Chapter 99: Resolution (2)

It was late at night.

The moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating Saki’s forehead. Under the silver glow, her eyelids slowly began to open.

“Ugh…”

A faint groan escaped her lips. As she regained consciousness, the paralysis in her body faded, and an intense pain flooded her all at once. Saki pressed her lower lip together and, with effort, sat up. At that moment, a cheerful voice echoed in her ears.

“Oh! You’re finally awake, Saki!”

“…Speedweapon?”

In front of her, Speedweapon jumped to his feet, welcoming her with enthusiasm. Saki’s expression instantly turned confused.

‘Where am I, and why is he here?’ she thought, not even having time to question it. Before she could articulate her doubts, Speedweapon began speaking nonstop, as usual.

“Do you know how many days you’ve been unconscious? Almost three whole days!”

“…T-three days?”

“Yes, how can you sleep so much after everything? What are you, a hibernating bear?”

For a moment, Saki’s eyes went blank. Then, memories of the final exam flooded her mind. She remembered Erio’s surprise attack and how she had struck back in the same way. It was part of her nature—to return whatever was given to her, no matter the circumstances.

‘…But.’

Saki pressed her forehead as she tried to piece together what had happened. A strange, tingling sensation in her chest unsettled her, as if she had forgotten something important.

While she remained lost in thought, Speedweapon, now sitting again in a chair, continued talking.

“Saki, you owe your life to the club president. According to Rachel, Kang Geom-Ma gave you and Leon first aid immediately. I had no idea he had a Regeneration Blessing! The doctors said his treatment was extraordinary, almost miraculous.”

“….?”

Saki’s eyes trembled violently, and her face flushed red in an instant. The words and actions from that day resurfaced in her mind with perfect clarity. She remembered resting in Kang Geom-Ma’s arms and whispering.

‘Please let me stay like this a little longer.’

‘…Oh, no.’

For a moment, Saki’s face went completely pale, like a blank sheet of paper.

“Aaaaaaahhhh!”

Despite the pain she still felt, she let out a scream of despair and started kicking the sheets with her feet. Her body twisted as if trying to shake off the sheer humiliation.

“S-Saki? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

Speedweapon’s eyes widened as he approached, alarmed. However, Saki leaned forward, burying her face in her hands as cold sweat trickled down her back.

‘I’m done for.’

That phrase perfectly summarized her situation.

How could she ever face him again after saying something so embarrassing? Just thinking about her own words made her skin crawl, sending chills down her arms.

If only her head could break apart right then and there. Maybe, with a good dose of amnesia, she could pretend nothing had happened. But, of course, her flawless memory gave her no mercy. Everything that had occurred was engraved in painful clarity.

Saki dug her fingers into her hair and began ruffling it in frustration. Her pupils swirled like whirlpools, while Speedweapon, concerned, murmured.

“…Is this what they call post-traumatic stress? If even Saki, who always acts so dignified and proud, is like this, just what the hell happened during that final exam…?”

After talking to himself for a while, Speedweapon started trembling slightly. His reaction caught Saki’s sharp gaze.

“And why are you here at this hour? What are you doing here, bothering me? Are you here to gawk at me or what?”

Even though she was just venting her frustration, her words came out with an aggressive tone. She couldn’t help it; the weight of her embarrassment was crushing her.

The harshness in her tone startled Speedweapon, who took a step back. He had been keeping watch by her bedside as part of the club members’ assigned shifts. After all, given her history with villains, it was only natural to take extra precautions.

And, by chance, it had been his turn that night. However, now Saki was glaring daggers at him.

‘Why is she so suddenly pissed off?’

Although he didn’t fully understand, he assumed it was some kind of psychological trauma. He reached into his pocket and, nervously, pulled out a small package of yokan.

“Look, I brought your favorite yokan! It’s the good kind. Please, calm down.”

Carefully, he placed the sweet on the bed, raising both hands as a sign of surrender.

Saki stared at the yokan on the sheets before slowly lifting her gaze toward Speedweapon.

“……”

Silence filled the room, blending with the bitter scent of medicine. Then, a vein started to bulge on Saki’s temple.

Thud!

The rolled-up pillow in her hands hit Speedweapon square in the face.

“Ack!”

“Do you think you can fix everything with a little yokan, you idiot?”

If she had only been venting her anger before, now she was genuinely irritated. She felt like Speedweapon was treating her like a dog that could be calmed with a snack.

She grabbed another pillow, ready to throw it, while Speedweapon waved his hands and ran toward the door.

“You’ll regret this!”

Speedweapon pointed a finger at the air in an accusatory manner and bolted, slamming the door shut behind him. For a moment, Saki just stared after him.

“…Hah.”

Finally, she sighed. A slight pang of guilt crept in a second later.

“…I think I was too harsh on him.”

Even though it annoyed her that he tried to calm her down with yokan, she couldn’t ignore the fact that he had been looking after her late into the night.

‘I’ll apologize later.’

As her initial emotions gradually subsided, Saki averted her gaze.

There it was, the yokan that Speedweapon had dropped in his escape, resting untouched on the sheet.

“…….”

Saki stared at it for a long while, then suddenly reached out like lightning and grabbed it.

Then, she quickly turned her head from side to side, checking that no one was watching.

The pale moonlight was the only thing illuminating her. There was no sign of anyone nearby. Once she confirmed she was alone, Saki swallowed and took a big bite of the yokan.

A rich, intense flavor ran through her tongue, making her jaw tremble slightly.

“…It’s delicious.”

With her brows slightly furrowed, as if trying to hold back tears, she devoured the yokan in silence.

The full midnight moon was the only witness to the scene.

***

The atmosphere of the hospital was bathed in a faint glow.

Step. Step.

I walked through the dark hallway, moving through the dimly lit corridor. Although it was Speedweapon’s turn for night duty, I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to drop by and keep him company.

‘That chatterbox must be desperate to talk to someone after being alone for so long.’

I smiled slightly at the thought as I headed toward the room.

Three days had passed since the final exam.

Due to the unexpected appearance of the villains, Ryozo and Leon had been gravely injured. Looking back at the situation, it was a miracle that both were still alive.

Fortunately, my gamble of manifesting the four Blessings to treat them had paid off, saving their lives.

Of course, the effort had nearly cost me my consciousness. However, thanks to the pain reduction effect, I managed to avoid being hospitalized.

Saki and Leon had been carried out of the special area by Rachel and Choi Seol-Ah, who had taken responsibility for each of them. In my case, it was Senior Ha-na who supported me when my knees finally gave out.

‘At least three of us made it out unscathed.’

After that dreadful final exam, we headed straight to the hospital.

As soon as they were admitted, Media came to see me, demanding an explanation. In the middle of a barrage of questions about what had happened, I didn’t answer immediately, postponing everything for later. My priority was tending to the two injured.

I asked Media for a week to explain everything.

Even though it was just a phone call, her voice carried a mixture of concern and fury.

Another unfortunate incident had occurred during the exam. Despite having relocated the exam site to the academy grounds after the problems during the midterms, two cadets had returned on the brink of death.

Judging by the injuries on Leon and Saki, Media seemed to have a good idea of what had transpired.

No matter how harsh the special area was, it did not justify someone returning with a shattered arm or a torn body. Her voice trembled with anger as she muttered, and that scene remained vivid in my mind.

Of course, I was just as furious. I wanted to gather the villains immediately and make them pay with my sword.

However, I knew that acting on intense emotions would only complicate matters, so I gritted my teeth and suppressed my rage.

Either way, the moment for revenge was slowly approaching. The club members were working tirelessly to investigate potential suspects.

I took a deep breath. The cold night air filled my lungs, clearing my thoughts.

Instinctively, I turned my gaze to the window in the hallway. Through the darkness of the night sky, I observed the scenery. The moonlight dimmed the brilliance of the stars.

“……”

Lost in thought, I continued walking without realizing it until I arrived in front of Saki’s room. Just then, a small commotion echoed from inside, and then…

Clack!

The door suddenly swung open, and Speedweapon ran out, panting. After catching his breath, he seemed to notice my presence and turned his head toward me.

“Huh? President? What are you doing here at this hour?”

With a surprised expression, he shot me the question. I scratched my chin before responding.

“I just couldn’t sleep. I thought you might be bored, so I came to keep you company.”

“President…”

Speedweapon’s eyes filled with a strange melancholy.

Seeing a grown man with teary eyes was… uncomfortable. While rubbing his eyes, he opened his mouth and spoke in a quiet voice.

“President, Saki woke up.”

“……!”

“It looks like, thanks to you, her body is at least in good condition. But the problem is…”

“Problem?”

When I asked, Speedweapon, who had been silent for a moment, let out a sigh before answering.

“…It looks like she has post-traumatic stress disorder. She suddenly starts screaming, throws pillows… It was already chaotic before, but now her temper is even worse. I tried to calm her down by offering her yokan, but she rejected it immediately. Things aren’t looking good, President.”

“……”

I looked at Speedweapon, who was sighing deeply, with a mix of disbelief.

‘…This guy, what the hell?’

The same Speedweapon who had gotten beaten up by Ryozo was now complaining as if getting hit by a pillow was some sort of tragedy.

Based on what he said, Saki’s attitude toward him hadn’t changed much, though maybe now she was a little more… direct.

She had probably rejected the yokan because she didn’t like Speedweapon’s shallow attempt at appeasing her. But here he was, diagnosing her with PTSD and acting like he was the victim.

If I were Saki, I would’ve knocked out a couple of his teeth by now.

‘…Maybe it’s precisely because of how clumsy he is that Saki has feelings for him.’

Even so, his concern for her was genuine, and that had some merit.

Because of that, I decided not to comment on it. Instead, I sent a silent thought of support to Saki, imagining how difficult it must be to deal with someone like him.

‘Anyway.’

Something came to mind that I needed to discuss. The past few days had been so chaotic that I hadn’t had the chance to bring it up before. Now that Saki was awake, the timing seemed right.

I asked Speedweapon.

“By the way, how’s the search for the villains going?”

The final exam period was about to end. With the holidays right around the corner, any delays could ruin our plans.

Seeming to understand my intentions, Speedweapon nodded and responded.

“Not just the club members—even Rachel got involved. We’ve identified about five staff members who seem suspicious.”

“Are you sure it’s them?”

Speedweapon nodded at my question, confirming it with a firm gesture.

Knowing his cautious nature and logical thinking, his answer was practically a certainty.

‘Five suspects…’

The actual number was probably higher, but if we managed to expose those five, it was likely that the whole operation would collapse like a house of cards.

As I pondered the possible implications, I shifted my focus back to Speedweapon. He was looking at me with an expectant expression, as if waiting for me to say something. I patted him on the shoulder before speaking.

“Speedweapon, can you come with me somewhere tomorrow after class? Does that work for you?”

“Eh, sure, I don’t have any scheduling conflicts. But if Saki is already awake, shouldn’t we bring the others here after class?”

“…Do you really think Ryozo would be happy if everyone showed up in a crowd? You’ve known her for so long—do you not get her personality?”

“…Ah.”

Finally, Speedweapon nodded as if he had finally understood. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh at his lack of perception. It was surprising to find someone more clueless than me, even as a rookie when it came to relationships.

When I raised my eyebrows at him, giving him a slightly exasperated look, Speedweapon tilted his head in confusion before asking.

“So, where are we going tomorrow?”

With a calm smile, I responded.

“To the director’s office.”

It was time to put the old saying into practice: ‘Strike while the iron is hot.’

There were only a few days left before the closing ceremony, and I intended to use them to their fullest to catch those damn villains.