Self-Harming Heroine - Chapter 20

The Academy is an educational institution dedicated to training those with supernatural abilities.

As such, if it wasn’t already emphasized enough, all students enrolled here were supernaturals.

They can ignite fire without any source of fuel.

Predict the future, albeit briefly.

Break through the sound barrier by accelerating.

Or even create copies of themselves.

This place gathers young supernaturals capable of performing miraculous feats beyond ordinary comprehension.

The goal of their training is to prepare them for battles against the monstrous beings that threaten humanity.

Even now, horrific monsters break through the fabric of space and time, and the Academy is where future ‘heroes’ are raised to protect people from these threats.

That’s what the Academy is.

Naturally, it’s unlike any typical school.

For comparison, it would be closer to a military academy.

However, that’s not an entirely accurate comparison, since even military academies don’t focus so exclusively on combat as the Academy does.

In the first year, students still pretend to learn other things, but as they progress through the years, that pretense disappears.

The Academy disregards everything outside of fighting monsters. Every lesson is rigorously focused on ‘combat’. It may seem harsh, but there is no choice. Though things may look peaceful for now, the world is steadily being cornered. The slow pace just makes it less noticeable.

The monster invasions have persisted for 300 years, and they’re sure to continue. A truce isn’t even a possibility. Monsters are beyond communication.

If there’s no way to flee or avoid them, fighting is the only choice. And the only hopes of humanity retaliating against the monsters are, of course, the supernaturals.

Ordinary humans struggle just to face a monster after all.

Naturally, society’s reliance on those with powers has grown day by day.

Expectations for their combat capabilities have also increased.

As such, it should not be surprising that the Academy’s curriculum is jam-packed with combat training.

Improving combat skills makes a tremendous difference in the survival rate and odds of victory.

Humanity is engaged in a prolonged war.

Each fighter in this war is an irreplaceable core asset that cannot simply be mass-produced.

The Academy’s extreme combat-oriented curriculum serves humanity, and also the students themselves.

These students will soon participate in the war against monsters. They’re already considered reserve forces, to be deployed in actual combat if necessary. If they don’t grow stronger, they’ll die. Dying at any time, in any way, would not be unusual.

To prevent the loss of valuable troops and to avoid the tragic waste of precious lives, the Academy continues to rigorously train its students every day.

That’s why I’m here, gasping for breath as I run hard around the field.

It’s already my 32nd lap.

If I’m still the same person I was before becoming Lucia, I would have collapsed long ago.

True to the Academy’s tendency to make everything grand and massive, the field is unlike any other school’s.

I don’t know its exact size, but judging by sight, if you multiplied the track of the high school I used to attend by ten, you might get close. Or maybe even more. It could be twenty times larger. I could believe it if it were even bigger—because it’s immense.

It’s too big, vast even. I understand they made it spacious so students with supernatural abilities could use it freely, but it’s still way too large.

Running 32 laps around this field, and still having stamina left, feels surreal.

But it’s not over yet. Angelica’s goal for me is 60 laps.

“This is… exhausting…”

My breath was caught at the very edge.

My gym clothes were drenched in sweat.

I could hear my heart pounding like thunder in my ears.

The spring weather was still chilly, yet a feverish heat radiated from my body.

As I grabbed my shirt and shook it, a sour smell of sweat and a faint white steam drifted up.

Panting like a dog trying to cool off, I stuck my tongue out.

“We’re halfway there! What’s with those already falling behind?! Don’t stop moving your legs! Run, even if it’s tough! Run, even if you feel like you’re going to die! Don’t set your own limits! You’re not the ones who decide your limits—I am!!”

Chewing her cigarette, Angelica shouted,

Her voice was filled with a weight that crushed our souls like solid rock.

Despite running 32 laps with the students, her breathing hadn’t faltered. She hadn’t even broken a sweat. Impressive stamina for someone who smokes so much.

Oh, did I mention that those with supernatural abilities are superhuman beyond their unique powers? If I haven’t, then I have now.

Their physical abilities are on an entirely different level from regular humans.

If they get shot, it just stings! Hurts! But that’s it. Even if anti-aircraft rounds hit them, they’re fine after a bit of rest.

That’s the standard for those with supernatural abilities. Even without training, their bodies would eventually develop to that extent.

With training, they become even stronger. A person who never exercised would always be outdone by a trained athlete in physical feats. Superhumans are the same in this regard.

Most superhumans begin training as soon as they awaken their powers, whether they want to or not.

The timing of their awakening may differ, but by the time they enter the Academy, they’ve usually undergone at least some form of basic training.

However, even these students hit their limits one by one and started dropping out. Yet Angelica showed no sign of exhaustion on her face.

Indeed, she’s an Academy instructor.

Only the most outstanding heroes are qualified to teach the students. After all, you need to be exceptional to train exceptional heroes.

“Lucia! Alice! Anastasia! Marie! Sophia! Your legs are slowing down! Didn’t I say that anyone who can’t complete 60 laps will have to start over after school? Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten? Don’t give up because it’s hard now! If you don’t want it to be even harder later, then run with everything you have now!”

Miss Angelica, you aren’t exactly helping me here.

Isn’t that exactly what I want? I’ll still try my best though.

Let’s run together after school, all of us.

I’m breathing, but it doesn’t feel like it.

My body is drenched in sweat.

It’s hard. Really hard. I still have some energy left, but it’s hard nonetheless.

My lungs hurt.

It’s like they’re broken.

Panting, I kept running. That’s 33 laps. Still 27 more to go.

“This is… the best…”

If it’s this hard now, it’ll only get harder later, right?

By the time I hit 40 laps? Will I still be able to run? What about at 50? Will I be able to breathe?

It’s a different feeling from being choked by someone, but it’s still hard to breathe.

Ah, I feel good~♡ 

This is insanely stimulating.

If I’d known it’d be like this, I wouldn’t have worn a sports bra.

Without it, I’d probably be struggling even more.

“Hah, heh, huuh, haa…”

Alice was gasping for breath.

For a bookish girl who only read literature, this was brutal. She was running as hard as she could with a tearful expression, but it was clear she’d fall behind soon.

Her firepower may be top-tier at the Academy, but she’s probably the weakest when it comes to stamina.

“…This training is inefficient.”

Anastasia’s situation was slightly different. She looked relaxed, unlike Alice. She lagged behind simply because she didn’t want to run.

After trying to make a clone run in her place and getting caught by Angelica, she’d been pouting, dragging her arms, and lips sticking out. Every now and then, she’d rub her head, probably sore from the smack she’d received.

The run continued.

By lap 37, the first dropout appeared.

It was Alice, who collapsed on the ground.

“I… I… made it… this… far…”

Thud.

Nothing but silence for our fallen soldier…

Alice had fallen in battle.

With tears in my eyes, I kept running, leaving her behind.

Sorry, Alice. By lap 59, I’ll probably drop out too.

After Alice, more students started dropping out, one by one.

By lap 40, two-thirds of the students were left, then about half at 45 laps, and by lap 50, nearly everyone was lying on the ground.

By this point, I was out of energy, too.

My breathing was so harsh it felt like my throat was on fire. Every exhale felt like molten lava. I felt like I was dying from the lack of air. No wonder everyone else couldn’t keep going and collapsed.

But a masochist is invincible, and Lucia is a god.

It’s suffocatingly painful, but… hehe, it’s fine. I can keep running. My legs and feet hurt so much, but so what?

It’s so good~♡ 

It’s fine. Everything’s fine. Huh? Why does my vision look tilted?

Oh, I’m the one tilting. No, no, I can’t let this happen. If I fall now, I won’t get back up.

“Huh?”

My leg bent at a right angle. Still, seven laps left… I should at least make it six more laps before I collapse…

Thud! Roll, roll! 

Falling while running, I rolled along the ground, propelled by the force of impact. Once. Twice. Three times. Four, five, six times. Well, at least I met the sixth-lap mark one way or another.

“Are you alright?”

“Bury me next to Alice…”

“Alice isn’t dead.”

“Then… if she dies, bury her next to me…”

“You’re not dead either.”

Angelica created a golem to lift me up.

Like the others who had dropped out, she placed me in the shade, and then the golem crumbled back to sand.

In the end, only four people managed to complete all 60 laps.

Or maybe I should say there were as many as four.

“How about that, Eugene! I won!” 

Leo, who was the first to finish the 60 laps, declared victoriously.

Ever since the ability assessment, he had developed a strange rivalry with Eugene, and now he did not attempt to hide it, openly flaunting his triumph.

Still panting, Leo called out cheerfully, pointing at the person who completed the 60 laps right after him.

“…?”

“What’s with that clueless look?!”

“When did we ever start competing?”

“I told you before we started!”

“Did you? …I see.”

“Hah! How about that? Feeling a little frustrated now?”

“…?”

“What’s with that clueless look again?! Did you not understand me?!”

“I mean, not really? Aren’t you embarrassed, competing all on your own and then calling it a win?”

“Okay, that’s it! Let’s fight, you jerk!”

Leo grabbed Eugene by the collar, shaking him.

“Geez, you’re so loud.”

Arin, who finished third, spoke while cleaning her glasses, now smeared with sweat.

She took deep breaths, her shoulders rising and falling, as if she’d exerted herself quite a bit.

“Yeah… I won. Freedom after school. Angelica’s a fool.”

Finally, there was Anastasia.

She showed no expression, though a hint of a smile lifted her lips. Likely because she wouldn’t have to run after school.

Truly, they were the Golden Generation.

However, Alice and I, who were also part of the Golden Generation, didn’t make it.

“Well done, everyone.”

After the running exercise, Angelica addressed us.

Unlike the four who still looked tired, she was as calm as ever.

I patted Alice on the back and sparkled with excitement.

Hehe, I fell out. I failed. Looks like I’ll be running again after school. How unfortunate~♡ 

Next time, I’ll make sure to complete all 60 laps. Even if I feel like suffocating, I’ll grit my teeth and get through it somehow.

This was difficult in a different way than having my neck squeezed.

My whole body shook from the strain.

My lungs and heart throbbed, and I felt dizzy.

Yeah, running.

It’s the best~♡ 

But unfortunately, I would never end up running all 60 laps.

The goal Angelica had actually expected from us was 40 laps, and she’d exaggerated the target on purpose to test our limits.

Thanks to this, everyone who managed more than 40 laps had passed.

Alice, though, had to run the track after school, sniffling all the while.

If I’d known, I would’ve dropped out with Alice back then.

Ah, so this is karma.

I shouldn’t have left my friend behind…