The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character
Chapter 140: Blackmail [2]

"You already know I can't hold back my curiosity," Aria said with a sly smile. "Remember what I said last time? That we'd meet again—and that this time, I wouldn't let you off the hook?"

My eye twitched slightly at her words, but I bit back a response.

She had the upper hand right now. No matter how much I wanted to fire back, I wasn't in the right position to do so.

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, her gaze sharp and a little too amused for my liking.

"So, let's skip the small talk. You and Leon… are you two dating? Are you gay? Or are both of you?"

Straight to the point, huh?

I froze for a second—not because of the question itself, but because of the relief that followed.

She hadn't suspected the truth.

At least… not yet.

As long as she believed Leona was a boy, we were safe. That alone was enough to keep me from losing my cool.

"...That's what this is about?" I finally said, keeping my voice as even as I could. "You dragged me here to gossip about my love life?"

She raised an eyebrow. "So, you admit it's a love life."

"I didn't admit anything."

"Come on, Rin. You two were literally arm in arm walking into a movie theater. That's either a date or a very dramatic bromance."

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms.

"You don't need to know the details."

Aria smirked. "I'm asking because I'm curious, not malicious. And like I said before, I don't plan on spreading anything. But people will talk, Rin. You know that."

I hated that she had a point.

Velcrest students were like hawks—especially when it came to rumors. They lived for scandal, and a blurry photo was all it took to send the entire academy into a frenzy.

"You're not planning to spread it yet," I muttered, eyes narrowing. "So what happens if I say no to whatever deal you're cooking up? You gonna 'accidentally' let the photo leak?"

She didn't answer right away.

Instead, Aria just tilted her head and studied me, like she was genuinely debating whether I was stupid or just bluffing. Then she sighed, pulled out her phone, and tapped the screen.

"Look. I'm not a villain, okay? Do I look like a villain to you?"

Before I could answer, she casually opened her chat app—specifically a group labeled Sacred Blade. The thumbnail photo of me and Leona, arm in arm, was already preloaded into the message box, along with a caption written in bold:

["Scandal Alert?! Rin Evans and Leon Harper… holding hands? 👀💥 What's the story here?"]

My heart did a quick somersault.

In one smooth motion, I slapped on a forced smile and leaned back.

"Villain? Hahaha! What are you saying? You're an angel—white wings, halo, maybe even a harp. Truly a divine messenger of kindness and mercy."

Her expression twisted in visible disgust. She actually recoiled.

"Okay. That was extremely creepy. Don't ever say anything like that again."

This bitch!

I cleared my throat, still trying to hold back the flood of profanity bubbling in my chest.

She smiled sweetly. Too sweetly.

"Anyway," she said, eyes gleaming, "Are you two, y'know... dating? It's fine if you are. I don't judge. Love is love. Anyone can fall for anyone, even if the opposite gender is 'male.'"

The way she emphasized male made me want to scream.

She was clearly enjoying this.

"No, we're not dating," I said tightly.

It took effort not to grit my teeth, but I managed. I was this close to snapping, but I couldn't afford to lose it here. Not when she had the picture and an itchy send button.

"Shame," she said with a sigh, tapping her chin theatrically. "You looked cute together. Very... natural."

She leaned in, eyes narrowing just slightly.

"So. What's your official explanation for this totally not scandalous moment?"

I exhaled through my nose and answered as calmly as I could.

"There's nothing to explain. We were caught up in the moment, that's all. We were excited, went to the movies, and she—he—I mean, Leon—linked arms for like, three seconds. That's it."

Aria raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"And," I added firmly, "for the record, I like girls."

She blinked. Then gave a slow, theatrical clap.

"Wow. What a bold and stunning declaration. Should I write that into the caption too?"

I shot her a warning glare.

"I mean it," I said. "This isn't just some funny little rumor. You don't know what kind of damage this could cause."

Aria's expression softened—just slightly.

"I'm not stupid, Rin. I know exactly what kind of mess this would make if it got out. I'm not trying to ruin anyone. I just needed leverage to get your attention. That's all."

"Then delete the photo."

"...Eventually."

"Now."

She smiled. "Not now."

"Just tell me straight," I said, already tired of this cat-and-mouse game. "What do you want?"

She smirked. The kind of smirk that made you instinctively check if your wallet was still in your pocket.

"Join my club," she said.

"...Club?"

"Yep. The Observation Club."

I squinted. "Observation? What do you observe exactly?"

She lifted a finger and started counting off casually, "Oh, you know. Monsters. Magical beasts. Gathering information about heroes. Tracking trends in combat tactics... and sometimes—sometimes—we observe the daily lives of students."

I blinked slowly.

"Right. So you want to stalk people but need an official reason."

"No! It's not stalking!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "I said sometimes! It's purely academic. Data collection. Behavioral study. Very professional."

"In every shady novel I've read," I muttered, "the moment someone like you says 'sometimes,' it's almost always their main activity."

Her expression didn't waver, but I caught a tiny twitch in the corner of her mouth. She knew I wasn't wrong.

Still, I was starting to piece together what she was really after. She was trying to build her profile—earn contribution points through 'official' club activities and raise her name in the Academy rankings. Having someone like me onboard, someone with connections to top students and decent combat skills, would make things much easier for her.

"So," she said confidently, brushing her bangs aside, "you'll join, right?"