And so, I became friends with Aris.

Wow, I finally escaped being a loner. Good for you, Lucia.

If only I could just be happy about it.

Let’s get one thing straight first.
I wasn’t a loner because I couldn’t make friends. I was a loner because, like Lucia, I had no intention of making friends. You could call me a voluntary outsider. It hadn’t even been a week since I became Lucia. Adjusting to reality alone was exhausting.

Besides, I have no intention of changing the future.
The "information" I possess, something no one else has, holds endless possibilities. My actions could certainly alter the future. But how can I be sure that would be for the better? Just because the intent is good doesn’t guarantee the outcome will be too.

I already know the right answer—what path is correct and what needs to be done.
But what happens if I foolishly try to improve things and end up on a different path?

I don’t know.
And because I don’t know, I can’t act carelessly.

So, I tried to replicate Lucia’s actions as closely as possible.
Perfectly copying her was impossible, of course. After all, I’m not Lucia.
But I could come close.

I hadn’t planned on getting close to Eugene until summer break.
I hadn’t planned on getting close to the heroines or other classmates until the second semester.
Because that’s what Lucia did, I planned to do the same.

Alright, let’s be honest.
I didn’t think things through.

If I had truly intended to follow Lucia’s steps exactly, I shouldn’t have helped Aris. But could I really ignore a girl who fell right in front of me and just walk away? My conscience wouldn’t allow it, and as a result, I ended up forming a connection with Aris.

Oh well, what’s done is done.
I shouldn’t think too negatively about it. Even if I unintentionally interfered with Eugene and Aris’s first meeting—or rather, their first interaction since they already knew each other by sight—they’ll still grow close quickly.

The story of Dawn’s Blade hasn’t even properly started yet.
There are plenty of opportunities for Eugene and the heroines to bond, and Aris has a powerful weapon.
A weapon that’s especially deadly to Eugene.

Eugene has a dead younger sister.
And Aris resembles her.

Eugene wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about Aris.
Every time he sees her, the image of his dead sister will haunt him, making it impossible to ignore her.

From the moment I realized it was impossible to follow Lucia’s actions perfectly, the future was bound to change slightly. All I could do was try to minimize the differences. Yeah, let’s think positively. At least I don’t have to spend the first semester as a loner, right?

Aris genuinely wanted to be friends with me. She was more proactive about it than I expected. When she invited me to eat lunch together, I seriously wondered if Frey was pretending to be Aris.

A girl who used to fear interacting with people mustered up this much courage... Hehe, I’m oddly proud of myself. It turns out that a small act of kindness can give someone the courage to change.

There’s no point crying over spilled milk.
Since it’s already happened, I might as well keep getting along with Aris.
Rejecting her now for the sake of preserving the future would probably lead to even worse results.

Not that I even needed such a calculated reason—
I simply wanted to stay friends with Aris.

Because Aris is just so cute.
Yep, no flaws in that reasoning whatsoever.

Right?

◈

After school.

I read the book Aris recommended in the library.
Of course, I wasn’t alone—I was with Aris.
By the way, I returned most of the books piled up on the desk to her. Unlike Aris, I couldn’t speed-read, so I had no choice.

Judging from the pink cover, I could already tell it was a romance novel focused on love and conflict between men and women. I’d never read this genre before, but it wasn’t bad. The setup of two completely different people meeting by chance, bickering, and gradually growing closer was well done. It’s no wonder Aris recommended it.

But, as with any novel, a crisis inevitably arrived for the main characters.
The male lead, who had supernatural powers, went off to war against monsters and was reported missing. The female lead received news of his death and fell into despair. Unable to endure the grief, she tied a rope to the ceiling, climbed onto a chair, put the noose around her neck, and—

Well, of course, the male lead turned out to be alive, and the female lead barely survived.

I stopped reading there and suddenly remembered something I needed to do. I said goodbye to Aris and left the library.

I hurried back to the dormitory. Hehe, how did I not think of that? Books really are a treasure trove of knowledge. They’re definitely food for the soul. There’s a reason so many great people throughout history have praised books.

I looked around the room.
What I was searching for… yeah, of course it’s not here.

I mean, even if this isn’t an ordinary academy, there’s no way a girl’s dorm room would have something like a rope lying around.
Where could I get a rope? A hardware store, maybe?

But I didn’t know where the hardware store was. I’d spent too much time reading in the library to have any time left to search. By the time I found one, it’d probably already be closed.

What should I do...

It’s too soon to give up.
There’s a saying—if you don’t have teeth, chew with your gums.

I searched for something to use as a substitute. A belt? Too stiff and hard to tie. A necktie? Not bad, but let’s put that aside for now. Stockings? They’d probably tear. A whip? Why do I even have this?

Ah, right.
Lucia didn’t discriminate when it came to weapons. A whip was one of them. It wasn’t particularly useful against monsters, so she never actually used it in battle. She was also terrible at handling it, often hitting herself instead.

I tugged firmly on the leather whip. Yep, it’ll do.
Now to tie it... Wait, how do I tie it?

The book mentioned using an Evans knot for hangings.
The problem is—I don’t know how to make one.

I shouldn’t have rushed. I should’ve checked the library for instructions first.
But it was too late for that. I tied it my own way. After a few attempts, it looked decent enough.

The only question left was where to hang it.
There wasn’t a suitable spot. Should I go outside and tie it to a tree branch? But someone might see me. No way.

I crossed my arms and thought. Should I hammer a nail into the ceiling? But where would I get a nail? After agonizing over it, I noticed the hanging rod in my closet. I took it down and attached it near the doorway.

I stood on a chair and tied the whip.
The length… perfect. If I kicked the chair away, my feet wouldn’t touch the ground.

My heart pounded.
This was my first time trying self-harm—no, a training method—so I was nervous.

Would I be able to breathe? Would my regeneration even work against strangulation?

I don’t know. I’ll find out soon enough.

I slipped the noose around my neck.
After taking a short breath, I kicked the chair away.

“…Urk.”

Gravity pulled me down.
My body dropped.

Instinctively, my hands grabbed the noose around my neck.
My legs flailed in midair, unable to reach the floor.

“Ke, kek… ka… agh…”

Pain… unbearable pain…
I can’t breathe.
My carotid artery is completely crushed.

It hurts.
It was a different kind of pain than anything I had felt before.
My head burned.
The blood flow was cut off, and my brain was starved of oxygen.

My survival instincts screamed at me to breathe, but the air I inhaled never made it past my throat.

The sturdy leather whip dug into my neck.
My skin tore. A sharp, stinging pain wrapped around my throat.

My heartbeat quickened.

Thump. Thump. Thump.
My ears rang.
My thoughts blurred…

Ah, this is bad…

I’m actually going to die───

“Huh, urgh…”

My vision shook.
My eyes burned as if they were about to burst out of their sockets.
Drool soaked my lips.

My knees trembled.
The colors drained from the world.

Ah.
Ahh…

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Save me.
I’m dying.
So this is the weakness of Rapid Regeneration?
If my breathing is completely cut off, regeneration doesn’t work.

Wait.
This has to be a joke.

I’m really dying.
I’m dying.
I’m going to die.

I’m dying…

“Ke… kek… huh, ugh… hehe… uhaha… ugh…”

Why does this feel so good?
My heart’s racing too fast.
I’m terrified, yet it’s euphoric.
I’m frightened, yet it’s exhilarating.

It feels like my brain is rotting in sugar.
Too sweet.
What is this?

“Ah, ugh, kek…”

My skirt was wet.
Something warm trickled down between my legs.

Drip. Drip.

Drops fell to the floor.
My vision flickered with darkness.
The sound of my heartbeat faded.

“…Ah.”

The strength left my hands gripping the leather whip.
My legs, which had been kicking helplessly, went limp.
Blood from my nose reached my half-open lips.

I tasted iron.
But the sensation faded quickly.
Everything was growing faint.

My tightly clenched molars threatened to shatter.
I couldn’t hear my own heartbeat anymore.

Creak.
My body swayed side to side.
Like a pendulum.

Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak…

“Heh, hihih….”

Ah…

I’m happy.

My consciousness faded away.