I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 104

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Yoo-na wasn’t exaggerating when she said that she almost lost her mind today.

Even with her right next to Lilac, girls were constantly hitting on him.

Some even resorted to light threats and fake injuries, exploiting Lilac’s personality.

Of course, she meticulously healed each and every one of them while giving them mental injuries, but after the number of girls hitting on him exceeded twenty, it became too much even for her.

“Yoo-na, are you okay…?”

But it was okay.

In the end, Lilac didn’t accept any partner requests, and he didn’t stop her from rejecting them on his behalf.

He even politely rejected each one personally, as if to discourage them.

Lilac was generally kind to everyone, but he tried to appear serious and removed all playfulness from his responses when he dealt with those outside his established boundaries.

It was a small habit of Lilac’s that she knew from their long time as childhood friends.

“Here, drink this.”

“Ah, thanks, Lilac.”

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“Everyone’s going crazy. Do they want to go to the inner party that badly? Well, they must be curious, right?”

Actually, she was pretty much responsible for him growing up so oblivious to his romantic relationships.

She remembered how she would push him away sulkily, even though she secretly liked it when he, who was always smiling, approached her, who was always alone as a child.

-Yoo-na! I picked these flowers for you! They’re pretty!

-Yoo-na! A rhinoceros beetle! A rhinoceros beetle!

-My family is going to the mountain to pick chestnuts and mushrooms. Let’s go together!

-Do you like sledding? They said that there’s enough snow on the back mountain to sled!

Because it was him who never gave up and approached her, a little girl who preferred being alone and who knew the dirty side of the world too early because she couldn’t control her innate talent.

Because it was him who smiled at her purely like the sun in a life where she had to endure dirty looks due to her Charm talent and natural beauty.

-Yoon-jung! What are you reading today?

Was she that sad when she realized that the sun wasn’t just mine?

Was she that devastated when she saw him showing interest in another girl when she finally went to school thanks to his encouragement?

Come to think of it, she started having delusions at some point.

To her, who always shut herself in her room and cursed the world out of fear, he was naturally her everything, but to him, she was just a part of his world.

He was the sun, no, the hero, who extended his hand equally to anyone who felt even slightly alienated.

She thought that she would be the most precious to him too. That she would be the one standing by his side someday.

But there was no way she could stand by his side when he had so much to protect and so many people wanted him.

But she was even more foolish and rude as a child than she was now.

-Hey, Lilac.

-Yeah? Yoo-na, what is it?

She couldn’t be honest about her feelings.

-The other girls don’t want to play with you.

-…Huh!? Why!?

-Boys and girls shouldn’t play together. If you play with me, the others will tease us.

-…But no one said that when I was with you?

-The girls who are nice to you are just really kind. They hate being teased because of you.

She expressed her jealousy in the worst possible way.

-Please get a clue.

Lilac was so shocked by those words that he couldn’t even speak on the way home.

Was she… a crazy bitch as a child?

Ah, she probably was. If she had been thinking straight, she would have added “Of course, I’m not one of them.”

She was just an elementary school student who didn’t understand her own feelings and lacked consideration due to her twisted personality.

Even the excuses that came to her mind were pathetic.

“Yoo-na?”

“Ah, um. It’s nothing.”

She must have stopped walking because she was lost in thought.

Why did she do that?

She had devoted herself to him after realizing her feelings, but the wounds she had inflicted didn’t disappear, and because of that, their relationship never went beyond childhood friends.

Or did it?

Perhaps it was because of her devotion that she could at least stay by his side as a childhood friend.

At least he didn’t push her away.

“Lilac, so who are you going to the party with?”

“Me? I haven’t decided yet.”

His cheerful smile momentarily annoyed her, but she endured it.

It was her fault. And he hadn’t decided to go with anyone else yet.

But his next words were a bit hard to bear.

“What about you, Yoo-na?”

It sounded like his usual tone, but she, who had spent so much time with him, could tell.

There was a subtle hint of rejection in his question.

‘I see. So, you weren’t just oblivious.’

He was pretending to be his usual self, but his gaze and voice were unnatural.

He noticed, didn’t he? And he’s pushing me away even though he knows.

“…I don’t know.”

Who else could she open her heart to besides him?

Why was he subtly pushing her away?

She thought she had gotten used to it already, but sometimes, she still regretted it and felt a pang in her heart.

If their first meeting had been different, would their relationship be different too?

Would things have changed if she had realized her feelings sooner?

Who could she confide in about these feelings of hers?

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Now that the situation had calmed down, I could clearly see Yoo-na’s state.

Her usually well-kept pink hair was a bit messy, and her hand that was holding her teacup was trembling slightly.

At this point, the possibility of it not being about Lilac was nonexistent.

“…It seems like Lilac doesn’t want to be my partner.”

“…That’s ridiculous. Who else is he close with besides you? Kim Ga-eul?”

“That would be interesting. Me entering the party with you, and Ga-eul entering with Lilac. What a sight that would be.”

…It wasn’t common to see her like this, even in the original story.

In the original story, the reason Yoo-na was considered the main heroine until Baek Seol appeared despite her difficult personality was because she loved Lilac more than anyone else and was devoted to him.

But I believed that her popularity stemmed from her resilience.

Even when other heroines approached Lilac, even when Lilac was devastated, and even when she was deceived by enemies, deeply hurt, or separated from Lilac…

She overcame everything and returned to his side.

The only time she wavered was when she had sensed Lilac subtly pushing her away.

“Ah, did Lilac explicitly say he didn’t like you? No, he didn’t.”

“We’re childhood friends. Even if we try to hide it, our feelings get through.”

“So, is this a plan to make him jealous by going with me?”

“…I wonder if Lilac would even be jealous of me? I’d be happy if he just smiled and said we looked good together.”

Ah, she was really stuck in her own head.

I knew…

How much Lilac cared about her.

Even if it wasn’t romantic love right now, he definitely cared about Yoo-na.

The problem was that I had no way to convey that to her.

It wasn’t something I could explain with words, and even if I did, I had no way to answer if she asked for proof.

“…Strange.”

“What is?”

“You’re acting so serious, like someone worried about their own love life. Honestly, it’s a bit out of the blue. You should be worrying about choosing between Ga-eul and the professor. Aren’t you bothered by me acting like this?”

“Oh, you’re saying that even though you know you’re bothering me? What, should I just tell you to leave even though my friend is crying? Are you a psychopath?”

“Of course, I’m grateful. But I don’t understand why you’re going this far for me. At first, I thought you were just a kind person like Lilac, but you’re not.”

Yoo-na took a sip of her drink and her eyes sparkled.

Her Charm talent activated for a moment, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t helpless like before.

The Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils activated with a sensation of heat gathering in my eyes, seeing through her talent.

Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils.

The eyes gifted to me by Sun Wukong could easily dispel most charms and illusions.

“Yeah, as expected, you’re not charmed, so you don’t like me.”

“…Don’t do this anywhere else.”

“I did it because I was sure. Well, I didn’t expect you to be this unaffected.”

I didn’t know what she was so sure about, but it didn’t seem positive.

“Anyway, the partner thing was half a joke. I feel better now that I have someone to talk to. Thanks.”

It bothered me.

I didn’t know why, but I felt an unpleasant emotion.

I didn’t like the feeling of pity that replaced the unknown fear and guilt I usually felt when I looked at her.

“…Hey, then how about this?”

“Huh…?”

I stopped Yoo-na as she was about to leave.

“I’ll show you for sure whether Lilac has feelings for you or not.”

“…How?”

“…Like this.”

“Have you been reading too much shoujo manga?”

Yoo-na was disgusted by my absurd suggestion, but as always, I had a certain degree of confidence.

And a little while later…

I sent a message to Lilac’s number.

[If you don’t come to the park near your training spot in 10 minutes, I’m going to ask Yoo-na to be my partner. I’m with her right now.]

Surprisingly, my phone rang right away, but I ignored it.

It was always more effective to not answer the phone in situations like this.

You idiot. You said you didn’t know about Yoo-na’s feelings until she disappeared in the original story, right?

Then I should give you a similar experience.

I might not be blonde, tanned, or a delinquent, but get a taste of this NTR, you idiot.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Soon, Lilac arrived at the park where he usually trained.

He was panting despite being a superhuman.

“…Yoo-na?”

“Bastard, looking for Yoo-na right away. It’s a lie, idiot. Why would I be with her at this hour?”

Lilac looked relieved for a moment, but I immediately grinned and continued.

“We just had tea and parted ways.”

He stared at me as if he had been hit in the back of the head.

“Why? You indirectly rejected Yoo-na’s partner request. Then I could ask her, couldn’t I?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Uh, that’s true. We’re friends, so you could, but what about Ga-eul or the professor~?”

Good. I knew he wouldn’t just say “Oh, I see,” but I was worried he might be too calm. Fortunately, he seemed quite shaken.

But it wasn’t enough yet. He was still trying to act nonchalant.

“…Do you think I’m joking?”

“So-hyun, you’re scaring me.”

“Do you think Yoo-na is devoted to you just because you’re childhood friends? Judging by your rejection, you’re not completely oblivious anymore.”

“Let’s stop. It’s between us. It’s not something you should interfere with, So-hyun, even if we’re friends.”

No, if you continued like this, you would be doomed.

I was certain now. Even if I had prevented the Baek Seol route, if this relationship continued, Yoo-na would eventually break down.

Perhaps even more severely and cruelly than in the original story.

“Why do you think it’s not my business? It might not be just between you two.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you playing dumb, you bastard? What if I had feelings for Yoo-na?”

Lilac gasped in surprise.

“…Are you serious?”

“I wonder?”

“I’m not joking.”

“I’m not joking either. Are you her dad? Or her boyfriend? No, you’re just childhood friends.”

“Even so, I have a duty to stop you if you’re not serious.”

“Bullshit. That’s not called duty, you idiot.”

Ah, um, was this how you were supposed to act like a villain? Why did it feel so natural?

“So, what if I was serious? Are you going to congratulate me?”

“…If you two truly like each other, I should.”

Yoo-na, who was probably listening in hiding, would probably be on the verge of tears right now, but she shouldn’t worry.

This was part of the plan, and I knew he would react like this.

“Why?”

Before Lilac could answer, I quickly attacked his weak spot.

“Did you hate feeling indebted to her because of what Yoo-na said to you as a child?”

“…Huh?”

“Or do you think Yoo-na is mistaking her gratitude and love for you because you saved her as a child?”

“You, how…”

“Hey.”

Yeah, no. I’m not going to give you the initiative here.

“Don’t bullshit me. Seriously.”

Since I’m going to keep hitting you anyway, just take it, you bastard.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

T/N – Not cool, Lilac. Go MC! Beat this insensitive nice guy up! What I hate more than dense protagonists are those who are aware but pretend to be oblivious. If you don’t like it, fucking tell them directly!

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