episode_0005

I should have intervened.

– Is the plan all set?

– Of course. I’ve prepared so much for this day.

– Alright, let’s stick to the plan.

Upon hearing that ambiguous conversation, I should have understood its meaning rather than brushing it off.

– Lian, I’m asking you. Can you keep your promise?

– I’ll trust only Lian. Please.

If I had understood, there would have been no need to hear such words.

If I had known, there would have been no need to keep the final promise.

…no need to keep it at all.

“…”

I had a nightmare.

And not just once, but several times up until now.

Having nightmares wasn’t unusual in itself.

When I first transmigrated, nightmares plagued me whenever I slept.

Ironically, I find the present preferable; back then, I had to force myself to sleep.

But what intrigued me was this:

“….What am I supposed to protect?”

What request did the me in the nightmare receive?

What kind of plea made me so tormented with regret over past actions?

“No matter how I listen, it’s my voice.”

The self-pitying mutter was unmistakably the voice of “Lian Trice” to anyone who heard it.

A voice regretting not stopping something.

A voice regretting disregarding someone else’s conversation.

“…Lian Trice regrets.”

From my perspective as someone familiar with the original work, this was truly remarkable.

Even if it’s a dream, the fact that the original fool regrets his actions is so nonsensical that if I hadn’t dreamt it myself, I’d dismiss it as nonsense.

Lian Trice wouldn’t regret it.

The Lian Trice I know is definitely not someone who regrets his actions.

More accurately, he shouldn’t be.

“…”

It was an undeniable fact.

An indisputable fact that no one could deny, or even consider denying.

This was a fact I painfully realized while living as “Lian Trice” and today, the wound on my right wrist felt even more raw.

I escaped from the dormitory.

The time displayed on my watch read 7:30 PM.

The regular class at the academy starts at 8:30 a.m., so I felt like I had come out unnecessarily early, with enough time to spare. “······Refreshing.” However, this was the most comfortable time for me to come out. No one to run into. Time to claim the back seat in the classroom. The early bird catches the worm. Every time I use it, it feels like there’s not a single wrong word in those old sayings. Well, if it were wrong, it would have disappeared long ago. It’s not like words that don’t really fit keep coming down. It was a truly meaningless thought. Vroom- I arrived at the classroom at 7:40 a.m., just 10 minutes after leaving the dormitory. It’s nice because it’s close. Perhaps it’s because it’s an academy designed by professional technicians. Even though I walk at a rather slow pace, this is the result. It was a moment when I once again felt how well-designed Sacred Academy was. “You’re here early.” “···.” “Elena was right as always.” At the same time, I realized that someone was already sitting in the seat where I usually sit. Long black hair stained with ink. Red eyes that anyone would notice at least once. “······Aria.” Aria Trice. The third heroine appearing in the original work. “I told you not to call my name, didn’t I?” “···.” “Do you think you have the right to say my name from your mouth?” The younger sister of Lian Trice from the original work. In other words, she was Aria Trice, my younger sister for now. *** Honestly, it was unbelievable. It was unbelievable that someone who hated being called by name from my mouth came to meet me from the morning. “······This is a second-year classroom.” Because this was a second-year classroom, Aria, who was originally a first-year, shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Since when did the discipline of the academy become so lax? How lax does it have to be for a first-year to come into a second-year classroom without any fear? It felt like the old-fashioned part of me inside was coming alive on its own, but Aria seemed to think that such a fact wasn’t particularly important.

“That’s irrelevant. There’s no one here anyway.”

“······Can’t you see me?”

“That’s right. Apart from you coming to find me, there’s no one else here. What does it matter?”

“···.”

Their confidence left me speechless.

I’m not the one at fault, so why do I feel so small?

Taking a breath in this miserable situation, I decided to just send her away quickly and asked Ariah with that thought in mind, “So, what brings you here?”

“Hmm, so why did you come looking for me?”

“Why? You dislike me so much, there must be a reason you’re suppressing your aversion to come find me.”

“······Oh, right. I momentarily forgot.”

It was truly maddening. If anyone should feel uncomfortable in this situation, it would be me, but the person in front of me was the one voicing it.

Ugh. My head hurts.

As I briefly held my head due to the throbbing pain, Ariah finally began to speak about the reason for seeking me out.

“Fine. I don’t really want to chat with you for long. I’ll just tell you why I came.”

“······Alright.”

“Did you go to the hospital yesterday?”

After mentioning the reason for coming, Ariah abruptly questioned me about my visit to the hospital.

Hmm. Why are so many people suddenly curious about my personal life since yesterday?

I had no idea why Ariah was interested in my hospital visit, but there was no reason to hide the fact that I had been there.

“Yeah, I did.”

I replied without much thought.

Upon hearing my response, Ariah immediately furrowed her brow.

“Why did you go? Where were you hurting?”

“I went because I was in pain. If I wasn’t hurting, I wouldn’t have gone to the hospital.”

“That’s not what I mean. Where were you hurting that made you go to the hospital?”

She continued her questioning assault as if she had no intention of letting it go easily.

Watching her quietly, a genuine question slowly arose within me.

“······Why are you so curious about that?”

Why is she curious about this?

Why is the woman in front of me, who is so similar to me in every way, so curious about this?

“······Huh?”

She hadn’t expected to receive a question in return, and Ariah visibly showed signs of confusion.

“No, I was just curious. Why are you asking me this?”

“I’m just concerned about Elena unnie…”

“I already know. The fact that I went to the hospital was told to you by Elena.”

It was an obvious fact. Even though Ariah belonged to the popular position among the first graders, she couldn’t possibly be aware of news from the second graders. It was a painful fact that she must have heard from someone she had treated like a sister since childhood.

I even mentioned earlier that I usually come to the classroom early. Not noticing such facts when she knew them was simply the problem of someone who couldn’t notice things.

“What I’m curious about is that. What’s your intention in asking me this?”

“… ”

“You’re asking because you have some intention. Honestly, our relationship is worse than that of strangers.”

Honestly, I found it difficult to understand the situation itself. From the beginning, the other party was Ariah. She detested hearing her own name from my mouth and addressed me not as ‘oppa’ but with ‘you’. The person who hated Seacret’s troublemaker more than anyone else was Ariah. Such a person who disliked me so much. Why was she making a fuss from the morning?

“I, I… ”

Ariah couldn’t answer. Her voice was trembling little by little, sounding like she could burst into tears at any moment.

“Fine, I went to the hospital because of my wrist. There’s nothing serious, and I was diagnosed that it will get better if I rest.”

“Is that all? Then go.”

Was it because of the words telling her to go? Or was it because I explained the reason for going to the hospital?

Ariah got up straight away and left the classroom, passing by me.

I felt like a really bad guy. Like a bad older brother who made his younger sister cry with harsh words.

In reality, I knew to some extent. Ariah came looking for me just because she was worried after hearing from Elena that I missed class and went to the hospital.

Aria Trice is that kind of person.

She’s so kind-hearted that she worries about people she dislikes.

Yes, that’s who she was.

Lian Trice would never change, like a stubborn person.

Aria Trice was like an angel, kind and gentle to everyone.

However, despite knowing this fact, I ended up making Aria cry and sending her away.

“······Sigh.”

I couldn’t even fathom the reason.

It was hard for me to understand my own actions.

I just felt like it had to be that way.

It seemed like Lian Trice and Aria Trice should always have a strained relationship.

I couldn’t understand the reason.

In truth, I wasn’t particularly curious.

“······Nothing will change.”

Even if things improve between Aria and me now, nothing will change.

That thought alone lingered in my mind.