87) Chapter 14. No, That’s Not It? (8)

Playing at the amusement park was fun.

Of course, it still felt a little like walking through a minefield.

Since the two of them had never been to an amusement park before, naturally they had never ridden any rides either.

But asking them directly, “Have you ever ridden something like this?” felt wrong somehow.

And asking, “Are you okay riding this?” felt a bit off too.

Especially because all of us were Academy students.

Of course, not everyone who graduates from the Academy becomes a hero. The Academy was built to gather and manage all the superhumans in the country, so statistically speaking, fewer students probably become heroes than not.

Though the percentage is still significant—several dozen percent.

But even if they don’t become heroes, the fact that a large portion want to walk the hero’s path, the fact that there are sparring classes to understand one’s abilities, and the fact that many students are children of heroes and take great pride in that… all of that means students don’t want to show fear.

Even the boy who bullied me was like that.

Why did he bother picking on me? Because I was the “villain’s daughter.”

Just as the children of heroes are likely to be superhumans, the children of villains are also likely to be superhumans. And if you’re a superhuman, you end up at the Academy.

But obviously, no one announces that at the start of the school year. If they did, they’d end up like me.

The best thing is to hide it as long as possible—ideally until graduation.

…Anyway, that’s why that boy picked on me. Heroes never back down in the face of evil, and in other words, they’re “fearless.”

I must have seemed like the perfect target to show off to.

So—

“Wanna ride that one?”

Even when Soi pointed at the roller coaster—

“Let’s ride that! That one!”

Even when Chae-yi pointed at the drop tower—

And even when they pointed at other terrifying-looking rides, Hyeonji only nodded.

That’s when I remembered something I had forgotten.

Earlier, I mentioned that Hyeonji only managed to wear cute clothes for the first time when she went on a date with the protagonist, Nam Jinwoo. But there was another setting I had forgotten.

Hyeonji is surprisingly timid.

I don’t know if it’s because of her past, but you know the type—characters who seem stoic and fearless, but tremble when watching horror movies.

That gap is what makes them cute.

Of course, horror movies and amusement park rides are completely different things, so I can’t say for sure she’s scared of both. But even if she was scared, she’d never admit it.

Her skin was pale to begin with, so it was hard to tell if she’d gone even paler, but her expression looked a bit worn out.

And then there was Nam Jinwoo.

She was openly terrified. The bigger and taller the ride, the more her face turned pale as she looked up at it.

She had been scared even before the first ride, so imagine how she was afterward.

She didn’t throw up, but the more rides she went on, the more her complexion faded. At this rate, would her hair bleach from stress too?

“G‑Guys!”

Held by both arms and happily dragged around by Soi and Chae-yi, I finally shouted.

“Hm?”

“Yeah?”

They both stopped immediately.

Right. Even if they loved dragging me around, they had never once ignored my words.

I let out a small sigh of relief.

“C‑Can we rest a bit? My legs hurt…”

“Oh, true. Yeah, let’s rest. Want something to drink?”

“We really did walk nonstop.”

Soi and Chae-yi let go of my arms, looking a bit sheepish.

It made sense—they hadn’t been here in ages. And since they were having so much fun with me, they probably didn’t notice Hyeonji and Jinwoo’s condition.

“Let’s see if there’s an empty spot in the food court.”

We all nodded at Soi’s suggestion.

When I glanced back, I saw the two who had been following us from a slight distance—also keeping a slight distance from each other—quietly exhale in relief. Hyeonji’s expression barely changed, but Jinwoo’s relief was obvious.

…Now I felt a little bad.

*

“No, stay seated. We’ll bring it.”

“Uh, but—”

“Two people are enough. If we leave, someone will take the seats.”

Soi and Chae-yi were always devoted to me.

They probably said that just so I’d stay seated.

Even when I tried to follow, they pushed me back down and disappeared into the crowd.

If it were just me, they might’ve hesitated or sent only one person, but since Hyeonji and Jinwoo were here too…

“Um… so.”

Since it was just the three of us now, maybe I should ask.

Even though the answer might be negative.

“Um… are you having fun?”

“……Hm?”

“Huh?”

Both Hyeonji and Jinwoo blinked at me, pulled from their thoughts.

“I mean… today. Coming here. Is it fun?”

When I asked carefully, Hyeonji blinked once, twice.

“…It’s fun. Why?”

“No reason…”

Being asked why made me suddenly lose all my words.

Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

I mean, what are they supposed to say? If they say it’s not fun, that’s awkward. I asked them directly, after all.

“Um… what about you?”

Since I’d already asked, I figured I should hear Jinwoo’s answer too.

“…It’s fun.”

She nodded cautiously.

And then, blushing, she smiled a little.

“Were the rides… um… too scary? Or uncomfortable?”

“…Riding too many in a row makes me dizzy.”

Hyeonji said after thinking seriously.

“But it was fun.”

She nodded firmly.

That was reassuring. If she answered that seriously, she meant it.

“I‑I was scared, but… I still think it was worth riding.”

Jinwoo agreed.

“Then why ask?”

Hyeonji asked again.

“Oh, um, just…”

Their eyes were on me, and my face grew hot.

I looked away and muttered in a tiny voice:

“…I just wondered if you were having fun. Since I was the one who suggested coming…”

At that, Hyeonji chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry. It’s fun.”

“Y‑Yeah! I‑I had fun.”

Hearing both of them say that made me smile.

Good. Really.

I was worried I’d dragged them somewhere they hated.

Feeling relieved, I waited for Soi and Chae-yi to return.

*

Amusement parks are honestly exhausting to stay in all day.

The place isn’t small, and walking around in huge crowds is tiring.

You have to line up for everything, and screaming on rides drains your energy.

Even so, we stayed until nearly 7 p.m.—basically the whole day.

“Let’s find a good place for dinner, then stop by a café before heading back.”

Soi said cheerfully, still full of energy.

Her face practically sparkled. After all that running around, she somehow seemed even more energized.

Then she stuck to my side again.

“And when we get back to the dorm, let’s finish what we were doing yesterday.”

“What we were doing yesterday?”

Chae-yi reacted immediately.

“Huh? Yesterday?”

And I, confused, echoed her.

“You know, during sparring—”

“…….”

Chae-yi’s eyes narrowed.

And somehow, Hyeonji’s gaze also turned toward me.

“No, that’s not it!”

I shook my head frantically.

“It’s not like that! I don’t have that kind of hobby!”

I tried to look away—only to meet Jinwoo’s eyes.

She blushed and turned her body slightly.

No, seriously, it’s not like that!

I didn’t touch her on purpose!

I mean, during sparring, bodies bump into each other all the time. If that counts, then Hyeonji literally climbed on top of me—does that mean she “pounced” on me? If I told her that, she’d probably snort.

But even if it’s unfair, I had no defense. I did touch her.

And… the feeling in my hand was very real…

“Pfft.”

Soi burst into laughter.

She looked delighted.

Hearing her laugh, Chae-yi also burst out laughing.

Hyeonji turned her head slightly, her shoulders trembling for a moment.

Even Jinwoo smiled shyly, which made me feel deeply wronged.

Is teasing me really that fun?

……

Well, if it makes them happy, they can tease me.

It’s better than making everyone gloomy.

Earlier, when I was sweating nervously, I wondered if suggesting the amusement park was a mistake.

But now, I felt glad we all came out together.

We had dinner at a popular, budget-friendly pasta place.

The café was just a common franchise.

Since tomorrow was also a day off, we bought lots of snacks and drinks on the way back.

When we parted with Jinwoo in front of her dorm, it even felt a little disappointing.

“…Rua?”

“Huh? N‑No! It’s not like that!”

“…I didn’t even ask anything.”

Chae-yi narrowed her eyes, and I ended up sweating nervously all the way back to our room.

*

*

*

At the Academy, the boys’ and girls’ dorms were in completely separate buildings.

In the past, they used one large building divided in half.

Even though there was a wall down the middle of the hallway, physically separating the two sides…

The first-floor lounge was shared, which apparently caused… issues.

Eventually, they built an entirely separate building, so now the boys’ dorm is a bit away from the girls’ dorm.

Normally, Jinwoo would walk while nervously checking her surroundings, worried someone might pick a fight.

But today, she was in a good mood, and there were barely any students around.

“Meow.”

As she walked lightly, plastic bags rustling in her hand, she heard a cat and looked down.

“Meow.”

A cat looked up at her as if trying to talk.

“Oh.”

Jinwoo paused.

Then crouched down.

“Hi?”

“Meow.”

The cat meowed again.

Its sharp eyes stared straight at her.

“Hm.”

After a moment of thought, Jinwoo said,

“Um… I think I made a friend.”

“……”

The cat silently stared at her.

“I didn’t think I’d make a friend at school… I mean, I thought it was possible, but I didn’t really plan on trying…”

Even if she tried, it would’ve been hard.

If she hung around girls, people would misunderstand.

If she made friends with boys… that could cause problems later.

“But… Rua. She doesn’t seem to like seeing people alone…”

“Meow.”

The cat reacted to Rua’s name.

Jinwoo didn’t think it meant anything—because it was a cat.

Even if it looked like it was listening, it wasn’t.

“She’s… really kind.”

She was worried about the future.

Somehow, she ended up hanging out with a group of girls. Would other students think something weird?

Would they suspect something?

“……”

And part of her felt a little envious.

If she lived in the same dorm building… maybe she could visit Rua’s room sometimes.

“…Ah.”

But she chose to live as a boy.

“Oh, right. Do you want something to eat? If so…”

The bag was mostly snacks, but maybe there was something a cat would like.

As she rummaged through it—

The cat suddenly stood up and turned away.

“Oh.”

Its attitude was completely different from when it was listening—now it walked away as if it had lost all interest.

Very cat-like.

Jinwoo stood up.

Then walked toward her room—originally meant for four people, but now used only by her, making it feel strangely spacious.

And for the first time in a while, she felt a faint touch of loneliness.

*

*

*

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Pub: 22 Apr 2026 09:52 UTC

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