I Became the Traitor in an Academy Story

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“So, if we’re talking about a keyword like ‘outer lab,’ two organizations come to mind right away.”

One is the notorious villain group, Evil Society, and the other is the equally problematic Heros Company.

And no matter where she was experimented on…

One thing was for sure: things were tangled up to the point that I had no idea where to start.

I looked at Blanca, who was listening to Meilin’s explanation in the clubroom, thinking that I would rather have been blissfully ignorant.

It was clear that she was the heroine, since heroines usually have at least one or two dark pasts.

But she didn’t have a past as dark as Blanca’s.

I didn’t mean to say that domestic violence is no big deal.

Both are serious, but if we’re judging the severity, Blanca’s side was worse.

Like how someone missing an arm is less urgent than someone missing both legs.

That aside, the real question was why she was showing interest in me.

We hadn’t met before I possessed this body, and after the possession, we hadn’t met at all.

So why was she paying attention to me?

I hadn’t done anything notable to attract the attention of Evil Society, and Heros Company wasn’t lurking around here, so they probably didn’t even know I existed.

This made Blanca’s identity even more mysterious.

If neither organization was interested in me, why was Blanca, who belonged to one of them, targeting me?

…Wait a second.

Is she even really affiliated with Heros Company or Evil Society?

The status window only told me she had been experimented on, but it didn’t say which organization she belonged to or if she had escaped.

I couldn’t figure out whether she even had an affiliation, or why she was interested in me.

If she turned out to be another possessor like me, everything would make sense, but then that brings its own issues.

As I tried to think plainly, it was hard to even class her as a possessor.

What in the world had she turned into? What was her true goal?

What kind of feelings brought her to this academy?

All these thoughts were making my head feel like it was going to explode.

“…Hoya. Minho? Hmm. Did you have a heartbreak or something? Why do you look so down?”

“Oh, no, it’s just something’s been on my mind.”

“Oh no. Is it something I shouldn’t ask about? Okay, I’ll be considerate!”

“Anyway, based on all the data so far, just maybe, if your abilities grow, it might become possible to exert influence outside your body…”

Meilin was still explaining something passionately, but honestly, it wasn’t really getting through to me.

I had just thrown together a hero name without much thought.

Ever since the moment Blanca’s information was revealed, I had been so focused on figuring her out that I just winged a name.

After all that mental strain with no results, it was super frustrating.

It would be so easy to dismiss it as just being in love with the heroine, but I really couldn’t find a reason that made sense, which just made it all the more anxiety-inducing.

If only I could ask and find out.

But now that I knew the outer lab was involved, it was hard to ask anything comfortably.

If I asked something and ended up attracting the attention of Heros Company or Evil Society…

Things would definitely go south.

“So, the conclusion is this. Try training with the image of pulling your abilities out of your body… aim for extending the influence of your telekinesis beyond your body!”

“Got it, thanks for the advice.”

“Next is Lucia… hmmm. I’d like to suggest using all the light, but… since you mentioned you have a complicated family situation, maybe we should handle that first?”

“…If it were easy, I would have resolved it by now…”

“But you can’t just keep putting it off! It’s not a wound that will naturally heal, you know. It’s a painful thing that needs treatment before it festers.”

“Wow, you sure can speak as if it’s nothing…”

“Well, I’m just an outsider who hasn’t experienced it myself. It’s hard to empathize fully with something I’ve never gone through. All I can do is tell you about theoretical healing methods.”

“Alright… I understand…”

For now, I should think of what I can solve immediately.

I’d soon have to intervene in Lucia’s family situation, and I also needed to prepare for the villain’s attack.

Blanca’s issue was serious, but it wasn’t urgent, so I could afford to postpone it a bit.

“Well, that’s all for today! If you happen to think of any new ways to use your abilities or if something happens that you can’t figure out, just let me know!”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

Lucia left first as usual, and Jinhyeon and Blanca seemed to be heading towards Yeonhwa.

I considered letting them go when I suddenly remembered our conversation from last week, so I asked her.

“Blanca. Speaking of which, about showing me the artifact last week…”

“Oh… ah! That? Well, actually, I still haven’t heard back… um. Hold on a sec.”

Blanca’s demeanor changed rapidly to friendly as she checked her phone, and then she had a mysterious smile on her face.

“…Um, it just said that emotions would wrap up around the weekend, haha… wanna go together on the weekend?”

She said that and then quickly shared the news with Jinhyeon, tapping away at her phone to notify her friends.

The timing was impeccable, but I figured it was a good idea to gain some connection points with her.

Having multiple people going along might be a downside, but I should see it as an opportunity.

…I wasn’t in a position to pick and choose, not when trying to gather more information about her.

* * * * * –

Riding in the limousine that Lapiz prepared, we were headed towards the research center storing the artifacts.

The reason for the research center was that there were just too many new artifacts for them to study.

So it took a while to get there.

Maybe out of boredom on the way, Yeonhwa asked me why I always wore my school uniform wherever I went.

“Oh? Ah, this is the best outfit I have at home. The rest are all cheap and not worth wearing out.”

When I answered that, she seemed a bit flustered but tried to move on with the conversation.

“O-oh, I see… that makes sense…”

“It does. Plus, I actually like it.”

“…So, Blanca, now that you’ve got some cash from selling the magic stones, how about we go to a department store and buy some clothes?”

“Buy clothes at a department store…? Is it really necessary?”

Ugh, that sounds annoying.

Besides, I haven’t even received the payment for selling the magic stones yet.

I made a minor objection on that point.

But Yeonhwa seemed determined, saying she wouldn’t let me wear only my uniform forever and assured me she’d pay for it.

I honestly didn’t need that much.

“W-well, if it’s okay, I’ll come too… with, uh, Ageha…”

“With Ageha? That’s great! Jinhyeon, you coming too?”

“I’m in.”

But the atmosphere was already set in such a way that I couldn’t refuse anymore.

Seriously, the uniform is enough.

But then again, it’s those characters I’m with.

Jinhyeon didn’t seem to have any clue about what was going on.

As I started to feel uneasy about how someone who had no awareness of what was in their hands was getting things handed to them, I suddenly spotted Minho next to me.

“…Minho, you wanna come too?”

So out of impulse, I brought him in as well.

“Me? Sure, that sounds good… but will those guys be okay with it?”

“Hmm. It’s a bit random, but if Blanca is okay with it, there’s no harm, right? Anyone else you want to bring along? More people is always better!”

Yeonhwa, like a golden retriever, was all too eager to invite Minho, urging more people to join in.

Unfortunately for her, aside from Minho saying he’d bring Seolhwa, there weren’t any additional invites.

And so, our group of seven—who never seemed like they would come together—set off to the department store.

Of course, without asking for Ageha’s or Seolhwa’s opinions.

Is this really okay?

I thought for a bit but dropped the thought.

Isn’t the charm of school years how you get through everything just on spirit alone?

Since the boss said to enjoy ourselves, let’s enjoy it.

“We’ve arrived, Miss.”

“Looks like this is the spot, guys. Let’s go.”

It looked like an ordinary building from the outside, but the heavy security at the entrance confirmed it was indeed a research center.

After ringing the bell and stating our identities, a heavy sound echoed as the iron gate opened.

Speaking of which, a research center? Is it okay for such a thing to be right in the middle of the city?

…Oh, wait. It should be okay.

This wasn’t a lab for dissecting humans, after all.

Uh, right.

It’s fine.

I’m fine.

It’s just my body acting up.

After forcing my trembling muscles to relax, I headed inside.

The distinct dry smell of a lab, the scent of chemicals, the chilling sound of metal grinding, and even sounds that vaguely resembled screams could be heard, but—

It’s all just my body misinterpreting things.

Pushing my fear aside, I greeted the lab director who came to welcome us.

“Hello.”

“Ah, yes! Good to see you, great to see you! And thank you! The artifacts you retrieved have been a huge help in our research!”

“That’s great to hear. By the way, I’d really like to see what abilities they have. Can we check them out?”

“Of course! After all, the artifacts belong to the original discoverers. Come on in! And feel free to have some tea while you wait. It’s been stored in the warehouse, so it might take a while to get it.”

There wasn’t any poison in the tea.

But I still didn’t drink it.

 

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