Chapter 104

A woman observed Erica and Inna grilling and eating meat through the glass window of a shop.

The woman, wearing a snapback with white English letters against a black background, was dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt, a look that suggested she had gone out without much fuss.

She was not affiliated with any association. Though she appeared to be an ordinary civilian, her appearance was anything but ordinary.

She was not a stalker with sinister thoughts either. Even though she wore a cap, it did not entirely conceal her face. She was also certainly not a terrorist similar to a stalker.

It was unclear whether the woman had come with good intentions or malice. Her gaze was fixed on the smaller of the two figures within, despite the fact that their bl**d-stained appearances should have been hidden due to an influence of charisma.

Of course, Erica’s appearance was striking enough to capture anyone’s attention.

Indeed, men and women who came to eat meat hardly noticed that she was covered in bl**d but still frequently glanced at Erica.

Erica herself seemed oblivious, yet even in a world where other heroines possessed distinctive looks, Erica stood out as exceptionally beautiful and mysterious.

“Busan is known for its noodles, yet here they are eating meat again. Tch. If only that meat craving weren’t so strong, I could’ve brought you to a really good place.”

However, the woman watching Erica through the window clicked her tongue and spoke as though she knew Erica personally.

The fact that Erica loved meat was a story anyone with even a slight acquaintance would know, though such acquaintances were rare, which meant the woman must have been close to Erica.

Unaware of who might be outside and talking, Erica and Inna appeared to be enjoying themselves harmoniously as they shared the grilled meat.

After watching their scene, the woman bit her lip but did not leave. Compared to her future actions and goals, the pain of staying put was insignificant.

As she stood on the street, gazing toward Erica, the people passing her strangely avoided her.

When someone is standing still, others naturally avoid them, and this was not unusual.

However, the woman, whose eye color changed depending on the light, though less dramatic than Erica’s, was still someone who caught people’s eyes. Despite this, no one walking on the street seemed to notice that she had been standing outside the store, staring at Erica.

There were no conscious gazes toward her side, yet people somehow avoided her as if they knew she was there. It was certainly a strange occurrence.

“Hmm, I guess it’s about time to go.”

As the meat on the grill steadily disappeared, the woman, who had intended to leave before Erica came out, muttered these words and prepared to vanish. However, she sensed someone had noticed her and turned her head slightly to check the source of the gaze.

Inna, who was feeding Erica meat, lifted a hand and gently waved. This was possible because while others hadn’t noticed her, Inna had.

The reason this was possible was simple: the principle of charm. This charm affected people’s perception of others. Through her senses, Inna could always tell the difference between those under her charm’s effect and those who were not.

Even without Erica’s supernatural ability that let her see the information hovering over others’ heads, Inna was aware of the woman. However, Erica, a devoted lover of all things grilled meat, was unlikely to notice someone standing slightly apart from her table.

Inna’s smile when she looked at the woman outside the window was different from her usual smirk. It wasn’t the sly smile she gave to Erica, nor the fake politeness she showed to other students.

The smile was softer and carried more genuine emotion.

This was because although Inna had correctly identified the presence of the woman, she had mistaken her identity.

Kim Ha-neul.

The boy who had stepped aside to allow Inna and Erica to be alone was this very woman. Kim Ha-neul’s actions had indeed helped Erica, so it was natural for Inna to feel grateful.

However, was Inna’s understanding of their situation correct?

Kim Ha-neul, pondering her relationship with the woman, absently touched the back of her head. She herself didn’t have an answer.

Even without a supernatural ability tied to wisdom, wisdom itself is a quality anyone can possess.

Her mind struggled in vain to define the strange relationship between Kim Ha-neul and herself, though she felt no real need to.

Kim Ha-neul’s dismissal of Inna’s gesture startled her. Though Inna wasn’t aware of Kim Ha-neul’s intentions toward her, she had at least noticed that Kim Ha-neul was being friendly, making her change surprising.

Forced to reciprocate, the woman waved back at Inna. Should she remain surprised for too long, even Erica, who focused entirely on the meat, might turn around.

Whether due to her observation skills or her innate abilities, avoiding Erica’s eyes became a necessary action.

Satisfied with this interaction, Inna’s gaze shifted back to Erica.

The casual gratitude for having been permitted to share time with Erica seemed complete after just a few dozen seconds.

If Inna considered herself the true heroine and thought of winning Erica over, she might have smirked at the situation, but since Erica hadn’t turned around, the woman found it quite convenient.

The woman, similar yet different from Kim Ha-neul, had kept the other members of No Name from joining the scene. She turned and left only after giving Erica one last, longer look.

As Erica put down her chopsticks—a clear signal that it was time to leave—the woman who had ensured this peaceful resolution without Erica’s knowledge disappeared without receiving a single word of thanks. Or rather, she vanished.

No one noticed, but her entire figure had disappeared from the street. Just before she vanished, her final murmured words were ■■.

—

—

“Buying desserts too? Isn’t that a bit much?”

Whereas in the past, Erica had been clueless about where her bank account or credit cards were and depended on others, she now understood where her money was kept.

She no longer had to rely on Inna to feed her. Despite Inna’s cooking being imbued with her supernatural abilities and exceptional skills, Erica had already partaken in more than enough free meals.

Before Erica could pull out her card, Inna had already ordered and paid, unintentionally erasing Erica’s conscience.

“It’s just because you chose me, and I appreciate it.”

“Choice”…

Heroines do not choose; they are chosen. So it was strange for Erica to hear Inna—an intended secondary heroine—express gratitude for choosing her, who was merely an extra heroine.

While Erica savored a milk chocolate ball ice cream and strolled back toward the accommodations, an alert tone filled her vision.

[Extra Heroine. What’s the difference between a sub heroine and an extra heroine? It’s simple: whether or not there is an ending with the protagonist. You are not a sub heroine yet because your connection to the protagonist is weak. But if you continue to interact with them, you could become one. And you might gain the functions you desire.]

The system window seemed to whisper directly to her thoughts: You must become more intertwined with the protagonists.

And the current situation read differently: Avoid sub heroines. To truly seize what you want…

Originally, the goal was to return to her original world. Even if obtaining her current body might make her an illegal immigrant, the incident during the school trip had strengthened her desire to go back.

She did not wish to k*ll others, as doing so might prevent her from returning to that world. The guilt was a natural obstacle. Naturally, she didn’t want to experience pain or d*e either. After all, she wasn’t a masochist.

This was a world where supernatural powers existed. Though killing was forbidden, terrorists could still commit m*rder, and the use of abilities was allowed.

To avoid killing others and getting hurt in this perilous place, the only option was to become stronger. And the only way to grow stronger was to connect with the protagonist.

However, if aligning with Kim Ha-neul meant distancing herself from Inna…

“That’s unreasonable.”

“What? Unreasonable?!”

Interpreting it as a comment directed at her, Inna, standing beside Erica, gasped and shouted. Every word Erica said seemed to provoke overly sensitive reactions, and while it was cute, being too close to Kim Ha-neul, even if he were feminine, was still psychologically uncomfortable…

‘If going out with a guy means I can go back home, I’ll give up my home. Farewell, my haven, with those beloved games…’

“What is unreasonable?”

Erica, whose thoughts were whimsical but whose mind was conflicted about what to do next, was completely unaware that she was linking arms with Inna as they both walked back to the accommodation.