I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Suicide

Chapter 52

“…What do you mean by ‘still alive’?”

At Si woo’s question, Rachel propped her chin on her hand and sighed.

“Right now, Hana isn’t in the academy. She’s on the run.”

“On the run…?”

“We’re currently tracking her.”

This wasn’t good.

Too much had changed while he was down.

If Hana, a demon, was captured, things would surely end badly.

But what if the pursuit failed?

That would be just as problematic.

Why did Hana run away?

Or was it only natural for her to flee?

“If Hana is caught… What happens then?”

“Well, you know the general protocol for handling demons.”

Of course, he knew.

It was one of the basics taught at the academy.

In fact, Si-hyun had mentioned it too.

Shoot on sight.

Demons, difficult to distinguish from humans, had long infiltrated society, causing extensive damage.

Though few in number, they were far more dangerous than beasts.

So if Hana is found…

She’ll be killed on the spot.

No. That can’t happen.

“I must stop it somehow.”

“Are the disciplinary officers handling the pursuit?”

“I don’t know the details. I’m just the school nurse, after all.”

The information was too limited.

Then, someone entered the infirmary and spoke.

“The search team has already been assembled. Even your friend, Han Si-hyun, has joined.”

A petite figure with a delicate voice.

A girl with an overall impression that made her seem quite young.

Seeing her, Rachel couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Principal, what brings you all the way here…?”

“I just came to see the injured student now that he’s awake.”

Si woo’s attention was caught by the principal’s first words, and he asked urgently,

“I want to help too! Please let me join the search team!”

“No.”

“…Why not? If even Si-hyun joined!”

“Kim Si woo. What will you do if you find Yoo Hana?”

“Well…”

No answer came immediately.

He was at a loss for words.

What would he do if he met Hana?

Obviously…

He would help her. He would do anything solely for Hana.

“Yoo Hana is a demon. She’s a target to be dealt with.”

“No, that’s unacceptable! I’ll bring her back so she can return to how she was before…!”

“Demons cannot return to being human. The board has already made up its mind.”

“……”

Even so, this was too much.

Just yesterday, she was a student at the academy.

Wasn’t she someone they should protect?

What if she didn’t become a demon by choice?

Maybe even the attack on the chairman was forced upon her.

“An academy student became a demon and tried to kill the student council president. Can you even imagine the repercussions of this on humanity? The academy is humanity’s hope, the only institution to train heroes who will repel the monsters threatening the world. For it to be tainted…”

“Hana is not tainted!”

A cold silence filled the infirmary.

The principal looked at Si woo with sad eyes.

In the end, to her, every student, including this child, was precious.

“It can’t be helped. That’s how the world is. Despair blankets the world, while the flame of hope is small and fragile. We must protect that flame at all costs, no matter the sacrifice.”

“……”

“Forget her. If you can’t forget, then turn away and deny it. Tell yourself that the childhood friend you knew as Yoo Hana is already dead, and that someone else has taken over her shell. Just think of it that way.”

With those words, the principal left.

“…Are you okay?”

“……”

Rachel spoke to the boy who seemed defeated.

“I told you before. If you try to save that girl by force, you’ll end up in the mire yourself.”

“I’ll be going now.”

Just as he was about to leave, she held onto his wrist.

“…You still can’t give up, can you?”

“I was too dull to notice how much Hana was hurting. In the end, I couldn’t do anything when she fell.”

“It’s not your fault. You don’t have to carry guilt or feel you need to atone.”

“It’s not about atonement.”

“I’m simply keeping a promise.”

He had sworn to make her happy.

Even if he had to sacrifice everything he had.

Si woo quickly left the infirmary and moved with purpose.

There was no time to waste, not even a moment.

He stopped at the underground training room.

Thud!

Thud!

He felt a heavy thudding.

A girl alone in the training room, pounding against the wall.

“Hong Yeonhwa.”

“What.”

“Hana is in danger.”

Her movements stopped.

***

Late at night.

She cautiously left the dormitory.

Is this a final farewell to this room?

The only regret might be not having anything to remember Sophie by.

The street was quiet.

Tomorrow, it will probably be noisy.

How long before word reaches the ears of the ordinary students?

Everyone would be talking only about her.

That much was clear from what happened when Han Si-hyun was disciplined.

But now, does it even matter?

They weren’t close anyway, and she’d never see them again.

She walked slowly down the quiet night streets.

She didn’t feel the need to hurry.

Since it was her last time, it would be okay to take her time.

The light was off at her usual convenience store.

A bit disappointing. Aren’t convenience stores usually open 24 hours?

Then again, considering the dorm curfew, there probably wouldn’t be any customers.

She had wanted banana milk.

But she kept moving on.

She soon arrived at the back gate.

The gate, usually securely locked, was wide open.

Perhaps the teacher had arranged this?

She wasn’t very curious and just went along with it.

Walking past the back gate and following the path, she saw a black van parked.

Because of the darkness and tinted windows, she couldn’t see the driver’s seat.

As she approached, the rear door opened by itself.

It seemed to be an invitation to get in.

She paused briefly, then boarded quietly.

After all, resisting here would only get her caught quickly.

She didn’t have the confidence to defeat a demon.

Once in the van, she was quite surprised.

Lively music was playing inside.

As if this were a road trip, upbeat songs filled the air, and she heard humming from the driver’s seat.

“Hey there, little miss.”

And a husky female voice.

Glancing over, she quickly guessed who it was, seeing her peculiar outfit—a blue cape and a long fish mask covering her face.

“Blue Shark.”

“Oh, you know me?”

“Sand Crocodile told me.”

“Thought so. So, you’re the famous savior, huh? You’re cuter than I expected!”

The music stopped, and she turned around to look.

“By getting in, you’ve made up your mind, right?”

“…Yes.”

Silver hair flowing softly, and blue eyes reminiscent of Sophie’s.

But there was a difference.

If Sophie’s eyes were a bright ocean blue,

Hers were a darker, deeper navy like the vast sea.

Looking directly at the shark mask was rather eerie.

“Alright then, let’s get going. To the sanctuary.”

The van began moving as loud music started up again.

She hummed along, breaking the silence.

“It’s quite a distance, so it’ll take a while. But that’s obvious, right? We wouldn’t set up a hideout close to the academy, only to invite trouble. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

“Not much of a talker, huh? Let’s chat on the way. We’re going to be colleagues, after all. Got anything you want to ask? Anything at all.”

She did have something to ask.

Hesitating for a moment, she spoke carefully.

“…Could you turn down the music a bit?”

“Oh, sorry. Too loud? Anything else you’re curious about?”

“…Nothing in particular.”

“Is it that I scare you or something? Is that why?”

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

From reading the original, she knew how terrifying this woman could be.

Simply put, she was as scary as the teacher.

Yet they had completely different vibes.

If the assistant principal was like a black hole, slowly destroying through schemes and manipulation,

This woman was more of a beast, overtly consumed by madness and slaughter.

“Hey, if you treat me like this, you won’t be able to adapt once we get there. There are far worse lunatics. Compared to them, I’m practically a saint. An angel, even.”

“……”

“So just call me ‘sister’ casually, okay? Not all demons are crazy. They were people once too.”

“You just said they’re all crazy.”

In one moment, she completely flipped her words.

“Well, yeah, they’re crazy… but I’m not, so they’re not all crazy. Right?”

It wasn’t very convincing.

For a long time, the van sped along the road.

She talked incessantly, while I nodded off, unable to keep up.

And so, time passed, and dawn approached.

“By the way, what’s your favorite animal?”

“…That’s so sudden.”

“Just say whatever. But hey, sharks are pretty cool, aren’t they?”

Just then—

Boom!!

An enormous explosion shook the ground.

Barely regaining her senses, she grasped the situation.

The road just ahead of the van had blown up, flipping the pavement.

Amid the loud music, Blue Shark muttered under her breath.

“Aw, shit.”

…Scary.

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