The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 70: Morning Incident

[7 Days Until the Main Quest Begins]

That was the first thing I heard the moment I opened my eyes this morning.

And just like that, my mood was ruined.

I didn’t even bother giving Leona—my cross-dressing roommate—a proper reply as we walked toward class. I just nodded at whatever she said, eyes half-closed, still processing the countdown in my head.

Seven days.

Seven days until the main plot of the novel officially kicks off.

From that point on, everything starts spiraling: betrayals, battles, deaths, and revelations. It was the calm before the storm, and I could already feel the air changing, bit by bit.

I guess it’s true what they say—peace is a luxury, one we rarely get to enjoy.

To keep the peace, you have to prepare for war.

And for me, this main quest... it was the war.

Still, just because I’d received the notification didn’t mean my daily life suddenly transformed into a battlefield.

Everything felt the same on the surface.

Buttcheeks was still sitting on my desk like it was a damn throne during homeroom.

Rumors about me bribing my way into Velcrest Academy were still floating around.

And the local delinquents were still launching bits of erasers at me like they were training for the next Mage Olympics.

Same old nonsense.

The only minor change I noticed was that Buttcheeks had started managing her image.

"Oh my, our little loser has arrived?" freёnovelkiss.com

Tch. What was this, some kind of PR stunt?

She hadn’t even acknowledged me before.

Used to treat me like I was a walking fungus. Now she was greeting me?

It was probably because she saw Leo scolding that boar-faced goon in the cafeteria yesterday.

Maybe she thought I was under Leo’s protection now. Or maybe she was just hedging her bets in case I was more important than I looked.

But just because she smiled and opened her mouth first didn’t mean I was going to forgive her.

Especially not when that smile was laced with mockery and irritation. That kind of smirk—the kind that only tugged at the corner of her lips—was the kind that made you want to punch something.

Preferably her.

My seat was still warm from her presence.

Disgusting.

I stared blankly at Buttcheeks—No expression, no reaction. Just... blank.

She cocked her head, lips curling into a smug little grin.

"You’re supposed to respond when someone greets you, loser."

Greet her? I’d rather bow to a worm.

I couldn’t believe how thick her skin was. After the nonsense she pulled over the last three days, she had the nerve to act like nothing happened. No reflection. No remorse. Not even a flicker of shame.

"Hey, don’t stare at me like that!" she laughed, flicking her hair. "Relax. I’m just kidding, loser!"

"Well," I said, voice calm and flat, "for someone who calls me a loser, you sure went out of your way to say hi. You’re kinder than I thought."

That made her flinch.

Just a twitch—but I caught it.

Then she smirked again, clearly thinking I had surrendered, like her words had landed some kind of blow.

Yeah, keep smiling.

I knew what she was trying to do—pretending to be different from the rest of the delinquents, probably hoping to earn Leo’s approval.

Good luck with that. Leo wasn’t easily fooled. And he hated fakes even more than he hated actual scumbags.

I walked past her and sat down at my desk without hesitation.

She blinked, confused.

"What are you doing...?"

"Sitting. In. My. Seat."

Simple facts. Nothing illegal about reclaiming your own chair, even if someone had used it as a throne five minutes earlier.

Sure, it was awkward—her still half-leaning against my desk, her butt practically in my face, talking to me like she owned the place. But I’d dealt with worse.

As long as I ignored the absurdity of a human back and rear in my line of sight while a voice came from above, I could survive this.

She stared at me, completely stunned.

I didn’t care.

Let her stand there and stew in silence.

Let her realize something important—this wasn’t her stage anymore.

In fact, she’d be gone when the main quest began.

Just another name scratched off the list.

She didn’t matter.

"Pfft... Haha! He’s still hilarious, just like before," Leo Taylor laughed from the back of the room, his voice calm and amused.

The so-called coldest guy in class was actually laughing. Laughing.

That alone should’ve been a national event.

Meanwhile, Keira—aka Buttcheeks, as she was now known thanks to that unfortunate little accident—finally showed some much-needed shame.

The rest of the class? They were holding back laughter at first... but the dam broke.

"Hahaha! He’s insane!"

"Bro’s got no filter—just said ’Nope’ and shoved her like she was a bug!"

"Lucky bastard! Getting a full view of that ass this early in the morning? Man, I’m jealous!"

Someone actually said that out loud. What the hell is wrong with people?

"It’s not something I wanted to see, idiot!" I muttered, glancing back.

But the comments didn’t stop.

"I’d trade lives with him right now! I’d die for a moment like that!"

Seriously? Dude, go touch grass.

Even Ryen, the ever-serious protagonist, had to cover his mouth to stop from bursting out laughing. His shoulders were shaking, and I could practically see the tears in his eyes.

And Keira?

Well, let’s just say her entire face was now the color of a ripe tomato. She clenched her fists, her teeth grinding so loudly I could almost hear the enamel cry for help.

"You... just you wait!" she spat through clenched teeth.

Ah, the classic.

"Just you wait"? That’s the line amateurs use.

People who say that are rarely as scary as they think they are.

I smirked, stretching my arms behind my head, feeling the room still buzzing with energy.

This "accident" of mine? Yeah, it might’ve deepened the rift between us.

But hey, I wasn’t exactly scared.

I never was.