Chapter 50

R‍e‌ad‌ ‍o‌n‍ ‌K‍a‌t‍R​​e‍a​d‍i‌n‍g‌​C‌a‌fe‌

The next day.

The drugs in my system were completely neutralized thanks to my super regeneration.

After undergoing various medical tests, I was finally discharged.

As I was changing out of my hospital gown and back into my school uniform, preparing to leave the room, A-Class students, including Arin, showed up for a visit.

Until now, I hadn’t really interacted much with my A-Class peers, aside from Arin and Alice. It was a bit surprising how friendly everyone was being.

Was it because of the bizarre behavior I displayed on the bus?

The class vice-president, Su, let out a deep sigh after checking if my head was still properly attached.

Unexpectedly, Alice wasn’t among the visitors.

I thought at least she would show up.

Was she so shocked by seeing my severed head rolling around?

After meeting with the students, I paid another visit to Eugene and Leo, then also stopped by to see teacher Angelica and Si-ul.

Angelica didn’t look particularly well, but her recovery seemed to be progressing quickly.

Thank goodness. I had been worried because of how severe her injuries were.

Once discharged from the hospital, I caught up on what was happening outside while unaware.

Field training for Classes B and C had been indefinitely suspended.

With the research facility in ruins, there wasn’t enough leeway to continue them.

The National Institute for Monster Research wasn’t just any place—it was practically a hub for the nation’s collective resources and efforts.

If the Celestial Corps fought monsters on the frontlines, the research facility supported them from the rear.

The two were indispensable partners, tightly interwoven. Losing one meant a catastrophic imbalance.

The Celestial Corps was now desperate to find the girl in the Red Fox mask.

One of the four major research facilities was gone, and someone had to take responsibility for that.

They also worked tirelessly to bolster security at the remaining facilities to prevent a similar tragedy.

Though I didn’t want to dismiss their efforts, increasing the number of heroes stationed at a facility wouldn’t stop someone like Astaroth.

If she decided to annihilate a place, it wouldn’t matter if there were a hundred or even a thousand heroes present.

The only ones capable of “fighting” a devil like her were high-ranking supernaturals of the captain class or higher.

Even then, it would take several of them working together to have a chance of winning.

The only exception might be the Celestial Corp’s commander-in-chief.

That person was practically humanity’s ultimate weapon.

While all of this chaos unfolded outside, I’d been stuck in the hospital, fiddling with my fingers.

The world was moving rapidly, tangled with various interests and changes, seen and unseen.

But none of that had anything to do with me.

I was just a first-year academy student.

What use was knowledge when I couldn’t even prove its source?

I’d be lucky if I wasn’t branded as insane.

There was nothing I could do.

At most, I could return to the dormitory and satisfy some pent-up desires.

As I stepped out of the hospital and looked up at the sky, it was a clear and vivid blue without a single cloud in sight.

The blazing sunlight felt harsh. Spring was fading, and summer was on its way.

As for what awaited in this now-blank future of mine, I had no idea.

I could only hope that nothing significant would happen.

◈

Something significant happened right away.

After returning to the dormitory, I took a shower and was cheerfully rummaging through my toolbox.

Should I strengthen my thigh with a hammer? Or maybe drill a hole in the back of my hand?

I was caught in such happy dilemmas when, just as I poked the base of my nail with an awl, a sudden knock came at the door.

Who could it be? Did I even have anyone who would visit me?

Oh, maybe Alice?

Quickly shoving the toolbox under my desk and healing the small injury on my nail, I rushed to open the door.

“Ah, so you’re Lucia?”

But standing on the other side of the door was someone I had never seen before.

Her crimson hair resembled aged wine.

Her vivid red eyes seemed to pull you in.

Her slightly upturned eyes gave her a feline-like air.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m coming in.”

With a bright smile, she greeted me and stepped into the room without waiting for permission.

Her movement was so fluid and natural that I couldn’t even think to stop her as she slid past me.

As I stood there, dumbfounded, another visitor let out a deep sigh.

Seriously, you should ask for permission before barging in. No manners at all. Then again, who am I to talk?

Thankfully, this one was a familiar face.

A girl draped in shades of violet.

She was a fellow student, distinguishable by her excessive accessories.

“Regina? What brings you here?”

“Can I come in first? I’ll explain inside.”

“Hmm… fine, come in.”

Regina strolled in, removing her shoes as she entered.

I carefully shut the door and followed her inside.

The red-haired girl who came in first moved about my room as if it were her own, completely at ease.

She opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of grape juice, and poured it into cups.

“Here you go, a humble offering. This is all I’ve got to serve.”

That’s my grape juice, though…

Before I realized it, she had poured enough for everyone and set the cups on the table.

It felt like she was playing host, but this was my dorm room.

“Seri, stop being a nuisance,” Regina said flatly.

“Ehh~ This isn’t a nuisance at all~” Seri replied with a smug grin.

It absolutely was a nuisance.

If rifling through someone else’s room uninvited isn’t a nuisance, then what is?

I squinted at the girl in question.

Let’s see… distinctive features: wine-red hair, crimson eyes as vivid as blood, and an easy familiarity with Regina.

And most importantly, the name.

The infamous “Three Troublemakers of Class D”.

Yeah, no doubt about it—this was Seri.

So, I knew who she was. But why was she here?

“I stopped by your hospital room earlier.”

I found myself sitting at the table without realizing it.

Regina, seated across from me, absently fidgeted with her cup of grape juice.

“But you were already discharged, so I had no choice but to come and find you.”

“Seriously~ Such a waste of time. If I’d known, I would’ve come straight here,” Seri grumbled, downing her juice in one gulp before refilling her cup.

“Did you need something from me?”

“Yeah. It’s annoying, but I figured it’s better to follow through on aftercare properly,” Regina replied.

“Aftercare?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

Had I bought something from Regina?

I mean, I did take those drugs, but I wouldn’t exactly say I bought them…

“You remember what I said? About increasing the concentration because your condition was worse than usual?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I gave you a detoxifier, but all that does is neutralize the drug’s effects. It doesn’t handle everything else.”

Regina pulled a small round pill from her pocket—something I recognized as the detoxifiers she’d given me before.

“With the concentration you were exposed to, there’s no way you’d avoid withdrawal symptoms.”

Ah, withdrawal symptoms. Yeah, I’d been dealing with those plenty.

It felt like riding a seesaw between euphoria and misery, and let me tell you, misery won out.

Honestly, it wasn’t as bad today, but it was still there.

“You managed to detox yourself with your ability, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Turns out I could do that.”

“And what about the withdrawal symptoms? Gone?”

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to be honest.

I shook my head.

It wasn’t gone, but it wasn’t unbearable, either. It felt manageable, like something I could push through if I gritted my teeth hard enough.

“Thought so.” Regina muttered, letting out a sigh. She pressed her fingers to her temples like she was dealing with a migraine.

“I came here to help with that. If I cause trouble again, I might actually end up in juvie this time, so work with me, alright Seri?”

“…Huh?”

Help with withdrawal symptoms?

How? I was about to ask, but the answer was sitting right here.

Regina might be skilled at making drugs, but curing addiction was beyond her expertise.

But just because Regina couldn’t fix it didn’t mean nobody could.

“The condition for me enrolling in the academy was that I’d stop causing trouble with drugs,” Regina said. “If it gets out that another student’s dealing with withdrawal because of me, things will get messy. Sure, the circumstances will buy me some leniency, but I don’t want unnecessary chaos.”

Ah, so that’s why she’d gone out of her way to bring the detoxifiers to the hospital.

Given her personality and past, she probably would’ve come anyway, even without this reason.

She carried a certain guilt for what she’d done. Selling those drugs hadn’t just been a side hustle—it had ruined lives.

Back then, she’d been too young and naive to understand the gravity of her actions.

She trusted her family. She believed them when they said it wasn’t a big deal.

They’d told her addicts could recover if they just tried a little harder, and she’d believed that, too.

By the time she realized how wrong she’d been, it was far too late to undo the damage.

“Don’t worry.” I said. “It’s not that bad. I just need a few more days, and I’ll be fine.”

“I can’t trust that—someone who said the same thing before suddenly lost it, and besides, enduring it is painful and exhausting, isn’t it?”

“…Haha.”

I couldn’t bring myself to deny it.

Even for someone like Lucia, who transforms pain into pleasure, this queasiness is intolerable.

I tried to embrace it, but no—this was simply pure torment.

Pain that even Lucia can’t stand… this must be a rare occurrence indeed.

“By the way, I can’t fix it myself. My supernatural ability is about creating drugs, not curing their effects. Sure, if I keep supplying you with them, you won’t experience withdrawal, but that’s not a real solution, is it?”

“But I can help with that.”

Seri spoke with a meaningful smile.

Of course, her supernatural ability could indeed address withdrawal symptoms.

In fact, it was far more dangerous than Regina’s drug-making abilities, depending on how it was used.

That’s why I always found Seri to be unsettling.

While Regina is someone I might one day want to get closer to, Seri is… well, I’m unsure.

Her supernatural ability:

Hypnosis.

Seri is a hypnotist.

To put it simply, she possesses the power of mental manipulation.

Brainwashing, suggestion, mind control… she could do it all.

Among the “Three Troublemakers”, she’s undoubtedly the most dangerous.

While her hypnosis doesn’t work well against individuals with robust mental defenses, one could never let their guard down around her.

The combination of Regina and Seri is particularly terrifying.

Regina spreads her drugs, clouding her targets’ judgment, and Seri exploits the cracks in their minds.

Even those with supernatural abilities could fall victim to their combined efforts almost instantly.

But on the flip side, Seri on her own isn’t quite as threatening as she seems.

While she can effortlessly hypnotize ordinary people with a mere gesture or glance, her powers have limited effectiveness against those with supernatural abilities.

And Seri knows that—it’s why she always sticks close to Regina.

“With my power, I can make you forget all about your withdrawal symptoms.”

Seri declared with complete confidence.

I stared at her, trying to mask my unease.

Seri is the epitome of a troublemaker.

Her mischievous, impish nature thrives on stirring things up.

Out of the ten times the Three Troublemakers caused trouble, Seri was behind nine of them. That says it all, doesn’t it?

While I appreciated her offer to eliminate my symptoms…

…could I really trust her?

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia is reluctant to be hypnotized,

but likes drugs.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Hmm if there is a drug that makes me fall asleep forever, sign me up! Heh.