Chapter 360: Overwhelming Defeat
An awkward silence settled over the hospital room.
The sudden shift in Professor Lena’s personality had completely derailed the conversation.
Ryan and Leo looked as if they had no idea how they were supposed to react.
Honestly, neither did I.
One moment she had been crying and apologizing.
The next, she was glaring at anyone who got too close to me like an overprotective guard dog.
The change was so abrupt that even I didn’t know what to say.
Thankfully, a few more visitors arrived shortly afterward, giving everyone an excuse to move on from the topic.
The atmosphere gradually returned to normal.
Or at least, as normal as it could be.
Ryan even let out a small sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, the mischievous glint in his eyes told me exactly what he was thinking.
The bastard had simply postponed his teasing.
Not abandoned it.
"..."
Meanwhile, Lena buried her face against my stomach again.
My eye twitched.
Seriously.
What was I supposed to do with this?
Every now and then, I could feel her breathing through the hospital gown.
It wasn’t painful.
It wasn’t uncomfortable exactly.
Just...
Strange.
Very strange.
The kind of situation that made me increasingly aware of every second passing.
What the hell happened to her?
Was the brainwashing really affecting her that badly?
Or was this some kind of emotional rebound after everything she’d been through?
Neither explanation made me feel any better.
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I muttered.
"It’s not like..."
I sighed.
"It’s not true."
The room immediately became quiet again.
"I already explained everything."
For some reason, every time I denied being in a relationship with Lena, the pressure around my waist seemed to increase slightly.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to make me notice.
I chose not to comment on it.
Some battles weren’t worth fighting.
Before I could think further, Ryan opened his mouth.
"Hey, Rin."
"What?"
"A strong denial is usually an affirmation."
"Shut up."
"See? That’s exactly the kind of response guilty people make."
"Ryan."
"Yes?"
"I survived getting punched through the stomach."
"..."
"I can do it again."
Ryan wisely decided to stop talking.
Leo looked away to hide his laughter.
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
Ryan had clearly attempted to lighten the mood, but his sense of humor remained a disaster.
The room fell quiet again.
Kiera stood nearby, looking between me and Lena with visibly wavering eyes.
She looked like she was seconds away from crying.
Meanwhile, Leona—who would normally be the first person to tease me relentlessly—was glaring at Ryan instead.
The fact that she wasn’t making jokes somehow felt more intimidating.
Ryan slumped dramatically.
"Everyone hates me."
Only Nora seemed willing to comfort him.
She patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"There, there."
Ryan brightened immediately.
Then Nora hesitated.
"...I mean, you kind of deserve it."
Ryan’s expression collapsed.
Leo snorted.
I couldn’t help laughing.
Watching them interact like this felt oddly reassuring.
Nora really had changed.
A few months ago, she would’ve scolded all of us for bullying Ryan.
Now she was perfectly willing to join in.
It was a small change.
But a good one.
Now if only our depressed professor would return to normal too.
Unfortunately, that seemed unlikely.
Leona crossed her arms and stared at me.
Judging by her expression, she’d been holding something back for a while.
Eventually, she sighed.
"Hey."
Her tone was unusually serious.
"What?"
"I’ll let Kiera slide because she’s hopelessly weak."
"Hey!"
Kiera immediately protested.
Tears formed in her eyes.
Leona ignored her completely.
"But why did you only take those two?"
She pointed at Ryan and Leo.
"Were Nora and I not your friends?"
The room became quiet.
Leona continued.
"Or did you think we wouldn’t be useful?"
Nora nodded beside her.
Apparently she’d been wondering the same thing.
Kiera looked conflicted.
Half offended.
Half agreeing with Leona’s assessment of her combat ability.
"..."
To be fair.
Strictly speaking, I hadn’t chosen anyone.
I originally planned to go alone.
Ryan and Leo had simply refused to let me.
And honestly?
At the time, I genuinely thought the two of them would be enough.
One future hero.
One future spear saint.
What more could anyone ask for?
The problem was that reality had other plans.
I rubbed my forehead.
"You know I wasn’t trying to exclude anyone."
Leona continued staring.
I sighed.
"I thought Ryan and Leo would be enough."
"That’s not really an answer."
"It is when you know who we’re talking about."
That immediately shut everyone up.
The atmosphere shifted.
Because everyone present knew.
The enemy we’d faced wasn’t normal.
Not even close.
Ryan looked away.
Leo’s expression darkened.
Neither seemed eager to revisit that memory.
The red-haired woman, the masked monster.
The walking disaster who had treated all three of us like children.
I still remembered that crimson attack.
The overwhelming pressure.
The feeling of death hanging over the battlefield.
Just thinking about it made my chest tighten.
"Even if you had come," I said quietly, "nothing would’ve changed."
Leona frowned.
"You don’t know that."
"I do."
My voice came out firmer than intended.
The room fell silent.
Because it was the truth.
That woman wasn’t an opponent our generation could handle.
Not Ryan.
Not Leo.
Not me.
And certainly not all of us together.
The only reason any of us survived was because of a miracle.
Or perhaps several miracles stacked on top of each other.
Leona looked ready to argue.
Then she stopped.
Because deep down, she knew it too.
The frustration on her face wasn’t because she thought she could have won.
It was because she’d been left behind.
Because her friends had nearly died while she could do nothing.
Nora quietly lowered her gaze.
Kiera looked miserable.
Ryan scratched the back of his head.
And Leo simply stared out the window.
This must have been the first time our geniuses experienced such an overwhelming defeat.
And that same goes for me too as well.
----
Author Note:
Thanks for the reading the Chapter.