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I Got Into School for Nothing - Chapter 89

I Got Into School for Nothing (89)

Lesson 19. Changeling - 4

There were, broadly speaking, three reasons why Ban Yuwon released Mira.

First, Mira's mental state was far from normal.

This wasn't some absurd attempt to argue for a reduced sentence on grounds of diminished capacity.

It was simply that, from the very moment Ban Yuwon first saw her, Mira's body harbored a multitude of negative emotional concepts, and she was possessed by a Constellation far more deeply, fundamentally, and severely than anyone who had merely consumed the potion.

He didn't know how long she had been in contact with the Constellation.

However, even while under the Constellation's conditional sponsorship (which she seemed to be hiding, though Ban Yuwon immediately recognized it), her mind had already been significantly eroded by its influence.

A thick fog must have obscured her reason, and her judgments and actions were likely not purely her own will.

Of course, even if she was bewitched by a Constellation, Mira's sins did not simply vanish.

Still, Ban Yuwon mused, wasn't it rather unreasonable for her to end up as a complete wreck just because her misguided unrequited love had spiraled out of control?

Especially since her curse wasn't the kind that took human lives, and Ban Yuwon's swift intervention had preempted it anyway.

Second, Ban Yuwon felt a strong aversion to the attitude displayed by the Chancellor and the rest of the faculty in handling this incident.

Let's assume it's acceptable to allow students to compete healthily and foster their own development.

But their attitude of refusing to intervene in anything until someone actually died felt utterly insufferable, like they were saying, 'You get the gist, right? Now go on and kill each other.'

What's more, a Constellation was involved in this particular incident.

Had they intervened before the situation escalated, Mira would have merely been a victim, and the other students wouldn't have been affected at all.

Yet, because they neglected the matter, claiming they'd leave it to the students, an irreversible catastrophe nearly occurred.

During his interview with Ban Yuwon, the Chancellor had emphasized that what he needed to do was "release" her, not "detoxify" her.

Was it meant to give him a hint?

No, it was simply to confirm whether Ban Yuwon could truly perform the "release."

Detoxification merely removed the poison and ended there.

But a "release" meant a rebound would occur, affecting the caster.

The Chancellor must have intended to use Ban Yuwon to resolve the incident and, at the same time, swiftly conclude Mira's punishment as the culprit.

The Academy's attitude towards its students, and his own role, having been instructed by that very Academy, to push Mira into a fatal predicament...

Ban Yuwon disliked all of this, and ultimately, he did not want to play the role of an executioner, condemning a female student to a fate worse than death.

He rebelled because he was enraged by the Chancellor's attitude of treating people like mere chess pieces, a sentiment stronger than his pity for Mira herself.

Even though he knew what the Chancellor wanted, Ban Yuwon snatched away the punishment that was meant for Mira.

Since Ban Yuwon had resolved the entire situation, there was nothing the Academy could do.

If Kettra simply kept quiet about it, Mira could even continue her activities as a Student Council executive.

Since the incident had lost its head and tail, leaving only the body, some, including the Chancellor, might harbor dissatisfaction...

Solo Exploration privilege? Frankly, it would be nice to have, but it wasn't essential.

Ban Yuwon never regretted actions he undertook based on his own judgment.

And this time would be no different.

Finally, the third reason was simply that Ban Yuwon had become greedy for Mira herself.

She was of the fairy race, the possessor of the outstanding Authority known as Changeling.

At the same time, here at Union Academy, where only geniuses from across all dimensions gather, she was a talent powerful enough to deceive its members and forge fraudulent contracts.

Her magical abilities, honed through more than two years of study at the Academy, and the knowledge she possessed as a senior from the Artifact Production Department, barely needed mentioning.

If he could determine such a person's future, wouldn't it be far better to keep her alive and make use of her, rather than letting her become a complete wreck?

‘Besides, opportunities to forge a contract where I'm unilaterally in a superior position don't come around often.’

And while this was a slightly different issue, assuming he saved her for the first and second reasons, he couldn't simply leave Mira, once freed from the curse, to her own devices. This was why he deliberately bound her with the word "contract."

Whether she was possessed by a Constellation or not, it was an undeniable fact that she had attempted to harm an unspecified number of Academy students, as well as Kettra.

Even if the curse was lifted, there was no guarantee her mental state would improve, so naturally, someone needed to hold her leash.

"So, I don't particularly intend to do anything strange to you, Senior, alright?"

"For now, you mean."

"Now or whatever..."

Their "contract" was successfully forged, and now a concept emitting a brilliant golden light could be seen within Mira's body.

In exchange for the contract, Ban Yuwon liberated Mira from her suffering, and in return, Mira had to give him her everything.

It was virtually a slave contract, yet it was still a "contract" and not outright "enslavement."

For a moment, Ban Yuwon pictured Rucell in his mind, then shook his head vigorously, casting away any naughty fantasies.

"Anyway, rest assured. Nearly eighty percent of this was a measure to prevent a recurrence of such a rampage."

"What about the remaining twenty percent?"

"Ulterior motives."

"At least you're honest."

Having heard the answer she wanted, Mira seemed relieved, took a sip of her freshly ordered coffee, and gave a small laugh.

It was a cafe mocha.

"It's sweet."

"Well, of course, it is."

"Yes, it's delicious."

He was utterly dumbfounded.

Only a few tens of minutes ago, she had been drooling and writhing in agony, yet now she was truly smiling with an air of elegance, wasn't she?

They say a woman's transformation is innocent, but was it because "transformation" itself was simply a passive skill inherent to women?

Ban Yuwon once again found himself captivated by her aristocratic beauty, momentarily lost in thought, before her gaze brought him back to his senses, and he spoke.

"What do you want to do next?"

"Can I decide?"

"As long as it's not dropping out."

"I have no intention of dropping out."

Mira stated flatly, took another sip of coffee, and seemed to ponder something before adding,

"It would be best for me to remain in the Student Council. That would be helpful to you, wouldn't it?"

she added.

Ban Yuwon, however, felt a strange unease at her casual demeanor.

Then he realized.

It was natural for her to resent Ban Yuwon, who had seized her weakness and forced a contract, yet she seemed to accept her altered circumstances too readily and adapt too quickly, which struck him as odd.

"Well, that's true, but."

"Alright, then I'll go settle things with Kettra."

So casually.

She mentioned Kettra's name without a care and emptied her cup.

As she stood to leave, Ban Yuwon, flustered, stopped her.

"Are you sure about this? Senior Kettra, he..."

"Kettra will forgive me. Probably."

"That's not what's important."

"Then what is important?"

Isn't it those feelings, those love-hate emotions you harbored for Kettra, that are truly important?

Ban Yuwon, about to voice those words, lost his own as he looked into Mira's overly transparent eyes, which gazed down at him from her half-standing position.

He realized in that instant that her mind wasn't fully restored, but merely barely reconstructed from a state on the verge of collapse.

In that moment, his true thoughts spilled out without his conscious control.

"Did I really do the right thing...?"

"At least I feel grateful."

Even though he had omitted all context, Mira seemed to understand everything.

With that unique, subtle smile that made it difficult to discern her true intentions, she said,

"Thanks to you, I feel as if I've been reborn. Perhaps you are an even greater master of 'Changeling' than I am."

"What Changeling, that's absurd..."

—Jingle.

The cafe door opened, and a customer entered.

Mira, seeing a familiar face, shrugged and settled back into her seat.

"Well, that saves me the trouble of seeking him out."

"Mira!"

It seemed Kettra had been looking for Mira, quite the reverse of before.

Now that he thought about it, the talisman he'd given Kettra was designed to react the moment harm was inflicted, unlike a potion that would cleanly fulfill its role and vanish upon consumption.

Kettra had likely seen the curse activate, only for it to fail and rebound, and perhaps, if he was sharp enough, he might have even discerned its structure and principles.

"Mira, you... really? Junior Ban Yuwon?"

Seeing Mira, he widened his eyes and strode closer, only to realize Ban Yuwon's presence sitting opposite her. He blinked in surprise.

"Junior, how? What were you talking about with Mira?"

"A secret."

"A secret, you...!"

With a dignified gesture, Mira beckoned Kettra to their table.

Watching Kettra, who, despite his bewildered expression, obediently followed her gesture, Ban Yuwon felt as if he had glimpsed a facet of their relationship.

"Explain yourself, Mira. Did you really instigate this incident? And why are the two of you together?"

"I'll explain it simply, so listen quietly."

Despite being in a position where she ought to be begging for forgiveness, she audaciously uttered such impudent words.

"If it's about that potion, yes, I'm responsible. I wanted a contract with a Constellation. That's also why I placed a curse on you."

"What, you...!"

Strictly speaking, she hadn't cursed Kettra directly; rather, she had used Changeling to swap him in as the curse's target, designing it so that if the curse rebounded, he would suffer the consequences in her stead. But at this point, it probably didn't matter.

"It nearly turned into a huge disaster because this man caught on... but now everything is resolved."

"...So you knew. Junior Ban Yuwon gave me a talisman. A talisman that neutralizes external interference. Thanks to it, I had to convert all the subjects I was scheduled to be tested on today into alternative assignments."

"You survived thanks to it, how fortunate. Actually, I also survived thanks to this man."

At the culprit's (attempted) cold declaration, the victim (attempted) nodded with a face that seemed to understand.

Ban Yuwon didn't want to remain in the same space as them any longer, but the atmosphere made it impossible for him to simply extricate himself.

"So, did you come here to pick a fight with me about it?"

"No, never mind that. After all, no one was hurt. I merely wanted to ask why you cursed me. I thought we had a fairly close relationship..."

"About that."

Mira said without so much as a twitch of an eyebrow.

"Truthfully, I've always disliked you, Kettra. That's also why I put a curse on you."

"...What?"

"I'll apologize, but I hope we can use this incident as an opportunity to sever our ties."

"Hold on."

"Since we're both Student Council executives, we'll inevitably cross paths in the future... Or perhaps you wish to expel me from the Student Council?"

"No, that's not it. I said it's fine. But..."

"Right, then there's no problem at all."

Did this woman truly think there was no problem?

Ban Yuwon sighed, utterly speechless.

The next moment, without any warning, a dagger emerged from Kettra's clothes and was pressed against Ban Yuwon's throat.

"Junior Ban Yuwon, what did you do to Mira?"

"Oh..."

Fast and strong.

Honestly, he hadn't even seen Kettra's hand move.

As Ban Yuwon, vaguely admiring the skill of a true "Senior," was being shown his place, Mira, seeing this, narrowed her eyes and conjured a dark violet sphere of mana above one hand.

The sight of the barista gaping in bewildered panic at the ominous situation suddenly unfolding in the cafe was, amidst all this, quite amusing.

"Mira, you...?!"

"Kettra, if you lay a hand on that man, I won't forgive you."

"But you, no matter how I think about it, your current state is strange. I can only assume the junior did something to you."

As expected, the Student Council vice president wasn't just anyone.

To see through that truth so swiftly!

But Mira merely snorted.

"You truly know nothing about me, do you?"

"...I know nothing?"

"Put the dagger away. Before I truly shoot."

Kettra, as if the strength had suddenly drained from his body, obediently lowered the dagger from Ban Yuwon's throat.

Mira then made the sphere of mana vanish as well, speaking to him in a calm tone, as if the standoff from moments before had never occurred.

"Thank you for forgiving me for this. Then, starting tomorrow, as fellow Student Council executives, I look forward to our cooperation, Senior."

"..."

It was a dismissal.

Kettra, still wearing an unconvinced expression, backed away from them.

Mira, seemingly no longer concerned with him, ordered another cafe mocha. (The barista, trembling, took her order.)

He cast one last glance at her, then pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.

It seemed he had finally realized that a proper conversation with her was impossible.

"Junior Ban Yuwon, later... let's talk, just the two of us."

"Yes, we can do that."

"Alright, then... I'll take my leave for today."

Kettra opened the cafe door and walked out.

Ban Yuwon stared intently at Kettra's receding back through the window, then opened his mouth.

"There might have been a different way."

"I merely stayed true to our contract."

"Bullshit."

"It's true. I can no longer afford to waste my emotions on that man."

"That's because," Mira said, clinging to her freshly refilled coffee cup.

"Now, everything I am is yours, isn't it?"

"...Huh?"

Ban Yuwon wanted to ask what that meant, but fearing another strange utterance from her, given her abnormal mental state, he simply clamped his mouth shut.