An unnaturally pristine white space. I gazed around blankly.
The pure white ceiling with its neatly arranged white lights pointed the way.
A long strip of sticker guiding me to who knows where.
Anxiety began creeping up inside me. I wasn't sure why I felt so terrible, but I definitely didn't like it.
Ha-min had ended up like this while trying to get a totem for me. What if the same thing happened to him? Would he come to hate me?
Various worries crossed my mind, but I was too scared to think too deeply about anything right now.
Well, we'd already said our goodbyes, so I probably wouldn't see Ha-min again anyway.
At least when they were talking, they said they "might spare Ha-min." Which meant someone like me was probably beyond saving.
Still, coming to a place like this, meeting Yoon Ha-min, talking with Orca... it was certainly an interesting experience, if nothing else.
I don't want to die, and I don't want to be driven out either, but if everyone hates me, what can I do?
The story had already changed, and if someone who was supposed to die isn't dying in this situation, maybe I should just accept it.
...Actually, accepting death like that was impossible for me.
I couldn't just accept it with thoughts like "it's fate, so I'll accept it."
In the end, what I could accept was that this was the only way I alone could die.
It's okay to be lonely. I was probably meant to die alone anyway.
I don't really care if everyone else dies, but I can't just stand by and watch Ha-min die, or let those around him die too.
I'd been thinking about it, and now that I've come this far, acting on those thoughts is the right thing to do... right?
Hmm, I don't know. I'm scared.
Actually, I wish someone would save me.
I don't want to be in a place like this. I just want to spend my days with Ha-min.
But I don't want to keep causing him worry either.
What should I do? What would make Ha-min happy?
If I'd known this would happen, I would have told Orca what she likes before coming here.
My thoughts multiplied, but contrary to that, the path quickly reached its end.
The scene beyond the door, seemingly prepared for me, wasn't pleasant.
Not only was it not to my taste, but with nothing but a chair, it was just uncomfortable.
[Please come in and take a seat.]
A voice leaked from a speaker in the corner.
Are they watching me from somewhere with cameras installed?
When I looked up, I saw that the seemingly plain white wall had a black glass panel filling the space at about the height of a second floor.
It seemed like a space designed so that someone could easily observe this high-ceilinged room from that upper level.
It was frustrating that I couldn't see through to the other side.
But I wasn't in a position to complain about such things, was I?
I carefully sat down on the metal chair and nervously looked around.
Being alone like this, with someone watching from an unknown place, was so creepy that I wanted to run away immediately.
Is this what happened because of what I said to keep Ha-min from getting involved? If so, that's a bit scary.
What are they planning to do that they brought me all the way here?
[Miss Kanna Aurora, do you have no memories from March until the end of May, when the incident occurred?]
"U-um, y-yes..."
I wondered if they could hear my voice.
As if to show that such worry was unnecessary, an answer came back.
[I see. In that case, we will proceed with the treatment method that Yoon Ha-min was attempting.]
"Eh?"
I looked up.
Then I turned around.
Besides the door I had entered through, there was another door.
That door creaked open, and a group of people entered, pulling strange machines behind them.
I wondered what those machines were, but it seemed they had no intention of explaining anything to me.
The machines gradually surrounded me as I sat in the chair.
[Please lie down on the bed.]
"Um, c-could I ask what you're going to do?"
[In the current situation, we cannot determine what has happened or what your thoughts were. We prioritize treatment.]
I didn't think they would give me a proper answer in this atmosphere, but surprisingly, they responded readily.
Indeed, I had no memory of that time.
But since the absence of those memories didn't create a sense of disconnect for me, I didn't mind and could live without problems.
But just like Ha-min, the people here were looking for the me who had regained her memories.
I don't know if it's because I lost my memories, but I was still skeptical about the talk of recovering them.
Still, because it was dangerous now, because you never know, I had no choice but to cooperate.
Following their instructions, I took off my shoes and carefully climbed onto the bed. People wearing hazmat suits, with only their eyes visible, restrained my arms and legs with belts attached to the bed.
"Gasp! W-wait a moment... W-why this?"
I asked in panic, but these people gave me no answer.
It was frustratingly unclear whether they were even allowed to speak with me.
Say something. I'm scared. I want to run away.
But my limbs are tied, so I can't escape.
Though in reality, I probably couldn't escape from this place even if my limbs were free.
[We will inject the totem. We will verify whether your mind returns completely, as when your limbs were regenerated.]
As they said that, a large glass cylinder was lifted beside me.
The cylinder, which looked to be about 50cm in diameter, had a hose connected to its end. Inside the cylinder, I could see totems arranged in five layers for sequential release.
My eyes widened, as I hadn't expected the totem that Ha-min had tried to obtain for me to be found so easily.
[Execute.]
At that moment, I heard the sound of something activating.
A needle at the end of the hose connected to the glass cylinder moved to indicate some measurement, and the totem inside trembled before flowing through the hose and being shot into my body.
The solid instantly became a mass of magical energy, vaporized, and was immediately absorbed into my body.
"Ugh! Hnngh!"
My body shuddered violently.
The sudden injection of mana made my mind go blank.
No, since I hadn't had the opportunity to feel mana recently, it was an unfamiliar sensation.
I gritted my teeth and moved my body against the strange, half-familiar sensation.
Even as I shuddered, the eyes between the hazmat suits that observed my condition seemed cruel.
But it felt too good to say I disliked it.
Perhaps it was a sensation I hadn't known because I'd been living with depleted mana until now. In any case, I could feel something flowing around me.
Then suddenly, my head began to throb.
"Hnngh, ugh?"
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
Since I wasn't allowed to curl up or hold my head, my movements became even more violent.
No, no, wait, I think something's wrong with my head.
I feel like I'm becoming strange. I feel like I'm floating.
I had so much I wanted to say, but only strange, dazed sounds escaped my lips.
[Second one.]
With those words, I felt a strange atmosphere pressing down on my entire body with a hissing sound.
Don't. Don't do it!
"Ugh, ughhh!"
With a jolt, the mana sparked and rose up.
As if flowing with my will, electricity leaked from my forehead.
Crackle, crackle. The purple current that appeared at the edge of my vision kept the people in hazmat suits from approaching easily.
I saw this but couldn't feel any particular emotion about it.
No, ah, please take it away quickly. I'm telling you something's wrong with my head.
I think I'm seeing something strange—
*
It was an unfamiliar studio apartment. There, I first realized that I was Kanna Aurora.
Who's that? I wondered, but there was no one to give me the answer, so I had to find it on my own.
And the answer was surprisingly close.
A neatly prepared school uniform. And a pamphlet.
Heading to the Academy, I saw the protagonist's name and face. And the heroine, Orca, standing beside him.
Only then did I realize. I was inside a damn novel that had suddenly turned tragic.
I thought I had died, but suddenly coming to a place like this—I must have really liked the novel, and really hated it too.
Even now, I wondered if this was just a fleeting vision before death.
What first came to mind was that simply spending time as an Academy student wouldn't be nearly enough.
What should I do first? Would it be right to become friends with Yoon Ha-min?
I wondered if it was the right choice for Kanna Aurora, who had no connection with him in the original work, to approach Yoon Ha-min.
So I decided to wait and see, thinking there was still plenty of time.
The problem was the exams.
Kanna Aurora was at the bottom of the class, but I didn't need to be at the bottom too.
Of course, I wasn't aiming for the top spot, but...
I once had such thoughts.
The moment I faced the first exam, I gave up immediately.
I was terrible at both practical and written tests.
They say you can improve with study, but catching up with the history that had already become common knowledge was too overwhelming for me.
All I knew about this world's history was the setting embedded in the novel.
The familiar stories of King Sejong or Admiral Yi Sun-sin didn't exist here.
They had their own great historical figures, so my priority was to first understand the common knowledge of this world.
Having ridiculously started at the bottom of the class, I gradually became isolated.
Despite not wanting it.