Chapter 69 : Friction
Divinity sat with her face buried in her hands, letting out small groans.
The other students in the cafeteria didn't even glance at her.
Most seed to assu she was reacting that way because of the pressure of the upcoming Cohort matches.
When she finally lowered her hands, her face was full of annoyance.
“Why are they excluding us from the eting? We were there for the faculty briefing. Why won't they take us to the guild eting? What if Headmaster Quest can't persuade them properly? What if the guilds refuse to cooperate!”
Divinity grumbled, staring at the steam rising from her coffee.
Sal looked at her with calm eyes.
“The guilds will definitely help us. The question is what resources and how much they will give. And what the specific operation is.”
Sal recalled Upgrade's face as she desperately begged Quest to exclude him from the operation.
He shook his head slightly, trying to shake off that mory.
“We'll find out soon enough if they'll put us in the strike teams.”
Divinity sighed.
“I feel like a hypocrite. I said I wanted to be a hero so badly… but I found myself wanting to be left out of this operation. I don't know if it's because I'm scared or because I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. I hate that all this burden is on us.”
She turned her head to look around the cafeteria. Similar anxiety was etched on the faces of other students.
Divinity rested her chin on her hands, elbows on the table, and looked at the students from other Cohorts.
“Sotis I want to go back to the days when we only worried about rankings.”
Sal followed her gaze to look at the other students, but he didn't feel the sa emotions as her.
“You're the furthest thing from a hypocrite I've ever t, Divinity. You rember the futures we saw together, right? You know best how many lives you saved. Whatever choice they make, you've already done more than enough.”
Sal pointed to the students in the cafeteria and smiled bitterly.
“If you hadn't used that power, how many would have died in vain? You don't need to worry about how much you can contribute in the strike team. You've already proven yourself enough as a hero. Anyway, we're just in a position to watch the situation from behind. Others will co to save .”
Divinity smiled with her gaze on her coffee, but soon the corners of her mouth went down again, returning to a frowning expression.
“I wish I could think like you… but all that cos to mind are scenarios where everything goes wrong.”
Before Sal could open his mouth, Barry approached them with coffee.
“What's going wrong? Did you predict Sal doing sothing stupid again in the next battle?”
Seeming unable to read the atmosphere at all, he plopped down next to them, looking at their faces alternately and waiting for an answer.
Sal laughed lightly and shook his head.
“Nothing to worry about.”
But Divinity stared at Barry expressionlessly.
“I predicted the future, and a monster incident happens during class. I told the Headmaster, and right now he's briefing the guilds that students might die this weekend. How are you spending your day?”
Barry suddenly burst out laughing and took a sip of coffee.
“Hey, you knew how to joke too? Sal, how about you? Were you busy stopping a monster conspiracy, or were you making toys in the crafting room again?”
But seeing Sal's face hardened, Barry soon turned to Divinity and frowned.
“Wait a minute… why does Sal look like that? Is this serious right now?”
Divinity shrugged.
“It's a Commander-rank monster, and one that can see the future. It already knows all the counterasures we've prepared. Even if the guilds mobilize fully and the Doom Society and professors help, it might still be insufficient.”
Sal slamd the table hard.
“Divinity!”
Divinity blinked, then smirked and turned her head to look at Barry.
“Sorry, it was a joke. The joke went a bit too far.”
Barry looked at Sal once, then at Divinity once, and then said with a stiff expression.
“You guys aren't kidding right now, are you?”
Sal reached over the table, grabbed Barry's forearm, and looked at him with desperate eyes.
“She's been having a really hard ti these past few days, Barry. Everything is being handled.”
Barry looked at Divinity silently, then lowered his voice.
“In that future… do I die?”
Sal closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head.
“No, Barry. You'll be fine. You're not even seen, and then you just appear perfectly fine a few days later.”
Divinity scoffed and glared at Barry.
“You use so secret power to escape every ti. so you don't need to worry.”
Sal looked at Divinity in disbelief. He couldn't understand why such venomous words ca out.
He tried to apologize to Barry on her behalf, but Barry shook his head.
He seed to be in shock, as if he hadn't yet accepted the fact that a monster incident would actually happen.
“In the countless futures I saw, everyone tries to fight or protect soone.”
Divinity continued to speak.
“But you… are nowhere to be seen. Not even once. You're the only one who appears perfectly fine at the end. I'm not angry at the present you. But… after seeing your future self, I can't help but be angry.”
Divinity continued, with complex emotions on her face.
“So honestly speaking, we're having an important conversation right now, so if you're not going to be helpful, I'd like you to leave.”
Sal froze on the spot. He never imagined Divinity would go this far.
Barry squeezed the coffee in his hand tight, then stood up silently. With a face revealing hurt and confusion, he left the cafeteria without saying a word.
Divinity buried her face in her hands and started crying.
Sal knew the situation was extrely stressful, but he couldn't understand what Divinity just said.
Barry hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't know about the future, and he couldn't be blad for surviving in a critical situation.
Engulfed in shock, Sal had no energy or leisure to choose his words.
“What are you doing, Divinity? Why talk to a person like that? He didn't do anything wrong!”
Divinity shook her head, unable to control her tears. Her voice cracked with sobbing.
“I'm sorry, Sal! I didn't want to do that either…. But… I had no choice!”
Sal threw a napkin toward her. Just now, Divinity had acted so coldly, unlike her usual self.
Sal wanted to understand Divinity, but that behavior just now was inexcusable.
Barry had crumbled at just a few words without any preparation, and he was probably suffering from deep guilt without even knowing the reason by now.
Divinity took the napkin and pressed it to her eyes. When she opened her eyes after letting out a long sigh, Sal was montarily flustered. Her eyes had turned completely cloudy.
“What are you doing now, Divinity?”
She was looking into the future. After a while, Divinity smiled broadly, wiped her eyes again, and her eyes returned to their original icy blue color.
“I'm really sorry, Sal. You played the good cop role really well!”
Divinity tapped the table with both hands and spoke excitedly.
“When we reviewed the future scenarios, I was in charge of tracking which scenes the students appeared in.”
She pointed to the seat where Barry had been sitting until a mont ago.
“Barry used his ability in only about 8% of the total scenarios. The reason… could be fear, or hesitation. I'm not sure. Headmaster Quest suggested telling him everything in advance, but that actually reduced the frequency of his ability usage.”
Sal shook his head from side to side.
“So… you played with Barry's emotions to get a better result? That's too much, Divinity.”
Divinity stopped tapping the table with her palms and looked at Sal carefully.
“I'm really sorry. I didn't want to go that far either. But… looking at the situation now, the probability of Barry using his ability has increased.”
She pointed to the people in the cafeteria.
“If even one more person can live thanks to that… isn't that worth it?”
Sal gritted his teeth.
“You could have just been honest and asked for help. To save people… persuading is much better than driving soone with guilt.”
Divinity looked at Sal as if he were a naive person.
“Not everyone thinks like you, Sal. Barry needs to be told he's useless to change his behavior.”
She raised a finger and pointed at Sal. It was an almost accusing look.
“So don't go apologize to him now. Or else all the future we just changed will beco invalid.”
Sal crossed his arms and kept his mouth shut tight.
“This isn't right. You know that too.”
Divinity raised both hands in the air and shouted.
“Then what am I supposed to do, Sal? We all ca to this Academy to beco heroes, to fight monsters and protect civilians. You might have co with different expectations, but the rest probably did. Happiness, belonging, fairness… those ideals you pursue won't get things done. Fighting monsters and saving people is what matters most.”
Her eyes were wide open, and her voice was laced with suppressed anger. Sal wondered how long she had been holding back these emotions.
He uncrossed his arms, looked up at the ceiling, and took a deep breath.
“We've only been here a month, Divinity. What you want right now… is for the kids here to turn into soldiers ready to go to the battlefield as soon as war breaks out? Even if everyone here ca to be a hero, they aren't heroes yet. Asking soone who's only had a few weeks of training to risk their life is absurd. That one word you used to drive Barry into a corner just now could push him into a situation he's not ready for. If Barry dies because of that, is it because of the monster? Or… because of your words?”
Seeing Divinity's expression crumble hurt Sal's heart too, but he didn't stop speaking.
“You told my future, and I listened and beca a better person. Barry could have been like that too. Of course, your thod might be best in terms of results. But… isn't explaining the real situation and letting him choose for himself the right way? Instead of using him like a tool.”
Sal lowered his head as he watched Divinity about to cry again.
“I know you're doing your best for everyone. But you don't need to carry that responsibility and guilt. The guilds and professors need to find the best answer based on the future. That's… not our share.”
When Divinity stood up from her seat, Sal was engulfed in anxiety that he might have spoken too harshly.
He was still certain about what he said, but he felt like he had hurt her, so he wanted to apologize.
However, Divinity let out an annoyed sigh and spoke first.
“Fine. I'll go find Barry and apologize. Happy?”
Tears still welled up in her eyes, and Sal nodded silently.
“Thank you, Divinity.”
She turned her head without a word and walked in the direction Barry had left.
Sal emptied the remaining coffee in one gulp and stood up. He wondered if the guild eting was over.
He picked up the cup Divinity left behind and his own, threw them in the trash, and quietly left the cafeteria. His steps were naturally heading toward Quest's office.
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