I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 48

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Kang Ha-ni, left alone in the room, recalled the conversation she had just had with Kang So-hyun.

-Are you my mom?

For him, it shouldn’t have been a light thing to say.

Perhaps, unexpectedly, it was already a familiar occurrence for him, and he really said it without thinking, but she didn’t think so.

He lost his mother to terrorism at a young age.

Surely, it wasn’t something he could shake off at such a young age just because time had passed, and he had already entered the academy.

“Really, he’s not doing anything dangerous, is he? He said he’d be right back, so why isn’t he here yet?”

The moment she muttered to herself, familiar footsteps began to sound from the hallway.

“Oh, what? He’s here.”

The door lock opened and she heard a voice.

“Hey, I bought Melona.”

However, even though the Kang So-hyun she had been waiting for had returned, she was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling.

She had never felt wary of Kang So-hyun before. Simply in terms of ability, he wasn’t skilled enough to harm her.

But the Kang So-hyun she was facing right now after just an hour had passed exuded a completely different energy than when he had left the room. It was like when she first saw Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak at the entrance ceremony. No, the energy that was emanating from him was perhaps even more violent than theirs.

“Hey, you…!”

So, the moment she grabbed his shoulder to ask him something…

“Huh?”

As if it were a lie, the energy disappeared, and the weak and fragile Kang So-hyun who was holding a Melona appeared before her again.

“…Why? Should I have bought something other than a Melona?”

The way he spoke, like he was strangely frightened, was exactly like the kind of boy she felt she had to protect.

‘Was it an illusion…?’

It didn’t make sense for such a strong energy to suddenly disappear, so she must have been mistaken because she was so worried about him.

“Hey, Han-hee. My shoulder hurts…?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Embarrassed, she let go of his shoulder, and Kang So-hyun exaggeratedly rubbed it.

“Hey, my shoulder almost came off. What’s wrong?”

Seeing him in pain from her just holding his shoulder like that made her think that she must have been mistaken.

“Ah, I’m really sorry, I think I was mistaken.”

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Actually, it wasn’t a mistake.

If Ruyi had been even a little late in suppressing the energy it emitted, things would have gone to shit.

-She’s a perceptive child.

‘Thank you so much, Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal. Your loyalty is unwavering.’

Actually, it wasn’t that she was perceptive. Kang Ha-ni, because of her objective, possessed a relic that allowed her to sense special energy when she saw a strong person.

Originally, the thing didn’t react to ordinary tools, so I let my guard down. Perhaps she sensed Ruyi because its current state was different from its sealed state?

‘Huh? Come to think of it, you’re the cause of this too…’

-Hmm, I forgot there was something I needed to sort out for a moment. I apologize, but I won’t be able to answer if you call me for a while.

Hey, Mr. Sun Wukong, what was there for a wisp of thought to sort out?

Even though it was just a wisp of thought, the sight of the strongest being in the world making such a ridiculously lame excuse and running away was quite pathetic.

Well, more importantly…

“Han-hee, why are you looking at me like that…?”

Ha-ni, still seemingly suspicious of me, glanced at me from time to time. It was quite scary.

It felt like she might suddenly say, ‘Hey, let me see your skills?’ and pull out a sword.

“Hey.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“…So why do you speak formally sometimes? No, anyway, that’s not it. Does it hurt a lot?”

“Huh? What?”

“Your shoulder. You said it hurt earlier. Is it bruised?”

Ah, thankfully, it seemed that the look Ha-ni was giving me wasn’t one of suspicion but of concern.

Since she didn’t have much of an expression, if she just stared, it looked like she was glaring, hence my mistake.

Just as I was about to feel a pang of guilt, Ha-ni started to say something I couldn’t ignore.

“Let me see.”

See what…?

“Uh? No, it’s not that bad.”

“What if it’s injured? Just take your shirt off.”

Hey, anyone else is fine, but you shouldn’t say things like that, right?

-Hey, Kang Ha-ni. Even if it’s small, an injury is an injury. What if it gets worse…?

-Fuck, I’ll take care of it myself, so get out, Lilac!

I was immediately reminded of the scene in the original story where Lilac, who was isolated due to the villain’s attack, tried to treat Kang Ha-ni’s wound, only to be rejected by her.

Why was she acting like this, when she hated being touched by men?

“Ah, I was just exaggerating. I’m not hurt.”

“Yeah, I’ll confirm that myself, so don’t worry and just take it off.”

Take what off? Don’t talk like that…!

“Uh…? Uh!?”

Surprisingly, Kang Ha-ni, determined to see my shoulder somehow, approached and reached out to me.

“Ah, I’m just trying to see your shoulder, why do you hate it so much…!?”

“Would you like it if you were me!? I said I’m fine…!”

As I tried to resist, a strange power struggle began between Kang Ha-ni and me.

Huh? Why was I making such a fuss over just showing my shoulder?

Of course, it wasn’t just because I was embarrassed.

There was a clear and understandable reason for my hopeless struggle.

It was because Kang Ha-ni had a history of trying to stab Lilac after seeing her body in the original story.

Of course, in the novel, Lilac had already done a lot of things to make himself disliked by Ha-ni. Now, she was the one trying to undress me, so she probably won’t make a huge fuss, but still, she might be disgusted after seeing a man’s body, right…?

The hearts of heroines in novels were always fickle.

And I wasn’t the protagonist, so I didn’t have the confidence to endure and accept such unreasonable changes.

But no matter how much I disliked it in my mind, my body was honest.

The overwhelming difference in strength between us couldn’t be overcome with mere willpower.

Ha-ni, while being careful not to hurt me, subdued me with her overwhelming strength.

Seeing she was finally on top of me, she stopped to catch her breath. It seemed like she was a little tired from subduing me while trying not to cause an injury.

“Huu, you’re no match for me.”

It seemed like the purpose had shifted a little, but soon Kang Ha-ni, remembering her original objective, reached out and started unbuttoning my shirt.

I closed my eyes and decided to humbly accept my incoming fate.

Goodbye, my favorability points that I’ve worked so hard to accumulate.

Hello, the looks of humiliation and contempt that would soon begin…!

But when I finally gave up and accepted everything, I felt the hand that was unbuttoning my shirt stop.

What? Does this mean that even closing my eyes and enduring it is unforgivable?

With a faint glimmer of hope, I opened my eyes and saw Ha-ni’s face, which looked strangely red.

…Are you embarrassed right now?

I thought she might get angry, but honestly, I didn’t expect this kind of reaction…?

She did show embarrassment in the novel, but it was something you’d only see towards the end of the third year.

“Your skin is so fair.”

“…Yes?”

“Your arms and legs are so thin, and you’re so weak.”

A gentle hand stroked my stomach.

What? What the hell? What is she doing?

Ah.

-Kang Ha-ni pushes Lilac away due to her intense shyness, but in her heart, she is curious about men like any other girl. However, a muscular body elicits a feeling of alien disgust within her rather than interest, which is why she pushed Lilac away.

Right, it was written there.

I remembered that it was clearly written in the settings book, though such knowledge didn’t help my current situation at all.

The insurmountable difference in strength.

A young man and a young woman entangled in a room, alone, breathless.

Curiosity about something new, and a thirst for the unknown began to mix with the shyness and embarrassment in my predator’s eyes, who was experiencing this for the first time.

It’s a very desirable attitude for a heroine, but the problem was that I was the prey.

“Men aren’t all that different…”

No.

Since she was talking about men and stuff, it seemed like she didn’t even know what she was saying anymore.

At this rate, I’d be messed with like in those erotic doujins, and I’d inevitably learn Kang Ha-ni’s secret that I already knew.

Not yet…!

Just as I was about to use Reinforcement to push her away even though I wanted to hold back because I was afraid she might get hurt…

Ding-ding~

A cheesy default notification rang from my smartphone.

It wasn’t a call or a text, but an update notification.

And as if it were a signal, Kang Ha-ni was startled and pulled away.

“Uh? I… Right now… Hey, sorry.”

Ha-ni was strangely cute as she apologized with a blush, but the problem was that I wasn’t supposed to know that she was a girl.

Then I would have to act accordingly.

In the boys’ dormitory, my trusted same-sex friend suddenly pinned me down with force, touched my abs, and blushed. So what should I do?

Ugh, fuck. Even if I smashed her head with Ruyi right now, my anger wouldn’t subside.

So, I put on the most contemptuous expression I could muster and glared at her while creating distance.

“Han-hee.”

“…Huh?”

“…Do you have that kind of preference…?”

“No, I don’t…!?”

Flustered, Ha-ni shouted, but I pretended not to hear her.

You might feel wronged, but what can you do? If you didn’t want this, you shouldn’t have made a cross-dressing character.

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In a dark classroom in the academy.

He was grinding his teeth alone.

His plans, which he thought were perfect, kept failing, and his position within the organization had lowered considerably.

The Twelve Zodiacs.

Now that a considerable number of executives had died or been arrested, they no longer lived up to the name of the Twelve Zodiacs, but they were still a powerful force among the villain alliances that were still active.

Choi In-ho the Rabbit had been caught, and Jin Kyung-tae, the new candidate for the Snake, had also been lost.

Excluding the boss who wasn’t part of the Twelve Zodiacs, and taking into account the originally vacant positions, there were only six executives left in the Twelve Zodiacs, including himself.

This couldn’t be.

Originally, they were supposed to have brilliantly succeeded in the terrorist attack at the entrance ceremony of the impregnable Reilan Academy and made their name known to the world.

What was the reason for infiltrating this place for years, even to the point of using crappy relics?

“No, it’s not over yet.”

Choi In-ho? He was a pawn he intended to use and discard anyway. He could just plan a bigger terrorist attack and pick someone better for it.

Jin Kyung-tae? His knowledge and former position as an academy professor were valuable, but not irreplaceable.

“Right, take it slow.”

It was a little early, but there were new candidates, and he had enough material to persuade them.

“Just start over.”

There was no one at Reilan Academy who could defeat him anyway.

He had all the time in the world.

“Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak, right?”

It was the chairman of Reilan Academy who caught Jin Kyung-tae and Choi In-ho, but it was the cadets who once defeated them.

Also, although not an executive, Barrier, who had still been useful, was caught by a cadet as well.

He had left the two alone because they didn’t seem like a threat to his plans, at least for now.

But since he’d been thoroughly humiliated by those two, he couldn’t leave them alone.

He gritted his teeth, thinking of the two who had interfered with his plans.

“Good, I’ll add you two to my watch list, along with the chairman. I won’t leave room for any variables from now on.”

The plan to neutralize the chairman was already in the preparatory stage.

“Enjoy your short academy life until the new plan begins, Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak.”

A sinister smile spread across his lips.

“The moment the chairman is neutralized, I will kill you both myself.”

Just one week.

In just one week, he could neutralize the chairman, Reilan Academy’s greatest strength.

And then, the name of the Twelve Zodiacs would spread throughout the world.

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“Should I just do it tomorrow or something, instead of putting it off?”

“…What?”

Ha-ni, who had desperately tried to clear up the misunderstanding that wasn’t a misunderstanding, was hiding under the covers, perhaps out of embarrassment or simply exhaustion. But surprisingly, she still heard me.

“I have to get rid of the trash, but I was waiting because I wasn’t ready yet. Though I think it’ll be okay soon.”

“What trash?”

“Non-recyclable waste.”

“Then you should get rid of it quickly. Can you do it alone?”

“Yeah, I can do it alone. No, it would be troublesome if I wasn’t alone.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah, it is. After all, if I put it off, it’ll just become a bother. It’s better to get rid of it quickly, so I can rest.”

“That’s true.”

Tomorrow night.

I would kill the traitor of the academy.

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T/N – I am so sorry. I didn’t intend to end my mass release on a cliffhanger. But that doesn’t stop me from reveling in your pain. Mwahahaha!

Damn, I’m hyped up for these next chapters. Will we see Ruyi in action when he cleans up the trash?

Also, thank you, author, for proving this chapter why Ha-ni is the best girl.

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

Important Notice – So I’m going to be transferring the release schedule of this novel to Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday to join my Barb Labyrinth one. So you can expect a chapter release tomorrow. Thank you very much for your continued support 👍