I Became the Academy's Disabled Student

"S-so you like rice cakes..."

On the way back to the dorm after leaving the study room, Hong Yeonhwa muttered absentmindedly as she walked along the path bathed in the orange hues of the setting sun.

The scene she had just witnessed in the study room replayed vividly in her mind: Baek Arin casually offering rice cakes to Lee Hayul, and Hayul accepting and eating them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The shock of seeing such an unexpected sight still lingered.

[?]

Hearing Hong Yeonhwa's murmur, Lee Hayul tilted his head curiously.

Recently, ever since trying the rice cakes Baek Arin had given him after the tournament, Hayul had developed a slight fondness for them.

Before that, he had never thought of seeking out any particular food. But after biting into the chewy texture and savoring it, he found it strangely calming and satisfying.

He had tried chewing gum too, but it wasn’t the same—it couldn't be swallowed, so it didn’t feel right. As a result, he occasionally bought rice cakes now.

Hovering in the air beside Hong Yeonhwa, Hayul floated closer and leaned in, bringing his lips to her ear.

A faint, sweet scent like honey wafted from him as his soft breath tickled her ear.

"Recently... I’ve been eating them a little..."

"A-ah, I see..."

The quiet voice whispering near her ear sent a shiver through Hong Yeonhwa's body.

After a moment, Hayul floated back, taking the warmth and his sweet scent with him. Feeling a sudden sense of loss, Hong Yeonhwa turned her head slightly to glance at him.

As always, Hayul was suspended in midair, hovering gently.

The green wind carrying him was faintly visible through mana detection, flickering like a mirage.

It was not magic but spirit arts enabling him to fly.

While Hong Yeonhwa lacked talent in both magic and spirit arts, she could still recognize the technique.

"Tsk..."

Part of her wanted to carry him in her arms and move him herself, but Hayul had insisted on practicing his flight outdoors, so she couldn’t just scoop him up.

...Though knowing his personality, he would probably comply without resistance. However, such a forceful act felt wrong.

"So it started after Arin gave it to you...?"

Hearing the backstory, Hong Yeonhwa's expression turned sour.

She glanced at the floating Hayul with a complicated look before shifting her gaze to Baek Arin.

"Hmm?"

Baek Arin tilted her head, pointing to herself with an innocent expression.

That feigned look of innocence—so insincere—made Hong Yeonhwa's face scrunch up in frustration.

Baek Arin blinked in confusion.

"What’s with that face? If you suddenly look at me like that, my fragile heart might shatter, you know?"

"Tch..."

Hong Yeonhwa clicked her tongue openly, the annoyance clear in her tone.

Baek Arin feigned shock, widening her eyes and covering her mouth with both hands.

"W-what? You’re clicking your tongue at me because I knew Hayul’s food preferences better than you did...? Ah! No, put that fist down! Hayul is right next to us!"

"You little..."

The fist Hong Yeonhwa was about to swing stopped in midair. Trembling with anger, her hand shook before she reluctantly lowered it, muttering under her breath.

She quickly glanced toward Hayul to gauge his reaction.

‘This little...’

...Hayul, however, was chatting with Elia, looking completely relaxed.

He floated around Elia with an unusually content expression, making Hong Yeonhwa’s already turbulent emotions churn even more.

‘Elia Slaid...’

Elia, a fellow cadet from the same spring class, was someone Hong Yeonhwa had grown close to early in the semester.

Her bright personality and high affinity for making friends made her quite popular.

She was also talented, possessing a rare healing-type unique ability that allowed for both regeneration and restoration.

Later, it was revealed she also had exceptional spirit affinity, solidifying her potential as someone with a bright future.

That was all Hong Yeonhwa initially thought of her.

‘...She’s too close to him.’

But at some point, Elia had grown uncomfortably close to Hayul.

While Hong Yeonhwa knew that Elia had helped Hayul during a difficult time in the past, their current relationship was far beyond a simple connection.

Elia had effectively become like a mother figure, doting on both Seo Yul and Hayul with endless affection.

Seo Yul, though outwardly grumpy, didn’t resist Elia’s care. Hayul, too, seemed to bask in her nurturing presence.

It was as if the old saying was true: "A quiet cat is the first to climb onto the stove."

‘I... I haven’t even held Seo Yul once!’

For some reason, Seo Yul treated her with distrust, growling like a wary puppy.

Though Hong Yeonhwa considered Seo Yul just another spirit to watch over, it was obvious to everyone else that Hayul viewed Seo Yul as his child.

She felt trapped. Any interference could lead to alienating both Hayul and Seo Yul.

Hong Yeonhwa wasn’t exactly skilled in building relationships.

She was inexperienced in both friendships and romance, leaving her unsure of how to approach such situations.

Though she received occasional advice from her mother, Choi Jiyeon, it felt awkward to discuss everything in detail.

‘Tsk...’

Her gaze shifted downward slightly, landing on Elia’s chest.

The full, abundant curves strained against her blouse, clearly visible and hard to ignore.

Hong Yeonhwa’s pupils dimmed.

‘Those ridiculous cow-like proportions... she must’ve used them to captivate Hayul, who’s starved for maternal affection.’

‘I’m not small either, though...’

Hong Yeonhwa glanced at herself.

Her own chest was similarly full, large enough to sometimes get in the way.

Something she used to consider an unnecessary burden now seemed like a small blessing.

Comparing herself to Elia, she calculated the difference.

Elia > Hong Yeonhwa.

"Damn it."

An involuntary curse slipped out.

It was a stupid thought—comparing herself, getting frustrated, and sulking all on her own.

Feeling a sudden wave of self-awareness, Hong Yeonhwa scowled and turned her head.

"Why the sour face? Got something on your mind? If you need advice, I’m available 24/7! Just shoot me a text!"

"......"

While Hong Yeonhwa stewed in her thoughts, Baek Arin approached with her usual teasing demeanor.

Hong Yeonhwa’s gaze drifted to Baek Arin’s chest, and the ongoing mental calculations yielded another result:

Elia ≥ Baek Arin > Hong Yeonhwa.

Baek Arin was nearly as full-figured as Elia.

Between Baek Arin, Elia, and the meddling professors like Riana, who always had a peculiar interest in Hayul, Hong Yeonhwa felt like she was drowning in a sea of complicated emotions.

"Ugh..."

Letting out a long sigh, Hong Yeonhwa reached out and gently pinched Hayul’s soft cheek. His warm, squishy skin felt like freshly steamed rice cake.

"Bwaaah..."

Hayul let out a strange sound but obediently allowed her to play with his cheeks.

The class schedule was finally sorted out.

The main subjects were focused on magic, with occasional electives like crafting and monster taming sprinkled in once or twice a week.

Combat-related classes? Almost none.

Why? Because Hayul had a personal mentor.

Incidentally, his mentor would also grade him. Looking at the first semester report card, most of the grades were perfect scores.

When he nervously asked if it was favoritism, the mentor firmly denied it, stating the evaluations were fair. Whether that was entirely true was unclear, but it was a relief if taken at face value.

This morning also started early.

‘I’m so sleepy...’

He yawned deeply, holding his mouth open wide. No matter how much he slept, he couldn’t shake off the fatigue.

He hadn’t been like this before.

‘The split consciousness... it’s working well. That’s good.’

The term “split” might not even be accurate—it was more like drawing boundaries between his consciousness and assigning different tasks to each.

In essence, it was akin to multitasking.

One part of his consciousness was devoted to monitoring for potential dangers, running a 24-hour comprehensive observation.

Of course, absorbing all incoming information at once would fry his brain, so only data perceived as a threat was flagged.

Not that Siyoram was the kind of place to worry about imminent danger—it was safe enough to practice freely.

Another part of his consciousness was busy monitoring dormitory spellbooks and analyzing tomes in the library from a distance, diligently accumulating and interpreting knowledge.

Rather than exhausting himself by studying into the night, this split consciousness system allowed him to learn while resting.

There were also a few other smaller tasks being handled by his divided mind.

As a result, the mental strain was enormous.

Perhaps the reason he’d been feeling perpetually drowsy lately was because of this...

Headaches accompanied it, too.

The pain and stress rivaled—or even surpassed—what he had endured early in the semester.

But Hayul had grown stronger since then and could bear it.

Moreover, constantly being cradled by someone lately had been surprisingly therapeutic, helping him relieve stress.

He stirred, pulling his face out from where it had been buried in someone’s chest.

As he moved back, the sweet, warm scent that had filled his nostrils faded.

A twinge of regret lingered, but as he adjusted, he noticed Hong Yeonhwa, still fast asleep, scrunching her brows slightly.

Her arms flailed as if to pull him back.

As he blinked, his gaze landed on the deep, soft valley of her chest—where the warm, sweet fragrance was the most concentrated.

If he let himself be taken by her arms, he would once again be nestled against her tender, warm chest, basking in its soothing milk-like aroma and drifting into a happy slumber...

But alas, there was a schedule to keep.

Suppressing his regret like swallowing bitter medicine, he carefully pulled himself free.

Behind him, others shared the same bed.

Seo Yul clung tightly to his back, while Elia cuddled Seo Yul in her arms.

The arrangement was Hong Yeonhwa, Hayul, Seo Yul, and Elia—an order reached by mutual agreement.

Thanks to the spacious bed, there was plenty of room for everyone.

Hayul sat on the edge of the bed and tapped his smartwatch. A hologram appeared, displaying his schedule.

[Today’s Alarms]