Truth 1

Han Seoyeon is a liar.

No matter what anyone says, she is nothing more than a liar.

She hid everything despite knowing it all.

Muttering convenient excuses about aiming for a happy ending.

As a result, there are people who got hurt.

Han Seoyeon is no different from having committed a crime.

“…I have a favor to ask.”

Now she must speak.

Without hiding anything.

“I want you to listen carefully to everything I’m about to say.”

In front of everyone.

The girl confessed the truth.

“It might be hard to believe. It might be unbelievable. …But, everything I’m saying is true.”

Even in a reality where Gates and monsters exist.

Something that has no sense of reality.

“You know, this world is inside a novel. A single one.”

Something infinitely close to a daydream.

A story that even transcendent beings would find hard to accept.

“The title is, ‘The Academy’s Falling Star Swordsman’.”

The Academy’s Falling Star Swordsman.

A novel with such a title.

“It’s a novel that I, in my past life, enjoyed reading.”

This world was the world inside such a novel.

“I have memories of my past life. In my past life, I was a reader of the novel.”

The girl was a reader of such a novel.

Not a character from this world.

“The protagonist of this novel is Han Suho. My lovely twin sister. However, Suho’s twin sister doesn’t appear in the original work. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

A self-posed question with a predetermined answer.

Han Seoyeon answered herself.

“…I am a character that originally didn’t exist in this world.”

The girl named Han Seoyeon didn’t exist in this world to begin with.

“I died once, and was reborn. As the twin sister of the novel’s protagonist.”

Reincarnation.

There’s no other way to express it.

“I don’t know how, or why I was born in the world of a novel. But one thing was certain, the fact that I became the sister of the novel’s protagonist.”

I don’t know the reason.

I don’t know the process.

Being born as the protagonist’s twin is the only clear result.

“I pitied the novel’s protagonist, Suho.”

The only blood relative in the world.

The twin sister knew the hardships her younger sibling would face.

“‘The Academy’s Falling Star Swordsman’ is a tragic story, you see. The protagonist suffers a lot. Being driven out to the slums, facing discrimination, unable to protect loved ones…”

The genre of this world is tragedy.

A bad novel where the world constantly torments the protagonist.

“…I couldn’t bear the thought of my sister going through such things.”

If it had been someone else’s story, I might have just accepted it and moved on.

But if that was to be the future of my only sister in the world.

“So, I thought. I would become the protagonist instead of Suho.”

How could I leave it be?

I am the older sister, after all.

“I was somewhat confident. Because I had read this world as a book once. Because I knew the future of this world. So, I thought I could do it. …I ended up thinking that way.”

I had confidence.

It was arrogant confidence.

The fact that I knew the future.

Based on that alone.

“I thought I could achieve a happier ending than the original. That I could make Suho, and all the other characters, happier than in the original work.”

A confidence without any evidence to back it up.

Not much different from an empty promise.

“But that wasn’t the case.”

How could I have been so arrogant?

Even if I knew the future, I was nothing more than an ordinary person in the end.

“I couldn’t do anything. No, it might have been better if I hadn’t been able to do anything at all.”

From the moment a character like her, who didn’t exist in the original work, existed, the future was bound to be distorted.

“I failed.”

This was the result.

Han Seoyeon didn’t make anyone happy.

“I didn’t even realize my sister was getting hurt. And that’s not all. I ended up giving a terrible experience to someone who would have had a happy ending if things had gone as they originally should have. I forcibly hurt someone who would have enjoyed a happy daily life if it hadn’t been for me, if I hadn’t existed.”

Han Suho suffered domestic abuse for over ten years.

Baek Da-eun experienced the pain of heartbreak.

“So I want to apologize here. I shamelessly hope you’ll listen.”

Lee Ha-yul ended up with injuries that brought her to the brink of death.

Perhaps, she might have died just like that.

“I’m sorry.”

Now, it’s probably impossible to heal their wounds.

Han Seoyeon simply bowed her head and apologized sincerely.

“Due to my selfishness, I hurt you all.”

What descended was a moment of silence.

No one could easily utter a word.

Not Han Suho.

Not Baek Da-eun.

Not Lee Ha-yul.

“…”

Even Michaela couldn’t.

They couldn’t even grasp how to respond.

“…Hmm.”

The voice that first broke that silence was none other than.

The girl with the least connection to Han Seoyeon.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I get it.”

Yoo Sua spoke with a frown.

“Just to be clear, I’m not saying I’m denying your words. I think you’re a person worthy of trust. I do.”

There was no wavering in her purple eyes.

Not a hint of hesitation could be felt in her voice.

“I just think there might be room for a different interpretation of your opinion. To me, this world is reality. It’s not something inside a novel. No matter what anyone says.”

These are words that can be confidently uttered by a girl who seeks a human anthem even in a world ruled by Constellations.

Words from someone who seeks to be a hungry human rather than a well-fed slave.

“If I were to interpret your so-called past life in my own way… Yeah, an ability to see the future would fit. More precisely, an ability to see the future of a parallel world where you don’t exist.”

While arbitrary.

At the same time, it was an expression that more coldly defined Han Seoyeon’s situation than anyone else.

“You’re a good person. But good intentions don’t always point to the right answer. Sometimes, the results of good intentions can lead to wrongdoing. That’s probably the gist of what you’re worried about.”

At this point, Yoo Sua is the character from the original work most distant from Han Seoyeon.

They’ve only met once.

“So let me ask you this. When you simply look at the results, do you think you’ve done more good or more bad?”

That’s why.

She could diagnose Han Seoyeon more accurately than anyone else.

“I… nothing…”

“I won’t let you say you’ve done nothing. I’m right here in front of you, aren’t I?”

That was how Yoo Sua repaid her debt.

It was a small repayment from a girl who had been saved by Han Seoyeon without any particular reason.

“It’s good to feel guilty. That’s quite understandable. But don’t undervalue yourself because of it. There are people who have been saved by you, you know.”

Yoo Sua smiled softly.

“I’ll ask again. What good have you done, and what bad have you done?”

“…I.”

Is it okay for someone like her to answer?

Han Seoyeon hesitated for a moment.

Then, taking a deep breath.

She spoke the facts as they were.

“I hurt my sister.”

“Your twin sister seems fine to me.”

“I hurt my friend.”

“You mean that twintail girl over there? She looks healthy.”

“…I couldn’t protect…”

“If you’re talking about the patient who just woke up, it seems all her limbs are intact and she’s alive.”

The responses were different from what she expected.

They were not at all directed at her as a perpetrator.

“You shouldn’t… say such things…!”

So Han Seoyeon might have gotten angry in return.

“Those are just simple results!”

“That’s right. And they’re also clear facts.”

Yoo Sua took it calmly.

“No one died. Everyone’s alive and well. Isn’t that enough? As long as they didn’t die, isn’t that good enough? They can build happiness again, can’t they?”

“…That’s just cowardly self-comfort. Such things.”

“Well, that’s something we should hear from those ladies, not you. Right?”

“…!”

Han Seoyeon turned her gaze back.

She felt too ashamed to even make eye contact.

“…There’s nothing new about what you’re saying.”

A voice was heard.

A familiar one, belonging to the pink-haired girl.

“There’s no way I would resent you, is there?”

It belonged to the girl she had once made cry.

“Even if you had some circumstances. Even if you had some reason.”

This time, without crying.

Baek Da-eun answers.

“The fact that you saved me is the truth, after all.”

Certainly, Han Seoyeon’s confession was shocking.

That was all.

Baek Da-eun’s heart doesn’t waver.

Because she was saved by Han Seoyeon.

There’s no need to add any unnecessary words.

That was Baek Da-eun’s truth.

“So, you don’t need to feel unnecessary guilt because of that.”

“I agree.”

Lee Ha-yul continues.

“I did a lot of nasty things to you. Discriminating, ignoring… Yet you risked your life for me twice. Asking for more than that, wouldn’t that be a thief’s mentality?”

She had been tormenting Han Seoyeon all this time.

If classified, she had committed wrongdoings.

Even knowing the future, she could have easily turned a blind eye.

She could have even used that knowledge to plot revenge.

Han Seoyeon didn’t do that.

The girl felt only guilt.

So how could they hate her?

This kind, kind girl.

“Sister.”

And.

“I’m sorry.”

More lovable than anything else.

Her twin sister, who was the meaning of her life.

“For always leaving heavy burdens to you, sister.”

A single.

Tear, was falling.

“For always turning away from such a sister.”

“…You’re wrong. No. I’ve never thought of you as a burden. I haven’t.”

That’s one thing she can’t accept.

Her beloved younger sister shedding tears.

“Well, you’re my little sister. I’m the older sister. For my little sister, I can do this much easily.”

It didn’t hurt or itch.

Because it was for her sister.

“…So, you don’t have to force yourself to comfort me.”

Han Seoyeon had merely fulfilled her personal desires.

She is a hypocrite.

“I didn’t tell the truth to receive such kind comfort.”

But why.

Why do such kind words comfort her?

“I…!”

“It’s not comfort. This is the truth.”

The victims.

To the perpetrator.

Why.

“Your confession is honestly shocking. Maybe, if someone had known you for a long time, there might be a bit of distance. That’s all there is to it.”

Yoo Sua answered that question.

“Don’t put all the blame on yourself. You’re not that bad. The proof is right there beside you, more than any words could say.”

That she’s not bad.

Such convenient comfort.

“This time I’ll ask about the good you’ve done. What good deeds have you done?”

“I…”

“She saved the children in the slums.”

…Is it okay to receive it?

Such kind comfort.

“She saved many children’s lives. She’s done enough to be rightfully called a good deed.”

“…Michaela.”

Her heart wavers.

It ends up wavering.

“What’s this, there was no need to talk about being a sinner or whatever.”

It ends up being released.

Even though she thinks she shouldn’t.

Han Seoyeon is neither a munchkin, nor perhaps even the protagonist anymore.

She’s nothing more than an ordinary person.

“That’s right, there’s someone I want to introduce to you… Come in, Blossom! Don’t hesitate out there.”

A presence felt beyond the door.

It was an unfamiliar presence to Han Seoyeon.

“…You.”

The same appearance.

As Suho.

Golden hair and red eyes.

“Sis… ter…”

Her features are a spitting image of her.

If there’s any difference, it might be just the atmosphere.

“It’s our first time meeting face to face, isn’t it?”

The Homunculus Project is a kind of behind-the-scenes setting.

It doesn’t appear in the main story of [The Academy’s Falling Star Swordsman].

“Say something. You had something you wanted to say, right?”

“…I.”

The girl unknown to Han Seoyeon speaks.

“I’ve been constantly questioning. About the existence of my sister.”

The girl who could be born because Han Seoyeon existed speaks.

“My body is made up of my sisters’ cells. Perhaps because of that, my body would sometimes instinctively take actions I couldn’t understand. I couldn’t kill people. I wanted to protect people. Even if it meant disobeying my creator’s orders.”

Blossom cannot kill people.

Even if it’s her master’s order.

“I still don’t understand everything well. However.”

That’s an improper thing for a tool.

It’s close to a malfunction.

“If I were to guess, it’s probably because my sister’s data has influenced me, that’s what I’ve come to think.”

However, it was a human-like concern.

It was an answer and question that a girl experiencing the world for the first time came to after much contemplation.

“Sister. I want to hear your answer.”

“…No.”

Han Seoyeon, as if struggling, gritted her teeth and.

“I’m not, that kind of, person!”

She pushes away, and pushes away again.

“…You said that originally you were a person who didn’t exist in this world, right?”

Then, as if frustrated.

As if she couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Then let me ask you this.”

Yoo Sua added.

“Do you think that a child made from your cells, who couldn’t have existed in this world if it weren’t for you, shouldn’t exist in the original course of events?”

“Ah…!”

Han Seoyeon immediately retorted with a voice close to a scream.

“N-No! That’s not what I meant, I…!”

“Right?”

Yoo Sua smiled slyly.

“Thanks to you, someone was able to gain life. You have a sister who might not have been able to be born if it weren’t for you.”

“…”

“So, don’t put yourself down. That’s not just lowering yourself, but also lowering everyone who received help from you.”

It was such a kind.

A kind comfort that made her feel like tears would pour out uncontrollably.

“…Do I have the right to receive such comfort?”

“You do, you of all people do.”

Michaela approached the girl.

She matched eye level with the girl who had her head lowered.

“So don’t cry, Seoyeon. When you cry, I feel sad. Everyone feels sad. I don’t want to see you crying. I don’t want to just watch you feeling guilty all alone.”

She embraces her.

“Won’t you smile with us?”

“…Yes.”

So that the girl is no longer alone.

So that she doesn’t have to bear everything by herself.

Until the girl’s cold body temperature warms up.

Michaela didn’t let go of the girl’s body.