Yun Siwoo was wandering the streets without going home as soon as school ended.
He had a lot on his mind due to what he saw at lunchtime today, and he intended to walk around to clear his head.
Sylvia, with whom he had a verbal altercation last week over the matter concerning himself and Scarlett, had said that she had never considered Scarlett a friend, and the Sword of Truth had confirmed it as the truth. Therefore, Yun Siwoo had thought for a while that she would never get close to Scarlett.
However, Sylvia, who had seemed to keep her distance from Scarlett for a few days, sat next to her at lunch today for some reason.
At first, he thought she might be trying to harm Scarlett because of their argument.
But the words that came out of Sylvia's mouth were completely different from what he had imagined.
She was smiling and calling Scarlett a friend.
If she had been lying, like last time, he would have probably gotten angry.
But the Sword of Truth said that Sylvia truly considered Scarlett a friend.
He wasn't sure if she had changed her mind in a few days or if something had happened that he didn't know about, but the two of them definitely looked like friends as they talked.
Scarlett, as usual, gave something to Sylvia.
Sylvia, looking a bit hesitant but happy, seemed to be unaware of anything as she accepted it.
If Sylvia really considered Scarlett a friend, she wouldn't be able to treat her like that if she knew her circumstances or how she earned money.
He wondered if he should tell Sylvia what he knew, but it wasn't something he could talk about with many people, and he remembered Scarlett's words asking him not to pay attention to her, so he could only stay silent.
If she was content with the current situation, he might end up hurting her more by interfering.
Sighing, he continued walking and saw a dilapidated building that looked like it could collapse at any moment.
It was the building where Scarlett lived, which he had also entered last time.
The murky taste of the tap water she had served him that day came to mind, and he suddenly felt a bit sad, his steps becoming heavy.
At that moment, he saw the door of the third room on the left on the second floor, where she lived, open.
"Since I couldn't put much in, use it as pocket money. I'll be going now."
A man's voice came from beyond the open door.
Though he couldn't see the man clearly from his position, the words he heard indicated that the man had given her money.
Didn't she say she had no family?
Then who was this man?
He recalled seeing her enter a motel with a man of similar age.
Pocket money, middle-aged man.
Could she be doing that kind of thing even at home...
The more he thought about it, the more he felt short of breath, unable to come up with any good explanations.
As the man came out of her room and walked down the stairs, Yun Siwoo, without realizing it, ran up to him and grabbed him, speaking in a harsh voice.
"Who are you to Scarlett?"
The man turned around, slightly irritated by the hand grabbing him.
After giving Yun Siwoo a once-over, the man's eyes lit up, and he asked in return.
"What, do you know Scarlett? You look like an Academy student from your uniform."
Expecting the man to raise his voice, Yun Siwoo felt his anger subside at the man's unexpectedly friendly tone.
If he had caught them in an inappropriate situation, the man probably wouldn't have reacted this way.
Thinking that maybe he had overreacted, he cautiously replied.
"...We're in the same class."
"Ah, I see. How is Scarlett doing at school? Does she have any friends?"
The man's face brightened as he asked, and Yun Siwoo was certain he had misjudged the situation.
After all, even if she had no family, she must have known some people.
Feeling guilty for almost misjudging a good person, Yun Siwoo answered the man.
"She seems to be doing well. She has friends to eat with..."
"Friends? I thought she just walked around school silently and expressionless. It's a relief to hear that. Try to be friends with Scarlett. I'm asking you."
The man, looking relieved, continued with a concerned expression.
"I'm sorry I can't give you the details, but don't get too attached to Scarlett. You might regret it later. It's better for you to let it go."
The man's voice was calm, but he looked sad.
After saying that, the man turned and walked away, disappearing.
The man's meaningful words.
The Sword of Truth confirmed that his advice about not getting too attached to Scarlett was the truth.
Though he was curious about the meaning behind his words, he didn't want to follow and press him.
'Don't pay attention to me anymore.'
She had said that to him, so he had tried to stop liking her.
Since then, he had made efforts to divert his feelings.
But even if, as the man said, he would suffer because of his feelings for her one day.
Erasing these feelings was impossible for Yun Siwoo.
*
When I arrived at school early in the morning, to my surprise, I saw a pile of construction materials in front of the gym.
In the real world, construction would take some time, but with magic and superpowers here, it would be much faster.
It seemed like they could finish in time.
I had made the right decision by asking Eve.
While I was lost in thought, looking at the gym, I sensed someone behind me.
It was the history teacher.
"I heard they're building a door to prepare for the possibility of demons breaking through the barrier. Some teachers think it's a waste, but I don't. Preparing for the worst is always important, especially when it involves human lives."
The history teacher, with his prosthetic arms crossed, looked at the materials piled in front of the gym.
His words had a convincing power, fitting his appearance like a hero from a different world.
Despite the prosthetic arms looking quite rough, he crossed them naturally.
I couldn't help but stare in amazement at the smooth movements of his robotic hands.
It's a complete man's dream.
Of course, I'm in a woman's body now...
"Are those arms not inconvenient?"
"Absolutely no problem in daily life. They're probably tougher than most people's arms. Of course, they can't be used for fighting like before. If I had prepared for the worst, I might not have needed these."
The history teacher looked at his arms with a wistful expression.
To be precise, he was looking at the prosthetic arms that had replaced his real ones.
After staring at the cold, bloodless hands for a moment, he turned his gaze to me.
"Do you know what I think every night before I go to sleep?"
I shook my head.
Then the history teacher answered in a sad voice.
"Every night, I look at my limbs and always, always regret why I couldn't fight until I lost my last leg. I was most regretful for being scared of losing a leg, thinking it was just a leg and what if I lost this too. I could have just replaced it with a prosthetic. Sometimes I think how great it would have been if I had a hundred limbs."
The teacher looked at his only remaining real leg, the one with blood flowing through it, with regret, and then, perhaps thinking of me, added a joke.
"After teaching for a long time, I can tell what kind of person a student is just by looking at their face. That's why I'm giving you this advice."
The teacher's eyes, looking straight into mine, were full of concern.
He spoke to me in a serious voice.
"Don't do anything you'll regret later."
After saying that, the teacher went into the building first.
After the teacher left, I quietly looked at the gym for a while before heading to the classroom.
Author's Note (Afterword)
From the comments on the previous chapter, it seems like the readers are already certified first-class experts in Yun Siwoo's psychology.
I was impressed.
Fortunately, thanks to the conversation with the uncle, Eve didn't become the kind of student who invites uncles to her home...
I'm sorry for posting this late.
I stayed up all night writing this chapter, so please read it...
Also, please check out the fan art posted by Yanggangking and Nariruda on the fan art board.