Chapter 105

Returning to the dormitory building where the school people had gathered, I was finally able to enter my room after responding to all the teachers who asked if I was okay.

Since an incident had occurred, the school’s intention to simply end the second night without any problems was clear; all I had to do now was to take a shower and go to bed. But as I was finishing my bath, a text message arrived.

[Can you come out for a bit?]

It was the kind of text you’d expect from an ex-boyfriend, but Erica had never had a boyfriend, and the Student Council President, who could be seen as an ex-girlfriend, wasn’t the type to send such a message.

After checking the sender, I was confident that nothing strange like a confession would happen, so I slowly prepared to go out.

Although I could have politely declined, the person who sent the message might be the only one who could explain today’s events better than I could. Despite my sleepy body, I had no choice but to go.

“Where are you going?”

Not all the students were attacked, but there was an incident where some were attacked. Naturally, the school advised the students to avoid going out in case of further attacks. The cancellation of an event planned for the second night of the school trip was part of this precaution, clearly showing how reluctant the school was for students to go outside.

I anticipated that someone who listened well to the school’s advice would likely block the door.

Surprisingly, the one who blocked my way wasn’t the calm-looking kendo club president, nor the curious twins gathering information.

It wasn’t the class president who wanted me to stay inside either.

Was it the Art Club President, who had been very friendly from the start, willing to open doors and showing concern for others?

True, she wasn’t high on my list of suspects for blocking my path.

“Who are you meeting out here?”

I didn’t mention who it was. To the people around, I’m the person who confessed to Kim Ha-neul, got rejected, and even attempted s*icide. If I said I was meeting them, I could guess the reaction I’d get.

There was no need to endure the hassle when I could already predict it. And the twins were eavesdropping quietly.

…If I said it, Kim Ha-neul would be labeled as the one who called a girl at night, hurting his reputation. However, I didn’t dislike him enough to do that. He wasn’t someone I’d consider dating, but as a friend, he seemed decent enough.

“Hmm… Would you like to come along? I actually had something to do outside too.”

The woman in front of me was different. Unlike Yoo In-na, who seemed to have ulterior motives, this woman felt pure and sincere.

Considering the risks of going alone, including potential danger or boredom, and the likely scolding from teachers, I felt her offer to accompany me was thoughtful.

“Alright, I’m fine. I just feel like going for a solo stroll.”

“…You’re meeting someone, right? Why do you want to walk alone first?”

“Yes, I want to walk by myself until the time I meet someone.”

The woman, whose name I didn’t even know, glanced around the room and nodded.

“It’d be best not to return too late. If you come back when everyone’s asleep, you might wake them up.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

That seemed to be the end, as the woman stepped aside. As I was about to pass her, she asked me one last question.

“Did Kim Ha-neul get hurt badly?”

Was this her purpose? The woman and I weren’t especially close, so I expected her curiosity to have a reason. It turned out to be much simpler than I thought.

I recalled the last time I saw Kim Ha-neul, who looked leisurely enough to go out with two girls.

“He seemed completely fine, hanging out with two girls.”

“Eh…?”

The confused expression on her face didn’t seem to stem from betrayal or jealousy.

Could it be that she had a pure one-sided affection for someone she knew secretly dated another girl? I silently paid respects to the woman in front of me, who had fallen for someone like Kim Ha-neul for love.

“Anyway, it’s good to know he’s okay.”

“You don’t feel irritated?”

To the woman sighing in relief, I asked something I was curious about. Normally, one would feel jealous if their crush was seen socializing with others.

But this woman, upon hearing about a date, seemed to feel relief that Kim Ha-neul had the energy to go out, and it confused me.

“It’s just a feeling I have. It doesn’t make sense to be jealous of something unilateral like this.”

Her words made it clear. This woman radiated light—brighter than Kim Ha-neul could ever be, like an angel.

Even if Seol Hee-na had the power over angels or light, I’d understand instantly. I had intended to glance at her ability out of curiosity, but the message left me puzzled:

[Her ability has not yet been firmly defined as a role. It will be finalized when her role is determined.]

I had thought the Art Club President might have an art-related power, but perhaps she earned her position purely through her abilities.

Whether this referred to her power blossoming later or already having a power that alters with her role was unclear from the message, making it hard to dismiss the possibility that she used supernatural abilities to secure her position.

“Thank you for answering my question. Have a safe trip.”

With the goodbye from the woman who had a crush on Kim Ha-neul, I left the dormitory. I wondered if telling her later that I went to meet Kim Ha-neul would change her attitude. Such thoughts crossed my mind as I walked.

*

Perhaps due to the restrictions on student movement, the night of the second day was eerily silent. In a secluded area of the student dormitory, Erica found someone—it wasn’t the black-haired boy.

“I got annoyed because you kept keeping your distance while holding on, so I called you first. You’ve already experienced my power, so you didn’t come here thinking it’s really Kim Ha-neul, did you?”

The woman waiting there smiled slightly and stood up straight from leaning against the lamppost. She wasn’t someone Erica defeated.

Living under the same roof but not for long, and viewing herself more as an enemy than an ally, the pink-haired woman approached Erica.

“I thought it was Kim Ha-neul.”

“Ah~. Then you must be disappointed. Since I was here instead of him.”

Kang Yu-ri.

Despite losing, she didn’t act like it, which was understandable considering she had lost to Kim Ha-neul’s sister, not Erica. It also mattered that Kang Yu-ri’s feelings toward Erica leaned more toward the desire to h*rass.

“So, did you have fun hanging out with those great guys instead of me? Huh?”

“Did I have fun?”

Kang Yu-ri’s question made Erica reflect. During this school trip, three significant things came to mind:

Being almost bullied right after arriving at the dormitory, using protection against the dollmaker’s puppet army, and most recently, this terrorist incident.

Typically, a school trip should involve fun memories among students. But no matter how hard Erica tried to remember, there were none.

“It didn’t seem like I had fun.”

“Well, compared to those kids, being by my side is probably better.”

Upon hearing this, Erica looked at Kang Yu-ri with a dazed expression, interpreting her statement as implying the school trip couldn’t be fun due to the numerous incidents—or even as dissatisfaction with the quality time spent with others.

“Not fun, huh?”

“Yeah, staying by my side would be better than with those kids.”

Erica couldn’t tell if Kang Yu-ri was teasing her, as the woman just smiled faintly.

“So why did you call me?”

You can’t keep talking endlessly with smiles and small talk. Erica switched the topic to get straight to the point.

“Why can’t I call you?”

“Stop being prickly. You had a reason for posing as Kim Ha-neul to call me, didn’t you?”

“Well, since this time I called you first, I’ll tell you even though you didn’t cry.”

Is she implying she would only tell after crying?

Should Erica regard her as a sadist, a crazy woman, or both? Or is ‘sadist’ itself a term better described as being insane?

Watching Erica’s confused face, Kang Yu-ri smiled even more happily.

“About the Busan Girl you caught. She’s going to escape tonight, right?”

“What? What are you talking about… How did you know in the first place?”

“I don’t know, maybe because I’m such a devout person, God whispered it in my dreams.”

The woman, who had once left the school to create a cult, was calling herself devout? The woman who enjoyed watching the confused face of the girl under the lamppost.

Erica, watching her face, stiffened—not intending to expose her face vulnerably in front of someone who could turn hostile at any moment.

…Perhaps it was already too late.

“If you’re not going to explain properly, that’s fine. Whether the captured kid escapes or not, I don’t care.”

It’s normal for an enemy to escape. Erica didn’t expect the person’s abilities to have changed and yet stay quietly captured.

Now that she’d somewhat figured out how to use protection, she believed she could win any future fight more easily.

“Is that so?”

Watching Erica, full of confident self-assurance, Kang Yu-ri smiled ambiguously like an adult looking at a child.

As if to say, no matter what you think, her escape will impact you.

Where this rumor came from was unclear.

But that smile was incredibly ominous to Erica. The queen who turns falsehoods into reality.

The former school queen was someone that even the current Erica, who had come to understand the use of protection, couldn’t be certain of defeating. If such an adversary was making a near-certain prediction, it’d likely come true.

What would happen if the Busan Girl escapes? Should I contact someone now? Or would going directly be better?

The girl’s thoughts churned, while the woman beside her watched with delight. And behind the wall near them, unnoticed, stood a boy eavesdropping.

‘He borrowed my phone saying he’d return it; here he is causing trouble again.’

Even though the school advised against going outside at night, three students were out here, building camaraderie by meeting like this…

Though, excluding the former queen, this might not be considered camaraderie.