Innocence
Innocence
"I did it!!"
"Sssp...? Uh, uh, con, congratulations...."
Hearing Baek Ha-na's shout of pure joy, Lee Na-young shot upright in bed and mechanically clapped.
From the moment the trial lectures began on Tuesday, the freshmen had been thrown into chaos.
A professor nobody had ever heard of had shown up to lecture alongside the world-famous Claire Vin Asen—who introduced herself as the assistant professor.
The news spread rapidly through the academy's community hub. At first, it was dismissed as nonsense.
But one upperclassman who had occasionally spotted Claire during the break sent an inquiry to the Academic Affairs Department and soon received confirmation that it was indeed true. At that point, the academy practically erupted.
Freshmen flooded the Administration Department—not Baek Woo-jin—with requests to increase the enrollment cap. Upperclassmen did the same, begging for the lecture to be opened for their grade level as well.
After all, the man at the center of it all stood right next to the renowned Claire. Even if they worked up the courage to approach him, the moment they met her cold, level gaze, they shrank back. They had no other choice.
Fortunately, the upperclassmen had their own schedules to keep and gave up fairly quickly. The freshmen, however, were still in their adjustment period with nothing fixed on their calendars. Like colts with their tails on fire, they charged around the dorms and lecture halls.
There was only one reason.
They were hunting for a classmate who had enrolled in the Basic Riftology lecture.
With the roster still hidden, the freshmen had only one option left to them.
Grab anyone who looked suspicious and challenge them to a Cession Battle. Then demand to see their course registration list.
Primitive—and clean.
This batch of freshmen had absorbed Arena Academy's traditions faster than any cohort before them.
The indiscriminate Cession Battles had kicked off on Wednesday, the third day including the entrance ceremony. With no established rankings yet—unlike the upperclassmen—the freshmen, excluding non-combat classes, could not turn down an incoming challenge.
As a result, thirty out of the fifty enrolled students had been outed, and all thirty had been replaced by new faces.
Baek Ha-na had charged in herself with fire in her eyes, but every challenge ended empty-handed.
There was a simple fix: she could just challenge the thirty replacements again. Unfortunately, the rules granted the victor of a Cession Battle a two-day rest period.
Injuries would extend the rest period further. If the rest period's beneficiary accepted a challenge during that time, the battle would proceed—but a victory would not refresh the rest timer. Students had to be careful.
In other words, the thirty students who had newly claimed their spots were protected by the rules and could not be touched for the moment.
Thursday, the fourth day, arrived. The freshmen were about to waste another precious day of their adjustment period hunting the remaining twenty when a notification reached them all.
It was the very news they had been waiting for.
The Basic Riftology lecture's enrollment cap was being expanded.
The course page would be updated on Friday morning.
The number of new seats and the precise time were not disclosed, but no one complained.
They were simply grateful for the chance.
"S-so, Ha-na... I'll, um, wake you up in the morning...."
Lee Na-young, who had been glued to her smartwatch from midnight until dawn for Baek Ha-na's sake, collapsed back onto the mattress.
Because the exact time hadn't been given, the page could have been updated during the early hours. Lee Na-young had stayed up all night alongside Baek Ha-na, just in case—so that if she managed to grab a spot, she could hand it over.
Not that it mattered. Her stamina was so poor she'd nodded off partway through.
Now that she'd heard Baek Ha-na's triumphant news, Lee Na-young was finally ready to let consciousness slip, blissfully happy at the thought of guilt-free sleep—
"It is morning right now, though?"
"......Mmuh?"
The thread of consciousness that had been slipping away was yanked back.
Lee Na-young managed to turn her head with monumental effort and looked at Baek Ha-na.
Unlike herself, who was practically half-dead with exhaustion, the girl sitting up in bed was the picture of health, her fair skin practically glowing.
She'd even let out the ears she hadn't shown since the entrance ceremony—the ones you just wanted to touch.
Baek Ha-na twitched her soft, white-furred ears and approached Lee Na-young, who lay facedown like a corpse. She wrapped her arms around the collapsed girl and pulled her upright.
"It's seven. Shower fast and let's go eat."
"Mmn, I-I'm fine... mmrp...."
Lee Na-young's face sank into Baek Ha-na's chest.
Baek Ha-na patted Lee Na-young's back as the girl mumbled into her bosom (?).
"No. Skipping breakfast is bad for you. I'll help you shower and everything, so come on."
"Mmn...."
Lee Na-young stopped thinking.
Instead, she let herself sink into Baek Ha-na's chest—hundreds of times softer and more pleasant than any luxury pillow.
**
"Na-young. Open up."
"Uh? Oh, ah, aah... mmn...."
Lee Na-young, nodding off in her cafeteria chair, obediently opened her mouth, and Baek Ha-na spooned in some stew.
Idni, watching from across the table, shook her head.
"You're seriously hardcore. Letting her sleep would've been better than dragging her here and shoving food in her mouth."
"Mm... for once, I agree with Idni."
Even Maria, who rarely sided with Idni, looked away with a worried expression, then glanced back at Lee Na-young slumped against Baek Ha-na's shoulder.
"You want to drag in the kids who stayed up all night to help you?"
"That's exactly why I brought them."
Baek Ha-na spooned another mouthful of stew into Lee Na-young.
"They can sleep after they eat. You need something in your stomach to recover while you rest. And Na-young's frail, so she needs to eat more."
"Anyone watching would think you were torturing her."
Pressing her sleepy friend's cheeks to force her mouth open and shoveling in stew did look an awful lot like bullying, even with context.
Or—was it actually bullying...?
Dragging someone who wants to sleep out of bed and forcing them to eat... from the victim's point of view, yeah, that probably counted. Idni considered the matter settled.
"Once she finishes, we should infuse her with a bit of energy."
"Yeah. Giving Na-young a little should be fine."
Looking at Lee Na-young, who resembled a zombie in the making, Maria and Idni decided to lend her a small amount of holy power before heading back to the dorm.
"Ha-na."
"Mm?"
Baek Ha-na, having finally emptied the bowl of stew and laid Lee Na-young's head on her lap, lifted her gaze to Nam Seo-hee.
Nam Seo-hee's voice was quieter than usual.
"...It looks like things might get annoying."
"Annoying how?"
Baek Ha-na blinked. Beside Nam Seo-hee, Maria let out a delayed sigh and nodded.
"Na-young looked so pitiful I didn't think about it..."
"About what?"
"Yeah, don't keep it to yourselves. Spill."
Baek Ha-na and Idni stared at the pair with expectant faces. Maria shot Idni a quick glare before speaking.
"Honestly, Ha-na, you're kind of really pretty. And that white hair stands out. You've spent three days walking around with sharp eyes and murder in your step, and now suddenly you're in a good mood?"
"Ah... yeah, that's... definitely a giveaway...."
Idni nodded slowly and turned toward Baek Ha-na.
"I was wondering why some girls around here kept glaring this way. It was because of you."
"Right... though I think there might be a few other reasons we're attracting looks."
No one caused a scene in the cafeteria, so for now they were all just stealing glances—but the instant they stepped outside, they'd pounce on Baek Ha-na.
"With Ha-na's skills, isn't she fine no matter who challenges her?"
"That's true. She only has to face one at a time. And her rest period ended yesterday anyway. If anything, this is a good thing."
After all, the weekend started tomorrow.
And the two of them knew exactly how much Baek Ha-na was looking forward to that weekend.
Nam Seo-hee, the one who'd first noticed the issue, spoke again.
"...Ha-na."
"Mm?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been crunching on chocolate, turned her head.
"...I'm on your side no matter what. Just... believe that."
"Hm? Yeah. I believe you."
Baek Ha-na nodded, and Idni, watching, frowned at Nam Seo-hee.
"Did you not sleep either? Why are you suddenly being weird? It's creepy."
"Look who's talking."
"Excuse me?! I am nothing—!"
Idni's eyes flew wide at Nam Seo-hee's retort, and Maria, seated beside her, nodded in silent agreement with Nam Seo-hee.
With Baek Ha-na in high spirits, breakfast had been livelier than usual. The five of them bused their trays and stepped out of the cafeteria. That's when they saw it.
"They're really lying in wait."
"No kidding."
Maria and Idni shook their heads at the group camped just beside the entrance.
But as they slowly examined the faces in that group, their expressions began to stiffen.
"Hey. Nam Seo-hee."
"...This has nothing to do with me."
At Idni's low call, Nam Seo-hee let out a sigh.
The crowd waiting for Baek Ha-na included no fewer than five children from the Top 10 Guilds. That was the reason.
"What? What's the matter?"
"...Never mind."
Idni dismissed Baek Ha-na's question with a shake of her head, then jabbed a glare at Nam Seo-hee.
Nam Seo-hee ignored the look and fixed a sharp stare on the approaching group.
At last, Baek Ha-na's party exited the cafeteria, and the waiting crowd moved in.
"Sorry for descending on you in a mob. Let me introduce myself first. I'm Kang Seok-ho. Twenty years old."
A young man with a short crew cut and a warm, approachable air stepped forward as the group's representative and offered a polite greeting.
Baek Ha-na handed the dozing Lee Na-young over to Maria and stepped up.
"Baek Ha-na. Twenty."
The smile had left her face, leaving only cold composure.
Kang Seok-ho gave a wry smile.
"You seem displeased, so let's set introductions aside for another time and get to the point."
He coughed lightly under the murderous glare of Nam Seo-hee, who stood beside Baek Ha-na.
"Ahem. We didn't gather like this to threaten you. We're here to ask for your understanding. Please don't misunderstand that point."
"Understanding?"
"Yes. Those of us assembled here today intend to hold a Cession Battle among ourselves. The winner will then challenge you tomorrow."
"......What?"
A faint crack appeared in Baek Ha-na's near-expressionless face.
But it was so small that Kang Seok-ho missed it.
"Since you're acquainted with Miss Nam Seo-hee, we expect that even if we go all-out, it won't be a one-sided rout. We'll schedule it for tomorrow afternoon."
"No—why? Just do it today."
"We don't yet know who among us will win, but whoever it is will need at least a day to recover."
"Wha—"
"Then, we'll see you at the Sparring Arena tomorrow."
Kang Seok-ho gave another courteous bow, then turned his back. The group quickly receded into the distance.
Idni, who had been watching from behind, cautiously stepped forward to check Baek Ha-na's face. Then she turned back around.
"She's completely spaced out."
Maria, still holding Lee Na-young, turned her head toward Nam Seo-hee.
"...I'm, I'm... innocent...."
Nam Seo-hee averted her eyes.
That day, Nam Seo-hee tried to soothe Baek Ha-na right up until curfew. But even by the time they went inside, Baek Ha-na's mouth had not once opened.