Chapter 146: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 146
After finishing the drawing, Rion seemed to be exhausted from using her ability and collapsed on the ground, falling asleep as if she had passed out.
Yoon Si-woo, seeing this, appeared a bit flustered but soon carried the sleeping Rion on his back and left the zoo with me.
We laid Rion down in the orphanage. As I was about to leave, whether it was sleep-talking or a half-asleep mumble, Rion grabbed my hand as I was about to depart and whispered in a small voice.
"Sister, let's go to the zoo together again next time."
But I couldn’t make a promise I couldn’t keep, even if it was just a lie, so I turned my back without saying a word.
Sorry, but I don't think there will be a next time for me.
I mumbled inwardly as I walked away.
---
On the way back home, Yoon Si-woo shared his thoughts about what happened today.
"Today was really fun, Scarlet. Thanks to you, I think I had a great holiday."
When I nodded, seeing how genuinely happy he seemed, Yoon Si-woo smiled shyly and continued speaking.
"Hey, if it's okay with you, we could go out and have fun somewhere else again. If there’s a place you want to go, just let me know anytime."
Yoon Si-woo said something, but because of the sound resonating in my head, I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying.
So, hoping he wouldn’t talk to me right now, I subtly averted my gaze.
Seeing this, Yoon Si-woo seemed a bit dejected and mumbled.
"Oh... It's not like I'm trying to force you or anything... I just thought... if you had a place in mind... then maybe..."
...I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
I just wanted to get away from here.
"Sorry, I'm a bit tired. I'll go rest in my room first..."
We were almost home by then, so after saying that to Yoon Si-woo, I went into my room and shut the door.
As soon as I did, I collapsed onto the bed, covering my ears.
But even then, the sound echoing in my head wouldn’t stop.
The alarm was ringing.
*Ding ding ding~ Good morning~ Ding ding ding~*
It was a sound I had grown all too accustomed to by now.
The alarm that always rang whenever I was struggling, a sign that I was deeply exhausted.
I don’t remember when it started, but at some point, this alarm had been continuously ringing in my head.
To be honest, it’s not like I wasn’t stressed out by the reality I was facing.
But even so, I had braced myself and managed to endure it.
The stress of hearing an alarm as a hallucination was nothing.
In fact, I almost wished the alarm would keep ringing.
At least as long as the alarm kept ringing,
*Bap bap, bap bap, good morning~*
It would mean that I was still myself.
However, amidst the alarm,
*Bap bap, bap bap, goooood mornnnning~*
Another sound kept creeping in,
*You can't change anything even if you try to deny it.*
The voice.
Cutting in.
And as it did,
*Thud.*
As always when I heard that voice, I clenched my fist and struck my head hard.
Usually, doing this would at least reduce the voice a little.
*Even if you turn away, nothing will change.*
But today, even that didn’t seem to work.
*I still don't want to hear it.*
I kept striking, again and again.
Until finally,
*You saw it, didn’t you? Your future.*
I grimaced at the voice that pierced my thoughts.
Yeah, I saw it.
I had seen it.
Today, I saw my future.
With trembling hands, I opened the shopping bag containing the doll Yoon Si-woo had given me.
Inside the bag was the cat doll, and Rion’s drawing that I had secretly placed inside earlier.
Closing my eyes tightly, I took out the drawing and slowly opened my eyes.
Once again, I had to face the horrifying future depicted in that drawing.
No matter what anyone says, that’s the kind of existence you are.
Up until now, I had been able to endure because I believed that my presence was having a positive impact on this world.
Seeing people who were supposed to die in the original story survive.
Seeing Yoon Si-woo grow stronger, faster than he did in the original.
I thought that if my presence could improve the ending of this world even just a little,
If my efforts could help my precious new friends even just a bit,
That thought alone kept me going. It made me endure.
Even if one day I found myself in an irreversible situation, even if I were to lose my life at Yoon Si-woo's hands,
I had reassured myself that it would be okay.
But in the drawing that Rion made, depicting the future he saw for Yoon Si-woo and me,
It showed a girl with red hair standing with a sword plunged into her chest, amidst a place engulfed in flames,
And at her feet, lay a boy with white hair, collapsed on the ground.
Yoon Si-woo dies.
Because of me.
In the future, I will kill the hope of this world with my own hands.
My head spun.
Nausea welled up.
I thought I might be able to change the ending of this doomed world.
But the future depicted in that drawing seemed to say that my existence would not help, but rather, bring about that doom.
The image of that future made me feel like my very purpose was being denied.
Shaking my head, I rejected it like I was vomiting the words out.
"No..."
No, you’re the one who will kill him. The one you thought was precious will die because of you.
But the voice that echoed in my mind pierced deeper, as if digging into my brain.
Wanting to deny that voice, I covered my ears and screamed.
"No...!"
Being born as a witch means that’s your fate.
Because of what you are, you’ll be betrayed, rejected, and eventually killed by those you trusted.
Shaking my head, I continued to deny it.
Thrashing around as the voice kept echoing, I slammed my head against the wall repeatedly.
My forehead split open, blood flowed, staining the white dress I was wearing red.
But even as the cursed girl in the mirror bled and her body turned redder and redder,
The wounds on the girl’s body healed, and healed, and healed again, as if mocking me, as if to say that nothing would change.
So before that, burn it all down. Pour your sadness, your resentment, and your anger into it. Burn this cursed world.
"Noooooooo!!!!!!"
With a scream, I hurled the mirror that reflected the cursed girl, shattering it into pieces.
The loud noise echoed as the broken mirror fragments scattered all around.
The room was painted red, as if it were burning, by the reflection of the red-haired girl in the shards.
As if that was the future I would bring about.
In that scene, I collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, mumbling to myself.
No, I won’t let that happen. I won’t become that.
If that’s the future, then I would rather, rather...
On the floor, I picked up a long, sharp shard of the shattered mirror.
Gripping it tightly with both hands, I aimed it at my chest.
Regrets, lingering attachments, promises I couldn’t keep.
I still had so many things left, but I couldn’t bear the future that was approaching.
The mirror shard was about to be driven forcefully into my chest.
But it never pierced my heart.
My arm was stopped, and when I looked up,
There was Yoon Si-woo, holding my arm with a twisted expression on his face.
For a moment, I thought, *Oh, I've been caught,* and panicked, but when I met Yoon Si-woo's gaze, the image from the drawing flashed through my mind, making my breath quicken.
No, that can never happen...
I mumbled inwardly and tried to stab my chest again, but the arm held by Yoon Si-woo wouldn’t budge.
Still gripping my arm, Yoon Si-woo muttered, his face filled with confusion.
"...Why... Why are you doing this, Scarlet?"
"...Please, don't stop me."
Anyone but you. Please don’t do this.
This is all for you.
I cried out inwardly, but Yoon Si-woo’s hand, still clutching my arm, didn’t move an inch.
But unlike his steady grip, his voice trembled as he questioned me.
"...Tell me... the reason... There must be a reason for this."
After hesitating for a moment, I answered.
"...On the bed, there’s a drawing."
I thought it would be better to tell the truth.
With that thought, I revealed the existence of the drawing to Yoon Si-woo.
Yoon Si-woo carefully pried the mirror shard from my hand and then reached over to the bed to pick up the drawing Rion had made.
For a moment, I saw his eyes tremble as he examined the drawing.
Anyone else might not have understood, but Yoon Si-woo had to recognize the figures drawn in the picture—himself and me.
"...What... What is this drawing?"
"Rion... Rion drew it..."
Though I said that, I could see that he needed more explanation, so I confessed quietly.
"...Rion can see the future. She drew that after seeing you and me today. Do you understand what that means...?"
Yoon Si-woo's eyes trembled even more.
*I end up killing Yoon Si-woo.*
He must have found it hard to accept that future, too.
So, driven by the thought that I had to prevent that, I pleaded with Yoon Si-woo, who still had no intention of letting go of my arm.
"Because of me, you die. I absolutely don’t want that... So please, let go of my hand... It would be better if I died before that happens..."
"...Scarlet."
"...Or would you rather do it yourself? Do you remember the promise we made back then?"
Kill me.
When I said that, Yoon Si-woo gasped for breath.
I could see a storm of emotions—confusion, sorrow, anger—swirling in his eyes.
His breaths came in harsh, ragged bursts.
"...Hoo."
And then, Yoon Si-woo quietly drew a sword from the air.
It was the Holy Sword of Truth, a dagger glowing with a pure white light.
The shining blade slowly approached me.
Seeing that, I thought, *He's really going to do it,* and
I slowly closed my eyes.
A moment later, with the sound of a soft slice,
"I’ll just take a little bit."
I heard Yoon Si-woo’s voice clearly from close by.
When I opened my eyes and looked ahead, I saw Yoon Si-woo holding several strands of what looked like red thread.
From the sensation I had just felt, I realized it was my hair.
"...You once told me, didn’t you? That you trust me more than anyone in the world."
Yoon Si-woo tied my hair to the hilt of the Holy Sword of Truth and looked at me as he asked,
"Was that a lie?"
"...It wasn’t a lie."
"Am I that untrustworthy?"
"...No."
"Then why?"
His voice, tinged with a bit of anger, continued.
"You trust that stupid drawing more than me."
I was a bit flustered by his words, but Yoon Si-woo, not giving me any time to respond, glared at me with eyes full of anger and said,
"I’m strong. Probably much stronger than you think. And if you’re still worried, I’ll become even stronger. Strong enough to defeat a witch."
As if to prove it, he gripped my shoulders tightly and growled in a low voice,
"So I’ll never die by your hand. Ever. So don’t even think about that damn drawing. Got it?"
"But..."
"Scarlet."
With eyes filled with both anger and deep sadness, Yoon Si-woo spoke to me.
"...If you don’t want to die, then say you don’t want to die."
I sighed inwardly at his words.
Ah.
"If you’re struggling enough to want to die, say you’re struggling. If you’re scared and worried, don’t ask me to kill you, just say you’re scared, that you’re worried."
*He found out,* I thought.
Yoon Si-woo then showed me the hair tied to the sword's hilt and said,
"Do you see this? If you’re in trouble, I’ll know immediately. And if you’re in danger, I’ll come to you no matter where I am."
Tears welled up in my eyes before I knew it.
And as if to comfort me, Yoon Si-woo gently yet firmly embraced me and whispered into my ear,
"So, Scarlet, don’t think about anything bad. Just think about how to be happy. If something bad happens, I’ll take care of it. I’m the kind of person who does what he says he’ll do. Trust me. Okay?"
"......"
As I remained silent, Yoon Si-woo whispered,
"Say you’ll trust me."
Hearing that voice, much closer than the one echoing in my head,
I realized, *This guy really will do something about it.*
Filled with hope and longing, I answered,
"...Yeah, I’ll trust you."
Then Yoon Si-woo patted my back, as if to praise me.
The touch made me feel like my fears and worries were easing, and I soon fell into a deep sleep.
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<3
ReplyDeleteWell would look at that. The person who said the picture would be tragic was right.
ReplyDeleteCan't have shit with this series man.
He has seen the future
DeleteAuthor won’t let us be happy
ReplyDeleteMost of authors doing that thing. They never let us be happy, They love to torture any char in their story.
DeleteHappiness must come at the end of a story, otherwise it's all downhill.
DeleteSi-woo earning some real brownie points right now, go get 'er tiger!
ReplyDeleteSi-woo is so chad🗿
ReplyDeleteWhat a man
ReplyDelete