Group Project: Taking Down an Academy Teacher
I opened my eyes. Another morning.
It felt like I hadn't slept properly.
I'd spent a long time in that dream-space, trading questions and answers.
I'd asked all the important ones right away, so the remaining questions were just trivial nonsense.
In the end, all I got was mental fatigue.
No real gains.
Just reconfirming what I already knew? That was it.
Checkpoint.
Designated.
My daily routine. It always started with setting a checkpoint.
I got out of bed.
I pulled the black syringe from the drawer and slipped it into my pocket, but left the transparent one behind.
Mental contamination or something? Just looking at it stirred impulses I couldn't ignore.
Better to keep it out of sight.
Ding. My phone buzzed.
Academy semesters lasted 12 weeks, and with this being week 5, yeah, group project details were right on schedule.
College group projects often kicked off in week 1, but this was the academy... so probably different.
Probably practical training. One-on-one spars or three-on-three matches seem likely.
A probability event.
There was an extremely low chance of the uninhabited island scenario, but I doubted I'd see it firsthand.
Last year, they'd dropped three-person teams on an island and judged how quickly they built a stable base...
It got scrapped. Common sense says it won't happen again.
The reasons were obvious.
Injuries everywhere, near-deaths, sea monsters showing up, and with no academy defenses on the island, ambushes were way too easy.
Despite all that, the professor who'd pushed it through got half-forced into retirement, living off a pension now.
What happened in those rare occurrences? Swimsuits... some fanservice scenes on the island.
Everyone might've forgotten, but this game's roots were in a dating sim.
You needed scenes of beautiful girls running barefoot on the beach.
With protagonist Ja-an as academy top student, he could pick his teammates freely for the project.
Some weird players dragged two guys along, but if the island event hit now, it'd be me and Han Ye-seo as his team.
Anyway, back to reality—the events I needed to prep for were one-on-one or three-on-three spars.
One-on-one meant praying Class A didn't expose my skills.
Three-on-three? Leave it to Han Ye-seo and Ja-an, then hop on the bus.
Honestly, with my current stats, I might handle it.
I headed to class with a light heart.
...
A few cadets were already seated, earlier than me.
Come to think of it, Class A is all supporting cast and leads... but I haven't built any bonds.
Outside Han Ye-seo and Ja-an, I hadn't even talked to anyone.
The closest was Dana.
Not really friends, though.
With the hooded girl confirmed as Dana, could I call her a friend? Hell no.
Am I crazy?
I ignored the stares aimed my way and took my seat.
Thud thud, thud thud. Crash—! Rumble!
The classroom door burst open with massive noise.
In stormed a furious... Ritta.
Her signature pink twintails were down, straight hair unbound—meaning she was that pissed she'd forgotten to tie them up.
"Hey!" I glanced around cautiously before turning.
Ritta's finger jabbed straight at me.
No dodging that. All eyes turned to me.
I stood awkwardly and greeted her.
"Hello."
"You... you crazy bitch! I said I needed a full day to recover! And you all just bolted?!"
"...I didn't try to run."
"Han Ye-seo? Ja-an? Which one's the ringleader?"
Scrrch. Perfect timing.
The other door slid open, revealing Han Ye-seo and Ja-an together.
...?
Wait, why are they showing up together? Why'd they come to school as a pair?
Hey.
They avoided my gaze.
Ritta whipped her head toward them. A creak echoed from her neck—probably age catching up to her joints.
The visual and sound made it even creepier.
Thwack. Someone smacked Ritta's head from behind.
A rolled-up paper ball hit, and Ritta spun to face the culprit.
Irene Rock.
She spoke.
"What are you doing in my classroom...?"
"Three of your students escaped my health office."
"...Escaped?"
"Yeah! Escaped! My healing isn't omnipotent!"
"It kinda is."
"W-well, yeah, but."
Irene Rock eyed my face briefly.
"Who and who?"
"Her, her, and her!"
Ritta pointed at us one by one.
Ja-an raised a hand slightly.
"Healing was done, so no need to stay longer. Teacher was asleep too..."
"Is that so?"
"Waking someone sleeping felt wrong."
Irene Rock pondered, then spoke.
"Everyone, take your seats."
"Hey!"
Ritta grumbled at Irene Rock, but she brushed it off effortlessly.
High-level skill.
They must be close.
The game never showed sides like this.
Everything revolved around the protagonist; side relationships stayed in the dark.
Pretty fresh, actually.
Irene Rock shoved Ritta out with both hands.
Ritta didn't back down easily.
"You...! Wanna go?!"
"Sure."
Irene Rock pushed harder, nonchalant.
A power struggle between two active A-rank heroes... Cadets watched raptly.
Han Ye-seo and Ja-an used the chaos to slip into seats near me.
...Fast when it suits them.
Ritta struck first.
Healing specialist or not, she was A-rank. Safe to assume her physical strength and speed topped B-rank heroes.
Irene Rock dodged Ritta's swing effortlessly.
"Turn off your ability!"
"...Nah."
Irene Rock's ability: Chekhov's Gun.
A limited future sight that skips to results after gathering clues.
It predicted the next move.
Observing Ritta's muscles relax, contract, tense...
Amid the flurry of strikes, Irene Rock lifted a foot.
She spun once and unleashed a kick.
Bam! Air burst; her toe vanished from sight briefly.
My Agility was C+, Strength D+. Even now, an active A-rank hero's speed was beyond me...
Disappointing.
Still a long way to go.
To keep up with Ja-an in the main story, to survive the grim arcs ahead, I needed more power.
Stronger enemies might appear...?
...Huh?
A hunch flashed through my mind.
'Lose consciousness completely.'
That's what I needed.
I'd fixated on boosting pleasure and nullifying side effects, forgetting the rest.
First use of that drug? Total blackout.
They gave it to me because I'd need that timing once.
If future me planned for me to use it, then the future requiring the drug is set in stone.
Time to find out why.
Why lose consciousness?
With stronger foes incoming, blacking out in front of them was suicide.
Why would future me make me lose it?
What emerges if I lose consciousness?
Unconscious. Fragments. The black dot in my dreams.
The drug knocks me out.
And out comes future me.
The me fused with Ivy Lane, turned into that black dot.
A contingency for an enemy current me can't handle—future me stepping in personally...!
I got it.
While I pondered, Irene Rock and Ritta's scuffle wrapped up.
Ritta blocked a kick with her forearm; it bruised red instantly.
Irene Rock quipped.
"...Hurts, huh?"
"H-hah, not even a little? Sniff."
"Out."
"F-fine..."
Deflated, Ritta slunk out, shooting us a warning glare before the door shut.
Clap! Irene Rock clapped.
Eyes gathered; she started a beat late.
"As you all know, this week brings group projects and internal rankings adjustments."
...Rankings adjustment?
"Group project: Beat an academy teacher."
"Pardon?"
A clueless cadet blurted in disbelief.
"Obviously, three per team."
...Some famous academy story popped to mind.
Was sticking to canon growing thorns on my tongue? Why did every complication hit me?