I Became the Traitor in an Academy Story

---

“The boss is coming.”

Just the thought of that made all the pent-up negativity melt away like snow in the sun.

Suddenly, Jinhyeon was using fire, the plot had tangled up beyond prediction, the Evil Society was keeping an eye on me, and Minho was suspecting me.

Honestly, it all seemed fine. For some reason, I felt like everything was going to work out.

Because if it’s the boss, he could handle just about anything. Just his presence alone was like a lucky charm that made everything fall into place.

And… he was the only person I truly respected and looked up to.

So I was able to spend the weekend without a care, stretching out my legs and taking it easy.

Inside the box, I learned the operation and shortcuts of my new phone, got rid of the drugs stacked in the hideout, and chatted with Yeonhwa and Minho over Talaria.

I had a carefree time.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

There was that suspicious guy in a black suit who seemed to be at the bottom of the Evil Society, so I sneakily dealt with him and tossed him into a trash can.

But that’s not important, let’s move on.

He probably didn’t even have citizenship, so the police would just consider it a low-world dispute and ignore it.

What really mattered was that I was finally called in because the Institute had finished the artifact anomaly transplantation.

So, it was back to the Academy after a long time.

Like back then, we were going to meet there and head to the Institute.

It had only been a few days, but people can be fickle—taking just one day off can make them forget it’s not a vacation.

Today, I really didn’t want to stick out, so I picked some of my decent casual clothes from home instead of my school uniform.

Yet, someone still recognized me.

That cat-eyed Ain from the video. They whispered in awe about my chest and my lazy eye, somehow recognizing me.

How far has this spread?

Every time someone recognizes me, it stresses me out. At this point, I’m almost contemplating whether I need to change my own vibe.

Things are only going to get worse from here. The more I get involved in incidents, the more I’ll get wrapped up in them.

Thinking about how I’ll become even more famous makes me wonder if it wouldn’t be better to start accepting that fame earlier.

The one good thing is that I have a fantastic tutor right next to me.

Justitia also said being recognized was stressful at first, so she might be able to help.

I nervously fiddled with the string of my hood, trying to hide my face. But that didn’t really help; the buzzing of the citizens didn’t stop.

A few overly sensitive citizens came over to offer me words of comfort and encouragement. But honestly, it didn’t hit home. They weren’t anyone I knew.

On the bright side, it meant I was famous enough that even strangers took an interest in me.

But I didn’t enjoy that at all. I was fine with just having the people around me know I existed. I didn’t want unnecessary attention from the world.

Feeling the dark circles under my eyes deepen, I somehow made it to the meeting point in front of the Academy.

“Long time no see, Blanca. Why aren’t you in uniform… Wow. Blanca, did you actually rest? Your eyes look so dark!”

“I’m usually dark. I switched to casual clothes because people kept staring when I wore my uniform, and I even wore a mask but still got recognized. Ugh. I need to either cut my tail or downsize my chest.”

Yeonhwa welcomed me warmly but after hearing what I said, her expression turned into a mix of a smile and anger.

“…If you’re going to downsize, can you do it without throwing it away and just share some with me?”

Her words didn’t even sound like a joke, making me uncomfortably pick my words carefully.

“I was just joking… But if you really mean it, I might consider it.”

Yeonhwa can be kinda scary sometimes. It feels like there’s some condition attached to her requests, and figuring that out is nearly impossible.

“Thanks. But I thought your eyes looked dark, so I figured you hadn’t rested well. So that’s why you were tired?”

“Lapiz also keeps her distance from people. Aren’t you the same?”

“Maybe? There’s a saying that cat-themed people tend to avoid strangers… Ah, I mean, that’s just a tendency, not saying you’re like that!”

Jinhyeon unexpectedly chimed in mid-conversation.

If things had played out like the game, he should still be maintaining the silent protagonist vibe, right?

Has Minho not grown, or has Jinhyeon grown instead? Is there some kind of total growth limit in this world, where preventing one person from developing causes another to flourish?

I even contemplated such pointless thoughts.

Of course, that’s not a thing. It’s probably just my bad luck.

“No, no, I wasn’t looking at you angrily. I just wanted to ask if I could visit your place today.”

“Huh, today? I…I haven’t cleaned my room, and I haven’t told my parents yet?! How about tomorrow instead?”

“Alright, I’ll come tomorrow. Just text me the address. I’ll walk there.”

It’d be better if there were just the three of us to hear how Jinhyeon ended up using fire.

Lapiz might feel left out if she finds out, but…

That can be handled when the time comes, just taking care of Lapiz separately.

With that light thought, I hopped into Lapiz’s just-arrived limousine.

* * * * * –

I always think about this, but Lapiz is really loaded.

I certainly didn’t see her as a moneybag or anything. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of her.

Even if this ‘Minho’ family wasn’t exactly rich, we had enough capital to live in Heros City, so I had no such thoughts.

Besides, I was also working hard and making money on my own.

It’s just that every time I see her spending money naturally, like grabbing a chicken skewer on the street, I can’t help but feel a little envious.

“Hey, Blanca. How much pocket money do you get in a month?”

I was just curious about how Blanca was doing.

The heroines from the original work were mostly pretty well-off, after all.

Even Lucia, who didn’t receive much support from her family, could at least buy an expensive dress she liked.

So I was wondering if Blanca was in a similar situation.

Her current outfit didn’t make her look wealthy, but she said she wore simple clothes because she didn’t want to attract attention.

So I was also curious if being enrolled at Heros Academy implied she had at least some wealth to live in this city.

Her private life seemed to be hidden away, so it’s only natural to want to know more.

“Me? Pocket money… well, I don’t have anyone to give me any.”

She answered nonchalantly, but something felt off about that.

It sounded more like there wasn’t anyone who could give her pocket money, rather than she didn’t receive it at all.

Moreover, Yeonhwa’s expression carefully shifted…

It almost sounded like she didn’t have parents.

“Blanca…”

“It’s okay, Yeonhwa. I’d planned to tell you at some point. Um, where should I even start? Our parents… they’re probably dead.”

The story that followed shocked me.

It wasn’t shocking that her earliest memory was of being raised by nomads, or about her upbringing and the events she experienced.

It was shocking that it wasn’t for any particular reason either.

After all, I knew at least half of it was a lie.

What she said were experiences impossible for those raised in an Institute.

Maybe before going to the institute, she had lived like a livestock among nomads.

But at the point she went to the Institute, that wasn’t important anymore.

What truly mattered was the name of the Hero who supposedly rescued her.

Gazer.

If she were going to lie, she could have just made up a random hero’s name.

But mentioning a name from the ranked heroes, especially one close enough for me to ask questions about, indicates she’s linked to him in some way.

She wouldn’t have said Gazer’s name if she didn’t have any connection.

Blaque doesn’t seem like the type to let a lie slip that would be exposed if I just went to ask right away.

“Gazer… he’s with Justitia, right?”

“Yeah. Well, even if he rescued me, he’s not like a mom to me. More like a legal guardian. We don’t hang out much, so don’t think of it as illegal admission.”

Maybe he sent money to allow me to stay in this city, or just checks in on me every month to see how I’m doing.

Blanca spoke casually about it, as if it were nothing serious.

“…Yeah. So I can’t receive any pocket money. But I do get called by a pharmaceutical company often enough to get by.”

Can’t tell where, or they’ll come looking for me? I’ve never used an Ain before.

Blanca laughed it off playfully, acting like it was no big deal.

Yeonhwa, Jinhyeon, and Lapiz, not knowing her true circumstances, looked at her with a sense of pity while praising her strength.

But knowing the truth, I couldn’t let it slide.

Now I had one more element to consider.

Until now, I had been contemplating whether she was part of the Evil Society or the Heros Company.

But after witnessing this attack, I dismissed the notion of her being with the Evil Society.

Those attacks were certainly attempts to kidnap her.

Of course, she could be trying to eliminate suspicions about being a spy, but I let that idea go.

Those were cowardly moves. It was more characteristic of the Evil Society to use Blanca as a disposable pawn than to risk exposing their identity.

For one, they didn’t know me, so they had no reason to create such a show to clear her name from being a spy.

So I thought all I needed to do was figure out why she was subjected to cruel experiments in the Heros Company lab.

Had they implanted a brain chip or was she brainwashed? Was she quietly submitting to the Heros Company while hiding her murderous past?

But because she mentioned Justitia’s name, another faction had to be accounted for.

The Liberators.

The organization that attacked Heros Academy in the original story.

The organization Justitia belonged to.

Were they powerful? Well, not really. They only managed to attack the Academy because Justitia carefully planned out the operation and it worked.

The enraged Heros Company quickly hunted them down.

That was all I knew about them—a group that left behind a significant mark only to fade away.

…But what if Blanca was somehow linked to that organization?

No, that’s ridiculous. The Liberators weren’t strong enough to operate an Institute. They were weak.

They could even be called Justitia’s one-man team.

It seemed unlikely they could have had a hand in creating someone like Blanca.

That’s why I was so utterly confused.

So many possibilities, it felt like my head might explode.

“We’ve arrived, Minho.”

What the heck.

Who on earth are you, Blanca?

 

---