I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 105

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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At a park late at night.

Two friends were facing off over a girl.

…Huh, was this actually a romance novel?

I felt a pang of self-doubt, wondering what the hell I was doing.

But thinking about this bastard’s behavior in the original story, he wouldn’t listen to reason without drastic measures.

Lilac was an idiot with an overly righteous personality who made things unnecessarily complicated, so he probably wouldn’t react without this level of shock therapy.

“…Did Yoo-na tell you?”

“Think whatever you want.”

“So she didn’t? Well, it’s not that strange. You’ve always known things others didn’t.”

Why was he so sharp about this?

“Actually, I was also surprised. I didn’t know Yoo-na felt that way about me until recently.”

“Oh, really? Probably everyone in the world knew except you.”

“…Is that so? But I had my reasons. Yoo-na didn’t like me very much when we were kids.”

“I know, you idiot. And it wasn’t that she didn’t like you, she hated you.”

“So-hyun, you’re being too harsh…”

Lilac smiled wryly and sat down on the bench.

“That’s true. She’s been so nice to me that I can’t believe I didn’t notice until now.”

“So?”

“I’m going to say something ridiculous, but you won’t get mad, will you?”

“No, I’ll beat you up.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Honestly, I’m still not sure if Yoo-na really likes me.”

“Good thing I said I’d beat you up beforehand. Go ahead and talk. I’ll decide how hard to hit you after hearing you out.”

“Something happened when we were kids. Yoo-na used to find me annoying, but we became close after I saved her.”

The reason Lilac awakened his talent was that he saved Yoo-na, who was almost kidnapped, from a dangerous situation.

The power to protect someone. It was his first step as a hero.

“I see. But what’s the problem?”

“If Yoo-na mistook the feelings she felt that day for love, and has maintained them until now, then that’s not right. That’s not love, it’s admiration mixed with a sense of debt.”

Well…

It might not be a healthy relationship.

Depending on how you looked at it, it was similar to a child’s admiration. It was like saying “I want to marry Daddy!”

If you considered Yoo-na as emotionally stunted, it indeed wasn’t a healthy relationship.

But I couldn’t agree that it was “wrong.”

“Because of me, because she focuses on me, Yoo-na couldn’t make many other friends. It’s better now, but honestly, her personality is a bit… unique towards others.”

“You’re saying she’s a total bitch in a roundabout way.”

“I didn’t think of it that way…?”

Hey, what about me if you say that? Yoo-na’s still listening…

“Anyway, that’s not a healthy relationship. I wanted to help Yoo-na as a friend, but dragging on those feelings of debt…”

“Let’s stop. I get what you’re saying, so there’s no need for me to hear more.”

I understood what he wanted to say.

Well, I understood, but…

What he was saying were all excuses, secondary reasons he came up with while running here.

Or rather, even if he truly thought that way until now, it changed the moment he panicked after seeing my message.

“Then why did you come here?”

He could have just ignored it. Well, he could have come because he was worried something might happen since he didn’t trust me.

Then he should have assessed the situation first, not looked for Yoo-na right away.

“…That’s…”

He couldn’t answer. It was a bit late to make excuses after rushing here while panting.

This was a matter of emotions, so logic wasn’t important.

Whether you liked Yoo-na as a friend or romantically, you were worried that she might go to the party with me, worried that she might distance herself before you reached a conclusion.

So why make pathetic excuses? Especially by distorting and denying someone else’s feelings?

“I didn’t think you were like this, Lilac, but you have a surprisingly cowardly side.”

I knew. The you I last remembered was a jaded 26-year-old.

It was greedy of me to expect him to act like his perfect, future self who had overcome numerous hardships at this point when he was still more of a child than an adult.

But this wasn’t right.

“…Cowardly?”

“Yeah, you’re being a total jerk. Why are you denying her feelings and calling it a delusion?”

“…It’s not a healthy relationship.”

“That’s how it is, idiot. Does everyone have healthy relationships? And what’s wrong with liking a boy who saved you as a child? Love is like that.”

“Admiration and love are different.”

“You can’t deny her feelings just because they originated from admiration. People’s feelings can change.”

I understood. He might be flustered. But that’s not how you reach a conclusion, you idiot.

“Be honest. You don’t have any complicated reasons. You’re just not ready yet, are you?”

“Yoo-na and I have always been childhood friends. I thought we would always be close friends…”

“…So what?”

“But suddenly, our relationship might change…”

…Suddenly?

That triggered something in me.

What did he mean by “suddenly”? Look at what she went through because of you.

Huh? What was this? Why was I so angry? This wasn’t something to be this angry about…

-Die. Please die. It’s your fault. It’s all your fault…! Because of you, Lilac…!

My head suddenly throbbed.

…What? Was that Yoo-na?

Another damn memory from beyond the noise.

What the hell was this? Just show me everything, damn it. This was frustrating.

No, anyway, I couldn’t lose my composure now and get swept up in the emotions from the memory.

I suppressed the memory, and my turbulent emotions gradually subsided.

“It’s only sudden for you.”

“So-hyun, honestly, you’re crossing the line. It’s our business. We could have handled it ourselves. Even without your interference, eventually…”

“Yoo-na would have been the one making all the sacrifices.”

Even if things didn’t turn out well, Lilac wouldn’t understand.

Honestly, what would he think if I suddenly said “If you continue like this, you’ll be doomed!”

So, to convince him, I needed to approach it from a different angle, to point out something he hadn’t noticed yet.

“…What?”

“You want to pretend nothing happened and remain friends, to prepare yourself until your feelings are sorted out. Then what about Yoo-na? What about her feelings while you’re preparing? If you’re going to act like that, just reject her completely.”

Huh, but this felt like it was choking me too. Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t in a position to criticize him.

No, I didn’t even need to think about it.

He only had Yoo-na. I was worse.

I thought he would get defensive, but the moment he heard about Yoo-na’s feelings, he seemed to deflate, his voice almost tearful.

“…Is Yoo-na having a hard time?”

“Is that even a question, you idiot? Would you be okay if you were her?”

“…I don’t know. Everyone has been just friends so far, and even when they talk about love, I don’t understand it, so what can I do?”

This was annoying.

We were going in circles.

As far as I could see, he already liked Yoo-na even if he didn’t realize it himself.

His still child-like mind just couldn’t distinguish between affection and friendship.

This was evident in Lilac’s regrets in the original story, and it was also the conclusion I reached after observing them.

-…I guess I’m an idiot, Yoo-na. I thought I liked Seol noona, but I guess I didn’t. It doesn’t change anything now. I always regret after losing something. Cheon Yoo-hak was right, I’m… truly a hopeless idiot.

Remembering him from the original story made me feel uneasy.

I tried to resolve it with conversation, but…

It was so frustrating that it would be better for me to be more direct.

“Let’s stop, Lilac.”

“Huh?”

Honestly, he had a point. A lot had changed, so maybe things would turn out differently than what I knew.

They might be able to move forward as they slowly matured.

But I just didn’t think that kind of future would happen.

It might be unnecessary meddling, but…

Wouldn’t it be better for me to interfere than to risk even a slight chance of Yoo-na becoming corrupted, turning into a villain, and you having to kill her with your own hands and then whine about it afterwards?

“I told you, I’d beat you up.”

Now, the problem was how much I could do against him while making sure that Yoo-na doesn’t misunderstand the situation.

The light of Enhancement enveloped my body.

Well, I had already explained this to the latter beforehand, so it should be fine.

“Let’s make this simple. I’m going to beat you up and then ask Yoo-na to be my partner. If you understand that, then just take the beating and stay down. If you don’t like it, resist, and you can be her partner.”

“Hey! What the…!?”

I launched myself at him and easily closed the distance.

I tried to trip him, but he dodged effortlessly.

“I’m not at the level where I’m panting after running around the track like when we first met.”

Lilac stared at me blankly for a moment, then glared at me with an annoyed expression.

“…You always do this.”

“Do what, you bastard?”

“You’re full of certainty, in a good way. Or you’re arrogant, in a bad way. You act like you’ve seen the future.”

Oh, he was sharp.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a bit of the future. And the way you and Yoo-na are acting is incredibly stupid.”

“Joking now—! Ugh?!”

“Why would I punch my friend if I’m joking, you idiot?”

Perhaps because it was a surprise attack, it worked, and Lilac raised his guard in surprise.

But weren’t your arms part of your body? Did you think it wouldn’t hurt if you blocked?

“Hey! Are you really going to do this!?”

“Yeah, Lilac, don’t talk. You might bite your tongue.”

He finally drew his practice sword.

Good, at least he didn’t draw his real sword.

“You drew your sword? You’re admitting you like Yoo-na?”

“Shut up.”

“Yeah, it must be hard to admit your feelings. But you have to understand me too.”

“…Understand what?”

He seemed quite angry that I hit him first, but Lilac, friends fight and grow closer.

“Do you even know how frustrated I was watching you two?”

So, let’s fight.

“…What about you?”

“Huh…?”

“You haven’t decided between Ga-eul and the professor either. Why are you being a hypocrite?”

…He had a point.

He hit a nerve.

“I’ll reach a conclusion soon, you bastard.”

But just because I was also at fault didn’t mean you didn’t deserve a beating.

“So shut up and take it…!”

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I lost.

The moment he landed a clean hit, it hurt so much that I collapsed.

This was what happened when I relied solely on Reinforcement and fought Lilac hand-to-hand without Ruyi or my other artifacts.

I was barehanded, and he had a sword. What a bully.

But I didn’t just lose.

“…Wow, So-hyun, your punches got a lot stronger.”

“Anyone listening would think you won.”

I landed two punches on Lilac’s smug face, so it was fine. I feel better now.

Come to think of it, I only got hit once, and he got hit like ten times. Didn’t that mean I won?

Well, whatever.

“Hey, you know, right?”

“…Know what?”

“If you ran all the way here after receiving my message, you already reached a conclusion.”

“…Do I like Yoo-na?”

“You must like her enough to be jealous since you ran here.”

“And Yoo-na likes me?”

…Honestly, I wasn’t planning to reveal this, but Yoo-na, who was probably listening right now, would probably want to kill me already.

Everything was already revealed anyway. Give me a break.

“You know that better than me, so why are you asking me, you idiot? You don’t really doubt that.”

Come to think of it, fighting with a friend and collapsing in a park seemed more fitting for a youthful academy story than a romance fantasy.

“I see.”

Lilac nodded, seemingly convinced of something.

“Thanks, So-hyun. I feel much better now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Yoo-na honestly and apologize tomorrow.”

…Huh? He wasn’t going to reject her, right? Did “feeling better” mean that?

“And I’ll ask her to be my partner.”

So, he wasn’t a complete idiot. That’s a relief.

…No, was it? Yoo-na would probably yell at me for spoiling things.

Anyway, even if he hadn’t reached a conclusion yet, he seemed to have sorted out his feelings.

Was this the end of this incident?

Just as I thought that—

“Oh my, look at this.”

A voice suddenly rang out.

Women with bat-like wings were looking down at us from the sky.

“Young and fresh. Let’s take them too.”

“…We’re over quota.”

“The more high-quality ones, the better.”

“Well, they certainly seem emotionally charged.”

Their eyes gleamed ominously.

Devil’s Touch, which was tucked away in my pocket, reacted to the approaching magical energy.

…But I didn’t know who they were since they weren’t in the original story.

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T/N – Well now. I didn’t expect the mystery villains to show up so soon. I thought the author was still setting up. Though with the MC and Lilac there along with Yoo-na at the wings, I can only say that they fucked up.

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