Chapter 157

Inna has more friends than Erica had anticipated.

The individuals Erica knew as Inna’s friends were merely those Inna wished to introduce to Erica—certainly not all the friends that Inna associated with. This was only natural. Erica never intended to investigate or identify who exactly Inna’s entire friend circle was, especially since not even seeing their faces, she regarded all of them as potential threats.

Though Erica wasn’t acquainted with all of Inna’s friends, most of Inna’s friends knew of Erica, owing to Inna’s actions prioritizing a certain girl above all else. They naturally assumed that any unexpected changes in Inna’s behavior would be due to Erica’s influence.

Thus, when Inna didn’t show up at school, the friends Inna hadn’t introduced to Erica tried to directly inquire with Erica. However,

Their attempts were preemptively thwarted by the presence of a certain individual sitting beside Erica every break.

“Why don’t you make more friends? It seems like it’s only me who approaches during breaks.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“Well, the thing is, I am technically friends with everyone, but I guess I might come off as kind of intimidating.”

Han Ye-seul.

Unlike Inna, who subtly commanded the loyalty of students, Han Ye-seul’s popularity was universally recognized as something extraordinary.

She wasn’t a trainee idol but a verified real-life idol.

To Erica and her classmates, encountering an actual idol among their peers was unprecedented. Han Ye-seul’s presence captured everyone’s attention.

Thus, even Inna’s hidden friends couldn’t directly approach the girl who always engaged Han Ye-seul during breaks, in order to ‘interrogate’ her about Inna’s absence—considering it unwise to provoke scrutiny from their classmates.

In short, Han Ye-seul inadvertently formed a protective barrier around Erica every time she chatted with her during breaks.

Neither of them realized how crucial this arrangement was.

Han Ye-seul had already surmised that something had occurred between Inna and Erica over the weekend that might lead to certain changes in Inna’s demeanor, prompting possible inquiries from her friends. Thus, Han Ye-seul consistently stayed close to Erica under the pretense of shielding her from a rumored stalker, effectively preventing any approach from Inna’s friend circle.

Even the relatively unaware Erica eventually noticed Han Ye-seul’s strategic glances during their exchanges.

—It wasn’t as though Han Ye-seul harbored romantic feelings toward Erica, leading her to protect her out of love. After all, to entice a stalker, Erica needed to stay close to Han Ye-seul.

So, Han Ye-seul’s actions were more transactional than purely altruistic.

Han Ye-seul would stay close to Erica, tolerating her presence, while in return, Han Ye-seul would temporarily safeguard Erica from all harm.

Though Han Ye-seul might have had slightly warmer feelings toward Erica based on her awareness that her own abilities didn’t affect Erica much.

“There, may I have a small moment of your time?”

No contract, no matter how airtight, is flawless.

Han Ye-seul couldn’t possibly deter every human interaction Erica might have.

Also, Erica wouldn’t permit such obsessive control herself. Hence, when an approach didn’t seem antagonistic, she had no choice but to permit it.

This included a rare close relationship for Han Ye-seul, one of the few individuals she was certain wasn’t a stalker.

And from what Han Ye-seul knew, this boy liked—or had once liked—Erica enough to attempt self-harm.

Thus, the boy approached Erica just as always. This time, Han Ye-seul didn’t object.

Erica turned her head from Han Ye-seul to Kim Ha-neul, as such behavior during break was an ordinary occurrence.

“Then, I’ll be back shortly.”

“Yes, take your time. I’ll return to my seat.”

Unusually, instead of informing Inna of her departure, Erica informed Han Ye-seul. Then, she stood up to follow Kim Ha-neul to a regular spot they frequented.

During their walk, neither of them exchanged any casual banter. They either had nothing to say, or they were contemplating their upcoming conversation and chose their words carefully.

Once they reached a secluded spot where other students were unlikely to eavesdrop, Erica broke the silence.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Aren’t we more than acquaintances who only meet when there’s something to discuss?”

“Well, that’s exactly what we are.”

“…You’re right. That’s what we are.”

The protagonist, Kim Ha-neul.

It was possible that he had overheard some information from the student council president that night. Despite knowing that the student council president favored his side, Erica was unsure if she understood the significance of the information or was deciding where her loyalties lay.

Tension filled Erica as she anxiously awaited Kim Ha-neul’s words. Whether or not the student council president had betrayed her trust would soon become clear.

“I plan to go against a warning you gave me before, so I came here to tell you beforehand. It didn’t feel right to act without informing you.”

A warning…?

As Erica combed through her memories of her warnings to Kim Ha-neul, her expression darkened abruptly.

Given the current situation, the warning Kim Ha-neul was talking about must have been about staying away from Inna.

“Do you remember which warning I mean?”

With a relaxed demeanor, the boy appeared unfazed by Erica’s sharp gaze, instead responding with a cheerful smile.

“What, so why are you telling me this? If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have known.”

Had Kim Ha-neul remained silent, Erica might have guessed why Inna had been so upset, or been unaware altogether if Kim Ha-neul had visited her house without saying anything to Erica. Now Erica couldn’t help but question why he felt the need to declare his intentions so brazenly.

“My heart kind of told me to, you know?”

“You wouldn’t be contemplating anything if your conscience really bothered you so much about this type of thing.”

“Hmm, I wonder? I don’t exactly understand the current situation either.”

The boy’s nonchalant action of scratching his head didn’t exude villainy. To Erica, he appeared as nothing more than a benevolent student.

Yes, he had to appear that way and, indeed, that was reality. Though Erica only knew bits and pieces of what Kim Ha-neul had done in this world via gossip, those fragments were enough to conclude that Kim Ha-neul was generally a righteous protagonist.

A world where terrorists exist. A world where someone with an unknown agenda occupies an important association role.

When chaos may erupt at any moment, the protagonist plays a critical role in calming it down.

“In fact, I had planned to go to Inna’s place after school, didn’t I? Please don’t go there. I’ll go instead.”

Despite his general goodness, Kim Ha-neul wasn’t entirely pure. This was evident by the way the story had brought him together with her despite having a fake relationship with the student council president, which Erica found unconventional among romance visual novels she had experienced.

“Why should I listen to you?”

Assisting the protagonist to reach the true ending.

Until recently, Erica had believed herself to be on the same side as the protagonist, guided by the system’s objectives. Although she had harbored concerns about being romanced by the protagonist, she had followed the story’s larger flow.

But when doubts arose about the system’s deception, Erica began questioning her foundational premise.

How could she be certain that the protagonist she was supposed to help was the right one—whether it was the protagonist of a DLC or someone else entirely?

Given this new perspective, how could the connection she once held dear with the student council president—and now Kim Ha-neul’s involvement with Inna too—be considered an alliance?

“You and I aren’t really close, are we?”

Though phrased gently, Erica’s piercing gaze left no ambiguity for Kim Ha-neul, who immediately understood the implied accusation.

“…You’re right. Then, instead of a request, consider this a threat. If you’re the cause of Inna’s anger, catching you might somewhat improve my standing with her.”

In that moment, Erica questioned whether she had misheard. The calm, benevolent tone didn’t align with the threats she thought Kim Ha-neul capable of.

“I don’t want to treat you like this, so don’t give me a reason to.”

After finishing his unmistakably threatening statement, Kim Ha-neul quietly waited for Erica’s response. When no answer came:

“I’ll head back to class for now. Don’t take my words lightly.”

He turned and left alone, his message hanging in the air.