Chapter 8
Translator: True Detective
008. Catalyst (1)
I really, truly don't understand.
Because Clara suddenly sat down and started crying mercilessly.
'Ugh... still, she did save me once.'
I am a bad person. A villainess, no matter what anyone says.
Just ask Yuna. I am a totally wicked bitch.
To the point where I don't really understand things like people's hearts.
But that doesn't mean I'm so bad that I'd just walk past a girl crying endlessly in front of me.
Of course, compared to Yuna, who is a complete angel, I am truly, truly a devil...
Still...
"Phew."
I slowly turned around, trudged over, and approached Clara.
Then I began to lightly stroke Clara's head.
'I-I hope she's not feeling unpleasant...'
But she might be. Yuna finds me unpleasant.
And if Yuna finds me unpleasant, it's the same as the whole world finding me unpleasant.
Because Yuna is the kindest person in the world.
'...Still, it's fine.'
Hehehe. No fool cries over not being able to hold the sun in their hands.
Just being able to look at the round sun floating high, high up in the sky is a blessing in itself.
Likewise, just looking at Yuna is a blessing in itself. Hehe. You say no?
Only people who haven't seen Yuna directly say things like that. But I've seen her, so I don't say those things.
"...A-Aria, Sister."
"Don't cry. Stop it."
But when I did that, Clara hugged me tightly, shedding tears and snot all over me.
I just hugged Clara back. The clothes I was wearing were a new uniform Clara had fitted for me anyway, so it's fine.
'I don't know what exactly happened, but for her to do this even to me, someone she despises... there must be some circumstances.'
She is the next head of the Witri family.
Seeing her hug the stain of the family she probably wants to kill the most in the world like this, there must be some profound and deep circumstances.
But it probably isn't as deep as how I think of Yuna. I bet it's just some dating or career problem.
"...I'm sorry."
But she apologized.
Why?
"For not taking care of you. Until you ended up. Like this. I'm sorry."
I blinked my eyes blankly and looked at Clara.
Until I ended up like this?
I pulled away from Clara for a moment and examined my body.
One eye is foggy, I have to drag one leg, and sometimes I lose strength in my arm since last time.
But this much is fine. Hehehe. In fact, it's closer to being perfectly fine!
Because I can watch Yuna from her side!
When my lineage was first revealed, my heart pounded and raced incredibly fast, worrying about what I'd do if I was kicked out of the academy or killed!
But that's not the case!
Everything was resolved smoothly, so I could continue to stay by Yuna's side.
I'm completely lucky!
So Clara has nothing to be sorry about.
If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry.
Like... I told her not to get involved with me, but she did, so I worried if it might cause a problem for Clara.
But I don't have time for this.
Even if it's today, I must deliver the note to Yuna. By writing the message again. Putting it in the abandoned mailbox under the clock tower on the southeastern outskirts of the academy.
That way, even if Yuna goes to the ballroom, she'll refuse the body double role and survive.
Hehehe. I absolutely must see Yuna wearing a dress.
Of course, not with impure intentions... just as a friend... Ah, I'm not a friend either.
A friend is a relationship that is established only when both parties acknowledge it through mutual agreement. But Yuna hates me, so I'm not a friend.
I cannot be a friend.
Instead, hehe. It's childish and embarrassing to say it myself, but I can at least be her guardian angel.
The kind of existence that appears tada! when Yuna is truly in danger and dies in her place!
Then Yuna will be incredibly happy since the annoying me will disappear from her sight.
I just wanted to see Yuna looking happy.
"S-Sister. So where are you going..."
"Dormitory."
"There's nothing there. If you just stay by my side, I'll help you with everything."
I've already received enough help.
The seized dormitory room was also returned to me by Clara.
She is recklessly enjoying the powers I enjoyed exactly one year ago.
With the solid backing of the family.
Hehehe. Meaning it's a life where you can eat sweet shortcake every single day.
I recall memories of forcibly and forcefully feeding Yuna delicious food several times whenever it seemed like she skipped lunch or dinner.
Since I bullied her like this, it was natural for Yuna to hate me.
"Can't you just... stay by my side?"
"Yeah."
Clara probably received orders from the family too.
Like, keep a close watch beside that lump of meat born from the failed affair of an illegitimate child so she doesn't say anything weird.
Hmph. But that's an order Clara received, not an order I received.
So I won't stay by Clara's side.
Because Clara probably wants the me she despises to not be by her side too.
So I hurried my steps.
"No, w-wait, ah... ah."
"What is it now?"
"...Whether you contact me if you need help or not, do whatever. Hmph."
Clara lowered her head deeply and turned around.
With a thud! sound, I ended up falling backward.
"U-ugh..."
"You should've been a bit more careful walking around."
"...Yeah."
Is it because I stand out too much.
I keep loitering around the clock tower, and unfamiliar faces keep bumping into me, shoving me, and passing by.
There are exceptionally many people today. So I fall often.
Hehehe. But it's fine even if I get trampled and fall over.
It's not like I have some weird fetish...
It's because I spotted Yuna pacing wildly around the mailbox with a complicated face!
A true, complete angel! She even has a halo shining, and her body glows!
Hehehehe. If left alone, sparrows would mistake her for the sun, approach her, and get their wings burned.
I don't really feel like continuously watching her in secret, but it can't be helped.
Because... I have no other means to warn Yuna of the danger besides this.
Ughhh. There aren't any other methods. Nothing comes to mind...
So I have to wait until Yuna leaves the spot and then put this carefully written note in there.
To do that, I'll have to stay in a quiet place with as few people as possible where I won't be noticed.
Behind the clock tower, there are few people. As such, there are also many secluded spots. Like the alleyway between the old school buildings...
Because this place isn't used anymore in the first place. That's also related to the story.
I staggered over there and took a spot.
But, huh?
She's incredibly pretty.
A complete goddess! An angel! There really are no other words to express it.
It was Yuna.
Of all things, I ended up making eye contact with Yuna.
Uh.
This won't do.
Instantly, Yuna's expression hardened completely.
And with an incredibly angry face, she started striding toward me.
"A-ah, ugh, n-no..."
I tried to run away into the alleyway but ended up falling. And I slammed my face into the ground.
My nose is bleeding. It hurt.
But as Yuna approached, I didn't know what to do.
In my head, it was coldly screaming that I had to get out of here, but my heart felt like it was rejecting that...
Ughhh. What should I do now?
If Yuna comes over and searches my body, it's only a matter of time before this note is discovered.
But that's too contrived!
Because the person who gave the note isn't an idiot, and they wouldn't entrust the same task twice to someone who failed once!
Then, without a doubt, the formula 'The person who gave the note = Actually me!' will be firmly established.
Then Yuna will naturally not believe in the notes or whatever in the future.
Then she'll have to endure the impending crises purely on her own!
I ground my teeth.
This isn't the time to be collapsed here!
The moment I thought that.
My body floated up into the air.
M-my feet won't touch. While struggling in midair, I kicked something hard in front of me.
"This bitch. The bitch who always bullied us. We couldn't touch her until now because of her backing... but now she doesn't have any of that, Oppa."
"...Well, even covered in blood, her face is decent. Leave it to Oppa. Ah, did this bitch wet herself?"
"Ugh, disgusting."
What touched my feet was a burly man's stomach.
Behind him, female students walking out from the back alley entered my line of sight.
'I remember them.'
The bitches who bullied Yuna in the early stages of the game. The bitches who targeted Yuna and bullied her mercilessly because she had no backing, was an orphan, and a commoner.
They have background settings like being connected to back-alley thugs, and their parents are all moneylenders or people who play in that field.
They serve as the tutorial bosses of the game.
Naturally, unable to stand that sight, I caused a ruckus and crushed them all. I even caught all those bitches' parents, locked them in prison, and taught them a harsh lesson.
B-but.
"H-hup..."
M-my neck is slowly being strangled. I can't breathe.
My feet don't touch the ground, so I struggled.
But they won't touch.
"There are a lot of eyes watching, so shall we move her first."
"When you're all done, just sell her off to the back alley. You have a lot of places you do business with, Oppa, right?"
Th-that won't do...
Then I won't be able to stay by Yuna's side...
Thinking that, tears were about to pour out.
But it was then.
"...What are you guys doing right now?"
Is it a hallucination?
Yuna's voice could be heard from behind. Seeing that it was calm but trembling slightly, it sounded like a voice holding back an immense amount of anger.
I can tell everything.
...Is she angry at me after all.