I almost died.
If the hanging rod hadn’t broken, I’d probably still be dangling there.

Yeah, that was definitely a productive experience. I discovered a weakness in Rapid Regeneration, didn’t I?
No matter how quickly I can heal from any wound, strangulation renders me helpless.
Without oxygen—more precisely, without blood flowing to my brain—my consciousness was instantly cut off.

But at least brain death didn’t occur with Rapid Regeneration.
Normally, the brain would die within minutes, but even after hanging for hours without my feet touching the ground, I was perfectly fine. I just couldn’t regain consciousness because my neck remained constricted.

I’m still immature. I overestimated myself.
Lucia, as she is now, is weak. Compared to the future Lucia, who calmly reattached her severed head after decapitation, this version of me has a fragile regeneration ability. That’s why I passed out so pathetically.

If I were decapitated now, wouldn’t I just become a living corpse until someone put my head back on? Or maybe I’d regenerate a completely new body? I want to test it out… hehe, but not yet.

“I need to step up my game.”

I acknowledged my shortcomings.
Now I need to work harder to overcome them.

It must’ve been quite a while since I hung myself because it was already dawn. I wasn’t sleepy. I cleaned up the messy floor and threw all my clothes into the washing machine. Ugh, peeing myself—no, wetting my skirt—at this age is a little embarrassing.

Since I’d sweat a lot, I considered taking a quick shower. But then I figured I’d just get sweaty again soon and gave up. I walked out, completely naked.

Lucia’s curvy figure was reflected in the full-length mirror in the corner.

Hmm…
Honestly, I don’t feel anything.

Lucia’s really pretty, isn’t she?
Her well-toned body is alluring but still feminine.
Her breasts are pretty big, and her flawless, pale skin is erotic enough.

So why do I feel no sexual desire at all?
What’s going on, masculinity?

When I first became Lucia, it bothered me a little, but a few days in, I’ve already grown desensitized.
I guess I’m not the kind of pervert who gets turned on by looking at my own body.
Whatever. It’s not important right now.

I picked up the whip I had set aside.
Since the hanging rod broke, I had already untied the knot.

I discovered a fatal flaw in what I thought was an invincible Rapid Regeneration.
Thanks, Aris. I learned this thanks to the book you recommended.

I pulled the leather whip taut and wrapped it around my neck.
Phew. Ready.

I took a deep breath.
It’d be my last chance to breathe freely for a while.

I slowly tightened my grip on the whip.
At first, I applied as much force as it took to hold chopsticks, gradually adding more strength.

And then, at one moment, I pulled with all my might.

“Hugh?!”

An intense pressure crushed my throat.
My windpipe closed, cutting off my air.
The blood flowing to my brain through my veins began to pool uselessly around my neck.

“Ka—ah—kek… agh…!”

My face turned red.
The reflection of Lucia’s face in the mirror looked like an overripe apple.

It hurt. It hurt even more than when I hanged myself.
Back then, it was just my weight pressing on my neck.
Now, it was my own hands choking me directly.

My neck bones felt like they were about to snap.
My trembling legs wobbled, and sweat dripped down my palms, soaking the leather whip.

Thump.
The sound of my heart.

Ah, I recognize this feeling.

My vision blurred.
My wide-open eyes were bloodshot.

Heh… hehehe… Lucia.
You look ridiculous.

The Lucia in the mirror collapsed to her knees.
But my hands, gripping the whip tightly, didn’t let up.

My neck hurt.
It hurt so bad.
Once again, my skin tore, and the whip turned red.

The redness in my face faded to pale.
Completely drained of blood.

The lower half of my body burned, but the upper half felt cold.

“Ah—ack… keh…”

I’d wondered what it’d look like to strangle myself, so I did it in front of a mirror.
Turns out, it’s quite the spectacle.

My pretty face was ruined.
Veins bulged across my forehead, and my complexion looked corpse-like.

A girl shouldn’t be making expressions like this—
Shouldn’t be moaning like this—
Shaking her arms and legs like she’s being electrocuted.

Lucia, you look ridiculous.
Like a frog.

Such a pretty face, yet so pathetic.
What a mess.

But…

“Heh… hehe… ah… heh…”

It’s erotic.
For the first time, I felt aroused looking at Lucia’s body.

Show me more.
Show me more of that filthy look.
Does this feel good?
This is good, isn’t it?

I tightened my grip even more.
My consciousness blurred.
It felt like fireworks were exploding in my head.

Crack.
A disturbing sound, but I ignored it.

The whip trembled.
It pressed harder against my neck, digging deeper bit by bit.

Deeper.
And deeper.
Slowly.

“Ah…”

No more moans came out.
The world turned black and white.
Darkness flickered at the edges of my vision.

Creak.
The sound of something breaking echoed.

The blood couldn’t rise, but the pain reached my brain instantly.

The whip dug into my neck.
It tore through the skin and sank inside.

Deeper.
And deeper.

“Heh… hih…”

Ah… this is bad.
I might get addicted to this.

Then—snap.

My neck bone broke.

Yeah, Lucia.
That expression—

You look beautiful.

 
   ◈

Water flowed down the curves of my body.
The hot stream from the showerhead caressed me, starting from my golden hair and trailing down my skin.

Ever since I became Lucia, I started showering more often.
Oh, don’t get the wrong idea—it’s not for some perverted reason.
I just liked the hot water.
It left me feeling both refreshed and pleasantly exhausted.

Steam rose around me.
The shower stall was already so full of mist that I could barely see a step ahead.

I turned the faucet all the way to the left and submerged myself in the heat.
Since I sweated so much through the night, I needed to be thorough.

By the time I finished showering, my skin flushed red from the heat, and the sun had already risen outside the window.
I ended up staying up all night again.
But I did pass out for quite a while, so doesn’t that count as sleep?
I wasn’t even tired anyway.

It was the weekend.
I didn’t have to go to the academy today.

I briefly considered getting some sleep but shook my head.
I wasn’t sleepy, and I had plenty of energy, so there was no point.
Time is precious. I need to use it wisely.

Wearing nothing but a white towel, I sat down in the chair.
The blood-stained leather whip rested on the desk.

I owed it a lot, but a whip wasn’t meant for that kind of use.
I coiled it neatly and shoved it into the drawer.
Next time, I’d be sure to use it for its intended purpose.

Speaking of which, the snapping sound a whip makes when cracked comes from breaking the sound barrier.
If I hit someone with it by accident, it wouldn’t just leave a bruise—it could tear flesh apart.

“…I’ll definitely have to try it next time.”

Since my room was too small, I’d have to find a bigger, more open space.
Preferably somewhere without people.
Someone might get hit, after all.

It was my first weekend as Lucia.
I already knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I planned to head into town outside the academy.
Since I’d be attending this academy as Lucia, it made sense to get familiar with the area.

And I needed supplies.
I had to find a hardware store and pick up other items for daily life.

Huh? Money?
Of course, I had money.

Lucia might’ve been an orphan without guardians, but she wasn’t short on funds.
All academy students received financial support.
It wasn’t enough for luxury, but there were no problems covering basic needs.

On top of that, psychics could apply for government subsidies.
It wasn’t handed out to just anyone, though.
You had to meet certain criteria—like being a minor without guardians, like Lucia, or being unable to work due to circumstances.

It was essentially an investment.
Psychics were obligated to fight against monsters from the Beyond.
The funding was a form of welfare to keep them ready for battle.

As time went on, the importance of psychics only grew.
The invasion of monsters from the Beyond continued, and only psychics could stand against them.

Even with 300 years of technological and weapon advancements, that fact hadn’t changed.
Ordinary humans struggled just facing those creatures.

Although it wasn’t entirely impossible.

There was one case long ago where a dimensional rift opened in the deep sea, and monsters invaded.
A passing sailor rammed his steamship straight into the creatures and sank them.
It proved that humans with strong wills could resist the mental corruption caused by the monsters—even without psychic powers.

But how many people like that could there be?
In the end, it’s the psychics’ job to fight these monsters.

I dried my hair and tossed the white towel into the washing machine.
I stood in front of my closet, debating what to wear, and eventually pulled out my uniform.

I didn’t really want to wear it on the weekend, but Lucia had no interest in fashion.
Her wardrobe barely had anything—a white dress with frills and some plain t-shirts.

I should buy a few more outfits while I’m out.

Huh? Am I uncomfortable wearing women’s clothes?
Not really. It’s not like I’m wearing them with my original body anyway.

Think about it. The key to fashion is the face.
And Lucia’s face is gorgeous. She’s a heroine, after all.

Don’t you want to see it?
Lucia in this outfit or that one?

Not that I plan to put on a fashion show or anything.
Just grabbing a few casual outfits should be enough.

I stood in front of the mirror, checking for anything out of place.

Good. Everything looks fine.

I grabbed my wallet—ready to go.

It was still early in the morning,
but there’s nothing wrong with being productive.

Alright.
Let’s head out.