Chapter 43: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 43
[The world was hateful.]
[I hated a world where people would burn just to survive.]
[The flames that burned from my body brought endless pain.]
[The pain of burning brought endless rage.]
[The rage that consumed me brought endless flames.]
[So the flames never stopped burning.]
[I didn’t know how to stop them.]
[I didn’t want to stop them.]
[So I decided to burn everything.]
[Burn,]
[Burn,]
[Burn until there was nothing left around me.]
[In the end, only one thing remained.]
[And I burned that last thing with my own hands.]
[You, too,]
[Will become like that.]
*
“Huff…!”
I jolted awake, practically launching myself out of bed.
My entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
I had a dream, likely a nightmare.
It wasn’t a pleasant dream, but...
…I couldn’t remember it well.
If it was a nightmare, it would be better not to remember it. Yet, for some reason, I felt like it was something I shouldn’t forget, leaving a nagging feeling in my chest.
I tried to grasp the faint memories of the dream, but most of them had already faded away. All I could recall was a vague memory of seeing flames.
With a sigh, I wiped my sweat-soaked body with a towel in the bathroom, trying to wash away the unpleasant feeling.
Having only one arm made it difficult to reach certain spots. I wanted to take a shower badly, but unwrapping the bandages around my left shoulder seemed like a task I couldn’t manage alone, so I decided against it.
After wiping myself down, I returned to my room just as breakfast was being served.
Because of the dream, I had overslept, making lunch my first meal of the day.
I sighed as I put the food in my mouth.
The content of the dream didn’t matter anymore.
Today’s lunch was delicious too.
I realized that I must have missed a tasty breakfast while sleeping, which made me feel quite sad...
Determined to make up for missing breakfast by thoroughly enjoying lunch, I dug into the meal when the door opened, and a middle-aged man with tousled hair entered the room.
It was the man who claimed to be my legal guardian.
Why is he here? I wondered for a moment before realizing the reason.
Of course, being hospitalized meant they would notify my legal guardian.
I gave him a slight nod in greeting.
He returned the greeting with a small wave and quietly pulled a chair over, sitting in a corner of the room to avoid disturbing my meal.
Should I start a conversation since he came to visit?
As I paused eating and remained silent, he gestured toward the bowl in front of me, indicating that I should continue eating.
Since he insisted, I resumed eating.
I wasn’t the type to feel uncomfortable eating while being watched.
He continued to watch me with a complicated expression until I finished my meal.
Afterward, an awkward silence filled the room.
This is uncomfortable...
Being in the same space with a stranger in silence was tough.
I hesitated, wondering if I should say something, when he sighed and moved his chair closer to the bed.
“That arm… I heard you lost it trying to protect others…”
He brought up a heavy topic right away.
Well, what else could he talk about with me right now?
He stared at my missing arm for a moment, then spoke with a voice filled with remorse, as if he were blaming himself for my condition.
“…Do you regret it?”
“No, I don’t.”
I shook my head and answered immediately.
I didn’t regret it.
I did it so I wouldn’t have regrets.
That’s why I could answer without hesitation.
His eyes trembled slightly at my immediate response.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
He asked why I didn’t regret it.
Well, there were several reasons.
Explaining them all would take forever, but ultimately, the reason was simple.
“Because people survived.”
That was enough for me.
Watching people die before my eyes would have been more painful than losing an arm.
Since I prevented that, losing one arm was a fair trade.
He bowed his head after hearing my answer.
His shoulders trembled, and with a voice choked with emotion, he spoke.
“...Scarlet, you’ve become such a kind person...”
He looked both happy and sad as he said that.
I couldn’t guess what he was thinking, so I remained silent.
“...Thank you, truly.”
“……”
“Because of you, I don’t have to live with regret...”
He murmured softly and then raised his head again.
His eyes were red, but his expression seemed somewhat relieved.
I pulled several tissues from the bedside table and reached out to hand them to the sobbing man, leaning forward as I did so.
As I stretched, something in my shirt pocket fell to the floor with a soft thud.
It was the black fragment I had hastily shoved into my pocket last night.
The moment he saw the fallen object, the man’s eyes widened in shock, and he quickly picked it up.
“This is…!”
He stared at the fragment with a bewildered expression, then handed it back to me with a serious look on his face.
“…You must never lose this. Always keep it with you. And don’t show it to others if you can help it.”
I took the piece from him and put it back in my pocket. He seemed to know what it was.
Given that he likely knew something about my past, I wanted to ask him about the strange events of last night and other odd occurrences.
Just then, a buzzing sound came from somewhere.
The man pulled out his phone, looked at the screen, and his expression hardened as he stood up.
“We’ll talk later. Remember what I said. Don’t show that to anyone.”
With those words, he hurried out of the room.
I had questions, but he looked too urgent to be held back.
Since he was my guardian, I figured I would have another chance to ask him later.
I slipped my hand into my pocket, touching the black fragment.
What exactly is this, and why did he tell me not to show it to anyone?
The questions only grew, but I had no way to find answers.
Rolling the black piece around in my hand, I pondered for a while. Feeling full and drowsy, I lay back down to sleep.
*
I ended up taking another nap.
Maybe it’s because I’m in the hospital, but I feel like I’m sleeping more than usual.
Sleep doesn’t necessarily make you feel less tired...
I felt groggy from oversleeping.
As I tried to shake off the drowsiness, the door slid open.
“Sniff…”
I turned toward the sound and saw Jessie, already on the verge of tears.
She sat beside my bed, gripping my hand tightly, and then burst into tears.
“Wahh, why did this happen to your arm…”
Well, you saw what happened...
I had a feeling she would cry when Mei mentioned Jessie would visit, but seeing her actually cry left me feeling awkward.
“Scarlet is still a patient and needs to rest,”
Daniel said, walking in silently and speaking to Jessie. Andre then lifted Jessie away from me.
So they came along too.
I gave a discreet thank-you gesture to Daniel, who winked in response, and Andre nodded.
With two restrainers by her side, Jessie only sobbed softly instead of crying out loud as expected.
I patted Jessie’s head with my right hand to comfort her, and Daniel started speaking.
“Sylvia asked me to apologize for not visiting you because she’s been busy with post-battle responsibilities.”
As the heir to a prestigious family, Sylvia must be very busy.
Knowing her personality, she must be quite upset about not visiting, so I nodded, thinking I should reassure her later.
“…What will happen with your arm?”
Daniel asked cautiously, and Jessie stopped sobbing to listen to my answer.
They all seemed very concerned.
“The doctor said I’ll need a prosthetic arm.”
When I said that, Jessie wiped her tears and spoke.
“…If you’re getting a prosthetic, please let our company handle it.”
I tilted my head in confusion at her words, and Daniel explained further.
“Her family is quite renowned in that field.”
He showed me a quick search on his phone, revealing an enormous company.
Seeing it without surprise made me wary of the backgrounds of the students at Aegis Academy.
“Since I owe you my life, I’ll make sure to cover the costs.”
Jessie’s determined eyes showed she was serious.
Worried she might actually spend all her money on my prosthetic, I quickly waved my hand.
“No need for that. I’ve heard that the costs will be fully covered.”
“Fully covered... Does that mean regardless of the price?”
Her eyes sparkled at the word “fully.”
“Then we’ll make sure you get the best prosthetic possible. Please let us know any specifications you want! With enough money, it could even shoot magic bullets from your hand!”
Her words, tinged with a bit of madness, made me nod awkwardly.
Well, if something shoots out of my hand, it’s no longer just a prosthetic...
I was slightly tempted, but I decided not to worry about it now since an average prosthetic wouldn’t stand a chance against monsters anyway.
Seeing that I wasn’t in a lot of distress, like with Mei’s visit, the kids visibly relaxed.
They spent quite a while chatting until Andre finally dragged Jessie and Daniel out, worrying it might be bad for me to stay too long.
Although Jessie and Daniel did most of the talking, it was an enjoyable time.
Is it almost dinner time?
As I waited in anticipation of what tonight’s meal would be, the door opened.
I quickly turned to check the menu, but my face frowned instead.
Standing in the doorway was Yoon Si-woo.
Arruinó el ambiente mas rápido de lo que pensé.
ReplyDeleteHmm that dream definitely wasn't ominous at all!
ReplyDeleteDamm its him, cant he just take the hint and back off ?!
ReplyDeleteI hope she manages to stay calm or it would worsen her condition if she loses her mind in this state
Thanks for the chapter !
This guy really can't take a hint....
ReplyDeleteQuite the way to mess up MC's mood in an instant.
As for the dream, it just cements my theory of that thing having an ego.
I do wonder what it really is though, the man was so moved at MC acting like this.
For me that means that there must be a reason besides the obvious (the change in attitude) as to why it is that surprising.
Geez. I would hate to be friends with someone who hates Yoon Siwoo so shallowly, not even giving him a chance to make things right. Yeah he shouldn't force himself on Scarlett. But he still is a seatmate and he can still apologize for the hurt his action caused her(especially given how he meant well). He can also express happiness she survived, and sympathy for what she went through, and well wishes for her recovery.
ReplyDeleteThe second worst thing he can do besides forcing himself into her life, is for him to literally do exactly what she asked and never see or speak to her again. He needs to make things right, and return to treating her like a normal classmate(unless she actually decides to accept or initiate being friends.)
Exactly, what are they expecting. Someone he knows quite well was permanently crippled and he shouldn't show up to check on them?
DeleteAh Egoistic OMC.... I feel bad for her, OMC always make something worse when its connected to MC
ReplyDelete