Chapter 204: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 204

[Yoon Si-woo's voice came through the TV.]

[When I say this, many people think I became a hero to avenge the monster that killed my parents. But that’s not why I became a hero. I became a hero to protect.]

I sat quietly on the sofa, listening to his voice.

[I became a hero to protect what’s precious.]

Yoon Si-woo was speaking.

About why he decided to become a hero.

[It’s not that my parents aren’t precious. But to me, the present is much more important than the parents I lost in the past. I became a hero to protect what I have now, so I don’t lose it again.]

He said that his present was more precious than his parents who passed away.

There was no need to ask whom those words were meant for.

[I’m standing here now to protect you.]

I made eye contact with Yoon Si-woo on the screen.

His eyes were filled with kindness and concern.

I felt both happiness and a sense of debt.

He was doing so much for me, but I didn’t know what I could do for him in return.

As if he knew what I was thinking,

[So even if things get tough, please don’t be discouraged and smile. This is what I wanted to say.]

He smiled as if that alone would be enough.

…

It seemed that was all he wanted to say, as the interview soon ended.

Not long after, the screen that was showing Yoon Si-woo’s face switched to a different scene, so I picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

The living room fell silent.

I sank into the sofa and closed my eyes, reflecting on Yoon Si-woo’s words I had just heard.

Yoon Si-woo’s parents surely weren’t insignificant to him either.

However, his words that the present was more precious than his parents indicated how much he valued his current relationships.

And surely, that included me as well.

Thinking about that made me feel sentimental.

Just a moment ago, I was so overwhelmed with anxiety and guilt, but now my heart felt warm and calm.

“…Hah.”

Maybe it was because of him.

Now that I had calmed down, I let out a sigh as I looked back on my behavior.

Is this what it feels like to have mood swings?

In the past, I could have brushed off such things without much trouble, but now my emotions were all over the place. Perhaps something other than myself was eating away at me.

I thought I had good control over my emotions, but honestly, every time something like this happened, I felt anxious and scared.

I was worried I might lose myself if this continued.

But still, the reason I could hold myself together was—

Because I had people who supported me, precious people in the present.

Yes, like Yoon Si-woo.

That thought made me smile involuntarily.

I had always been weak to kindness.

Whether in the past or now, this one thing hasn’t changed.

When I was young, I used to think—

What if I treated everyone kindly? Would everyone be nice to me too?

But the world didn’t work that way, and I ended up getting hurt quite a lot.

That’s why I gave my heart to those who returned my kindness.

Like the friends who told off the other kids who teased me for being fatherless.

Or the junior who reached out to me when I was struggling after losing my mother.

I unknowingly gave them a piece of my heart, feeling anxious that I couldn’t do enough for them.

That’s why I was so grateful to Yoon Si-woo.

He kept treating me with kindness.

While thinking about Yoon Si-woo, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I picked up my phone.

I wondered if he was still worried about me after what happened earlier.

So, I sent him a text: [Do you have time right now?]

He quickly replied: [Yeah, I’m free.]

After staring at his response for a moment, I called him.

“…Hello?”

[Hey, Scarlet.]

I made this call to express even a bit of the gratitude I was feeling right now.

“Ah, um…”

But hearing his voice, I suddenly couldn’t think of what to say.

Should I thank him? Tell him I watched the TV? What should I say?

While these jumbled thoughts were running through my mind, what finally came out was,

“…The bouquet…”

[...Bouquet?]

That.

Of all things, the image of the bouquet I hadn’t been able to give him popped into my head.

“Ah… It’s just that I originally went to give you the bouquet after the appointment ceremony. Maria and the kids made it, and they asked me to give it to you on their behalf…”

Talking about the bouquet, I suddenly felt it was such a pity.

If I had given it to him, he would have been really happy.

“…Sorry. I really should’ve given it to you.”

So, without realizing it, I muttered in disappointment, and then I heard Yoon Si-woo’s soft laugh.

[If it’s about that, it’s fine. I received it well.]

His reassuring words startled me, and I said,

“…What? But I dropped it earlier, and it must have gotten all messed up…”

[After you left, Captain Martina restored it with restoration magic and sent it over, saying it looked like something important. It’s in a vase in my office right now.]

“I see…”

Hearing that it had been delivered properly brought me a sense of relief.

A weight seemed to lift off my chest.

Just as I thought I should thank Martina later, Yoon Si-woo asked,

[So, was that all you wanted to say?]

“Huh? No, wait…!”

I responded hastily.

I hadn’t called just to talk about the bouquet.

While I was thinking about what to say, a phrase flashed through my mind.

“Hey, Yoon Si-woo…”

It seemed like a fitting way to express my feelings, so I whispered it into the phone.

“I’ll do my best.”

Hoping that these feelings would reach him, even just a little.

“Let’s do our best together.”

[…]

After I said that, the other end of the line was silent for a while.

I checked the phone to see if the call had disconnected, but it was still connected.

“…Yoon Si-woo?”

As soon as I called his name, the call abruptly ended.

Startled, I received a text from Yoon Si-woo.

When I checked it, I found it was a message with an attached photo.

Curious, I opened the photo.

In it, Yoon Si-woo was smiling joyfully in front of the bouquet, now placed in a vase.

Seeing his expression made me feel happy too, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Looking at the photo, I thought to myself.

Because you told me that the present is more precious to you than the past—

I think I can also cherish this world a little more.

I feel like I can find the strength to protect this precious world.

Even if, in the end,

I meet some unfortunate fate.

* * *

“Haa…”

As the girl who had been lying down with her eyes closed sat up with a strangely excited sigh, the woman with the hood sitting next to her muttered.

“What’s up with you? Are you in heat or something?”

“…Of course not! Do you think I’m like those toys lying around here?!”

The girl shouted back, kicking one of the beautiful, trembling playthings beneath her like a cushion.

Clicking her tongue at the sight of the toy she had broken, she recalled the image of the beautiful boy she had just been watching and muttered.

“I was just excited thinking about expanding my collection. Ah, I want to play with him soon! Someone like him would put up quite a fight, right? Imagining someone who resists so desperately, finally kneeling and becoming mine in the face of pleasure… Haa…”

“You are in heat.”

“I’m not!”

The girl pointed a finger at the woman and shouted irritably.

“It’s your fault I’m holding back! The preparations to tear down that annoying barrier are already complete, but you keep saying ‘no’! Ah, if it were up to me, I’d tear it all down, barge in, and turn them all into my collection! What could be so valuable to you? The plan to use that beast-woman last time ended up with nothing to show for it!”

“Nothing to show for it?”

The woman smiled faintly and murmured.

“I achieved what I set out to do from the beginning. That halfwit was sent with the intention that accomplishing just that much would be enough.”

“…The purpose? Was your goal just to kill a few humans?”

“Of course not.”

At the girl’s puzzled reaction, the woman shook her head.

“The main objective was reconnaissance. Since I have a keen sense, I figured out its location through the gap the halfwit made when she slightly tore the barrier.”

“If you mean ‘it’... Are you talking about that thing?”

“Probably the one you’re thinking of.”

“Ugh…”

At the woman’s words, the girl shook her head in disgust.

Even though it happened hundreds of years ago, just thinking about what they lost because of that thing made her shudder.

But after briefly displaying her distaste, the girl’s expression shifted as if she had remembered something.

“Wait, if you figured that out… does that mean you’re finally planning to do it?”

“Correct. I was planning to take it slow, but you’ve been making such a fuss, and for various reasons, I feel like doing it too. Once this is over, you can do whatever you want.”

“Really?! Then I’ll really invade after it’s all over, okay? Wow! I’m already so excited! I’ve been waiting so long to put that thing to use!”

The girl, jumping up and down like an excited child, laughed and shouted.

“Ahaha! Do humans even realize? That there’s a centuries-old bomb buried right under their feet!”

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