Chapter 26 Part 14: Adaptation.

Fortunately, when I got up, I didn’t see anything strange.

Because there was only one of me reflected in the mirror.

I looked a bit upset, but this much was fine.

My eyes are naturally fierce anyway, so it wouldn’t be too noticeable.

So, relieved, I roughly dried myself off and went outside.

No one paid any attention to me.

That was a very good thing.

Because if someone had noticed, they would have definitely realized that something bad had happened to me.

I was worried that Gong Jinhoo might ask me something.

Thankfully, Gong Jinhoo didn’t say anything to me.

He’s quite perceptive, you know?

I don’t know if he noticed anything strange or not, but it didn’t matter.

Thanks to that, I was able to maintain my composure until all classes were over without showing anything.

…I wanted to talk to my friends after school, but I couldn’t.

It would be best to go home early today.

At least until I resolved the hallucinations, I needed to act like a model student.

So, without hesitation, I went straight home after school.

As soon as I entered the house, a familiar smell tickled my nose.

No, it would be more accurate to say it stabbed my nose rather than tickled it.

Because Ailey was brewing that coffee again.

I don’t know how many cups she’s had, but it was obvious from the scent that filled the house.

So, I purposely let out a big sigh and said to her.

“Ailey, are you drinking coffee again? Aren’t you having too much caffeine?”

“Ah, ah. I’m sorry. I wanted to put my heart and soul into it…”

“I can’t say anything about you drinking it, but please ventilate the room. The smell is a bit much.”

“I’ll be careful next time. By the way, Yeji. It would be good to start warming up from today…”

“…I’ll take care of it.”

Warming up, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that word.

I already knew what it was.

You know how beast people can greatly increase their physical abilities through manifestation?

But it wasn’t possible to just manifest without preparation.

It was necessary to raise the body’s adaptability to a certain extent.

It’s like gradually bringing out the physical characteristics of an animal and preparing to manifest beyond the limit at any time.

The fact that Ailey is saying this… It means this date won’t be easy.

If it was just about seeing a face, there would be no need to warm up.

I could understand that with my head.

Yes, I could understand.

It was a request to prepare because I might have to fight.

But. Still. At least Ailey shouldn’t have said that.

She shouldn’t have said it like it was natural.

Warming up was fine.

Scales growing on my body, or my eyesight getting worse.

I could endure those other miscellaneous snake-like characteristics.

I could even somehow endure laying unfertilized eggs during my period or the strange scales that grew on my lower abdomen.

I even overcame the forced preparation to transform into a giant snake.

Even though my whole body felt like it was breaking every time I transformed, I somehow managed it.

So, warming up was fine.

Since I’ve done it countless times, I was more than willing to grant the request.

But I couldn’t accept Ailey, who abused me under the guise of experimentation, ordering me.

Even though the words were a request, I could tell it wasn’t a request.

The arrogance of assuming that I would naturally do as she said was disgusting.

…So, I was angry.

Yes, I was angry. I’m still furious now.

But I have no choice but to endure it for now.

What can I do just because I’m angry?

Should I tear Ailey to pieces? Swallow her? I couldn’t even melt her by spitting poison.

I couldn’t ruin my life with a momentary wrong choice.

And… objectively speaking, Lee Yeji is a mental patient.

A mental patient with the original self born as a snake-person and the self who lived in Korea mixed together.

A fool who just put those two selves in a blender and mixed them with experiments and drugs.

A mere child trying to adapt to this world by any means necessary.

Naturally, I still need someone to take care of this unadult experimental subject.

Even if it’s an imperfect family, I need someone by my side to act as a guardian.

Even if she can’t be called a perfect mother. Even if she can’t be called a perfect companion.

Still, I needed someone who could watch over me and walk with me.

So, I suppressed my anger.

So, I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath.

Anyway, they said we’d be doing combat training soon.

It wouldn’t be bad to practice again. I needed to adapt, too.

So, I had no choice but to smile and nod, saying.

“Okay, Ailey. But don’t you need a way to protect yourself too?”

“What good would it do me to live a long life? And if you actually have to fight, I’ll already be dead.”

“I see.”

“I explained the situation to Ceylon and Camilla, so there won’t be any problems even if I die.”

“I understand. By the way, do we have more painkillers? I might need to take something stronger.”

“I prepared them this morning. Three Nectar pills should be enough, right?”

“No, just in case. Let’s make it five.”

“Are you sure? Ailey is worried you might go berserk.”

“If I go berserk, it means I can’t go back to a normal life anyway. I don’t care.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Ailey smiled and nodded.

And then, without hesitation, she took out five small plastic containers from her pants pocket.

The painkillers, no. The Nectar was fluorescent.

I only had bad memories of it, but what could I do?

To properly manifest without going into shock, those painkillers were essential.

At times like this, it was great that my body was different from ordinary humans.

Others wouldn’t have been able to withstand what I’ve already taken.

It’s not something to be completely happy about, but it doesn’t matter.

I didn’t hesitate while taking the painkillers.

Anyway, I wouldn’t have to take Nectar during the date.

This was, um… It was like a nuclear weapon.

It’s a kind of treaty to not shed meaningless blood.

I’m taking five pills just in case, but I won’t actually have to take them.

So, I didn’t pay much attention and went into my room.

“Huu…”

I locked the door, sat on the bed, and sighed.

But sighing alone won’t solve anything.

So, I took out my glasses from the drawer, put them on, and took out one painkiller pill and swallowed it.

My vision, which had been blurry due to the ill-fitting glasses, quickly cleared up.

Scales began to grow all over my body, and I felt that strange sensation, especially in my lower abdomen.

I slowly looked in the mirror and saw my pupils turning vertical.

It didn’t end there.

My tongue became thinner and longer, and the tip split.

I could feel subtle vibrations that I couldn’t feel before traveling up my body.

Finally, I started to feel comfortable under the bed, so I could say that the warm-up was roughly complete.

It was really fortunate that I had my period last week.

The terrible experience of laying unfertilized eggs was enough during my time as an experimental subject.

Anyway, maybe it’s because I haven’t used these physical characteristics in a long time.

My body felt very unfamiliar.

Well, if I ever needed to manifest, I only manifested a part of it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve brought out so many characteristics of a snake-person.

So, it wasn’t surprising that it felt unfamiliar.

It was also strange that my impression changed so much just by wearing glasses.

When I wasn’t wearing glasses, I looked like a thug, but now, how should I put it?

I felt like a rebellious model student.

So, I looked in the mirror for a while, and I felt strange.

I wondered if I had become too indifferent.

Honestly, there are times when I don’t know what’s different between now and the past.

Not all my uncles and aunts treat me as an experimental subject… but there are still people who do.

I thought I should stop giving in every time to things I should be angry about.

But there’s no way I can do that.

What I want is not bloody revenge.

It’s to show and prove. That the experimental subject you brainwashed has become a hero.

There’s also a saying that sometimes giving in is the wise thing to do.

Maybe this is one of those times. Giving in is the wise thing to do… probably.

After thinking that far, I opened the door and went outside.

It was time to start my daily life again, as if nothing had happened.

Rather than getting angry at Ailey now… yes.

It would be more useful to ask what’s for dinner tonight.

So, I immediately asked that question.

“Ailey, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Huh? If there’s nothing special, it’s steak. You like meat, don’t you?”

“Of course, I always like meat. Ah, there aren’t many days left to eat Ailey’s cooking.”

“I think you said you’ll be starting night self-study next week, right? Then you’ll be having dinner at school too… so there aren’t many days left.”

“But I’m glad I can still eat Ailey’s cooking on weekends.”

“I’m embarrassed if you praise me so much…”

It was a very ordinary conversation.

We talked about dinner.

A little later, we talked about whether the glasses suited me.

Like a mother and daughter happily talking about their daily lives… we continued our conversation like that.

So, it was really sad.

If we had met in a different place and at a different time, I would have remembered Ailey as a good person.

Not as someone who did terrible things that deserved to be torn to pieces many times over.

It was sad that this family relationship was bound to break because I couldn’t just bury what happened in the past.

Especially for a child like me who needs a guardian.

So, I have no choice but to… play house a little longer.