Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Eek!
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[Reward Choice x1]
[Status One Grade Up x1]
Choice.
[Agility: D+ → C+]
‘Just one moment—even that would be enough. A speed that the exhausted Ja-an couldn’t react to. Please.’
Thud.
My head fell off.
Ja-an was chatting naturally with the heroine, Han Ye-seo, right beside me.
“It’s a bit too quiet to call it a market, isn’t it?”
“I heard it usually opens at night.”
“Then what’s the point of coming now?”
“But... it’s scary in the dark!”
I had returned.
[2 / 400]
Right before my eyes, Han Ye-seo died.
The protagonist I had created myself, Ja-an, collapsed helplessly without even putting up a proper fight.
I... had no idea.
There was definitely no story like this.
I slipped my hand into my pocket.
There was a syringe.
The teleporting man from the first loop.
And the space-cutting woman I’d just met.
Not knowing their names, I gave them provisional ones.
I formed a hypothesis.
Their identities: unknown.
But they knew about my regressions.
To guide my future actions in a specific direction, they used the drug and killed Han Ye-seo.
Day 1.
If I go out of the dorm alone, the masked teleporting man injects the drug and kills me.
If I’m with Ja-an, he slips the drug into my pocket and vanishes.
Day 2.
If I’m led by Han Ye-seo into the deeper back alleys, the space-cutting woman kills her.
What if I don’t go deeper?
That’s the solution.
To deal with the status ailment—the drug—I’d need an antidote or something similar.
And I have to get it from the back alleys.
‘But like this...’
There was no other way.
Han Ye-seo dies not long after entering the back alleys.
To prevent her death, I just have to not go in.
I endure it with mental fortitude.
‘If this drug was made by an ability user targeting mental or memory pollution, there’s no way to get an antidote.’
There were still two days left.
I had to ration it as much as possible.
And think.
There had to be a way to resolve this situation.
In the original story, ‘Ivy Lane’ definitely overcame this and became the protagonist’s heroine!
Ivy Lane in the story showed no symptoms of poisoning or anything strange.
That meant she successfully completed the loop as a completely normal person.
In other words, there was a way for me too.
I’d die countless times until I found it, but the important thing was that a method existed.
The difference between zero hope and even a sliver of it.
Was clear as day.
Suddenly, Han Ye-seo popped up beside me.
“Eek!”
“Whoa? Such a girly reaction!”
“Wh-what’s with the sudden...?”
“You weren’t saying anything, just walking, so I got curious!”
I recited the response my past self had given, straight from memory.
“I figured I’d need some gear. We’ll be doing field exercises soon, so preparing ahead isn’t a bad idea.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Want a recommendation? For gear!”
I hesitated for a moment.
If things kept going like this, we’d head deeper into the black market.
I had to stop it.
“...On second thought, maybe honing my skills is more urgent.”
“That’s true!”
“Wait, that was a way too quick agreement.”
“I saw your sparring match?”
“Ugh, embarrassing.”
Han Ye-seo burst out laughing heartily.
Was it really that funny...?
“It’s fine! If I were up against Ja-an, I’d be the same as you. Nothing to be ashamed of!”
Formulaic comfort.
It would repeat again.
I forced an awkward smile.
“Your smile’s pretty.”
“...Thanks.”
“Smile more often? I wanna see it all the time!”
To get ahead of myself, Han Ye-seo wasn’t a lesbian.
Some clueless visual novel writers always shoehorned in one gay character per game, but I hated that.
That’s why I loved Heart Soul Academy—no gay characters.
There were games that deliciously depicted gay characters falling for the protagonist, but they were rare.
Anyway, Han Ye-seo was just saying something polite.
Phew.
I took a deep breath.
Even knowing it was just formal words, it took a while to calm down.
Tanking a beauty’s praise with a straight face? Not easy.
I nodded lightly and touched my face with my hand.
It felt incredibly soft.
For a moment, I felt like I could smile naturally now.
“Hm...”
Ja-an made a sound from beside me.
He had stopped still, staring intently at something.
It was already that moment.
The checkpoint was set too early.
At the very least, I needed it before entering the black market.
Han Ye-seo grabbed my hand and dragged me over to Ja-an. Resistance was impossible; I just got pulled along.
“What’s up? Find something interesting?”
“Huh? No, just... it looks familiar. Wait, this conversation...”
The conversation was... different?
I froze in place.
Ja-an reached out toward a long sword.
A plain-looking one, like basic gear from the early game—no standout features.
Han Ye-seo tossed in a comment.
“Doesn’t look like great quality. That your taste?”
“No, it’s similar to what I used on the front lines.”
“Ah, got it. Nothing beats gear you’re used to, right?”
“Pretty much.”
Was I imagining it?
The conversation was definitely different.
Han Ye-seo, lost in thought for a bit, spoke up again.
“What about you? Got any ranged counters?”
“Huh?”
“Not asking what your ability is—just curious how you handle it. I’m mostly immune to physical force! Like a slime!”
As she spoke, Han Ye-seo transformed part of her body into sticky black ink.
‘Han Ye-seo, who’s mostly immune to physical force, lost her torso in one hit. Probably interfering with space itself... but how?’
Han Ye-seo’s hand returned to normal.
Ja-an answered.
“I can read it.”
“Huh?”
“Like, I know the trajectory beforehand and move accordingly.”
“Precognition? Prophecy? That kind of thing?”
“No, can’t see the future. Just possibilities and probabilities.”
Han Ye-seo nodded as if convinced.
“Unfair! I told you everything!”
“Sorry...”
“I get it! Don’t sweat it!”
Her gaze shifted to me this time.
Meanwhile, Ja-an had picked up the ordinary sword and headed to the counter inside the building.
He was really going to buy it.
“Hey! I’m right here, and you’re just staring at him?”
“...Ah, sorry.”
“You like him?”
“......”
“Wait... seriously...?”
I stayed silent.
I had to produce a different outcome from the previous loop somehow.
If Han Ye-seo put distance between us and went deeper into the back alley like this, her head would get sliced off.
I had to keep her close.
By force?
Impossible.
Convince her with words right now?
How?
It hit me anew, but I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
‘This was the only thing I could think of right now...’
Create a misunderstanding.
If she thought I liked Ja-an, given her personality, she definitely wouldn’t leave my side.
She couldn’t resist something entertaining.
That was Han Ye-seo.
Han Ye-seo spoke.
“Want me to help?”
“No... I’m not thinking about dating.”
“Why not?”
“The front lines are dangerous.”
A textbook answer.
But Han Ye-seo’s eyes were filled with interest.
Because I’d admitted with my own mouth that I liked Ja-an.
Better to be mistaken for gay than let someone die.
That was my calculation.
Han Ye-seo fell deep into thought and didn’t say anything for a while.
Then she opened her mouth again.
“Still, better to enjoy it while you can.”
“...Why?”
“The front lines devour people. Once you experience it, you can’t go back.”
Her face, as she said that, looked far more mature and serious than before.
I nodded.
“Alright! Back to bright me! I hate heavy talks like this!”
“...Thanks.”
“You get what I mean, right? Have fun! Confess, date, you know? If things get dicey...!”
I reached out and covered Han Ye-seo’s mouth.
It was about time.
Misunderstandings with her were fine, but with Ja-an? Not so much.
Ja-an finished paying and stepped out of the shop.
“What were you talking about?”
“Huh? Nothing!”
Han Ye-seo peeled my hand from her mouth and made an awkward excuse.
So far, so good.
This was the normal flow.
Han Ye-seo started walking ahead.
I grabbed her shoulder with my hand.
“Should we head back?”
“Huh? Already?”
“Ja-an got his sword, and I haven’t figured out my style yet, so no weapon for me.”
“What about me? I wanted to buy stuff too.”
“Next time. I’m tired.”
Han Ye-seo looked back and forth between my face and Ja-an’s.
A smile crept onto her lips.
“Ahh... I see? You’re pretty jealous yourself, huh?”
“Huh? Wait, what?”
“Got it. I’ll head home then! Have a good time!”
With a loud voice, Han Ye-seo turned and vanished in the direction we’d come from.
Ja-an watched her go with a strange expression.
Then his gaze turned back to me.
“What...?”
“No idea.”
“Didn’t she just say jealous? What’s that about? Related to what you were talking about?”
“No, nothing. Just some chit-chat while waiting.”
Ja-an scratched the back of his head.
Typical visual novel protagonist—zero social awareness.
‘Or is he pretending not to know on purpose?’
Couldn’t tell which, no obvious tells.
Ja-an spoke awkwardly.
“Shall we go...?”
“Uh? Yeah...”
We turned and left the back alley.
Tense as hell, scanning everywhere, we slowly made our way out.
Nothing happened.
Tap.
Someone put a hand on my shoulder.
“Eek...!”
“You okay?”
It was Ja-an.
“...Yeah.”
“You’ve been shaking since a bit ago. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You can be honest. I’m not the type to exploit weaknesses or anything.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
He was clearly misunderstanding something.
“I’m really not.”
“...You don’t believe me. No, it’s fine. It’s natural.”
“I do.”
“Then tell me everything.”
That I regress?
That there’s a syringe in my pocket?
That I have to resolve the drug issue within two days somehow?
I couldn’t say it.
I spat out a calm lie.
It came out incredibly natural.
“Dark places scare me. Tight spaces too.”
“......”
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. Thanks for being honest. I’ll be careful from now on.”
Ja-an removed his hand from my shoulder.
Maybe it wasn’t even a lie.
I really hated tight, dark places.
We returned to the dorm in that awkward atmosphere.
.
.
.
[Status Ailment: Drug]
[Resolve within 25:58:03]
[Side effects may occur after 24:00:00]
“...Ah.”
Damn it.