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Chapter 28: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 28




Every time I wake up, I wonder.


Will I see the ceiling of my room in the original world when I open my eyes?


Could everything I've experienced so far just be a long dream?


So when I wake up from this dream,


I'll be in my slightly cramped, not-so-soundproof room, but still, the bed that makes me feel at ease. I'll wake up to the blaring alarm, make a quick breakfast as my mother always said, "Breakfast is essential for energy," and head out.


I'll greet my boss, who yells at his subordinates with a loud voice even when there's nothing wrong, then take my junior, who lacks the knack for work despite trying hard, and hold back the urge to shout, "How many times do I have to tell you that's not how you do it?" until lunchtime.


I'll eat at our regular kimchi stew place near the office, which serves large portions for just 5,000 won, and chat with my friends in our group chat about wanting to quit. Just before the lunch break ends, I'll head to the break room, make enough instant coffee for everyone, and deliver them while my colleague jokes that I should become a barista. I'll retort that I'll consider it if he opens a café for me.


I'll work frantically until quitting time, get dragged to a drinking session by my boss, who laments that his second-grader is already avoiding him, cheer him up, then head home exhausted, take a shower, and relax in bed, browsing web novels on my phone until my eyelids grow heavy.


Before sleep takes over, I'll glance at the family photo on the bedside table of my mother, father, and my younger self, say, "Good night," and drift off to sleep.


I wondered if such an ordinary day would ever return.


With such thoughts in mind, I slowly opened my eyes.


The now familiar ceiling I had been seeing for two weeks came into view.


This long dream, which might not be a dream, didn't seem to want to end today either.


I sighed deeply and got up.


Just like the famous song title, it was a gloomy Sunday.


---


I spent the morning listlessly in my room until I couldn't bear the idleness and bolted out as if fleeing.


The weather was annoyingly bright again.


Though the weather was pleasant enough to lift my spirits just by being outside, a bright day often becomes an excuse to feel even more down when you're already feeling gloomy.


Sighing deeply as I walked the streets, I found myself at the bench in the park I had been frequenting lately and took a deep breath.


From the bench, I watched the passing people, all seemingly smiling as if to say that such a nice day was too good to be sad.


How many of these people will die?


No, how many will survive?


If only I didn't know anything, I could smile like them.


Unable to bear looking at the people anymore, I lowered my head.


I was the only one who knew the terrible events that would soon befall this world.


But knowing the future was just a source of pain.


If I were the protagonist of one of the novels I read, I would struggle to change the future.


But I was not like a novel's protagonist.


I couldn't act like one.


I joked about having a status window when I first came here, but what I lacked wasn't ability.


I just lacked courage.


Being able to breathe fire and having slightly superior physical abilities didn't change the fact that I could die at any moment in this world. Knowing what was to come was the only lifeline that might help me survive a bit longer.


But if I acted to change the future, that lifeline would instantly become uncertain.


I feared losing the advantage of knowing the future because of my actions.


I also had no certainty that my efforts would change things for the better.


What if my actions caused more harm, leading to deaths that could have been avoided?


I was scared of the responsibility for the consequences of my actions.


And what if no matter how much I tried, the future couldn't be changed?


Just like how Scarlet Evande became the class president without me raising my hand.


Perhaps, because of the irregularity I introduced, the process might change somewhat, but the end result would remain the same.


I feared witnessing my futile efforts to change the future, leading to despair.


So, being a coward, I chose the path that seemed safest for the longest survival, even if it led to a cliff's edge.


"Hey there, are you Eva?"


While I was deep in thought, head bowed, a lazy voice drew my attention. I looked up to see a small girl with dark purple hair, her eyes half-lidded, standing before me.


Eva? Did she abbreviate Evande?


Could she know Scarlet Evande?


"Familiar vibe... but you look different. A disguise?"


The girl spoke slowly and then started clapping slowly in front of me.


After a moment of clapping, she tilted her head and said, "Guess not... If you were Eva, you would've tried to kill me by now. Well, bye, Eva-lookalike."


She waved suddenly and walked away, leaving me with her parting words.


It seemed she mistook me for someone she knew.


Maybe our names were just coincidentally similar.


As I leaned back against the bench and looked up at the sky, the sun was setting, indicating I had spent a long time in thought.


Time to head back.


I brushed off my seat and headed home.


After a shower and dinner, I went to bed early to wake up early the next morning.


---


[The world was hateful.]


[So I decided to burn it all down.]


---


[BEEP BEEP BEEP-]


I woke up to the alarm on my phone, which I had set to wake up early.


It wasn't a hallucination; it was the phone alarm I had set.


Waking up to the sound of "Good Morning" always made me feel better.


I found it a bit annoying to have to unravel and rewrap the bandage on my left hand every time I washed up.


I thought for a moment about just taking it off since it seemed fully healed, but decided it was better to visit the nurse's office and get permission first, so I wrapped it back up.


I woke up early today to make macarons for Sylvia.


Macarons get soggy if left out too long, so it's best to make and give them on the same day.


I made meringue by gradually adding sugar to egg whites while whisking. It's a lot of work to do this by hand instead of using a machine, but I was thankful for my superior physical abilities.


If you can’t afford a machine, you just have to make do with your body!


Anyway, I managed to make the macarons. They were a bit misshapen, but not bad.


They're much smaller than the special macarons sold for 3,000 gold at the school store.


Still, the important thing is that I made them myself.


I wrapped the macarons nicely in parchment paper and placed them carefully in my bag.


For breakfast, I used the leftover egg yolks from the meringue to make half-boiled eggs, which I placed on top of stir-fried bean sprouts in an oiled frying pan. I broke the yolks and mixed them in.


Having protein for breakfast is such a delight...


After a hearty breakfast, I set off for school.


Today, the wind was blowing strongly.


If I were a guy, I wouldn’t have cared, but my skirt kept fluttering, so I had to keep holding it down.


A little boy was running around joyfully with a wind-blown hat early in the morning.


When I was his age, even a small thing like that could keep me entertained all day.


I was smiling at the nostalgic feeling when I heard a metallic clank from somewhere.


Above the head of the boy running behind me,


an old sign that had been swaying in the wind was falling.


There was a loud crash.


By the time I realized it, I had already jumped and struck the falling sign away with my left arm.


Luckily, the boy seemed unharmed except for his wide-eyed shock.


As I released the boy from my right arm and asked, “Are you okay?” he nodded, staring at my arm.


I didn’t feel any pain, but blood was seeping through the bandage on my left hand.


I remembered the nurse’s warning not to overexert myself, as it could reopen the wound.


Am I going to get scolded for this...


I gave the worried-looking boy a reassuring smile.


“Don’t worry. This doesn’t hurt at all.”


For some reason, the boy started to tear up.


He grabbed my sleeve and murmured in a small voice,


“...Sis, it looks like you’re pretending it doesn’t hurt when it really does...”


I sighed inwardly at his words.


Kids with keen eyes like this...


I thought I was hiding it well, but kids can be surprisingly perceptive.


When I didn’t respond immediately, the boy said, “Wait a moment,” and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out something.


He took my left arm, brought my hand in front of him, and seemed to be doing something with his tiny hands.


When he let go, I looked at my left hand.


Over the bloodstained bandage, there was a small band-aid with a teddy bear picture on it.


...Damn, I almost cried.


“My mom gave it to me because I always fall while running. She said it wouldn’t hurt if I put this on...”


The boy looked up at me with a worried expression.


I took a deep breath, then smiled and patted his head.


“Thanks to you, it doesn’t hurt at all now. Thank you.”


Relieved, the boy smiled bashfully. I waved and walked towards school.


From behind, I heard him shout, “Goodbye, sis!!!” but I didn’t turn around.


If I did, I felt like I really wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face.


Near the school gate, I saw a trash bin.


I took off the band-aid the boy had stuck on my bandage.


After contemplating for a while,


I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so I put it in my pocket.



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Comments

  1. Well, if even a random kid notices, dear MC, that tells you something.
    It's good MC saved the kid though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Damn. This story is getting quite good. Most stories like this usually ignore the MC's past life and doesn't dwell long on how sad it must be to be ripped out of your own world and put into a fictional one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My god, Sylvia better accept those macarons or i will be very disappointed in her. Mc seems like she is reaching the limit of her mental endurance
    Also that weird dream she had, is Scarlet originally a villain character ?!!

    Thanks for the chapter !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah the insanity is definitely being built up

    ReplyDelete
  5. So many sweet potatoes all at once... someone please tell those ajummas to boil something else. This taste is killing me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ya know, I got a feeling the body that the MC possessed actually belongs to a witch, which is likely also one of the factors contributing to her insanity if we also take account that line of her wanting to burn the world.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Suddenly the text got brighter, damn

    ReplyDelete

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