The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character
Chapter 32 - 32: Reality Check [2]

Life is beautiful.

I rediscovered that fact today—right after almost collapsing from exhaustion.

Thankfully, the ring in my pocket kicked in just in time. Boosted my recovery enough that I could crawl away from the brink of death and into something far better:

Food.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to say that I devoured three full plates of fried chicken rice.

What? Why are you looking at me like that?

I'm a growing young man, okay? I need calories if I want to build a heroic, non-crumbly body. This is science.

And right now, I was halfway through my fourth plate.

I took another glorious bite, leaned back in my chair, and let out a long, blissful sigh. Then, with my hands clasped like I was praying, I sent a silent tribute.

Rest in peace, noble chicken. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Your crispy, juicy legacy now lives on in my belly.

Honestly, I owed my life to that chicken. But there was someone else I needed to thank, too.

"Thanks so much, Professor," I said, glancing across the table.

Professor Lena sat across from me, sipping tea with a small, amused smile playing on her lips.

And that smile? Yeah, it made my brow twitch a little.

I had my suspicions before, but now I was sure—she was getting more casual with me.

Not that I minded. In fact, it was a win.

It meant she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down.

For someone like her? That was huge.

"I'm just glad you're okay," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You looked like you were going to pass out the moment you dropped to your knees. Scared me half to death."

She placed a hand over her chest as she spoke, and—okay, I glanced. Just for half a second.

You'd have done the same. Don't judge me.

Even her shirt couldn't quite hide the, uh… statistical power scaling going on there.

'108, huh? Now that's an impressive number... but not something I need to be reminded of every day.'

I quickly tore my gaze away, hoping she didn't catch me staring. If she did, I could only pray she wasn't going to bring it up.

But Lena was too focused on her cup of tea, seemingly unaware of my momentary lapse in composure.

"Anyway," she continued, her voice steady, though I caught a hint of concern. "You need to be more careful, Rin. You pushed yourself too hard today. The training was intense, but it's not worth risking your health."

I grinned sheepishly, trying to play it off. "Yeah, well, what's life without a little excitement, right?"

She raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Excitement? You nearly collapsed from exhaustion. That's more like 'stupid' than exciting."

"Same difference," I shrugged. "But I get your point. I'll try not to go full-on hero mode again." I paused, then added with a wink, "Unless, of course, there's fried chicken involved. Then all bets are off."

She gave a quiet laugh at that, her lips curving in that way that made my heart skip a beat. "You really are something, Rin."

I shrugged again, trying to downplay it. "I just do what I gotta do. Anyway, thanks for sticking around after the whole, y'know, almost dying thing."

Her eyes softened for a moment, and she glanced up at me. "No need to thank me. It's my job to make sure cadets don't collapse in the middle of training. Just… take better care of yourself."

"Got it. I'll lay off the heroics… for today," I added with a grin.

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue, sipping her tea in silence for a moment. I was half-expecting her to return to her usual serious demeanor, but instead, she seemed content to let the quiet linger.

"How was it?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"I'm asking how was fried rice chicken?"

"Well," I said quickly, trying to get things back on track, "it was really good, but honestly… the one you made last time tasted even better."

Smooth, right?

I wasn't one of those clueless transmigrators who just blurted "It's tasty" and called it a day.

Compliments? They're free. But they work wonders.

And judging by the way her smile softened into something warm and genuine, yeah. Totally worth it.

"I'm glad you liked it," she said. "Actually… this place was my brother's favorite. He used to drag me here all the time."

"Ah, I see."

Her voice had shifted—gentler now. A little distant.

"He'd say I made better fried chicken rice than this place, but he still came here. Said it reminded him of something... I don't even know what."

A quiet pause hung in the air between us.

Shit. Fuck.

I shouldn't have said that about her food.

Now I'd accidentally dragged a memory of her dead brother into our casual dinner.

I didn't want to ruin the mood—or her day.

"You really do resemble him," she murmured, almost to herself.

But I heard it. Loud and clear.

I turned away instinctively, looking out the window, pretending to admire the setting sun.

I didn't know what to say.

She was kind. Caring. Helpful.

But right now… I didn't want to be her brother.

I didn't want to be someone she pitied, or protected, or saw as a stand-in for someone she'd lost.

Not yet.

Not like this.

So I said nothing, and just watched the sky turn gold and crimson, waiting for the moment to pass.

***

After thoroughly enjoying that plate of chicken rice—and somehow deepening my weird little bond with Professor Lena—I found myself facing a brand-new challenge.

Yeah.

Even though the semester hadn't officially started, the dorm still had a curfew.

So, with Professor Lena walking me back to the dorm, I couldn't help but feel like I was walking in some kind of awkward limbo.

The sun had set, and the orange glow of twilight was giving way to the soft, darkening hues of the evening. As we made our way through the quiet, winding paths leading to the dorms, the tension that had been brewing for the past few minutes between us hung in the air, thick and unspoken.

Lena walked slightly ahead, her steps light but purposeful. Her posture, as usual, was perfect—straight back, shoulders relaxed, a figure of composure even as the casual, easy conversation we'd shared earlier seemed to dissolve like mist.

I glanced sideways at her, wondering if I'd done the right thing by not saying more.

To be fair, I had no idea what I should have said.

Sometimes, silence was better. Less chance of screwing things up.

But the problem with silence? It made me notice things. Things I didn't want to notice.

Like the soft sway of her hair in the breeze or the way her gaze flickered to the stars above, lost in thought, as though the world around her was both here and not here at the same time.

I wanted to say something. Anything.

But I didn't know how to bridge that distance between her memories and me. So I stuck with what I knew best.

"I guess you're not much of a night owl, huh?"

Lena gave a soft laugh, her eyes twinkling for a brief moment. "Not really. I've always preferred the early mornings. There's something calming about them. The world is quieter, you know?"

I nodded, knowing that was the kind of thing she'd probably say. She struck me as someone who would appreciate the calm after the storm, the stillness before the day began to hum with activity.

"I guess I'm more of a night person," I said, trying to sound casual. "I get a lot of my thinking done in the dark."

She shot me a curious glance but didn't push for more. "That's… interesting," she murmured, her voice softening. "What do you think about, if you don't mind me asking?"

I hesitated. The ring, the strange things happening with my body, the fact that I had no real clue what my future held… Yeah, there was a lot I could be thinking about. But did I really want to share all that?

"No real big stuff, I guess," I said after a moment. "Just the usual. What's for breakfast, how much longer before I can sleep, and whether I can get away with skipping the next class."

Her lips twitched in amusement. "Ah, yes. Priorities."

I grinned, feeling the ease return between us. It was subtle, but there was something comforting in this small exchange. The tension from before seemed to fade, even though the underlying weight was still there.

We reached the dorms, and I could already see the shadows of students through the windows. The curfew was fast approaching, and it was clear we'd need to part ways soon.

I stopped in front of the entrance and turned to face her.

"Thanks for dinner, Professor," I said, feeling oddly earnest. "I mean it. It really helped, especially after everything that happened earlier."

She nodded, her expression softening again. "You're welcome, Rin. Just make sure you take care of yourself. That's all I ask."

"Sure thing."

A pause stretched between us.

Then, to my surprise, Lena smiled again—this time with an almost playful edge.

"Don't push yourself too hard tomorrow, okay? I don't think I can handle another dramatic rescue."

I grinned at her teasing, letting out a short laugh. "I'll try not to collapse… unless, of course, it's for more chicken."

Her laughter mixed with mine, a fleeting but pleasant moment before the weight of the night took over again.

With one last glance, she gave a small wave and turned to leave, heading back toward her own quarters.

I watched her walk off for a few moments before entering the dorm and stopping in front of my apartment.

And now came the real problem.

My room.

Specifically… my roommate.

Knock knock.

"Hm? Oh, Rin Evans?"

A voice answered almost instantly.

I sighed.

Yep.

There was definitely someone inside that I wasn't emotionally prepared to deal with right now.

"Yeah, it's me."

"The door's open. Just come in."

Leon Harper.

Well… Leona Harper, technically.

Seriously, what was the author thinking when he named this character? It's like he just picked names out of a hat.

Anyway—sigh—Leona Harper. Or Leon, as she's currently going by inside the academy.

Her whole setup in the original story was a mess. She disguised herself as a boy to enroll at the academy. Why?

To observe guys.

Yeah, that sounds creepy when I say it like that.

Let me explain.

Her family is this prestigious swordsmanship clan, known across the continent. Problem is, they haven't had a male heir in this generation. Her father even went as far as marrying two more wives, and still—no sons.

So now they're pinning their hopes on their daughter. Not to inherit everything herself, oh no. That'd be too progressive for them.

Instead, they …want her to marry a man strong enough to carry on the Harper legacy.

Yeah.

You heard that right.

Basically, Leona got sent here on a scouting mission. She's supposed to pick a dude, evaluate him like a prized stallion, and then bring him home to be her sword-husband or whatever.

Romantic, huh?

Only issue?

Leona doesn't trust any of the guys at the academy. Thinks they're all showboats or spoiled nobles riding on their family name. Which, to be fair, isn't entirely wrong.

So she disguised herself as a boy, shaved her hair short, wrapped up her chest, and enrolled at the academy as Leon Harper. That way, she could "blend in" and study the male cadets up close—without the burden of girlish expectations or bias.

It's actually kinda smart.

Also a tiny bit insane.

But mostly smart.

Too bad she and I shared the same dorm.

I pushed the door open and walked in, trying to look as unbothered as possible.

Leon—sorry, Leona—was sitting on the floor, sharpening a training sword with a whetstone, eyes focused and lips pressed in that familiar tight line. Her uniform jacket was slung over the chair, leaving her in a plain white shirt rolled up at the sleeves.

She'd already made herself comfortable on the top bunk.

And yes, this meant I had to shower and sleep in the same room as a girl pretending to be a guy.

The dorm bathhouse wasn't open yet—just like the cafeteria—so the only option for cleaning up was the tiny shower attached to this room.

So yeah. I was, once again, completely and utterly screwed.

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