Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Awakener Special School Rank 0
Chapter 16
Ji-woo was certain that Im Li-sa was also a victim of bullying.
If that were the case, he might be able to extract information about the perpetrators from her.
Meanwhile, Im Li-sa, who had stopped walking alongside Ji-woo, went rigid.
Far too obvious a reaction.
Apparently, he’d hit the mark.
“H-how did you… know?”
“Saw you during PE. You’re a pretty decent runner. You’ve got decent athletic ability, don’t you? And you don’t strike me as careless enough to trip and fall off a cliff.”
“…….”
“And I saw you this morning. Lying on your back in front of the Dormitory Entrance.”
At that moment, Im Li-sa’s gaze dropped, landing on Ji-woo’s feet.
Not the school-issued shoes, but slippers handed over by a teacher.
And…….
This morning, one of the shoes thrown at Gu Min-jae’s head flashed through his mind.
– Damn it, that’s Seol Ji-hyo’s shoe, isn’t it?!
So those shoes were indeed…….
“You haven’t told anyone about what happened this morning, right?”
At the voice coming from directly before her, Im Li-sa lifted her head with a start.
Her eyes met Ji-woo’s expressionless gaze.
“You’re planning to keep your mouth shut like this?”
“…….”
Im Li-sa remained silent, lips pressed together.
A pause—brief yet endless.
At its end, Im Li-sa fumbled for words.
“Even if I did say something, it wouldn’t really improve my situation.”
“…What?”
“You know as well as I do. There’s a strict ban on disclosing anything that happens inside the school to the outside world.”
……Yeah, I know.
Nothing that happens at Gaon is made public.

It means that even if someone were to die, such news would never reach the media.
Why? Who knows.
Whether it’s to protect the image of Awakeners, or for the school’s reputation… how would I know what those higher-ups think?
Either way, that’s how the rules worked.
Perhaps the reason Seol Ji-hyo had kept silent about the bullying all this time was for that very reason.
‘The problem is… the bullies know it too.’
The certainty that no matter what they do, word won’t leak out to the public.
…Filthy bastards.
“Since I’m a high school student now, I just need to endure three more years. Most of them won’t be people I see again after graduation anyway. And…….”
Im Li-sa’s voice trailed off slightly, and she looked up to meet Ji-woo’s eyes directly.
“I’m okay now.”
“……? Okay about what?”
Waiting to see what she meant, Im Li-sa parted her lips briefly before turning her body away.
“…It’s getting late. We should go.”
Why’d she stop mid-sentence like that?
But before Ji-woo could add anything more, Im Li-sa was already scurrying away.
…In the end, he hadn’t gotten to ask about Gu Min-jae.
* * *
The next day.
Ji-woo arrived at school wearing newly issued shoes from the Supply Room.
Like yesterday, he arrived a bit early.
As a result, the Classroom was nearly empty.
Just two people—Mun Yu-jin and Im Li-sa—were present.
‘Come to think of it, Im Li-sa seems to arrive incredibly early too. Is Yu-jin like that as well?’
Truly the work of a top student across the school.
Ji-woo calmly took his seat.
Though Yu-jin must have sensed his presence, he didn’t bother to look in Ji-woo’s direction.
Because of yesterday’s incident, or so it seemed, an even more awkward air hung between them today.
‘Well, we couldn’t really call ourselves close to begin with… wait, huh?’
What was this box doing on his desk?
A box tied with a black satin ribbon.
Who would leave something like this at my seat?
‘A new form of bullying?’
He was cautious at first.
In dramas, boxes like this usually contained razor blades or dead mice.
But… who would do something like that?
He glanced around subtly.
Mun Yu-jin, sitting in the seat right next to him, seemed entirely disinterested.
And Im Li-sa, sitting in the next section over, was…….
“Ah…!”
The moment their eyes met, she whipped her head around.
‘It’s her.’
He turned his attention back to the box.
……Might as well open it.
Carefully untying the black ribbon and lifting the lid, he found something inside that was entirely different from what he’d expected.
Pure white Sneakers.
And a card.
Thanks so much for yesterday.
– I.L.S
After reading the card, Ji-woo glanced at Im Li-sa again.
Their eyes met once more.
“……!”
Im Li-sa flinched like a child caught doing something wrong and turned her head away again.
Her shoulders trembling faintly. Her ears flushed red. Both hands curled tightly in her lap.
She was clearly nervous.
He looked back at the box.
‘Did she find out I threw my shoes and go buy these on purpose?’
…But when would she have gotten them?
She’d entered the Dormitory last night, so had she gotten up before dawn today to buy them? He’d heard there was a 24-hour shopping center on campus.
‘…Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Ji-woo stopped deliberating over possibilities.
“Thanks. I’ll wear them well.”
Speaking deliberately loud enough for her to hear, Im Li-sa cautiously peeked over at him.
……A small nod.
After that tiny response, Im Li-sa quickly turned her head away again.
“…….”
Meanwhile, Mun Yu-jin, earbuds in, calmly turned a page of his book.
…Right, he was here too.
Only then did Ji-woo remember Yu-jin’s presence and glanced at him.
‘Should I thank him too?’
Regardless of how things played out, thanks to Yu-jin calling the rescue team, he’d been able to join quickly.
And given that he’d stayed at the scene until then, it meant Yu-jin had participated in the search operation as well.
…Maybe I should mention that our team came in first.
“Hey.”
Just as he was about to speak to Mun Yu-jin.
Creak!
The back door of the classroom swung open forcefully.
Heavy, confident footsteps approaching. They stopped directly in front of Ji-woo’s desk.
Thud!
Someone roughly threw a black shoe onto Ji-woo’s desk.
“Hey. You got a minute?”
…Gu Min-jae.
That guy with piercings studded all over his face.
* * *
Ji-woo had grown up cut off from the world.
For him, smartphones and TVs were lifelines connecting him to that world.
He’d experienced the world indirectly through dramas, films, novels, and anime.
And yet…….
He was actually experiencing something like this.
“Huh.”
Ji-woo looked around with fascination.
The crackling sound of embers burning.
Beyond the tightly shut iron gate lay a wide, open space surrounded by gray concrete walls.
The tall walls bore scorched marks scattered across them in patches.
In the distance, fragments of burnt-out chairs and piles of paper waste were scattered sparsely.
‘Must be the Incinerator.’
He’d seen one in a movie before.
Whenever a fight broke out at school in films, the location was always either the Incinerator or the Rooftop.
‘Is it really like that in real life?’
Recalling scenes he’d watched as a child, he felt a strange sensation.
Still, it remained uncertain whether Gu Min-jae had actually brought him here to ‘fight’ with him.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Ji-woo glanced at Gu Min-jae, who was watching him intently.
He’d wanted to talk to him anyway.
The guy had saved him the trouble by coming on his own.
“I already got the shoes back. Is there something else you want?”
The shoes Gu Min-jae had thrown onto his desk just now.
As he lifted them slightly and asked, Gu Min-jae let out an amused laugh.
“So they were yours after all.”
“I figured you knew and brought them back.”
“You’re not even trying to hide it?”
“Why would I?”
“…….”
In an instant, the smile vanished from Gu Min-jae’s face.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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