I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

---

I had a plan laid out from the start.

The important thing was to make the most of the time until the story began.

Preparing thoroughly for a year, ready to handle any situation that might arise.

Looking back now, it seems I achieved quite a bit of what I wanted.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

Going back to the past over a decade and living a completely new life was no small feat.

There were times I would occasionally run into my past self.

Seeing myself pass by without knowing anything brought a wave of mixed emotions.

But the hardest moment was, of course,

When I met Hana.

“Teacher?”

“Yes. What is it?”

I was the science teacher for Class B, where Hana was.

Every time there was a class, I had no choice but to see her.

Naturally, as time passed, we grew closer.

Our relationship felt more like that of a mentor and a pupil rather than just teacher and student.

“So, you know, I went to a café with a friend yesterday…”

Before I knew it, Hana was coming to me and chatting away about irrelevant things, even though it wasn’t class time.

“And then that friend asked me, ‘How have you been? Are you adjusting well to the academy?'”

“What did you say?”

“I just mumbled something. It couldn’t be helped.”

The biggest reason was because Hana felt out of place.

The only incompetent person in the academy.

While I knew the whole truth, the other students had no idea of her importance.

Her differences from others.

No, her inferiority to them.

That was enough to crush a girl who was always bright and lively.

Even her only support, her childhood friend, was in a different class.

They couldn’t fully understand her situation since they had other friends.

She probably didn’t want to needlessly worry her friend either.

Besides, after entering the academy, it wouldn’t be easy to get painkillers to ease her chronic illness.

In such extreme circumstances.

A girl pushed to her limits needed another place to lean on.

I willingly took on that role.

It was definitely part of the plan.

If Hana were to completely break down, everything would change.

But in truth, I was just following my heart.

I didn’t want to see her struggling.

“Still, it feels so much better to share it! Thank you for always listening to me.”

“It’s not a difficult thing. You can come by anytime. Since I don’t have much to do as a non-combat subject teacher, I get bored.”

“Hehe. Then it’s mutually beneficial!”

Fortunately, Hana still hadn’t lost her bright demeanor.

Her radiant smile had a slight shadow mixed in, but the lively spirit of her childhood still shone through.

Could I really pull this off?

Every time I doubted myself, I recalled Hana’s smile.

For the sake of that smile, I could do anything.

And so time continued to flow.

At last, a year passed and Hana became a second-year student.

The story begins.

*

Shortly after the new semester started.

Recently, Hana’s expression has noticeably darkened.

Just a few months ago, when class assignments were announced, she was bouncing around in joy, completely the opposite of how she looked now.

She had been assigned to the same class as Kim Shinwoo, or me from the past, but reality must have been different from her expectations.

I already had many friends around me, and they only saw Hana as a person trying to intervene in their group.

Now it was so obvious, why hadn’t I realized that fact earlier?

If only I had noticed a bit sooner…

Now it was just a useless assumption.

“Is this complete?”

Now was the time to focus.

After a long time, I had finally succeeded in my development.

This was a treatment drug.

Specifically, a drug to treat emotional and mental issues.

It converts negative emotions into positive ones.

Of course, development through only scientific means was impossible.

It was the result of using the power of the Holy Grail.

And this was far from an ordinary drug.

Excessive effects and powerful side effects.

It could practically be called a narcotic.

But it was a necessary evil for fixing Hana.

Considering the existing trajectory and observing her condition for a year, it was clear that if I did nothing, her mental state would inevitably break down completely.

Without even artificial happiness through the drug, Hana wouldn’t feel any happiness at all.

Until Sophie became Hana’s friend and took over the role of the drug.

And after Sophie had died, when Hana was left with nothing.

This drug would be a hindrance that keeps Hana from choosing suicide and makes her cling to life.

“…Huh.”

A bitter sigh escaped.

For now, this was the best option.

Even so, I only felt sorry for Hana.

All I could do was add strawberry flavor.

I quietly stared at the completed drug before tucking it into my pocket.

Now, everything was ready.

There was only one thing left.

“Hello, is this Hana?”

– Ah, Teacher… What’s the matter?

“I was wondering if you could come to the science room for a moment?”

– Right now? Um. Just a moment.

After calling her, I pulled out a syringe from my pocket.

It was time to start everything.

*

Hana arrived at the science room immediately.

She put on a forced smile, pretending as usual.

“I didn’t expect you to call me first. What’s going on?”

“I was just worried because you’ve seemed a bit down lately. Are you okay?”

“I’m… okay. But thanks for worrying.”

Despite saying that, shadows lurked on her face.

I sensed a lack of energy in her voice compared to before.

“How’s your chronic illness these days?”

“It’s pretty much the same. But thanks to the painkillers you gave me, I’m doing much better.”

“That’s a relief.”

As the conversation flowed naturally, she gradually began to relax.

Then she started to open up about her feelings she had held inside.

“To be honest… there’s a student in our class who’s been bothering me.”

“What do you mean by bothering you?”

“I guess I should say it’s a bit scary… It seems like she’s trying to pick on me for some reason…”

I immediately recognized who it was.

It was Hong Yeonhwa.

It was only less than a month since the new semester started, so it was natural they didn’t know much about each other.

As time passed, she would eventually understand that the girl wasn’t actually that bad.

“I happened to run into her on my way here. Luckily, Shinwoo intervened in the middle.”

“…I see.”

That scene played out in my mind.

It went well. I could use this incident as a reference point.

As the conversation ran out, an awkward silence settled in the science room.

At that moment, Hana noticed something and stood up.

“Oh! I’ve never seen that skeleton model before?”

“Oh, I changed it to a new one a while ago.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Of course, feel free.”

Slowly, the girl approached the skeleton, admiring it with enthusiasm.

I quietly erased my presence and stealthily moved behind her.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Thud.

I plunged the needle of the syringe into Hana’s neck.

At that moment, the girl froze as if her operation had been halted.

It’s not easy to explain what’s in this syringe clearly.

All I know is that Hana had once told me, at the last moment, to give this back to her when she needed it.

This is a persona that Hana created herself.

A being that remembers another story called ‘the original work’.

Believing she was someone other than Yu Hana, she would take on the role of the protagonist leading the story forward.

“Can you hear me?”

To my question, Hana, in a trance-like state, responded.

“Yes…”

“Who are you?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“You’re currently in the world of the novel. The contents of the original work are embedded in your memory.”

“…Yes. That’s right. I read the novel and possessed Yu Hana’s body.”

Good. It’s going well.

“Why are you in the science room?”

“…I came because the teacher called me.”

“No. You possessed her a few days ago, and you cannot read Yu Hana’s memories. I’ll ask again. Why are you in the science room?”

“…I don’t know.”

I couldn’t let it go like this.

Why would it be necessary to make her consciously aware that she possessed the body just a few days ago?

By doing so, she wouldn’t suspect my involvement in the possession.

If the first moment of her memory gets fixed on my meeting with her, she would inevitably become suspicious of me.

“You came to try to commit suicide. You were looking for poison in the science room.”

“…I was looking for poison in the science room to commit suicide.”

To follow the existing flow, the desire for suicide must be maintained.

But she absolutely couldn’t die for real.

Thus, even if it felt somewhat forced and artificial, it had to be done this way.

The rest, she would distort her memories and consciousness as she saw fit.

“I’ll ask you one last time. Who are you?”

“I… am not Yu Hana.”

To save Yu Hana, I erase Yu Hana.

I trap her consciousness inside.

Thus, Yu Hana does not die.

This was the only way.