I bit into the bread. The dry bread sucked the moisture from my mouth, but it was fine since I had milk in my other hand.
Actually, compared to other things that were even drier than bread, this bread almost felt soft.
The world of Meritocracy was so suffocating, more than I had imagined.
I thought I could quickly make friends after enduring for a few days, but that wasn't the case.
Just as pyramids exist in the world, there was an invisible pyramid at the Academy, the institution to which my uniform belonged.
Perhaps that's why, as someone without skill who couldn't produce good grades, I spent my days crawling along the bottom, unable to fit in among the other students.
Munch, munch.
I picked up the bread with my bare hands, making sure not to create any crinkling sounds, and quietly bit into it, filling my mouth. When my jaw ached from the effort of chewing, I remembered to take a sip of milk.
I could understand not making friends with the Bottom Rank student, but my heart was in despair, wondering if things really had to be this severe.
I once tried sitting in the cafeteria thinking it wouldn't matter, but they made their displeasure quite clear.
"..."
Ah, at my old school, students weren't ostracized for poor grades, but that wasn't the case here.
Something about the Bottom Rank being contagious.
"There are too many tests. It's annoying."
"Can't be helped... But if you consistently do well or show improvement, you can get assigned to a good place."
"True. Considering how often rankings can flip... But what does the Bottom Rank kid do with her life?"
"Probably gets sent to the countryside like a demotion."
The girls who had come to the restroom just to fix their makeup in the mirror left, giggling like that.
The commonality between the Top Rank and Bottom Rank was that both were at the extremes of the group.
Perhaps that's why, unlike the Top Rank, the Bottom Rank was also frequently discussed.
The Top Rank was an object of interest and admiration, while the Bottom Rank was an object of contempt and avoidance, serving as a cautionary example.
There was exactly one similarity but so many differences that it was sickening.
Still, I couldn't help feeling upset.
Especially having to eat like this because of the watchful eyes around me rather than the gossip.
I thought about going to the rooftop, but there was already someone there.
I looked for hidden places like the backyard, but such places didn't seem to exist in this massive Academy.
Seeing everyone claiming their own hideouts, I had no choice but to make this place—the restroom—mine.
I quickly took a sip of milk and swallowed.
The feeling of bread going down my throat with a gulp felt laborious.
After folding the milk carton as much as possible and throwing it in the trash, I pulled out a few tissues and placed them on top, just in case.
It was my best attempt to hide it from view.
As I washed my hands and naturally tried to leave, I bumped into someone passing by.
"Huh?"
Black hair and golden eyes.
It was Yoon Ha-min, the protagonist of this story. A person born with talent and skill.
He was at the top.
Conversely, I was at the bottom.
"Oh, you're..."
As soon as I saw him, I fled.
I was afraid that other girls might badmouth me if they saw me with the protagonist, so I escaped.
The future I knew was the fate of this world and the protagonist's ending, not the ending of a Bottom Rank student who was neither helpful nor harmful.
What good is knowing the future if I don't have the power to use that knowledge?
This knowledge, a blessing if you can change things and a curse if you can't, felt like a curse to me now.
I was concerned about others' gazes, making it problematic to approach the protagonist, and even if I did approach him, it was questionable whether he would believe me.
After all, if someone you're not even close with suddenly runs up to you saying, "There will be a war in the future, you can't avoid it. Everyone will die," who would believe that?
I don't think I would believe it either.
It was a terrible curse, yet also a blessing that gave me time to think.
I walked down the hallway, sticking close to the wall.
Students would glance at me once, then continue chatting with their friends as they passed by.
At first, I couldn't adapt, but now I could somewhat accept it.
The fact that I was being ostracized.
I couldn't call them bad people because, since everyone was assigned to different places based on grades, there was a tendency to befriend those of similar standing.
Probably something like "Let's maintain our relationship and do well together."
If that's the case, I should have a Bottom Rank group, but as the definitive last place, I felt rejected even from that group.
The feeling of "At least I'm not as bad as you" was intensely palpable.
"...Hah."
Time passed even when I sighed.
After lunch ended, I attended classes.
I faced ordinary subjects like Korean, math, and history, but sometimes I also had to deal with unusual classes like bare-handed combat, weapons training, and Magicology.
Sometimes I thought about wanting to go back to my school days, but if it meant having a different appearance and being ostracized, I wouldn't have wished for it.
Bored, I glanced at the window beside me.
First, I could see beyond the window, but I also noticed my faint reflection.
Ivory-colored hair and purple eyes.
I stared at it for a while, then turned away before another sigh could escape.
"So, this land has a history of numerous battles..."
Some students were already falling asleep.
I turned my gaze slightly, ignoring them.
I caught a glimpse of the protagonist, Yoon Ha-min.
He was destined for tragedy in the novel I had read.
Whether it was the author's preference or not, he was a tragic protagonist who would be left alone after his seemingly happy days were tainted.
My heart ached thinking about how he would lose everything he wanted to protect—love, friends—and return alone.
Let me recall the tragedies he would face one by one.
And find ways to protect him from each one.
Then, perhaps I could prevent the ending that seemed happy but ultimately turned tragic.
I was about to open a white notebook and write with a pen when I noticed the heroine, Orca, who was sitting next to him, glancing at me.
"...Oh."
This seems really screwed up.
*
As soon as class ended, a shadow approached me.
It was none other than Orca, who placed her hand firmly on my desk and spoke as if passing judgment.
"Excuse me for a moment."
"...Ah, yes."
I nodded and got up from my chair, following her as she walked ahead.
I knew I should keep my distance from Yoon Ha-min, but it seemed she was bothered by how intently I had been staring from behind during class.
Seeing that Orca had called me out, she was probably annoyed and wanted to talk to me outside.
With that thought, I followed her.
We arrived at the middle of the staircase leading to the rooftop at the end of the corridor, a place where few people came during breaks.
I understood wanting to talk in a secluded place, but it was a bit scary how deserted it was.
Orca Ramiris.
She would have been the Top Rank at the Academy if not for the protagonist.
"Miss Kanna."
I felt overwhelmed by her aura, which announced that she was from a truly high-class family with her blonde hair and blue eyes.
With slightly sharp eyes, she stared at me.
Then, with a somewhat displeased expression, she said:
"...Why aren't you concentrating? You're the Bottom Rank."
"Eh, um...? What?"
I widened my eyes, thinking I had misheard.
But soon I realized she was looking at me with a serious expression.
"If you're the Bottom Rank and don't even concentrate in class, what are you trying to do? Even though everyone only cares about their individual rankings, please don't bring down the class average."
"...But other students are sleeping too..."
"..."
"Yes, ma'am."
Feeling like she was thinking "The Bottom Rank talking back?" I closed my mouth and nodded.
Having received my answer, Orca seemed satisfied and turned around abruptly to leave.
Left alone on the stairs, I stood there with a dumbfounded expression.
I thought she had come to scold me for staring at Yoon Ha-min for too long, but instead, she was annoyed that the Bottom Rank wasn't concentrating in class and continuing to be at the bottom.
It felt strange.
What's going on?
Until now, I had been studying hard as a reconnaissance mission to understand the capabilities of this body—Kanna's abilities.
And it didn't take long to realize my limitations and half give up.
I thought the most likely possibility was to help the protagonist or those around him.
Maybe things changed because I suddenly stopped studying...?
"Um... I'm really screwed."
I muttered after standing there blankly.
My strategy was to proceed without disturbing the flow of the story, then attach myself to the protagonist or heroine to help them at what seemed like the most critical point, or from the very beginning.
But my strategy was meaningless as I already witnessed something going wrong because of my actions.
This wasn't a game or a novel.
For me now, and for them, this was reality.
There were no branching choices appearing separately; this was a world where every action had a reaction.
But how could I know the usual behavior of the Bottom Rank student who wasn't well-described in the novel?
Because of that ignorance, I felt like I was failing before I could even implement my plan.
The sound of a diverging path is probably just my imagination.
But what should I do now?
Should I start studying again?