After an entire day had passed, I was finally allowed into the dorms—the same ones I wasn’t allowed to step foot in yesterday.
...For good reason, of course.
Dormitory life.
The place where memories are made. Where friendships are born, rules are bent, and laughter fills the halls late at night.
At least, that’s how it was for normal students.
But this wasn’t Earth.
This was Velcrest, the number one hero academy in the world—a place filled with heroes, villains, monsters, and people whose daily lives would look like blockbuster movies back on Earth.
This wasn’t some cozy college experience.
Still... I couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
It was dorm life. A new room. A fresh start. Even if things would never be "normal" for me, it still meant something.
Ahead of me stood four buildings—A, B, C, and D. Together, they made up Section A, the first-year dormitory zone.
My assigned building? A.
I walked up the stone steps, my small duffel slung over one shoulder. I didn’t own much. A couple of uniforms, some essentials. But carrying them still felt meaningful, like a quiet declaration: I belong here now.
I checked the tag on my dorm key.
Building A, Room 101.
Simple. Clean. Easy to remember.
Something about it felt right.
I climbed the steps and turned down the hallway, letting my fingers brush the wall as I passed. The place was still quiet. No chatter, no movement. I was probably one of the first to show up.
Good. I liked quiet.
I reached the door to Room 101 and paused.
My hand hovered over the lock, key halfway in when I felt it.
There was... someone inside.
Barely noticeable. But I was sure.
My body tensed instinctively. I wasn’t supposed to have a roommate yet.
At least... not in this timeline.
In the original version of [World’s Greatest Hero], only one student arrived early and claimed this room—and that person wasn’t supposed to share.
So why was someone already inside?
Unless...
Unless something had changed.
I thought back to the entrance ceremony. In the original story, a villain ambush happened. People died. Students never made it to the dorms.
But this time?
Only ten percent of the first year died compared to original novel.
I slowly eased the key out.
No need to alert whoever was in there. Not yet.
My fingers tightened around the duffel strap. Room 101 was supposed to be special. A hidden checkpoint in the story. A room with a view of the training grounds, a faster path to the underground arena, and—more importantly—a place where the protagonist would form his first real bond.
But I wasn’t the protagonist.
Not anymore.
I pressed my ear to the door.
Faint movement. A rustle of fabric. Breathing. Calm. Steady. Not hostile.
I knocked once.
Silence.
No response.
I took a deep breath.
I knocked again.
A pause.
Then a voice answered—slightly high-pitched, soft, but not quite clearly feminine either.
"Yes? Who is it?"
...Huh.
The voice caught me off guard. Softer than I expected. Almost gentle.
But hey, it could’ve just been a classmate with a soft-spoken tone. Nothing to overthink.
I kept my voice steady—casual and friendly.
"I’m supposed to be in Room 101. I guess I got here early. Are you... my roommate?"
There was a pause. A faint rustle. Then footsteps.
"Oh, really? They assigned two people this early?"
"Yeah, looks like it." I chuckled, though my fingers tightened slightly on the key. "Guess we’re the lucky ones."
Another pause followed.
Longer this time.
Like they were thinking—hesitating.
Then came a faint response, a bit uncertain. "I thought this room was assigned to just me. I checked with the housing board earlier."
My brows furrowed.
They weren’t wrong.
Room 101 was supposed to be a solo room in the original timeline. A reward for the top scorer of the entrance exam. A luxury space, really.
Which meant the person inside had ranked top five.
But I was also supposed to have this room.
That could only mean one thing.
They changed the rankings.
Or something—or someone—shifted fate again.
I forced my tone to stay light. "Yeah, I thought the same. But then I was told to come here and handed this key."
I held it up even though they couldn’t see it.
A beat passed.
Then came the voice again—still soft, but now more curious.
"...Do you mind waiting a second? I’ll open the door."
"Sure, no problem."
I stepped back, tucking the key into my pocket.
Behind the door, I could hear them moving. Light, cautious steps. No sign of panic, just deliberate motions—calculated, like they were making sure nothing was out of place before letting me in.
I adjusted the strap of my duffel bag and exhaled slowly.
Something about this moment made my instincts hum.
This wasn’t just some shy student.
They were wary.
Guarded.
But not afraid.
Another few seconds passed.
A faint metallic click echoed as the lock disengaged.
Then—
The door creaked open.
And I froze.
Standing in front of me was—
Someone who shouldn’t be here.
Or rather... I shouldn’t be here.
Still, maybe I was overreacting. Maybe it was all just a weird coincidence.
The person who answered hadn’t even introduced themselves yet. No need to jump to conclusions.
...Right?
The person in front of me had delicate, feminine features, sharp black eyes, and shoulder-length black hair. Her expression was calm, unreadable. A cool, composed presence that seemed vaguely familiar. Too familiar.
"I’m Leon Harper," she said, voice smooth, eyes steady. "Didn’t think I’d meet my roommate this early. Nice to meet you."
Yeah, no.
Misunderstanding, my ass.
Leon Harper—the protagonist’s future roommate. The quiet, mysterious girl who enrolled under a fake identity, hiding the fact that she was a girl by pretending to be a boy. The same Leon Harper who played a key role in the original story.
And now she was standing here, in front of me, not the protagonist.
Why the hell are you here? You’re supposed to be with him!
I caught myself and quickly put on a smile.
"I’m Rin Evans. Nice to meet you too."
I shook her hand. Her grip was light but firm.
Inside, I was already panicking.
Why did the academy mess with the room assignments?
Did the protagonist end up somewhere else?
Was this another butterfly effect from my existence?
Too many questions.
But one thing was certain—something was definitely off.
And deep down, I knew the reason.
It was me.
I was the cause of this butterfly effect.
Why do I think that? Well, because—
"Hey. Are you planning to stand there like a statue all day, or are you actually coming inside?"
Leon Harper’s sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
Yeah, no doubt about it. She had the exact same no-nonsense tone she had in the novel.
I blinked and scratched the back of my neck. "Huh? Oh—yeah, yeah. I’m coming."
I followed her in, still shaken by how different everything felt.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
And yet, here I was.
Whatever plans I had for a quiet academy life?
Yeah... they just got tossed out the window.