The Academy’s Guide to Useless Students – Chapter 3

I returned to Pandemonium Academy. If my unauthorized absences piled up, I would lose my student status, so I made it back to the academy.

No matter what else, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about being away from the center of the story.

I have to take care of myself.

I’ll struggle to grow and survive.

No matter if others perish, my life is the most valuable asset.

“Isn’t that the guy who got ‘interrogated’ this time?”

“Right… he proved his innocence and filed a counter-suit.”

“So what? He’s marked by the Ingrid family now. Poor guy…”

I’m saying it again—if someone dies, I won’t help them. Especially those types; I’ll use them as meat shields.

Who feels sorry for whom?

“Hey… doesn’t he seem to be glaring at us?”

“Quick, look away… picking a fight with a noble house is just crazy.”

Barking like dogs, huh?

I coolly ignored them and walked into the classroom.

The class Yuto belongs to is Class C.

I’m not sure why, but Yuto’s entrance scores are average.

In reality, talent is tested.

It’s the most common and clear division between the strong and the weak.

The reason Yuto chose a sword?

Of course, I don’t know.

I don’t know a thing about this guy.

What I do know for sure is that growth experience points lie in ‘obsession.’

I don’t know who exactly dropped me here, but since I’m here, I want to live well. To do that, I need to grow so no one can touch me.

Make everyone obsessed with me.

Thunk.

“Ah, I’m sorry! I got distracted and…”

Someone bumped into my chest.

I tried to be gentle but stopped when I saw their face.

Why care unless they’re a main character?

“No worries. I wasn’t paying attention either. Please watch where you’re going.”

“Ah… I thought you were an instructor, but it’s you, Yuto?”

“Do you know me?”

“We’re in the same class. Yuto, you’ve been absent the whole time, right?”

Due to being a suspect, he had been detained.

‘It’s frustrating to think about again.’

“Nice to meet you. Took a while to greet you after enrolling, huh? I’m Danika.”

“Nice to meet you, Danika. I look forward to working with you.”

I shook hands with the extra and moved on to find a seat.

It wasn’t until I was on my way to my seat that I realized that in this mundane gathering of extras, there was an ‘Irregular’ among us.

‘Wow…’

I spotted a woman sitting by the window. Just like with Ellie Ingrid, every leading character seems to radiate an aura that is beyond reach.

Sculpture? Doll?

I can’t even describe it.

Her calm, flowing black hair and the cynicism behind it exuded an enchanting mystery.

Laura Freeze.

This woman is the protagonist of ‘Pandemonium Academy.’ Ellie Ingrid has formidable prowess but Laura Freeze is on another level.

She is both a lead character and a returner.

She knows future information, using it to monopolize hidden pieces—selfishness incarnate.

She must be seen as the source of balance disruption.

‘How should I make her obsessed with me?’

It’s not hard to irritate a returner. Just twisting the future she knows a little bit will surely cause chaos.

The problem is…

If I push too hard, I’ll become a target of her watch.

I want to establish a cooperative relationship where I annoy her just enough, remain friendly, and create a slight obsession…

“Everyone, please take your seats—”

Just as I exchanged glances with Laura Freeze, the instructor entered. She looked impressive with a sharp image but had a gentle voice.

“Oh? A familiar face has shown up. You’re Yuto, right? I’m Julia, the instructor for Class C.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Instructor Julia.”

“A courteous student. Then let’s begin the lecture.”

With my bow, the lecture commenced. It seemed the theoretical classes had already gone quite far.

As I flipped through the distributed handouts, I found today’s lesson plan noted as ‘Space-Time Exploration.’

‘Space-Time Exploration, huh.’

It might be sooner than I thought to roast a returner.

Pffft.

A comrade, pierced through the chest, fell to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

Not only that, but all the sacrifices made by my comrades became worthless.

‘…It’s all over.’

Clatter.

There wasn’t even enough strength left to hold a weapon. Her mace slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

Frail breaths, as if they would break any moment, escaped her dry lips. There were no comrades left to support Laura Freeze.

Soon she would join her comrades in death.

Laura Freeze felt immense guilt toward those who had sacrificed themselves.

The frustration of being unable to stop the world’s end weighed heavily.

Her heart ached, and heat gathered in her eyes, but her heart remained painfully cold.

The risk of Laura Freeze’s magic ‘Ice Bonding’ was slowly eroding her life force.

Thus, the life of ‘Laura Freeze’ came to an end.

…Or at least it should have.

‘Why am I in the academy?’

The end of the world.

The death of her comrades.

Her own demise.

Everything was vividly etched in her memory, yet Laura Freeze found herself back in the past.

Back on her first day at the academy.

“Am I trapped in an illusionary barrier?”

But that wasn’t it.

If that were the case, her sixth sense, ‘Primordial Intuition,’ wouldn’t have manifested.

A special ability she had possessed since her birth.

…Primordial Intuition…

Through this ability, Laura Freeze had been able to overcome numerous challenges. It determined what could harm her. The manifestation of it meant something tangible, not an illusionary barrier.

‘This is an opportunity.’

A chance to start anew.

This time, she had the chance to thwart the world’s end. With her Primordial Intuition and future information, the synergy would be beyond imagination.

Laura Freeze took a week for readjustment.

She needed time to adapt after returning to the past. She needed to compare the information she knew with the current flow to gain certainty.

As some time passed,

She began to hear distressing rumors around the academy.

‘Ellie Ingrid… filed for interrogation.’

‘Besides that, she got counter-sued?’

Of course, it involved her former comrade, Ellie Ingrid.

“Isn’t this different from the past I knew?”

It was too early to jump to conclusions.

Her previous self had been uninterested in others and had turned her back on the world, so it was possible there were events she was unaware of.

‘Let’s wait and see a little longer.’

No need to rush.

Rushing would be the perfect way to ruin everything, so Laura Freeze calmed her mind and organized her thoughts.

‘…For now, I need to focus on the Space-Time Exploration class.’

It seemed like an ordinary class at first glance, but it was the very event where the first ‘Impurity’ would appear at the academy… regrettably, she wouldn’t be able to resolve that crisis.

Though she had returned in time, some of her abilities were still restricted.

‘Is it that… both this and that… need certain conditions for power to return?’

If so, dealing with the ‘Impurity’ would be beyond her capabilities.

‘It doesn’t matter. There are other ways to evade.’

Confronting every crisis head-on is a foolish act. She planned to use her knowledge to evade the impending danger.

‘Aside from that…’

‘Why is that man tailing me?’

Even when they exchanged glances in the classroom and ever since the ‘Space-Time Exploration’ class started, ‘Yuto’ had been following her.

‘That name… I’ve heard it somewhere.’

He was the one who counter-sued Ellie Ingrid.

It was impossible to ignore the foul odor he exuded that piqued her interest.

‘No helping it now.’

Clank.

“Come out. I know you’re there.”

Rustle—

Laura Freeze gripped her mace tightly. Soon, a student emerged from the bushes.

“Busted. I had been following you pretty intently.”

A young man with jet-black hair and golden eyes came out with an awkward smile.

“So, what’s the reason you were tailing me? Surely it’s not a confession or something trivial.”

“Actually, I have something to confess.”

“What is it?”

Wordplay?

But there was seriousness in Yuto’s expression.

Finally, he spoke in a soft voice.

“Laura Freeze, I’m someone who knows that you have returned.”

‘Huh?’

Laura Freeze pinched her cheek hard. The skin felt tender.

This wasn’t a dream.

‘What exactly…?’