Chapter 6. Let's go home. (3)
Chapter 6. Let's go home. (3)
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Since when was it?
Soi thinks it was probably from the very beginning.
Memories of her kindergarten days were quite faint now, but there were still moments that surfaced vividly.
For instance, the time Lua first came to Soi's house.
A child who kept her shoulders hunched up tight, unable to fix her gaze on one spot, darting her eyes here and there.
For a long while, almost for several years, it seemed like Lua acted as if that house wasn't her own.
Even when eating, she was always walking on eggshells at the dining table, and even when they shared the same room.
Soi really didn't like that.
Why?
Weren't we going to live together from now on?
As a family, living in the same house forever, right?
Then why do you keep walking on eggshells?
Like someone who has to leave someday.
Like someone who has to just vanish someday.
"Ah......"
The sound hurts.
The sound of Lua being dragged across the floor. The sound of her colliding with something.
The kids around, the teachers, none of them could even look straight in that direction. They must have all been looking out the window at the playground.
What if they got hurt if they intervened? What if they died? Bleeding profusely like the person out there—
Come to think of it, maybe Lua was really thinking that.
Since that young age, that she would just quietly disappear.
Why? Why? Why?
Because she went through such things?
Encountering Villains, being threatened.
In elementary school, before that, and even now. Because she went through such things.
"......Ugh......."
Lua somehow kept her eyes open and looked toward the children. Her hand kept rising into the air. It wasn't just flailing. I know Lua's ability. She's trying to do something. To protect the children.
To protect Soi.
Looking over here several times with a desperate expression. While having her head slammed against the floor, while being dragged along.
With a face full of guilt.
Why are you making that face?
The bad person is that woman.
I don't know if that person is really Lua's mom or not. But whether she's her mom or not, it was absolutely not Lua's fault.
If she's not her mom, she came to the wrong place in the first place. She's just latching onto an innocent person.
If she is her mom, abandoning her own daughter in the first place is the mistake. Even if she wanted to find her later, she shouldn't have come looking like this.
What kind of mom in the world acts like that.
Because Soi couldn't help but think of her own mom whenever she thought of 'mom,' she couldn't understand it at all.
Lua is crying.
Looking at Soi, who always acted like an eonni in front of Lua, saying she'd protect her and whatnot, but in reality, couldn't do anything.
That pretty face is being ruined. Swollen red here and there, soaked in tears, sweat, and blood—
Ppii, a ringing sound filled her ears.
Her vision narrowed, and she couldn't hear anything around her. Not the sound of children sobbing, not the sound of them calling for their moms. Not even the sound of people reporting to the police in hushed voices. Suddenly, she couldn't hear anything.
The moment she first met Lua.
A small, pretty, scared little girl.
So, she wanted to brighten up that scared expression. Because, until then, there wasn't a single child who didn't smile by Soi's side. Every child in the kindergarten she attended was Soi's friend, and so whenever they saw Soi, they would smile brightly and ask to play together.
Because she didn't want such a pretty child to stay like this.
So, Soi had approached her with a smile.
"......."
"......Soi?"
Chaeyi, who had come near and pulled on Soi at some point, called out to her, looking a bit flustered.
But there was no time to answer.
"......You."
Because her mind was already completely focused on the scene before her eyes.
Soi, forgetting even that she hadn't awakened her ability yet, stood up and stared straight at the woman.
She was so angry.
She was angry at that woman, angry at the adults who couldn't stop such a person from coming here, and angry at her mom for not coming quickly even in this situation.
But the person she was most angry at was herself.
Always saying fancy words about protecting her, but always, constantly, like this.
Because when it was time to actually help, Soi was of no help at all.
"Let go of Lua."
She said to the woman who was looking at her with a somewhat bewildered expression.
"Let go of Lua!"
And, once more.
While shouting that.
The next moment, it felt like she was running.
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Meteor.
That light, she had seen it on TV so many times.
Naturally, there was no chance to see it in person. Seeing Auntie Yujin working in person meant being at the scene where a Villain and a Hero were fighting.
Besides, isn't Auntie Yujin considered the strongest among the Heroes in this country? She doesn't just appear in front of any Villain.
"Ah."
That's why she hadn't thought that light would be this bright. That it would be this warm.
Soi's hair is burning.
No, it seems like it has become a flickering flame itself. It was still flowing toward the ground like hair, but that golden hair was shining as if it were all burning.
Her eyes were the same. The brown eyes that usually shone playfully were now shining with a golden light.
That light is brilliant. Beyond comparison to what she had seen on the screen.
To the point where just the existence of her being here, without any basis, made her feel at ease.
"Damn it."
Seo Arin muttered as if she were in a bind.
That voice is a bit fascinating. Just a moment ago, she was a psychopath character without any emotions, but that voice, sounding like she was in a bind, was filled with anxiety and tension.
But it didn't seem like she had given up on me, as she pulled my body as if forcing it.
"Ugh, ugh......!"
I don't want to.
I had finally seen hope right in front of me, and I didn't want to give up.
I reach out my arm. To avoid being dragged away by force, I forcibly dug my fingernails into the floor.
"Ugh!"
My hand was just resting on the floor, and my extended senses had just dug my hand into the floor.
It hurts.
As if the tips of my finger bones had been shattered.
That invisible hand, which must have been cut off and crushed several times already, could exert force as if it couldn't be like that in the first place, just as Seo Arin said.
The fingertips striking down hard enough to pierce the floor hurt as if they were breaking. I felt the fingernails I had forcibly dug in slowly lifting and flipping back as I was pulled backward. Goosebumps rose on my back. Because I knew what that sensation was like. Because I could imagine how much it would hurt—
"Aargh!?"
And, once again.
I feel the sensation of something grabbing my invisible hand. The power that used to pass through people's hands without issue, now that it met the same kind of power, touched and grabbed each other without issue.
Crackle.
The sound of something breaking inside my head.
"Kyaaah!?"
A scream flowed from my mouth. I clutched my arm and curled up. Even though my body wasn't seriously injured, I felt as if my real arm had been broken.
Zzzzt.
And my body is soon dragged away helplessly.
Thud, thud.
This time, I couldn't even block it with my power, and because of Seo Arin moving her body here and there to avoid Soi's rush, I was slammed into things here and there while being dragged.
The strength left my body. My mind went blank little by little, and my senses slowly dulled.
I was just forcing myself to breathe so I wouldn't die.
Stop.
Please stop.
When will this end? It hurts. Everything hurts.
Without even the luxury of sniffing my nose, I was slammed into the corner of the hallway again with a bang.
I curled my body as much as I could while groaning. I heard someone calling my name. And the sound of someone running.
I forced my eyes open, but something was flowing over my eyes, so I couldn't see well. I see a girl with pink hair running toward me. I couldn't see her expression well, though.
And at some point, not just running, but 'Meteor' floating in the air.
Ah, I see.
Burning fire.
If it's hot, it hurts. It's a very simple principle. Seo Arin told me that even if it burns, it's not a real hand anyway, but the pain is still there.
"......!"
But that doesn't mean she has the complete upper hand. Because Soi had just awakened her ability.
Objects, objects raining down on the rushing Soi.
Everything in the hallway is breaking and shattering. The window frames, broken glass shards, the chairs and desks piled up to block the door. The doors that were locked but broken open from the inside. Everything is flying at Soi.
The objects that hit Soi's body left wounds. Blood splattered, tearing skin.
"Ah, ah......!"
Without realizing it, I tried to crawl toward Soi—but was caught by Chaeyi.
"Wait, wait, Lua."
Chaeyi curled up over my body, covering me with her own body, and said.
"It's okay. It's okay."
It's not okay.
Because of me, Soi is hurting like that. She's getting hurt.
Even so, Soi kept rushing in to protect me.
Things around are melting. Burning. The hallway sprinkler burst and water sprayed out, but around Soi, it all just turned into steam and rose up.
In a state where I felt like I would lose consciousness at any moment, I tried to look at Soi somehow. I have to help Soi. I don't know how to help, but—
But before I could even reach out my arm.
Bang!
A sofa that burst through the hallway window crashed into Soi. Soi somehow blocked it with her arm, but immediately after, her arm went limp.
"Haa, ugh......!"
Soi was still shining brightly, but.
Eventually, she landed on the floor.
"......."
Seo Arin was just glaring at Soi. As if she was so angry that she couldn't even speak properly.
"Ha, as expected."
Seo Arin said.
"Everything—"
"Everything, what?"
"......."
A voice heard from behind Seo Arin.
Even while the fire alarm was ringing in the hallway and water was pouring down from the ceiling. Somehow, it felt like the surroundings became extremely quiet.
Crack, crack.
From behind Seo Arin, the sound of someone forcibly pushing open the broken barricade was heard.
"What are you going to do with everything?"
A gentle voice.
This voice, too, was a voice she heard every morning.
"......."
Seo Arin slowly turned around.
The existence there was another 'Meteor'.
No, it was the real 'Meteor' we know.
'Meteor' looks around. The smashed hallway. The bleeding Soi. And me, collapsed on the floor. Chaeyi, holding on while covering me.
"......."
Is she angry?
Because her daughter was in danger of dying because of me, she must be angry, right?
Will I be able to see her face just like I have until now—
"......Rest for a little while."
But Auntie Yujin soon said with a gentle smile.
"I'll take care of it."
Perhaps because I heard that much and felt at ease.
In the end, my consciousness cut off there.