Until just a while ago, I had been feeling depressed about the thought of ending my relationship with Yoon Ha-min—a friend I had barely made, and such a kind protagonist at that.
But now, I wondered if I had ever truly felt that way at all.
Thump, thump.
My heart was pounding loudly, not from excitement or depression.
Perhaps it was the fear of prey facing a predator?
Or maybe it was like a warning light signaling that this being threatened my life?
Since humans don't have sirens, I suppose the heart serves as a substitute—that much I could understand.
"...Ah."
What appeared before my eyes wasn't a crack in the wall or the presence of a Strange One, but instinctively, I knew what it was.
"...A Totem."
The moment I uttered the word, I covered my mouth and quickly looked around.
Fortunately, no one seemed to be passing by at this moment, but the problem was how to deal with that thing.
I pondered how to remove that ominous feather positioned slightly high on the Wall, just barely within reach of a person's hand.
A ladder would help, but I doubted I could find one nearby.
Besides, I couldn't ask people around here for help—they were all ordinary civilians.
The minimum requirement to enter the Academy was being able to accept mana and manifest even the slightest ability, like me. I couldn't ask for help from the non-Academy people here.
If I had known this would happen, if I had known it would be there, I should have graciously accepted when Yoon Ha-min offered to help.
But at that moment, I thought refusing was the best choice.
And now that decision had come back to haunt me.
It seemed no one had noticed the Totem's existence yet.
Ordinary people couldn't detect mana flow in such places, so they wouldn't even feel the ominous sensation. Plus, this was a remote area where Awakened Beings rarely passed through.
I could probably reach it if I stood on tiptoe and stretched my hand.
I wondered if it was safe to touch with bare hands.
In the story, Totems were mostly destroyed using magic or tools, so I couldn't help feeling anxious about touching it directly.
Perhaps it was too dangerous to handle with bare hands, which is why people didn't do it that way.
"Wait."
I looked around.
After confirming once more that no one was around, I swallowed hard.
The reason I couldn't break the training dummy wasn't primarily because it was sturdy, but simply because my power couldn't reach that distance.
Why was distance the issue? Because it was a test.
But this wasn't a test.
There were no set rules, and I didn't need to stand on equal footing with anyone else.
I somewhat understood the sensation of accepting mana.
I also remembered yesterday's Mana Out feeling.
That dizzy, oxygen-deprived feeling after running like crazy.
"What does it matter..."
I muttered as I stretched my hand upward.
My hand reaching toward the feather emitting an ominous energy.
If I failed here, it would be like buttoning the first button wrong from the start.
Crackle.
The sensation of my body accepting mana flowing through the air.
Despite already having enough inside, my body demanded more, drawing in additional mana.
A yellow flash of light appeared at my fingertips.
Even if I couldn't reach the training dummy, I should be able to destroy this purple feather nearby.
Crackle, crackle.
The feather-shaped Totem began responding to the sudden external shock.
It seemed to be resisting, as if it had consciousness.
No, it's too weak.
I was growing anxious.
I could clearly feel the mana in my body depleting, yet the feather merely trembled.
"Ngh...!"
Closer, stronger.
I simply grabbed the Totem, not knowing what side effects might occur.
I focused all my power output solely on my palm, drawing and releasing as much mana as I could.
Sparks flew from between my clenched fingers like fireworks.
My brow furrowed.
I could feel my body trembling.
But unlike before, my mana wasn't completely depleted.
I only felt it being stripped away in chunks.
As I kept my shaking fist tightly clenched, the sinister power emanating from the feather finally disappeared.
"Hnngh..."
A weak groan escaped my lips.
When I finally managed to open my hand, the feather crumbled powerlessly on my trembling palm.
It turned black, like ash, and scattered into the air.
As if that had always been its fate.
Cold sweat seemed to flow all over my body.
My vision blurred, and I wanted to rest. So I just leaned against the Wall and breathed.
I was so weak that even I could tell how feeble my breathing had become.
My palm was bright red with burns. It made sense—while releasing energy outward was fine, causing an explosion that touched my own body would naturally result in this.
"It hurts..."
Still, I was relieved.
Though my palm stung enough to bring tears to my eyes, at least I had prevented a monster from attacking this place.
Once again, I realized how threatening the existence of these Totems, or the Strange Ones who could control monsters, truly was.
Next Wednesday.
The town would be safe on that day.
These were people whose faces I didn't even know, though they were family. But I thought sacrificing a palm like this was a small price to pay for saving their lives.
I hung my head low.
Yet my worries hadn't disappeared.
While preventing a monster invasion was certainly a good thing, it seemed like a one-time solution. It would be difficult to predict what would happen next.
Given that I'd already strayed far from the original story by living as Kanna Aurora, I needed to quickly change things that hadn't yet been affected by causality.
Otherwise, all the information I knew in advance would become worthless, leaving me with nothing to work with.
I consoled myself.
If I hadn't done at least this much, I would have become like a scarecrow, standing here waiting for death without changing anything from the beginning.
*
Friday should normally be a day to look forward to since it's followed by the weekend, but Academy students didn't feel that way.
With exams on Wednesday, they needed to review Thursday and Friday's studies and practice repeatedly for the practical test, so there was little to be happy about.
Of course, not everyone would study during that time. Some might go shopping at department stores or visit the zoo to see animals.
But most invested that time in studying.
I just tilted my head in doubt, wondering if investing in such things would yield results for me.
While I did intend to study, I didn't want to spend my entire weekend doing so.
Normally I would have investigated the Wall, but since I had resolved the issue rather anticlimactically last night, I had some leeway.
Of course, that might not be the only issue, so I still needed to look around occasionally, but having found something in an uncertain situation gave me direction and allowed me to catch my breath.
"Kanna?"
"...Oh, hello."
I noticed Yoon Ha-min's face stiffen slightly as he came to greet me in the morning.
It was because my right hand, which I had raised to greet him, was wrapped in bandages.
"What happened? Did something happen yesterday...?"
"Oh, this."
Class was about to start soon, and I could see students gathering to chat.
And as always, their gazes naturally shifted to Yoon Ha-min first, then to me, the person he was talking to.
I swallowed hard and answered with a bitter smile.
"I burned myself while cooking."
I knew it was unusual that Yoon Ha-min believed my words.
It was because he was righteous and kind that he believed such statements from me. Others wouldn't believe without seeing for themselves, and even if they did see, they would demand to know where I got this information.
I didn't want to tell everyone.
But I did want to tell Yoon Ha-min.
Because I felt he would believe me despite everything.
"...You should be more careful."
"Yes, I'll be more careful now."
I decided to let it go for now, thinking I'd talk to him later when the timing was right.
Or perhaps I could just send him a message on my Device later.
"Good morning, Kanna."
"Oh, good morning."
Orca appeared behind Yoon Ha-min, perhaps having met him on the way.
She greeted me, and I returned the greeting.
It must have been quite a spectacle for others to see.
The Top Rank and Second Rank who were always competing, exchanging morning greetings with the Bottom Rank who usually played alone.
Still, our interaction was limited to morning greetings and having lunch together.
If I took up more of his time like before and caused trouble for Yoon Ha-min, even if he said it was fine, others would get angry on his behalf, and I couldn't bear that.
After greeting them, I took out my textbook from the desk drawer and opened it as if nothing had happened.
Then I carefully pulled out my Device from my blazer's inner pocket and pressed the screen.
Tap, tap.
[I found a Totem yesterday.]
I wrote the message but hesitated to send it, chewing my lip.
After a while, I turned off the screen without sending the message.
It felt too awkward to send it right after greeting him.
I thought perhaps I should have contacted him yesterday while treating my injury.
Since I rarely had reason to use my Device, I often forgot I could contact people with it.
Swallowing my bitterness, I exhaled with mixed relief and began my day.