Scratch, scratch, scratch.
It was getting closer. I'd already taken the first exam.
I knew something would happen during the third exam, but my anxiety only grew as I had no idea how to deal with it.
No one believes me.
No one listens to me either.
I had absolutely nothing—I would have been grateful if someone even pretended to listen.
The teachers were nice, but they would clearly treat me as a failing student in the end, making everything feel increasingly uncertain.
Surely at first, I could handle one or two obstacles.
Of course, the protagonist wouldn't lose anything in this first challenge.
After all, heroines and friends don't die from the beginning.
But it was hard to gauge how many people unrelated to the protagonist would die.
A single, plainly written sentence:
'A town collapsed.'
The Academy would suffer losses from the monster invasion, but I needed to prevent that first.
By saving one town, I could at least protect the family of someone at the Academy.
But how?
The story always revolves around the protagonist's perspective.
In the end, what matters most is what the protagonist gained and lost.
Since that town had no connection to the protagonist, I couldn't get much information from the narrative.
Without knowing exactly how the town would collapse, I had no strategy to save it.
It's dangerous. The town is in danger.
If I just vaguely said that, who would believe me?
I wished someone would believe me, but my situation was so bad that if anyone did believe me based on just that, I'd have to suspect them instead.
"..."
Scratch.
The lesson content wasn't registering in my head at all.
My mind was just running simulations over and over again.
If I could produce meaningful results in the next exam, surely someone might listen to me.
But when they averaged my grades, my abilities, magic use, and combat skills always dragged everything down, limiting what I could accomplish.
It was like the situation was telling me I couldn't do anything—that I should just die helplessly without lifting a finger while knowing the world was falling apart.
"Ah..."
I let out a small groan.
No one seemed to hear it under the teacher's loud voice, but my heart was so anxious that it sounded as loud as a shout in complete silence.
What can't I do?
Is there really not a single person here who would take my side?
Of course, I was ignored by practically the entire student body and marked as the number one person to avoid, but that was just among students—not necessarily among teachers.
Even if I was a failing student, wouldn't they listen somehow if I tried talking to them?
If I give up from the start thinking no one will believe such an unrealistic story, I'm throwing away opportunities without even trying.
I stopped biting my nails, took a light breath, and waited for this period to end quickly.
I planned to go to the teachers' office as soon as the bell rang to find my homeroom teacher, who was at least kind.
*
And my hopeful expectations shattered, just as I had feared.
"...Kanna. I think I misheard you. Could you please explain once more?"
Break time at school was rest time for teachers too.
Of course, it might not matter to teachers who didn't have classes in the previous period, but they might find it annoying, or they might be sacrificing time they wanted to use to rest before their next class.
Not knowing the teacher's schedule made me feel a bit sorry.
But rather than dwelling on that, the teacher asked me to explain again with a troubled expression.
"Well, we have another exam the week after next, right?"
"Yes."
When I mumbled this, the teacher listened to me again, this time looking at me seriously as if trying to understand.
"At that time, monsters will attack... and a town will collapse. Over there by the wall..."
Standing on the rooftop, I looked around and tried to point toward the massive wall, unable to pinpoint the exact location.
But the teacher stopped me with a cold voice, as if there was no need.
"Kanna."
"Yes."
I hung my head low, feeling intimidated.
I knew it was something difficult to believe, even if she understood what I was saying.
I had somewhat expected this reaction.
Perhaps that's why my heart didn't ache so much.
If Yoon Ha-min had said this—no, not even someone as prestigious as the top-ranked Ha-min, but even if some decent middle-ranked student had said it—the situation would have been different.
"I understand that you're struggling to keep up with classes. Even if you gain an ability, it's not always strong enough to save the world. I somewhat understand why you're bringing this up during exam period, but you shouldn't do this."
"That's not it... really..."
I opened my mouth, feeling truly wronged, as if trying to hold onto the teacher.
And what I received in return was nothing but advice directed at me.
"I suggest you refrain from telling this to other teachers, as they might get angry. I can overlook this because I've known you from the beginning and can understand."
Ah, of course.
Because it happens to be on an exam day, I must look like I'm making excuses.
Do I look like I'm subtly trying to get out of it by hinting to the teacher, and failing?
I could understand why this was the natural result—after all, who would trust the words of the dead-last student who was already failing?
"...I know you don't like it, Kanna, but we have weekly exams to provide cadets with more opportunities to improve. I hope you can escape last place at least once."
With those final words, the teacher opened the door and quietly disappeared.
"Huh," I let out a deflated sigh.
Then I blankly held onto the railing and took in the distant scenery.
The bell for the next class would ring soon, but I didn't care and closed my eyes tightly to feel the gentle breeze.
In my world, there were exactly four exams.
Kids prepared desperately for those four exams, and some would start cramming the night before.
Those who studied desperately sometimes slipped and failed, while others who normally didn't study would cram and dramatically improve their grades.
This system was probably designed to prevent that.
And I resented that system.
How nice it would have been if exams weren't so frequent, I thought.
The third exam. In two weeks, monsters and strange beings would invade.
Of course, the Academy would be safe. The teachers were there, and the protagonist was there.
But the surroundings would gradually collapse.
Crumbling, crumbling, crumbling.
Even what seemed perfectly fine around the protagonist would crumble.
If something that looks fine now is rotting from the outside in, shouldn't we dig into that first?
I had two weeks.
Even the kindest teacher didn't believe me, and I might be seen as a despicable girl trying to get out of exams by faking illness.
I repeatedly pondered what I could do in two weeks to achieve meaningful results, given my rock-bottom trust, reputation, and value among students.
I hate this. I might not die right away, but the feeling of dying slowly wasn't pleasant at all.
Knowing about the impending doom without being able to do anything about it wasn't a good feeling.
If the bottom-ranked student suddenly came saying, "Monsters and strange beings are coming and they'll destroy a town!" no one would say, "Really?" and invest resources.
"...This is driving me crazy."
I felt depressed. So this is what it feels like when no one believes you, I thought, and at the same time, it felt utterly miserable that I couldn't express this sorrow to anyone.
Today's lunch, tomorrow's lunch, the day after tomorrow's lunch.
I would eat bread and milk in the innermost stall of a secluded bathroom where no one would see me.
While everyone formed groups with friends in the cafeteria, chatting and laughing, I would silently soak bread in my mouth to avoid making noise, afraid someone might hear.
My lips trembled.
The bell for class rang, but I didn't want to go back, so I just stared down at the scenery below.
"..."
Where should I go to tell this now?
Who would even listen to me?
If my last hope was cut off, I should try to do something on my own.
But what could I do alone?
It was my first time skipping class.
But I didn't feel good about it.
I couldn't understand why I had to feel this misery even more intensely just because the exam happened to be two weeks away.
Everything was always resentful.
Which town could it be? The collapsing town is said to be near the wall, but there are towns everywhere.
I can't just tell everyone living near the wall to flee.
I was in a daze when I sighed.
"...I wonder what I'd see if I went there."
Just as I was muttering that, I heard someone behind me.
"Calm down."
"...?"
It wasn't a teacher.
When I turned my head, Yoon Ha-min was standing there.
"...Calm down, and step away from the railing."