The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna stared intently at the exam paper, then her gaze became fixed. Her breathing became so rapid that she felt like she couldn't catch her breath.

This is impossible.

She looked up and glanced around the classroom.

This is not the kind of lecture hall where they usually listen to professors, but a more traditional classroom layout, with each student having a small desk and everyone facing the blackboard and the podium.

There were still quite a few students in the classroom. Some grabbed their exam papers and left immediately, but a few lingered and chatted.

Sienna had noticed that several small cliques had formed in the class. But she didn't belong to any of them.

Normally, she's the kind of student who leaves the classroom quickly, but this test paper...

Midterm exams are just a few weeks away, and as everyone starts cramming and reviewing for the upcoming exams, a distinct atmosphere of tension permeates the classroom.

At the top of the exam paper, right next to where you write your name, there was a note: "Please come talk to me, Wesley Percyson."

This is the teaching assistant's name, and next to it is her score on the test paper—a big zero.

Another student walked past Sienna's desk, and Sienna looked up just in time to see the other student glance at the zero, then look up at her before walking away.

Sienna suddenly felt her face burning. She grabbed the test paper from her desk and folded it in half. Her legs went weak as she stood up and quietly walked to the front of the classroom.

She has been studying hard and has been doing her homework diligently during this time.

This was no easy task. She felt like a single mother, caring for four to six children with only minimal outside help.

It's a miracle that she can still keep up with her studies, and this is mostly due to her sacrificing sleep and leisure time, just to squeeze out a minute or two each day to finish her homework.

It is absolutely impossible to get zero points.

Perhaps because she is a villain, she cannot devote herself to learning and absorbing knowledge as wholeheartedly as she would in a normal state, but to say that she learned nothing? That is definitely not right; something must have gone wrong.

There was a small line of people waiting in front of the teaching assistant's desk, and Sienna was standing to the side waiting.

Although she wasn't fully in line, she was close enough for others to know that she also wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Wesley.

Finally, after about ten minutes, everyone except her and the teaching assistant had left the classroom. "Hi, hi," she said.

"Hmm? Is there something you need, Miss...?"

“Isabella,” Sienna said.

A flicker of recognition crossed Wesley's eyes. "Yes, Miss Isabella. You're here about the grades."

Sienna nodded and placed the folded test paper on the table between them.

She didn't want to unfold the test paper again and expose that glaring zero score once more.

“You know what? Giving you zero is actually letting you off easy,” he said.

"What?" Sienna exclaimed.

"I could have just fired you."

Sienna shook her head. "I don't understand," she said.

"Cheating is no small matter here, and so is plagiarism."

She took a step back in shock. "Cheating...? I didn't?"

Wesley stared at her, raising one eyebrow. "Really? Because your answer is exactly the same as another student's."

Sienna shook her head again. That was impossible. She had never cheated before.

It wasn't that she was completely against the idea of ​​cheating (well, she felt she was actually against it), but she couldn't help but wonder what the consequences would be if she were caught cheating.

The mere thought of it would send chills down her spine and haunt her with nightmares, and now, all of this was happening right before her eyes for no apparent reason, even though she hadn't cheated at all.

She grabbed the exam paper from the table and examined it carefully.

The answers were indeed written by her; they weren't a prank or anything. "No, no, these are my answers. I know they're all correct."

“Oh, that’s right,” Wesley said. He stood up and began packing things into a small suitcase, clearly finishing his work for the day. “Another student got a good 94 with this answer, significantly above the class average.”

“But this is my answer,” Sienna said. She felt dizzy, as if she hadn’t eaten all day, and was about to start trembling.

“Listen,” Wesley said, snapping his briefcase shut, “don’t cheat next time, and don’t be so blatant about it.”

“I didn’t cheat,” Sienna cried out.

The teaching assistant simply sighed, picked up his suitcase, and started walking towards the door. "Fine, fine. I didn't fire you. Just be careful next time..."

Sienna didn't remember how she moved or how she grabbed Wesley's arm, but at that moment, she was gripping the young man's forearm tightly, rendering him immobile.

She blinked, holding back the tears that were about to well up in her eyes.

Her chest was still trembling, and her hands were shaking, but at that moment, the panic was burning away like gasoline. "No," she said, "I want you to tell me who copied my answers."

Wesley shook his arm, as if that would make her let go.

He frowned, but still answered her question. "She's the professor's niece. She's an excellent student."

I really don't understand why she would cheat, and I especially don't understand why she would copy from you. She has many friends in class and is very popular.

Sienna immediately grasped the implication—she wasn't very popular in class and didn't have many friends. The same was true outside of class.

“I didn’t cheat,” Sienna said.

“Let me go,” Wesley said. “Maybe I’ll show your exam paper to the professor.”

Do you want this? To be expelled before even completing a semester?

Sienna took a deep breath. That's just too...unfair.

However, this kind of thing happens often. It's not that she's accused of cheating, but rather of things she can't refute. People always bully the weak and fear the strong, and Sienna was that pushover.

First, someone put kimchi in her burger, and she was too shy to ask for a refund. Now this has happened again.

“Listen to me, Wesley,” Sienna said. She used the tone she only used when her sisters truly needed to be listened to.

Gentle and calm, yet with a hint of firmness. Her grip tightened, as if she wanted to connect herself tightly with the teaching assistant.

“You accuse me without any evidence. You convict me based solely on your subjective assumptions, yet you have unquestioning faith in another person who was not present.”

“Let me go,” Wesley said.

Since all this had happened, she finally looked up and met Wesley's gaze for the first time. He looked increasingly uneasy.

"Did you do this because it's easier? Just because the professor's niece can't possibly make a mistake? You like her that much? Did she smile at you? Or say something that makes you happy?"

You said she's popular and has friends.

Do you think I haven't? Perhaps you're right. I've been dealing with all of this alone, grappling with problems you can't even imagine, Wesley.

I haven't had a good night's sleep in months, Wesley. I have to do my homework while the kids are screaming and setting things on fire, Wesley.

Wesley tried to break free of his arms.

She didn't let go.

"No. No, you have no right to speak, Wesley. You listen to me, because you...you are a really...terrible person."

Just because I'm not as popular as others, you decided to ruin my beautiful afternoon? Or is it because you're too lazy, sitting at your pitiful little desk, casually drawing conclusions like an academic authority? Do you know how much pressure I'm under? Do you even know?

"I--"

“Shut up, Wesley,” Sienna snapped. This wasn’t the kind of language she would use with her sisters.

But Wesley wasn't her sister. "I didn't cheat. I studied hard and put in the time for that exam, even though it wasn't easy."

You're wrong to draw conclusions based on mere conjecture. I won't be punished for someone else's actions. I won't let you ruin my studies just because you're too lazy to investigate properly.

I've had enough of those idiots who, with the slightest bit of power, are too lazy to do their jobs.

Wesley finally managed to break free of Sienna's grasp. She was breathing heavily, perhaps even slightly sweaty, and her hair was a little disheveled. At that moment, only the surging adrenaline within her prevented her from curling up into a ball of tension, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Wesley seemed to have found his voice. "I'll... talk to the professor?"

“Okay, that’s great, thank you,” Sienna said. She cleared her throat, then clutched her things tightly and hurried out of the classroom. “No, no, no,” she murmured to herself.

Sienna walked silently through the crowd outside, as usual, though she kept talking to herself.

“I’m not the villain,” she said, even though she felt incredibly good about getting angry just now.