Kanna Aurora. That was my name.
But I didn't know what the original Kanna Aurora was like. It was hard to figure out what she had been doing or what thoughts she had while attending this Academy.
The house was too empty, so I was alone, and once I got to the Academy, I felt like I would die of loneliness without even a single friend.
I rarely spoke to anyone, so I hadn't opened my mouth much since coming here.
I heard my changed voice more often when muttering to myself at home.
That was the problem.
This story was a tragedy where Yoon Ha-min couldn't save anyone, losing everything without protecting anything, and exiting the stage in solitude.
In other words, it was a story where everyone, without exception, would die when the ending came.
If many people, including myself, were to survive, I needed to change the ending, and to change the ending, I needed to alter the outcomes of events that happened along the way.
So while I was trying to recall the plot and figure out what to do, the biggest problem I faced now was that I had already hit a roadblock before even getting started.
I had been staring at Yoon Ha-min for so long that I thought the Bottom Rank student would scold me for looking, but instead, I got lectured by Orca, who seemed to think like a Top Rank student.
Apparently, she didn't like how a Bottom Rank student wasn't focusing on class and was lowering the class average by doing other things.
So, despite my uncertainty, I finally picked up my pen and started taking notes diligently.
I wondered if I really needed to study in a place like this. But I figured I had to keep the story on the same track until the incidents began.
This wasn't a turning point yet. Orca briefly calling me out to talk wouldn't change the story's direction.
If I kept making her concerned about me and pushed things in a different direction, that might cause problems later, but not right now.
This is driving me crazy. What if I suddenly stop being the Bottom Rank by studying like this?
Could my Bottom Rank status affect the story?
But I don't think that was part of the plot...
I seriously contemplated whether I should genuinely study and take the exams.
Maybe Kanna Aurora wasn't actually stupid.
With that thought, I continued taking notes.
Time passed, and as class ended, the bell announcing the end of school day rang through the speakers installed throughout the school.
While everyone was packing their bags to leave, I stared blankly at my notes before slipping them into my bag.
Orca, who was sitting in front, glanced at me and smirked.
It wasn't a mocking smile, but rather one that suggested she had guided a foolish lamb to a better place.
Well, as a heroine who pursued righteousness just like the protagonist, it made sense.
At the same time, Yoon Ha-min, who turned his head to see what Orca was looking at, directed his gaze at me.
Seeing this, I slightly shifted my position to avoid Orca's eyes.
But as if he wouldn't let me off so easily, he approached me.
"You're Kanna Aurora, right?"
"...Oh, hello."
"...You, you don't have to be so formal."
When I awkwardly used formal speech, Yoon Ha-min responded with what seemed like confusion.
Not all classmates were friends.
Since I had no friends here, there was an invisible wall between us.
In other words, there was no one I could speak comfortably with.
Since I didn't join conversations, it didn't matter whether I used formal or casual speech—no one cared either way.
Though Yoon Ha-min seemed to think differently.
More importantly, since he called me over, he probably had something to say.
It was Yoon Ha-min, of all people, who called me.
I could have snubbed him and walked away, but I didn't want to earn the resentment of the girls around, so I wanted to quickly address whatever he needed.
"May I ask why you called me?"
When I cautiously replied, Yoon Ha-min hesitated as if he didn't actually have a reason, then awkwardly opened his mouth.
"No, just keep up the good work."
He just gave me those words of encouragement.
As if that was his only purpose, I couldn't understand it at all.
Why did he call me over?
I tried to remember if Yoon Ha-min was always like this, but I couldn't clearly recall the early parts of the story, so I remained uncertain.
*
After returning to my house, I put my bag down on the empty floor and pondered for a while.
I needed to clarify what I should do from now on.
First, considering my situation: I was poor with little money, ranked at the bottom of the Academy, and practically ostracized.
Of course, Yoon Ha-min and Orca seemed to show some interest in me, but that was clearly because I had started studying again after not studying.
Given that, there was probably no one who would listen if I told them about the future that awaited us.
It would be dismissed as nonsense or delusion.
I wondered if raising my rank would make teachers and other students believe me, but considering that hostile forces would target high-ranking students and teachers first, it wasn't necessarily a good idea.
I agonized over it.
But still, no clear answer emerged.
The position I held as Kanna Aurora was so miserable that no one would believe me or try to get close to me—I was practically invisible.
Perhaps that's why, except for the kind protagonist and heroine, no one spoke to me or even looked my way, making everything feel hopeless.
If I tried to get close to Yoon Ha-min, rumors might spread that the Bottom Rank student was trying to climb the social ladder by getting close to the Top Rank. So I thought it might be better to approach the heroine who was close to the protagonist.
"...How do I raise their affection?"
The problem was how to become friends, and since connections with the Top Rank or Second Rank were coveted by everyone, it was questionable whether someone like me could fit in.
Regardless of what I did, if I failed, everyone except the protagonist would die, Bottom Rank or not.
With that thought, I decided I needed to be thick-skinned.
*
The next day, I headed to the Academy.
While carrying my bag and going through another day where no one spoke to me, I quietly approached where Orca was sitting.
"...Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Could you possibly be friends with me...?"
I mumbled like that.
I usually had no reason to open my mouth at the Academy, but today was truly a day of courage.
After a moment, Orca smiled bitterly and replied.
"Sure. Let's be friends."
Hearing her voice as she answered with a smile, I felt a surge of emotion, thinking I had worried for nothing.
Then Yoon Ha-min, who was next to her, glanced at me and leaned forward slightly to look at me.
"What, did you just become friends? Want to be friends with me too?"
"Ha-min, you..."
"It's fine."
"I suppose so."
Orca closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, as if it wasn't her place to interfere.
I had approached Orca out of fear that getting close to Yoon Ha-min would make me a target for the other students, but not only did Orca easily accept, Yoon Ha-min also stepped forward and offered to be my friend, which I never expected.
"Nice to meet you."
I saw him smiling brightly.
I saw his smile, but I couldn't bring myself to smile back the same way.
Because the gazes of the girls behind him were a bit piercing.
I don't understand why you all are so fired up when his partner is already set to be Orca.
"...Nice to meet you."
I responded glumly to his words.
Then I moistened my dry lips with my tongue and returned to my seat.
Academy life—I had already escaped being an outcast.
I had made friends.
The problem was that even though I had made friends, I didn't know what to do next.
I needed to prepare for the monster attacks and also respond to the schemes of intelligent mysterious beings.
With the order of events being a bit hazy, I furrowed my brow and racked my brain.
Whatever came, I needed to devise a strategy to respond.
Since we're friends, would they believe me a little?
Is it strange to expect them to trust me at this level?
While pondering these thoughts, I focused on studying during class to maintain my relationship with Yoon Ha-min and Orca.
They seemed to like people who put in effort, so this should satisfy them.
After studying diligently until lunchtime, I tossed my pen aside and exhaled deeply.
"Ughhhh."
With the bell signaling lunchtime, everyone rushed out.
I hesitated for a moment, then realized that lunchtime was actually a good opportunity.
I had always thought of it as the time to eat bread in the restroom, so I hadn't considered it before.
The breaks between classes were too short, but lunchtime provided ample time to eat and chat.
So during that time, I could subtly, not overtly, bring up the topic.
If even one thing I said turned out to be true, then either Yoon Ha-min or Orca would start to think there was merit to my words, that I was trustworthy.
"...Huh?"
But there was no one left in the classroom; everyone had gone to eat.
"..."
I already knew.
Just saying we're friends doesn't actually make us real friends.
After standing there blankly, I quietly bought a piece of bread and went to the restroom, just like yesterday.
No, it's not that we didn't become real friends; maybe I should have asked to eat lunch together too.