Chapter 244

Ｒｅ​ａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

I don’t know.

I don’t understand anything.

Why did it come to this?

What am I supposed to say in this situation?

How, why, what.

All these thoughts tangled together, leaving my mind blank.

Arin’s gaze was fixed on Lucia’s face.

Seeing her flustered and desperately trying to hide the rope made Arin’s mouth go dry.

Lucia’s voice, saying it was a misunderstanding, sounded distant. Nausea rose in her chest. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She wanted to run away. Right now, she wanted to escape.

But Arin knew she couldn’t do that. It was a terrible habit. Running away from danger.

Arin acted on impulse.

She couldn’t even explain to herself why she did it.

She strode over to Lucia and tore the noose-shaped rope apart.

The rope was tough and durable, but it couldn’t withstand the grip of a supernatural.

“Ah, Arin?!”

After tossing the shredded rope aside, Arin grabbed Lucia’s hand. Ignoring Lucia’s panicked reaction, Arin frantically looked around the room.

The room looked ordinary, but her Danger Sense was screaming warnings.

‘…It’s not just the rope.’

Lucia’s room was filled with things that could harm her.

Danger Sense originally only detected dangers to Arin herself.

That’s why Arin hated her ability so much.

This time was no different.

It seemed like it was detecting danger to Lucia, but in reality, it was warning Arin about her own danger.

Danger wasn’t always limited to physical threats.

If something happened to Lucia, Arin wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Huh? Huh? W-wait…?!”

Arin led Lucia out of the room. She couldn’t stay here. Lucia couldn’t be left in this room. She couldn’t be left alone.

Arin forced her trembling legs to move. As they got farther from the room, her Danger Sense quieted down.

Arin headed to her own room. There was no other place where they could talk without outside interference.

The loud crash of the door breaking had drawn the attention of a few students still in the dormitory, but Arin paid them no mind. Her mind was filled with the scene from earlier.

The rope.

If she’d been just a little later.

If she’d arrived just a few minutes later.

“…”

The worst-case scenario flashed before her eyes.

Her already pale face turned even whiter.

It felt like her legs would give out at any moment.

Once they were back in her room, Arin immediately locked the door. Lucia, who had been half-dragged there, was fidgeting and glancing at Arin nervously.

Arin, who had acted on impulse to bring Lucia here, now felt like her entire body was freezing over. The driving force that had pushed her forward was gone without a trace.

Every cell in her body felt lifeless.

A cold, wintry chill brushed against her chin.

Arin couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

Her teeth chattered loudly, clashing against each other.

Lucia had tried to kill herself.

That strong, brave girl.

She had tried to end her life by hanging herself.

She had been smiling.

When I visited her in the hospital, she seemed just like her usual self.

‘…It’s my fault.’

It’s all my fault.

If only I hadn’t turned a blind eye.

If only I had been honest that day.

If only I had stopped her.

She wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

She wouldn’t have been driven to the point of choosing suicide.

‘If only I… had been a little braver…’

I hadn’t thought deeply about it until now.

I unconsciously avoided it.

Because the more I thought about it, the more it hurt.

After being kidnapped, Lucia had been in a coma for a month.

What had happened to her?

What kind of horrors had she endured to give up on life?

Arin bit her lip to hold back the nausea and scream rising in her throat.

I should’ve stopped her.

That day, I shouldn’t have let her go.

At the very least, I shouldn’t have left her alone.

If only I had gone with her…

“Hey, Arin.”

Lucia’s voice made Arin flinch.

Her tone was gentle, but it felt like an accusation.

Arin couldn’t lift her head. She didn’t have the courage to face her.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s all a misunderstanding.”

“…A misunderstanding?”

What are you talking about?

A misunderstanding? About what? What part? Why?

Arin couldn’t understand Lucia’s words.

“What’s… the misunderstanding?”

“Well, you see…”

Arin’s dazed gaze turned to Lucia.

Lucia was awkwardly smiling, trailing off her words.

“You know my supernatural ability, right? I’m not going to die from just a little choking.”

“…”

Yeah, that’s true.

Lucia’s supernatural ability is Super Regeneration.

She can recover from any injury, and she even survived having her head cut off.

If she wanted to, she wouldn’t die from something like hanging.

‘But what if… she doesn’t want to?’

Supernatural abilities are powered by the mind.

They’re deeply influenced by one’s mental state.

The innate superhuman physical abilities of a supernatural grants them incredible resilience.

Their durability is on a completely different level. Fatal injuries or blood loss that would kill an ordinary person can be endured relatively easily by a supernatural. That’s why they can fight against monsters from other worlds.

But if a supernatural loses the will to live, the story changes.

Their powerful physical abilities weaken.

Their durability becomes pitiful.

A supernatural can still commit suicide.

With something as insignificant as a box cutter.

With a single kitchen knife that wouldn’t even leave a scratch normally.

And that includes even those with regeneration.

“Then why were you trying to hang yourself?”

“Well… you see… I was, uh, training my ability.”

At Arin’s question, Lucia gave an absurd answer. She waved her hands around and began rambling incoherently.

“Supernatural abilities grow stronger the more you use them, right? To train my super regeneration, I need to get hurt first…”

“…”

Arin almost let out a hollow laugh. Who in the world hangs themselves to train their ability? That’s so inefficient. Is that how you train regeneration?

No, even if I give you the benefit of the doubt.

Let’s say everything you’re saying is true.

Let’s assume your words are completely honest and there’s no lie.

Then why are you avoiding my eyes?

Like someone who’s lying.

“I get it. It definitely looked like a situation that could be misunderstood. But think about it. A regeneration user wouldn’t die from hanging, right? If I really wanted to die, I would’ve chosen a more certain method.”

“…”

“So, um, don’t tell anyone else… I don’t want to worry anyone…”

Are you worrying about others even in this situation?

Or are you just afraid your plans will be disrupted if today’s incident gets out?

Arin wanted to snap at her.

She wanted to express her anger, even though she had no right to.

But she didn’t.

Because she already knew the answer.

Given Lucia’s personality, as she’d seen so far.

It was definitely closer to the former.

“If I don’t tell anyone… will you stop doing things like that…?”

“Ah…”

Lucia flinched. When their eyes met, she reflexively looked away. That action spoke for itself.

Arin clenched her fists tightly. She always kept her nails short for sword training. Even so, her nails dug into her palms. Hot blood stained her nails a deep red.

“Yeah, I won’t do it anymore.”

A lie.

Lucia, your thoughts are written all over your face.

I think I know what you’re thinking right now.

“…Really? You promise?”

At Arin’s words, Lucia nodded repeatedly.

Did she think she’d successfully fooled me?

Who would fall for such an obvious lie?

“W-well, I’ll head back now. I need to fix the broken door…”

As she said that, Lucia turned around. Arin reflexively grabbed her hand as she reached for the doorknob.

Startled by the sudden action, Lucia looked at Arin with a panicked expression. Avoiding her gaze, Arin shook her head slightly.

“No.”

“Arin…?”

It’s dangerous to leave Lucia alone right now. I’ve torn the rope to pieces so she can’t use it again, but ropes aren’t the only thing that can threaten a life.

The rope was just a tool, after all. Depending on how it’s used, a tool can be beneficial or threatening.

Other tools are the same. A kitchen knife is a useful tool for cooking, but if you turn the blade the other way, it becomes an irreversible weapon.

Danger Sense had warned her.

It had screamed that Lucia’s room was filled with all kinds of dangers.

I can’t let her go back.

If there’s no one to watch her, she’ll finish what she started.

“I broke the door, so I’ll take responsibility and fix it.”

“You really don’t have to…”

“No. It’s because I’m uncomfortable.”

Arin forced the corners of her mouth up.

Her head throbbed as if being pricked by dozens of needles.

She tried to smile as naturally as possible, but it didn’t work.

Her heart was pounding.

Her uniform was damp with cold sweat.

Her throat felt tight, making it hard to breathe.

I’m scared. Arin was scared. If she let Lucia go like this, she felt like she’d never see her again.

She bit her lip, her face pale.

A sharp pain from her slightly torn lip brought her back to her senses.

She frowned at the taste of blood lingering on her tongue.

That day, I couldn’t stop Lucia.

I couldn’t stop her.

Not this time.

Not today.

One mistake was enough.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
I have bad news and worse news. Which one do you want to hear first?

Yes? Bad news first?

I told you I was busy during March and April, right?

Well, May is going to be much worse, compared to May, those two months would have been a breeze. I took a look at the schedule and felt like I was going to die. Can’t you just let me rest on Sundays in good conscience?

For that reason, I think the upload schedule for next month will be a bit worse.

Next is the worse news.

Actually, I think it was the last mercy, but the last week of April was pretty good.

I was planning to upload during this time…

Sorry!!!!! I got on the train (Honkai Star Rail)! I played a game during the time that I should have used to upload more chapters! I couldn’t help it! Himeko-sensei is alive there!

I’ll just do this then write, I’ll do that then write, and when I came to my senses, it was already the weekend.

Star Rail… I was just going to play a little…

Yes? Why is this the worse news?

Well, I used to write when I had free time, right?

But since I’m playing a game, I won’t have much time to write during that time.

I won’t have much free time for next month anyway, and even if I do get a little bit of free time… That… Hehehe…

Well, that’s it for me!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Let’s unleash the Gimnaeng on the author as punishment!