If this were an Academy story, this would be the point before the main story begins. Since it's still vacation, I haven't attended any lectures yet. Yet I've already found myself in a crisis. As expected from a world inside a crazy, bleak, dark fantasy novel, the life of a transmigrator isn't easy.
I mentally flipped off Author Senna, who created this world, and spoke with a strained voice.
"...So?"
"So what?"
"What if, as you say, I was just fumbling around trying to get close to you? What if there was another reason? What if there was no reason at all? The fact remains that I unjustly bullied you. Are you going to laugh and play friends with me now? Are you that thick-skinned, or do you have no pride?"
After eliminating the options one by one, this was the only choice I had left.
[ [Choice 4. Let's become someone he doesn't want to associate with by scraping his pride raw.] ]
It would be difficult to completely erase the grudge this possessed body built up in the past, but I was prepared for that from the start. So it's enough if I can avoid the Reading Friend Ending without making the Original Protagonist feel deceived.
"Isn't that something you, the one who bullied me, shouldn't be saying?"
I could feel a slight edge in Reisir's voice as he spoke pointedly. Of course he'd be displeased. Hearing such words from the perpetrator would make it seem like I'm feigning concern. But later, when he thinks back on my words, he'll be glad he didn't get swept up in the heat of the moment and become friends with Karvaldr.
"If you're unhappy about it, you should have conducted yourself properly, so that these words wouldn't come out of my mouth."
When I said that, Reisir glared at me with narrowed eyes. He seemed genuinely resentful. But seeing as he just clenched his lips tightly and couldn't say anything, he must have been at a loss for words, with nothing to retort.
"I was being completely serious when I said I won't bully you anymore. So from now on, enjoy your academy life at ease. If our classes overlap and we run into each other in the lecture room, let's just treat each other like we're not there. It would be even better if you could just erase me from your memory forever."
"......"
"That's all I have to say. You don't seem to have anything to say either, so I'll be on my way."
I hastily declared the conversation over and turned around. And as I walked toward the dormitory, I heard Reisir let out a scoff behind me. It seems he's suffering from a temporary bout of speechlessness.
Since Reisir lives in the same dormitory building, I was worried he might follow me. Thankfully, the only footsteps echoing in the hallway were mine. Well, given our recent conversation, he probably wouldn't want to walk with me in a way that looks like he's trailing me.
Thinking that, I didn't let my guard down. I quickened my pace until I reached my room.
"The semester hasn't even started, and what a day. On the first day of arriving at the Academy, seriously..."
Even though I knew no one was following me, I let out a sigh and locked the door as soon as I entered the room.
I don't know if checking the Novel Section was good or bad. My head was a mess, my heart felt heavy, and a sigh escaped me automatically. What I need right now is healing, and the being that can give it to me is still curled up inside a hard eggshell. But sometimes, the feeling that someone is listening can be a great comfort. The tangled skein of complicated thoughts often gets sorted out as you slowly unravel them by talking.
So I just hugged the Familiar Egg, went to bed, and lay down.
Lying on the bed in my outdoor clothes goes against my principles. Even if it wasn't clearly visible, it was obvious that dust had accumulated on the bedding during the vacation. I'd have to strip and replace the duvet and pillow anyway, so I figured I didn't need to be too particular.
"Hey, Familiar, do you know who I met at the library just now? I met the Original Protagonist, Reisir. It seems he wants to make me his reading friend. I guess my suspicion was right. This possessed body was originally a character who was supposed to turn over a new leaf and become the protagonist's friend. So Reisir was a character who could forgive him..."
What if public opinion hadn't been so bad, and the two characters had become friends in the original story? They still wouldn't have read books together and shared their impressions. Karvaldr probably would have felt sorry for his past actions and been reborn as a pushover supporting character, showering the protagonist with things using his family's authority and wealth.
'Then, when Reisir got involved with a real person of power, someone far more capable than the half-baked young master Karvaldr, Karvaldr would have been written out of the novel by death.'
The reading friend position is in a much worse situation. With Demon Realms popping up everywhere and the world becoming a dangerous place, if the protagonist were to leisurely read novels and play around, could you even call it a dark, bleak fantasy? In the first place, the original story never mentioned that Reisir liked novels.
In short, the protagonist's reading friend is nothing more than 'a useless character that needs to be disposed of quickly.'
"There's no rule saying that will continue to apply now that I'm here, but... Still, this is the world of the merciless 《NaSE》, isn't it...?"
I rolled over on my side and hugged the Familiar Egg tightly. As I did so, I thought I could faintly feel a weak pulse from the egg.
Was it because of that? The fear I had been suppressing without realizing it burst forth between my teeth.
"I really want to live... or rather, I don't want to die again. The moment of death was just an instant, but the memory and feeling of how scary and painful it was remain. To the point where this new life feels like a punishment rather than an opportunity... I'm so, so afraid of the death that's to come."
Just thinking about that time made my body tremble, and my eyes squeezed shut. Why on earth did I have to end up in this novel where the weight of death is so incredibly light?
"I hate it so much when people close to me die, too..."
I don't have a father. Instead, I had a mother who loved me with all her heart, so much that I never felt the absence of a father.
...I 'had'.
How painful was it when I had to let go of my mother, who was my everything?
Having experienced both my own death and the death of a loved one, the world of 《NaSE》 became an especially cruel and frightening place for me. The thought, 'I should never have read this damn novel,' constantly crossed my mind.
"So I'm never going to get involved with the Original Protagonist! ...but transmigrator characters who vow that always end up getting involved with the Original Protagonist. Is this going to be okay?"
The moment I voiced my resolution, a related cliché suddenly came to mind, and my anxiety soared. Damn this occupational hazard.
"Sigh, what am I even saying, hugging an unborn child... I'm sorry. I'll stop talking about dying now."
I don't know if the Familiar was listening to me, but I rubbed my cheek against the smooth surface of the egg and apologized again.
In any case, the apology was done. Reisir didn't say he forgave me, but his grudge seemed to have been diluted somewhat. All that remained was to keep my promise not to bully him until the day the Original Protagonist quits the Academy.
This was actually a very easy task.
Because leaving him alone literally meant doing nothing. Bullying someone required much more effort.
"That aside... Why do web novels from my world exist here in physical book form? In the case of my third ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) novel, it's not even published as an e-book yet. Only individual chapters have been uploaded online. Familiar, what do you think about this? Huh?"
No answer came. Since it wasn't born yet and remained in its egg, and since the original story established that Familiars couldn't speak human language, this was only natural.
Therefore, I continued my monologue, undeterred by the Familiar's continued silence.
"Could it be related to my transmigration into this world? But that seems unlikely, since there are many other authors' novels here, and it's not like all of them have been transmigrated into this novel. If so, it might just be a simple MacGuffin element..."
I muttered that unconsciously, then shook my head.
Nothing is certain yet, so I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Once I define it in my head like that, I'm bound to miss something.
"But do all the web novels that were being serialized where I lived exist here as physical books?"
It seems I'll have to check the library's novel section again tomorrow. I should also go outside the Academy and visit a bookstore.
"Ah, come to think of it, I should eat dinner soon. Should I just go out now instead of putting it off until tomorrow?"
Since Valhalla Academy is a boarding school, it naturally has a campus cafeteria. According to the descriptions in the original story, you could choose from foods from all over the world, and it was said to be excellent in taste.
After Karvaldr dumped food on his head, Reisir thought he'd rather eat in peace and never set foot in there again.
Anyway, I can't use that campus cafeteria right now. There are students who can't go home because of remedial classes, like the protagonist, but it's closed because of the vacation. Even the convenience store wasn't open during the vacation. So for the next week, I'll have to go all the way to the commercial district outside the academy just to eat.
"It's annoying and a waste of time."
I calmly estimated the amount of work I had to do and the knowledge I needed to memorize before the semester starts. Then I got up and checked how much dust had accumulated on the bed frame.
Skipping one meal won't be a big deal, but if I don't clean now, I'll be sleeping with dust tonight.
"Yeah, I can eat tomorrow."
If Korean readers were to see this decision of mine, they'd object, saying, 'What do you mean?! Tomorrow's meal and today's meal are different!'
Isn't there a saying that in Korea, even web novel characters are serious about food? So when I wrote novels, I reflected this by making sure my protagonists ate well. A healing novel protagonist who skips meals is like a hot iced americano or a cold hot chocolate.
But me, the author, eating well is a different story.
"Today, I'll clean, wash up, practice Karvaldr's handwriting style by writing down the contents of the original story, and if I have time, I'll study a bit before going to sleep."
I muttered, 'Busy, busy!' and got up from the bed, bustling about.
It's true that I'm doing this partly as an excuse, but I'm genuinely busy, so it's not a lie.
