"Huh?"
She looks at me strangely.
She tilts her head, still not understanding.

"This is Si-Hoo's room, right? Ah? Or is it not?"

She keeps checking the room number in confusion.
She tightly clutches the paper bag in her hand.
What should I do in this situation?
It feels tiresome to explain anything.

[2 hours 11 minutes]

I could have slept for at least another hour.
I feel a bit tired.
If I use the medicine, I might wake up.

"I'm sorry! I think I came to the wrong house."

She apologizes with a slightly dazed expression.
I can always play with Si-Hoo later.
Are there really kids who cling like this even during break?
That must be annoying.

"Ah, um."

"The dormitory has been changed, right? You’re the new resident..."

"Ah, that’s..."

I don’t know how to explain.
My mind isn’t working well.
This must all be happening because the medicine is wearing off.

"Yes?"

I have arrived as a new resident.
I’ll probably be enrolling in the academy soon.

"Si-Hoo is still sleeping... If you give me the gift, I can deliver it for you."

Is this the best option?
After explaining, it sounds a bit odd.
The girl is staring at me with a dazed expression.

Is she disappointed that her plan has fallen through?
If things had gone normally, Si-Hoo would have come out to greet her.
He would probably have started chatting while handing over the gift.
Si-Hoo might have told her to rest a bit in the dormitory.
Or maybe they would have gone out for a quick conversation.

It’s the typical story where the heroine visits the protagonist’s house.
But I’m here now.
I’m sorry that I’m not dead yet.

"Ah...?"

Her expression shows that her mind isn’t catching up with the situation.
My mind isn’t working well either, so it’s hard to explain.
If I just throw out a question, she might answer.
Is she imagining something on her own?
The longer the silence drags on, the more I feel like misunderstandings are growing.

"Ah, um. This is..."

I point at the gift.
Am I trying to explain why I’m giving this gift?

"This is... um, from before, that..."

My ears turn red.
It’s cute, but I don’t know what I want to say.
I mentioned it was a thank you for what happened last time.
I’m curious about what happened.

"I'm sorry!"

She says that and runs toward the stairs, still holding the gift.

Thud.

She closed the door.
I don’t know what to do now.
I put the paper bag on the table.
I’m not particularly curious about what’s inside.
Maybe it’s some snacks.
As long as I can use the medicine, that’s all that matters.

[2 hours 8 minutes]

Should I just wake him up now?
Not using the medicine is like having delicious food laid out in front of me and not eating it.
I’m quite hungry right now.

But, as a person, I should be able to endure my hunger.
That’s how it is.

If I were home, I could use the medicine as I please.
I left some medicine behind.
I need to bring it.

"...Ah."

I laugh at the absurdity of it all.
When did I start living my life only thinking about medicine?
Medicine is...
Just medicine?
No, medicine is a good thing.
It exists for all my treatments.

[2 hours 7 minutes]

Time is dragging.
I want to use the medicine.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like I need to use it.
I’m fully awake now.

But there are still 2 hours of medicine left.
It’s too early.
I’m not feeling too bad either.
I shouldn’t use too much medicine.

Let’s hold out just a bit longer.
But I feel like I’ve already held out enough.
Damn it.

[1 hour 30 minutes]

I hit the mark and opened my mouth right away.
I think I’ve waited long enough.

"Si-Hoo."

Can I use the medicine now?
Just tell me where you put it, and I’ll handle it myself.
Without it, I’m in a bit of trouble.
I didn’t sleep much, and I’m sorry for waking you up.

"Si-Hoo?"

There was a present for you.
It’s from a friend, so I should check it out.
Wake up.

"...Huh?"

"I'm sorry for waking you."

"Seo-A?"

"Yeah?"

Han Si-Hoo raises his body, half-awake.
I feel bad for not letting him rest.
I know it’s painful not to sleep.
I’m well aware of that, but I need to use the medicine.

"...Oh, it’s morning. It’s 7 o'clock."

Even though he just woke up, he quickly shakes off his sleepiness.
Is removing drowsiness one of the protagonist's abilities?
It’s difficult to bring up the medicine right away.
Let’s start with something else.

"Someone came by and left a gift."

"A gift?"

"Yeah."

"For me? When?"

Just now.

"A girl with long black hair tied in a braid. A friend?"

"...Is it Yeon-Hwa? A friend from the academy."

I’ve heard the name Yeon-Hwa before.
My memories are a bit hazy, but it’s definitely one of the heroines.

"I heard knocking, so I went out to receive it instead."

"I see. If I had woken up, I would have gone."

"I didn’t wake you because you were sleeping. The gift bag is on the table."

Should I ask what happened?
No, it might not matter.
As a protagonist, he would have helped someone in need.

"You have a lot of close friends."

Receiving gifts and everything.
I’m jealous since I don’t have many close friends.
Are friends easily made at the academy?

"I don’t, um..."

I don’t have many friends.
I only have one.
And that one disappeared completely before being restored.
Should I count the doctor as a friend?
No, that doesn’t fit either.

"I think I have none but you. Ha..."

None at all.
Pathetically so.
Why is my network of friends like this?
It’s probably because I’ve been stuck in the slums.
Han Si-Hoo is silent, as if in agreement.

"I'm sorry for being such a pitiful friend."

"I’m sure you’ll make friends at the academy."

"Of course. You’re kinder than I am, so you’ll have plenty of friends."

Han Si-Hoo responds.
His expression seems a bit odd.

"And about that gift, it’s because I helped you with a minor issue before. It doesn’t really mean anything."

Why is he making excuses?
The meaning doesn’t matter.
A gift is a gift; with someone like Han Si-Hoo, he’ll probably receive many more in the future.
That’s not something I need to worry about.
Let’s just get to the point.

"Yeah, but Si-Hoo..."

"Huh?"

"Can you give me the medicine?"

[1 hour 25 minutes]

It’s time to get the medicine.

"Ah, yeah."

Han Si-Hoo takes a box from a high shelf.
Inside the box are several pens.
But they look like syringes that resemble pens.

"You only use one at a time."

"Okay."

There’s also a paper with instructions.
So this medicine is produced in a systematic manner.

When I open the end of the pen, there’s a sharp needle inside.
It’s a product that doesn’t matter where it’s inserted.

This is the first time I’m using it in front of Han Si-Hoo.
Well, it should be fine.
I’m sure I’ll see it plenty of times in the future.

Thud.

This is something new.
A new experience.
Yeah.

[6 hours 23 minutes]

"...Ugh."

It’s applied.
The time is too short.
It doesn’t feel ineffective.
My mind becomes clearer.
Objects come back into focus.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

I feel a lot better.
But it’s still not a great feeling.
There’s something different from what the doctor gave me.

"...I’m sorry."

"Why?"

"I’m sorry. Just..."

Han Si-Hoo apologizes.
Is he sorry for not giving me good medicine?
I know where the good medicine is.
I’m well aware of it.
It’s at home.

"Si-Hoo, I want to go outside."

I want to bring back the medicine left at home.

"Outside?"

"It’s fine if I go alone..."

I can’t keep bothering him.
I need to solve my own problems.

"No."

Han Si-Hoo firmly refuses.

"Why?"

"First of all, it’s too dangerous. You don’t have any basic means of communication."

"Is that so?"

"Oh, right. Seo-A, did you lose your phone? You haven’t been able to receive calls."

"Phone?"

Her tone seems slightly resentful as she mentions that I haven’t been receiving calls.
But was there a way to receive calls?
If I had a way to communicate, I wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble just to see Si-Hoo.

"Did I have one? A phone? For me?"

I think I did.
It seems I couldn’t use it well because charging was difficult.

"What?"

"Ah, yeah. I think I sold it. Yeah."

Her tone sounds scary.
Please don’t get angry.

[6 hours 12 minutes]

When I’m scared, time flies quickly.
This is not good.

I have memories of Yu Seo-A communicating with Si-Hoo over the phone.
It seems I sold it because I needed money.
But I should have kept the phone until the very end.
Well, I was short on money.

"I see."

Han Si-Hoo’s expression darkens.
Is he upset that I sold the phone he bought for me?

"Anyway, can I go out?"

"No."

"I want to go home."

I need to go get my medicine.
The medicine I’m using now has effects, but it doesn’t feel as good as the one the doctor gave me.
I want to bring back the medicine I left at home.
Even though I received it for free from the doctor, it’s expensive, so it would be a shame to just throw it away.

"...Why do you want to go home?"

Am I not allowed to go home?
It’s my house.
Even if I’m a student at the academy, going out should be somewhat free, right?

"Uh, I have some medicine I used to take."

"Medicine?"

"Yeah. I bought it with money, so it feels wasteful to leave it behind..."

It’s quite expensive.
The effects will likely be much better than what I’m using now.

"...Home is too far. Unless you’re in a normal state, I’m sorry."

So they won’t let me outside if it’s not a close place.
My home is a bit far from the academy.

In any case, the important thing is the medicine at my home.
If Han Si-Hoo is preventing me from going outside, there’s nothing I can do.
Someone has to go to my house and bring back the medicine for me.

Who will go instead?
Looking for someone to go in my place, there’s only one option.

"Ah, um, then. Si-Hoo, will you go to my house for me?"

"Huh?"

"There’s a medicine bottle on the table at home; please bring it. It’s better than what’s here... please."

Even now, I’m not feeling bad.
The medicine I just used isn’t great; it’s just not as good as what I was using before.
The syringe shaped like a pen isn’t bad either.
It’s convenient to use anywhere.
But right now, I need the medicine the doctor gave me.

Han Si-Hoo knows where I live very well.
Better than anyone else.
He should be able to bring back the medicine without any issues.
Unless someone has robbed my house, it should still be on the table.
Given that my house is almost empty, the longer I wait, the more dangerous it gets.
No one is likely to steal it, but still.

"Will you bring it for me?"

Thinking it over, the effects of the medicine I just used seem to be wearing off too quickly.