Chapter 5: Inevitably, the Heroine

I Hate Attention (1)

Let's ignore him.

That thought was all that occupied my mind. Whatever Xenon said—whatever reaction he showed, just ignore him and do my own thing. I didn't want to give him any unnecessary reaction. If he interpreted that as 'room for something'... the thought alone was horrifying.

I deliberately mingled with the crowd. Trying not to stand out. Fortunately, I was on the shorter side, so I was completely hidden behind the men. ...I used to be quite tall, though. Changing from around 183cm to about 160cm, I couldn't get used to the eye level.

I used to be able to have an open view just by standing, but now I couldn't see in front of me even when standing on tiptoes. This seemed to be a disadvantage in its own way.

Of course, it was slightly helpful in the current situation.

Moving around mixed in with the crowd like that, I was able to take my place in the Class A line without running into Xenon. If I had run into him, I was thinking of lightly flipping him off and slipping away. A girl who curses as soon as she sees you, there's no way he could like that.

I should have just cursed at him as soon as I saw his face, I thought, but when I actually faced him, I couldn't bring myself to say harsh words. As if something was preventing it, my mouth clamped shut. The thought, "Don't hurt him," flashed through my mind, and my face scrunched up.

...Come to think of it, the villains did it just fine. Why can't I? No sooner had I thought that than I heard swearing from the front.

"You pathetic bastard."

"......"

"What's so good? What reason do you have to grin like that?"

"What's it to you..."

"No, it matters. I can't just let it go if you have a good look on your face, unless you look rotten as usual."

A woman was glaring at Xenon with a fierce expression, and Xenon was staring back at her with a blank face. The people around them were just watching, surrounded by the woman's fierce energy. Wait, why is everyone else getting cursed at but me...?

"Why did you even enroll here? Don't you know your place?"

"...Why do you care?"

"Are you asking because you don't know? Have you forgotten what bloodline is tainted because of your mother?"

...Haa, hearing those words, I realized that something was about to happen. To the protagonist, the existence of his mother was a sore spot, and from the moment that was touched—there was no way nothing would happen.

And as I expected,

Boom-!

Xenon started swinging his sword. The fact that I heard an explosion rather than the sound of cutting meant it was definitely the protagonist's ability. His power was to explode anything he touched.

However, I felt a subtle strangeness in this situation itself. The protagonist was like this from the first day of enrollment? Even though the early parts of the story were hazy in my memory, there was nothing like this. Where...did things go wrong?

The school became a scene of carnage in an instant. Xenon's skill in handling his ability was not something to be ignored, even by veteran heroes. And that woman fighting Xenon. Xenon's attack was by no means light. But she was taking those attacks lightly, even smiling slightly.

"Does insulting your mother make you angry? But you shouldn't get angry. There's such a thing as...a difference in position."

"Shut...up!"

Countless explosions erupted towards the woman, shaking the space. Simply causing explosions with his hands was powerful enough, but detonating them through his sword produced even greater power. Ku-gu-gung—the barrier of the Great Hall could no longer withstand the explosions and began to shake with a roar.

And the woman facing him was no match. It wasn't outwardly apparent what her ability was, but the fact that she was enduring all the explosions with her bare body suggested it was an augmentation type.

Should I just ignore this?

The people called teachers were not easily approaching the fight. The power was such that their bodies would be damaged if they were caught up in it. But even so, they couldn't just leave the fight as it was. If they did this from the first day of the entrance ceremony, they wouldn't be able to avoid sanctions, even in an academy that didn't restrict the use of abilities.

-I have to stop them.

Why should I? A whisper came from within my heart. If the protagonist disappeared like this, wouldn't that be better for me? I wouldn't have to become a heroine, or worry about being involved in a similar relationship. Then suddenly, I realized I was reaching out my hand. Was I even trying to stop the fight?

"Ha."

Laughter burst out. Not laughing because I was happy, but because the situation was absurd. I hadn't escaped the past yet. I shifted my gaze, far away—fragments were flying, wounds were appearing, blood was flowing. It must hurt. Yes, it will hurt.

-It hurts.

Frowning at the sudden rush of old memories, I slowly moved my feet.

Step-

The small sound of footsteps was not detected at all in the roar of the explosions.

Step-

One person walking through the crowd was not even noticeable among the people who were just watching the fight. Only when I had reached almost in front of those fighting guys did someone point at me and shout.

"...Who's that!"

People's eyes fell on me. Gazes mixed with questions like, 'Who is that?', gestures urging me to get out of that dangerous place immediately. And,

Crash-!

Those two maniacs were still engrossed in their fight, not yet recognizing my existence. I wondered for a moment why I was here, but the answer was simple. No matter how much I denied it in my heart, I knew that I was the only one who could stop the fight.

Why do I have to do this? I knew the answer. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't want an unknown future to come. So, I'm stopping them. Hoping that I can lead them to the future I know.

Pajijik-

Honestly, when I first thought of my ability, I wondered if I could handle it. It was a sensation I was feeling for the first time. In the first place, there's no one who practices thinking they'll be able to handle superpowers.

But that question quickly subsided. Should I call this talent? From the moment I realized and handled my ability—I had already adapted to Aisha's power.

Tu-kwang-

Exploding sounds, scattering debris. I have to suppress the second-by-second battle unfolding on the ground.

How should I do it?

The deliberation didn't last long. My ability was specialized for suppression. Handling ice, a simple ability, but in the world of abilities, simplicity was extremely special. Because I could realize everything I imagined in my head.

Kwajik-

Ice crystals spread out along my fingertips. From small icicles to a freezing cold that covered the ground. The explosions that shook the atmosphere subsided, and even the scattering debris froze—slowly, swallowing the two people.

The gazes of the two people fighting turned to me at the pouring cold. Why, what. Why are you fighting from the day of the entrance ceremony.

For a moment, I felt their dissatisfied gazes, but I ignored them and continued to increase the size of the ice.

Kwajik- The part where Xenon's sword touched exploded, and the woman also began to break the ice in response. My head ached every time the ice broke.

Maybe it's because my mental strength is needed to use my ability. Still, I'm not going to let them keep breaking it.

"Haa..."

My body temperature dropped, and a cold breath was exhaled. As my body temperature decreased, my ability was further amplified, and thus the cooling became faster. Even the explosions that carved the ice, even the hard bodies that broke the ice. Eventually, they were consumed by the cold.

Jjeo-jeok-

The two people were completely frozen. I felt like I had a brief eye contact with the frozen Xenon. But it must have been my imagination. Looking at the scene frozen like this, I thought my ability was pretty good. Well, it has to be this much to be called the main heroine.

Of course, I have no intention of doing that.

From the place where I was standing to the place where the two people were fighting. The sight of all of it being trapped in a solid ice block was quite spectacular. I felt a little proud that I had done something like this, and as I gained experience using my ability properly, I finally realized that I had possessed this body.

But that wasn't all.

The gaze towards me, who had created that huge ice block, that gaze that was even more focused than when I tried to stop the fight earlier, was really...burdensome. Curiosity, jealousy, envy, admiration, those sticky emotions were mixed together—

I escaped from that place as if running away.

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