Chapter 16: Everything I Say Is a Lie

The girl with the paper bag stood awkwardly at the door, her face stiff, like she might cry.

“Come in,” I said, opening the door wider.

She wasn’t gripping her sword, nor was she glaring at me.

Perhaps the misunderstanding had been resolved.

I wasn’t a villain, after all.

“Coffee?”

She nodded, seemingly startled.

I boiled water, grabbed a heavy mug I had bought from the school store, dumped in several packets of instant coffee, and added the hot water.

The cheap coffee aroma filled the room.

She looked around, taking in the mess. I hadn’t bothered to tidy up.

“Y-you live… like this…?”

“You weren’t stuttering last time.”

“…”

“Do you mean, ‘Do I live in a dorm?’ Or is there something different about the rooms for higher-ranked ability users?”

She didn’t answer. Of course, it was different. They had spacious rooms with luxurious furniture, just because they could manipulate water or electricity.

“Are you alone?”

“N-no. They’re w-waiting downstairs. Your room wasn’t like this l-last time…”

They hadn’t come up with her. They must have sent her alone to apologize.

“What do you mean? It’s the same as always.”

They never stood beside me when I made a mistake. They said I had to apologize myself.

“Watch out for the broken glass on the floor.”

She immediately picked up a shard of glass, stained with blood from my wrist.

I walked over, snatched it from her hand, and tossed it in the trash. I was glad the coffee aroma masked the scent of blood.

“Why are you staring at trash? You could have picked it up.”

“It’s… the same…?”

“Yes.”

“The… cuts on your face…?”

I touched my cheek, surprised. The drugs must have healed them.

I hoped the security cameras hadn’t caught it. I usually kept my head down.

“There were no cuts.”

She looked distressed. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but the situation seemed to be working in my favor.

“I… I did that to you… aren’t you… scared? Letting me into your room…?”

Should I tremble and whimper, recounting the assault and the sword at my throat? It had been terrifying, but I decided to be magnanimous.

That seemed to be the school’s policy, according to Si-hyun.

It was strange that she had even bothered to apologize.

“I’m just… trying to be brave. I don’t want to show fear to someone like you, who relies on brute force, even if I’m an F-rank.”

Her mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water.

“So, what’s your sudden epiphany? Why are you here? Alone? Oh, right, you said you weren’t alone.”

“I… think it was a hallucination.”

“What am I supposed to say to that?”

“What I saw… I think it was a hallucination. I saw you… killing those boys… the bullies… with… blood.”

She trembled, her voice fading. I handed her the coffee. I thought she might refuse it, but she took a sip, her throat parched.

“You… used this… sticky blood… to kill them… shaped it into a ball… then into spikes… it was… horrible.”

She started to shake.

“I… I was so scared… because of… past memories… I ran away… I cried… and I told Seo-jun… you know her, right?”

I nodded, my forced smile faltering. I swallowed another pill, my annoyance growing. The smile returned, my mind feeling pleasantly detached.

“She… yelled at me… for hallucinating… and attacking an innocent person…”

“Was the culprit a… hallucinations?”

She nodded.

I couldn’t suppress my smile. I paced the room, trying to contain my excitement.

I stepped on a shard of glass, but it only stung slightly.

“I asked you why you were attacking me. You answered by putting a sword to my throat.”

I walked over and poked her chest playfully.

“You said you would cut me down if I resisted. You weren’t stuttering then.”

She didn’t respond, just stared at me, her lower lip trembling.

“I just wanted to see someone I hadn’t seen in a long time. But everyone keeps attacking me, accusing me of things I didn’t do. Trying to kill me.”

I recognized that look in her eyes. Pity. I had seen it often, through the windows of the slums.

“Don’t look at me like that. Like I’m some pathetic creature. You have everything. What gives you the right?”

Why did she pity me? I was the one confronting her, accusing her.

She grabbed my right arm, her fingers tightening around the bloodstained cloth.

“I… I’m sorry. I really am. I came to apologize.”

She quickly released my arm, her face contorted in disgust and surprise.

“That hurts. Let go.”

“I’m really sorry. I came to apologize.”

“An apology isn’t enough. I deserve… compensation.”

I didn’t need money. Si-hyun would steal it for me. Or I could steal it myself.

I didn’t want her to grovel. It would be a sight to see, a pretty girl on her knees, begging for forgiveness.

Though something felt… lacking.

I felt like Yoo Ha-rin, thinking my thoughts, even though I was just pretending.

My words were lies.

I was lying to myself, convincing myself it was all real.

Perhaps we hadn’t been close friends. Perhaps I had lied to myself about that too.

No. That wasn’t true. I had been kind, gentle, naive.

But if I had remained that way, I would be dead. Killed by someone, or by myself.

At least I hadn’t been like this then. Deceptive, manipulative, cruel.

“I know. Be my friend.”

I hid my injured wrist behind my back, smiling brightly.

“I’m lonely. I don’t hold grudges, even if someone stabs me in the shoulder.”

What did friends do? I couldn’t remember.

I thought about what I had wanted to do with Seo-jun, back in the slums.

I pushed her gently onto the bed, leaned close to her face, and waited for her to open her eyes.

When our eyes met, I started laughing.

“Just… do me a favor sometime. It’s not good for your reputation to be friends with an F-rank like me.”

Her eyes regained their focus. She spoke clearly, without hesitation.

“I’ll… be your friend.”

The girl who had helped me take revenge had told me to make  Hye-yeon apologize.

She had called her a villain, a liar, someone who had infiltrated the school under false pretenses.

I had scoffed. You’re being deceived.

Two days later, they captured a villain hiding in the school.

Their only ability was creating hallucinations. Easily countered with a bit of vigilance.

But no one had been vigilant. Not after a refreshing training session, an exhilarating sparring match, a fun day with friends.

Not even me. Even the strongest minds could be swayed by prolonged exposure to subtle manipulation.

The villain had been luring attractive, powerful female students to their room, assaulting them, and disposing of their bodies.

They had also been sabotaging sparring matches, eliminating their rivals.

I had almost made an irreversible mistake, accusing an innocent girl.

Her room had been clean. Her body covered in slow-healing wounds.

I had initially dismissed it, thinking an F-rank wouldn’t have such powerful regenerative abilities. Why hadn’t I considered it?

She would have fought back, even while restrained.

But she hadn’t. She had just begged for mercy.

I had only seen what I wanted to see. A hallucination.

Had I been wrong? Chasing ghosts from my past?

The girl I had tormented seemed deeply troubled.

Her eyes were hollow, her body trembling, blood trickling from her wrist, her room filled with broken glass and trash.

I hadn’t caused that, not directly. She had been like this before coming here. But…

My apology seemed to have no effect.

She looked like she needed a friend. But she was alone. Like me.

So, if that’s what you want… I’ll be your friend.