A long, long day has come to an end.  
Just being with Shihu was nice.  
There weren’t any special gains, but it felt like we had grown closer.  
I felt really good.

Ding.

That was before the message arrived.

I don’t know who is messing around with my annoying past.  
It’s a past I’ve forgotten.  
It’s all over.

I still haven’t watched the video.  
There’s no need to.  
No matter what happens to her, it’s not my fault.

I tried my best to keep my promise.  
I did everything I could to get her out of the lab, but I just failed.  
It’s not my responsibility.

I know I’m not living up to the name of the saint.  
But that’s just because of my white hair and the treatment I received, which earned me that title.  
It doesn’t mean anything.

“…Ugh…”  
It’s annoying.  
This is why I hate meeting people.  
It’s really bothersome to get pestering texts too.  
I don’t understand why someone is doing this.

Still, I guess I need to check.

What could the message be?  
This time it’s a photo instead of a link.

“A photo of Shihu…?”

It shows two people in academy uniforms.  
Shihu and a girl wearing an eye patch beside him.  
They’re captured in a photo, eating together.

“…Huh?”  
I play the video.  
It shows a girl sitting in a chair.  
It’s the same person.

In fact, I didn’t need to confirm the video.  
She looks just like the girl in my memories.  
I just want to deny it with all my might.  
I think if I deny it hard enough, it will disappear.

“Why is she with Shihu…?”

It’s been about two months since I met Shihu.  
Honestly, we’re not that close.  
We’re definitely not close enough to dig into the past.  
We had just started to get to know each other.

Ding.

- Shihu is friends with Seo Ah.

“Friends?”

I send a reply.

-Who are you?

Who could it be?  
Someone who would do something like this.  
Why are they bringing this up now after so long?  
How do they know about Shihu’s past?

I hate it.  
I don’t even want to think about old times.

Still, there are things that need to be confronted head-on.  
Avoiding everything won’t solve anything.

“Yeah, I could just… watch the video.”  
I really don’t want to see it.  
The video was recorded six months ago.  
It’s a miracle that she was still alive back then.  
She should have died long ago.

Especially since it’s related to Shihu, it makes things even worse.  
My head feels confused.  
The thing I hate most is bringing up the past.

I see the girl sitting in the chair, Seo Ah.  
There’s a single chair in an empty room.  
It doesn’t look like a place where experiments are conducted.

“There’s no sound.”  
Being a surveillance camera, that’s a given.  
I should at least be thankful that it’s a video with color.

After a moment, a person who looks like a researcher comes in.  
The researcher gestures for her to follow.  
Seo Ah follows him.  
And then she disappears from the screen.

Nothing but the chair is visible.  
I feel an inexplicable anxiety.

“What’s going on…”  
The camera angle is awkward.  
It doesn’t show the whole room, which is frustrating.  
Something is happening out of the frame.  
There’s blood splattered.  
From the direction the researcher took Seo Ah.

And it stays that way.  
It takes about three minutes of video playback before something changes.

It seems someone is walking back.  
A shadow of a person appears.

Seo Ah comes back into view.  
Covering one eye with her hand, she stumbles as she looks for the chair.

“Uh…”  
After feeling around, she finds the chair.  
She struggles to sit down because the chair is positioned awkwardly.  
With her head lowered, she sits down.

And then nothing happens.  
I can’t tell what has happened to her.

They must have sent this video on purpose.  
But why?

“Ha…”  
Did she injure her eyes?  
That’s unfortunate.  
So what?  
What am I supposed to do?  
It’s all in the past.  
I could just bury it.

- But are you that desperate? The drug you took was your choice, wasn’t it?

A conversation I had with Seo Ah comes to mind.

- No. Choice? No, it was, but… no.  
I said it while laughing.

The Seo Ah in the video is also smiling.  
Even with her eyes covered, she’s smiling.

Why?  
Why is she smiling?

- So, what will you do when you’re healed?

- I’ll play with my friends.

She smiled again.  
I wondered who that friend was, was it Shihu?  
It must be.

I don’t understand.  
What did Shihu like about being friends with this drug addict?  
Damn it.  
Damn it.  
Damn it.  
Damn it.

Thud.

A needle pierces my arm.  
I feel at ease.  
I calm down a bit.

In truth, I can’t really criticize her for being a drug addict.  
I use it sometimes too.

Ah, right.  
We do resemble each other.  
That girl Seo Ah and I.

I’m grateful she’s there.  
If she weren’t, I might have been in that position.

My mind clears.  
I feel more relaxed.

“Hmm. That’s a strange hairstyle.”  
Is it just slightly longer than a bob cut?  
Well, considering it’s a lab, I guess they can’t maintain their hair properly...

“Does Shihu like bobs?”  
Maybe my hair has grown too long.  
Next time, I should change my style.

The video is still playing.  
But I don’t care.

Whether blood is smeared around her eyes or she coughs up cigarette butts,  
I don’t care.  
After all, she probably died by now.  
If it comes to it, I’ll take care of everything.

With Shihu, I’ll be more useful than her.

There’s no way anything would change from a video like this.  
I have a rough idea of who sent it.

Shihu was friends with her.  
Well, that could be useful somehow.

-I’ll contact you later.

It’s a message from Shihu.

- If you find out anything or if anything happens, let me know.

Looking at the message, it’s a very businesslike attitude.  
But things will change now.  
I think I might not be able to forget Seo Ah.  
If that’s the case, I’ll go find her together.

That’s it.  
I can just go find her together.  
I can say I’ll help her.

Should I just send the video to Shihu?  
We’ll look for Seo Ah together.  
Even if we can’t find her, we’ll stick together during the search.

If it’s confirmed she’s dead… well, that’s unfortunate.  
Then I can comfort Shihu and we can grow closer.  
It’s a perfect plan.

I don’t attend the academy, so I don’t know the details.  
I don’t know how things have turned out.  
I want to hear about the past.  
No, I have to.

How?  
There are clearly parts where they avoid mentioning the past.  
Should I just ask casually, as if I noticed something with the saint’s abilities?

Yeah, I was too hasty.  
If I ask how Shihu knew about Seo Ah’s connection, it would be hard to answer.  
And asking how she knew Seo Ah would be the same.  
Hmm.

If I think carefully, I might come up with an answer.  
Will they not send me more videos?

No, to be honest, I didn’t intend to use this against her.  
I meant to save her.

They told me to hold on for a month.  
That they could cure even severe drug addiction.  
But I didn’t know where she was.  
I’ve searched all the labs I know.  
Since I didn’t find her, I thought she was dead.

“…Could she still be alive?”  
If that’s the case, she really is resilient.  
Well, experiments are experiments.  
They might not have pushed her to death.

“Hmm…”  
What if Seo Ah meets Shihu while still alive?  
That might be tricky.  
It would be direct evidence that I’m involved.

“No way.”  
The video is from six months ago.  
Even if she’s not dead, there’s no way she’d be sane.  
My mind is spinning.

“…Ha, ha. This is so annoying.”  
I still can’t figure it out.  
Why was Shihu friends with a drug addict like her?  
I don’t understand.

Hmm.  
Should I change my hairstyle first?  
Into a bob.

Good.  
I’ll make it as similar to Seo Ah as possible—no, but if it’s too obvious, wouldn’t they notice?  
Let’s cut it to a moderate length.  
And while I’m at it, I’ll bring up Seo Ah’s story naturally.

Shihu has a lot of girls around him.  
But it doesn’t seem like he has any special feelings for them.  
Was it because of Seo Ah?

What could the sender of the message be thinking?  
Are they trying to make me feel guilty?  
Of course,

 it’s sad.  
But there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Should I just ask on the phone?”  
Let’s do that.

Ring.

I dial the number that sent the message.  
I think to myself why I didn’t think of this sooner.  
I should have done this much earlier.

Ah.  
They picked up.

“Hello?”  
<Yes.>

A girl’s voice?

“Who are you to send me this?”  
<Ah, is this the saint?>  

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
<Well, can you please help Seo Ah?>

“Huh?”  
<She must still be trapped in the lab.>

“Who are you, and why should I…?”  
But wait, is this someone I can trust?  
They seem to know everything and sent videos and photos.  
Maybe it could be a good opportunity.

<Seo Ah is probably just waiting for you.>

The voice is oddly flat.  
Who could this be?  
It could just be voice modulation or something.

“…Where do I need to go?”  
<I sent you the address.>

“Okay, but… Ha… is she really alive?”  
<Yes. So please save her.>

“I got it. I’ll do my best… but where did you get the videos and photos? Do you have more?”  
<Oh, I can send you more if you’d like.>

“You’re… an insider from the facility, aren’t you?”  
<Something like that, yes.>

I don’t know who it is.  
But they’re probably trying to capture me.  
The title of the saint is really easy to target.

But if I’m with Shihu, wouldn’t it be okay?  
That’s what I think.  
Even if I get caught, wouldn’t Shihu find a way to save me?

“Okay. I understand. I just have to go save her.”  
It’s amusing.  
I can’t help but smile.

<Yes.>  
The call ends.  
Did they laugh?  
I don’t know what they’re doing, but it’s entertaining.

Anyway, it’s good.  
Now I have a solid reason to get involved with Shihu.

Is this some kind of trap?  
It could be.  
Are they trying to capture me?

Ding.

A text arrives with the address.  
I need to go outside the city.  
It’s quite a distance.

Well, that’s good.  
I feel happy that I might get to travel with Shihu.  
Will another opportunity like this come again?

Even if it’s true that Seo Ah is alive, I guess I can figure that part out.  
Ah, my mood has improved a bit.  
It’s been about two weeks since I last used the drug.  
It felt good to use it after such a long time.

“Hmm… what should I say to Shihu?”  
Let me think.  
I need a good excuse.

“I’ll just say I found some documents while I was raiding a government facility? That sounds good. Yeah.”  
Let’s go with that.

“I heard there’s a girl who looks like your friend… and then… hmm… yeah. That sounds good.”  
I want to stick with Shihu for as long as possible.  
It’s too hasty to just go straight to the address.  
Hmm.

As I think about it more, I come up with a plausible plan.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”  
Perfect.