The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 319: First Erotic Encounter!

"Wow! This bastard Ryan is seriously good at grilling…!"

Leona shouted with her mouth full, practically inhaling the slices of perfectly seared beef Ryan had cooked.

Ryan, meanwhile, had gone fully unhinged in the best possible way.

He slapped on a pair of ridiculous sunglasses, grabbed a pinch of salt with giant oven mitts like some parody of a celebrity chef, and sprinkled it dramatically over the sizzling meat. Then, before even a drop of juice dared to escape, he flipped the beef with surgical precision.

He looked… genuinely happy.

Like this was his true calling — not a hero, but a man destined to run a late-night BBQ joint by a highway rest stop.

"Bring more meat!!! No — bring all the meat!!!"

"This is insane! Too good!"

The seniors were exaggerating so much they sounded like paid actors, but Ryan didn't seem to mind. He smiled as if this was the greatest day of his life.

"Are you really that happy?" I asked him.

"Yeah. It's nice seeing everyone enjoy what I cook."

"Did you even eat? Or have you just been grilling nonstop?"

"I did! Nora made me a wrap and force-fed me while telling me to stop hovering over the grill. She acts kinda prickly, but she's actually really kind."

It's not because she's kind, you idiot.

"What about you?" he asked. "Did you eat enough?"

Enough?

I had thought grilled meat was always delicious no matter who cooked it. Beef is beef, right? The difference couldn't be that big.

I was wrong.

Completely, utterly wrong.

The beef Ryan grilled tonight shattered my complacent worldview.

High-quality cuts seasoned just enough to enhance the flavor without burying it, fire control so perfect that the juices barely escaped, and flips timed down to the heartbeat — crispy caramelized edges, unbelievably tender inside.

It wasn't just food.

It was… craftsmanship.

Art, even.

And Ryan stood there in his stupid sunglasses, proud as a king.

"Wow, this is insanely good. Seriously, if you don't become a hero, you should open a barbecue place."

"Haha, that'd only work if the world calmed down a bit. Just grilling meat and eating with the kids every day… sounds nice, though."

"Will I get a discount?"

"You're paying in cash, right?"

"Wow. Look at this guy planning tax evasion already. Are you sure you're training to be a hero?"

Everyone burst into laughter — the kind that came easily, warm, stupid, ordinary.

"Rin."

"Yeah?"

"I… think I need to get stronger."

"What, all of a sudden? You're already the academy's top student."

"Not that kind of strong. Not grades or rankings."

He poked at the grill, flipping a piece of beef that didn't really need flipping.

"I mean… me. As a person. I feel too powerless the way I am now."

Rin blinked, thrown off by the seriousness in Ryan's tone. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Where's this coming from?"

"Up until now, I didn't have anything you could call a clear goal. I just did things thinking they'd work out somehow."

He let out a soft, self-mocking laugh.

"But I realized that's not true. Peace… everyday life… all of this—"

He gestured at their friends, laughing, eating, fighting over the last slice of beef.

"—it can disappear way too easily."

Rin followed his gaze, his smile softening.

"You really mean that, huh?"

"Yeah."

Ryan exhaled, quietly but firmly.

"That's why I need to become stronger. Strong enough to protect this kind of moment."

The scent of grilled beef hung in the air, but for the first time that night, something heavier settled beneath it — a resolve slowly crystallizing.

"I'm going to become a hero. I want to be the kind of hero who can lend a hand to anyone who needs help."

It was a dream he had always reached for — yet one he felt always just out of reach. No matter how hard he tried, the number of people he could save with his own two hands would always be limited.

"It suits you. Good luck."

If all of them chose to walk the path of heroes, then he… he would become the small obstacle they needed — the one who kept them from collapsing under the weight of despair.

"I think I'll need more strength for that. I don't know how I'll get it yet, but… I won't give up."

And if one day they strayed — became twisted, lost, or crushed — he would remind them of their first promise.

"Ah, it's kind of embarrassing to say it out loud. Anyway… I'll try to make sure something like today never happens again."

"Embarrassing? Why? That's cool. I should tell the others."

"Ah, seriously, don't—"

He laughed, embarrassed, flustered, but still sincere.

"I'll think about it~"

And if a trial came — one far too heavy for them to face — then he would step forward without hesitation.

He would become the wall that shielded them…

…until the day they were strong enough to stand on their own.

---

"...Huh?"

"...Oh."

Drip.

A single droplet hit the wooden floor.

It came from her damp, shining black hair — still wet.

Because she had just finished washing it.

And me? I was the idiot who got thirsty in the middle of the night and decided to sneak out for a drink of water, a textbook cliché move I regretted the moment I turned the corner.

Everyone else had already bathed earlier, laughing and splashing around in the big communal bath. Everyone except one person — the one who claimed her stomach hurt and slipped away before anyone could question it.

Apparently, she hadn't skipped bathing after all.

She had just waited until everyone fell asleep.

So there she was.

In light, clingy sleepwear that hugged her shape a little too well, a towel draped loosely over her head, steam still rising faintly from her skin.

And her face — unmistakable.

Leona

My roommate.

The worst possible person to run into right now.

Why her? Why here? Why now of all times?!

The atmosphere had been so serious earlier.

We could've ended the day with the heavy mood intact, everything perfectly normal.

But no.

No.

The universe just had to spawn this event.

[Achievement unlocked: First erotic encounter! ]

Shut the fuck up…!