Reading might be more addictive than I thought.

I accidentally pulled an all-nighter.

They say books are nourishment for the soul, and honestly, I did learn a lot of useful information.

Did you know? The human body has over 200 bones—roughly 206, though it varies slightly from person to person.

And blood vessels? They’re divided into arteries, capillaries, and veins. Arteries are especially important—well, all of them are important, but arteries are deeper inside the body and have higher pressure. Damaging one can be disastrous.

Like when I slit my wrist before. The blood sprayed out like a fountain.

I just laughed it off, but if it had been anyone else, they would’ve bled out and died in minutes. Haha.

I’ve memorized where all the major arteries are.

Next time, I’ll start there.

…Wait, what am I even saying?

Seriously, though. These books were so fascinating that I kept reading and reading.

Before I knew it, the night was gone.

They say meat tastes better the more you chew it, and books are the same.

Even without any sleep, I felt completely fine.

That’s the great thing about supernatural ability users—our stamina is on a whole different level compared to regular people.

And since I have Rapid Regeneration, my stamina is even more reliable.

I could probably keep going for days without a problem.

Early dawn, before the sun had fully risen.

To verify the information I read, I dislocated my shoulder and left arm.

It hurt.

Then I fractured my bones.

Swelling formed immediately, so I pressed down hard.

My vision went white, and I couldn’t make a sound.

When pain reaches a certain point, people can’t even scream—they just gasp and choke.

For the first time, I stabbed a knife into my chest.

The fat under the skin was more of a barrier than I expected.

But thanks to the book, I aimed directly at a blood vessel, and hot blood burst out.

I let it sit for a moment, and my heart actually stopped.

Ah, that was close.

I almost crossed over to the other side because I suppressed my regeneration too much.

Thank you, survival instincts.

By the time I finished experimenting, it was already time for school.

Damn. There were still so many things I wanted to test.

What would it feel like to pull out a rib while still alive?

How strong is my skull? How much force would it take to crack it open?

I wouldn’t die even if my neck was severed, but what if I left it detached?

Would my head grow back?

And what about the severed head?

I’m curious.

So curious.

Lucia, what have you been doing this whole time?

You should’ve tested these things at least once.

You need to push the limits of Rapid Regeneration.

…Although, even if Lucia did try it, I wouldn’t know since I don’t have her memories.

Hehe.

There’s so much I want to try, but what I’m most curious about is fire.

I can’t forget that crimson glow Eugene created.

But testing fire in the dorm is risky.

Burning flesh would create too much smoke and smell.

And with all these hypersensitive ability users around, getting caught would be inevitable.

I’ll have to sneak off campus to try it.

“…Hehe, maybe I’m getting carried away.”

It wasn’t until the third alarm rang that I snapped out of it.

No, no. This isn’t right.

I’m different from Lucia.

I don’t crave pain.

I don’t enjoy it.

It’s not fun.

I’m just… curious, that’s all.

This is for training purposes.

Really.

Supernatural abilities get stronger the more you use them.

I’m just focusing on improving my regeneration.

Lucia is considered weak for someone in the Golden Generation.

Her fighting style relies on tanking damage and using her healing ability to keep going.

To survive the incidents coming up, improving my regeneration is essential.

…Yeah, sure.

I mean, it’d be a lie to say I’m not a little interested.

But unlike Lucia, I’m a rational person.

I know how to set boundaries.

At least I don’t go for nighttime strolls wearing nothing but a trench coat, right?

I’m not a pervert.

That’s something only Lucia, who’s a masochist to the core, would do.

Haha.

But I’m normal.

Even if I do self-harm, I wouldn’t do something like that.

…

Wait.

…Should I try it?

That’d be so humiliating.

Just imagining it is making my face burn.

My heart started pounding for a completely different reason this time.

I mean… it wouldn’t hurt to try it for a few minutes, right?

Just a quick walk in the dark, empty night.

That’s not so bad, is it?

It could even be refreshing.

“Hehe… Ehehe…”

Ah.

I drooled.

The saliva mixed with the blood on the floor, forming little bubbles.

A trench coat… do I even have one?

Oh.

There it is.

And what’s this?

A collar?

Why do I have this?

I only just noticed it.

I unfolded the brown trench coat.

It was well-maintained—clean, without any wrinkles.

I sniffed it.

No musty smell.

Good.

I swallowed nervously and reached for the collar.

It was dark red leather.

As my fingertips brushed against it—

Beep!

The fourth alarm went off.

I flinched and yanked my hand away from the collar.

I shoved the trench coat back into the closet and slammed the door shut.

“…What the hell am I doing?”

Thank God I set multiple alarms.

Lucia’s body really is too in tune with its desires.

No wonder Lucia both despised herself and couldn’t resist her instincts.

At least it’s me in this body now.

If it were Lucia herself, she might not have made it to school today.

I shook my head hard to clear my thoughts.

I didn’t have time to dwell on this.

If I didn’t move now, I’d be late for class.

I hurried to clean up.

I thought about leaving it for later, but blood stains are harder to clean once they dry.

I must be getting used to this—I finished faster than expected.

Looks like I won’t have to run to avoid being late.

Still, I moved quickly, just in case.

After putting on my uniform, I stood by the door.

My gaze almost drifted back to the closet, but I forced it down.

Breakfast?

Hehe, skipped it again.

I’ll just grab some toast and eat on the way.

Wait.

A high school girl running to school with toast in her mouth?

That’s kind of heroine-like, isn’t it?

Oh, right.

I am the heroine.

*****

I didn’t bump into the protagonist while running to school with toast in my mouth.

I arrived on time and slipped into the classroom just before the bell rang.

Not even a drop of sweat.

Supernatural ability users really are built differently.

Feeling oddly proud of my enhanced stamina, I walked to my seat—only to find my desk buried under a mountain of books.

“…Huh?”

What’s this?

Is this some kind of new bullying tactic?

Bullying? At the academy?

Was this some petty prank by a classmate to tell me, “You’re dumb, so go read a book”?

I didn’t remember Lucia ever being bullied.

And if they were going to bully someone, they should at least do it properly. Like putting thumbtacks on my chair or something.

Then I’d just sit down without a word and pretend not to notice.

Wait, what am I even thinking?

While I stood there, staring at the pile of books and contemplating, the culprit approached.

“U-um…”

“…Aris?”

To my surprise, it was Aris.

No way. Aris, the main heroine, was bullying me?

This couldn’t be real.

Was she going to follow this up by firing a laser beam at me?

Was the academy’s strongest firepower about to roast me alive?

I looked at her with faint anticipation, but Aris just fidgeted with her fingers nervously.

“Th-th-this is… t-to p-pay you b-back f-for y-yesterday…”

…Right.

Obviously, it was nothing like what I imagined.

Of course Aris wouldn’t do something like that.

And calling this bullying just because my desk was covered in books? That was way too dramatic.

“L-Lucia, do you… l-like b-books? S-so I…”

She trailed off, stammering so much it was hard to follow, but I got the gist of it.

She was trying to repay me for helping her yesterday.

And judging by the sheer number of books, she must’ve recommended the ones she found most interesting.

Maybe she brought so many because she didn’t know what I’d like?

Hehe. Aris really was adorable.

“W-would it… b-be okay… if y-you… t-tried reading t-these…?”

Aris wasn’t usually this forward.

Was Frey behind this?

“L-Lucia…?”

Frey—Aris’s other personality.

That’s right.

Aris had dissociative identity disorder.

Her alter ego, Frey, was the complete opposite of her—assertive and bold.

Frey adored Aris and often acted to protect her.

Did Frey push Aris into trying to make a friend?

Was that why this happened?

“U-um…”

This could be a problem.

Shouldn’t she be doing this with Eugene, not me?

And this was the exact approach she’d used on him in the original story.

Why was she acting out Eugene’s role with me instead?

“…Ah. Sorry. I spaced out for a second.”

Maybe she thought I was ignoring her.

Aris’s eyes filled with tears, and I panicked.

I was overthinking again.

What was I doing?

Aris was basically a baby. She needed to be protected.

“Are you recommending these books?”

“Y-yes…! I-I d-didn’t kn-know w-what y-you’d l-like, s-so…”

“So you brought a bunch, just in case.”

I was right.

I picked up the book at the top of the stack.

Judging by the cover, it was a romance novel.

Perfect.

I’d just spent the entire night rediscovering the joys of reading.

Sure, this genre was completely different from the books I read yesterday, but reading was still a great hobby.

Especially at night.

Reading under dim lights always made my eyes ache.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy reading them.”

“R-really?!”

Aris’s face lit up like a sunflower blooming toward the sun.

Her smile was so bright it made me smile, too.