Chapter 31

Kim Ha-neul and Lee Seo-ra were supposedly having a conversation, but it was broad daylight—where could they possibly go? Wherever they went in the city, there would be too many people around to avoid eavesdroppers. In the end, they had no choice but to talk in a corner of the café’s parking lot.

The boy glanced at Lee Seo-ra, who had quietly signaled for him to follow her. No matter how he looked at her, her expression was brimming with anger. She had probably summoned him to reprimand him, but he could not even guess the reason.

“So, why did you call me out here separately? I doubt you summoned me without a reason.”

The relationship between the Student Council President and himself wasn’t close enough that she could casually ask him to come here or there for trivial reasons.

Most likely, the reason for her anger had nothing to do with concern for him and was entirely related to Erica, whom the president cherished and loved the most.

While the Student Council President normally appeared polite, she came off as somewhat aloof but turned emotionally intense whenever the topic of Erica arose—whether joy or fury.

“Are you in your right mind?!”

Exactly as Kim Ha-neul had anticipated, Lee Seo-ra began with anger. Her voice was so loud that there was even a risk that Erica, who was casually looking out the window from the second floor, might overhear.

It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same Student Council President who usually maintained her composure.

“Why were you with Erica on your day off? I know that you’ve been close to her because you agreed to my request. But if you continue to spend unnecessary time together, Yoo In-na might become jealous and take action. Do you realize how dangerous that would be for Erica?”

It wasn’t solely because of her request that he had spent time with Erica. Kim Ha-neul had enjoyed their time together, which briefly left him looking somewhat embarrassed. But this expression only further infuriated the president.

“Are you laughing right now…? Her ability isn’t just about influencing people—it affects the entire world. It’s among the most powerful supernatural abilities, manipulating fate, luck, and all variables to turn them in her favor. You can’t defeat her no matter how strong you are because she bends the entire world to her side.”

“I understand her supernatural ability better than you think. If she were this powerful, I would already know about it. And you’re not foolish enough to antagonize someone you genuinely can’t fight.”

Kim Ha-neul paused briefly, gazing at the sky before speaking. Aware that his counterpart occasionally directed her gaze to odd places during their conversation, the Student Council President refrained from pointing it out.

His peculiar habit was likely tied to his unique ability, and bringing it up would have been tantamount to provoking him by revealing knowledge of his hidden ability.

Still, rage was not something she could suppress. After all, if In-na could manipulate the world to her side, then Kim Ha-neul, who already seemed to act as if he had the world on his side, was an anomaly.

One of the rare individuals capable of countering In-na. Though he seemed unaware until now, her reason for asking for his cooperation included his ability to confront In-na.

Even though her ability may not be directly influenced by persuasion, she lacked the sheer power to outright overcome it.

The reason she joined the Student Council was partially to gain that direct power, but despite her potent supernatural abilities, the members were difficult to control independently.

In that sense, Kim Ha-neul, with the strength and character needed to protect Erica, was indispensable. It was clear that his proactive effort stemmed solely from her request to safeguard Erica.

[?]

Though the Student Council President’s ability was raising questions, her recent underperformance did not concern her much as she continued passionately.

“If you trusted my wisdom and tried to find someone based on it, why don’t you trust my words right now? I’m already aware that you possess an ability related to information. If you were using your memory and knowledge of reliable information to search for someone, and if I had suggested that Erica might be that someone, wouldn’t you have at least considered it? Yet, you’ve consistently denied it.”

Upon hearing this, the boy felt a shock akin to being struck by lightning. In the “genre” he belonged to, Lee Seo-ra was the main heroine.

The reason she was the main heroine, he thought, was because she was a crucial piece in the eradication of the school’s queen or because she contributed in finding the true heroine.

But if there was another reason? If it were because her ability could uniquely detect and guard against someone universally beloved by the world who could deceive even the so-called “system,” then it made sense why she was the main heroine.

Maybe Yoo In-na wasn’t a sub-heroine but played a completely different role, one he simply hadn’t uncovered yet.

Only a year into his journey, the boy shuddered at the realization of something he hadn’t noticed.

How much more was he missing? And how would these oversights return to haunt him in the future? It wasn’t hard to be terrified.

Despite the complexity building in his thoughts, the Student Council President’s concern for Erica did not waver in her impassioned speech.

“But her power makes everything else useless…”

“I understand what you’re saying. I truly didn’t expect that there could be someone immune to even my powers.”

His privilege as the protagonist, the benefit he earned at the cost of being entrapped in this world, came from misrepresentation by characters other than the queen.

Upon reflection, perhaps the queen was merely a prologue—a preview signaling the existence of other “cheater”-type characters like Yoo In-na in the future.

The boy pondered whether their shared memories had been tampered with, recalling a past statement.

“So, what you said earlier about how her powers didn’t work on Erica—was that a lie too? Frankly, I believed her and thought she wasn’t very strong because of it.”

Her claim that her abilities didn’t work on Erica. But Erica didn’t seem to possess any special powers.

Erica’s abilities appeared to be quite average, akin to being the type of girl who suffers bullying without any extraordinary strength.

To Lee Seo-ra’s unexpected reaction, she hesitated momentarily but then nodded.

“…That part is true. Even with the ability to make the world friendly towards her, her powers can’t affect Erica who is protected by an inexplicable favor. Even I, whom she dislikes, cannot be manipulated by her powers. Erica’s protective ability, which is specialized in defense, cannot be penetrated.”

Erica’s ability.

To verify this…

The boy’s eyes briefly flickered in one direction but quickly closed. Learning Erica’s skills via a system capable of manipulation would be unreliable.

He had tried checking once before.

Given that individuals typically understand their own powers somewhat, the best way would be to ask Erica herself.

“Then, are you considering handing Erica over to In-na? It feels like you’re suggesting that.”

No matter how he considered it, if a girl favored by the world couldn’t be defeated, avoiding confrontation was one of the best options.

But if he thought about it that way, it was strange that the student council president would make such publicly hostile statements in a location with occasional passersby. If the world truly supported In-na, this would seem counterintuitive.

“Yoo In-na can’t act recklessly. It’s not because the love of the world is such a powerful supernatural ability, but because if she fails to win Erica’s heart and instead earns her hatred, she would have to accept never seeing her again.”

Even someone with immense power restrains themselves out of love—an ostensibly romantic sentiment.

If only it weren’t disturbing to reflect on why someone who perceived Erica as having stolen her lover could play around so lightly with him.

Since he couldn’t win through direct supernatural combat, taking away someone’s reliance and gradually making them depend on him would be his tactic.

If harassment alienated her until she lost not only her friends but even her loved one…

The boy concluded that this must be why the Erica he knew had changed. It was a simpler and thus more understandable explanation than assuming Erica was another person who had transcended into his world.

“Thus, we have ample time. As long as we don’t get too close to her, we should have enough time to prepare for the inevitable confrontation. She might not be a perfect superhuman after all. Besides, if no one enters her home to sleep over, there’s no need for her to act hastily.”

“…Hmm?”

The act of entering her house and sleeping there?

Of course, she must have been referring to something risqué, but the boy’s expression stiffened as he recalled his action from last night when the jingle of a cell phone from the student council president’s pocket rang out.

“It seems she somehow overheard our conversation. Still, she already knows I will challenge her eventually, so things shouldn’t escalate too quickly… …Hello?”

After reassuring the boy that no significant conflict would arise, the Student Council President raised her phone to her ear. Anticipating what was about to happen next, the boy quietly closed his eyes.

“…What? Someone is entering her house? You both left together this morning, you say? How do you know that? …But that’s not important now. If you will move based on your own judgment, go ahead. I can’t tolerate this either…”

Even with his eyes shut, the boy could feel a piercing, condemning glance growing stronger. It carried hatred, resentment, and fury.

The woman, having ended the call, placed her hand behind her head, as if her bl**d pressure had spiked.

“Are you in the right mind…! No, worse—you’ve entered Erica’s home without even informing me?! You’ve truly gone mad! There’s no need for me to face Yoo In-na! You’ve already broken the ‘agreement’, and here and now, I will settle this with you…!”

Even without combat-related supernatural abilities, she rolled up her sleeves, clearly unwilling to settle this without a physical altercation.

Pointing to a change happening upstairs, he hurriedly interrupted her.

“Wait a moment, take a look at that.”

“Do you expect some cheap lie like that to work in this situation? I trusted you, and look how you betrayed that by entering Erica’s home…”

After following his pointed finger, her intention to mock his lie froze as her face tightened at what she saw through the window.

A pale woman with sinewy features appeared close to Erica. The woman, who had been severely bullied before.

It was rumored that the people who used to bully this woman had met grim ends, whether truth or rumor.

There were far more pressing matters than venting at the boy for ruining plans, so the woman rushed towards Erica’s location.

‘Phew, I’m still alive.’

With the crisis naturally averted, the boy followed Lee Seo-ra upstairs to the café. Given that she had arrived casually and without bringing any dangerous individuals, this felt like nothing more than an appropriately timed hiccup.