I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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After a long while, Shin Woo finally spoke.

“…I get what you mean. Let’s sort out the situation first.”

“No. You still don’t understand properly.”

“Put that sword away first.”

“We can’t disarm ourselves during battle.”

Their gazes clashed.

“Hana is not the enemy.”

“Kim Shin Woo, the demon is the enemy of mankind.”

Her blade pointed at Hana, who had collapsed to the ground.

Shin Woo shouted urgently.

“Stop!”

“You’ve lost your reason, swayed by emotions.”

“You’re the one who’s lost it! The most urgent thing right now is to save your sister!”

At those words, Si-hyun finally showed signs of agitation.

Though she was barely hanging on, it was clear that time was running out.

If they hesitated any longer, it might be completely too late.

“You’re right. The most urgent thing is saving my sister.”

As Shin Woo considered that he had convinced her, he let out a sigh of relief.

But the situation wasn’t looking that optimistic.

“So, we need to eliminate the threats as quickly as possible.”

Without hesitation, Si-hyun swung her sword.

A boy stood in her way.

A sword of light identical to hers clashed against it.

Si-hyun frowned as she spoke.

“You’re obstructing the eradication of the demon.”

“I can’t just be sure that a sword with a few drops of blood is the truth…! There could be a misunderstanding or a mistake!”

“If that were true, then the guidance counselor we killed also wouldn’t have been a demon.”

“…Even if she were a demon, she was still a friend.”

At the feeble appeal to emotions, Si-hyun only scoffed.

“Ha… A friend, huh. Then that makes her a cold-blooded killer trying to slay your friend’s sister?”

“That’s…”

“No matter what you say, you can’t change my mind. It was strange from the start that you were hanging out with a demon. There’s a chance she was one from the beginning. You might have been deceived.”

A demon from the start?

The Yu Hana who had been a childhood friend.

That sweet and innocent child was a demon?

“No. If that were the case, I would have noticed when she was hospitalized. She must have bled when she fell from the rooftop.”

“What’s worse is that even after experiencing such a thing, she became a demon.”

No.

It might have been enforced.

But what about stabbing the student council president?

In the end, it’s just going in circles. No matter how I try to defend her, there are holes everywhere.

At this point, looking at everything holistically.

Yu Hana was a demon and evil.

Even so.

Shin Woo wouldn’t bend his heart.

“…No matter what you say, I will protect Hana.”

“In the end, you’ve closed your eyes to the truth. Pathetic.”

A murderous glint flickered in Si-hyun’s eyes.

“Then there’s no choice. I’ll have to defeat you and kill Yu Hana.”

“I won’t let you do that.”

In their original fate, the two who should be whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Became entangled in an exchange of swords due to their individual wills and circumstances.

The two fought fiercely.

*

“…Ugh.”

Could it be that I was bleeding too much?

My head was spinning.

I was barely able to stand, kneeling on one knee.

I knew I had to break them up, but my voice wouldn’t come out properly.

But I stood up.

And shouted.

“Stop… Just stop…!”

“It’s useless.”

I heard the vice principal’s voice from the side.

When did he even get here? He was calmly watching the battle from next to me.

He looked on with a glint of interest in his eyes and a smile on his face.

“Those two are already lost in their own world, having lost their reason.”

“…He’s showing illusions.”

“Humans are truly foolish and dimwitted. They tend to believe only the world they see with their own eyes. Not realizing how easily it can be distorted.”

He bent down and pressed his finger into the blood that had fallen to the ground.

Then he looked at it, laughing deeply.

A vivid red stain was visible.

“Once they start believing, no matter how wrong it is, they cling to that belief. But on the flip side, once they start doubting? No matter how absolute the truth, they’ll unconditionally suspect it. That’s human nature. And that’s why the illusions I show become more effective the more their minds are shaken.”

Kim Shin Woo and Han Si-hyun were witnessing an extreme situation that would inevitably drive them to madness.

The very scene where I aimed to kill the student council president.

That sight itself was a trigger that made them unable to doubt the illusion.

“Looks like you noticed. That’s right. This scene is one that I personally designed and planned. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“…”

“I was even more astonished. I never expected you to accept my proposal so readily.”

The vice principal’s initially smiling face suddenly turned cold as he moved.

In the blink of an eye, my neck was grabbed, choking me.

“Cough…! Ugh…!”

The vice principal’s eyes were filled with madness as he squeezed my throat with one hand.

“Why didn’t you stab the heart?”

“…Kim Shin Woo came in. I lost my focus…”

“Stop with the pathetic excuses. You likely intended to do that from the start. Why? If that were the case, you could have just refused my proposal in the first place.”

That’s right.

If I simply didn’t want to kill a person, I could have just refused from the start.

Even piercing the side would be enough to risk losing my life.

“After all, it was all premeditated…”

“Huh?”

“Whether I accepted or not… It was destined that the student council president would die on your chessboard.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you are that kind of person.”

Even if he acted like a gentleman, having read the original work, I know it all.

This guy’s malice is at a level that no villain could ever reach.

The moment I laid eyes on the student council president lying in the science room, I had already realized that he intended to kill her.

“…Ha. Ha ha ha!! This is fun. Really fun.”

“Cough…!”

The moment he released his grip, I collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

“Did you read my entire setup, you cocky little brat? Then answer me. What am I going to do with the student council president and your friends here? You predicted all of that, right?”

“Keep your promise…”

“What? Oh, you’re saying not to touch anyone else besides you? How ridiculous. You haven’t even properly fulfilled the proposal.”

“I did stab the heart. It just didn’t go deep enough because of the sudden interference.”

Slowly, his smile faded and an unpleasant expression took its place.

But I couldn’t stop myself. I mustn’t stop.

“As I said before, drop the pathetic talk. Even if what you’re saying is true, I have no obligation to keep my promise, so don’t get too carried away.”

Gasping for breath, I pulled out my trump card.

“…Is that so? Then does the Black Goat think the same?”

“You… You crazy bastard… How do you know that?”

The vice principal’s eyes widened in shock before he gritted his teeth and muttered.

“That little rat…!!”

“Keep your promise. If you touch anyone within the academy besides me, I’ll tell the Black Goat immediately.”

His expression twisted like a claw.

Blood vessels bulged on his face, and the capillaries in his eyes burst.

The otherworldly anger emanating from him instilled profound fear.

This is no joke.

I feel like I might wet myself.

For a moment, my thoughts scattered, and I soon lost my mental clarity as excruciating pain shot through my wounds.

“Ugh!”

“Fine. As promised, I won’t touch anyone. Except for you.”

His stiff shoes harshly stomped on my side.

The unimaginable pain filled my body to the brim, leaving me unable to scream.

The side was just the beginning; it didn’t stop there.

Arms, legs, fingers, even my face.

With a cold expression, the vice principal stomped on every inch of me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll heal your wounds eventually. Just not right now.”

“…Ah. Ah…”

How long had I been trampled?

Suddenly, laughter escaped.

“…Ha. Ha ha.”

“What’s this? Have you broken already? Useless brat.”

No. That’s not it.

It’s not that my mind is breaking; it’s too clear, and that’s the problem.

The even crazier thing was how bearable this pain was.

Compared to the ailments I had endured up till now.

It even felt a bit bland.

Of course, just because I can endure the pain doesn’t mean I’m without injuries.

I can’t see it, but my entire body must be covered in bruises.

I couldn’t even open my eyes properly.

In my blurry vision, I looked at the two still fighting.

They didn’t even spare a glance at me in the corner.

It was probably because they were caught up in their illusions.

But now, it was truly dangerous.

I hurriedly raised my arms, waving them weakly.

At that, the vice principal stopped kicking and asked.

“What is it?”

“…Please move the student council president to the hospital room.”

“Why should I do that? I’m trying not to touch anyone, just as you said.”

My head felt fuzzy.

If I let my guard down for a moment, I’d faint right away.

I steadied my mind and barely managed to sit up.

Every part of me screamed in agony. This kind of external pain was something I had never felt before.

No, did I feel something similar when I fell from the rooftop?

I collapsed forward immediately.

Grabbing his pant leg, I pleaded.

“…Please. I beg of you.”

Fortunately, the vice principal seemed to have cooled down a bit as he stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Then with an ominous smile, he said.

“Your tone in asking is quite stiff. Try to be a bit more sincere.”

“…”

“Yeah. First, bark like a dog.”

This is.

Extremely perverse.

“…Woof.”