Copycat
“What are you doing?”
“Don't worry about it.”
“Nami, did she eat something bad or what? Why's she acting like that?”
Nami just shrugged her shoulders. Beats me.
“Hey, there's an empty spot over there, guys. Let's eat there.”
Ji-hye, who had gotten her lunch first, found an empty seat and sat down, with Se-ri plopping down next to her. Nami, bringing up the rear, took the spot across from Se-ri. But then Seo Yu-na, who'd been tailing their group the whole time, boldly claimed the seat right next to Nami. It wasn't even across from Ji-hye—it was on the opposite side, creating this weird, lopsided arrangement.
“I said don't worry about it.”
Yu-na tilted her head stiffly, chopsticks already in hand, as if sitting next to Nami was victory enough.
“NoName, is this... normal for you...?”
“Why?”
“Do you always eat this little for lunch? Do you stuff yourself at breakfast or something?”
“Nah? I skip breakfast every day.”
Yu-na's face fell as she eyed the meager portions on Nami's tray. Her own tray had the exact same amount—she'd copied it perfectly.
“Two scoops of rice... no soup... three anchovies, one sausage, a mashed chunk of potato, and a single strand of spinach...”
Beef seaweed soup—my favorite. And braised pork belly, which doesn't even come up that often.
“Yu-na, aren't you gonna get hungry eating like that?”
“Huh? I'm fine. This is plenty for me.”
“Haha...”
Se-ri shook her head. She'd been wondering why Yu-na had been sticking to Nami like glue lately, but now it was obvious—she was mimicking every single thing Nami did.
But copying her lunch portions? That's taking it a bit far, isn't it?
Of the four, Yu-na finished first, of course. Five chops with her sticks, and her tray looked brand new. Se-ri and Ji-hye were chattering away about stickers from the stationery shop, oblivious, while Nami poked at her grains of rice one by one before setting her chopsticks down.
“What, you're done already?”
“Yeah, not really hungry.”
“I just can't even...”
Nami leaned back in her chair, unable to even digest that tiny bit, and tuned into Se-ri and Ji-hye's talk show.
“You think I'm copying you just to mess with you or something?”
Yu-na finally snapped, unable to hold it in any longer.
“Copying? Oh. Aah.”
That's when it clicked for Nami—the reason behind Yu-na's recent antics.
[You don't take notes?]
[Studying's done with your head, not your hands.]
[Hmmm...]
The girl who'd always colored her textbooks with every highlighter under the sun suddenly stopped even opening her pencil case.
[NoName, out!]
[Teacher, I got hit too. Can I go?]
[Oh, sure. Go ahead.]
During dodgeball, always shadowing Nami's exact path, chasing right behind her.
[Seo Yu-na, got a sec? Can you help me with this?]
[Don't talk to me. I'm super busy right now.]
During breaks, arms crossed, head down, napping just like Nami.
All of it—pure NoName mimicry.
Just the other day, Yu-na had seen Nami's magic and realized it: this kid was on a whole other level from Yoon Si-hu. A genius so far ahead that even sixteen hours of studying a day might not close the gap. Desperate, she'd hatched a new plan.
NoName must have some secret method. If I copy everything she does, down to the last detail, I'll unlock it too.
And so the “Copy NoName” operation began.
But as she observed, doubts crept in. No notes, but she didn't seem to be paying attention in class either. Gym class? Barely participating, half-assed at best. And she hardly ate all day. Yu-na was starting to feel dizzy herself.
As she clutched her throbbing head, NoName predictably sipped from her thermos flask. Swirling it around like a sommelier tasting fine wine.
“One thing I'm curious about. That stuff you drink every day—what is it, exactly?”
Yu-na was convinced: the secret's in that liquid. A memory booster? Or maybe something to stay sharp all day without sleep.
“It's mana potion. You guys don't drink it.”
“Potion? Like in games? That stuff exists in real life?”
“Effects are roughly the same.”
What was a potion? A drug to replenish depleted mana in the body. But something that convenient couldn't exist in reality. If it did, no one would bother training their mana capacity.
But if it really did... Spells from 2nd Circle on were all paid. The billing trigger was the “storage” phase, when data exchanged with the base station. Stop at injection or activation, though, and the transmutation circle's irreversible nature would suck up extra mana anyway.
Inefficient? Sure. But with infinite mana, you could practice magic all day.
Yu-na wasn't about to pass up a golden opportunity.
“Gimme some. I wanna try it.”
“Told you, you guys can't have it.”
“Is it expensive?”
“Not crazy expensive.”
“Then why not? I'll pay you back tomorrow.”
“It's not like a supplement. It's medicine—you need a prescription.”
You can't just swallow random stuff. Nami held firm against Yu-na's stubbornness. She really couldn't drink it.
“How do you even get a prescription?”
“I'm not a doctor. No idea.”
It was for reversing genetic mutations from chronic high-mana exposure. A normal person chugging it? Who knows what could happen. Sure, no sane person would, but still... no meant no.
“Tch...”
Se-ri, intrigued by the talk, chimed in.
“Nami, so how much of that do you drink a day?”
“3L every day.”
“Eww, that's a ton. Explains why you skip lunch.”
Se-ri clicked her tongue. Yeah, even that daily had to be torture. Most people struggle with 3L of water a day.
“Admire the spirit, but I'm not giving you even a sip. Give it up.”
“Why not! One little sip can't hurt.”
“You're missing the point. It's not a game potion. Sure, it fills mana, but it's not usable anyway, so pointless.”
“Then why do you drink it! Must be good for something!”
“Drop it.”
* * *
One step away from uncovering the secret.
During the break before 5th period, Yu-na timed it perfectly—Nami heading off to wash her flasks. She had four 500ml ones total. Before 6th period started, she'd always empty three and head to the bathroom to rinse. After school was too crowded, so she picked this slot. The last one? She always left it untouched as a spare, for some reason.
Just one tiny sip. A taste.
Yu-na slipped a flask from Nami's bag onto her lap. Heart pounding, she glanced around to make sure no one saw.
Looks like plain water.
The half-liter sloshed inside. No foam, weirdly.
She unscrewed the cap carefully.
No weird smell either?
But the mana potion was odd. Clear liquid turned murky black the instant it hit air.
What! Oh no...!
Disaster. Her brain froze. Then she remembered—those black residues when Nami washed them. Exposed to air, it changed color.
Getting caught was inevitable now.
Fine then...!
One drop or one sip—busted either way. If she was gonna get hated, might as well test the effects for real.
Gulp.
“......!!!”
The moment it touched her tongue, strength drained from her body like a lie.
“Gahk...!”
Crash!
The flimsy flask lost support and plummeted straight to the floor. It shattered against the hardwood.
“Kyaa!”
“Whoa, you scared me! What the hell, Yu-na? What's wrong with you?”
Yu-na's little body crumpled. Agony overwhelmed her; she clutched her throat but couldn't even groan.
“Kkheuk...!”
The taste went beyond bitter or sour. It numbed her senses, every cell screaming for mercy. Fear overtook the pain—this was new territory.
No... no... I don't wanna die like this.
She wanted to cut off her tongue. Anything to escape the sensation. But the burning in her throat plunged her deeper into despair.
Please... save me...