SMD 26

 When she returned to the room, there was a familiar person.

“What’s going on, you two?” “...Pay...?” To be precise, she wasn’t a person but a witch. Summer stared at Pay, who had suddenly appeared, as if she were malfunctioning. Pay’s appearance felt like a dream. Resentment, longing, and joy erupted all at once, leaving Summer unable to react at all. “Yeah.” “Is that really you, Pay?” “Can’t you tell?” Pay seemed indifferent, as if she didn’t even want to be seen, still cold and brusque. For a moment, Summer noticed blood on the tip of Pay’s sleeve. “Why... why did you do that?” “What did I do?” “Why did you leave me alone in this terrible world! Do you know how much, how much...” “You were dating just fine.” “It wasn’t a date!” Summer shouted in frustration. It was unfair. How confused she had been! Is dying easy? It’s not easy, which is why everyone struggles to live like this. Even during that difficult time, Summer had never once tried to die. That’s why she hesitated even more, and it scared her. This terrible world was frightening, but the only way to return to the original world was also terrifying. “Pay. What brings you here?” “I guess I’ve been away for quite a while. Seeing you whine like that.” “I’m a coward...” Summer retorted, roughly wiping her tear-stained cheeks. “Well, if you think being unable to die makes you a coward, that’s a problem.” “...” “Don’t think like that. It seems a lot has happened while I was busy, but forget it.” “I failed at the lake, and I failed at the poison too.” “I know.” “How do you know?” “You never took off your necklace.” Pay approached and tapped the necklace hanging around Summer’s neck. “I was watching you with that. So don’t be too upset, black hair.” “You can... see me with that?” “Yeah.” Pay had no choice but to leave Summer alone to handle urgent matters in the northern forest. As long as Summer existed in this world, disasters would continue to occur. It was like an intrusion. This world was doing everything it could to obliterate Summer. Or to completely absorb her. What Pay did was prevent the world from twisting, but this time it was more about preventing Summer from facing some kind of ending at the end of that twist. “Why is that?” “Huh?” “Why am I somehow delaying the twist? I could just help you leave within three months.” Pay widened her eyes as if she was genuinely curious about something. It was absurd for Summer. “Why are you asking me that?” “Sometimes these things happen. Unable to choose efficiency and just going around in circles.” “...” “What is it that I’m hesitating about?” “Well, I have my own hesitations too.” Summer recalled the moment she was about to inhale Blenkis’s breath. Was she really relieved? That was a lie. She pretended to be relieved. In truth, she wanted to cry. Could there really be someone who would die with a smile until the very last moment? Even those who have accepted death are bound to gasp when they feel their throat tightening. The spire and the hill of the shrine were beautiful places, but they had another commonality. It was the fact that people could be seen. It was a desire not to end her last moments in loneliness. If she truly intended to end it quickly, she should have sought a place without people, but Summer always chose places where people could look down on her. “Black hair. Do you remember what I said about not being in a hurry?” “Yeah.” “If it really becomes urgent, I’ll let you know, so there’s no need to worry. If there’s a point of hesitation, think it through and decide.” “What if I get absorbed into this world?” “That won’t happen. I’m stopping it.” “What if I, just maybe...” If she attached even a little bit to this world, leaving would become even harder. Would that be okay? Summer felt her own question was absurd and fell silent. It would be nice if determination and emotion were the same. She pretended to be relieved and acted cynical, but Summer was not someone skilled at deceiving her own feelings. The feeling of not wanting to die yet having to die was a feeling close to despair. To think that this was the way to return to the original world. “Black hair. There’s still time. If it doesn’t work out, why not ask that handsome young man for help?” “He’s someone who’s in pain.” “You asked me to kill you last time.” “...” It was a silence of affirmation. Summer remembered that day. To be honest, she wasn’t in her right mind. Fear and hesitation had grotesquely mixed together, leading to impulsive actions. “I can’t kill you.” “...Why? Don’t tell me you’ve grown fond of me now.” “Well, that’s as unlikely as a human giving affection to a cockroach, so don’t expect any affection.” “...” “You’re right. This world is excessively strict. It’s as if someone has meticulously arranged it. Witches are, in fact, closer to outsiders.” “Outsiders...?” “They haven’t blended in among humans. And this world is centered around humans.” “No way.” “I can’t intervene with you. After all, your body belongs to Summer, a human of this world.” “Then does that mean a witch can’t harm me?” “Right. Killing you isn’t permitted. But it might be possible for the characters in this world to kill you. Ah, what’s this?” While explaining earnestly, Pay grimaced upon seeing the blood on her sleeve. Then, in an instant, she transformed into a black cat. “Black hair. The world is trying to push you down.” “I guess so. I’m an intrusion.” “But the humans in this world want you to live.” “How do you know that?” “Every time you tried to die, the main characters of the world appeared to stop you. That’s not a coincidence.” “If that’s the case...” “If this world is a book written by someone, then you need to find the plausibility.” “Plausibility.” “Yeah. The plausibility of your death.” After finishing her words, Pay jumped onto the windowsill. Then she opened the window with her tail and glanced back at Summer. Summer seemed to be deep in thought about something. Whenever she did that, she would inevitably do something crazy. Pay felt a sudden urge to stop Summer but was startled by her own thoughts. If she were to die on her own, she would be grateful to this intrusion for what she was thinking right now. Pay hurriedly jumped up a tree and left the mansion. It seemed she needed to reduce the time spent observing Summer through the necklace for a while. Unaware that Pay had left, Summer was lost in thought. Plausibility. It was a reasonable statement. Since this world isn’t reality, there must be a need for plausibility even in death. The world wants to expel her, an uninvited guest, but at the same time, it hopes for plausibility in that act. So perhaps the main characters that the world can manipulate are keeping a close eye on Summer’s death. “I’m not dying; I’m being killed.” If that were the case, it might be possible. It would be less frightening. Only then did Summer recall where she was in the book’s content. The royal banquet episode and the atrocities of Perotia had ended. After that, Ian, having devoted himself to finding the woman who healed him as a child, reached a clue that he had entered a noble family as an adopted daughter. Just then, a rumor began to spread. A saint with healing powers had appeared, but someone was concealing it, keeping an eye on the temple. Summer, who came from outside this world, knew who the woman was, the one who healed Ian as a child and was now living in a noble family, hiding her healing powers, filled with all sorts of special abilities and fateful encounters. “Julian...” Due to the flow of time, she had to leave without witnessing the cool scene where Julian would confront the villains and showcase his abilities. “Mary!” As Summer was about to pull the bell cord, she stopped and shouted towards the door. The door creaked open, and a calm-faced Mary entered. Instead of scolding her for eavesdropping at the door, Summer hurriedly conveyed her urgent matter. “Mary. Bring me the invitation.” “You could go anywhere without an invitation.” “Still. If I can’t get in for any reason, it would be a big deal.” “Is there a party you want to attend?” “Legacy. Send my intention to attend the party at the Legacy Duke’s residence.” While inhaling Blenkis’s breath, she wondered why she hadn’t thought of that. In a few days, the turning point of the original story would begin. From this incident, Ian and Julian would grow closer, and Ian would begin to suspect that Julian might be the child who saved him when he was young. The attempted poisoning of Julian. After coming of age, a sort of coming-of-age ceremony is grandly held in each family’s mansion to celebrate. This party is perfect for showcasing the family’s prestige, so everyone puts in great effort to decorate it splendidly. The Perotia Legacy, being a noblewoman of the highest rank after royalty, would be even more grand. At this party, the Perotia Legacy would ask everyone to drink red wine together to celebrate her coming of age. What was in that cup was none other than Blenkis’s breath, the poison that Julian would drink. Here, a normal person would die instantly without even feeling pain, but Julian would survive after drinking the poison, slowly suffering for days, leading to doubts about his identity. “I have to go.” “Understood. I’ll prepare it.” As always, Mary didn’t question Summer. She acted as if anything was fine as long as she didn’t leave. After Mary left, Summer stared blankly into space for a while. If it were instant death, that would be one thing, but Julian would drink the poison and suffer severely for days. If Summer twisted this incident even a little, and as a result, the Perotia Legacy targeted her instead of Julian... It would be killing two birds with one stone. Julian wouldn’t drink the poison, and Summer would die at the hands of the villain Perotia, regardless of her feelings. “...But it’s still leaving.” Summer looked down at her trembling hands and let out a hollow laugh. Gripping her shaking hands tightly, Summer grotesquely curled her lips into a smile. “Smile. It’s turning around.” In the empty room, Summer’s murmurs scattered lonely into the air.