A Nightmare Memory
She had one memory that felt like a nightmare. It was from roughly ten years ago, back when her debut song had exploded in popularity and she was just beginning to taste stardom.
“Welcome home, Layla. You’re a little late.”
After finishing her schedule like any other day, she returned home only to freeze in place. Having lived independently since childhood, she had grown used to an empty, lifeless apartment greeting her. Yet today, a stranger’s voice echoed from within.
Turning her head, she saw a middle-aged man she had never met before.
……
People often freeze when confronted with an unfamiliar terror. But Layla was no ordinary person. Instead of thinking, her body moved first. She bolted back through the door she had just entered and frantically called her manager, whom she had parted with only moments ago.
“Please……!”
The call went unanswered. Perhaps he was driving. As she bit her lip in panic, the man’s voice drifted from behind her.
“It’s useless. My subordinates have already secured the entire area.”
Her manager, who had left earlier, was probably unconscious somewhere by now. With a low chuckle, the man lunged forward just as she stepped outside. He grabbed her by the neck and slammed her to the ground.
“Running away from a fan? Is that how a star should act? Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?”
He forced her onto her back, making her meet his eyes. Beneath the streetlamp, his gaze looked half-mad. A fresh wave of terror surged through her, and she thrashed to escape his grip.
Smack!
Her head snapped to the side, a sharp sting blooming across her cheek.
“I told you this was a fan meeting! Look at me!”
Why was she trying to run? She should be happy to meet a fan. He had wanted to see her so badly. Why couldn’t she understand his feelings? The man growled, glaring down at her with fury.
“You said you loved us. You told your fans you loved them. Was that a lie? Were all those words about loving me just lies?”
Crazy bastard. Who in their right mind would smile and greet a fan in a situation like this? His outburst only made her struggle harder, but escape was impossible. A woman could never overpower a well-trained man, and worse, he was using mana—an ability ordinary people couldn’t wield—to pin her down.
“It’s all right. You don’t need to be scared. I would never hurt the one I love.”
The man leaned closer. His grotesque face filled her vision as he tried to force a kiss.
‘No. Please, someone……!’
Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, her body suddenly tumbled across the ground. Freed from the man’s hold, she opened her eyes to see a broken streetlamp and the man’s silhouette embedded in its pole.
“Ah, my mistake.”
Another figure stood with their back to her, facing the stalker.
“I was jumping across rooftops and accidentally fell.”
……
“Damn it. These are brand-new shoes. Now they’re stained with some ugly bastard’s blood.”
The man showed no concern for her safety. He was only annoyed that his shoes had gotten dirty. Strolling toward the stalker with a lazy gait, he spoke again.
“How are you going to take responsibility for this, you little shit?”
……
Had the sudden turn of events left the stalker dazed? Or was he simply too stunned to respond? The broken streetlamp cast everything into shadow, making it hard to read his expression.
“How dare you……!”
The stalker finally snapped out of it and rose in rage, but before he could act, the newcomer kicked him in the mouth and slammed him back against the wall.
“Shut up, trash.”
“Urgh!?”
With one hand still in his pocket, the man repeatedly stomped on the stalker’s face.
“Do you even know how much these cost?”
“Urgh!?”
“Why the hell did you suddenly flare your mana? You startled me and made me fall. I thought the cops had tracked me here.”
“Gah!?”
“What kind of mage wastes their time controlling an area just to rape some girl in the middle of the night?”
“Urgh!?”
“If you’re that ugly, you should’ve been working on your looks instead of this. Then maybe girls would line up for you like they do for me, you toad-faced bastard.”
……
“I was in a good mood today, and you ruined it!”
……
The stalker lay motionless. Even without seeing clearly, she knew. His face was a bloody mess after countless kicks, and the attacker’s legs were soaked in the same blood.
“Haa. Seriously.”
With a deep sigh, the man slipped off his shoes and tossed them onto the stalker’s body.
“They’re filthy now. You can have them.”
He leapt onto the wall and vanished into the night like the wind. The mysterious man had appeared out of nowhere, saved her, and disappeared just as quickly. His mannerisms and personality were bizarre, yet she could never forget that night.
“Layla! We’re going live soon!”
The staff’s knock on the waiting-room door stirred her from sleep.
“Coming!”
She answered hurriedly and stood up. Reaching into her bag, she pulled something out and clutched it tightly with both hands, closing her eyes as if in prayer.
After that, everything resolved without incident. Whether the police had been tipped off or simply happened to be patrolling, they arrived with her unconscious manager and wrapped up the case. Traumatized by the stalking, she couldn’t return home for a while and stayed at the company before moving. Since then, she had lived her idol life without further trouble.
If something worse had happened that day, where would she be now? One thing was certain: Layla Ruby the singer would never have achieved her current success.
‘Thank you so much.’
That was why, before every performance, she silently thanked the man who had saved her. She held the shoes he had discarded—white with black patterns, faintly stained with red that never washed out—and offered her gratitude.
“So anyway, I’m going to the Layla Ruby concert with my uncle this weekend.”
Arina’s good mood carried over into the next day. Usually content to listen quietly, she was now leading the conversation for the first time, her smile refusing to fade.
“That’s wonderful.”
Marily beamed, genuinely happy for her friend’s obvious joy.
“Layla Ruby, huh. She’s a great singer.”
“You know her?”
When Arina lit up at the discovery that her friend liked the same artist, Marily nodded as if it were obvious.
“I met her once during a royal celebration performance. I believe I even got an autograph and a photo.”
……
The scale was completely different. One girl was thrilled about attending a concert while the other had casually invited the singer to her home for autographs and pictures. So this was what it meant to be a princess. Arina had been about to brag, only to be hit with an unexpected counterpunch.
“Ah, if you need an autograph, just say so. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I can ask the butler to see if we can meet her briefly after the concert.”
Quick to read the mood, Marily steered the topic back to something Arina would enjoy.
“Really?”
Just as Marily intended, Arina’s face brightened again.
“Of course. Though I can’t guarantee it. Even I can’t force the matter if they refuse.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing special.”
Marily scratched her cheek awkwardly as Arina grabbed her hands in excitement, even though the meeting wasn’t confirmed yet.
“Layla Ruby…… She’s a wonderful singer. I’m a fan as well.”
At that moment, a voice from behind them cut into their conversation.
“Especially her debut song. It’s so bright and cheerful that I still listen to it sometimes while studying dark magic.”
When the two girls turned, they found Professor Karlsen leaning in close, his gloomy face right in front of them.
“That said, I’m about to begin class. Would you mind shifting your attention from Miss Layla to me instead? Both of you?”
“W-We’re sorry!”
When had he arrived? They had been so absorbed in their talk that they hadn’t noticed the professor enter at all. If it had been Professor Magnus, he would have simply told them to quiet down and continued the lesson. Thanks to Professor Karlsen’s playful tone, every eye in the classroom was now on them. Arina flushed and lowered her head under the prickling stares.
“Well then, let’s begin class.”
Chuckling at her reaction, Professor Karlsen walked to the podium and opened his textbook.
“Today’s lesson is……”
Class began, and Arina, as if her embarrassment had never happened, instantly focused on the lecture.
“And that’s what happened.”
After class, during break time, Professor Karlsen visited the infirmary as usual and began recounting the day’s events while sipping the drink Professor Clara had given him.
“Is that so~”
Perhaps because Professor Clara was the only colleague he was close with at the academy, he visited her constantly. Yet she always welcomed him with her usual languid smile.
“If it’s Arina, she’s this year’s top freshman, right~? Unfortunately, I don’t have any first-year classes this year, so I’m not entirely sure~”
Professor Clara had her assigned classes, but as the academy’s dedicated infirmary professor, she taught far less frequently than Karlsen or the others.
“She’s a good student. Like the other first-years, her passion for learning is remarkable.”
No professor disliked students who participated eagerly. In that sense, Arina was exactly the type professors favored most. Her magical talent and skill were exceptional as well, enough to earn her the top spot.
“Still, you should be careful~ Lately, there’s been more talk about Arina than the other students~”
Whether it was frequent encounters at the library or incidents like today, Professor Karlsen mentioned her far more often than anyone else.
“I know you well enough that it’s fine, but~ you might be misunderstood~”
“Even I wouldn’t harbor such feelings toward a twelve-year-old student.”
Still, Professor Clara had a point. He needed to be cautious. His gloomy appearance already invited suspicion, and Professor Karlsen was surprisingly objective about his own looks.
“Above all, my devotion is solely directed toward Lord Sawang. I haven’t given romance a single thought.”
“That’s also a bit problematic~”
After all, she knew Sawang was a man. No matter how passionately Karlsen expressed his affection, it would only lead to trouble. With that thought, Professor Clara silently twisted her pink hair.