Chapter 32 Part 2: Connivance.

Still, it seems like there might be a way after all.

My aunt said there’s always a way out, even if the sky is falling, and then she started explaining.

She said if I’m really worried about the side effects of the medication, I should take stimulants.

She said if I use caffeine along with it, the hallucinations and auditory hallucinations will probably disappear.

For now, I could take the medication, but if I didn’t like it, I could stop taking it and take stimulants instead.

“Okay, I understand.”

I nodded slowly, saying that.

I wasn’t satisfied, but it was good to have another option.

I wonder if it’s really okay to combine caffeine with stimulants.

But what can I do?

Even if it’s hard on my body, it’s better than suffering from hallucinations or auditory hallucinations.

So I thanked my aunt, and then I quickly hung up the phone, explaining that it was almost time for self-study.

Right after that, I saw Jang Yuna calling me from afar.

“Yeji! It’s almost time! Come before self-study starts!”

“Ah, I’m coming.”

“Yeah, the first period is group exercise. You can’t miss it.”

“That’s right, haha…”

Honestly, I wondered if it was really necessary.

After dinner, we exercised for almost two hours as special training.

I didn’t think it was necessary to exercise during self-study.

But then I thought about it again, and I realized it wasn’t so bad.

It would be more fun to move my body than to review content I already knew in the classroom.

Above all, I thought it would be more comfortable to just keep wearing my gym clothes.

So, with a positive mindset, I followed Jang Yuna to the auxiliary sports field.

“Wow, there are so many people!”

Jang Yuna’s jaw dropped as she stared at the crowd.

I narrowed my eyes and looked in the direction Jang Yuna was looking, but I couldn’t see much.

Still, I could tell one thing.

Most of the academy students were going to be exercising on the sports field.

Thanks to this, I could understand why the heroes I’ve met so far were so strong.

They’ve been training so hard since they were students, so of course they’re strong.

“Yuna, let’s go.”

I said that and took Jang Yuna to where we were supposed to stand.

We saw some familiar faces looking at us, but the atmosphere soon became chaotic as the teachers walked around to check if all the students had arrived.

But that didn’t last long.

Once all the students were accounted for and the start of self-study time was announced.

The students, who numbered well over a few hundred, started moving as one, following the instructions.

Starting with simple calisthenics, then moving on to exercises that were common in the military, and then endless running.

As I busily moved my body, following a schedule that seemed maliciously designed, time flew by.

When I finally came to my senses, the first period was already over, and we were lining up to be dismissed.

I stared blankly at the scene for a moment, then slowly caught my breath.

Then Jang Yuna, who was next to me, was panting and staring at me with a curious expression.

“Ugh… Aren’t you tired, Yeji?”

“I’m not tired.”

“That’s amazing…”

“And I think the real thing is just starting?”

“…What?”

Instead of answering, I pointed to where Gang Siwoo and Gang Sia were.

Jang Yuna shook her head as she watched the two of them stretching while exchanging insults.

“Yeji, I think they’re planning to exercise during the second and third periods too.”

“Physical strength is national power, hmm hmm.”

“…I’m going in first.”

I nodded, and Jang Yuna trudged along and joined the group of students.

Maybe it’s because she’s so exhausted.

She looked like a defeated soldier, which was oddly amusing.

Of course, that laughter didn’t last long.

Teacher Gang Hanseong was pleased to see us remaining, saying we volunteered to exercise, and he awakened.

Yes, awakened. And no, that’s not the wrong expression.

As a result, when the third period ended, there were only four people who could stand on their own two feet.

Gang Sia. Gang Siwoo. Me, and the teacher.

“Good work…”

I said that and hurriedly led my exhausted body away.

I could see Gang Sia and Gang Siwoo receiving praise from the teacher behind me, but I had my own problems.

I was so tired that I immediately returned to the dormitory, washed up, and collapsed onto my bed.

And I talked a bit with Kim Aram and Jang Yuna, who had arrived earlier… and then I fell asleep as if I had fainted.

Then, how much time passed?

I woke up to the sunlight shining through the window and blankly sat up.

I tried to act calm, but the reality was different.

I thought I wouldn’t dream if I was tired, but I was wrong.

I don’t remember it well, but it was definitely a terrible and disgusting nightmare.

“…Haaa.”

Still, I couldn’t be depressed from the morning, so I tried to act calm and put on my glasses.

At that moment, as if she had been waiting, Jang Yuna looked at me and said.

“Yeji, a package came for you in the morning.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“And I’m curious, can you tell me what’s inside if you don’t mind?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you!”

I picked up a box cutter and stared at the package along with Jang Yuna, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

I don’t know what she expected, but I could easily guess the contents.

Stimulants that can be administered as a substitute for medication and a few bottles of purified caffeine.

My aunt probably rushed to forge the documents and such and submitted them to the academy.

I thought she must have been quite busy, but that thought was short-lived.

I felt like I was starting to see hallucinations, so I quickly made an excuse and picked up the box.

“It’s medication I take for a chronic illness and caffeine.”

“Ah… Do you have to carry it around with you?”

“No, not really.”

I put the box in my locker and sighed as I looked at it.

And I slowly took out the medication and administered the amount I needed to take this morning.

The things in this package… I planned to use them when things became more irreversible.

When I judged that the effects of the medication were eating away at everything I had.

So now was the time to focus on enjoying the daily life I was given.

“Good morning, everyone.”

I deliberately said that and started my ordinary day.

Going to eat breakfast together, attending classes, going to the snack bar, and so on.

I kept trying to enjoy the privileges of youth that students of that age could enjoy.

Thanks to this, time passed like flowing water.

I would wake up in the morning and then suddenly it would be time for dinner.

I would be eating dinner and then suddenly I would have to wake up and wash up.

I felt strange because time was passing so quickly.

It’s not usually this fast.

Class time and boring times usually stretch out like rubber bands, but now it was different.

I felt like I was the only one whose day was 12 hours long, and at that moment, I reflexively administered the medication.

“…Ah.”

And with a short sigh, I suddenly thought of a hypothesis.

The human brain has a limit to how much it can remember at once.

It was said that in order to remember something for survival, you have to forget something else that is not necessary for survival.

So, familiar experiences are quickly forgotten by the brain because it doesn’t think they’re particularly special.

Since I keep forgetting what happened, time keeps passing quickly.

But even so, the speed I was experiencing was too fast.

I slowly put a bandage on the wound and continued my contemplation while cleaning up.

After a while, I thought of a hypothesis.

Normally, even if the situations are similar, they should feel different depending on the emotions, right?

But now, my emotions were somewhat suppressed, so it was clear that I was passing things over indifferently.

I was inwardly shocked by this fact, but there was nothing I could do.

I was already aware that there was a limit to driving away hallucinations with stimulant administration and caffeine intake.

The medication was effective.

It prevents me from seeing things that I don’t want to see, even if they come to mind.

I was able to maintain a bright appearance thanks to the medication.

“Ah.”

A sigh that was similar to the previous one, yet different, escaped my lips.

I slowly raised my head and stared at the mirror inside the locker.

The me in the mirror raised bloodshot eyes and reflexively tried to identify the dangers around me.

Looking to see if there were any things that would hurt me.

Observing where my older sisters and brothers were.

Frightened eyes, wondering if there would be a sudden experiment today, hurriedly grasped reality.

As my emotions subsided, I inwardly repeated the unchanging fact.

This was the academy dormitory.

I was sharing a room with three other people, and today was Friday.

So, if I just got through today, I could go home for the weekend or rest here.

Thinking that, I slowly relaxed my tense body.

Anyway.

Yes, anyway, I just had to keep holding on.

In the end, I just had to hold on until the medication was improved somehow.

I was a snake.

A hunter who waits patiently to eat a single prey.

Likewise, if I just waited for a few days this time, it was clear that I would eventually get my prey.

“Eh.”

I thought I was thinking that… but what is this?

When I came to my senses, it was already Saturday morning.

And in that state, I was caught up in a so-called girls’ gathering.

I couldn’t understand why the girls’ gathering was being held, but I couldn’t escape.

I don’t know when I agreed to it, but apparently, I decided to play all day today.

I can’t cancel the appointment after saying that.

In the end, I was pushed by the other students and dragged to a famous dessert cafe in the city.