The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 33: Night Tension

Was I embarrassed?

No. Definitely not.

Absolutely not.

Okay, maybe just a little.

But that wasn't the real issue here.

The real issue was—I had no idea how Leona Harper was going to react.

She was a sheltered noble lady from birth, barely exposed to the outside world, let alone everyday life with a stranger... especially one with a Y chromosome.

I snuck a quick glance at her.

She looked completely unbothered, lounging on the top bunk and scrolling through short videos on her phone like any other bored teen.

But I knew better.

That calm, composed exterior? A front. I was sure she was paying attention.

I didn't have proof—just a gut feeling.

And that gut had a decent track record, unfortunately.

Still, I couldn't blame her.

Her mission here was literally to observe male students as closely as possible. That was the whole reason she was cross-dressing her way through the academy.

Contrary to popular belief back in the novel, she didn't hate men.

She just hated uncultured ones.

Unrefined. Rude. The loud, grabby type.

Like Ryen.

God, I still remembered that infamous scene from the novel—where she pulled a sword on him because he joked about bathing together as roommates.

And then there was that time Leo Taylor tried to recruit her to his team by grabbing her shoulder.

Her glare alone probably shaved ten years off his life.

She shut him down on the spot.

From then on, Leo Taylor was blacklisted. Permanently.

I knew she wasn't the type to just lash out for no reason. She was cool-headed, logical, didn't overreact.

But still... crossing the line with her? Yeah, that wouldn't end well.

And considering she'd ranked just under the protagonist and Leo Taylor in the practical entrance exams, there was no way I'd survive a scolding—enhanced body or not.

So yeah, I played it safe.

I slipped into the shower room, closed the door quietly, and only then started undressing.

Thankfully, there was no reaction from the other side of the door. No comments, no awkward coughing. Just silence.

I took that as a win.

◇◇◇◆◇◇

Contrary to Rin's worries, Leona didn't mind having him as a roommate.

In fact... she found him surprisingly easy to live with.

Not bad at all.

Sure, she'd grown up in luxury, pampered and mostly shielded from the chaos of everyday life. But that didn't mean she was clueless.

She'd studied. Prepared. She knew how guys acted when they were comfortable—especially when they thought no one was paying attention.

But Rin?

He wasn't loud. He didn't strut around or try to assert himself. He gave her space, kept to himself, and even seemed to tread lightly around her without realizing it.

Honestly, it was... kind of endearing.

According to everything she'd read and heard, men tended to be laid-back around other men—sometimes even a little too casual.

But Rin was the complete opposite.

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Maybe it was just because they didn't know each other yet?

"Yeah... that could be it. I'll have to keep observing," Leona muttered under her breath, casually scrolling through a short video on her phone.

Her eyes flicked up briefly, glancing at Rin's general direction.

He didn't look particularly muscular or threatening. Just... lean. Fragile, almost.

"Well, whatever," she murmured, putting her phone aside.

As long as he kept being this respectful and distant, they'd get along just fine as roommates.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

"Alright, time to scrub everything. No smelling like sweat, got it?"

The sharp, clean scent of body wash filled the tiny shower, but it didn't do much to calm my nerves.

I was jittery. Anxious. And no amount of rinsing would fix that.

Why?

Because in the original story, the only reason Ryen didn't get his head cut off by Leona—after she found out he'd treated her like just another guy—was because he was absurdly strong.

He was the main character. The plot armor was thick.

He learned her swordsmanship. Gained her respect. Eventually, even her feelings.

But me?

I wasn't Ryen.

I wasn't some battle-hardened protagonist with hidden talents.

I was just... me.

And I had to share a room, a shower, and a very thin wall with a crossdressing sword princess who could probably cut me in half if she sneezed too hard.

Yep. Totally fine. No pressure.

After a quick but thorough shower, I dried off and got changed as fast as humanly possible.

No way was I risking bumping into Leon while half-naked. Not when she was secretly Leona Harper—the walking death flag in a ponytail.

I shuffled back into the room, hair still damp, and saw her—him?—sitting cross-legged on the top bunk, watching something on her tablet with earphones in. She barely glanced down when I entered.

Thank God.

I quietly climbed onto the lower bunk and buried myself under the covers. My muscles were still sore, my stomach still kinda full, and my brain still fried from the day's chaos.

I just wanted to sleep.

But of course, the universe said: "Nah."

"Hey."

I froze under my blanket.

"...Yeah?"

"You're not gonna snore, right?"

What kind of question was that?

"I... don't think so?"

"Good. I hate snorers."

Wow. Okay. Tough crowd.

A long silence followed.

Then, just as I thought she'd gone back to her video, she spoke again.

"You worked out too hard today."

"...Were you watching me?"

"Nope. Just saw you collapse in front of the cafeteria like a medieval peasant who hadn't seen bread in three days."

"...Fair."

I rolled onto my side, trying to hide my embarrassment behind sarcasm.

"I was testing my limits."

"You nearly tested them into the afterlife."

Another beat of silence. Then a small, almost amused huff from above.

"You're weird, Rin Evans."

I peeked out from under my blanket.

"Thanks...?"

"It's not a compliment."

"Yeah, I figured."

But even with the backhanded remarks, the air between us wasn't heavy. If anything, it felt... casual. Almost comfortable.

For a moment, I forgot I was sharing a room with someone who could end my existence if I accidentally walked in on her changing.

Maybe she really didn't mind having me around.

Maybe she actually thought I was harmless.

...Which I was, to be fair.

"Hey, Leon?"

"Hm?"

"You're not gonna stab me in my sleep, right?"

There was a pause. A long one.

"...Only if you snore."

I snorted. "Noted."

And just like that, the lights went out. The room fell into silence, save for the distant hum of the academy's heating system and the faintest rustle of bedsheets from the bunk above.

Tomorrow would bring more problems.

More training.

More pretending I wasn't living a plotline that could get me killed.

But for now?

For now, I could sleep.