Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: I Need More Medicine
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I need more medicine.
-I can go home, right?
I have to go take my medicine.
The medicine the doctor gave me was more effective.
I’m not asking for much.
Just to spend time at home, resting comfortably.
Even just lying down and staring at the ceiling would be nice.
"...Why?"
Han Si-hoo asked again.
"Why are you trying to go back?"
Han Si-hoo's expression seemed a little dark.
He spoke in a subdued voice.
"Because it's home...?"
I can't stay here forever.
That's obvious.
It's an imposition on Han Si-hoo, too.
Since we're friends, it's good to be considerate of each other.
[2 hours 17 minutes]
Time is still decreasing at a considerable rate.
Just being near the protagonist seems to be overloading my body.
[2 hours 15 minutes]
It’s too fast.
Unless my sense of time is warped.
Is this medicine less effective than the one the doctor gave me?
I don't feel good.
"I need to take my medicine. I have some at home..."
"It's okay."
Okay?
It’s only okay when the medicine is still working.
The memory of the 100-hour dose shimmers before my eyes.
I was so happy then.
I think I was.
"Can I go home?"
But how do I get home?
I don't have enough medicine in my system to walk.
"You can be treated."
"Treated?"
That's why I'm taking the medicine, for treatment.
If I keep taking it, my condition will improve.
I can tell by how I feel normal every time I take it.
I want to feel better soon.
[2 hours 12 minutes]
For some reason, I don't feel good now, even though the medicine is still in effect.
I can't live like this forever, can I?
It's so ambiguous.
I feel like my mind is clear, but at the same time, it isn't.
I think I need to take the medicine the doctor gave me.
"Yes, you can be treated."
"Then what about the medicine?"
I told you, I need the medicine.
Why won't he give it to me?
Even if this were a narcotic, its primary purpose is treatment, so there's no problem.
Don't they prescribe narcotic drugs to patients in serious condition?
It's obvious, seeing how I lose my mind whenever the effects wear off.
Although, the thought that I tried to attack Han Si-hoo after taking some medicine is still terrifying to think about.
The problem was that I overused the medicine, not the medicine itself.
Or was it?
It was medicine from a doctor, though.
I'm confused.
"I'm sorry."
He's apologizing.
Does that mean he can't give me any medicine?
"If I could just get home, it would be fine..."
It’s the only solution I know.
Maybe Han Si-hoo doesn't have any medicine at all.
I really should have just stayed cooped up at home.
[2 hours 1 minute]
Time is running out.
I habitually checked my pockets, but it was a hospital gown.
There were no pills.
Han Si-hoo was hesitating about something.
He seemed to be searching for the right words.
What now?
I have to think.
But I can't.
It must be because I haven't taken my medicine.
"If I go home, the doctor will come and give me medicine..."
I stopped mid-sentence.
Han Si-hoo looked strange.
The moment I said the word "doctor," he seemed to get upset.
"...Doctor?"
Right, the doctor said so.
"What did the doctor do?"
Han Si-hoo came too close.
He grabbed my hand.
"Ah, ugh. That is."
Why is my body still trembling?
Actually, I think I'd be like this no matter who approached me.
I never knew I had social anxiety.
Is this also happening because I haven't taken enough medicine?
"Did the doctor visit you at home?"
"Ah, yes."
I nodded.
"How often did he visit?"
"Sometimes."
Of course, letting a stranger into your house isn't a good thing.
But since nothing bad happened, it was okay, right?
There was nothing of value in my house, so there were no thefts or anything like that.
The doctor didn't stay long at my place either.
He just gave me the medicine and left.
Lately, he even gave me food.
Though it had some medicine in it.
"Sorry."
Han Si-hoo let go of my hand.
[1 hour 28 minutes]
A huge chunk of time disappeared again.
"The medicine, the medicine is probably outside. You'll be able to use it, so you don't need to go home. Not yet."
"You have medicine?"
The medicine is outside?
That's right.
This was an infirmary.
Come to think of it, Lee Yoo-ram had already given me medicine several times.
I feel my energy returning.
I pushed myself up.
It's time to move.
"I want to go out."
I was huddled in the corner because I didn't have any medicine, there was no other reason.
I just liked the dark.
Han Si-hoo didn't seem scary anymore.
How could he be scary if he was giving me medicine?
Besides, I never had social anxiety in the first place.
I'm fine.
There was never anything wrong with me from the start.
***
*Creeak.*
The door opened.
Lee Yoo-ram, who had been waiting outside, approached Han Si-hoo as he came out.
"Oh? You came out together?"
Lee Yoo-ram was surprised to see Yoo Seo-ah following behind him.
"Yes."
Han Si-hoo looked somewhat exhausted.
"I guess friends will be friends."
She said, observing Yoo Seo-ah.
Her condition had certainly improved.
But her eyes seemed slightly unfocused.
It felt a little eerie.
"Did you have a good talk?"
"To some extent."
Was it really a good talk?
"Really?"
"She says she wants to go home, but I think she just wants to use the medicine."
Han Si-hoo said, seating Yoo Seo-ah in a chair.
She sat down obediently.
Yoo Seo-ah wasn't strongly rejecting Han Si-hoo.
"The medicine?"
Yoo Seo-ah asked Han Si-hoo, as if urging him.
"...Ah, so that's how it is. Just a moment."
Lee Yoo-ram picked up a vial from a tray.
Then she filled a nearby syringe with the medicine.
Yoo Seo-ah's gaze was fixed on the vial.
"Okay, I'm going to roll up your sleeve."
"Okay."
Yoo Seo-ah rolled up her sleeve.
The wounds on her arm were revealed.
There were too many marks that looked like they were made with a knife.
There were also many marks from needles that had missed and from successful injections.
Han Si-hoo now understood why Seo-ah had been wearing bandages.
The needle slid into her arm, adding one more mark.
"This should make you feel a bit better."
"Thank you."
As she said that, Yoo Seo-ah's smile returned.
It wasn't the bright smile Han Si-hoo had hoped for.
Something was fundamentally twisted.
"Try to understand. It's hard to make someone quit this kind of addiction cold turkey."
"What kind of injection is it?"
"A sedative. It has some narcotic components. She should be fine for a while."
Lee Yoo-ram said as she put away the medical supplies.
"But the wounds on her arm..."
"Hm?"
Yoo Seo-ah held up her arm to Si-hoo.
Wounds from punching the glass window, cuts from a knife, self-inflicted cuts.
There were a lot of scars.
"This?"
The image of the shattering mirror reappeared in his mind.
A blood-soaked arm.
"Oh, this?"
Where did the bandage go?
The bandage that had been wrapped so well was gone.
"This... I wasn't going to show you..."
She said, as if remembering, and pulled down her sleeve.
She tried to cover her arm again, but it was too late.
Originally, she had no such wounds or scars.
Definitely not, as of about six months ago.
Before Han Si-hoo entered the Academy.
An image of Yoo Seo-ah wearing a short-sleeved shirt in the summer heat came to his mind.
They had so much fun together back then.
Even playing on the water-logged asphalt during the rainy season was joyful.
And now?
To put it bluntly, she seemed broken.
Han Si-hoo couldn't shake that thought.
Because it was the truth.
"...For now, it looks like you'll have to keep a close eye on Seo-ah. She's your friend, right?"
Lee Yoo-ram said, stroking Seo-ah's hair.
Yoo Seo-ah, with her dazed eyes, enjoyed the touch.
"Yes."
I'll protect her without fail this time.
I'll go back to how things were.
He answered with that thought in mind.
"Well, it's vacation now, right? There was the graduation, and all those incidents... it didn't end well, but... it's all over. And you'll be moving up to the High School Division, Si-hoo."
Lee Yoo-ram said, seemingly lost in thought.
It sounded more like she was talking to herself.
"So, this is the Academy's infirmary. You know it's not a hospital, right?"
"Yes."
"These services are only provided to Academy students. Especially during vacation."
Lee Yoo-ram said, touching the examination machines and vials beside her.
Each piece of equipment easily cost millions.
They couldn't just be used on anyone.
Not to mention the cost of the medicine alone.
"But Seo-ah... she's not immediate family, so she's not eligible for Academy benefits..."
Yoo Seo-ah was not an Academy student.
Realizing this, Han Si-hoo felt a sense of dread.
It would be difficult for the Academy to look after Seo-ah.
"You're right."
"She'd have to be admitted to a regular hospital, but that's not ideal, right? In a normal hospital, she wouldn't be under constant protection. It would be hard to prevent something from happening."
"Then I can stay by her side during the break..."
"That's a good idea, but what about after the break ends? Her treatment won't be finished by then."
Her condition wasn't something that could be easily treated.
He could tell how large the doses of drugs she had been taking were.
The image of the scars on her arm came to mind again.
Han Si-hoo clenched his teeth.
"Then..."
"There is one solution."
"A solution?"
"We make Seo-ah an Academy student. Then she can stay at the Academy under student status, right?"
"What?"
Make Seo-ah an Academy student.
Unsure what she meant, Han Si-hoo asked again.
"Is that even possible?"
"Yes. In fact, it's going to happen whether you like it or not."
Whether I like it or not?
That sounded strange.
"To enroll in the Academy, you have to be an Awakener..."
Is she an Awakener?
The black mana and the black sword.
He didn't know what kind of skill it was, but it would be stranger if she wasn't an Awakener.
"The Academy already plans to admit her. A report has gone up stating that Seo-ah was an Awakener held captive by a villain. Your friendship with her is also known."
Lee Yoo-ram said with a sigh.
The law was set that way.
"You know, right? Once someone is identified as an Awakener, they have to enroll in the Academy. So Seo-ah will become an Academy student too."
"But, Seo-ah was only able to use mana because of the drug..."
That was just a guess.
A drug that could turn anyone into an Awakener.
He didn't know if that was even plausible.
"As far as I know, there's no drug that can artificially create an Awakener. The higher-ups probably think the same. In fact, it's a bigger problem if she's *not* an Awakener."
Lee Yoo-ram said, glancing at Seo-ah sitting next to her.
Was she listening to the conversation?
Yoo Seo-ah had her eyes half-closed, enjoying the effects of the medicine.
She looked like she was about to fall asleep.
"Even if she really is an Awakener, admitting a sick kid to the Academy is..."
He said, looking at Yoo Seo-ah.
"The Academy is aware of that. Even if she's admitted, she'll be assigned to the Special Class. They'll probably just give her private tutoring."
"Special Class?"
He'd never heard of it.
"It's because you were such an exceptional talent. No, I should say *thanks* to that. The higher-ups want to keep you from leaving the Academy. On the condition that they let Seo-ah stay. They're hoping you'll be more compliant."
Lee Yoo-ram revealed the Academy's position.
The Academy wasn't that kind of place.
It had simply found a way to tie down a talent like Han Si-hoo.
"I see."
Han Si-hoo nodded as if he understood.
The Academy had found something to exploit.
It was one of the reasons he hadn't told anyone about Yoo Seo-ah.
But now that things had come to this, he had no choice.
"The Academy doesn't want much from Seo-ah. Even when the semester starts, she probably won't have classes. If she does, she'll be separated from the other kids and taught privately. Think of it as recuperation."
Still, they wouldn't know for sure until it happened.
Lee Yoo-ram swallowed her next words.
She had never heard of the Special Class either.
It was a class created on the fly.
It meant Han Si-hoo was one of the Academy's key students.
As long as Han Si-hoo didn't lose his usefulness, Yoo Seo-ah would be safe.
"What worries me a little is... you said she lived in the slums, right? And she wasn't attending school."
"Yes."
Lee Yoo-ram's expression soured slightly.
The very idea that there were children who couldn't get a proper education displeased her.
"But Seo-ah knows the basics, right? No matter how safe the Academy is..."
If her level was too low, it would be dangerous.
Han Si-hoo had at least experienced a bit of the Middle School Division.
He had no problem adapting.
"I think she'll be fine."
Seo-ah would be fine with Academy life.
She might be naive, but she wasn't completely clueless.
That's what Han Si-hoo felt.
As long as she didn't use the drug.
"Well, if you say so, I guess it's true. Once she receives treatment at the Academy, Seo-ah will get better."
"Yes."
It seemed like everything was being resolved.
He was relieved that a way had been found.
There was no need to resort to the more drastic options Han Si-hoo had been considering.
"Alright, then take Seo-ah with you now."
"What?"
"Are you planning to stay here all day? The infirmary's closing time passed long ago. It's vacation, after all."
Lee Yoo-ram said, looking tired.
She had no idea how many hours of overtime she'd worked.
Even teachers need to rest during the break.
"Here, I've organized the medicine over there. You can take Seo-ah to your dorm. If anything happens, call me immediately. I... still have things to do outside. I should get going."
"Yes..."
Normally, Yoo Seo-ah wouldn't have even been able to receive treatment at the Academy.
A civilian harmed by Academy activities?
She would be ignored, or dealt with.
From the very beginning, Han Si-hoo was Yoo Seo-ah's only guardian.
Throughout the entire conversation, Yoo Seo-ah had been staring at the floor.
To be precise, at an empty box that had fallen under the desk.
The box from which Lee Yoo-ram had taken the medicine.