Sharin's Friend

Rumors travel fast. It took barely half a day for everyone to find out I had gone and caused a scene in the Magic Engineering department. Even among the Martial Arts students, no one treated me like a sane person. My reputation in the Martial Arts department had never been great to begin with. The other students, eager to avoid friction with the Magic Engineering department, seized this opportunity to drag my name through the mud. It was as if they had grown tired of badmouthing me only among themselves; now that they could join forces with the Magic Engineering students to trash me, they seemed absolutely thrilled.

"Wow, Lightning Sweet Potato, you're really something. Why on earth did you do that?" Seron, having caught wind of the rumors from somewhere, stared at me with sheer bewilderment. "Do you secrete some kind of hormone that makes you physically unable to survive without being hated?"

"Exactly. In fact, I'm currently brainstorming what I should do next just to get you to curse at me."

"Don't worry. You don't have to do anything for me to trash-talk you." Seron snorted. She was nothing if not consistent.

"So, what actually happened?" Seron rested her chin on her hand, looking up at me. "I know you're a weirdo, but you're not the type to pull a stunt like this without a reason."

Surprisingly, Seron had a decent opinion of me. "Given how you treat Isabel, I didn't think you needed a reason for anything."

"Please, who do you take me for? I have eyes, you know."

"Oh, you do?"

Seron lunged at me as if she wanted to strangle me. But sensing that I had no intention of telling her the truth, she merely grumbled. "Fine, keep your secrets. I only asked because the guy who supposedly went to receive a confession came back looking like that."

"Confession, my foot." Just thinking about Dorara made me want to punch him in the face all over again.

Time passed, and before I knew it, the dismissal bell rang. I stood up from my seat. I needed to head back to the dormitory, balance my training and studying, and slowly prepare for the next act.

"You."

Just as I was about to leave, I ran right into Isabel.

"I heard you caused another scene in the Magic Engineering department."

Isabel stared at me intently. Having just cemented my infamy, I merely shrugged.

"I was just teaching those Magic Engineering bastards a lesson."

"You did it for Rin, didn't you?"

So she had noticed. When I gave her a look of feigned ignorance, Isabel let out a soft sigh.

"The rumors about Rin were spreading."

It seemed Isabel had also heard the gossip surrounding Sharin.

"I was actually planning to step in myself."

Isabel gazed at me quietly. It seemed that just as she was about to make her move, I had inadvertently beaten her to the punch.

"But once you stepped in, those rumors vanished instantly."

"Must be a coincidence."

Isabel's gaze felt incredibly sharp, like needles pricking my skin. At the same time, I could sense a trace of hesitation in her. Isabel had changed a lot recently through various events. As I waited to see what she would say, she slowly continued.

"...About you. I've ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been thinking about this for a while now. When you insulted Lucas back then..."

The conversation was taking an unexpected and dangerous turn. My heart skipped a beat. But she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, her lips parting and closing in hesitation.

"Never mind. It's nothing."

With that, Isabel turned and walked away. Had seeing what I did for Sharin forced her to look back at her own past with a more objective eye? This wasn't a good development. Although Isabel had changed a lot lately, she was still somewhat unstable.

I just hope she doesn't start digging herself into another hole.

She was a main heroine who caused me endless worry in more ways than one. But there was nothing I could do about it right now. I would have to give Isabel some space and keep a close eye on her.

After wrapping up my conversation with her, I resumed my walk back to the dormitory.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, my feet were kicking empty air. Suspended in mid-air, I froze and slowly turned my head.

Between the buildings, in the deep shadows, hair that looked as if it had captured the galaxy itself shimmered softly. A girl stood there, staring at me with lazy, half-lidded eyes.

The problem was, the light in those eyes was anything but friendly.

Ah, what was bound to come had finally arrived.

"Hanon, do you have anything to saaaay?"

"I have lived my life without a single shred of shame."

"Oh, is that sooo?"

My body began to float even higher into the air. I felt like a human balloon.

"I'm sorry! I got angry and acted on my own!"

The moment I blurted out the apology, Sharin let me drop back to the ground. I seriously thought I was about to become a star in the night sky. As I let out a sigh of relief, Sharin stepped out of the alleyway.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

Sharin was incredibly smart. She had probably already guessed the reason behind my sudden outburst, but she wanted to hear it directly from me. Trying to hide it from her would only sour her mood. That wouldn't be doing her any favors.

"Like I said earlier, half of it was because I was genuinely pissed off, and the other half was because I didn't want my highly useful partner to be put in a difficult spot."

When I confessed my honest feelings, Sharin stared at me intently, as if trying to peer straight into my soul. But my conscience was clear.

"And with that kind of mindset, you chose to get dragged through the mud in my place?"

Perhaps my lack of shame irritated her even more, because Sharin's eyebrows knit together in frustration. It was the first time I had ever seen her look so genuinely angry.

"As you know, I'm already the most hated guy in the Martial Arts department. Adding the Magic Engineering department to the list of people who despise me isn't going to change much."

"How is that not a problem? Hanon, you won't even be able to speak to anyone from the Magic Engineering department now."

Sharin asked how I planned to handle future team compositions. In the Demon Palace, cooperation was paramount. If you were on bad terms with your ranged damage dealers, you were as good as dead.

"It's fine. I have you, Sharin."

Sharin blinked.

"...And who said I would join your teaaam?"

"Wow, I'm in huge trouble then. I only pulled that stunt because I took it for granted that you'd be my teammate from now on."

"Your acting is terrible."

Was it that obvious? I grinned broadly.

"Even if the entire Magic Engineering department hates my guts, if I can secure the trust of their top student, isn't that a massive net positive?"

I could say this with absolute certainty. No matter who you brought from the Magic Engineering department, none of them could match Sharin's sheer power.

Sharin parted her lips as if she had a mountain of things to say, but she ultimately let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"I knew you were reckless, but I didn't think you were this much of a madmaaan."

"Well, now you know for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠future."

We were going to be seeing a lot of each other, after all.

"Honestly, even if you put it that way, I still don't understand why you went to such lengths. You're being too nosy."

Sharin was the type of person who could easily take care of herself. Even if she were ostracized in the Magic Engineering department, she would find it a minor annoyance at best; she didn't place much weight on social exclusion. To someone like her, my actions carried far too much unnecessary risk.

"But... thank you."

Despite her complaints, Sharin still expressed her gratitude.

"I didn't like people badmouthing my mother either."

Sharin closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if reminiscing. She was brilliant, and her memory was flawless. Though she always acted as if she forgot everything instantly, her sharp mind recorded every single detail. Even if it was something painful enough to make her want to tear her own mind apart, she remembered it all.

That was precisely why I had interfered. With her perfect memory, the experience of being ostracized and whispered about behind her back would have stayed with her for the rest of her life.

And she had more than enough of those kinds of memories already.

"Hanon, can I ask you one thing?" Sharin asked.

Her face, illuminated by the fading glow of the setting sun, looked somewhat lonely.

"What is it?"

"Your name."

Through her unique eyes, Mirinae, Sharin knew that I was using the Bandage of the Veil to conceal my true identity.

"Can't you tell me your real name?"

Yet, until now, Sharin had never asked for it. Our relationship occupied an ambiguous space, far from what one would call a normal friendship. We were business partners bound together by our mutual connection to Isabel.

But now, she was asking for my name. I didn't know what shift had occurred in her heart, but for the first time, she was curious about who I really was.

"No can do."

I shut her down instantly. I couldn't let her know I was Bika-meon just yet.

Sharin stared at me in sheer disbelief. Her expression made it clear she hadn't expected such a flat-out rejection.

"Once ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we graduate from the Academy," I offered a condition instead. "I'll tell you then."

A world where the bad ending had been averted. If that world ever came, I would no longer have to hide my true identity.

Sharin stared at me for a long moment before turning around without another word.

"Fine, do whatever you waaant."

Was she pouting? The fact that she was showing her emotions so openly was proof of how close we had become. A faint smile played on my lips. As Sharin walked away into the sunset, she didn't look quite as lonely today.

Time trickled by, and before we knew it, midsummer had arrived. Everyone was busy fanning themselves, and the heavy uniforms had been replaced by much thinner clothing. In the blink of an eye, the next Demon Palace battle was right around the corner.

"Look at you all, completely wilted just because it's summer."

Professor Beganor, who was conducting her morning lecture as usual, sighed as she looked over the exhausted students. Just as she said, everyone was drained. No matter how much cooling magic circulated through the classroom, there was only so much it could do when the oppressive heat outside followed them everywhere.

"Just hang in there until the Demon Palace battle. You'll get a short break right after."

Once the summer Demon Palace battle concluded, the students would be granted a ten-day vacation. What they did with that time was entirely up to them. However, her attempt at encouragement did little to lift their spirits.

Beganor clicked her tongue and set her textbook down. "I was going to tell you later because I figured it would ruin your concentration, but... we're having an outdoor barbecue party today."

In an instant, the students' eyes lit up. There was no age group that loved food more than teenagers, and this was especially true for the Martial Arts students, who burned massive amounts of calories daily. Cheers erupted from all corners of the room at the mention of a barbecue. Since the Student Council had already been drafted to help prepare for it, this was old news to me.

"So focus on the lecture. Every bit of this will become the blood and flesh of your future strength." Professor Beganor resumed her lesson. The students, however, spent the rest of the class counting down the minutes to the barbecue.

"Class is over!"

"Barbecue time!"

The moment the afternoon classes finally ended, the students let out deafening cheers. They practically sprinted toward the barbecue grounds. Since the event was organized by department, Martial Arts students from all years—first, second, and third—gathered in massive numbers.

"I have to go help out. Student Council duties."

"What?! Then where am I supposed to eat?!"

Seron shrieked when I told her I had to leave. Aside from me, Seron didn't really hang out with anyone else in our class. It felt a little pitiful to leave her all by herself.

"Well, you could always come and help the Student Council."

"Ugh, absolutely not."

Any pity I felt vanished instantly. Just then, a familiar face walked past.

"Van."

When I called his name, Van turned around with his usual easygoing expression.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take Seron with you? I have to head over to the Student Council."

Van looked at Seron. Perhaps because she hadn't interacted with anyone else besides me lately, Seron began to fidget nervously, repeatedly swatting my back.

"W-What do you think you're doing, Lightning Sweet Potato?!"

"If you follow Van, Isabel will be there too. She'll let you join them."

"Well, I guess so..."

Seron hesitated for a moment. Ultimately deciding that eating with them was better than eating alone, she agreed to follow Van. After sending off a visibly awkward Seron, I immediately headed to where the Student Council was gathering.

There were five Student Council members from the Martial Arts department in total: two third-years, two second-years, and one first-year. Nikita was the one who practically lived in the council room, but the other members also made sure to show up regularly.

"Hanon."

Hamel, a fellow second-year and Student Council member, greeted me as I arrived. Our relationship was neither particularly good nor bad. He was easily the most neutral student in the entire Martial Arts department, which meant we got along without any friction.

"Oh, Hanon-sunbae! You're here!"

Standing beside him was a boy who welcomed me with a bright grin. He had blue hair and wore a first-year's yellow name tag. This cheerful boy was Midra Penin, a fellow Student Council member and the runner-up of the first-year Martial Arts department. Although we had never been particularly close, he always went out of his way to act friendly toward me.

"I heard about what you did in the Magic Engineering department. I heard you gave those magic-nerds a proper thrashing!"

"Don't look down on the Magic Engineering students. It'll only make things difficult for you when it's time to form teams."

"Got it, I'll keep that in mind, sir!"

Perhaps because he didn't have much screen time in the Flame Butterfly Chapter, I had no idea what was actually going on in his head.

"Where are the third-year seniors?"

"Over there, helping the assistant instructors."

Hamel pointed toward two third-year seniors who were talking with the assistant instructors. One of them was the vice president, Nikita.

"Nikita-sunbae."

As I approached and called her name, Nikita turned to look at me. She offered me a bright smile.

"Ah, my favorite junior. You're here."

My body froze.

That smile... it was different from before. It was a smile that was clearly, undeniably broken.

Her eyes no longer reflected my image. Instead, an inexplicable, crushing pressure radiated from her. Along with it, a chilling, ominous coldness seeped into the air.

I realized it instantly.

Ancient Dragon.

She had finally laid her hands on it.