Chapter 118

The person I should be most wary of in this world is not the leader of the terrorists or the person I suspect to be the ultimate boss of this body—it’s not her, the older sister.

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The corporeal form of a woman that I obtained for the first time since entering this world. The protagonist who, following the principles of yin and yang, or the logic of romantic visual novels, might likely become a person I grow fond of is indeed my chief concern.

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“Have you finally calmed down? Do you have any idea how startled I was when you suddenly suggested we go eat ice cream?”

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I had intended not to have separate meetings with Kim Ha-neul, but neither she nor I could have anticipated my reaching out like this. She was also unaware that I was guarding myself against her.

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In response to the boy’s question, instead of answering, I focused on finishing the ice cream as quickly as possible. I wouldn’t engage in conversation until it was done melting in my mouth—better to finish it first before anything else.

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“Calling me out like this wasn’t a wise decision. Although your expression didn’t look good, so I came as you requested, but those who admire you won’t look kindly upon me. It might even lead to group bullying.”

“I don’t care. That group bullying would have restarted with the slightest provocation anyway.”

“Why not tell Inna? The bullying might stop if you do.”

“Inna telling them wouldn’t make the bullying stop.”

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After I shoveled the small portion of ice cream into my mouth, I said as nonchalantly as possible, feeling the cold sensation spread inside.

The one who started the group bullying could very well have been Inna, but Inna isn’t the person who could entirely stop it.

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Unrelated to supernatural abilities, I know this kind of bullying well—experienced much of it for far longer, and in greater depth than Erica has.

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In some ways, if there’s anyone who could be considered a specialist in enduring and tolerating bullying, it’s me. That’s how I know.

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Inna’s tactic is to ruin someone’s reputation—convincing people that they deserve to be bullied.

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After making others think this way, she gently pushes the ordinary students, already influenced by sympathy for her perspective, urging them to act.

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It’s not like real delinquents bullying someone for no reason, simply assuming the bullied person can’t retaliate, and using them as a stress-relief sandbag. Inna does not bully me because she fears I might retaliate with strength.

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Such tactics could demolish my image, destroying any chance of students liking me—precisely Inna’s goal.

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Of course, whether she hopes for this while bullying me is of little significance to me.

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“Besides, I don’t even have the time to concern myself with their individual actions. It’s exhausting for a human to care about the feelings and actions of every inanimate object.”

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To me, everyone in this world resembles an NPC in a romantic visual novel—lifeless. And to add, those who behave like trash, even when revealing kindness while also acting like trash, face my indifference.

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Acting while carefully considering the actions of faceless entities is simply a waste of my precious time and emotions.

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“You seem to think all the other students are paying attention to you… but if you don’t care, then I suppose it’s fine.”

“And the root cause lies elsewhere.”

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After finishing his sentence, the boy fell silent. I stared at him intently. Seeming to understand the meaning behind my gaze, he turned to meet my eyes and spoke in a subdued tone.

“…The reason you’re bullied is because of me.”

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This issue originated from this person separating this body, which the girl liked, from her love interest and dismantling their relationship for the sake of Inna.

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The moment Inna completely gives up on me might be when she confesses her love, fails, and realizes the possibility of me connecting with someone else is zero. That’s also the same period when Kim Ha-neul tries to win Inna’s favor.

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“So I want to prevent you from getting further hurt because of me being the catalyst.”

“You’re saying that because there’s someone specifically targeting you?”

“Just shift your eyes to the left.”

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Is there anything on the left? Quietly, while sitting on the bench, I shifted my gaze to the left. I saw the trees decorating the park in front of the school and the small, pretty pigeons perched on them.

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There was nothing particularly unusual. If this were something only Kim Ha-neul could identify, he would have already mentioned it. All I could see was the ordinary scenery of a park.

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“What do you see?”

“Nothing.”

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Clearly, I wasn’t seeing whatever Kim Ha-neul wanted to show me. The boy explained again, more patiently.

“The pigeon perched on the branch—doesn’t it look unrealistically beautiful?”

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Only after hearing his words did I scrutinize the pigeon again. I realized something then: the pigeons I had seen before were never as beautifully crafted as this one. It looked as if someone had carefully sculpted it with great effort.

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“It does look that way. So who sent it to you?”

“It’s Seol Hee-na. She’s the art club president.”

“Her name sounds familiar.”

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After pondering where I’d heard the name, I recalled that she shared an accommodation with me during the school trip. Although we hadn’t had any significant interaction.

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“Remembered her? I heard she has undefined abilities. Is it about creating things?”

“Well, maybe only she knows. It’s somehow related to drawing, but her abilities remain indeterminate unless she decides to set a limit.”

“So is this thing to protect me or to surveil?”

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Surveillance and protection are different. Depending on whether Kim Ha-neul is paying attention to her motives, there’s a method to stop her if she tries to harm me.

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“It seems she got scared after what happened in Busan. She sent this pigeon, probably to protect me should I ever be in danger, but it’s also probably being used to surveil.”

“So are you saying this makes our relationship seem closer and that this seemingly kind woman might actually bully me?”

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Of course, before accepting such a claim, I’d need to verify if this woman even has any motivation to bully me. It’s hard to immediately trust someone’s words about such a kind-looking person.

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Having a close relationship with Seol Hee-na doesn’t mean I believe Kim Ha-neul’s claim that she’d never bully me just because of her kind nature. Neither Kim Ha-neul nor Seol Hee-na are particularly close to me, so trusting one side’s image or words is impossible.

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To put it simply, it’s my mistrust of Kim Ha-neul. Sharing this ice cream together doesn’t mean I trust or rely on him any more than others.

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Since this body doesn’t have affection for him, regardless of whatever kindness he might show, I won’t give him my heart. And even in my slightly weakened state, I called him out, not because I trusted him.

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[Kim Ha-neul Favorability: -100(???)]

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Since the body’s favorability is already negative, I thought having this meeting wouldn’t immediately turn it positive—that’s why I called him.

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“No, she probably wouldn’t do that, but there are people around her who might act out of care for her.”

“You sound like you’re pretty certain about them. Who are they? If you’re going to tell me this much, tell me everything.”

“Well, it might be a misunderstanding on my part, so I won’t list them. Just be careful. You seem like someone who would obediently follow anyone calling you.”

“Well, I’m the complete opposite. If someone calls, I wouldn’t go.”

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Of course, I would go, as per Kim Ha-neul’s assumption. Not because I want to be extraordinarily kind and fulfill their requests, but because there might be clues for the main story involving whoever it is.

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“Mr. Chivalrous…?”

“Ms. Chivalrous.”

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While my ultimate awesome appearance might not be fully encapsulated by the term “chivalrous,” its image fits me well at times when I indulge in slightly evil thoughts.

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“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what my image is. In the end, you’re just telling me to be cautious about the people around her, right? That much I can handle.”

“Yeah, and also be careful around her. She may appear kind, but no one knows how she might act.”

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Even someone who seems kind might not always be entirely kind to their rival in love, right? Of course, Kim Ha-neul’s words are just possibilities.

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Listening blindly to these words and immediately assuming Seol Hee-na as the enemy is not advisable, but as this life doesn’t allow for even minor mistakes, taking precautions as he suggests is probably for the best.

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“Are you feeling better now?”

“Of course not. Something like this wouldn’t lift my spirits.”

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It’s time to head back to school.

Kim Ha-neul, assuming we were about to return, quietly asked if my gloomy mood had lifted, instead of inquiring about the cause. But exchanging these few words didn’t ease the heavy feeling.

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Most problems can’t be solved in a short period of time, and my mood was no exception. It was expected not to be something that could be easily resolved in the span of moments.

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“But.”

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With a brief rest, I could manage to act cheerful. Bringing Kim Ha-neul here might create some trouble, and as the body’s sufferer of bullying and as the main female lead, he should indeed stay at a distance.

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The actual reason for bringing him here to cut class is simple.

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Energy recharges faster when spent with someone else.

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“Energy recharge complete.”