The Academy's Doomed Side Character

Rachel poked at her half-eaten rice, casually flicking a bit of egg onto her spoon as she spoke.

"Anyway, last week, we had this assignment in the city outskirts. Supposed to be a routine sweep—just a few low-level beasts making a mess. Turned out to be a whole nest."

She said it like someone describing a minor inconvenience.

"Five heroes were sent in. One of them panicked and triggered an explosion rune too early. Collapsed the front of the cavern. So guess who had to dig through rubble with her bare hands?"

"You?"

She smirked. "Please. I made the rookie do it while I handled the real threat."

I let out a quiet breath, halfway between a scoff and a laugh. She sounded proud. She probably was.

"You get paid extra for that kind of thing?"

Rachel leaned back, stretching a little. "Hazard bonus. Not much, but enough to treat myself to that new imported shampoo."

I blinked. "You risk your life for shampoo?"

"For volume and shine? Absolutely."

I stared at her.