LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 43
“Um. What’s going on here?”
“I came to read a book. It’s a library, after all.”
“I see.”
A brief awkward silence followed.
In a way, it was natural to say they were close friends, but it felt ambiguous.
They had gone through several things together.
Like that disciplinary incident. Or the time they went to the underground of the academy.
And there was also the incident of dealing with the disguised Mine.
Hana hesitantly said in a small voice.
“… I, um, thanks for last time.”
“What for?”
“You took the blame for me. That incident…”
At that time, she had been too excited and lost her composure.
Now that she thought about it, she should have been calmer.
Si-hyun shook his head nonchalantly.
“It was Mine anyway. Even if you were implicated, nothing would have changed.”
“… Is that so?”
His overly calm attitude made her think it might not have been that big of a deal after all.
She didn’t really remember the events of that day well.
It seemed to appear mildly in her nightmares.
Had she forgotten after taking medication?
“Are you here to read too?”
“Ah, yeah… I’m planning to read something simple.”
“I see. Then, good luck.”
Si-hyun immediately left his seat.
As Hana watched him for a moment, she soon went back to selecting books.
She barely managed to pick five books on thin and light topics.
When am I going to read all this? Do I have to finish it by tomorrow?
That seems a bit much.
Having settled on the books, just as she was about to leave the library.
She discovered Si-hyun sitting by the window, absorbed in his reading.
She hesitated for a moment.
Since there was still time until lunch, should she read a little now?
There wouldn’t be anything to do back in class anyway.
And bumping into Kim Shinwoo would only be awkward.
Hana made a decision and sat down across from Si-hyun.
Si-hyun was deeply focused on his book and didn’t react at all, completely engrossed.
Seeing this, Hana picked up a book and started reading slowly.
The wild thrill and happiness she felt began to fade away quietly, calming down.
The sunlight pouring through the window and the pleasant white noise created a comforting and leisurely atmosphere.
Perhaps because of that, drowsiness crept in.
Eventually, her concentration waned, and the words stopped registering in her mind, so she closed the book.
Stretching out, she noticed that Si-hyun was still deeply engrossed in his book across the table.
Hana rested her chin on her hand and admired him for a moment before speaking up.
“What book are you reading?”
“An exploration of the meaning and influence of the savior in the Abrahamic sects.”
“Ugh…”
Is the title really that long?
I didn’t even retain it for five seconds before forgetting.
“Is it a religious book?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you interested in religion?”
“Sort of. I’ve been studying it a bit lately.”
“That’s unexpected. I would’ve thought you didn’t believe in that stuff.”
Did she believe in religion in the original story?
She didn’t recall anything like that.
Probably not.
Si-hyun, without taking his eyes off the book, asked Hana.
“Do you know what a Messiah is?”
“Um. God? I’m not sure.”
“A savior believed in the Abrahamic religions. You could say it’s an apostle sent by God to save this world.”
“… That’s difficult.”
“Usually refers to Jesus in Christianity.”
It suddenly felt like the conversation was slipping into a religious lesson.
She didn’t have a negative feeling toward religion, but she also didn’t want to believe in it seriously.
“So, do you know what atonement is?”
“I have no idea.”
She had at least had an inkling about the Messiah, but she completely didn’t understand atonement.
However, the term itself felt somewhat familiar.
Ah, wasn’t that the same word in the title of the book Juhyun had?
“It means paying the penalty for someone else’s sins. To put it simply, it’s like guaranteeing a debt.”
“Who would do that?”
“Right? Isn’t it quite interesting?”
“Not really…”
Is there really a need for religion to be so complicated?
If religion is meant to help those in pain, shouldn’t it be as simple and straightforward as possible?
So that anyone could understand and believe.
Eliminating difficult concepts like messiah and atonement altogether.
Si-hyun looked away from his book and stared at Hana.
For a moment, her gaze fell downward.
“I’ve never seen that pendant before.”
“Huh? Oh, this?”
Hana fiddled with the cross pendant hanging from her neck.
… When did I start wearing this?
She felt a bit dizzy.
Maybe she was a little tired.
Hana pressed her forehead and stood up from her seat.
“I should get going. I’m suddenly feeling really tired.”
“Okay. Take care.”
Hana left the library, swaying as she carried her books.
As she watched her retreating figure, Si-hyun muttered to himself.
“… Messiah. Atonement sacrifice. What could it be?”
Si-hyun then refocused on his book.
To unravel the questions piling up.
How many minutes passed?
The lunch hour was nearing its end.
Si-hyun closed his book and spoke up.
“You don’t look too good today. Is something going on?”
Shinwoo replied.
“I have something to ask.”
*
Being rejected by a childhood friend felt worse than expected.
It felt far more dreadful than she imagined.
Her attitude suggested that she valued that guy more than him.
It invoked feelings of defeat and jealousy.
She felt lots of anger and sadness.
But the strongest feeling was self-loathing.
Every cowardly attitude and pitiable words she had spoken.
Yet still, being mercilessly rejected.
An impulse to let go of everything surged within her.
But as time passed, that feeling gradually calmed down.
Then only one emotion remained, one she had yet to realize.
Nostalgia for the times that were once happy.
The more she reminisced about those memories, the word “give up” slowly faded away.
Instead, indifference took its place.
Yeah. Since I’ve come this far, I can’t just give up now.
If I’m already in this mess, it’s better to see it through to the end.
If Hana is happy, then even if it’s hard, I can accept it.
But what if she’s not? What if Hana isn’t happy?
At the very least, she wanted to check.
If that guy was truly someone who would help Hana.
Or if he would be a harmful presence instead.
“Are you suspecting that someone is a Mine?”
If that guy were a Mine, he couldn’t possibly want what’s good for Hana.
Of course, Sophie had only told her about the counseling teacher, not a single word about the first-year science teacher.
But given that a Mine had infiltrated the academy, there was no reason to assume there was only one.
It could be that anyone, not just that guy, could be a Mine.
“Yes. I’m still not sure. I don’t have any physical evidence. But…”
What really mattered was how they were going to confirm if he was a Mine.
The only way to distinguish it was to directly check the blood color.
“How are you going to confirm it? Are you planning on wielding a knife like last time?”
“… I know I shouldn’t do that.”
Last time, she’d acted that way because Sophie had provided some information.
There had been a possibility that even that would not be true, so it had been too radical a move.
If she hadn’t been alone with the Mine in such an anxious state, she would never have chosen that method.
This time, there was not certainty, only suspicion.
Attempting to proceed in such a manner would only backfire.
“There’s no need to injure anyone. We just need to draw the blood!”
At Shinwoo’s exclamation, the student council president Sehee sighed.
“That sounds easy. But what’s the reason? Would you just say, ‘I’m suspecting you might be a Mine?'”
“That’s…”
She attempted to solicit Sehee’s help, but she was hardly convinced.
In fact, she showed a negative reaction to his words.
“To be honest, the Board of Directors is quite displeased with your previous actions.”
“… Our actions?”
“Imagine if someone other than me had walked in on that scene? If it had leaked to the outside? It wouldn’t have been covered up as quietly as it is now. It would have caused quite a stir.”
“……”
There was no denying that.
Though the Mine had been killed due to Hana’s rampage, Si-hyun’s attack had also directly contributed to that death.
“In the end, if I don’t get permission from the board, I can’t do anything either. Unless you have a groundbreaking idea to convince those stubborn old men, just stay quiet. Come back when you have more conclusive evidence.”
Today, her tone was sharper than usual.
Sehee, speaking with her hand on her hip, kept frowning.
Si-hyun, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke.
“Don’t try to hide the issue; instead, expand it.”
“… What?”
“Rather than just one suspect, we should conduct a blood test for the whole academy.”
Si-hyun calmly explained.
“Since a Mine has infiltrated, there could very well be more. Just disguise it as a general health check conducted by the academy and test everyone, including the teaching staff.”
“……”
Sehee fell silent, deep in thought.
“The board will probably welcome it with open arms. It’s a chance to eliminate potential threats in the form of Mines.”
“… Alright. I will propose it. However, since it’s going to involve everyone, it’s going to take some time.”
“We need to do it as soon as possible!”
“I can’t help it if you complain. We’re changing the academy’s schedule suddenly. No matter how fast, it’ll be a week.”
Wait a week?
Though she didn’t like it, this was the best they could do for now.
Shinwoo managed to calm his excitement and steeled his resolve.
Yeah. In a week, they should be able to find out for sure.
What he should do from then on.
*
“I’ve finished everything.”
He handed over five pages of his book report.
He had been glued to the book in the dormitory just to write this.
To be honest, it was quite interesting, and he had immersed himself in it.
He quickly skimmed through the report and said.
“Well done.”
“……”
It felt strange.
She hadn’t written it to receive praise.
“Hurry up and give me the medicine?”
“Of course, here it is. Now, it’s time for the next condition.”
“… Am I going to be doing this every day from now on?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ugh! Just tell me what it is!”
He chuckled as he replied.
“It’s simple. You need to take notes on the class content. Let’s check only for a day first.”
What the heck does that even mean?
She glared at him with a disgruntled expression, to which he responded nonchalantly.
“What’s the problem? The choice is yours.”
“Fine! I’ll just do it!”
She snatched the medicine from him and popped it into her mouth.
Certainly, she felt better.
But something felt a bit lacking.
“… Huh?”
“Um? Why so?”
“… No, it’s nothing.”
It must be a misunderstanding.
The annoyance had definitely disappeared.
Yeah. I’m alright.
She turned on her heel and quickly left the science lab.
“Take care.”
“…… Hmph.”
She still had no idea what his intentions were.
She couldn’t even guess.
No, did he even have any intentions?
Holding back her feelings of unease tightly within, life continued to flow on.
And so, a week passed.