to genetics. And in this country, the most common job for supers is hero work.
Meaning: even if the kids here don’t know each other, their parents often do. Many of them grew up visiting each other’s homes. They all have connections—and share them.
But the protagonist was different. He awakened his powers suddenly in his third year of middle school and ended up enrolling here by chance.
He must be thinking all sorts of things. Especially since Soi and Chae-yi are fairly well‑known.
“…G‑guys, maybe don’t stare so hard…”
I tried to voice my opinion timidly, but Soi simply grabbed my hand.
Then she intertwined her fingers with mine and rested her chin on our joined hands. Her soft, squishy cheek pressed against my hand felt nice.
Chae-yi did the same on my other side, holding my hand and fidgeting with it.
“……”
More stares came our way.
No one whispered outright, but the looks weren’t exactly friendly. Some were awkward, others—
Some were glaring straight at me.
“…Heh.”
A tiny hiccup‑like sound escaped me.
I had promised myself I’d make friends this year,
but I was already starting to feel that it wouldn’t be easy.
*
The first class naturally began with introductions.
Most students introduced themselves like this:
“I’m So‑and‑so, and my parents are such‑and‑such.”
Then the others would react as if that alone were a superpower—ooh, ahh—and clap. The kid would bask in it, then brag about which school they came from and what awards they’d won.
…Was high‑school self‑introduction always like this? Normally kids stand up looking like they’d rather die, mutter a few words, and sit down.
Well, heroes are people who proudly show themselves to the world. Growing up watching that probably shaped them.
“I’m Im Soi.”
Soi stood and introduced herself.
She didn’t need to mention her parents; everyone already knew who she was.
Some kids murmured in awe. Others stayed silent.
“My parents… work as heroes.”
The room quieted.
Everyone listened intently. Whether they had reacted earlier or not, they were all curious about what she’d say next.
But that was the end.
“Nice to meet you.”
She bowed lightly and sat down.
“What? That’s it?” “Does she think everyone already knows?” “I wanted to ask something…” “What about the rumors…”
I heard whispers.
Rumors?
Did kids from our old school post something online? About me? Did they write weird speculation or ghost stories about how Soi, Chae-yi, and I were always together?
“Alright, quiet down.”
The homeroom teacher tapped the podium, then smiled at me.
“Next, Rua.”
“Ah, yes.”
I stood up hesitantly.
“H‑hello, I‑I’m Seo Rua.”
I said that much, then tried to continue—
and realized I had nothing to say.
I could say that Aunt Yujin and Uncle Dohyun were my parents. They were my real parents in this world.
But the words stuck in my throat.
Was I allowed to?
Everyone already knew what my biological mother was.
And what happened because of that.
Could I really just say I was Soi’s family without mentioning any of that?
When I couldn’t even call them Mom or Dad?
“…Nice to meet you.”
I simply said that and sat down.
The teacher didn’t comment.
“I’m Moon Chae-yi. Nice to meet you.”
Chae-yi also kept it brief.
There was less whispering than with Soi, but still some.
Neither Soi nor Chae-yi seemed to care at all.
After that, the introductions went back to the usual pattern—self, family, awards.
“Nam Jinwoo. Nice to meet you.”
The last student’s introduction was extremely simple.
“Aha.”
And with that name, I was certain the boy I’d seen earlier really was the male lead.
“….”
Soi glanced at me when I reacted, so I quickly looked away.
A/N:
I’ll upload one more chapter before midnight!