I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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Shin Woo knitted his brows and questioned,

“Why can’t we?”

“I already told you. The board’s surveillance is too tight right now, it’s hard to slip away.”

“But that’s not what we agreed on!”

He had gone along with the deal solely based on the promise that he would get to see Hana. But now, how could things turn out like this?

However, the Vice Principal confidently retorted,

“I will keep my promise. If you just wait quietly here, you’ll get to meet Yu Hana anyway.”

“…What?”

“The apostles will soon raid the academy. Yu Hana will be coming as well.”

Shin Woo fell into confusion at the shocking news of an impending attack on the academy.

“Is that really true?”

“The heroes have either already arrived at the academy or are poised to come instantly. A full-scale battle is about to begin.”

“Then I…?”

“You already know what you should do, don’t you?”

“…”

At that moment, the phone in the Vice Principal’s office rang.

He frowned and muttered,

“Tsk. Those board members. Starting again.”

As he took the call, repeating short answers, the call ended, and he sighed before saying,

“I have things to take care of now, so I’ll be on my way. The raid will start sooner than expected, so be mentally prepared.”

“…”

The boy, half-forced out of the Vice Principal’s office, trudged down the hallway.

Due to the recent war with the apostles, the atmosphere inside the academy was chaotic.

Even if they were aspiring heroes, they were still students. Maintaining composure upon hearing that their hometown and families were being trampled by the apostles was an absolute challenge.

Especially in recent days, rumors had been spreading about how the heroes fighting to defend the city had all been defeated, and some S-class heroes had even lost their lives. If true, it was enough news to plunge everyone into despair.

Smiles vanished from the students’ faces.

Everyone lingered with dark expressions and anxious eyes.

In such a situation, if the apostles did really raid the academy, the outcome was painfully predictable.

The boy continued walking and exited the school building.

Crossing the street, he passed the dormitory and arrived at a small park, completely deserted.

“…Yu Hana.”

His lonely call received no reply, fading into mere whispers.

This was the moment he had longed for.

He had heard that soon he would be reunited with her.

He should have been overjoyed.

Yet his heart remained heavy with a bittersweet feeling.

Wasn’t there a chance that things could have turned out much better?

Memories of the choices he had missed due to his own foolishness and inexperience kept flooding back.

Taking a step forward, he plopped down on a swing.

The nights he spent here with you were still vividly etched in his mind.

Those times seemed worry-free and happy.

Just like when he was a naive child, oblivious to everything.

Indeed, no matter how much he pondered and conflicted, he always arrived at the same conclusion.

His resolve never wavered but rather grew ever stronger.

He wanted to see you again.

He wanted to make you happy, just as he promised in this park.

“Here you are.”

Startled by the voice in front of him, Shin Woo looked up.

There stood a girl with purple hair.

Her first appearance since that day caught him off guard.

Why was she here?

“Longinus.”

“Long time, no see.”

“Did you come to find me? Why?”

She responded with her characteristic expressionless face.

“I have to protect you from the apostles.”

“…Protect? No need.”

“Sorry, but rejecting is not an option. Cooperate smoothly.”

Shin Woo stood up from the swing and glared at the girl.

“What if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll have to force you to come.”

A purple spear appeared in the girl’s hands.

*

“Ugh, damn, this feels so gross.”

The woman who took off her hood complained as she stepped out of the gate.

Her shabby attire, especially the blood and flesh stains on her clothes, hinted at the fierce battles she had fought.

But this was nothing to her.

This was all just part of her training to become stronger.

When she heard stories from her benefactor, even though this wasn’t the person she had in mind, it became a good opportunity to collect her thoughts and strengthen her resolve.

So ever since that day, she had entered the gate and fought relentlessly.

For a whole week, she stayed in the gate without getting a breath of fresh air.

Finally satisfied with her results, she had just emerged.

However, the moment she stepped outside, Yeonhwa tilted her head.

For a second, she nearly doubted whether she had actually left correctly.

Even though she was outside the gate, the scent of blood assaulted her nose.

Then she realized that something unusual had clearly happened while she was inside.

Yeonhwa immediately heightened her alertness and moved slowly.

The gate she had entered was newly created in a sparsely populated area.

That was why the first-class criminal Yeonhwa could come and go without any restrictions.

Yet the blood stench permeating even this far was alarming.

It shouldn’t be possible just because she had a keen sense of smell.

Definitely, something was off.

As she approached the city, the odor of blood grew strong enough to wrinkle her nose.

However, strangely enough, the presence surrounding her felt quite tangible.

If what she suspected was true, a massacre had occurred in the city, so the aura should be weaker.

Moreover, unlike ordinary presences, there was an unsettling sense mixed in.

It was hard to express exactly, but it felt almost like a machine rather than a living being.

Upon reaching the city, Yeonhwa was horrified by what lay before her.

Numerous people were wandering the city, all bearing distorted appearances.

Upon closer inspection, her body bore injuries that wouldn’t raise eyebrows even if they had lost their lives.

Not just strange, they had all lost their lives.

Yet they were still standing and walking around perfectly fine.

Undead? Zombies?

Were they some type of monstrosity?

But could an ordinary person turn into a monster without being a demon?

“…”

At that moment, she sensed entirely different presences from afar.

Two auras stood in stark contrast to the bodies littered in the city.

Realizing this, she quickly hid and tried to identify who they were.

Soon, one of the voices began to reach her ears.

“Hmm. Seeing it in person is kind of disappointing, huh? The apostle commanding undead. I was pretty pumped when I heard the rumors, but now I’m just tired, I guess?”

It was a woman. A lady with a voice so enchanting it felt almost absurd in the situation.

“Anyway, thanks for showing me personally. After all, there’s no one else but our newcomer here.”

“No worries, it’s nothing difficult.”

When another voice spoke, Yeonhwa’s body went rigid.

For some reason, it was an eerily familiar voice.

Even though she thought it couldn’t be, a certain girl’s image naturally arose in her mind.

“You used a one-day vacation just for me, right? Does that mean you love me that much?”

“…You’re quite mischievous, aren’t you?”

“Oh my. Should I show you what real mischief is? Hehe.”

However, judging solely by their voices left her with too little information.

Eventually, she needed to see them in person, but doing so would risk exposing herself.

From just the flow of the conversation, it was apparent that the two had no sense of crisis regarding the current situation and seemed likely to be the masterminds behind it.

In other words, it meant they were extremely dangerous foes.

“So are you planning to just leave them here? I think using them for tomorrow’s academy raid wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“It’s hard to control them all. They might attack us for no reason.”

“Hmm… Are there more than just these ones?”

“Yes. They’re all in the city we raided.”

“I see. Then it can’t be helped. Instead, how about using them to deal with flying pests that survived? You know, like that bug eavesdropping behind the wall over there.”

She was discovered.

The moment she realized it, Yeonhwa immediately attempted to escape.

But her opponent appeared before her in the blink of an eye.

With flowing purple hair, the woman donning a fox mask made her think of the Black Goat she had encountered before.

An apostle.

Only an apostle would wear such an animal mask in a location like this.

Having quickly made up her mind, Yeonhwa ignited her fist, ready to attack.

“Quite the fiery friend. Not bad.”

Her punch was effortlessly blocked.

Soft fur completely wrapped around her arm, leaving her unable to budge.

“Ugh…! Damn!”

She couldn’t even claim victory in her current condition.

Much less, she had just come out after a week of training and was utterly exhausted.

With two apostles facing her, the odds were far too stacked against her.

At that moment, another apostle slowly approached.

Yeonhwa forgot to resist and turned her head towards them.

A white cloak, a mask with curved horns.

Cream-colored hair tied up in a single bun.

“…Yu Hana. It is you, Yu Hana, isn’t it? You’re really Yu Hana!”

At that, the White Lamb’s gaze turned toward Hong Yeonhwa.