Chapter 60

The weekend is a time for freedom.

Although there are unfortunate office workers who must work even on weekends, most people use this time to rest and relieve the stress accumulated during the weekdays.

Because of this, it’s inevitable that the streets are bustling with people on weekends. People tend to manage stress better when they’re together rather than alone.

If one really wanted to deal with stress alone, there wouldn’t even be a need to go out. However, today, there were significantly fewer people roaming the streets than usual.

The sudden, unforeseen terrorist attack had left many hesitant and reluctant to leave their homes.

Still, those who were out were either incredibly insensitive to the threat or believed this to be their one chance to get out.

“Where should we go next?”

This was the question posed by a girl who clung to the arm of a boy.

This boy, none other than Kim Ha-neul, was popular at school. Normally, due to the numerous competitors vying for his attention, he was incredibly busy even on weekends. But because of the terrorist activity near the city center, today was an exception. He had time to spare exclusively with the girl, something that almost never happened on other days.

Of course, the girl was well aware that Kim Ha-neul was dating the Student Council President.

Moreover, she knew that their meeting wasn’t a secret, and the Student Council President, who was usually informed about most happenings within the school, was also aware of this encounter.

Whether out of confidence that their relationship wouldn’t falter or possibly due to not having strong feelings for Kim Ha-neul, the Student Council President didn’t intervene to stop this meeting.

Even if there was a “goalie,” it was hardly a guarantee that a goal wouldn’t be scored.

This girl was searching for someone the boy had met when he was younger but had since disappeared. Today, while they strolled together, she was merely trying to confirm if she was the one he was searching for, knowing full well that he didn’t have much interest in her.

Despite this, she found it difficult to suppress her feelings for him, the boy who had helped her rediscover her dreams.

Using the chaos caused by the recent terrorist attacks as an opportunity, she had pushed aside other rivals who wanted to meet Kim Ha-neul and took her place for this day.

A shy smile lingered on her lips continuously.

It didn’t matter to her whether Kim Ha-neul was thinking about the girl from his childhood or his current girlfriend. What mattered to her now was that she was by his side.

The girl’s heart was young and fresh, but the faint smile on the boy’s face revealed that he wouldn’t accept her for her purposes.

As they walked to their next destination, Kim Ha-neul’s phone began to ring.

Pulling out his phone to check a message, Kim Ha-neul chuckled with a laugh that was more carefree and youthful than the restrained, considerate laugh he had shown the girl moments earlier.

“Really, they’re completely unreachable at other times but insist on meeting only at moments like this.”

“Um… May I ask who the message is from?”

Eager to figure out who could make him laugh in such a way, the girl asked carefully.

Though she tried to be gentle in her questioning, her intentions were clear to Kim Ha-neul.

“The closest friend in this world, yet also someone who’s quite a pain.”

“Is she a girl?”

Even though Kim Ha-neul was closer to women than men, the girl dared to ask just in case.

The boy answered candidly, knowing exactly what the girl was probing. There wasn’t much to hide, and trying to conceal the truth would only increase the chances of creating misunderstandings.

“She is a girl, but she doesn’t like me. If you ask her if she likes me, she’d probably have a fit and want to hit me—not out of embarrassment but because she genuinely dislikes me. Still, I somewhat understand her hatred.”

Although he spoke about the other person’s reactions, he avoided divulging his own feelings about her.

A clear boundary existed between Kim Ha-neul and the girl. It was softly and kindly drawn by the boy, yet firmly stated.

“Anyway, I’ll probably meet her, do you want to tag along? Or…?”

“I think I’ll stop here for today. I hope you two have fun.”

Her words, chosen carefully to not upset Kim Ha-neul, concealed her true desire to spend more time with him but accepted that he would move on to meet someone else.

Upon hearing this, Kim Ha-neul briefly reached out to stop her but then pulled back his hand. Pushing this boundary would only cause harm.

All Kim Ha-neul could offer was a formality: “See you next Monday.”

Although the girl walked away slowly, hoping he might call her back, Kim Ha-neul was distracted by the text message on his phone.

[Are you free? Let’s meet in an hour if you are.]

Even though the meeting place was written, this last-minute meeting was unusual.

The audacity to text such a spontaneous invitation wasn’t due to a lack of manners but rather because of the dislike this person had for him.

Previously, when they went to game rooms, the girl’s loving nature towards him was respected, and the atmosphere was relatively calm. However, there was a cause for this person’s sudden distaste.

Even when grouped together, she had tried to separate Kim Ha-neul and Inna, making efforts to keep them apart.

Considering all these factors, the boy decided to proceed towards their meeting point with a deflated chuckle.

“Sometimes my perception is slow, but oddly sharp at times.”

The ability to be loved by the world.

He wasn’t sure the exact name of the ability, but he knew it was unusually powerful for a sub-heroine to possess.

Given the intense rivalries and powerful supernatural abilities surrounding the main and secondary heroines, it made sense that he felt she might fill the role he was searching for, trying to approach her secretly without the knowledge of the Student Council President or Erica.

Even if they noticed, her behavior was seen as an adorable lack of etiquette.

Since Erica, though a peer, seemed like a younger sister because of her stature, this perception only strengthened.

His actual sibling, one who disliked him, wasn’t part of the reality that awaited him.

Though the girl he’d just met might be the one he had been searching for, as he was now on his way to see Erica, dressed in the same stylish attire.

At a physical level still a boy despite the absence of the second stage of male puberty, though his height and build leaned closer to that of a young adult, he was heading to meet Erica, who lacked the typical signs of female puberty for different reasons.

“57th LOAD.”

Using a protagonist privilege exclusive to his genre, differing from Radiance, he vanished instantly from the street.

The people around, unaware that he had disappeared, simply continued on their paths, either because the use of supernatural powers had become commonplace, or because everyone except the girl he’d just dated had forgotten his presence altogether.

*

The bell above the café door jingled as the boy, having arrived almost miraculously quickly after receiving the message, stepped in.

Naturally, he hadn’t expected the person who made the sudden appointment to be waiting already, so when he saw a white-haired girl sitting alone in a corner sipping her drink, he briefly hesitated.

“What’s this all about?”

He quickly sat down across from the girl, asking her for the reason behind the sudden call.

Erica, who generally avoided him, inviting him here must mean something important.

“Have you heard the story from…”

He interrupted, “You’re cutting the subject out. I won’t know what story.”

As the boy chose his beverage from the menu on the table, he sounded mildly irritated.

It was possible he might not understand if the subject wasn’t explicitly stated. Recognizing the validity of the boy’s point, Erica added more details.

“About the upcoming school trip and the possibility of an attack.”

“Oh, that story? I already knew about it. But, even knowing, it’s only speculation, so I couldn’t act on it recklessly or inform others.”

People generally don’t believe without evidence. While Kim Ha-neul’s word might command some trust from them after resolving various incidents, it was far from guaranteed. Additionally, explaining his knowledge based on a “game storyline” was something he couldn’t do, so Erica understood why Kim Ha-neul had acted this way.

“So, why? Are you curious about whatever preparations I’ve made?”

“No, just… I want to train nearby you.”

“Huh…?”

Kim Ha-neul’s face clearly expressed his confusion at her sudden request.

Erica didn’t intend to explain that her awakening rate would increase and make her stronger just by staying close to him, and so she took another sip of her drink.

It was surprisingly sweet.