The memory-erasing drug alone won’t solve this problem.
It’s not even a simple drug to begin with.
So, additional steps are necessary.
Seo Ah can’t be denied the drug.
With the regression of her memories, her body will recover to some extent, but the dragon, the drug addiction, and the scars on her body—there are still many problems to resolve.
So, Shihu found a solution.
First, he would start with Seo Ah’s memory.
It might be an act of desecration toward Seo Ah.
Changing her entire memory to make it convenient for Shihu.
"I’m sorry..."
Correcting the memory is simple.
What matters is when she wakes up.
When Seo Ah just wakes up.
The time when she wonders what happened is the most crucial.
That moment must be explained properly.
It has to be something Seo Ah can understand.
So, Shihu waited.
He waited until Seo Ah woke ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) up.
While he pondered over what he had done.
Was this really the right thing to do?
Seo Ah had told him to do whatever was necessary.
She had said she was fine with whatever happened.
But was this really the only way?
Really?
It doesn’t matter that Seo Ah is in front of him now.
How far can such logic take him?
"Ah..."
He had prepared a script.
He had already thought about how to explain the situation when Seo Ah woke up.
Since he wasn’t sure how much her memory would regress, he had prepared several scenarios.
It felt so deceitful.
But there didn’t seem to be a better way.
Unless they slowly destroyed everything together.
Seo Ah knew.
She knew and entrusted it to Shihu.
She said she didn’t mind what happened to her.
She told him to do something to solve the situation.
So, this choice had to be the right one.
No matter what the process was, as long as the result was good.
If he could still give Seo Ah happiness, even now.
"The drugs... the envelope is intact."
It looked like a prescription from a hospital.
But what was inside wasn’t the kind of medication the hospital would give.
For now, Shihu planned to play the role of a doctor.
He would give drugs to his childhood friend to treat her illness.
Even if it was a drug.
Handing drugs to a childhood friend with his own hands felt like the worst thing.
The worst.
Shihu felt it deeply in his bones.
It was inevitable.
There was no other option.
And then another problem.
The dragon.
The only noticeable physical change was the growth of horns.
But if there was no magic, the horns would disappear.
Even if her memory was restored, dealing with the dragon was a separate issue.
When Seo Ah transforms into a dragon, she loses quite a bit of her rationality.
But the dragon’s natural healing ability helps.
Her body recovers when exposed to magic.
The side effects of the drugs are largely counteracted.
The addictive nature of the drug, though, can’t be helped.
"The dragon... I can suppress it."
He hadn’t found a way to eliminate it yet.
But suppression was possible.
He had also obtained a magic blocking device, not just the leash.
It was a more complicated device to use than the leash since it was charged with magic, but it was a less intrusive necklace.
It didn’t look strange even when worn outside.
"The scars..."
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
Damn it.
The disgusting humans.
Every time he thought about it, curses came out.
Even if he restored her memory, he’d still have to deal with the scars.
That’s why he had no choice but to rely on the drug.
If the drug works properly, it could be done.
Shihu had saved many people.
He saved, saved, and saved, and...
Eventually, people started coming to repay him.
And one day, he saved the head of a black market syndicate.
From there, a dark network started to form.
They weren’t exactly morally upright people.
When you save people, you end up saving both the good and the bad.
It wasn’t easy to get drugs from the black market.
There were plenty of drugs available, but the ones Seo Ah needed were hard to find.
But there was a way.
There had been a time when Shihu rescued a young girl.
And her parents came looking for him.
They were the owners of a munitions factory.
They were also notorious for military procurement corruption.
They loved their daughter so much that, as a thank you for saving her, they allowed Shihu to take a substantial amount of special drugs made in their factory.
The drug issue was temporarily solved that way.
With connections and resources, anything was possible.
Sometimes he wondered how such a drug came to be.
If someone were to ask about the original use of the memory-erasing drug, it was obvious.
It was generally used for illegal purposes.
So why had he used it on Seo Ah?
***
I open my eyes.
I close them again.
In the morning, I’m a bit weak.
But I have to get up.
I open my eyes again.
I close them again.
I think about five minutes have passed.
I open my eyes once more and sit up.
Another usual day begins.
A little light is coming in from the ceiling.
It’s not rain, but light, so I’m glad.
The weather is clear, which is nice.
"Mm..."
It feels like I had a long dream.
It’s an ordinary day, but it feels strangely like it’s been a long time.
As I wake up, I find Shihu, who had already gotten up.
He’s in the kitchen, making food for me.
"Shihu?"
"Oh, you’re awake."
"Mm...? Hm? Huh?"
Something’s different.
Shihu is different.
"What’s this? Why did you grow so much?"
He’s taller.
It feels like he’s grown a lot.
"It’s been some time."
Shihu answers.
Well, I guess that makes sense.
When did time pass like that?
Ah, my head hurts.
I don’t want to think about it.
What’s the problem?
"I see. What are you making?"
It feels like my eye level has risen a bit.
Did I grow too?
Maybe it’s because time passed.
When did that time pass?
"Sandwiches."
Shihu is making simple sandwiches.
They look delicious.
They seem better than what I would buy at a convenience store.
"...Aren’t they expensive?"
I’m worried about whether the ingredients are expensive.
Where did he get them?
"You don’t need to worry about money."
"Really?"
It seems like he’s been earning money somewhere.
"Yeah."
"Well, I’ll eat well, then."
We sit at the table to eat together.
Usually, the things we eat for breakfast are lacking.
It’s enough if there’s enough for both of us to share.
But today is different.
It’s a nice breakfast.
Generous and good.
"What are you going to do today?"
I ask Shihu.
I can’t remember well what we did yesterday.
Did we go on a trip somewhere?
"What do you want to do?"
"I don’t know."
I asked first because I don’t know.
Something feels different today.
If I asked to go out and play, he feels too unfamiliar.
It feels like he’s grown too much.
It would be strange to play house when he’s all grown up.
I wouldn’t have thought like this yesterday.
What a strange day.
"Oh, what’s that necklace?"
It’s a simple string necklace that I’ve never seen before.
"A gift. You need to keep wearing it."
"Okay!"
I’ll keep wearing it.
A gift... I like it.
"Oh, uh? Shihu."
"Yeah?"
"Hey, there’s a scar on your arm."
I noticed it while eating.
"Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing weird."
"Okay."
If Shihu says it’s not weird, then it’s not.
Who would think a scar is weird?
No one.
It’s completely natural.
"How about a walk?"
"Let’s do it."
We go outside.
Outside.
I put on warm clothes.
Out of the house.
Was the house always like this?
Something’s different.
"...Is this our house?"
Something’s different.
The atmosphere seems the same as usual, though.
"Yeah."
He says it’s our house.
So, I guess it is.
"Everything around here is different. This is our house, but it’s strange."
I thought I knew the area well.
But something’s different.
It feels oddly like home, but also not.
It’s strange.
"This is our neighborhood now."
"Yeah."
If Shihu says so, then I guess it is.
It doesn’t really matter.
I hum a song with no lyrics as we walk out the door.
"Oh, wait."
Shihu speaks, as if he just remembered something.
We go back into the house.
"Why?"
"Take your medicine... you need to."
"Medicine?"
What kind of medicine is he talking about?
I’m not sick.
Not at all.
Is it medicine for me?
"It’s for a cold. You need to prevent it."
He hands me the medicine.
"I’m not sick. Is this from the relief center?"
"Relief center... yeah."
Shihu’s mood is more subdued than usual.
Something’s different.
"Why? Are you worried about something?"
I ask with a smile.
Shihu’s acting strangely today.
"Sorry. There’s nothing to worry about."
"Why are you sorry?"
There’s no reason to be sorry.
"Everything’s weird today. Something’s off."
"Nothing is weird."
Okay.
If that’s what he says, then it must be true.
Everything’s normal.
"Yeah. Nothing’s weird."
He smiles brightly.
Shihu looks at me with a slightly surprised expression.
It seems like he feels a lot of guilt.
But nothing is weird.
"Oh, right. I remember what we did yesterday. We played treasure hunt. Where did you put the stuff we found yesterday?"
The treasure was just a glass shard from the playground sandbox.
Or a torn piece of cloth, maybe a can lid.
It’s fun collecting things like that.
If you think of them as treasures, they are treasures.
If you call them gems, they become gems.
"Treasure hunt... Ah, that...?"
"I think I put them in the drawer."
"Ah, wait, don’t open it."
"Okay. Got it."
Shihu must have kept the treasures well, so there’s no need to check them.
"Then let’s do treasure hunting again today."
It’s just continuing the game we played yesterday.
But it’s so strange.
"But yesterday was summer."
Today is winter.
The seasons change so quickly, huh?
I didn’t know.
"...Well, whatever. Let’s go out and play."
It’s a normal day.
Except for the fact that Shihu doesn’t seem very happy.
It’s as normal as can be.
"I need to take medicine."
"I’m not sick. The relief center even told me not to take any random medicine."
"It’s for prevention. Here."
A pill.
A cup of water.
"That, that."
I can’t take it.
I can’t take that pill.
The medicine...
I can’t take pills.
"I... I can’t swallow pills... you know."
It’s difficult.
That’s why I only take powdered medicine.
"Ah."
Shihu stands there for a moment, dazed.
Did he forget?
I feel disappointed.
But it’s okay.
I got a necklace as a gift today.
There’s nothing to be upset about.
"Anyway, let’s go to the relief center later and get some more. It’s not urgent. Right?"
Nothing’s urgent.
It’s just a peaceful day.