Chapter 14: Inevitably, the Heroine

I Hate Exams (5)

My feelings upon realizing that Hera Carmen was right in front of me were far from pleasant. I came up to the rooftop to clear my head, but it felt like my thoughts were getting even more tangled. My chest tightened, and the emotions that had been floating around cooled down.

Don't get too close? That was what I wanted.

"Okay."

"...Huh?"

"I wasn't planning on getting close to him anyway."

"Pfft, is that so? Interesting."

As if she found the situation amusing, she wore a deep smile. Perhaps she hadn't expected my answer to be like this. But I had no choice but to say it. Because at some point, I realized that she and I weren't the only ones on this rooftop.

"Xenon will be quite heartbroken if he hears that."

"...Maybe he will."

It wasn't just "maybe." Of course, he would be heartbroken. He might think it was my selfishness. Maybe things would go wrong until the very end.

But that was what I was aiming for.

"What do you think Xenon would feel if he heard these words right now?"

"...Not much. I don't think he'd care."

"Pfft."

A corner of my chest stung. It wasn't that I didn't know what Hera Carmen was implying. The meaningful remarks she kept making. Probably, Xenon was listening to these words from beyond that rooftop door. But that was why I kept talking.

"In the first place... I never thought of him as a friend."

Thump-

At the same time as those words, the rooftop door slammed shut. Neither I nor she was near the rooftop door. So, he was listening. A corner of my chest ached. I didn't have a hobby of saying such harsh things in front of the person listening, but now that I had met her, it was the right thing to do. If I had given the answer I knew, things would have gone to the worst possible outcome.

"Oh my, it seems like there was someone else besides us. It couldn't be Xenon, could it?"

I stared silently at her face, which was smiling slyly as if she knew nothing. She must be thinking that things were going too well. In the original story, Aisha and Hera had met. The place wasn't the rooftop, and the flow of the conversation was the complete opposite of what it was now.

I realized the moment I met her. This was related to the upcoming practical exam.

The practical exam and Hera Carmen. The two keywords pointed to one of the developments I knew.

I wanted to avoid that development.

#

Clatter- Clatter-

The unique noise of the subway echoed. I entrusted myself to that strangely comforting sound and the swaying subway, and stared at the guy standing in front of me. His gaze was blank, staring at one spot without focus. His messy white hair was disheveled, as if he hadn't even bothered to fix it.

Was he that out of it? Probably, it was my fault.

I sighed, lowering my gaze with a sudden feeling of guilt. I had expected it, but I didn't think he would break down this much. To be honest, I just thought we would drift apart a little, so I said those things in front of Hera. In my opinion, Xenon and I were nothing more than acquaintances.

A connection that happened by chance. I thought that was all it was.

But it seemed that wasn't the case. Maybe Xenon thought of me as a friend. That thought made my guilt even greater. Even if he found out the circumstances, would he forgive me later? No matter how much I tried to avoid becoming a heroine, saying that in front of the person listening, especially in front of someone who thought of me as a friend, was a bit much.

"Hngh..."

Honestly, I was sorry. But I couldn't help it. Steeling my heart, I looked for the final destination on the route map.

"Xenon, get off."

"......"

When I spoke to him, who was staring blankly at the door even after we arrived, Xenon walked out heavily. He didn't even make eye contact, and he didn't even answer anymore. It was a little bitter, but I steeled my heart, thinking it was my karma.

This was the kind of structure I wanted, but now that it had really happened, it was a little... uncomfortable.

After getting out of the subway station, I operated the Smartwatch I had bought last time. If it weren't for Frey, I wouldn't even have known something like this existed. I thought it was just a simple watch, but it turned out to be dozens of times more advanced than a smartphone, a veritable culmination of modern civilization.

The screen was a hologram, and it could be set to only be visible to me depending on the situation. Thanks to its form as a wristwatch, it had excellent portability compared to smartphones or Smart Boxes, which could be lost. The shock I felt when I found out that the Smart Box had been discontinued for over five years.

When I operated the button to display the hologram, a familiar voice was heard.

-I asked you to turn on the hologram when you arrive at the practical exam location. You wouldn't have turned it on in advance, would you? When you are active, you must stick together in pairs. Of course, there will be situations where you are separated. But for you, who are not yet heroes, acting alone is a very dangerous act. Villains attack students without hesitation. Unless it's a very special situation, please be sure to work together.

-Then, from the moment this hologram ends, the 12-hour practical exam will begin.

Thud-

At the same time as the hologram turned off, a digital clock with -[12:00] appeared. The practical exam would probably start now.

"...Stay together."

The professor's words bothered me. Because I had no intention of doing that. From the beginning, I was planning to act separately from Xenon. The atmosphere was like this, and it was a little too awkward to go together.

"Xenon, I'm going to Zone B. You go this way."

"...Okay."

I wondered if he had seen me turn on the hologram earlier. He disappeared to one side without raising any objections. I wondered what he would think after hearing what I said. I just hoped that it wouldn't be an indelible wound.

"...Haa."

The relationship with Xenon had gone wrong, and anyway, my current situation was very difficult. Because we were separated in opposite directions like this, the development I knew wouldn't be repeated. But even if I avoided that development, it didn't mean that no incidents would happen.

...But there was no need to worry about it now. The incident I would experience was a little later.

Let's focus on the practical exam for now. Thinking that, I moved my feet.

A hero's job wasn't just about suppressing and defeating villains. Of course, that was the main thing, but the world's dangers weren't just villains. Even if it wasn't a villain, there were dangerous elements.

For example, iron bars falling from a construction site.

Crackle-

"Th, thank you."

"It's okay."

Or a child who lost their parents and was wandering around the crowded downtown area.

"Hic... where's my sniff mom...?"

"...I'll find her for you."

If there was someone in the world who needed help, it was the hero's job to help them. In a way, it could be said that they were just errand runners who did annoying things for others. But I knew very well that it was something that someone desperately needed help with.

...Very well.

I felt relieved. I didn't know that being able to help someone could be such a happy thing. Should I say I lost half of my life? When the person I helped smiled, wiped away the tears they had shed, and expressed their gratitude, the pleasure was so great that my whole body tingled.

Maybe the job of a hero was a good fit for me, regardless of the treatment. There was the disadvantage of having to risk my life... but if I could feel this every time. Maybe even that would be good.

"...Six hours left."

Before I knew it, the sun, which had been in the middle of the sky, had disappeared, and a faint moonlight had taken its place. The city was silent, as the darkness had been drawn in, revealing the body hidden by the intense light, and the neon lights replaced the figures of people.

Sitting on the roof of a building and watching that scene might be the joy of life. I felt the lingering scent of winter, which had not yet completely disappeared, with my whole body, and looked at the night view of the city, as if the stars in the sky had been moved down.

"...Nice."

A very small murmur, which should have been just a monologue.

"Indeed, it looks nice."

Someone spoke from behind me. Thinking, "Here it comes," I turned around. The person I was thinking of was standing there. No, could I even call that a person?

A small figure, not even 130cm tall, with a top hat and muffler covering its face, and a coat that reached the floor. There was no nose or eyes between the muffler and the hat. All that existed was deep darkness.

"Didn't Hera tell you not to come? Did the message not get through properly?"

"No, that person told me not to come here. I definitely heard it."

After Xenon disappeared, Hera had definitely said that on the rooftop.

-Don't go to Zone B during the next practical exam. I warned you?

"But you came here anyway? What is it, I can't understand."

"You don't have to understand. I didn't intend to be understood by Xenon, or by you."

"...Is that so?"

At the same time as that small murmur, a black sphere began to form in the figure's hand. A black sphere that absorbed the particles around it. As befitting the figure's Ability, 'Black Hole,' its suction power was getting stronger and stronger.

Crackle-

Xenon must be far away, right? Thinking that, I created ice with my hands. The figure's black hole sucked in everything. Even if it was an explosion. It was truly the worst match for Xenon.

I had taken these measures to avoid the development in the original story, but I was still a little worried. Could I get a better result than Xenon? So many people died and the city was half destroyed because of the worst match. Even I cursed when I first saw that development.

Did I have to repeat that? I had faced the figure like this because I thought about it... but I was scared. A villain who was clearly aiming for my life, it had been so long since I had felt such intense murderous intent. My body was trembling before I knew it.

...Should I run away now?

Even while muttering those words to myself, my hand was pointed at the figure.

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