The Transmigrator's Resolve
Paradise.
Sidekick and right-hand woman to the villain Trauma. Despite holding such an unignorable role, in the original work she had always been treated as nothing more than a running gag. She was the token comic relief character found in just about every story—a colorful bit player hovering beside a grim protagonist to lighten the mood. Paradise was meant to occupy precisely that tier.
Of course, her popularity itself had been through the roof. An executive in Dominating Hands, the villain syndicate led by Trauma. Functioning as their wildcard Joker, she constantly stumbled through antics with a quirky, unpredictable charm. Always cowering when reprimanded, she would bounce back with brazen self-confidence seconds later and drag another catastrophe in her wake. She possessed one of the most absurdly overpowered abilities even in the original game—a title notorious for ridiculous superpowers—yet because she was an incorrigible fool, her official lore saddled her with the pathetic distinction of being the absolute weakest executive. Throw in her secret gimmick of nursing an unrequited crush on Trauma, and she had received enough promotion to rival any proper heroine.
Yet a side character was still just a side character. Because of that, she was never supposed to break into the main narrative.
Or so it should have been.
‘So why? Just why...?’
Just before delivering her matriculation speech, Lumia had clutched her throbbing head, buried in thought as she quietly sifted through old newspapers.
‘How did Paradise become the supreme head of Dominating Hands?’
She simply couldn't fathom it. To begin with, she had only transmigrated into this world a few days ago. Naturally, she couldn't possibly know everything that had transpired in the past.
‘Did I transmigrate into some third-rate fanfic?’
The thought briefly crossed her mind, but she immediately shook her head. If such a fanfiction had ever existed, there was no way she wouldn't have known about it. After all, she was someone who had devoured every lore book, manga adaptation, spin-off novel, and even secondary derivative works.
‘What on earth went wrong?’
Then why had the plot deviated so drastically? Could an unannounced side story have explored an alternate timeline?
“Are you asking if you're a transmigrator?”
“......!”
The clue to Lumia’s burning question had surfaced earlier that day, during her confrontation with Paradise after the woman infiltrated the Academy.
“Why, you’re the transmigrator here, Lumia.”
Because Paradise had known. She had known that Lumia was a transmigrator.
“She knows I'm a transmigrator...?”
After losing Dice at the Academy Annex, Lumia had stood fingering the Joker card left behind, muttering under her breath in a chilling voice.
“Did she regress?”
Paradise's regression. If that were true, it would neatly account for this bizarre aberration.
“Still, the only being who should be capable of that... is Ariel.”
Yet the Concept of ‘Regression’ did not exist in this world. Furthermore, among the innumerable abilities spanning reality, not a single one governed time. Therefore, the only entity capable of pulling off anything resembling regression was the playable character, Ariel.
‘Except that's a game system.’
Even if Paradise harbored the Concept of ‘Copy’ within her vessel, could she truly copy the game system itself? That Save and Load functionality?
“Mmm...”
Lost in a labyrinth of contemplation, Lumia eventually rose to her feet.
“I'll put that on hold for now.”
She had grasped a thread, but there were far too many unanswered questions for it to unravel the truth. Was Paradise truly a regressor? Was she even the same silly sidekick from the game in the first place? Merely knowing that Lumia was a transmigrator wasn't enough to jump to conclusions.
“I have to proceed with the plan as intended.”
Nothing would ever change if she threw in the towel after a single setback. Therefore, she would continue making her overtures, ensuring that Trauma would eventually kill her.
“Senior... I wonder if he's doing alright.”
Right now, something far more pressing weighed on her: Kang Haneul's safety. All the executives of Dominating Hands—save for one—were women. What was worse, every single one of those females had romantic pairings with Kang Haneul in the original lore. Searching their tags on art boards would easily pull up hundreds of illustrations for the major ships.
—I'll be sure to send you a certain mysterious videotape sometime soon.
Dice's parting words flashed unbidden across her mind.
‘...That blonde bitch.’
If she proved useful to Senior, Lumia was fully prepared to cooperate. However, the moment that woman laid a finger on him, Lumia wasn't sure she could keep her composure.
“..........”
Could they be shooting that video tonight? Because his villainization hadn't progressed properly for some bizarre reason, was she pouncing on his untainted, innocent self this very second?
A violent shudder tore through Lumia. The mere imagination of Kang Haneul’s bare skin tangling with that blonde female's sent her entire body trembling in fury.
“Should I just tell him I'm a girl?”
The sudden impulse gripped her. If she revealed her true gender, would he subject her to something rough in the name of revenge? Even if she had to die, wouldn't she be able to die utterly fulfilled?
“...No, that's not right.”
The current Kang Haneul wasn't that kind of person. Rushing it might backfire disastrously.
After standing frozen in agonizing deliberation for what felt like an eternity, she abruptly dialed a number.
“That request I consulted you about earlier—I want to commission it right away.”
The instant the other party picked up, Lumia's voice turned arctic.
“...Just conduct a quiet investigation. Avoid combat by all means necessary. No matter if the target is the Villain League, you can handle at least that much, can't you?”
A sinister crimson gleam flared quietly in her eyes.
“Ah, and under no circumstances are you to touch Trauma. If you leave even a scratch on him, I will tear you limb from limb.”
Just as she laid down that vicious threat and prepared to hang up—
“What? A retainer fee?”
At the mention of money, Lumia scowled and pulled up her banking application.
“...Uh.”
As she stared quietly at the balance, her eyes wavered slightly.
‘I’m used to being broke, but...’
It was from that very moment that her financial situation began to plummet into dire straits.
Back to the present.
“..........”
As Kang Haneul and Ariel stepped into the classroom together after walking down the corridor side by side, every pair of eyes locked onto them. Regrettably, the vast majority of those stares were far from welcoming.
First of all, the temporary instructor, Oh Ji-seok, had vanished into thin air during the recent Academy raid, abandoning the students. Of course, he had slipped away before the chaos escalated, and several students had testified to being rescued by him, allowing him to dodge immediate dismissal. Nevertheless, the students of Class 1-1, who had been forced to evacuate without their supervisor, could hardly hold a favorable opinion of him.
“Heard she’s practically glued to that professor lately.”
“...Well, I guess so.”
Ariel’s situation was slightly better. Thanks to the media's abrupt turnaround in recent days, her public image had recovered somewhat, and the students of Class 1-1 were generally good-natured kids. Still, a few students continued to eye her with cold disdain.
“Good morning, everyone!”
“...Ah.”
“Holy crap, she’s really in our class.”
The slightly awkward tension shattered the moment Lumia crossed the threshold. A star prospect who had already commanded widespread fame long before setting foot in the Academy had arrived. Not only was she exceptionally skilled, but Lumia was also renowned for numerous charitable deeds and glowing press, prompting most of the class to beam at her with open admiration. Her breathtaking appearance certainly played a part as well. Perhaps because of that, several girls watched with eager anticipation, secretly hoping Lumia might take the seat beside them.
‘Empty, just as I thought. Front row, dead center.’
Lumia swiftly claimed the vacant desk in the very front. Her reasoning was simple: to get the closest possible look at Kang Haneul disguised as Oh Ji-seok. The boy sitting next to her looked visibly overwhelmed by her sudden proximity, but she couldn't have cared less. Drinking in every last detail of Kang Haneul was all that mattered.
“Uh, um...”
As Lumia settled in, Ariel lingered behind with an uneasy expression, scanning the room.
“...H-hello.”
Spotting the solitary empty desk in the back row, Ariel slipped into the seat and offered an awkward smile to the girl beside her.
‘Does she still not realize she has Save and Load?’
Glancing back at Ariel, Lumia sank into contemplation.
‘If I want to keep that ability in check, I need to obtain my system as well.’
In the canonical story, while Ariel possessed the Save & Load function, Lumia wielded the system interface that managed and deployed 'Skills'. How she had acquired it remained a mystery. Though she lacked it right now, by the beginning of the original story, she had already possessed that function.
‘Well, this is where it really begins.’
Even so, there was no need to panic. The board was rife with unpredictable variables, but this was a world whose game she had cleared countless times, even on Hard Mode. It was easier to treat it as a handicap run.
‘I will make sure you get to kill me, Trauma.’
Sitting in her chair with sparkling eyes, Lumia whispered in the silent depths of her heart.
‘I love you.’
Her stomach let out a ferocious rumble, having gone without sustenance for days, yet right now, she felt pure euphoria. Because tucked beneath her clothes, firmly pressed against her belly, was the very mask Trauma had worn—a replica she had purchased from the Academy store. It gave her the dizzying sensation of monopolizing Kang Haneul entirely, cradling him within her body. Thanks to that, despite suffering through severe starvation, an intoxicating sense of fullness washed over her.
“Before we begin the lesson in earnest, we will conduct a personal belongings inspection.”
Until Kang Haneul uttered those words.
“Everyone, place all of your possessions on top of your desks.”
Lumia's pupils began to tremble violently.