If I had to argue, it wasn't exactly a short time.
But if that was my remaining lifespan, it was inevitable to feel that it was too short.
Who wouldn't be shocked to hear that they only have three years left to live?
Even if things went well and the world didn't end, it meant my end was set.
I wouldn't be able to keep the promise I made with Ms. Eve not to die...
But that didn't mean I was going to give up and do nothing.
If I couldn't prevent the events from the original story, most people in this world would die within three years.
No matter how my end would be, I didn't want to leave the people I met in this world to go through such a fate.
I wanted everyone around me to be safe at the very least.
So, I'm fine.
As I repeated this to myself, a voice echoed.
"Really?"
The voice that started to be heard after I saw the research facility burning in my dream.
"You're not really fine, are you?"
Perhaps this voice was the consciousness of the witch lingering in that heart fragment.
I knew what would happen if I listened to it, as I had seen it in my dreams.
"Why don't you just burn everything?"
I might lose my mind and burn everything around me, just like I did with the research facility.
I would probably end up burning myself too.
So, I ignored it.
I had no intention of listening to the voice of that crazy woman.
I would remain silent as I had been.
The witch's voice complained.
"Really? Do you really think that? I've been quiet all this time? Really? Really?"
The witch's voice, endlessly asking "Really?"
Annoyed by the relentless voice, I grumbled to myself.
I've never heard your voice.
Then, a laugh echoed.
"Ahahaha, you really don't remember. How amusing. How did it come to this?"
The witch's voice reverberated, and a part of my consciousness shuddered.
That was when I first felt it.
Another presence hidden in my consciousness, not me.
The mystery that had puzzled me until now was solved.
If Scarlett Evande had existed from the beginning, where had her consciousness gone?
The witch, who had been laughing, muttered with interest.
"Ah, I see. Quite devoted, aren't you? The original you must have taken my memories to protect you from the pain. That's not good. I've been trying to help you be honest with the anger in your heart."
She hadn't disappeared or vanished.
Scarlett Evande had been with me all along from the beginning.
At least what she did helped me.
I had unknowingly been in debt to her.
If that was the case, I had to repay her.
I focused my consciousness and listened to Scarlett Evande's voice.
A weak and feeble voice.
But I could clearly hear what she wanted.
She must have been hoping for one thing all this time.
Perhaps it had even influenced me.
So, what she wanted was what I wanted too.
I told her.
I promise.
Scarlett Evande will protect people.
I couldn't afford to collapse, at least for that.
So, I ignored the thoughts filling my head and kept repeating to myself.
I'm fine.
"Honest, are you?"
Ignoring the voice in my head.
*
[Ding-dong~ Good morning~ Ding-dong-]
The alarm clock, which I hadn't heard in a long time.
I thought I never wanted to hear it again, but now it felt somewhat comforting.
I slowly reached out and the alarm stopped.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling.
Had Yun Siwoo or Sylvia brought me home?
I tried to get up, but my arms were weak, and I flopped back onto the bed.
My head was fuzzy, and my body felt heavy.
I was in the worst condition.
Thinking I had to go to school, I checked my phone and found it was a day off.
At least that was fortunate.
Lying on the bed, I heard the sound of rain.
Looking out the window, I saw it pouring heavily.
I felt listless, probably because of the rain.
I hated the rain.
Ever since I was a kid, the rain made me feel as down as today.
There were people who walked in the rain without an umbrella, lost in sentiment, saying things like, "I love the rain, it hides my tears." To me, they were all crazy.
If they had ever done drainage work in the rain or woken up to find the floor wet from a leaky ceiling, they wouldn't say such things.
...Actually, I had another reason for hating the rain.
Lying in bed, looking at the rain pouring down outside, I thought of my mother.
In my memories, my mother always smiled.
After my father disappeared, she worked day and night to raise me alone, yet she always made sure I had a meal.
Even when she was busy, she always answered with a smile, "Mom is fine," when asked if she was tired.
She boldly lied, saying she preferred chicken breast over chicken thighs for my sake.
She hid her illness until she was about to collapse to avoid burdening me.
The day she collapsed, it was raining just like today.
The doctor said that when cancer spreads throughout the body, it's usually so painful that most people can't even move.
But my mother worked until the last moment, even though her condition was so bad that she should have been bedridden long before.
Because she didn't want to worry me and because treatment was expensive.
At first, I was angry, thinking someone must have told her to endure it.
Until I saw her lying in bed.
She was much thinner than the last time I saw her.
But despite the intense pain and the fear of possibly dying soon, she smiled when I entered.
Her smile was as bright as when she was healthy.
I couldn't even get angry at her, let alone say anything.
My mother had a saying.
Smiling not only makes you happy but also those around you.
And in front of me, she always smiled.
Knowing that her smile wasn't for her own happiness, all I could do was cry.
She slowly extended her pinky and said,
"Mom wants to see you smile, not cry. Even if I die, I'll watch over you from heaven, so don't cry, and live happily."
Until the very end, she thought of me.
She wanted me to live happily and smile.
That was my mother.
I was a person who cried easily, but because my mother wanted to see me smile,
I hooked my pinky with hers and smiled as widely as I could.
My mother smiled in relief.
That's how my mother remained in my memory, smiling until the end.
When her hand became colder than the raindrops of summer, I spoke.
Starting tomorrow, starting tomorrow, I will definitely keep my promise, so please give me just one more day.
Even though the clouds outside had cleared, it rained all day long that day.
After that day, holding back my tears became a daily routine.
Unfortunately, I wasn't as strong as my mother, so not crying was the best I could do when things got tough.
Becoming a person like my mother, who could smile even when it was hard for the sake of others' happiness, wasn't easy.
I looked at the rain pouring down outside.
My face faintly reflected on the window.
It wasn't a smiling face, so I put my hands on the corners of my mouth and pulled them up.
It's a bit better now.
As I thought this, I heard a knock on the door.
I tried to get up to open it, but my body was too weak.
After struggling for a moment, the closed door opened on its own.
"......"
Sylvia quietly opened the door and came in.
From her expression, it seemed she didn't like the rain either.
Author's Note
Gah, I'm sorry! It's a bit late!
Anyway, the Akabangcon is finally out. Evande is so cute!