Chapter 87: Distortion
“Sorry. I know it sounds utterly ridiculous, even to me. But I’m serious.”
I knew. His heartbeat and voice carried no tremors, only sincerity. Even when I looked into his eyes, there wasn’t a hint of hesitation—they were unwavering and firm.
“So, I’ll say this clearly. Once everything is over, I’ll only look at you. Just wait until then… Can you do that?”
I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to endure. My possessiveness? Or perhaps this dark, boiling feeling in my chest? Was he asking for a bit of freedom?
I didn’t like it… but since he was making this promise himself, I could afford to be generous. If I couldn’t even handle this, then what kind of friend would I be?
“…You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Listening to Dogeon’s words quietly, I could tell he genuinely meant what he was saying.
It wasn’t because he disliked me or found me lacking—he was tied to others by circumstances he couldn’t control. Of course, I could sense a bit of personal interest mixed in, but that was tolerable.
It was irritating, but considering the undeniable charm of some of the others, I could begrudgingly let it slide.
“Fine. I’ll endure it. You are my closest friend, after all. But…”
I moved slowly toward Dogeon.
“Do you trust me?”
I trusted Dogeon. As long as he didn’t betray me first.
But if—just if—he showed any sign of getting attached to another girl…
Yeah. I don’t even know what I’d do.
“Whatever it is that’s supposed to end, I don’t know. But when it’s over… you’d better cut ties with all the others, got it?”
Then, I gripped his shoulder hard enough to make him wince, as if marking him with my claim for all to see.
Dogeon groaned in pain, but he’d be fine. That black mist of his would take care of it. Right now, I needed to make something clear to him.
In the end, you belong to me. Like a boomerang, you’ll always come back to me. Because you like me.
Your warmth, your expressions, your scent—they’ll all be mine eventually.
“Hoyeon…! I think my shoulder’s going to break. Let go!”
Yes. I’ll be the only one to see you like this—grimacing in pain. No other woman will ever witness this. Only I’ll get to enjoy it.
“If you don’t cut ties properly and do something weird… I’ll get angry, okay?”
Smiling brightly, I showed all my teeth as I spoke to Dogeon.
“Alright, alright! Just let go, please…!”
Oh, right. I was still holding on. He’s acting like he’s fragile, but for someone who boasts about being indestructible, he sure knows how to whine at times like this.
Still, even with reinforcement, humans really are weak. Feeling his breath so close, the thought of biting his neck flickered through my mind.
…Wait. What am I even thinking?
“Oh, sorry…!”
What am I doing to my precious friend? I even swore I wouldn’t mess with him today, so why did I just break that promise?
Is this because of heat? But it’s never been like this before. I couldn’t pinpoint why I was acting so differently, and it left me utterly confused.
As Dogeon rotated his shoulder cautiously, likely checking for injuries, I wondered how I should apologize for what I’d done. But no good ideas came to mind.
I wasn’t in my right mind, sure, but I almost crushed my only friend’s shoulder…!
“Are… Are you okay?!”
I vaguely recalled gripping him hard enough to nearly break him. While I’m not overwhelmingly strong, I could still easily crush an average human, which made me worry.
“…Yeah. I think so. Nothing’s broken, at least.”
Dogeon kept his distance from me, probably because of what just happened. Ugh. I should’ve held back. Why couldn’t I hold out for just a moment longer?
It felt like I’d ruined any chance of things going smoothly. Dogeon didn’t seem inclined to say much more either.
I had nothing to say to myself. I already promised to trust him, and he’d said everything he needed to.
“…Just in case, you should… visit the infirmary. Humans’ bodies are fragile, after all.”
Yeah. Unlike us, they can’t just recover by lying around and eating a bit of meat. If he had some invisible injury, that would be a disaster.
“Okay… I’ll go, then.”
I couldn’t bring myself to stop Dogeon as he awkwardly shuffled away. Even though I knew he was likely heading off to meet another girl.
…Ugh. Why am I like this?
The fresh air that had calmed me down earlier now sank me back into despair. Left alone and unwilling to meditate, I decided to follow Dogeon.
I suddenly remembered I had something else to ask Big Brother Black Wolf. I should head back to my room.
***
I thought there was no point in hiding anymore, so I decided to come clean with Hoyeon and confront her with my sincerity.
Her reaction, though, was completely unexpected. Sure, I figured she’d say something cutting, or maybe grumble a little.
But gripping my shoulder so hard I thought it would shatter? That wasn’t in the forecast. Neither was the look on her face.
Her wide eyes, her bared fangs—she looked as if she wanted to sever all ties with every other heroine, yet would tolerate my request just until the end.
…It was terrifying. Not the kind of pressure that came from intimidation, but something else entirely. Her gaze wasn’t that of a person—it was like she was claiming her property.
Still… she’d granted me permission, right? So, I wouldn’t have to tread as carefully around her now… right?
Holding onto that faint hope, I quietly made my way to the infirmary. My shoulder had either cracked or, at the very least, was badly bruised.
“Hey, Dogeon! Nice to see you! What brings you here?”
“You’re…”
And then, I ran into people I didn’t expect to see.
“Exi. And… Camilla. I didn’t think I’d run into you two here. My shoulder’s been stiff since yesterday, so I thought I’d get some medicine… And I think I know why you’re here, Exi. Did you fall?”
Her clothes were covered in dirt, her knees scraped and bleeding. Judging by how Camilla, standing next to her, didn’t seem alarmed, it wasn’t from being hit but from rolling down somewhere—a spectacular tumble, it seemed.
“Oh! How did you know?!”
I was about to say, It’s a basic deduction, but Camilla’s sharp glare stopped me. I only said, There are ways to tell, and left it at that.
Exipri darted into the infirmary, leaving just Camilla and me behind.
Even though she’d been avoiding me, claiming she was busy, I could tell she’d been deliberately keeping her distance.
“…Can I ask why you’re avoiding me?”
I wasn’t particularly fond of her, and she likely felt the same, but a heroine was still a heroine. If there was a misunderstanding, I wanted to clear it up, so I spoke first.
“I’d like to ask the opposite—why are you so persistent?”
It seemed I’d firmly landed on her bad side. Rather than answering my question, she snapped back, practically telling me to buzz off.
But I couldn’t do that. I’d nearly wrecked my shoulder just to keep things moving along.
“…I wanted to talk to you.”
“I have nothing to discuss with you. If you want a conversation, why not have it with that princess holding your leash?”
That shut me up. Now that I thought about it, the rumor about me being close to Hoyeon had already spread everywhere. Trying to build connections with other heroines in such circumstances was bound to be difficult.
Even though Hoyeon and I weren’t officially dating, someone like Anastasia would definitely get angry, saying, Are you cheating on Hoyeon right now?
…It was all just for the events, but still. All that was left were the final exams and the school trip—could I make progress with just those two?
Would the heroines even accept me? My confidence was crumbling.
“Hah. You think you can coast because you’re good-looking? Keep pushing your luck, and it’ll blow up in your face. This is the last ounce of kindness you’ll get from me, so remember that.”
With Camilla’s sharp words on top of everything, a happy ending felt farther away than ever.
The one legitimate reason I had to ask for her help—Stephanie—might as well be a lost cause. With the way things were going, any future events with Camilla were as good as gone.
…How did things spiral this far out of control already?
“…Thanks for the advice.”
After that, Camilla didn’t react to me anymore. She applied bandages to her knees and ointment to her face, smiling brightly, though it somehow felt different.
It seemed even she might be struggling now.
Was clinging to Hoyeon the right answer after all? Was I arrogant to think I could lead this world to a happy ending?
But the situation wasn’t over yet. I couldn’t move forward or back.
…Ugh.
“Dogeon, was it? Conduct yourself wisely. You may not be as prominent as Hoyeon, but there’s plenty of talk about you as well. Consider this an apology for ignoring your earlier attempts to call me—don’t get the wrong idea.”
With that parting remark, Camilla left. As I watched her walk away, I couldn’t help but think she wasn’t inherently a bad person.
If things had gone by the book, she could have been a proper heroine. But Hoyeon’s presence had tangled everything up.
It left me with a lot to think about.
Was achieving a happy ending truly impossible?
I wanted to dismiss the thought as unnecessary anxiety, but I couldn’t anymore.
Even as I received my medicine, I couldn’t envision any future plans.
Now… I really didn’t know what to do.