Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Why Won't You Give Me the Medicine?
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Why won't you give me the medicine?
I can do this on my own. At least, that's what I think.
But looking at my current state, it seems I can't live without someone else's help.
"Alright, so. The way to put this on is..."
I let Rena handle me.
It's not like I have any other choice.
"Hey, I know who you are, so you don't have to hide your face."
Not that it was well-hidden anyway.
"Oh, uh, really?"
"I'll call you Rena."
"So you knew..."
"I never planned on attacking you. I was just a little out of my mind from the medicine."
That's right.
I have no intention of attacking Rena.
At least, not right now.
And seeing how she's taking care of me, she must be a good person.
There are no bad people among the heroines.
"I'm so sorry about what happened."
Rena bows her head in apology.
"I have nothing to say for myself, but you... um, well... you were in the wrong!"
"It's fine. The wound is all healed."
"Huh?"
She must be wondering what I'm talking about when my body is covered in injuries.
And there are a lot of them.
"Well, these are old wounds. The one from the sword is completely healed."
The bruises weren't Rena's fault.
When I show her the injuries, her expression turns strange.
It's not her fault.
It's the fault of an Academy student, though.
Who was it again?
I think I heard the name.
But I've already forgotten.
"Really, I'm sorry. If you want, you can stab me once!"
"N-No..."
I have no intention of doing that.
I don't stab people just because I've been stabbed.
As long as it's not because of the medicine, I don't go around attacking people. I'm not thirsty for blood.
"But, where's Si-hoo?"
I wonder where Han Si-hoo is.
Why is Rena here in his place?
"He went out to buy some necessities."
"Necessities?"
"...You might not know since you lived in the slums, but there are a lot of things you need."
I'm confident I can live just fine as long as I have medicine and food.
You could say I'm not very picky.
So I had no intention of asking Han Si-hoo for anything.
I'm satisfied enough as it is.
"Si-hoo probably doesn't know what a girl needs, so I told him. He left you with me since I'm a girl, too, Seo-ah."
Apparently so.
Besides, Han Si-hoo seemed uncomfortable even looking at my wounds.
In that respect, someone like Rena might be easier to be around.
I guess I was lucky.
"Okay."
For a moment, I felt like a doll being dressed.
Before I knew it, it was all over.
[10 hours 2 minutes]
"Have you been with Si-hoo this whole time?"
"Here?"
"No, since before. I was a little curious why Si-hoo hid the fact that he had a friend like you."
That was the right choice.
Yoo Seo-ah's existence should have remained hidden.
"Because I'm a worthless piece of trash."
Ah, I used a harsh word.
As my body grows languid, my thoughts do too.
The words that came out unfiltered were stronger than I expected.
"...Don't say things like that."
She sounds just like Han Si-hoo.
Friends are friends, I suppose.
They suit each other well.
"It's the truth. Look at me now. I can barely support my own body."
"That's just because of the medicine right now. It's okay. I heard it can be treated. You'll get better."
I believe that too.
Well, it's a drug, so it can probably be treated.
Though I don't know if I'll be of any use even after I'm treated.
"I just hate dragging you guys down like this."
"You're not."
"Don't worry. I'll disappear one day. Just put up with the hassle for a little longer."
Isn't that the most considerate thing I can do?
That's what I think.
I had to find Han Si-hoo because I needed the medicine.
Maybe I should have found a way to get it on my own.
But the Doctor also told me to kill Han Si-hoo.
"No, you're not a hassle. You should value yourself more. No one wants you to disappear."
Rena is struggling.
She's trying her best to raise my self-worth.
"Okay."
She's a good kid.
Lively and kind.
A bit thoughtless, maybe, but still kind.
'An upgraded version of Yoo Seo-ah?'
I'm a bit out of it now, so I'm quiet.
But originally, Yoo Seo-ah had a similar vibe to Rena.
Yoo Seo-ah just has plain brown hair, but this girl has glossy silver hair, takes good care of herself, and seems to dress well.
The difference between an extra and a heroine is this vast.
"I'll repay you someday. Thanks for your help."
It's better to offer thanks.
And I mean it about repaying her.
When a threat befalls the Academy, I might be able to help, just once.
Probably.
"No, what's there to repay? Once the vacation is over, a lot of weirdos will show up... I heard you're going to the Special Class. I don't know what that is, but you have to be careful."
Everyone I meet tells me to be careful.
Just how little trust does the Academy command?
It's probably because the state rounds up students like it's drafting them for war.
The country's a mess.
"And be careful of the Academy students, too. There are some who are so strong the Academy can't do anything about them, even with their terrible personalities. And especially you, if it gets out that you're Si-hoo's friend... there will be kids who try to use you."
The bruise on my stomach is from an Academy student.
I'm well aware of examples of people with twisted personalities.
I don't want to run into them either.
[9 hours 51 minutes]
There's still plenty of time.
"Ah, are you falling asleep?"
I don't know if all sedatives are like this.
I'm getting sleepy again.
"...No..."
I won't sleep.
I'll sit on the bed.
I need to think.
While sitting blankly, I always thought only about what I had to do.
How to procure the medicine and when to use it.
How to use the maximum amount of medicine possible.
[9 hours]
This thing in front of my eyes won't disappear.
It might vanish for a moment, but if I focus, it reappears.
[8 hours 20 minutes]
My mind is flickering.
Like a dying lightbulb.
Nothing strange about that.
[7 hours 40 minutes]
The lightbulb at home was like that.
I still like that shabby house.
Even if it looked like no one would live there.
[7 hours]
Is the battery dying?
You could see me as an old robot.
An old fan that should have been replaced with a new model decades ago.
The blades don't even spin, but its neck creaks as it turns.
[6 hours 20 minutes]
Adding lubricant is meaningless if the machine itself is defective.
It needs to be replaced.
Or donated to a museum as an artifact.
Though it's more like scrap metal than an artifact.
[5 hours 40 minutes]
I think at 40-minute intervals.
Think for about a minute, rest for 39.
Seems okay.
How about just resting completely?
A deep sleep would be better than constantly waking up.
[1 hour 11 minutes]
"...Medicine."
It's the middle of the night.
I need the medicine again.
I feel bad waking Han Si-hoo, so I'll wait.
He's sleeping on the living room floor.
Should I cover him with a blanket?
I dragged a blanket from the bed and went to the living room.
And I cover him.
*Grip.*
That's not a sound you'd expect from covering someone with a blanket.
My wrist has been caught.
Quite forcefully.
"Si-hoo?"
I shouldn't have touched him.
It was my mistake to wake a sleeping person.
"Sorry for waking you."
He doesn't seem fully awake.
It looks like he grabbed my wrist unconsciously.
I didn't know he was such a rough sleeper.
I have a guess.
An ability to react to bad people nearby even while asleep.
Something like being able to draw a sword in your sleep, perhaps.
"Si-hoo?"
But why is he doing this to me?
Nothing like this ever happened when Yoo Seo-ah woke Han Si-hoo.
Ah, is it because of the medicine?
The black mana.
It seems to feel quite threatening to other Awakeners.
[51 minutes]
The time has decreased.
Just from having my wrist grabbed for a moment.
Now I really need the medicine.
My wrist doesn't hurt.
There's a bit of a mark, but it's fine.
The effects of the medicine are still lingering.
To him, I must look like something on the verge of being a monster.
I understand.
It's possible.
*Thud.*
I managed to pull my arm away.
The hand holding my wrist falls back down.
This is scary.
If I wake him up, he might try to strangle me.
[45 minutes]
A significant amount of time has been lost.
Is he keeping his Purification skill active at all times?
That might be why he instinctively grabbed me.
He was fine when I covered him with a blanket before.
What's different now compared to then?
The military-grade drug? The sedative?
I've been hit with quite a variety.
It was fine when it was the medicine the Doctor used to give me.
Where is that stuff?
[43 minutes]
The medicine.
The one the Doctor gave me.
He said he brought it.
Unless Han Si-hoo put it somewhere else, it's here somewhere.
"Is this it?"
I rummage through the bag Han Si-hoo had taken.
It's rude, but I have no choice.
I'm scared to wake him up.
He must be very sleepy too, so I'll handle it myself.
I have syringes I bought for times like this.
So I just need to find the medicine.
It's dark, but I can't turn on the living room light.
The light from the room is enough.
[40 minutes]
This is why I hate leaving things to others.
I'm afraid time will run out.
I prefer my house, where I could do as I pleased.
"Found it."
It wasn't in the bag, but on a high shelf.
I stood on a chair and was able to get it.
The blue liquid sloshes inside.
For some reason, it looks like there's less than the last time I saw it.
I'll use it in the room.
The living room is too dark.
[37 minutes]
I unwind the bandage on my arm.
With a trembling hand, I picked up the syringe.
I need to draw the medicine.
"Ah, my wrist."
It doesn't hurt, but it seems there's a problem.
I don't know how hard Han Si-hoo grabbed it.
My right hand is the issue, so I'll use my left.
I broke one syringe.
It's fine, I have plenty of spares.
It's not working well with just one hand.
[33 minutes]
The ticking clock is making me rush.
The syringe needle bent, so another one is ruined.
"Seo-ah?"
"Huh?"
Han Si-hoo is awake.
He's leaning against the doorframe, looking this way.
"What are you doing?"
"I, I was going to use the medicine."
I haven't done anything wrong.
He said I could use it when I needed it.
"How much have you used..."
Two syringes are scattered on the floor.
A small amount of medicine can be seen leaking from them.
"I haven't used any yet. So help me. I don't think the syringe is working right."
"You could have just told me, and I would have given it to you."
Why is he looking at me with such a disappointed expression?
I've done nothing wrong.
I'm sorry for rummaging through his bag and the shelf, but it was because of the medicine.
[29 minutes]
"Ah, then can you give me the medicine from the Academy? Even now."
It's not too late.
It's still not too late.
Han Si-hoo quietly takes the medicine bottle.
"The medicine?"
"You've already used a lot. And we don't even know what kind of medicine this is yet, so why would you, without saying anything..."
I was scared to wake you.
It would have been better to tell him before using it.
But more importantly, I haven't used it yet.
"Ah, I haven't used any yet. My arm hurts. No, anyway, I haven't been able to use it yet. Aren't you going to give it to me?"
[26 minutes]
There's no time.
There seems to be a misunderstanding.
He must have mistaken something in his sleepy state.
"Sorry, not right now."
That has to be a lie.