sickly chapter 4

As he said, I didn’t have many memories of spending time with others. This was also due to my sickly body. Consequently, until now, I had only studied with my private tutor at home.

“It’s alright, I’m not scared. I’ve studied alone all this time, so I’m curious about Academy life. That’s why I want to go.”

I didn’t want to be stuck inside the house forever. Everyone worried about me constantly staying at home, and besides, I had to achieve the quest somehow.

I gave Hamilton a bright smile to reassure him, and he returned a small smile and said, “Alright. If that’s what you want, you can do it.”

Hamilton finally rose from his seat. He stepped out of the carriage without hesitation and offered me his hand.

“I’ll escort you to the administrative office. Since it’s your first time, you’ll need to go there.”

I took his calloused, firm hand and lightly stepped down from the carriage. The moment my feet touched the ground, I suddenly felt a wave of nervousness.

“Are you tense?” he asked with a chuckle. I fiddled with my hair and rolled my eyes in a nervous response.

“If there are any weird kids, tell me everything. Got it?”

As we drew closer to the Academy, his grip on my hand tightened. I could feel the students’ gazes on us. No, to be precise, they were looking at Hamilton’s face, not mine.

Soon, I was met with a crowd that surged toward Hamilton, accompanied by small cheers!

“Senior, it’s been a long time!”

“You’ve somehow become even more handsome.”

The people who ran over, shouting, possessed remarkable strength. As a result, my body was pushed around like a piece of paper, and my hand slipped out of his grasp.

“Whoa!”

“Catherine!”

My body was squeezed between people who only had eyes for Hamilton, and I started to be pushed toward the outer edge of the crowd.

As soon as he realized he’d lost me, he looked frantic and tried to move toward me, but even for Hamilton, it wasn’t easy. The sheer determination of the people surrounding him was immense.

Unlike them, I was quick to give up and mouthed to Hamilton that I was fine.

Well, things will work themselves out somehow! I’m not a child.

I turned around and started walking forward blindly. The Academy I faced was enormous. So vast that I couldn’t tell one area from another!

At first, I walked confidently. However, feeling like I was walking in circles, I stopped. I rolled my eyes around. It seemed I would have to ask for directions. Yet, where I was standing was a secluded area, and there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Should I head toward where there are more people? Just as I was about to move,

“Hey, you there.”

A rough voice calling out to someone reached my ears. Whoever that unfortunate person was, they had terrible luck. I was rolling my eyes, trying to figure out who he was addressing, when the menacing voice latched onto me.

“Didn’t you hear me? You, the black-haired girl!”

Heavens, Mother. Startled by the grip on my shoulder, I turned around, and a status window appeared.

[Unexpected Event! You have been noticed by dangerous students!]

…Is someone making fun of me? By the way, even in an Academy like this, there are people of this sort. Is it because it’s a game?

Thinking so, I said to the student who grabbed me, “Look, I’m new here today, so would you let go? I promise I’ll live very quietly.”

“Ah, no wonder I haven’t seen your face before. But why should I let go?”

What in the world is going on? All sorts of things are happening on the first day of the Academy. I sighed softly, gazing into the distance.

Unfortunately, this delinquent student didn’t seem to intend to let me go.

“Then what will it take for you to let go?” I asked, completely exasperated.

The student seemed to ponder something, then began whispering with his friends. Soon, he said, “Want to hang out with us?”

“What?” I laughed hollowly in disbelief and shook my head. “No. I’m not interested.”

At my refusal, his face turned red with rejection, and he insisted, “I’ll give you one last chance. Come hang out with me.”

Saying that, he stubbornly held onto my arm and started to pull. The skin caught in his grip was chafed and stinging.

[Stamina -10, Current Remaining Stamina: 10]

Oh my goodness, my stamina! I became anxious about my low stamina, but this student seemed to be the type who never gave up and showed no intention of letting go. What should I do? I should have just stuck close to Hamilton! I shouldn’t have said I was fine!

Tears welling up inside, I twisted and turned to pull my arm away. The more I struggled, the redder and more swollen my skin became.

“Let go of this…!”

I was about to huff in anger, brace my core, and yell when:

“Hey, don’t block the way. Move.”

A boy in a uniform, too, spoke, deliberately bumping hard into the delinquent’s shoulder. I instinctively looked up at him. Shiny black hair, and beneath it, cool, clear blue eyes. An atmosphere I hadn’t felt from any of the extras around here, only from Hamilton! It was clear.

[First encounter with Rodney Houston!]

He was one of the capture targets.