Chapter 27

The following is the translation:

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For now, I left the further inquiry about supernatural abilities behind and managed to step out of her office. Was there really a need for another meeting? I already felt like I’d learned more than enough just from hearing about the eroding type, yet it seemed like she—my counterpart—hadn’t noticed that at all. It was almost as if she had something else to share with me.

When I got to the lobby, I quickly scanned my surroundings. There were several figures dressed in black waiting around, still in their coats. However, among them, I couldn’t find a trace of Inna, the girl I had been thinking about.

…And I don’t even know the way home. If I knew the route, I would’ve simply typed the address into my phone to navigate, but I didn’t know the address, nor did I have a phone.

Apparently, “Sister” had kept someone behind to take me home, though for now, I couldn’t find Inna anywhere. I decided to sit on some empty space nearby. That is, until someone lightly tapped my shoulder, stopping me.

Turning my head, disappointment washed over my face almost instantly. The person who had remained wasn’t the green-haired girl I expected, but rather an ordinary black-haired boy.

“Didn’t you go?”

It seemed like neither of us had a close enough relationship to escort each other home. Sensing the same awkwardness, the boy gave a forced laugh.

“Guess I’m the one supposed to take you home. Anyway, I agreed since I knew the way to your place and had nothing else to do afterward. Inna insisted on staying longer, so I just sent her off after figuring one of us could suffice.”

Inna… She should have held out longer. Though, a feeling of resentment crept in, I had to admit that considering the incident we went through earlier, she might have returned home out of fear—after all, we almost died.

I can understand Inna’s position. The confusion, however, doesn’t lie with her but with me. The characters who helped demolish the abandoned factory with the student council president—despite what I said to “Sister” to let them leave the association unscolded—they differed drastically from the likes of Inna and I, who merely got entangled in the situation. Those others had directly participated in the events, perhaps risking their lives willingly, and in some cases might even have been the genuine criminals the association should’ve caught.

Anyway…

“Where did the student council president head off to?”

No matter how much I looked, the president was nowhere to be found. Was I purposefully stalling until the president showed up?

Should I wait a little longer in case she went to the restroom? However, the boy, who had been giving awkward smiles, now wore an expression tinged with slight discomfort.

“You can call her by her name in front of me. It’s not like I’ll nitpick. … She left earlier. Said being around you would probably make you uncomfortable. Honestly, I think the reason Sister left me behind was to act as a buffer between you and the president. Looks like Inna also decided to step away to avoid interfering between you two.”

Even the student council president was kept for my sake? Right as I was reevaluating my impressions of “Sister” and Inna, the boy extended his hand toward me.

“Anyway, since I’m the only one left, I’ll escort you home.”

“Can I throw up?”

“…You could, but why?”

“Because that line was so cheesy it made me feel nauseous.”

Hearing those words from a guy about escorting me. It felt so overly romantic it genuinely made me feel sick.

Though I briefly contemplated throwing up, as soon as I voiced that, the boy lightly grabbed my hand.

“If it makes you feel any better, you can throw up on my hand.”

Of course, I had no intention of vomiting on his hand, so the plan to scold him for being overly cheesy was quickly abandoned.

Apparently deciding he didn’t intend to wait any longer, the boy started gently pulling me along by the hand, glancing back.

“Let’s go before it gets too late. We’ll be in trouble if we arrive home too late.”

From whom?

Without explaining further, the boy began walking, leaving the question of who might scold him hanging in the air.

*

Now, should I take the bus that takes thirty minutes or walk the hour-long distance home?

The options given by the boy weren’t enticing because I didn’t feel like sitting there awkwardly with him, so I decided to walk, pretending to familiarize myself with the area while passing time.

A gentle breeze swept through, heralding the approach of summer. The scenery was serene, though the fact that I might inadvertently pass through dimly lit areas and encounter strangers still worried me.

“Didn’t you see that as a family passed by, you cut right through their path?”

“I wanted to break it.”

It might have sounded psychopathic, but it was my intent not to expose any weaknesses to him. If I wanted to barge in between a child with parents, I wasn’t about to tell him why.

However, instead of looking disgusted as I imagined, the boy gave me a sympathetic look.

“Well, considering where you’re coming from, it’s understandable… but if you want, I can step in on your behalf.”

“It’s fine. …I just didn’t see well in the dark, that’s all.”

By revealing one of my weak points, I had inadvertently admitted to something. Normally, I would have avoided discussing such things unless pushed too far, but since this boy couldn’t capitalize on knowing my vulnerabilities, I decided it was safe.

Even though he had black hair, he seemed to glow faintly, even in the absence of streetlights, like someone bathed in the world’s affection. Unlike the shadowy black people, who truly blended into the darkness, this boy’s presence felt entirely different.

“Your vision wasn’t quite that bad, was it? If there’s something you want to tell me, say it. I could step in if you like. It was a heartwarming family you described, so if it made you uncomfortable, it’s fine to not intervene.”

Heartwarming? I hadn’t been able to see anything at all while walking. I stopped abruptly at that thought.

This is a romantic visual novel. Of course, extras don’t have detailed appearances, so it’s natural I couldn’t see their faces.

However, if I couldn’t see them, then the protagonist shouldn’t technically see them either.

At the very least, within this visual novel, it’s understood that extras have faces, but people who come “from outside” see them as shadowy black silhouettes instead.

“Could it be… This guy isn’t another player like me? Or perhaps—”

Could it be that the protagonists can see extra characters’ faces while I view them as shadowy figures?

If that’s true, then to the protagonists, I must seem like a heroine with mental health issues.

In visual novels, there’s generally some way for the protagonist to pursue a heroine. Some heroines are unobtainable, but for those with established routes, there should be at least one method for the protagonist to build feelings.

Though I haven’t checked other protagonists, if this boy somehow received an avenue to pursue me, maybe it wasn’t directly granted to him but to me as a penalty instead? Perhaps those I thought were mere black figures actually possess real faces.

The refreshing breeze suddenly felt much colder. My walking pace slowed, halting almost entirely.

“Your face has gone pale. Are you okay?”

Of course, I’m not okay. It’s as if the system intentionally reveals certain details whenever I start questioning too much.

I wanted to collapse right there and sleep it off, but if I did, this boy would likely carry me home. And if the system evaluated the situation, his favorability toward me would increase.

This despicable system. I thought we were both suffering under the same penalties, but it seems like protagonists don’t even experience penalties.

It feels unfair. So incredibly unfair that I’m practically going mad with resentment and can’t think how to relieve it.

There is the possibility that the boy fabricated details about the family, guessing expressions, but somehow, it didn’t feel that way. He didn’t appear to be thinking too deeply about it—almost like he genuinely hadn’t considered anything unusual with his description.

It was strange, though. If heroines’ families are usually extras, how are they supposed to effectively interact without clear faces?

“I’m fine. But, no coming within a ten-meter radius.”

I can’t stay with this deceitful person; it’s too frustrating.

“Got it. Do you dislike me because I pushed you farther apart from the president?”

Apparently, my comment struck a chord, as he readily agreed after acknowledging some guilt in separating me from the president.

The boy’s back, illuminated faintly as if by a heavenly light, seemed like a path I could follow, though there was an undeniable fragility there despite his apparent favor with the “system.”

“You probably have a reason to dislike me… I did have something I wanted to say while we walked, but it’s probably best not to.”

“Something you wanted to say?”

The boy didn’t reply further, seemingly unwilling to continue—his feelings of hurt palpable.

Though I wasn’t interested in his emotional state…

Together with the boy, who had fallen silent, I continued walking through the night streets—back to my home.

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