Chapter 66

“Beach road on a summer vacation.”

I was running into a boy.

And not just any boy; he looked exactly like me.

“Wow, up close, this is incredible. You look just like me!”

The real Hanon grinned at me, amazed.

“I’ve heard various rumors about you. They call me ‘the Lightning brat,’ right?”

I hesitated for a moment.

That was a bit awkward.

It felt like I was slandering his reputation, after all.

“Pfft, it’s all good, it’s all good. I don’t really care what I’m called. Honestly, I enjoyed imagining myself as you. So, yeah.”

Hanon’s crimson eyes locked onto mine.

“I’m losing my mind over how curious I am about your true identity.”

With that, Hanon picked up his pace.

I narrowed my eyes, sensing his intent.

I reached out to grab him, but Hanon easily dodged my hand with his agile body.

This damn evasive, max-level guy!

Hanon’s signature trait is [Evasion].

He can even dodge magical attacks, with reflexes that are completely insane.

If he puts his mind to it, even catching him isn’t easy for me.

“So, I’m planning to check out your life firsthand! I’ll be enjoying your day today!”

“Wait…”

Before I could say anything else, Hanon dashed into a group of kids training in the morning.

Chasing him here would only complicate things.

‘Damn it.’

With no other choice, I turned around and went into the bushes.

Then I unwrapped the veil’s bandage.

My original face was revealed.

As I rewrapped the bandage, my face quickly changed.

I transformed into someone who wouldn’t stand out no matter where I was in this world.

That was my original self in the other world.

With this look, I could show myself to anyone without issue.

I donned an outfit resembling a beach worker and kicked off toward the ground.

While I was changing the veil’s bandage, Hanon had already dashed away and disappeared.

This guy definitely didn’t invest in agility for nothing.

He was incredibly fast.

‘Hanon probably knows what I’ve been up to lately.’

Since he said he wanted to experience my life, I was sure he’d come looking for those associated with me.

There are four people closely linked to me in Aaron Hae.

Isabel, Sharine, Hania, and Iris.

‘But it can’t be Iris.’

Hanon wouldn’t act recklessly without a reason.

If he went after Iris, I have no idea what could happen.

Plus, Hanon has a subtle fear of Iris.

‘That means it can’t be Hania either.’

Hania is glued to Iris’s side all day.

So naturally, she’s excluded.

‘That leaves…’

Just Isabel and Sharine.

My steps quickly took me toward the room where they were staying.

I arrived at their door and took a light breath.

Hanon was nowhere in sight, and the area felt eerily quiet.

That only made it feel more ominous.

It was as if something big was about to happen.

With a tense feeling, I raised my hand.

Knock, knock—

I knocked twice.

“Yes?”

A voice came from inside, and someone stepped out.

The slightly ajar door revealed a familiar face.

It was Mina, Isabel’s friend.

She tilted her head, looking at me in my worker’s outfit.

“What’s up?”

Hanon wasn’t inside.

If Hanon was there, Mina wouldn’t be so relaxed.

“I got a message for student Sharine Sazarith. It’s from the Blue Magic Tower.”

“The Blue Magic Tower?”

Mina’s eyes went wide.

“Hold on a sec.”

She darted back inside.

I could hear her waking someone up.

“Lin, Sharine! The Blue Magic Tower sent a message! Wake up!”

“Urrrgh…”

Sharine, who had a hard time waking up, was dragged out by Mina.

Sharine, still half-asleep, stared blankly at me.

From her expression, it seemed like she wasn’t hungover.

Not when she had thrown it all up earlier.

After staring at me for a while, Sharine tilted her head.

“…Hmm?”

Sharine could see through the veil’s bandage with her figment.

While she couldn’t see my inner face, she likely figured out who I was right away.

And being as smart as she is, she must have suspected something was up with me.

After clearly observing me for a moment, Sharine rubbed her eyes and turned back inside.

“Wait a sec.”

Seemed like she was going to change her clothes.

With Sharine’s help, I was certain I could catch Hanon, despite his max-level evasion.

“What if Sharine falls asleep while getting dressed?!”

…I should be able to catch him, right?

＊＊＊

Thanks to Mina’s help, the now-dressed Sharine stepped out looking languid.

“Is that your real face?”

If it’s the real face, then it is.

“It’s fake.”

In this world, I’m Bickamon.

So it’s definitely a fake face.

Sharine gazed at me with a disappointed expression, leaning her head against the wall.

She still seemed drowsy.

“So, what’s up early in the morning?”

Sharine said with a sleepy smile.

“Missed me since morning?”

“The real Hanon Irey has shown up.”

Sharine’s eyes shifted slightly.

She knew I had some kind of motive behind appearing like this.

“What’s going to happen now?”

“No clue. That’s why I’m trying to catch him.”

I have no idea what Hanon might do.

So I need to catch him before that.

“Is Isabel not in there?”

“Bell is diligent; she probably went for training.”

“So it’s definitely heading toward Isabel.”

I sighed and turned around.

There aren’t many training areas in Aaron Hae.

We would find him eventually.

“Sharine, help me catch Hanon.”

Hearing that, Sharine stepped closer, grabbing my collar tightly.

Then she grinned.

“Gotcha.”

I was about to flick her forehead, but she was a bit cute, so I let it slide.

“As long as we catch him, it’s fine, right?”

“If we’re catching him, can I give him a bit of a scare?”

“That sounds fun.”

Sharine showed her interest.

With that, capturing him was a sure thing.

Watch out, Hanon.

Fake Hanon is coming for you.

＊＊＊

On the beach road, away from Aaron Hae.

A woman was walking along the path leading to a nearby beach park.

The wind blew, tousling her honey-blonde hair.

Her name was Isabel Luna.

A student of Jerion Academy.

After a light run for her morning training, she was casually strolling along the beach road.

Her gaze watched the waves crashing against the shore.

The unique scent of the ocean wasn’t overly pleasant, but it still felt like summer, so it didn’t put her in a bad mood.

However, aside from that, Isabel’s emotions were subdued.

Ever since Lucas’s death, she often felt this way when alone.

Even so, things had improved from before.

At first, she was endlessly sunk in despair, with no strength in her body.

It felt like she was drowning, weighed down by something heavy at the bottom of the deep sea.

That dreadful feeling, where even breathing was a struggle.

Now, much of that had faded.

She was at least managing to keep her head above water.

‘…Am I really forgetting Lucas?’

They say time heals all wounds.

Isabel could never understand that saying, but lately, she felt it might not be so wrong.

Lucas was her dearest friend.

They had grown up together as lesser nobles and had always thought that would continue.

‘Lucas was…’

He was like family to Isabel.

There was a moment when Lucas shifted to become like family for Isabel.

During Isabel’s childhood, she had an older brother who was one year her senior.

A mischievous brother who took good care of her.

But one unfortunate day, her brother was caught in a carriage accident.

He survived, but he slowly weakened from his injuries and eventually passed away.

Her mother cried every day, grieving the loss of her eldest son.

Her father spent his days comforting her mother.

Amid all that, neither of them could take care of Isabel.

She was just a child, losing a major figure in her life.

No one was there to acknowledge her sadness, swallowed up by her mother’s grief.

And it was then that Lucas had cared for her.

‘I must have leaned on Lucas to cope with the shock of losing my brother.’

That dependency, unfortunately, came with a price following Lucas’s death.

Isabel had grown up too much compared to her childhood.

That’s why she couldn’t lean on anyone now.

‘No.’

It was likely that leaning on someone had frightened her.

Having lost someone she depended on, she felt she couldn’t lean on anyone again.

Thus, Isabel crumbled.

She walked toward death, alongside her brother and Lucas.

‘Back then…’

Isabel’s gaze returned to the ocean.

They say that those who decide to take their own lives see the world in shades of gray.

Everything feels colorless, and they cannot see the beauty of the world at all.

However, the ocean before Isabel sparkled in emerald hues, looking beautiful.

It seemed like the ocean was speaking to her.

You’re meant to live.

“…”

Isabel quietly pondered who she was now, standing here.

She didn’t need to think hard.

One person was already occupying her mind.

「As long as he’s putting in the effort, he won’t think of dying.」

That day, the words Hanon spoke when he fought her friends came back to her.

「Isn’t your current behavior the most humiliating thing you could do to your friends?」

And she remembered the day Hanon woke her up to the fact that she was going the wrong way on the wall.

「Yeah, so I should see this through to the end to know who’s right.」

That message felt like he was saying he would always be there by her side.

「Most importantly, I have no intention of dating anyone.」

Last night.

She recalled the silly ramblings she said while drunk.

In that moment, she had unwittingly revealed a portion of her true feelings.

Even if she was drunk, it felt embarrassing.

But because of that, she realized.

‘…I thought I couldn’t rely on anyone anymore.’

She was repeatably falling into the same pattern.

A part of her was heavy with pain.

It was definitely the anxiety creeping in.

Having lost two precious people, anxiety dug deep within her.

This time, she must not lose again.

She knew this risk was present, yet—

She didn’t know how to shake it off.

“Lucas.”

She softly called his name.

“Have I broken down?”

On the day her brother died, perhaps she lost a critical part of herself.

At that moment—

“Isabel.”

A familiar voice called out to her.

As soon as she heard that voice, Isabel’s eyes widened.

The anxiety that had settled in her heart evaporated, and her face instinctively brightened.

It was an instant emotional turnaround that she didn’t even realize.

“You…”

Just as Isabel was about to call him as usual, she suddenly froze.

There stood a boy with black hair and red eyes.

The face was definitely familiar, but—

Isabel’s bright gaze quickly froze into a cold glare.

“Who are you?”