I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 9

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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After thoroughly enjoying the omurice and accumulating goodwill with my secret friend in a slightly strange way, I faced another ordeal.

Yes.

Although things were a bit more relaxed since it wasn’t the official semester yet, the dormitory had a curfew.

And now, having arrived at the dormitory with Professor Cathy seeing me off, it was almost at the curfew, and I now had to go to my room, where a tremendous trial awaited me.

My roommate.

Knock knock.

“Hmm? Ah, Kang So-hyun?”

A reply came as soon as I knocked.

Sigh.

Yes.

There was a presence in my room that was a bit too much for me to handle right now.

“Yeah.”

“It’s open, just come in.”

Kang Han-hee, no, Kang Ha-ni.

The author was my friend, but he really named his characters without much thought.

Of course, her name perfectly reflected her purpose for entering the academy while disguised as a boy.

In the original story, she became Lilac’s roommate. Her family, a renowned swordsmanship clan, hadn’t produced a male heir, so they were using her, their daughter, to find a strong, or potentially strong, son-in-law to inherit the clan’s secret swordsmanship techniques. It was a really cliché setting.

And the reason she entered the academy disguised as a boy was to observe many men up close.

Was she sane?

I didn’t know whether I should curse her old-fashioned parents or my friend who created them.

“Ah, okay.”

I organized my thoughts and opened the door. She had naturally occupied the top bunk of the bunk bed.

Yes.

I had to shower and sleep in the same room as this cross-dressing girl.

Since the dormitory bathhouse wasn’t open yet, like the cafeteria, I inevitably had to use the shower room attached to this room.

I was screwed.

Now, did you think I was embarrassed? Don’t be ridiculous.

The problem was that I didn’t know how Kang Ha-ni would react.

This cool-faced, cross-dressing girl, who was fiddling with her smartphone as if uninterested, was a surprisingly naive, sheltered young lady who disliked men.

Ah, the most beautiful cross-dressing girl in the city (17-year-old virgin).

Shit.

To be precise, she didn’t dislike men per se, but as a sheltered young lady, she disliked uncouth men.

I still remembered the scene where she drew her sword and tried to kill the protagonist when he suddenly touched her shoulder and suggested that they go to the bathhouse together to get to know each other better. There was also the scene where she glared at and sharply rejected Cheon Yoo-hak when he grabbed her shoulder while saying she would be a good fit for his team.

When I asked my friend about it, he claimed it was “gap moe,” but the “gap moe” I knew didn’t involve killing or stabbing people.

Of course, since she was basically a cool character, she wouldn’t suddenly attack me as long as I didn’t cross the line, but it was still scary.

She was practically second only to the protagonist and Cheon Yoo-hak in the practical skills portion of the entrance exam.

In other words, even with Enhancement, I, a half-baked superhuman, wouldn’t be able to beat her.

I only started undressing after safely entering the shower room and closing the door.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind it and let it go quietly.

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Contrary to Kang So-hyun’s worries, she actually quite liked him as her roommate.

‘Not bad.’

Although she was a sheltered young lady, she had done her research and knew how casually some men behaved around the same sex.

She couldn’t enter the academy disguised as a boy without knowing anything about their behavior.

According to the information she found, most men casually undressed in their rooms or entered without knocking.

On the other hand, Kang So-hyun knocked every time, even after they had introduced themselves, and even though he was sweating from exercising, he was still considerate and only undressed after entering the shower room.

She thought she might need to educate him if he turned out to be a scoundrel, but he seemed to be a decent roommate.

Of course, it could be because they were still strangers, or maybe he was self-conscious about his body.

“Yes, that’s possible.”

His physique didn’t look particularly strong.

“Well, whatever.”

As long as he maintained this level of distance, it should be possible for them to have a good roommate relationship.

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“Okay, let’s scrub thoroughly! No sweat smell!”

The refreshing scent of body wash didn’t calm my nerves at all.

What was the reason Lilac survived even after treating Kang Ha-ni, who temporarily lost her mind, as a man for a while?

Lilac was incredibly strong and was the protagonist!

He even learned a lot from Kang Ha-ni’s swordsmanship, but I wasn’t him.

I would die if Kang Ha-ni decided to attack me with her sword.

It would be a miracle if this pathetic body could withstand even one of her strikes.

After washing thoroughly to eliminate any unpleasant odor, I completely dried myself with a towel to prevent dampness and put the said towel in the washing machine.

Okay, perfect by my standards.

Now, after getting dressed and going out, she should probably be asleep since it was already late.

“Ah, you’re finally out. You took a long time.”

Shit.

Contrary to my expectations, she was sitting on a chair, having gotten down from the top bunk, seemingly intending to talk to me.

“Yeah, I tend to take long showers.”

“It’s good to be clean. Ah, it’s nothing much, but we didn’t decide on who gets the top bunk, right? I just assumed I’d be using this room alone for a while, so I took the top bunk without asking. But I thought I should get your opinion now that you’re here.”

Well, she was at least considerate enough not to tell me to “get lost and use the bottom bunk” like she did to Lilac.

Yes, she was a reasonable person.

If I treated her with common sense, I wouldn’t be tragically killed by a blade.

I looked ahead with hope.

“Ah, if you want the top bunk, should we decide with a fight?”

“No, you use it. It’s okay, really. I like the bottom bunk.”

I surrendered to her power.

“No, I was joking…”

It might be a joke to you, but frogs died from stones thrown by children…!

“But well, if you’re really okay with it, I won’t refuse.”

Ah, she looked pretty when a hint of a smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.

As expected of a “Death Before Heroine Status” victim.

“Ah, don’t snore. I hate noise.”

“Okay.”

“Why the formal language?”

I chuckled nervously as I laid down on my bed, fearing the predator lying on the top bunk.

Fortunately, I wasn’t a snorer.

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Fortunately, it seemed we would get along.

Although it was a relationship built on my unilateral efforts, I considered it a success.

“Haha…!”

Rather than think about the quiet monster in my room, I prefer to rejoice over what I’ve accomplished in just one day.

The 500g dumbbells, which felt so heavy for me yesterday, were as light as feathers today.

Yes, yesterday’s efforts were somewhat pathetic, but the results were sweet.

I stood proudly before the 2kg dumbbells that had defeated me before.

Now it was my turn to conquer them.

Were they scared?

For me, I was excited…!

I lifted them without hesitation.

The heavy weight that felt like it would break my arms yesterday was gone.

“Huff…”

However, I quietly put the dumbbells down and picked up the 1kg ones next to them.

The perfect weight felt good in my arms.

It seemed like it was still a bit early to challenge those again.

Today was the start of another workout!

“One million and one!”

Of course, the “one million” was just an addition.

Ring ring~

Just as I was about to start my workout with gusto, my smartphone rang with its tacky default ringtone.

I should change that soon.

[Hey.]

Surprisingly, it was a voice I had heard before, albeit over the phone.

A familiar voice was precious to me, who had almost no acquaintances in this world.

“Yes.”

[You’re not asking me who I am today?]

Of course not.

It was my older sister.

Although we had no shared memories, and we were family only because I was possessing Kang So-hyun, I couldn’t just sever our relationship on my own.

“Well, I wasn’t in my right mind that day because of the damage I suffered in the dungeon.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

I coughed up blood back then, though it was due to the side effects of my ability.

Perhaps my excuse was effective, as my sister on the other end of the phone suddenly went silent.

[Sigh, well, as long as you’re not planning to cut ties with your family, it’s fine. More importantly, where are you? I got a message saying that you entered the academy dormitory early.]

Ah, so it finally came.

Since she hadn’t called, I thought, “Wow, our relationship is really bad,” but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

“That’s right. I’m at the academy gym, Noona.”

[…Noona?]

Ah, I was screwed.

I blurted it out without thinking since I didn’t know what So-hyun usually called her.

[It’s been a while since you called me that. More importantly, what are you talking about? You’re working out? Don’t joke around and tell me the truth.]

It was true.

I was lifting dumbbells, albeit 1kg ones.

“It’s true.”

My sister was silent for a while, then her voice trembled.

[Are… are you crazy?]

“What?”

Seriously, couldn’t a person work out?

Huh?

Of course, I had been coughing up blood, was frail, got out of breath after walking for ten minutes on flat ground, and felt like I was going to die after climbing up a mountain for a short while, but I could still work out.

…Did I seem like a crazy person?

[Are you really going to act like this? Do you think you can become a hero like that!? You should just stay home and get treatment!]

Recalling the few scenes about Kang So-hyun’s family.

She regretted it after Kang So-hyun died.

That meant she had the will to improve her relationship with him, regardless of his attitude.

Well, actually, it seemed like her attitude was what worsened their relationship.

If Kang So-hyun, a character modeled after me, wanted to become a hero for some reason, and his family opposed it, I would probably have resisted fiercely had I been in the same situation.

“Noona.”

I called her, but I didn’t know what to say.

I wasn’t Kang So-hyun.

The others might be new connections I made at the academy, but I couldn’t just treat my family carelessly.

[No matter what anyone says, I won’t accept it. There was a terrorist attack there, right? I’ll tell Dad, and we’ll drag you back.]

Hmm, So-hyun.

I hope you had a similar personality to mine.

“I’m not going back.”

[You really…!]

“I realized something after experiencing the terrorist attack. I want to become a hero.”

Please.

[You… you’re still… about that day…]

“Yes, you know why I want to become a hero, Noona.”

I hoped she was the type of person who thought lying was a necessary tactic depending on the situation.

[But…! You can’t do it!]

“It’s not about whether I can or can’t. It’s about whether I do or don’t.”

[You little…!]

“I won’t die. I’ll graduate and become a hero.”

And since I had received permission, I was going to fix the unfair stories of this crappy world.

So that such things won’t happen again.

…?

What was “such things”?

I felt like I was forgetting something…

[Hey.]

“Yes?”

The sense of déjà vu quickly disappeared, buried by my sister’s voice.

[Don’t be stubborn and try to get a part-time job or something. Just use the money I sent you, you brat.]

“What?”

Just in case, I opened the banking app on my smartphone.

It was password-protected, but I easily unlocked it by entering the password I frequently used.

“Noona.”

[What, you don’t like it?]

“I love you so much.”

The generous amount displayed on my phone made familial love bloom where there was none before.

This was the true form of familial love, the beautiful bond between siblings.

Come to think of it, I had to work out and eat, and I couldn’t keep relying on the professor.

Wow! I wasn’t a beggar anymore!

[You crazy bastard.]

My sister said that and hung up.

But so what! All’s well that ends well! This love would burn brightly in my heart for at least the next two hours.

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T/N – Dang! This MC is pretty funny!

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.