On Wednesday, the day of the third exam, I had endured. There was no monster invasion. I felt deeply relieved about that fact.
The totem alone would have probably broken the Wall and destroyed an entire town. Thinking about it that way, I felt fortunate to have eliminated the totem, even at the cost of my hand.
Well, investigating the Wall was one thing, but I was exhausted from studying to escape my Bottom Rank position.
Of course, after receiving my grade report, I wasn't exactly in a good mood.
My written scores had improved slightly, but since I didn't earn any points in the practical exam, it seemed I couldn't escape from being at the bottom.
If I wanted to escape Bottom Rank, I needed to figure out what to do about the practical exam.
While I was looking at my grade report wondering, "What exactly am I supposed to do in the practical?" Yoon Ha-min approached with heavy footsteps.
"Kanna."
"...Yeah."
I wondered what he came to say.
He probably wasn't here to look at my grade report.
Was he going to tell me that nothing happened on Wednesday after all, and that he couldn't trust me? Or was he going to ask if this was the result of erasing the totem?
I raised my head to look up at Yoon Ha-min standing before me.
Then, Yoon Ha-min said quietly:
"...Today, you won."
The moment I heard those words, something welled up in my throat.
Honestly, I had expected him to question me.
I thought he might speak negatively or positively, but ultimately, since I couldn't show him any evidence, I didn't expect things to improve beyond doubt...
But Yoon Ha-min simply told me I had won.
That fact overwhelmed me with emotion, and I could only press my trembling lips firmly shut.
After counting numbers in my head to compose myself, I finally managed to answer.
"...Yeah."
I felt as though I'd been ambushed, since I never expected him to say something like that.
"...Um, Yoon Ha-min?"
Orca called out to him.
Yoon Ha-min turned his head, and Orca looked like she wanted to say something.
I hesitated for a moment, then tucked my grade report into my skirt pocket and slung my bag over my shoulder.
"I'll be going then. Orca, get home safely too."
"Ah, wait a moment..."
Honestly thinking it was best to give them space, I hurried away without acknowledging Yoon Ha-min trying to stop me.
From the beginning, I never intended to change everything about Yoon Ha-min's future just because I said I would change it.
I just wanted any future where he wouldn't shed tears.
A world where everything around him remained intact, where the things he loved survived, and where he could live and smile—that would be enough.
Surely that wasn't too much to dream for.
I left the classroom, walked down the hallway, descended the stairs, and exited the building.
Perhaps because exam days ended earlier than regular school days, the lazy sunlight shone down on me.
I swallowed a sigh at the realization that April was already approaching.
I had only just overcome the first hurdle, and I was worried about what the next challenge would bring.
I should pray that things don't deviate too much from the original.
*
Walls are fundamentally created to separate spaces.
Because of walls, inside and outside are defined, and simultaneously, names can be attached.
So, for the remaining humans, the area inside this Wall was certainly precious.
It was the space where their homes existed, where they could enjoy peace and tranquility.
"...How strange."
Beyond the Wall was a town where people lived, but on the opposite side was completely overgrown wilderness.
I was certain I had marked this place with a feather containing mana, but now I couldn't sense anything.
With my hand placed against it, I pondered several times with a "hmm," but I definitely hadn't erased it myself.
It wasn't a matter of memory.
The plan had been to send some troublesome monsters to the Academy where heroes gathered in large numbers, and send the remaining monsters to trample and devour the nearby town, but that became impossible.
The Wall appeared to be an ordinary structure, but it wasn't.
Naturally, different flows of mana circulated inside and outside the Wall, and it functioned to block them.
It was clearly different from the mana that ordinary people absorbed and refined to use as their abilities.
Of course, the Strange Ones consumed mana from outside the Wall, just as ordinary humans consumed mana from inside.
Anyway, invading such a place required advance preparation, and I was puzzled that the preparation had disappeared.
"...It's nowhere to be found?"
I felt along the innocent wall.
I could only click my tongue in frustration.
After confirming for days that it hadn't been moved, I had considered the town unprotected by heroes and planned to destroy it, to trample it, but at the moment of execution, it disappeared—it was maddening.
"How strange."
I thought I had controlled it so that humans wouldn't develop resistance, but I didn't expect anyone to find it.
Moreover, it would be difficult to find unless someone was consciously looking for it, so I wondered how it was done.
Even though they're called heroes, it's just a "job" they get paid for.
Their sense of duty is merely a facade, and no one takes it to heart, so how?
No, even with a sense of duty, moving with certainty that something like this existed would be nothing short of insane.
My lips curled up involuntarily.
I didn't know what crazy bastard was inside the Wall, but it seemed clear they had issued a challenge.
"Heh, haha, hahaha!"
I laughed loudly.
I laughed so loudly that anyone who saw me would back away in terror.
If I didn't laugh like that, I felt I might truly go insane.
To soothe my loneliness, to ease this desolation, I needed someone's screams.
I wanted to know who the damn person was who prevented that.
"Fine, fine. This round is my loss."
It was absurd, but for now, my preparations had been ruined, and there was nothing I could do.
I had no means to breach the Wall at present.
Of course, I could find another one and possibly obtain the means, but I wasn't fond of borrowing others' hands.
"But next time, I'll..."
I clenched my fist tightly.
Grrrr.
A growling sound rose from my throat.
The monster tamed by my hand was baring its teeth, signaling its hunger, but unfortunately, things hadn't gone as planned.
"Oh, my baby, are you hungry?"
Grrrr.
"I'm sorry, but it seems there's some meddler this time. The opportunity to eat your fill has disappeared..."
When I whispered like that, the monster, understanding, gnashed its teeth.
All I could do was give the monster someone to hate.
"There's someone in there who keeps you hungry."
Hate them.
The fact that you're hungry.
The fact that I'm lonely.
It's all because of that bastard.
I swear, if I just knew what face they had, I'd play with them until they were disfigured.
"Don't you hate it? Don't you want to kill them? Then let's make you bigger."
Grrrr.
Looking at the obedient monster made me smile.
Of course, even though it understood words, it wasn't intelligent enough for conversation, and it only made bestial sounds rather than screams, so it didn't alleviate my boredom.
I looked up at the Wall.
The largest structure in human history.
I couldn't help feeling irritated at failing to destroy it, but it was good news that I now had a clear target to tear apart.
The next time I put a scratch on the Wall, I hoped I could at least guess who it was.
*
"...Damn it."
I opened my bleary eyes and fumbled for the device at my bedside.
The time displayed on the screen was 1 AM.
I closed my eyes and turned off the device's screen, stretching my arms out wide.
My biological rhythm was completely shattered from staying up late studying for exams after finishing my final Wall investigation yesterday.
My head throbbed.
I had rushed home right after Academy hours ended and closed my eyes, only to fall asleep and wake up at 1 AM, which was quite troublesome.
Though I felt refreshed, the lingering throbbing—perhaps an aftereffect of staying up all night—made me wonder if I was actually sick, which would be problematic for going to the Academy tomorrow.
"...Ugh."
Could I fall back asleep if I closed my eyes again?
My alarm was always set for 7 AM, but I was honestly unsure what to do.
As I groaned and caught my breath, I felt like there had been notifications when I checked the time earlier.
Wondering if I had seen wrong or if something had come in, I raised my left arm still holding the device.
When I turned on the screen, there were several messages from Yoon Ha-min.
[Yoon Ha-min: Hey, sorry about earlier. You didn't need to leave so hurriedly.]
[Yoon Ha-min: Are you angry? Or just tired?]
[Yoon Ha-min: Are you asleep?]
[Yoon Ha-min: Good night, see you tomorrow.]
Judging by the increasing intervals between messages, it seemed he had been anxiously waiting while I was asleep.
It gave me mixed feelings to see him sending messages when he didn't need to worry about me this much.
If the original story was like this, I couldn't tell when it might suddenly turn into a bad ending, which is why I tried to change the story from the beginning.
I acted for that purpose, but I hadn't wanted Yoon Ha-min to pay this much attention to me, so it was a bit awkward.
Figuring there was no point replying at this hour—it would only be inconsiderate—I turned off the screen and tossed the device back to my bedside.
I pulled the blanket up to my chest and stared at the ceiling of the dark room before gently closing my eyes.
Since becoming this body, there have been too many uncomfortable things, but considering my life had ended, I thought, "This is the least of my concerns."
"...Haah."
With a small sigh, I steadied my breathing.
I wasn't sure if I could fall back asleep, but I tried my best.
Morning came, and I woke to my alarm, put on my uniform, and headed to the Academy.
Having taken the exams, this was now the week to start studying again.
The ever-expanding exam material was driving me crazy.
Whenever I entered the Academy, I was always outside everyone's interest.
Everyone avoided me and paid no attention to me because I was at the bottom of the class.
How could someone like me ever properly serve as a hero?
To them, I was just someone useless to associate with, someone who wouldn't even be valuable as a connection after graduation.
However, there was someone who greeted me, as if mocking them.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well yesterday?"
"...Yeah, I slept well. Good morning."
I answered with a slight smile.
And Orca, who was beside him, also quietly greeted me.
"Good morning, Kanna."
"Ah, good morning."
I responded with an awkward smile, and Orca nodded.
It felt like a ray of light had entered what had always seemed like a lonely Academy life.
I had felt this since Yoon Ha-min started talking to me and eating meals with me, but now I felt it more intensely, perhaps because my mind was at ease.
Yes, it was probably because of what Yoon Ha-min had said to me yesterday.
Telling me it was my victory meant he believed in me.
It felt like we had become closer.
Before, even until yesterday, I thought the word "friend" was nothing more than empty talk, but now it was different.
"It was too late to reply."
"You looked tired. Were you out late?"
"...No, I stayed up studying and ended up like that."
Talking naturally like this, it really felt like we were friends.
Hearing my words, Orca, standing beside Yoon Ha-min, stared at me for a moment before smiling.
She seemed to dislike me approaching Yoon Ha-min, yet she smiled when I didn't interfere with his future or waste his time unnecessarily but just did my part. I felt a bit more comfortable with her.
"My written scores improved a bit, but the practical is still a problem."
"By the way, when will your hand heal? You're always wearing bandages."
"Oh, this? Since it's a burn, it's taking quite a while."
And so, with an awkward smile, I began my day.