The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 53: Red Flag [1]

Suddenly, before we even exist the classroom, Ryen stopped and said something unexpected to me.

"Ah, before we head to the cafeteria," Ryen said, slowing his pace just a bit, "there’s something I wanted to tell you."

"Something to tell me?" I asked, forcing a smile. "What is it?"

Internally, alarms were already going off.

Because when Ryen wanted to ’talk,’ it usually meant one of two things: a righteous declaration... or a complete headache wrapped in sunshine and optimism. And both could ruin my appetite.

This was Ryen we were talking about.

The protagonist. The guy who walked the path of unwavering justice and got emotionally wrecked every time he saw someone jaywalk.

His short black hair shimmered in the sunlight like it had its own Instagram filter, and his light red eyes carried that warm, earnest glow that made people trust him instantly.

There was a small smile on his lips, the kind that never quite left—like he was born with it.

Yeah. Now I really got why people fell for him so easily in the novel.

That face could sell peace treaties.

"Do you remember what happened on the day of the entrance examination?" he asked casually.

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course. We almost died in a terrorist attack."

Well—I was supposed to die, anyway.

"Everyone survived thanks to you," he said, still smiling. "I’m one of the people you saved, so... I just wanted to thank you."

Oh.

So he remembered that.

Back then, I’d jumped in recklessly—partly to survive, partly to push the story where it needed to go. I didn’t think anyone paid that much attention, especially not the protagonist.

"You were the one who actually stopped it," he continued.

It was... kind of weird, being thanked by the main character like this. Like watching a movie character step off-screen and shake your hand.

Still, I shrugged.

"No, I couldn’t have stopped it alone," I said, my voice more genuine than I expected. "Leo, that gaurd, you—we all had a part in it. No one died because we were all there."

He looked at me for a beat, then nodded.

"Maybe," he said softly. "But I still wanted to say it. Thank you, Rin Evans."

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just gave him a nod back.

For a second, I forgot this guy was the center of a dozen plot twists and future power-ups.

He was just... a guy.

A decent one.

So I also did my part.

"You’re welcome."

...But honestly, if Ryen hadn’t stepped in at just the right moment, I’d be dead meat by now.

"Also," he continued, rubbing the back of his neck a little awkwardly, "at that moment, I was actually scared. I didn’t think I’d be able to stop that attack. But your words gave me courage. Right after that, I felt this sudden surge of energy in my body. I managed to stop the villain too. I wanted to thank you right away, but you collapsed, and academy staff had to drag you to the infirmary. I didn’t get the chance to see you again until now."

"Whoa, slow down. Take a breath, man. That’s... a lot."

Wait a minute. He heard me? In the middle of that chaos?

Well, Now I don’t know how to respond to him.

I blinked.

Once. Twice.

Then just stared at him.

He looked serious—his expression tinged with something between nostalgia and admiration. His hand still hovered near the back of his neck like he wasn’t sure what to do with it. His eyes, usually glowing with confidence, now looked almost shy.

What the hell was I supposed to do with that?

"...You actually heard me?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual. "Over all the screaming and explosions and death?"

He nodded, almost sheepishly. "I did. You said something like... ’You can cut through it or something like that.’"

I internally winced.

Yeah. That did sound like something I’d yell in the middle of a panic spiral. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"That wasn’t exactly meant for you to hear," I muttered, rubbing the side of my head.

He chuckled. "Well, I did. And it stuck with me. I think... that was when I really felt it. Like something inside clicked. I don’t know what it was, but my powers—my body—responded in a way they never had before. Like I had finally stepped onto the path I was meant to walk."

I let out a quiet breath and shook my head.

"That’s melodramatic as hell," I said flatly.

He laughed.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. "But it’s true. And I don’t want to ignore that. You gave me something back there. Even if it was just a few words, it changed everything."

I looked away, chewing the inside of my cheek.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. The protagonist wasn’t supposed to get his turning point like this. I was just trying to push the narrative along from the shadows, not become a pivotal character in it.

Now he was standing here, practically glowing with main character energy, telling me I gave him the push he needed to awaken his power.

Great. Just great.

"I just didn’t want to die," I muttered. "That’s all."

"I know," he said.

There was a pause.

Then he added, "Still. I think you’re more important than you let on, Rin. Anyway, Thanks again."

I felt my eye twitch in annoyance.

"You’ve already said ’thank you’ like three times. Just like apologies, being overly grateful starts to lose its meaning."

"Haha, fair point. Still, because of that moment, I was able to save my friends. I feel like I’ve been able to see things more clearly ever since. So... yeah. Thanks. Anyway, let’s go eat."

Oh, great. He was already starting to level up mentally. Guess that was his first step toward protagonist enlightenment or whatever.

Good. Get stronger quickly, will you? Sure, people complain about overpowered characters, but slow growth is even more painful to sit through.

But wait... was he actually planning to eat lunch with me?

"...With me?" I asked, squinting like I misheard him.

"Huh? I said that earlier, didn’t I?"

"...Yeah, you did. Sorry. My bad."

And with that, the main character and the deadweight side character made their way to the cafeteria.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was walking toward food or a flag.

While we were walking in silence through the long, sunlit corridors of Velcrest Academy, I noticed Ryen glancing my way more than once—like he was wrestling with something in his head.

He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t decide if he should. His brows were slightly furrowed, and every few seconds, he’d open his mouth just to close it again. Classic overthinker behavior.

We were just about to reach the cafeteria when he finally seemed to make up his mind.

He stopped walking, turned toward me with a hesitant smile, and said,

"By the way, I was actually supposed to eat with my childhood friend... You don’t mind if she joins us, right?"

I stopped too. Not because of his words, but because we had just arrived at the cafeteria gates—and what he said hit me like a punch in the gut.

I turned toward him slowly, giving him a look that could only be described as stunned disbelief.

"Actually, I do mind," I said flatly.

"Huh?"

The way his face twisted in confusion and mild panic was almost comedic. Like he didn’t expect to be shut down at all.

I crossed my arms. "If you were planning to eat with her, then why did you invite me in the first place?"

He opened his mouth, searching for an answer, but I wasn’t done.

Not that this was about ego or anything.

The real issue?

It was who his childhood friend was.

Because there was only one girl who fit that title in this story.

The one person I absolutely did not want to deal with.

She’s walking time bomb in pretty smiles.

The girl who’d kill me over nothing.

And if I so much as sat at the same table as Ryen?

She’d probably strangle me with a fork.

No thanks. I wasn’t ready to die just because I accepted an offer for lunch.

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