Chapter 90: Final Exam (1)

The cold air enveloped the classroom where only Saki Ryozo and San Ha-na remained.

“Tell me, Senior. Why does your name appear on the employee list?”

“……”

Faced with Saki’s sharp interrogation, San Ha-na merely tilted her head slightly. Her expression was so calm it seemed as if she didn’t understand what Saki was talking about. Saki twisted her lips in irritation.

‘From the beginning, there was something strange.’

Saki Ryozo recalled her first impression of San Ha-na. An ordinary appearance, so common it was instantly forgettable. Neither her character nor her attitude had any distinctive traits. Furthermore, San Ha-na rarely voiced her opinions, no matter the topic of conversation.

Saki had felt an inexplicable discomfort at her excessive normality. Her instinct, which rarely failed her, picked up on details others would easily overlook.

Once she focused her attention on something, she couldn’t help but observe and analyze it until she understood every detail. It was an instinctive skill, honed by being raised in a ruthless family where only the strong survived.

Saki opened her eyes wide as she scrutinized San Ha-na. Her appearance seemed as blurry as a shadow shrouded in mist. The more Saki observed her, the more irritating San Ha-na’s carefree demeanor became.

San Ha-na simply looked at her through her glasses without uttering a word. That brazen indifference made Saki let out a dry laugh before speaking again.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

As she spoke, Saki lightly tapped a piece of paper with her fingernail. San Ha-na shifted her gaze toward Saki’s finger. There, her name was clearly written.

⌜San Ha-na⌟

The setting sun painted the classroom walls in deep reddish tones.

“Or is it that you simply don’t want to talk?”

“……”

“San. Ha-na senior. Or should I address you by your official title?”

Saki pronounced San Ha-na’s name deliberately, spitting out each syllable with disdain. Then, she spoke with conviction:

“Professor San Ha-na.”

“Pfft.”

A dry chuckle escaped San Ha-na’s lips. The cold tone of her laughter made Saki take a step back. Her eyes flared with anger.

“…What exactly are you?”

The tension in the air became palpable. San Ha-na kept her smile and finally broke the silence.

“Hmm, Saki. I understand the last meeting left you a little tense, but… don’t you think you’re taking this a bit too seriously?”

“…What?”

“I mean, you don’t seem like the type to mistake someone for someone else just because of a shared name.”

San Ha-na gestured toward the document with a calm expression, as if entirely unbothered. Still smiling, she glanced at the papers on the desk.

Saki, somewhat thrown off, quickly reviewed the documents again. Her pupils trembled as she reread the details.

The name was indeed San Ha-na. However…

‘…Something doesn’t add up.’

In one corner of the document, there were details about the movements and location of the person listed. During the festival, this person had been outside the academy on official business.

‘…How could I have missed this?’

But given how small the text was, it was almost impossible to spot it at a glance. In fact, it was impressive that San Ha-na had noticed it so quickly.

‘Could the data have been tampered with?’

The information about academy employees was stored in a subspace system accessible only to the director. Altering that data was virtually impossible.

Even Saki, with her skills, could only read the data, not modify it. Access to the system was strictly limited to the academy’s director, Media.

Could Media be involved? The possibility seemed exceedingly slim. A cold sweat trickled down Saki’s back as she tried to make sense of the situation.

‘This doesn’t make sense…’

She had always prided herself on her meticulous attention to detail, and discovering an oversight like this felt like a blow to her pride.

San Ha-na, calmly observing her, spoke in a soft voice.

“Don’t worry, Saki. Even you can make mistakes. You’re not a machine, after all. Don’t you think?”

San Ha-na’s tone was gentle, almost as if consoling a child. Saki pressed her lips together in frustration, unable to respond.

San Ha-na’s smile remained unwavering. Although she was only a year older than Saki, her demeanor exuded a sense of calm and maturity that seemed far beyond her age. The sharp vigilance in Saki’s gaze began to soften gradually.

“Saki, I don’t know how things are in Japan, but in Korea, there are a lot of people with the same name. It’s just three syllables, isn’t it?”

“…Ah, yes. I mean, yes.”

“You were probably overly focused after the previous meeting. When someone is too tense, misunderstandings like these are inevitable. After all, we know there are enemies hiding within the academy. Your level of alertness is exactly right.”

“……”

“Well, it seems like we’ve cleared up the misunderstanding now, so I’ll take my leave.”

San Ha-na smiled gently, adjusted her glasses, and turned on her heels to leave the classroom.

Saki watched her in silence, her heart still racing with confusion and unease.

Scattered emotions and an uncomfortable sensation lingered in Saki’s chest, making her bow her head in guilt. The situation had completely flipped.

For Saki, bowing her head to someone was an utterly foreign feeling. A bitter taste filled her mouth, as if thick smoke weighed down on her chest.

Suppressing the urge to continue questioning, she knew pressing further would only deepen her own embarrassment.

‘Damn it…’

San Ha-na smiled enigmatically as she headed for the door. For a few seconds, the atmosphere felt strange.

Reaching the entrance, San Ha-na turned her head slightly and spoke.

“Saki.”

“…Yes?”

“As someone with a bit more life experience, let me give you some advice.”

A meaningful smile spread across San Ha-na’s lips. The lenses of her glasses glinted once more as she spoke softly.

“A guy as dense as Geom-Ma will never understand your feelings if you don’t express them directly.”

“W-What!?”

Saki’s face turned bright red in an instant. Her lips quivered as she stammered.

“Personally, I’m rooting for you, Saki! Really! Anyway, I’m off now! Good luck on the exam!”

“W-Wait…!”

San Ha-na waved as she exited the classroom. Saki stared at the door she had disappeared through. The dim light of the setting sun cast shadows across her flushed face.

***

The dawn slowly began to paint the horizon. I was sitting on a railing, gazing at the landscape. At this hour, I would usually be deep asleep, but my eyes had opened on their own.

My dark circles were deep, and my body was exhausted, but staying calm this time was especially difficult. And that was because…

“Hah… The final exam doesn’t bother me, but the team leader…”

It was Rachel.

Of all the possible students, why did I have to be on the same team as her? With everything else I already had to deal with, now I had to endure this additional stress.

The reason I avoided Rachel was simple: we were incompatible. I confirmed that with certainty when we were on the same team during the midterm exam.

Her personality was one I never wanted to encounter again. To be more precise, her shameless flirting made me incredibly uncomfortable.

Somehow, she had gotten my phone number and, whenever she had the chance, would send me messages inviting me to watch Rhetflix in her room or suggesting I stay for ramen. It seemed my number had already gone public.

Of course, I blocked her number. But even then, messages kept coming from new numbers. Most impressive of all, she always signed off with her real name, as if she were proud of it.

When I asked Speedweapon about it, he explained that Rachel simply bought a new phone every time I blocked her.

According to Rachel, “No man can resist after ten attempts.”

Speedweapon patted me on the shoulder with a pitying expression, telling me there was nothing he could do to help and wishing me good luck with a thumbs-up.

As a player familiar with the story, I understood the intentions behind Rachel’s actions.

She wasn’t looking for an emotional bond with me—she was trying to secure a strong bloodline. Her flirting and provocations were just a means to that end.

And somehow, I had become her target.

Rachel had witnessed my duel with Knox, my confrontation with the Demonic Siren, and my victory over Mao Lang.

As a member of the Changseong family obsessed with genetic supremacy, it was natural that I seemed like an attractive prospect to her.

‘Originally, that target was Leon.’

A shiver ran down my spine as an image of a heart-shaped pupil flashed briefly in my mind. If I wasn’t careful, I would end up dragged into the Changseong family, where I’d be drained until I was nothing but a hollow shell. I mentally reinforced my determination to stay firm.

By the way, despite her appearance, which suggested extensive romantic experience, Rachel was single since birth.

The game developers probably intended to add an ironic twist to her character…

“Mo-so…” [1]

I scratched my head and flopped back onto the bed.

The exhaustion I had been ignoring hit me like a truck. After all, I had woken up at least three hours earlier than usual. It was natural to feel this way.

I let my increasingly heavy eyelids close slowly…

Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin~ Hey!

A day yes and another Rolling in the Deep~!

The sudden sound of a pop song used as an alarm jolted me awake. I opened my eyes wide and glanced irritably at the clock on the wall.

It was five in the morning.

Even though the summer sunrise came early, it was still dawn. Even the roosters hadn’t dared to crow yet.

“…Who the hell is calling at this hour?”

I fumbled for my phone and picked it up, squinting against the artificial light glaring at me.

[Saki Ryozo]

[Support Role]

[019-XXXX-XXXX]

Seeing the name, I raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ryozo sometimes sent nonsensical messages, but this was the first time she’d called me directly.

‘She’s awake at this hour?’

That thought crossed my mind, but the answer came quickly. Since she usually slept during the day, nighttime sleep was probably difficult for her. I’d heard Speedweapon mention it once while talking to her.

I stared blankly at the phone, debating whether to answer. Eventually, I slid my finger to accept the call.

Given that this call came right after our meeting about tracking down villains, it was likely she’d found something suspicious while reviewing the data.

Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t complain. If she’d stayed up all night, how could I whine as the club president?

“Yeah? What’s up at this hour?”

—W-What? You weren’t asleep?

Having someone call at the crack of dawn and ask that…

It was so absurd I almost laughed out loud. I suppressed my growing emotions and responded calmly.

“I woke up earlier than usual. What about you?”

—W-Well, I don’t usually sleep much at night.

“Alright… so why are you calling at this hour? Did you find something strange while reviewing the data?”

—…..

At my question, there was a moment of silence.

—…Do you think I only call when there’s something important to say?

Her response was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but blink in surprise.

Now that I thought about it, it was true. Knowing her personality, she’d address anything truly important in person. Text messages from her were usually just jokes or casual chatter.

‘So why is she calling me now?’

Since I didn’t respond, Ryozo seemed to hesitate before speaking again.

—…I just wanted to wish you luck on the exam.

“…Ah.”

Her tone shifted slightly, leaving me momentarily speechless.

The cool and rational Ryozo, who always maintained clear boundaries, had just said something surprisingly warm.

Given her personality, it seemed out of character. There was undoubtedly more behind it, but deciphering her intentions was beyond me.

Still, her words were a gesture of encouragement, and I decided to take them as such.

—Anyway… I’m going to hang up.

“Wait a second.”

—Uh, uh, why?

“Good luck to you, too.”

⎯……

The silence of dawn returned. Thinking the call had disconnected, I checked my phone screen, but the call was still active.

Finally, a shy voice came through.

“…Thanks.”

The call ended abruptly after those words.

I set the phone down on the desk and scratched my chin.

I considered going back to sleep, but the soft light of dawn was already starting to illuminate the horizon.

The day of the final exam had begun.