Chapter 68: The saintess of the academy (3)

Ding-dong-daeng-dong- ♬

Inside the classroom. The bell signaling the end of class rang out.

A sound awaited by students of all eras.

However, the female student, Aisha, sitting here now, paid no attention to the chime.

“……”

She just remained in a daze among the students leaving the classroom, her face pale as a corpse.

No thoughts came to the girl’s mind. Only a gut-wrenching sense of crisis.

Her tightly clasped hands, as if in prayer, trembled.

‘W-what do I do….?’

This afternoon, the girl hadn’t been able to absorb any of the lesson content due to the overwhelming worries in her head.

And it seemed Aisha wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been able to concentrate.

As soon as class ended, the voices of other students began to fill the classroom with a buzz.

“My gosh, the Academy Director himself…. doing that…”

“….wasn’t there?… Implant…”

“….even mentioned the Chairman….. No way, really…?”

With each word that inadvertently pierced her ears, Aisha flinched involuntarily.

She realized once again who she had been dealing with today, and what rudeness she had committed.

Her face crumpled, and she hung her head.

A meaningless groan escaped her trembling lips.

“Higeuk….”

It must be a dream. It has to be a dream. She repeated it to herself countless times, but what lay before her eyes was still cold reality.

The girl couldn’t even bring herself to turn her head to the side.

The empty seat where someone had briefly sat.

After its owner had departed, courteously escorted by the academy’s director, a clear void had appeared around that one seat. No one dared to even approach it.

Even for ingratiation or flattery for advancement, there’s a certain ‘level’ at which it works.

No matter how opportunistic, one wouldn’t dare to casually approach a ‘natural disaster’ capable of turning the world upside down with a single word.

Reality isn’t fiction.

Against someone whose displeasure or disapproval could cost someone their head, simply keeping a low profile was the best course of action.

In this academy, the very first thing one learned was such a pecking order.

But that ‘Young Lady’ just now…. was important enough for the Academy Director himself to come out and respectfully escort her.
No matter how she thought about it, that treatment surpassed even that of a special class student.

‘Perhaps, the Chairman’s…. that I’ve only heard about in rumors….’

Aisha’s hands trembled again as the thought crossed her mind.

From the dark clouds filling her heart, gloom trickled down like a drizzle.

She resented herself from a few hours ago, who had been naively delighted at the thought of making a friend in a similar situation.

The girl had always been lonely.

In Aisha’s class, besides herself, there wasn’t a single scholarship student who had entered through an exam.

A child from a single-parent, commoner family with no connections or backing.

Even if she was a little smart, here she was just an ugly duckling.

Among elites fiercely competing for their future, the lonely girl was considered ‘unworthy of forming a connection with,’ and no one paid her any attention.

A sense of alienation, of being in a place she didn’t belong, a sense of isolation as if everyone treated her like an invisible person.
It was suffocating.

It felt like drowning in deep water.

When she first got accepted into the prestigious Lumina Academy, her single mother had been overjoyed as if she had gained the whole world.

She had teared up, saying their daughter’s life was finally set.

But the girl, dropped alone into a world of talented children from good families and with good abilities, was always an outsider.

The sole reason the girl remained at this academy was the thought that she couldn’t disappoint her mother’s expectations.

‘Was it too much to wish for even one friend.’

Aisha tried to suppress her worries with various trivial thoughts.

As a result, today’s scheduled classes ended in a flash.

Naturally, none of the content remained in her head.

All this time, she had just been trembling in the classroom like a sick chicken, unsure when it would be slaughtered.

Fortunately, nothing happened until the academy ended.

It seemed today was not the day of the girl’s execution.

“Hoo…..”

Aisha slumped her small shoulders and walked out of the classroom, trudging towards the elevator.

A sense of relief that she was safe today, and anxiety about what tomorrow might bring.

And a loneliness from being alone again, all mixed into a complicated feeling as she exited the academy building.

Her steps were heavy on the way home.

It was at that very moment, as she was passing a secluded alley near the building.

“Aisha Fancy meeting you here?”

A distinctive voice, drawn out mockingly. Aisha’s shoulders flinched.

The girl pretended not to hear and quickened her pace, trying to pass by.

But a lazy yet intimidating voice came from behind her again.

“Don’t make me say it twice. Come here, my cute little puppy.”

Only then did the girl, her head bowed low, hesitantly follow the voice into the alley.

If she ignored it and passed by, she didn’t know what kind of harsh treatment she would face when they met again in the classroom tomorrow.

Several female students in school uniforms were gathered there.

One might think that everyone belonging to a corporate academy would be a neat elite, but the appearance of those gathered here was completely different.

Cigarettes dangling from their lips, uniforms altered to their liking.

Flashy cybernetics and tattoos exposed all over their bodies.

They hardly looked like students.

Aisha’s face turned white when she saw them.

“Ah, hi, Roxy…. Weren’t you absent today….?”

The female student called Roxy exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke and looked at the girl with languid eyes.

“Switched to afternoon classes. Was a bit…. busy at the club last night.”

She flicked off the ash and continued.

“But you know what, Aisha…. you were cutting it a bit close on this test. How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t get better grades than me, you beggar. My dad scolds me.”

“…….”

The girl lowered her head instead of answering.

A day when she had briefly hoped she could make her first friend.

Today seemed like it would be remembered as the worst day.

===========

“This is an exclusive lounge for special class students only, Young Lady. We’ve brought in new refresh pods and VR equipment…”

As per the explanation, I was currently being guided through the special class facilities of the academy.

To be honest, it was a bit overwhelming.

Not only the Academy Director, who had sought me out while I was attending classes in the general stream, but also several faculty members were following me as if escorting a high-ranking person.

It wasn’t as if a corporate executive was here for a site inspection… it was excessive hospitality for a single student.

However, whether he knew my feelings or not, the balding Academy Director continued to explain with utmost sincerity and enthusiasm.

“Did you like the greenhouse garden and private dining? Ah, over there is also a personal research lab. One is assigned to each student for free-topic research….”

And he was right.

The special class facilities I toured while listening to his explanations were on a completely different level from those of the general class I had seen earlier.

It was more like a 5-star hotel than an academy.

What was even more surprising was the fact that this vast and luxurious space was used for only a few dozen students.

Nominally, the special class was a class for the education of students without cybernetics.

However, in this city where everything was digitized, individuals who could live without a single implant were almost non-existent.

Only the children of the absolute top-tier elite, whose every need was met from birth.

So, this special class was, in effect, nothing more than a closed social club for them.

‘Alright, I get that much….’

No matter how elite the children were, there was no need for someone who was the head of a corporate academy to be so deferential, calling a single student ‘Young Lady’ over and over.

So I stopped walking and asked him.

“Academy Director. May I ask how I was introduced to you?”

“Ah, well…. I was told you are the maternal cousin of the Chairman’s wife. I also heard that the Chairman, your Godfather, adores you very much and has accepted you as his goddaughter. Is there anything incorrect in that….?”

He observed my expression.

I simply nodded in affirmation.

However, it was the first time I had heard this story as well.

‘Godfather, you could have explained this beforehand…..’

Was the new identity meant to be a surprise of sorts?

Certainly, if she was a relative of the Chairman’s wife, who had lived as a commoner for a long time, it wouldn’t be strange for her to suddenly appear from somewhere.

It was well-known how much the couple loved each other, so it wouldn’t be odd for the Chairman to accept that relative as family and take care of her.

However, being treated as a ‘Young Lady’ like this.

It made me feel embarrassed for causing an unnecessary commotion, and I didn’t know where to put myself while receiving such treatment.

As I continued to tour the facilities and receive explanations, a question suddenly arose.

“Somehow… I don’t see anyone around? Are there no students today?”

As he said, this vast and luxurious facility had been empty all day.

The Academy Director’s explanation continued.

“Ah, special class students rarely come to the academy in person. They usually listen to preferred lectures remotely, or come only for a specific scheduled class on a certain day. Today isn’t that day, so the facility might seem a bit deserted.”

That ‘scheduled class’ seemed to be the day of the social gathering.

As I was nodding, the Academy Director added.

“Still, there should be a few students who attended today…. Is there anyone in particular you’d like to meet?”

“Ah, no. I was just asking.”

The facility tour, which continued a little longer, soon ended.

The Academy Director and faculty members seemed desperate to do something more, but today was more like an orientation, where I was supposed to register my academic records and get an introduction to the academy, not attend classes.

Since it wasn’t the ‘social gathering day,’ there was nothing more to see, and the lectures themselves could be attended remotely….

I had a strong feeling that my visits to this academy would become quite rare.

Thus, today’s business was concluded.

The faculty members who had followed me down to the first-floor lobby of the building kept their heads bowed until I left.

Leaving that burdensome farewell behind, I finally reunited with ST.

“ST, have you been waiting long? I’m sorry.”

“Not at all. This is my job. Was everything alright?”

“Yes, the facilities were fine… The teachers were a bit overwhelming, but they were kind. They said bodyguards can accompany students in the special class from now on, so you won’t have to wait alone next time.”

“That’s a relief.”

We were walking towards the place where the car was parked outside the academy building, having such a conversation.

ST, who was walking beside me, suddenly turned her head somewhere.

“? What’s wrong?”

I, too, turned to look where her gaze was directed.

It seemed like someone’s voice was leaking out from the shadows of a secluded alley near the building.

“…….”

I inadvertently approached that direction slightly.

Then, the voices I heard became a little clearer.

“…..I told you…. to do as I…. say…. “

‘Students?’

A few human shadows were visible deep inside the alley.

They seemed to be wearing academy uniforms at first glance.

‘What is it? Something seems to have happened….’

Just then, unexpectedly, someone appeared and blocked our path.

“Stop.”

Unfamiliar men.

Bulky cybernetics, suits that looked like they were about to burst…. men who looked like someone’s bodyguards.

Blocked by their large frames, the inside of the alley was no longer visible.

One of the men waved his hand at us as if shooing away a nuisance.

“Young ladies, don’t meddle unnecessarily and just go on your way.”

“…..”

ST asked me with her eyes. How should we respond?

I hesitated for a moment.

I didn’t even know what was happening, so was it really right to get involved here?

Honestly, I felt a little reluctant.

This was downtown, not the suburbs.

It was within the city where the ODPD would arrive if a big commotion occurred.

Besides, the reason the Godfather sent me to the academy was definitely not for me to cause friction with other students on the first day.

Creating unnecessary trouble could be an inconvenience not only for me but also for him.

So, if I just suppressed my momentary curiosity and turned away, no problem would arise for me.

“……..”

But still…. I couldn’t.

‘She’s crying.’

I can still hear the voice.

I don’t know who it is, but someone was sobbing in that alley.

So I just couldn’t pass by.

ST, understanding my feelings without me saying anything, took a step forward and approached them.

At that, the men blocking our way scowled fiercely, cracking their necks and wrists with a “crack.”

“You insist on doing something unnecessary….”

Thwack! Crunch!! Thud!!!

Dull sounds echoed, and a moment later, ST dusted off her fist, which was slightly stained with blood, and said softly.

“Taken care of. Let’s go.”

“Thank you, ST.”

If I had misjudged something and made a mistake, I would sincerely apologize to these people.

But there was no turning back now.

I composed myself and entered the alley.

Then, the scene finally came into view.

In a corner of the alley, several students in school uniforms were surrounding a single girl.

Slap- Slap-

“You beggar, you lowly thing, stop being so annoying!”

The girl, crying as someone slapped her cheek, had a somewhat familiar face.

The moment I saw her, my breath hitched.

The girl who had guided me through the academy with sparkling eyes.

The child who had mustered the courage to ask to be friends.

And somehow, her overly frightened demeanor towards other students whose parents were corporate employees.

“…..”

I was already pushing past the surrounding students and moving forward.

“Wh-what.”

“Who’s that?”

And just as the perpetrator raised her hand high to slap the girl’s cheek again, I grabbed her wrist.

The female student looked back at me with a bewildered expression.

“Huh? Who suddenly-“

I looked her straight in the eye and said, as if biting out the words.

“What are you doing to my friend.”