The tent slowly lifted, allowing sunlight to pour in. Sihyun silently watched as the darkness that had shrouded his mind dispersed. His azure eyes trembled briefly. In contrast, Ruth, who had just made a shocking remark, seemed unaffected. He couldn't tell if doubt had turned into certainty.
Since when had he harbored this doubt?
His gaze fell to the ground. Observing the slowly receding black tent, Sihyun felt his mouth dry up. He couldn't decide what to say in response. No, he hadn't even had the leisure to consider it. His mind was consumed by a sense of injustice.
What kind of grievance did fate have against him to subject him to such a bizarre fate?
As he raised his head in bewilderment, the tent, now slowly unraveling from above, reached down to his side. Consequently, his previously obscured peripheral vision cleared. Rolling his eyes, he spotted teachers rushing towards them with anxious faces. Relief, joy, surprise, self-blame - various emotions flickered across their faces. Sihyun glanced past the teachers. The students from Class A in the auditorium seemed poised to rush forward, ready to bypass the teachers blocking the entrance.
Realizing who was within their sight, even without looking closely, Sihyun felt a renewed sense of identity. As if to prove his thoughts true, the auditorium doors seemed on the verge of collapsing. Though distant, he could discern that Down was angry, glaring at the teachers.
They were his worried friends. Thinking of them fretting again, Sihyun suppressed the surging emotions as if quelling a disturbance caused by someone playing a drum. His blue eyes returned to Ruth.
"There seems to be a lot of commotion in this mana clash, Irregular."
"..."
"Well, what can we do about it? We just have to stay alive for now. If there's no solution, we'll find one eventually."
We just have to stay alive for now.
Sihyun recited those words like an incantation. Regardless of what happened, there was no mandate to die. He believed that as long as he stayed alive, a breakthrough would present itself. Unexpectedly, Ruth, whom he had thought would lecture him like an old man, remained surprisingly quiet. He stared at Sihyun as if observing something remarkable. Checking the approaching teachers, Sihyun opened his mouth.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I thought you were considering staying alive."
"Anyone might think you're indifferent to whether I live or die. Or maybe you're acting like someone desperate to die."
Responding with a wry smile to Ruth's remark implying he had considered staying alive, Sihyun shot him a guilty glance, as if admitting that he had not been living with that intention all along. He awkwardly scraped the ground with the tip of his shoe.
"Not anymore. Maybe I was like that before."
"You were throwing yourself around like someone without regrets even during the math trip."
"Did I attempt suicide? Why are you saying it like that?"
"What's the difference?"
He was tongue-tied. Objectively speaking, hurling oneself at a Catastrophe Class Irregular could be deemed as attempted suicide. As he closed his mouth, the man in front of him smirked. Realizing he had been brushed aside in this rather absurd confrontation, Sihyun looked at the teachers, who were now almost within reach, and the children still trapped.
Though there was no change in distance, Down's face seemed clearer somehow. The other six faces beside him were the same. As Sihyun engraved them one by one into his mind, he felt a ripple in his heart. There was no reason for him to speak, just an urge to express. With that feeling, Sihyun kept his gaze fixed on them and moved his lips.
"You've grown."
"What?"
"Regret."
Regret. Sihyun defined the seven boys and girls who came into his sight like that. They became his regret in a world where he wouldn't mourn much even if he died. It was the first time he had told someone about it, so he felt a tickling sensation in the roof of his mouth and throat.
Smiling faintly, Ruth, who followed Sihyun's gaze, suddenly used a small stump as his hand rest. Feeling the weight on his head, Sihyun's pupils rolled.
"It's uncomfortable."
"Bear with it. Don't get too anxious because the previous words weren't certain."
"Aren't you already half certain?"
"If the kid starts talking like an adult again, I might vomit."
He exerted force on his hand, pressing his head firmly. Sihyun, feeling like he was shrinking, frowned. It was then that Ruth, who had been teasing Sihyun, lowered his voice.
"If you're really anxious, come to the IRS. We'll stay with you. You can bring those regrets you mentioned."
The whispered words covered his ears. Was it because he was facing Venom Road or because he felt that Ruth was in a similar situation to him? In the past, he would have just accepted Ruth's confidence, but now the words felt unexpectedly reassuring. It felt like someone he had thought of as a stranger had suddenly become an ally.
"I have quite a few regrets."
"Are there more than just the kids?"
"There's Pia too... and my parents. Even if it's just people, it adds up to eleven, including me."
"We can accommodate up to a hundred. Bring them all."
Ruth asserted confidently. His audacity didn't seem entirely unpleasant, so Sihyun chuckled and offered to consider it.
"Sihyun, student!"
"Mr. Ruth! Are you okay?"
There were people whom they hadn't seen before, standing beside the teachers who were closing the distance of about 20 meters. Judging by the badges on their chests, they were from the association. Looking at them in their black suits, Sihyun was taken aback. Among the unfamiliar faces, there was one familiar face.
"Why is he here again?"
Ruth also seemed to have seen the same thing as he muttered in disgust. Sihyun watched as the man, walking alone as if he were strolling on a red carpet, approached. It seemed that the appearance of the Catastrophe Class Irregular in this incident was quite significant. Seeing the strongest in Mirgun come all the way to the school, it was evident.
When their eyes met, Haehyuk seemed to smile elegantly. It didn't seem like a relief that he was unharmed. Rather, it seemed like he was evaluating his own worth, having returned alive from Venom's tent. Feeling a slight chill running down his spine, Sihyun brushed his arm with his hand.
"Sihyun, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Is Mr. Ruth okay too?"
"Please tell us what happened in detail."
Teachers, gathered like reporters, checked on Sihyun's condition while representatives from the association interrogated Ruth. Ruth, who seemed to find their sudden arrival bothersome, reached out towards Haehyuk, who had walked up to him. Although Sihyun was shocked by Haehyuk's overt attitude, Ruth was a familiar face.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"It's over, let's go. Did I come to take you away?"
"It would be nice if you had that much awareness even in ordinary times."
Not responding to Haehyuk's handshake, Ruth shrugged his shoulders, then turned to Sihyun with a tongue-in-cheek expression. Meeting his gaze, Sihyun felt his body stiffen for a moment. The imposing presence constrained him. It was something that displeased him today, considering that in the past, he had been treated like a nobleman and encouraged to muster up his energy.
Glancing at the teachers nearby, Haehyuk leaned towards Sihyun.
"I'm glad you're unharmed."
Although he seemed like a ghost disguised as a human, he still looked human. Despite feeling it was somewhat formal, Sihyun nodded his head, and Haehyuk, with thin lips curling into a smile, leaned closer. The scent of sharp perfume pricked his nose.
"You haven't forgotten about the contract, have you?"
Of course not.
Without bothering to ask if it was okay out of courtesy, Haehyuk brought up the main topic in a low voice. It was something along the lines of, "You have a contract with me, so you wouldn't go to the IRS, right?" Realizing the reason for Haehyuk's discomfort, Sihyun responded with an annoyed yes. It was only a while later that he rose to his feet, looking satisfied.
With just that action, the pressing feeling that had approached vanished without a trace.
Haehyuk, who had turned to the teachers, said he would take Ruth away. Sihyun, who hadn't yet taken the end-of-month assessment, could only roll his eyes.
What will happen to my end-of-month assessment if Ruth is taken away?
Before he could voice that question, Haehyuk, who had walked a short distance, finished talking and disappeared with Ruth. Watching them leave in a car, taken by association members, Sihyun felt relieved. Now that he was gone, the attention of the remaining people was all on him.
"Was Venom dealt with safely?"
"Are you seriously injured anywhere?"
"Are there any inconveniences in using mana?"
"What happened inside?"
Questions came one after another, enough for him to understand. Principal Kim, who showed up to calm down the confused and excited group, distanced them from Sihyun. It was the only moment since enrolling that the principal had seemed reliable.
Approaching and inspecting Sihyun from all angles, he hmm-ed, then turned to the healer.
"Although he looks fine on the outside, there could be internal injuries. Let's go to the infirmary first and get him checked."
His solemn voice calmed the commotion and organized the situation. Sihyun glanced at Down, who was banging on the auditorium door, then shifted his gaze.
"What will happen to my end-of-month assessment?"
"Due to the fact that Ruth and I dealt with Venom together, which seems like favoritism, I decided to postpone it until Monday to give A's, but some may not understand, so I postponed it. Since it's the day Ruth returns to the U.S., I said I could make time."
Postponed, huh.
In the end, it meant he would spar with Ruth. Sihyun nodded his head. Unsure whether to feel happy or sad. Despite all the preparation, he didn't feel particularly enthusiastic after watching the Venom battle.
"Will the kids have doubts about the postponed assessment?"
"We plan to explain separately to the kids while Sihyun undergoes the examination. Enough chitchat, let's go to the infirmary."
The principal, having said that much, called for the healer. The strength in his hands holding the staff seemed to diminish. Sihyun hadn't realized until then that he had been gripping the staff tightly like a lifeline.
The healer approached Sihyun with a smile and guided him to the infirmary. Perhaps sensing his discomfort, none of the other teachers followed them on the way to the infirmary.
"It was a relief that Ruth was there with you."
"Yes."
"There won't be many tests to undergo. Since your friends seem eager to come, should I call them after the examination?"
"Yes, please."
If he didn't call, the auditorium door would definitely break. Sihyun thought so, but didn't voice it out. Such thoughts faded away as an unfamiliar teacher brought in a machine and started the examination, saying that his dreams were being analyzed. From ECGs to mana flow and X-rays, Sihyun couldn't help but wonder if this was a hospital, not an infirmary.
"I didn't know there were such things in the infirmary."
"We only bring them out if there's something special. If you go to the second infirmary, you'll find even more interesting things."
The teacher's gentle voice sounded like a lullaby. As the tension eased, his eyelids kept drooping, and the teacher noticed, saying it would take some time for the analysis results to come out, so he could sleep if he wanted. Accepting his consideration, Sihyun closed his eyes, and a comforting sensation enveloped his body.
Suddenly feeling a chill, he opened his eyes to find six pairs of eyes staring down at him.
It was so eerie that he thought he was in a horror movie.
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