Chapter 242

Rｅ​ad̀ ȯn​ K‍​ａẗR​​eaⅾ&i;​n​g̃Ca‍fe

In the end, I gave up on taking a nap.

My friends came to visit me at the hospital—how could I just lazily sleep?

Besides, I didn’t actually need to sleep. Super regeneration is an all-purpose ability, after all. It means I can recover from fatigue without needing deep sleep.

If I really wanted to, I could stay awake for 24 hours without any issues. Not that I’d do that, though—there’s no need to go that far, not yet.

As I chatted with the three of them about this and that, time flew by.

I’d been asleep for a month, so I’d lost track of the dates, but today was a weekday. That meant Arin, Leo, and Anastasia should’ve been at the academy, not the hospital.

The reason they were here during class hours was because Arin had skipped the academy without permission.

She’d heard the news that I’d woken up and immediately dropped everything to come running.

Our strict and diligent class president had gone and done something so out of character…

Ehehe, I’m a little embarrassed. It seems I’m more loved than I thought. Feeling oddly pleased, I hugged Arin and patted her head.

Leo and Anastasia had followed Arin. They’d been worried when she suddenly ran out of the classroom, so they chased after her and ended up visiting me at the hospital.

Such kind-hearted friends, worrying about their friend. I’ll reward them. I spread my arms wide to hug them too.

“Wow!”

Anastasia hopped like a rabbit and threw herself into my chest.

Ehehe, so cute. It would’ve been even better if she were shorter. It’s a shame she’s only a little shorter than Lucia.

She acts like a child, but she’s surprisingly tall. Ah, maybe I’m just short? Still, I think I’m average height.

“No, I’m fine…”

Unlike Anastasia, who readily accepted the hug, Leo blushed and refused.

He looks like the type of guy who’d charm women with boyfriends, but he’s surprisingly shy.

When I playfully approached him, Leo took a step back to escape.

They’d skipped the morning classes without permission, but it seemed they didn’t plan to miss the afternoon classes too. The three of them left the hospital before the afternoon.

Thanks to that, I had free time again, but I’d already recovered my fatigue through super regeneration. I immediately started the discharge process.

It couldn’t be helped, but I’d been away for too long.

It’s been over a month since I last went back.

Now, let’s go home.

It’s a dormitory provided by the academy, but to me, it’s home.

I’ve lived there ever since I became Lucia. It’s the place where I feel most at ease. As I left the hospital, I stretched and let out a big yawn. A small excitement made my heart race.

Eugene and Alice often skipped the academy. Unlike the three of them, their absences were legal.

When the God of War himself takes you away for training, what can you do? You have to let them go. Apparently, they’d skipped the academy again today.

Which means, no one’s in the dorm today.

I walked with light steps, grinning from ear to ear.

Ever since I started living with Alice, I haven’t had any personal time.

Even when I wanted to enjoy my hobbies, I couldn’t because I was too conscious of Alice.

But not today.

It was a rare moment of freedom.

I swallowed hard as I thought about the hobby tools I’d hidden away from Alice.

The tools that had been gathering dust for so long would finally see the light of day.

What should I do first? Where should I start cutting? Just imagining it made my body heat up.

While I’d vented a lot of my desires during the torture session with Astaroth, Lucille’s body didn’t know satisfaction. It was like pouring water into a cracked jar—it never fills up.

“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it.”

There’s so much I want to do.

◆

“Lucia… I’m really glad you seem okay…”

After school. Arin walked down the hallway, her shoulders slumped listlessly.

She’d been scolded by Si-ul, the assistant homeroom teacher, for skipping class without permission, but that wasn’t the reason for her mood.

Normally, she’d be training at this time, but today was an exception. Her chest felt heavy and stifled, as if something foreign was stuck in her veins. Even her breaths felt heavy.

Lucia, who’d woken up after a month, hadn’t changed at all.

She was still the same bright girl, like a sunflower facing the sun.

But Arin’s heart couldn’t find peace.

‘I couldn’t tell her…’

Arin furrowed her brow. When she’d visited the hospital, she’d planned to confess honestly. About the atrocity she’d committed. About how she’d stood by and done nothing during Lucia’s crisis.

The woman in the red fox mask was looking for Lucia.

Arin had known, yet she hadn’t stopped Lucia.

She’d let her go because it meant she’d be safe.

Of course, Lucia would never know about this.

If Arin kept her mouth shut, it would quietly be buried.

No one would blame her.

No one would hold her accountable.

But Arin didn’t want that. She didn’t want to turn a blind eye to her own wrongdoing. She didn’t want to ignore her guilt. What had happened once couldn’t be erased. It wouldn’t disappear. Even if no one else knew, she herself knew.

‘Lucia might just brush it off…’

She might just laugh it off, even if she knew the truth.

She might even comfort me, saying it was the right choice.

‘…Still, I want to apologize.’

The dormitory hallway was quiet.

Only the sound of Arin’s footsteps broke the silence.

The academy was an educational facility for training supernaturals.

At this time, everyone would be outside the dorm, training their abilities.

“Has Lucia come back yet?”

She’d said she’d be discharged today, so she should’ve returned to the dorm by now. If she wasn’t here, I could just wait. If she still didn’t come, I could go to the hospital. What should I say first? How should I apologize? Arin still hadn’t figured it out.

Her steps were slow.

She still didn’t have the courage to face Lucia.

She took a step, then sighed.

She took another step, then sighed deeply.

Like a turtle crawling, she made her way to Lucia’s room.

No matter how slowly she walked, she’d eventually reach her destination.

Before she knew it, Arin was standing in front of Lucia’s room.

But even after arriving, she just stood there blankly.

She raised her hand to knock, then let it drop weakly.

‘Was I always such a coward?’

Thinking about it, yes.

She was a coward.

That’s why she’d run away alone during the Great Calamity.

That’s why she’d left Lucia behind in District 6.

Always.

Every time.

She’d always prioritized her own safety.

“…”

Arin bit her lip hard.

She pinched her cheeks with both hands as hard as she could.

The sharp pain made her heart beat faster.

What are you doing, standing here like this?

Stop being pathetic and get it together.

“Huu…”

Arin took a deep breath. To calm her racing heart, she tightly closed her eyes. It was a method her father had taught her. Blocking her vision and taking deep breaths could help ease tension.

It didn’t seem very effective, but it gave her a sliver of courage. Arin opened her eyes. She lightly clenched her fist and knocked on the door.

Creak!

But before her fist could touch the door.

Arin froze in place.

“?!”

Her supernatural ability activated.

Danger Sense.

Her ability was warning her of danger. The alarm ringing in her head made her gasp.

‘What? What’s going on? Danger? This is the academy dormitory. There’s no reason for Danger Sense to activate here!’

Arin looked in the direction the danger was coming from. Right in front of her. Beyond the door. Her vision turned white. By the time she regained her senses, she was already moving.

Arin grabbed the doorknob and pulled.

Click.

The door was locked. It wouldn’t open. The dormitory management office had a master key that could open any dorm room. But Arin didn’t have the time to run there.

Beep beep.

Even now, Danger Sense was blaring its warning.

Arin took two steps back. Then, she lunged forward like a spring. She stomped so hard the floor dented and slammed her shoulder into the door.

If an ordinary person had done this, they’d only hurt themselves. But Arin wasn’t ordinary. While her supernatural ability didn’t grant direct destructive power, her physical abilities were superhuman.

Naturally, the door couldn’t withstand the impact and shattered in an instant. Despite its sturdy design, it was nowhere near strong enough to endure the strength of a supernatural.

The alarm grew louder.

Arin hurriedly stepped into the room.

What unfolded before her eyes far exceeded her expectations.

She only managed a few steps before she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Lu… Lucia?”

“A-Ah, Arin?!”

“Wh-what are you… doing?”

Arin’s voice trembled more than ever.

Lucia’s panicked gaze turned to Arin.

She was standing on a chair.

Holding a rope with both hands.

A noose-like knot tied around it, hanging from the ceiling.

“N-no, um, you see…”

Lucia let go of the rope and waved her hands frantically, trying to explain.

But she was so flustered that her words were too jumbled to understand.

Even if she had spoken clearly, Arin wouldn’t have been able to process it.

“Lucia, you…”

“I-it’s a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding…?”

Where in this scene is there room for misunderstanding?

Arin’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

Her eyes behind her glasses trembled aimlessly.

The situation was clear.

Too clear—so clear that she wanted to deny it.

Arin’s lips quivered.

She couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

“I-it’s…”

Lucia, still flustered, forced a laugh and pulled up the corners of her mouth.

It was an awkward, obviously fake smile.

“Can you… keep this a secret from everyone else…?”

Her shaky plea left Arin unable to respond.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
A friend who was kidnapped has returned but then tries to take her own life (not really)

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Arin stole Lucia’s first!!