The smell of blood was seeping out from all over my body, so I had to get rid of this iron tang first.
I submerged myself in the bathtub, using an excessive amount of shampoo and body wash compared to usual, leaving behind a strong lavender scent on my body. After using deodorant and perfume, unless someone had an exceptionally keen sense of smell, there was no way they’d be able to detect the血腥 odor.
“Hmm… But when should I clean this up?”
After finishing my shower and entering the room, bloodstains were imprinted all over the place. It was incredibly fortunate that I had avoided damaging the bed while harming myself.
– WHOOSH!!!
First, I filled the bathtub with water. Then, using psychokinesis, I drew the water over the dried blood, softening it to make it easier to remove. The moment the scabs started to soften again,
– HOWL!!!
Using psychokinesis, I swept the blood stains off the walls into one spot. I generated a black orb and, with the weakest possible output, moved it gently as if operating a vacuum cleaner. In the process, all the surrounding dust and trash gathered as well, tidying up the room.
Eventually, I levitated what looked like over 20 liters (equivalent to about 13-14 large water bottles) of blood, and it seemed impossible to dispose of it without anyone noticing.
– PLOP
“Amazing. It feels like it might burst at the slightest touch.”
The sight of bright red fresh blood and the numerous “wrist pieces” floating within was quite bizarre, and there was a lot of it.
If Eve or anyone else saw this scene, they might assume I had gone insane and tried to restrain me.
‘I must make sure no one finds out.’
When I used to get injured, the wounds would form scabs as they healed.
‘When I was younger, I found it amusing to tear off scabs, even when they caused fresh bleeding.’
Self-harm provided an almost euphoric feeling beyond just picking at scabs. If I were caught, I’d surely be stopped, so I need to handle this perfectly and leave no trace.
“For now… let me gather this.”
Using psychokinesis, I compressed the gathered blood and arms, causing the pure water to evaporate as steam.
The remaining residue and flesh fragments were compressed into pieces the size of a finger. Looking at it this way, the clots almost resembled ruby gemstones, and they were rather pretty.
– CLUNK!
I threw the clot into the trash can and looked at the mirror.
“…”
Without a doubt, I was an exact replica of Yoon Se-ah.
“No, my hair color is off.”
In the original story, Yoon Se-ah’s hair was a deep purple, but my current hair color was a pale lavender.
Is this a sign that I’m gradually becoming a different existence from Yoon Se-ah in the original story? Or is it just a recent series of events that have caused my hair to lose its color?
“If it’s the latter, my birth mother might actually like it.”
The person who didn’t even acknowledge me as her own child due to the whiteness of my hair, preferring to stay cooped up in her room… But since contact lenses can change eye color, she might actually like it.
“Though I have absolutely no intention of going back to that side.”
For a moment, I considered smashing the mirror that was reflecting this woman’s face, but I decided against it, knowing the cleaning staff at the dormitory would be annoyed. Let’s just let it slide this time.
Anyway, the main cause of this tension was… Seo Ji-an.
“….Haa. Scary.”
Between the nightmares from last night and just seeing Seo Ji-an’s face, I was practically experiencing shock. Perhaps the world where Seo Ji-an becomes student council president isn’t so bad?
– CRACK!
“Damn it.”
Judging by the burning sensation in my cheeks, it seems the previous attack inflicted considerable damage. Through the mirror, I could see my arm and face had twisted grotesquely.
– GRIND!
Watching my body return to normal with strange sounds triggered a sudden thought.
“….Hold on.”
Maybe I’ve found a way to approach Seo Ji-an.
…
…
…
The waiting room was unusually quiet, possibly due to the surprise of Kang Ayul’s unexpected defeat.
The bright screens showed numerous spectators who had come to watch the final match today.
Starting with Lee Seo-yoon, Hong Bi-yeon, and Ryu Shin-woo had all arrived. Even among the first-year students, most had come, with the exception of Na Yoo-bin.
“Quiet is good.”
Until the finals, the student council cadets had been kind enough to check on my condition, bringing water and towels.
While I’m not sure if their consideration was due to believing my match with Kang Ayul would be a rematch, thanks to them, the waiting room now only contained me and Kang Ayul.
“Well, I’ll be going then.”
I had made sure to equip my cane and gear without fail. The broadcast club students were also signaling the start of the match, so I finished my warm-up at the practice ground.
“Hey.”
As I prepared to leave with daggers in both hands, Kang Ayul spoke with a worried tone.
“That… Thank you for helping me get to bed last night.”
“Please, it’s nothing; you helped me too back then.”
“Be careful, something’s off.”
“I know.”
“In that case… Well, I’ll leave it in your hands.”
Seeing Kang Ayul looking so anxious made me feel like teasing. Just moments ago, I was trembling with fear about Ji-an’s strength, but now this playful talk from Ayul had at least somewhat calmed my nerves.
“Will you win?”
“Of course.”
With that, I watched Kang Ayul ascend to the viewing stands before heading determinedly towards the training room.
“Hmm, no one’s here, so it’s peaceful.”
In the training room was only a mannequin made to help wizards measure their magic power.
Since this was a personal battle, there was no need to summon monsters. It was also a good opportunity to check the scores other cadets had recorded on the practice grounds while testing the power of my new technique.
<1st: 8956>
<2nd: 8848>
<3rd: 4576>
<4th: 3698>
<5th: 3556>
<6th: 2478>
<7th: 2214>
<8th: 2210>
<9th: 1982>
<10th: 1558>
“The top score… likely 70% power of Void, the rest I’m not sure about.”
Details aside, let’s start testing the new technique.
– WHIRR…!
I strongly channeled psychokinesis into my right leg.
“Ugh…”
A massive amount of psychokinesis enveloped my leg, making it feel like it could break at any moment, but it was alright. After all, this condition wouldn’t last long during an actual match.
– SMACK!
I leaped into the air quickly, spinning my body as fast as possible to build up speed.
Faster! A little more! Just a little further…!
Before I knew it, the practice dummy was right in front of me, and without caring what happened to my leg, I swung it with all my might.
An immense shockwave accompanied the pain traveling through my leg.
– KABOOM!!!
Unable to withstand the recoil, I was blown away by the shockwave. As I flew backward, I could see the screen.
<9999>
‘Looks like it might work in close combat too.’
A possibility to suppress Seo Ji-an.
…
…
…
“Alright, everyone’s been waiting for this! The final day and highlight of the student council president election! Two of the strongest cadets in Raon Academy will engage in a thrilling battle for the presidency!”
– WAAAAAAA!!!
The arena erupted with thunderous cheers.
“President, have a good match!”
“…”
Some people had suffered sleepless nights because of you, yet you look completely rested.
“The past matchups showed… Yoon Se-ah cadet quickly secured victories within 2-3 minutes in all but the duel with Seong Ah-rin in the 128th round. Of course, there were forfeit victories.”
“On the other hand, Seo Ji-an cadet endured numerous fierce battles! But we firmly believe she achieved incredible growth through those life-or-death moments!”
I wasn’t interested in what the commentators were saying.
– CREAK CREAK
Pre-duel tension was palpable.
“Cadets, please enter your respective arenas.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
After the official’s words, Seo Ji-an and I slowly moved to our positions.
Soon, the barrier unfolded completely, and three lights began flashing.
– BUZZ
The red light lit up, and both Seo Ji-an’s and my stances shifted to combat-ready.
– BUZZ
The yellow light lit up. An overwhelming amount of magical power flowed through Seo Ji-an’s body. The numerical value might be B+, but something ominous about it felt like A-class or higher.
– BUZZZZ!
At the same time the green light lit up, both the red and yellow lights turned green.
By that point, both Seo Ji-an and I were already far from our initial positions…
– KABOOOOOOOM!!
And instantly, with a massive shockwave, the final match began.
