I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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Knock, knock.

How many times has it been already?

I knocked on the door one last time, but, as expected, there was no reply.

“Hana…”

Shin Woo’s voice carried a sad tone.

I had been standing here waiting aimlessly for over ten minutes.

Eventually, the dorm supervisor next to me shook her head and said,

“Go back now. There are plenty of kids who find your presence uncomfortable.”

This place was the girls’ dormitory.

Normally, it would be impossible for Shin Woo to come in.

But this was a special situation.

He was the only one who knew about the whereabouts and condition of the missing Sophie.

Yu Hana, the key figure in this incident, was holed up in her room, refusing to come out.

In the end, I officially called for Shin Woo in the forbidden area, but it was a failure.

“…I’ll try one more time.”

“How many times have you said that? Maybe the girl just needs some time alone.”

Really?

Shin Woo stared at the tightly closed door with a complex expression.

He felt uneasy.

What kind of state was Hana in behind that door?

The rope that had been hanging from the ceiling kept coming to mind.

“It’s okay. I’ve confirmed the child’s safety. If anything happens, I’ll stop it immediately.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

In the end, there was nothing Shin Woo could do.

As he turned to leave with slumped shoulders,

the door that had been firmly shut slowly creaked open.

“…”

Yu Hana stepped out of the room.

It had been exactly five days since the day of the practical.

*

When did it start?

That Shin Woo frequently visited the library.

This place naturally became the spot where the two of us met.

And sure enough, she was at the library again today.

“You’re here.”

“Yeah.”

Si-hyun immediately asked.

“How’s Hana?”

“…Not good.”

Not good.

That was the most accurate expression for it.

It seemed that the shock of that day was more than Hana had imagined.

She had already been a child with many wounds.

Yet she had always tried to maintain a bright smile.

But now, the smile had disappeared from her lips.

The intelligent light in her eyes had dimmed.

The dark circles under her eyes, her drooping shoulders, and her gaze always directed at the ground.

It was a look that didn’t suit Yu Hana at all.

“Sophie meant… a lot more to Hana than we can imagine.”

“I see. They shared the same room, after all. It makes sense.”

Hana looked happy the day before the practical.

I couldn’t help but admit it.

Sophie played the role that Hana couldn’t.

If the incident hadn’t happened, Hana would have surely forgotten her wounds and lived happily.

But now, Sophie was gone.

It didn’t matter whether she was dead or missing.

What mattered was that Sophie was no longer by Hana’s side.

Perhaps…

Looking back now…

That girl seemed to have an inkling of her fate.

‘Hana is in danger now.’

That warning.

The many secrets revealed along with it.

It felt like she was entrusting her role to me.

As if asking me to take care of Hana in her stead.

“What’s Hana doing now?”

“Counseling.”

“If it’s counseling, then could it possibly…?”

Shin Woo replied with a stiff expression.

“Yeah.”

“…What are you planning to do?”

“I’m going there right now. You’ll come with me, right?”

At his suggestion, Si-hyun thought for a moment and nodded.

“To be honest, I was hesitant, but now there’s no choice but to trust you.”

“…Yeah, that makes sense. Then let’s go.”

The two of them headed towards the place where Hana was located, leaving the library behind.

*

“How are you feeling?”

How am I feeling right now?

Good? Bad?

I don’t really know.

If I had to pin it down, I guess it’s bad.

No, it’s sad.

Why am I sad?

Sophie.

Sophie betrayed me.

No, that wasn’t betrayal.

She was acting on purpose for my sake.

But she got caught.

And in the end, she died.

Yeah.

Sophie is dead.

That’s why it’s sad.

It’s hurt like this all along.

“Do you remember what happened that day?”

That day.

The practical day.

It was marked as D-day.

The perfect day to commit suicide.

I had prepared thoroughly.

So that the original story would fall apart without issue.

But it was my arrogance.

I was unable to control the distortion of the original.

How could an ordinary villain A suddenly become the final boss?

Is all of this my fault?

Probably.

So does that mean Sophie’s death is ultimately my fault too?

…I see. That’s how it is.

“I know. It must be hard. If you don’t want to recall it, I won’t pry further.”

“…”

“Honestly, I was taken aback during last week’s counseling. I thought your attitude was quite inadequate.”

Last week.

A faint memory came to mind.

It was because of the Han Si-hyun disciplinary incident.

Did I snap for a moment due to the anxiety of the original falling apart?

Looking back, such a pitiful reason.

Last week felt like heaven compared to now.

In fact, I should be forever grateful to this person.

Thanks to them, I was able to meet Sophie, right?

Though it was just a week.

I was truly happy.

Sophie was the only one who supported me in this hell.

Was she fake just because she wasn’t real?

Was it all just because of my ability?

I don’t care about that.

Even if it was affected by my ability, my happiness was genuine.

“Here, drink this.”

A warm glass of milk was placed in front of me.

I stared at it blankly.

Even this trivial thing held so many memories of Sophie.

Everything I saw reminded me of her.

A friend I could never see again kept coming to mind.

“If you want, you can go back to your studies in class right away. Or you can take your time to calm down with counseling. Choose whatever you’re comfortable with.”

I wrapped my hands around the mug of warm milk.

It felt nice.

“…I’ll take counseling.”

“Good. You made a wise choice.”

There wasn’t any special reason.

If I stayed locked up in my room doing nothing, the memories felt too vivid.

And I didn’t really want to go to class.

I didn’t even particularly want to see the counselor.

But the warmth of this glass of milk, at least, felt good to my heart.

Suddenly, a silly thought crossed my mind.

Just last week, I was certain I would never set foot here.

If things went as planned, I should have committed suicide and gained powers to return to Sophie’s side.

I never imagined I’d come back to the academy without you.

Why did you die instead of me?

Why.

“…”

The teacher looked at me with a sorrowful expression and reached out.

A gentle pat on the shoulder.

I felt no need to refuse.

It wasn’t necessary.

Just then, the counseling room door burst open and someone entered.

“…You’re in a counseling session right now, so please wait. And knock before coming in…”

“Take your hand off right now.”

A familiar voice.

It was Kim Shin Woo.

Now, he was getting on my nerves too.

I was just tired of everything.

I wanted to give up on this academy altogether.

“…What?”

The teacher asked, astonished.

The answer came from the girl behind.

“I already know your identity.”

Han Si-hyun came too.

What do those two even want?

What do you mean by identity?

I didn’t care enough to be curious.

Naturally, such a development wasn’t in the original.

What kind of event were they going to use to torment me this time?

I had nothing left.

“Students can say anything to teachers, huh? I won’t let it slide! Especially you, Han Si-hyun, it’s only been how long since the incident…!”

“Shut up.”

Swoosh.

Huh.

Why did this scene feel familiar?

She used her power in the counseling room, just like she did in the café last time.

The sword that glowed brightly was in her hand.

But there was a difference.

Last time, it had stopped right before. This time, it didn’t stop, and she slashed.

“Ahhh!!”

The counseling teacher screamed, clutching one shoulder as she writhed in pain.

Even at a glance, the wound looked quite severe.

It was surreal.

How could Han Si-hyun, who is somewhat quirky but good-hearted, be attacking an academy teacher?

What’s going on?

Hypnosis? Brainwashing? Corruption?

None of those seemed to suit Han Si-hyun.

Black blood dripped onto the pure white marble floor.

Black blood.

Black… blood…?

“Just as I thought, you are a Ma-in.”

“…W-what the hell are you saying!!”

“It’s no use playing dumb. Ma-ins have black blood. I already know.”

Shin Woo’s calm explanation visibly flustered the teacher.

“How do you know that…?”

“Because I heard it. That child told me everything.”

“Ugh…! That Sophie bastard…!! That traitorous bitch!!”

Her reaction was completely different from just a moment ago.

She had just been comforting me about Sophie’s death.

My heart was pounding.

I was running out of breath.

A ringing sound echoed in my ears.

“Ah. Ahhh. Aaaaah…!”

I stood up from my seat and wrapped my head in my hands.

Sophie. Sophie. Sophie.

“Hana!!”

“Die. Die. Die. Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!”

“Cough. Cough… This damn girl…”

Crash!

Bang!

“Hana! Calm down! Han Si-hyun!”

“Ugh…! Yu Hana! Pull yourself together!”

“Die! Die! Die!!! Die already!!!”

“Guuuh…”

I was seized by Kim Shin Woo and Han Si-hyun and dragged away.

Only then did I regain my sanity.

I belatedly realized that I had pounced on Ma-in and was choking her.

She who couldn’t even resist properly due to her shoulder injury was completely helpless.

Ma-in lay there unconscious with her eyes closed.

Han Si-hyun approached her and checked her pulse.

After a moment, she spoke.

“…She’s dead.”