The Price of a Secret

Well, it turns out that being a rich girl really does make a difference. I never imagined a day would come where I’d be riding a limousine to school... It felt a bit burdensome, and since there was a gate right near the Astra estate, I’d considered just saying I’d walk. But then Sylvia had asked, "Do you dislike going to school with me?" and I couldn't exactly turn her down when she looked at me with those pathetic eyes.

And so, I arrived at school with Sylvia. As we opened the classroom door, every eye in the room suddenly snapped toward us. I froze for a moment, flustered by the barrage of gazes, until Mei quickly hurried over. "Scarlet! I heard you were sick for a whole day. You were so ill you couldn't even contact the school—are you okay now?"

"Ah, oh... I'm fine now."

I answered, immediately realizing why she was asking. After I’d been kidnapped and rescued, once I finally came to my senses, my phone had been absolutely flooded with missed calls and texts from the school and Mei. They were all asking why I hadn't shown up and if I was in any kind of trouble, so I’d just made up an excuse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about being sick. I couldn't exactly tell them the truth—that I was an experimental subject created in connection to a Witch and had been kidnapped because of it. So, that was the only answer I could give. Regardless, it seemed I’d caused quite a bit of worry.

"H-hueee... Scarlet, were you very sick? W-was it the aftereffects of the surgery to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attach your prosthetic arm?"

Jessie, who had followed Mei, clung to me, on the verge of tears. "It’s nothing like that, so don't worry. I just suddenly wasn't feeling well, that's all."

"That’s a relief, but... anyway, please don't overdo it for a while. I get so worried you might just collapse out of nowhere..."

I patted her head to soothe her, and she seemed to calm down a bit, but it seemed my image had become that of a completely frail, sickly child—perhaps because I’d been late a few times in the past. Come to think of it, if I’m a terminal patient, I suppose "frail" is accurate? ...Not that there’s much point in someone like me having the "terminal, sickly" trope, as if I were the heroine of some tear-jerker novel.

At any rate, as if in agreement with Jessie, similar shouts erupted from the other kids who were watching us. "Yeah, don't get sick! Everyone’s worried about you!"

"Yeah, if there’s anything hard, just tell us and we’ll help."

Daniel and Andre’s voices were particularly boisterous. Feeling a bit embarrassed by the outpouring of concern, I gave a casual wave and sat down. As I took my seat, Yoon Siwoo, who had been watching me from his own desk, gave a subtle greeting.

"...Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, it was alright."

As I gave a noncommittal answer, Sylvia, who had followed me to my seat, glared at Yoon Siwoo. She stared him down, then leaned in close to his desk, appearing to whisper something quietly so no one else could hear. Oh... honestly, I’d thought there hadn't been much progress between them, but it seemed they’d gotten quite close without me knowing. Isn't it a privilege of sorts to be able to watch the original novel's protagonist and heroine from the front row? I was mentally grabbing some popcorn, expecting a scene where they’d both blush, when Sylvia’s face started turning red.

But it wasn't quite the vibe I’d expected. She looked angry, no matter how I sliced it... Still, since the protagonist and heroine are bound to bicker and fight before getting closer anyway, I decided to stay out of it.

Yoon Siwoo, who had greeted Scarlet in the classroom, answered Sylvia, who had suddenly approached him and asked in a low voice.

"Responsibility? What are you talking about?"

"Th-the incident with Scarlet yesterday. I know the gist of it, so don't play dumb and give me a straight answer."

Struggling to keep his expression calm as it threatened to stiffen, he recalled what Scarlet had said to him before they parted ways yesterday.

But faced with Sylvia, who was prying as if she wanted him to just spit it out, Yoon Siwoo had no choice but to play dumb.

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ugh...! You don't mean to tell me you’re going to pretend you don't know after doing something like that?"

"I'm not pretending, I really don't know!"

When he answered like that, Sylvia seemed to get angry, her face flushing bright red as she muttered, "How can you be so irresponsible..."

He couldn't tell what she was so angry about, but it was clear he’d earned her ire. He pondered for a moment what to say, but Yoon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Siwoo knew he wasn't good at lying or making excuses. And so, he said nothing to the fuming Sylvia. Just as Scarlet had asked—to keep the secret.

"By the way, Evande, no matter how sick you were, you should have at least sent one text to the school. Do you have any idea how worried I was, not knowing what happened to you?"

It was a training session I hadn't participated in for a while, as I’d been a benchwarmer before getting my prosthetic arm. Eve, who was training me one-on-one to distinguish me from the other students in group practice, said this while telling me to quickly get used to the sensation of the prosthetic.

Hearing that, I felt absurd, so I complained while lying flat on the floor, catching my breath. "...For someone who was worried about a sick person, aren't you being a bit too merciless?"

I had just cleared the 17th round of Eve’s illusion magic, 'Monster Wave Defense: One More Monster Every Time You Defeat One.' Thinking that she wasn't the one to talk after forcing me to pull off a 17-to-1 legend, I said that, and Eve replied as if she were dumbfounded.

"Evande, no matter how low-level the monsters are, can I really treat someone who beats up 17 monsters single-handedly as a 'sick person'? If anything, you seem much healthier than before. I thought the 10th round would be your limit, too."

When I heard that, it was so persuasive that I quietly shut my mouth. Even though she said it was to get used to the sensation, I had been very flustered at first when she told me not to rely on my abilities and to use my body as much as possible to fight the monsters. But once I actually tried it, I just coated my hand in flames and went on a rampage in the middle of the monsters. Like Eve said, it didn't feel like I’d gotten healthier, but rather that it was easier to control my body than before. ...Why was that?

"It feels like just a while ago you said you were afraid of fighting monsters, but now you don't even seem to hesitate. Hmm, maybe you overcame it by fighting that intermediate monster."

Eve muttered, looking at me. At that, I felt like I roughly understood why fighting had become easier. Come to think of it, I felt much less resistance when trading blows with monsters. I didn't know if it was because of the experience of fighting the intermediate monster, or because I realized I was always resisting something even more terrifying than monsters, but the delay caused by that resistance felt like it had decreased. Well, this body was made to fight monsters in the first place. My lifespan is short, so if I didn't at least do this much, it wouldn't be worth the investment.

Even if I couldn't use my body properly yet because I wasn't used to the fighting style, I felt like I could become a decent force if I trained hard and got used to applying my abilities. I wouldn't even come close to kids like Yoon Siwoo, though. Still, it seemed to be a level that satisfied Eve, as she grinned and said:

"This is a perfect passing grade. I was worried because many people have a hard time adapting after getting a prosthetic, but it seems there’s no need for that. You’re at a level where you won't die easily even if you go into real combat right now."

"...Is that so?"

"Well, unless it’s an unusual case like last time, you won't have many chances to experience real combat! But if that ever happens, never let your guard down. Evande, you promised me last time that you wouldn't die, right? If you die on your own, I’ll follow you to hell and scold you!"

Eve said it brightly, as if it were nothing, but I knew better than anyone that she meant it, so I smiled bitterly inside. She was the one who was more saddened than anyone else whenever students died in the original story. She was a teacher who, despite looking young, had been in the profession for a long time and cherished her students more than anyone. She was a figure who earned vast wealth through her abilities, but donated most of it to the welfare of heroes and children who lost their parents to monsters, earning her the title of an "angel without wings."

That was why, when she was found dead in the original story, every hero who had survived until then was deeply shocked by her death. I had prevented her from being saddened by saving the students who would have died in the gymnasium, but I still felt a debt of gratitude to her because I didn't think I could keep the promise not to die. So, I answered, hoping that Eve would live.

"Then, Teacher, you shouldn't die either. Always be on your guard, anywhere, anytime."

At that, Eve burst ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into a loud laugh, as if my words were that funny. "Ung-hahahaha! Evande, did you just tell me not to die? My, I’ve really fallen far. I’m someone who’s called the world’s greatest illusionist, you know."

I lowered my eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction, and Eve laughed as she crouched down and patted my head. "Uhehe, still, I’m happy that a student is worried about me. Alright. Let’s both not die. Now, Evande, you have to train harder if you don't want to die, right? Shall we do one more round?"

"Eek."

Teacher Eve, who said "just one more time" like a PT trainer, created illusions of 18 monsters in front of me. After that, I fought 18 monsters in a chaotic mess. 18.

Even though I’d had quite a bit of rest between the end of training and lunch, my body felt drained and my head felt foggy. It feels like right after finishing a forced march... It didn't seem like I was the only one who’d been worked over today, as most of the kids eating lunch looked exhausted. Sylvia, who was pretending to be fine but was trembling as she held her spoon, had her ears twitching.

Maybe she wanted something sweet because she was tired. I slid a macaron toward her, and Sylvia flinched, then looked at the macaron and asked, "...Um, Scarlet. You said you gave me macarons before because we were friends. But if you don't think of me as a friend, what is the reason for giving me one now?"

She really knows how to hit a sensitive spot... Strictly speaking, my relationship with Sylvia was as close to friendship as possible, but because I’d turned her down, it was a subtle situation where we weren't officially friends. If I said I wanted to be friends, she’d agree anytime. But I hesitated because of the guilt and anxiety about the future that had built up over time. Still, I thought that if time passed, it would be okay to be friends with her someday, and I wanted to cherish my relationship with her. After all, that much—

"Because I like Sylvia..."

"...Eh? Hueh?"

Sylvia made a strange sound and flushed bright red. I watched her, dazed for a moment, before I came to my senses. ...My god, what did I just say? I must have been so out of it that I muttered my thoughts out loud. "Like" in this sense meant "fond of," literally. Since it’s natural to like someone who keeps showing you goodwill, I hadn't said anything I didn't mean. But still... there’s a certain nuance to that word, isn't there? Seeing Sylvia blushing at the word "like," I felt unnecessarily embarrassed, so I quickly finished my meal and stood up. As it happened, I had business with someone else.

I approached the person who was eating normally, as if they were the only one unaffected by the training. Yoon Siwoo, who had been looking at me with a "Why are you here?" expression while chewing his food, swallowed what was in his mouth in a hurry, perhaps choking on it, and said with a slightly reddened face as I held out a macaron.

"...Is this for me?"

"Yeah, a thank you for saving me and for doing that favor."

"...You made this for me, right?"

I nodded as Yoon Siwoo asked again. I felt bad about asking for favors for free, so I’d made this one while making Sylvia’s. Seeing me nod, Yoon Siwoo picked up the macaron with a choked-up expression and said, "...Thank you."

I didn't know he’d be that happy over a single cookie; did he like macarons that much? "...Well, I’ll make you some sometimes."

I said that because his reaction was a bit excessive, and Yoon Siwoo smiled brightly and nodded. Don't smile, you idiot, I’ll get attached. And when I looked back, for some reason, Sylvia was glaring at Yoon Siwoo with an unhappy look. Is she like that because she feels like the macarons I make are being stolen by someone else? I worried a little about whether I should make a few more for Sylvia starting tomorrow.