Reading is a Surprisingly Addictive Hobby
Isn't reading a surprisingly addictive hobby? I ended up staying up all night without even realizing it. They say books are food for the soul, and indeed, I managed to acquire a wealth of highly useful knowledge.
Did you know? The human body has over two hundred bones. Apparently, it varies from person to person, but it's roughly 206. Blood vessels are broadly divided into arteries, capillaries, and veins. Among them, arteries are especially important. Well, they're all important, but arteries are located deep inside the body and have high pressure, so damaging them is a huge deal. Blood spurts out like a fountain, just like when I slit my wrists the other day. I laughed it off, but a normal person would have died of blood loss long ago. Haha, I've completely memorized where the arteries are located. Next time, I should start cutting from there. Ah, what am I even saying?
Seriously, the books were so interesting that I just kept reading and reading. Before I knew it, the night had completely passed. They say the more you chew meat, the tastier it gets, and the more you read books, the richer they become—who knew that saying was actually true? Even though I didn't sleep a wink, my mind was perfectly clear. This is the great thing about being a Supernatural Ability User. Our physical stamina is on a completely different level compared to ordinary people. Besides, since I have Super Regeneration, stamina is the one thing I'm absolutely confident in. I could probably last for days, not just one night, without any issues.
In the early dawn, before the sun had fully risen, I decided to dislocate my shoulder and left arm to verify if there were any errors in the books. It hurt. I also tried fracturing them. When swelling began to puff up the area, I pressed down on it with all my might. My vision went completely white, and I couldn't utter a single word. It turns out that when humans are in too much pain, they can't even scream. All they can manage is a ragged, choking gasp.
For the first time, I plunged a knife into my chest. The breast tissue was more of an obstacle than I expected. Since I had targeted the blood vessels precisely using the book as a guide, hot blood burst out in a spray. I left it alone for a moment, and my heart actually stopped. Ah, close call. I was intentionally suppressing my Super Regeneration, and I almost crossed the River Styx. Thank you, my survival instinct.
Spending such an inquisitive time, school hours crept up on me before I knew it. Ehhh, there are still so many things I want to experiment with. What would it feel like to pluck out my ribs while still alive? My skull is pretty hard, right? How much force would it take to crack it open? I won't die even if my head is severed. But what happens if I cut it off and just leave it? Will a new head grow? Then what happens to the severed head? I'm curious. I'm so curious!
Lucia, what on earth have you been doing all this time? You should have tested something like this at least once. You should have pushed the limits of your Super Regeneration. Ah, but then again, since I don't have Lucia's memories, even if she did try it, I wouldn't know the results. Eu-he.
There are so many things I want to try, but the one I'm most curious about is definitely fire. I can't forget that scarlet flame Yujin conjured. However, testing it in the dormitory has too many drawbacks. Burning a human body would produce a lot of smoke, right? And the smell, too. This place is packed with Supernatural Ability Users who possess incredibly sharp senses, so what if I get caught? I suppose my only option is to sneak out of the Academy and try it.
"...He-he, did I get a bit too carried away?"
It was only after the alarm announcing school time rang for the third time that I snapped out of it. No, no, this won't do. I'm different from Lucia. I really am. I don't crave pain. I don't enjoy it. It's not fun. It's just... yeah, I'm just curious, that's all. It's for the sake of training my ability. Seriously. Really. Since supernatural abilities grow stronger the more you use them, I'm just putting in a lot of effort to train my Super Regeneration.
Lucia is on the weaker side for a member of the Golden Generation, after all. Her fighting style is a messy dogfight, making up for her lack of offensive power with sheer recovery. To overcome the incidents and disasters that lie ahead, improving my regenerative power is absolutely indispensable.
...Well, sure. It would be a lie to say I have absolutely zero interest. But I'm a much more rational person than the original Lucia. I know how to draw the line. At least I don't go for night walks wearing nothing but a trench coat over my naked body, right? I'm not a pervert. Only Lucia, who is a masochist to her very bones, would do something like that, haha. But I am a normal person. Even if I self-harm, I would never do something like that.
"..."
Hmm. Well.
...Should I try it?
It would be incredibly humiliating... Just imagining it makes my face burn so hot I can't lift my head. My heart fluttered in a completely different way than it does from pain.
Well... wouldn't it be fine? Just for a tiny bit? Just a quick walk for a few minutes in the pitch-black night when there's absolutely no one around. Wouldn't that be okay? Just to clear my head.
"He, he-he... Eu-he..."
Ah, I drooled. It mixed with the blood on the floor, forming bubbles.
Do I have a trench coat...? Ah, I do. It's right there when I open the closet. Huh, a collar? There was something like this too? Why am I only seeing this now?
I unfolded the brown trench coat. It was well-maintained, neat and without a single wrinkle. I gave it a sniff. It didn't smell musty at all; it was perfectly fine.
Gulping hard, I reached my hand toward the collar. The leather collar was a deep red. My fingertips brushed against it. Just as I was about to pick it up carefully—
Beep, beep, beep! The fourth alarm blared.
Startled, I yanked my hand away from the collar. I stuffed the trench coat back into the closet and slammed the door shut.
"...Now is not the time for this. Where is my mind?"
Thank goodness I set multiple alarms. Lucia's body... isn't it a bit too faithful to its desires? No wonder Lucia despised herself yet couldn't resist her instincts. It's only because it's me that I managed to stop halfway; if it had been the original Lucia, she probably wouldn't have made it to school today.
I shook my head vigorously to clear away the stray thoughts. I really had no time left now. If I didn't get ready and run right this instant, I would definitely be late.
I hurriedly cleaned up the mess. I thought about doing it after school, but once blood dries, it leaves stains that are hard to remove. Maybe I've gotten the hang of it from doing it so often, but it ended up taking less time than expected. At this rate, I might barely avoid being late even without running.
Still, just in case, I moved with urgency. It was a tight squeeze, not a comfortable margin.
I changed into my school uniform and stood in front of the door. I firmly suppressed my gaze, which instinctively drifted back toward the closet. Breakfast... he-he, I missed it again. Let's just make do with a roughly toasted slice of bread. Oh, a schoolgirl running to school with toast in her mouth? That's surprisingly heroine-like. Ah, right, I am a heroine.
◈ Running with toast in my mouth did not result in the cliché disaster of bumping into the protagonist.
Arriving just in time, I walked into the classroom before the school bell rang. I didn't even break a sweat from that light jog. Realizing once again the incredible physical capabilities of Supernatural Ability Users, I walked over to my seat, only to be greeted by stacks of books piled high on my desk.
"...Heh?"
What is this? A new form of bullying? Ostracization at the Academy? Is this some petty prank by a malicious classmate telling me to read books because I'm ignorant? I've never heard of Lucia being bullied, though. But if they were going to bully me, they should have done it properly. For example, putting thumbtacks on my chair. Then I could have pretended not to notice and sat right down. Ah, what on earth am I saying right now?
It was while I was standing in front of my desk, lost in thought, that the culprit who had covered my desk in books waddled over to me.
"E-Excuse me..."
"Aris?"
To my surprise, the culprit was Aris. Oh my goodness. Aris is bullying me. The main heroine is bullying me. How can I go on living with such sorrow? Is she going to blast me with a heat ray next? Is she going to roast me with the Academy's greatest firepower? As I stared at her with eyes full of secret anticipation, Aris fidgeted with her fingers and spoke.
"T-That, um... the, the favor... so, I mean... t-to repay you for y-yesterday..."
Well, naturally, my thoughts were just wild delusions. There was no way Aris would do such a thing, and calling a pile of books on a desk "bullying" was a massive leap in logic.
"D-Do you... l-like b-books, Miss L-Lucia? Um, s-so..."
Her words were all over the place and heavily stuttered, making it hard to understand, but I could guess the gist of it. This was her way of repaying me for helping her carry the books yesterday. Seeing the pile, she must have brought books she found interesting to recommend to me. Is the reason there are so many because she didn't know what I'd like, so she just brought everything she had? He-he, Aris really is adorable.
"I-If... if you d-don't m-mind..."
Given Aris's personality, there was no way she would be this proactive. In that case, did Frey egg her on?
"M-Miss L-Lucia...?"
Frey was Aris's other personality. In other words, Aris had a split personality. Frey, who was the polar opposite of the introverted Aris, was proactive and aggressive. And she cherished Aris to an extreme degree. Was she worried about Aris being a loner, so she told her to try and become friends with me?
"U-Um..."
But this is a bit problematic. Shouldn't she be making this kind of approach toward Yujin, not me? Even the method of approach is exactly the same. You're doing what you should have done to Yujin to me instead?
"T-That..."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a second."
Did she think I was ignoring her? Aris looked on the verge of tears. I panicked for a moment and ended up overthinking. What am I doing? Aris is a baby. I have to protect her.
"Are you recommending some books to me?"
"Y-Yes! I... I didn't k-know what you would l-like, Miss Lucia..."
"So you brought a whole bunch."
I was right. I picked up the book at the very top of the stack on my desk. Judging by the cover, it was a romance novel. Well, that works out. I had just spent the entire night realizing how wonderful reading is. Although the genre and type were completely different from the books I read yesterday, reading was a great hobby. Reading at night really strains your eyes, after all. Especially under dim lighting.
"Thank you. I'll make sure to read them."
"Y-Yes!"
Aris's face lit up. It was a bright smile, like a sunflower blooming in full splendor.