Chapter 131

Play is supposed to be fun. A play that isn’t fun is not play but work. In that sense, the so-called “play” with Yoon In-na’s gang was closer to work than play — especially since it was exhausting to the point of d*ath.

“Why are we even dancing at a karaoke booth?”

I enthusiastically cheered them on as they danced during karaoke, but now it turns out I had to join in. Even after more than ten minutes, I’m already out of breath, and my limbs ache.

“Just singing wouldn’t be as exciting, would it? Besides, we were initially planning to perform a talent showcase, including a dance, but we didn’t do it on day two, so we’re all very disappointed.”

“Hmm~! We did prepare a lot. I met In-na frequently, but since we didn’t showcase our talents on the second day, it was really frustrating.”

Unlike me, who feels sore all over, Gain and the woman next to her appear lively and energetic. Just who among us is the one using supernatural abilities, which allow for extraordinary feats that regular humans cannot achieve?

I know that having a body that’s not overly strong physically can be beneficial for someone using “Ga-ho” protection since the power can only work under conditions of weakness. However, being weaker than an average person in physical ability — what exactly are we trying to achieve with this? I really have no idea.

After the cafe, we headed to a karaoke booth. After dancing and singing there, it’s now quite late, so we’re waiting for the bus to head home.

“Just so you know, just because I focused on preparations for the school talent show during the school trip, it doesn’t mean I’ve been ignoring you, right?”

“It’s okay if you did neglect me a bit.”

The woman who has me sitting on her lap fidgets as she makes an excuse. Did she really think I would criticize her for focusing on preparations for a talent show with her friends?

It always felt like she was showing great-heartedness by encouraging us to play together as friends, yet now it seems she somehow thought I would criticize her for not preparing my meals. Frankly, that makes me feel more hurt.

“Just look. Haven’t I told you before? She doesn’t care about those things, you know.”

“Those things?”

Could there be something I was supposed to care about?

As I wait curiously for the story to unfold while observing their conversation, what I hear is:

“Gain, do you know what I’m about to say?”

“I get it. I get it. I’ll stop here.”

It was an utterly boring story. Though, knowing In-na’s tendencies to cling to this body, it was probably something related to her obsession with it.

While contemplating such thoughts, I noticed a bus approaching from afar. However, it’s not the bus heading towards my house.

“Oh, here it comes. Shall we go ahead?”

“Yeah, we’ll go first. You two go back safely. See you tomorrow!”

As Song Gain and Kim So-ra bid farewell just before boarding the bus, the sign indicates that our bus will arrive soon.

Among the sounds of cars driving around the bus stop, a word from In-na suddenly emerged above my head.

“So, did you have fun today?”

“No, it was exhausting. It felt even more tiring than fighting with someone.”

“Is that so? But to me, you seemed to enjoy yourself since this is the first time in a while that you’ve interacted with people other than me.”

…I don’t remember playing with you.

Even though I can’t see her face, I can almost picture the expression she’s making behind my back. Suppressing the urge to pick a fight, I decided to let it slide.

Yeah, even if she misunderstands a little, it’s not like the world is going to end. There’s no need to start an argument unnecessarily.

“Actually, doing these kinds of things is a bit awkward, but deep down, do you like it when the kids enjoy themselves together? Isn’t it better, after all, to play with other people?”

“The bus is here.”

Since the bus was conveniently arriving, I quickly got up from In-na’s lap, preparing to board immediately once the bus stopped.

“You really don’t know how to change the topic, do you.”

I stood up because the bus arrived — I wasn’t trying to divert the conversation. Clearly, her understanding of me is severely lacking. While I acknowledged her ignorance, we boarded the bus heading home.

—

Something has gone wrong.

In an empty second-year classroom late at night, the doll maker swept a girl’s desk alone. Bullying comes in many forms — even among types that prevent others from doing important tasks.

There’s bullying that ensures others fail at important tasks, and there’s bullying that simply makes the process of succeeding at important tasks a torment.

Actually, the doll maker had planned for the latter. However, when she visited the classroom, it became clear that others had already acted, making her presence unnecessary.

On the first day, her plans inevitably fell into the hands of others, so she had her dolls prepped and ready early on the second day. But when the dolls suddenly collapsed, she wondered if her plans had been uncovered — until her target showed up late for the first exam.

And when she did nothing, it naturally backfired — the girl’s grades ended up completely ruined. Despite the doll maker doing nothing to interfere, the girl’s usual performance was destroyed.

While someone might think this outcome means less annoying work for them and find happiness, the doll maker felt only irritation. It was truly unpleasant to see someone she respected fall due to the actions of others instead of her own.

The shock she felt upon realizing that her confidence — something she had assumed would never change — had been taken away by others was similar to when she had heard that “Erica” attempted s*icide. It would have been better if she had been the one to directly cause such an event.

With full confidence that she would never betray Erica if given a chance,

With full confidence that she could protect Erica if only given the chance,

She could not help but feel bitter that the person chosen to protect Erica merely respected her feelings, without ensuring she was truly protected.

‘If I were chosen, I definitely wouldn’t have let it come to this.’

Though no one was in the classroom, the doll maker did not voice her innermost thoughts because, having been rejected by Erica, she lacked the right to express such feelings.

Sometimes, she thought about these things. She wished that Erica could be her doll. Then, she wouldn’t have to resort to such despicable and evil acts to win her heart.

Even wishing Erica would become a doll doesn’t mean she wants to manipulate her entire life. All she really desires is one thing: for Erica’s love to be directed at her instead of someone else. She yearns for just one opportunity.

The moonlight shines on her hair, making it gleam emerald-like, but the doll maker quietly caresses the chair Erica once sat in. She reflects on the issues that went awry during this incident and contemplates what she has learned.

—

I failed the exam. While I’m aware that this failure deserves consequences, I also wish to ignore it as much as possible.

But after turning off the lights preparing to sleep, the phone suddenly rang: “Drrrrrr.”

I asked for permission from Kang Yu-ri, who I’m not sure why but is around me, and stepped out of the room to answer it.

“What’s up?”

“What’s up? There’s only one thing I could possibly be calling you about at this hour.”

Her sisterly voice filled with laughter felt like she was whispering directly into my ear. The reason for her amusement is surely because she already knows my situation — perhaps the report cards have already been distributed, or In-na contacted me via phone to share my results.

It isn’t standard timing at school for the report cards to be already ready, but since in a game world, test results are immediately available after exams, it isn’t entirely implausible.

“Third overall. Impressive, isn’t it? Don’t you want to maintain this score?”

“Preferably, considering I’ve achieved higher scores before, I would never be satisfied with this.”

d*mn, this isn’t working.

Her presence has a significant impact on the ending, so I hoped she wouldn’t show up, yet the incident on the second day of the exam led to my failure.

“Don’t worry too much. Since there are already kids living at your home, it’d be confusing if I suddenly claimed I’d moved out, so I’ll just stop by during the holidays.”

“Really…?”

She is being kind.

Considering the original owner of this body labeled her as an untrustworthy and hostile person, her current consideration is surprising.

The system’s warning was undoubtedly that her return to the house would bring about a bad ending, yet what she’s saying now doesn’t align with that.

Was the system’s warning not about this sister at all from the beginning, or does it mean that this brief return of hers will lead to the bad ending?

“Why? Did you really think I’d keep my promises so perfectly? If I intended to honor them thoroughly, I would have told you from the very beginning, before I lost my memory — the promises I made with you. Anyway, I just chose not to tell you because I was planning to be lenient within reasonable limits.”

This leads me to another suspicion: could the reason this grade drop didn’t result in a complete bad ending be because she decided to overlook it this one time?

The immense danger attributed to the original owner’s warning about this sister.

Is it true?

Or is her occasional kindness the correct assessment?

“Then see you later.”

The system, which previously displayed many messages to keep me alert, didn’t show a single one now, not even after the sister’s call ended, nor while I stood in the hallway for a long time.

Ultimately, good and evil depend on personal standards.

If bad endings depend on personal standards as well, then,

I can only ascertain whether this sister is good or bad for me, and not just for the true owner of this body, once she arrives.

This isn’t merely because I experienced a failure in this exam and she forgave me, thus prompting these thoughts.

It’s clearer because the original owner lost their body to me, whereas this sister shows me obvious goodwill. However, the origin of that goodwill remains a mystery.

During the vacation, I’ll encounter the true owner of this body much more frequently, so I’ll also figure out whether this so-called bad ending pertains to the original owner or to my current situation.

Before falling asleep, I stared at the phone in the hallway after the call ended. The unknown emotions coursing through my heart kept it pounding.