The moment I stepped into the KR Hall auditorium in full uniform, the voices of reporters crashed over me.

“Lee Yeonsu!”

“Lee Yeonsu’s here!”

“Lee Yeonsu has arrived!”

The Ability-User Military Academy was a restricted space where outsiders weren’t normally allowed. It wasn’t as thoroughly closed off as back when it was under the Ministry of National Defense, but you still couldn’t come in without cause.

Today, however, was the start of the second semester’s mock battle training, and the reporters had swarmed in under the pretext of covering it.

The Director must have known, but probably had no grounds to refuse. The mock battle was the pride of the Academy, and there was likely a standing guideline to cooperate with press requests whenever possible.

So it wasn’t that I hadn’t expected this, but there were far more reporters than I’d imagined.

“Guide Lee Yeonsu, are the rumors true?”

“Were you aware you were taking drugs to manipulate the matching rate?”

“You’re saying you have no side effects?”

The moment they saw me, the reporters surged forward—only to be blocked by the Director’s staff before they could reach me.

“Please refrain from questions unrelated to the mock battle!”

“Step inside the photo line!”

“Guide Lee Yeonsu! Were you aware of Esper Joo Seunghyuk’s criminal acts?”

“Don’t step out of the line!”

“Guide Lee Yeonsu, are you saying you really didn’t know about the matching-rate manipulation?”

“I said that’s enough!”

But no matter how loudly the staff yelled, the reporters wouldn’t listen. The situation grew so heated that it was on the verge of turning into a physical struggle, and Espers dispatched from the Center had to join in to hold the reporters back and prevent any incident before the mock battle even began.

In the middle of the chaos, a staff member glanced at me and gave a quick signal—go inside now. If I entered, the atmosphere might calm down a little.

“Guide Lee Yeonsu, is it true that Esper Joo Seunghyuk nearly killed you in the Horaitron Gate? Did you also know that he tried to cause a Gate Break?”

“If you [N O V E L I G H T] were afraid of Esper Joo Seunghyuk, why did you agree to date him?”

Even in the frenzy of chasing a scoop, there were lines you didn’t cross. These weren’t investigative questions—they were taking speculative internet posts, treating them as fact, and flinging them in my face.

“Hey...!”

“Yeonsu, let’s go.”

Kang Inho wrapped an arm around my shoulder like a bodyguard. It meant: Don’t answer them.

“Yeah.”

Keeping my mouth shut, I walked into the KR Hall. The murmuring atmosphere fell into a sudden hush as the uniformed students turned to look at me. They were probably talking about me and Joo Seunghyuk.

As an S-rank Guide, I was supposed to stand at the very front. Holding my head high, I stepped forward, and soft whispers drifted into my ears.

“What a bolt out of the blue for Lee Yeonsu.”

“Seriously. If the side effects are bad, won’t it end his career as a Guide?”

“Career? He’s lucky if it doesn’t cost him his life.”

“This is bad. What’s Yeonsu going to do? He won’t be able to use mana anymore, right?”

Even hearing them “worry” didn’t feel like anything to be grateful for.

“Aw, poor thing.”

“I feel bad for him.”

The same group that normally went out of their way to nitpick and badmouth me were now uniting in pity.

Was I just being cynical for feeling like their sympathy was laced with ridicule?

At the head of the Esper formation, I spotted Park Geonwoo.

Last semester, that spot had belonged to Joo Seunghyuk. I’d expected him to be there today too, but the empty space felt far too large.

Overnight, Joo Seunghyuk had fallen to one of the most notorious criminals in Korean history, while Park Geonwoo was once again celebrated as a hero. When an article came out crediting him for a major role in the investigation, the public showered him with praise for walking the exact opposite path from Seunghyuk.

Park Geonwoo waved to me. I gave a small bow in return, then glanced toward Kang Inho standing behind me.

“Inho.”

“Yeah?”

Kang Inho was tall, making it hard to whisper. When I grabbed his arm, he understood and bent down to meet my height. I spoke softly into his ear.

“Am I not supposed to answer the reporters’ questions?”

“No.”

“Then why did you stop me...?”

“Nothing good will come from being tied to Joo Seunghyuk right now.”

“....”

I’d thought he’d stopped me in case I said something careless that might hurt Seunghyuk. But it was the opposite. He’d stopped me to keep my own image from being dragged down by association.

This was probably Seunghyuk’s order too. Just like this morning, when he’d told Inho to sue the people posting malicious comments—his standing instruction was to prioritize keeping me out of harm’s way.

I bit my lower lip as the head of the Esper Department, Professor Jeon, stepped onto the platform. The mock battle training was run by the Guide Department in the first semester, and the Esper Department in the second. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Professor Jeon started his speech. He wasn’t one for ceremony—last year, he’d wrapped things up after a couple of short remarks urging everyone to do their best. But today, perhaps because of the number of reporters present, the speech ran long.

On the surface, the reporters were here to cover the mock battle, after all.

He emphasized the history of the Academy’s mock battle system, its excellence, and its safety, repeating that Espers and Guides from the Center, as well as healing ability-users and doctors, were standing by in case of any accident.

It seemed like an attempt to restore the Academy’s image after last semester’s incident. That alone would have made it hard to reject the reporters’ coverage requests.

“Just because it’s a mock battle doesn’t mean you can let your guard down! If there’s any sign of danger, stop the training immediately!”

After stressing safety again, Professor Jeon swept his gaze across the students.

“Any questions?”

The hall was silent. He hadn’t expected any real Q&A anyway, so he didn’t press.

“Then that concludes the briefi—”

Before he could finish, I shot my hand up.

“Cadet Lee Yeonsu. Speak.”

“It’s not a question. I’d like to address the article about me and Esper Joo Seunghyuk from yesterday. Could I have a moment to speak?”

“Yeonsu!”

Park Geonwoo stared at me in surprise.

“Lee Yeonsu...”

Even Kang Inho, standing in the back row, called my name in a low, clearly dissuasive tone.

Jihee noona also moved toward me in concern.

But unlike the students, the reporters in the back of the hall, who’d been bored by the speech, lit up. They’d decided this was their chance at an exclusive.

“Inho, take Yeonsu and—!”

Professor Choi, standing behind Professor Jeon, gestured subtly to Kang Inho. His hand pointed toward the waiting room behind the platform—telling him to get me out of sight.

“Yeonsu, let’s go.”

Kang Inho must have agreed with Choi’s judgment, because he put a hand on my shoulder and whispered. But I stayed standing straight and spoke even louder.

“There’s something I have to say.”

The ones who took my side were the reporters.

“Professor, please allow it!”

“The public wants to hear Guide Lee Yeonsu’s voice!”

“Don’t silence Guide Lee Yeonsu!”

Their voices, pretending to champion justice, pretending to be on my side, were disgusting.

I’d never liked reporters, but the more I dealt with them, the more I despised them.

The staff tried to calm them down, but it was useless. Their voices only grew louder, and with the situation escalating beyond control, Professor Jeon had no choice but to relent.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed slightly to him, then turned and bent deeply toward the students and reporters.

“Hello. I’m Lee Yeonsu.”

I didn’t add the usual empty phrases—sorry for the disruption, thank you for being here.

Because I wasn’t thankful, and I wasn’t sorry.

“Since yesterday, absurd rumors have been circulating about me and Esper Joo Seunghyuk.”

“Are you saying the matching-rate manipulation isn’t true?”

A reporter shouted out. So much for the Director’s warning to avoid questions unrelated to the mock battle. It seemed the staff had given up on trying to stop them, but I didn’t mind.

“No. I’m an S-rank Guide. If I’d been taking any illegal drug that affected mana, I would have noticed. Even if I somehow hadn’t realized it at first, I would have felt something wrong during guiding. But not once, in all the guiding sessions I’ve done with Esper Joo Seunghyuk, have I ever felt anything off or had a single problem.”

I believed in Joo Seunghyuk, and I believed in my own ability as a Guide.

No matter how new the drug was, if I’d been taking it for nearly half a year, there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed.

My firm tone made the crowd stir. A reporter immediately followed up.

“But that’s just circumstantial evidence, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’s circumstantial. Everything is circumstantial right now. Esper Joo Seunghyuk is under investigation, and nothing is certain. And I trust Esper Joo Seunghyuk.”

No sooner had I finished than another reporter challenged me.

“Guide Lee Yeonsu, we’ve heard you were attacked by Esper Joo Seunghyuk in the Horaitron Gate. Even so, you still trust him?”

I looked at the reporter and gave a small, easy smile.

“Reporter-nim, you must be easy to scam.”