Chapter 69

“Hmm? What were you doing just now? You were just staring blankly at the ceiling.”

As soon as Erica reached where the group had gathered, the transfer student’s words left her perplexed.

-She was certain that she had been with ‘someone’, yet the transfer student spoke as if that presence had gone unnoticed.

The taste of the ice cream she ate under the alias of “Bar seawater” was still vivid on her tongue.

Could it be that the ‘someone’ used their ability to manipulate the meeting, making it invisible to others?

While Erica tried to remind herself that the encounter just now wasn’t a dream and struggled to keep it fresh in her mind,

“Meditation~ My friend likes to meditate for planning. So, now that we’ve done that, where should we go next?”

Someone – as usual, Inna – came to Erica’s rescue with an excuse.

If there was any dissatisfaction with the excuse, the transfer student only shrugged their shoulders, their expression genuinely curious rather than confrontational.

Though, given the timing of the group gathering, it could also be interpreted as a subtle reprimand for being distracted when they should have been focusing.

Inna, with her smooth handling of social and political situations, could have easily pressed the issue further but restrained herself upon seeing the boy next to the transfer student shaking his head.

Though the transfer student didn’t have many close friends, the reason they could still interact with the heir of a powerful Chinese clan was due to the implicit permission given by Rao Ha’s unique form of “politics.”

If Inna were to leverage her influence in the wrong way, it wouldn’t be impossible to challenge not just Rao Ha but also the extensive support system behind her.

However, doing so could lead to unnecessary entanglements with international supernatural organizations or even local ones in South Korea, causing trouble not only for Inna but also for Erica who might become the focal point of such conflict.

Erica.

Currently, the sole reason Inna kept herself in check despite her frustrations with Rao Ha’s sometimes strange political maneuvers – since any harm to Erica would undermine everything.

And because if Kim Ha-neul were to take the side of the opposition simply for not listening to a command to stop, the situation could get complicated.

Only then, after observing the white-haired girl drowsily disengaged from the tension, did the green-haired woman stop herself from escalating the situation any further.

The way Rao Ha’s gaze and words hovered somewhere between kindness and hostility toward Erica were not lost on Inna. And because this ambiguity contained the slightest hint of malevolence or favoritism, Inna could not tolerate Rao Ha.

Despite spending several days in the same group due to the arrangement, the two women were on opposite ends of the spectrum. The group’s attention gradually gravitated toward Erica following Inna’s explanation that she had been pondering their itinerary.

As the tension subsided, it was time for the group to follow other teams and enjoy the school trip.

Of course, the itinerary had already been planned, so it was only a matter of sharing it.

This was why Rao Ha’s comment was somewhat combative, and Inna’s response inevitably defensive – plans had been finalized long before they arrived in Busan.

As the others waited for her to share the itinerary, Erica, slowed by fatigue, turned her head and noticed a woman draped in a gray hoodie walking some distance away.

This woman, who seemed to be checking her surroundings suspiciously, turned toward Erica and began rushing to the group with quick steps.

“Surely, you can’t be…”

While Erica recognized the figure by looking upward at something familiar yet strange, another within their group, known for being particularly attuned to rumors, identified the mystery individual without any special help from the system.

This girl was determined to conduct interviews with all the famous personalities at the school before graduating. However, she had yet to secure an interview with the most well-known of her classmates.

“An interview is needed. An interview!”

As soon as she recognized the opportunity, Kim Da-seul pulled out her phone to use its recording feature, eschewing more professional equipment in favor of maintaining a casual student vibe.

The woman, now revealed as none other than the currently nationwide-celebrity Han Ye-seul, swiftly approached and placed a finger on Kim Da-seul’s lips before she could say another word.

Granting an interview would have been no trouble—it wasn’t meant to be controversial, and she assumed the girl knew the consequence of inappropriate questions would mean no more opportunities. Thus, she expected only standard inquiries.

Much to her surprise, Kim Da-seul’s eyes blazed with a determination to not let this opportunity slip by, remembering all too well the disappointment of Han Ye-seul’s previous promise to grant an exclusive only to flake on her under the excuse of being “too busy.”

Desperate to not lose another chance to interview this elusive celebrity, Kim Da-seul clung onto her arm with a tenacity of someone clinging to a tree or trying to avoid falling from a rooftop.

“Ah, you, body slam!”

While trying to push her off without involving others, Erica labeled the hooded figure (temporarily forgetting the name) after recalling a memory linked to her hairstyle, dubbing her “Body Slam.”

“Huh? What’s with this sudden body slam? I already said I won’t do it now. Let go, please.”

Though partially shielded by her hood and sunglasses, the star showed irritation at having her past brought up in front of an audience, even though she had no intention to start a scandal.

As Han Ye-seul tried in vain to shake off her persistent pursuer,

“No, I won’t let go! I want an absolute promise!”

The scene, which resembled a child throwing a tantrum, was watched quietly by others from different groups, with Kim Ha-neul observing the situation from the shadows.

With her red hair partially hidden by a hat and sunglasses, Han Ye-seul went largely unrecognized by those present, likely because no one had expected this busy star to be in Busan, except maybe for one especially special boy.

“Let’s go soon or we’ll end up not seeing anything.”

Seeing how the situation was escalating, Kim Ha-neul decided it was time to intervene, realizing it could take Erica an eternity to handle the matter.

Student Council President and Han Ye-seul joined Kim Ha-neul’s group, as if the stage was now set for all the main characters to converge in Busan.

[Main Scenario – The tumultuous school trip begins.]

As the primary story of this world began to unfold in earnest…

*

“Shouldn’t we act right now?”

One gaze lingered on both Erica and Kim Ha-neul as they were watched by another group. They had identified two prime targets and saw this as a golden opportunity for abduction or elimination before reinforcements could arrive.

Though the train station might seem like a public place, with their skills, they were confident they could achieve their objective and vanish before anyone could intervene.

However, their leader, relying on their ability for confidence, shook their head.

“Not yet. The ‘other’ I know has always been like a bomb.”

Though slightly calmer due to some recent influence, this calmness was still quite alluring.

‘The ‘other’ was never one to consider their own well-being when confronting injustice. They were a foolhardy bomb ready to explode, but they invariably accomplished whatever they set out to do.

“If we go ahead now, we will merely light the fuse.”

The woman, having used her ability to hide the bl**d-soaked injuries from her recent fight with undead beings, turned her steps in a direction away from Kim Ha-neul’s group.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes. It feels nice to hear leader’s voice again after such a long time!”

A girl in a kimono latched onto the leader’s arm with a carefree laugh.

As they proceeded away from Kim Ha-neul’s direction, she glanced at the white-haired girl trailing behind Kim Ha-neul.

A protagonist of a different genre moved in an entirely opposite direction.