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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Their Wounds (1)
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"Hmm, how boring."
Lark, confined to the solitary room hastily prepared by the academy, was having a rather leisurely time.
While no one usually nagged him about attending classes, his current situation, completely separated from everyone else, wasn't so bad.
"At least give me some alcohol..."
He was only feeling stifled by the fact that he could no longer go out every day.
Although he was currently imprisoned under the false accusation of murder, there were no punishments, nor did anyone bother to ask questions about the situation.
The reason he could live so comfortably despite being framed as a murderer was that massive donations were consistently sent to the academy in his name.
Contrary to what the students thought, no one among the academy officials knew which family he belonged to.
It was simply that since more enormous donations came in than from anyone else, everyone just overlooked it when he caused trouble.
As a result, the academy head and other officials were currently racking their brains to somehow gloss over this incident as well.
To quickly resolve this before word spread outside, they could simply frame him as the murderer and be done with it, but they were agonizing because they couldn't give up the massive donations coming in under his name.
"..."
Lark, however, didn't really care what the outcome would be.
A click!
"..."
"You look quite comfortable."
"!"
Just then, the door opened, and someone slowly stepped inside. The one speaking to him, as he lay leisurely on the bed, was Sei-an.
"What do you want?"
Lark subtly frowned, seeing Sei-an boldly enter a place where no one but academy officials was allowed.
"Isn't it a world where money can solve anything?"
As if guessing Lark's question, Sei-an simply answered and approached him.
"Who are you to come looking for me?"
And even giving money to those guarding the door.
"Let's just say I came because I was worried, as someone sharing the same room."
"..."
If he came because he was worried, he came. What was "let's just say"?
Lark stared at Sei-an with a displeased look for a moment, then closed his eyes as if to shut him out, trying to sleep.
Thud!
"..."
But a moment later, at the sound of something being placed on the table, Lark opened his eyes with a puzzled expression and looked at it.
"The old man told me to deliver this."
What Sei-an took out was a bottle of alcohol. It was the very same alcohol sold at the pub Sei-an had visited when he followed Lark just recently.
According to the old man, it was a drink he brewed himself, and Lark would stop by his pub to drink it every time.
"He came looking for me, worried that you hadn't shown up for the past few days."
"Pointless..."
The old man, seemingly worried that something had happened to Lark, who hadn't visited the pub, had sought out Sei-an.
This was because Sei-an was the only one he knew at the academy besides Lark.
Fortunately, when he vaguely described Sei-an's striking appearance at the academy entrance, most people told him Sei-an's name and guided him to where he was.
"It didn't seem like you were just acquaintances."
Regular customers not showing up didn't usually prompt someone to come all the way here out of worry.
Sei-an could thus guess that the old man had a special relationship with Lark.
And seeing the old man's expression harden, momentarily emitting a strong aura, upon hearing that Lark was currently imprisoned under a murder accusation, Sei-an realized that he, too, was not just an ordinary pub owner.
"It's none of your business. Mind your own."
"Alright."
"..."
Lark, seeing Sei-an nod immediately as if understanding his words and no longer questioning him, clicked his tongue, thinking he was a strange fellow.
"Well, since I've delivered what I was asked to, I'll be going now."
Then, seeing Sei-an bow lightly towards him and head outside, Lark got up from his seat and picked up the bottle of alcohol Sei-an had left.
"Oh, right! There's something else I need to tell you."
"...What?"
Just then, Sei-an, who was heading out, seemed to recall something and looked back at him, continuing to speak.
But Lark, seemingly uninterested in his words, simply began pouring and drinking the alcohol from the bottle.
"The old man told me to convey this."
"..."
"He said that if you keep getting into these pointless misunderstandings and causing trouble, he'll leave for somewhere else without telling you."
"Pffft!"
Lark, who was gulping down his drink, nearly spat out the alcohol he was drinking at Sei-an's words.
"What did you say?"
"So, he told you to clear your name quickly and come to the shop yourself."
"!"
"That's all then."
Sei-an, as if he had finally conveyed everything, turned back and slowly left the room.
"Damn it!"
After Sei-an left, Lark muttered a small curse and scowled.
"..."
The leisurely look in his eyes from a moment ago was gone, replaced by urgency.
***
"Damn it!"
"...! What's wrong with him?"
Kanto, who had been waiting outside while Sei-an met with Lark, became wide-eyed in surprise at the irritated voice coming from inside the moment Sei-an emerged.
He wondered what Sei-an had said to make the previously indifferent Lark utter such annoyed words.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Kanto then quickly followed behind Sei-an, who was walking ahead.
"!"
"...? Why?"
Kanto, who had been walking with Sei-an for a long time to return to their lodging, had to stop his steps abruptly when Sei-an suddenly paused.
"Is that person also a scholarship student, by any chance?"
"Hmm?"
Then, seeing Sei-an point to someone walking at the end of the hallway and ask him a question, Kanto also turned his head to look at the person he indicated.
There was a woman there whose appearance would make anyone turn their head at least once.
"Hmm, how did you know? That's right, Glomi, she's also a scholarship student."
Kanto, having seen her face, nodded, confirming that Sei-an's words were correct.
"Because the only commonality between the two deceased people is that."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Kanto then subtly furrowed his brow at Sei-an's continuing words.
"...! No way."
Kanto, sensing something strange in his words, quickly looked up and saw the woman who was already passing by them.
Then he turned his gaze back to Sei-an and spoke urgently.
"You don't mean you think the next suicide victim will be Glomi, do you?"
It seemed he was guessing that the next suicide victim would be the woman who had just passed them.
"It's not certain."
"Why on earth would you think that?"
"Just a feeling."
"A feeling?"
"..."
Sei-an vaguely brushed off Kanto's question for now, quietly watching her figure as she disappeared into the distance.
He had told Kanto it was a feeling, but Sei-an was almost certain.
'Because the person the Grim Reaper is following right now is the most likely candidate.'
This was because he had seen the Grim Reaper accompanying Glomi, who had just passed by.
Of course, she could die for other reasons, but currently, she was the most likely to join the ranks of the next suicide victims.
And the fact that the only commonality between the two suicide victims so far was being a scholarship student also contributed to that thought.
"Well, we'll see how it turns out anyway."
"..."
Kanto sensed that Sei-an knew more, but having already realized that he wouldn't get an answer even if he asked, since Sei-an had no intention of telling him, he simply closed his mouth.
Thinking that, as Sei-an said, they would find out by waiting.
'Is this really not the end?'
Kanto's expression quickly hardened as he considered that, just as Sei-an implied, this might truly not be the end.
***
"What?"
"Yes, I confirmed it with my own eyes."
"Are you saying that Sei-an and Lark are acquainted?"
"Yes. I saw the guest who came to see Lark meeting with Sei-an."
"..."
Illnis fell into thought for a moment at Rubin's words.
"Furthermore, I witnessed him personally going to meet Lark at the request of the old man who came to see Lark."
"So that's how it is."
Illnis already disliked Lark, who always carried himself with an air of superiority while wandering the academy.
But the fact that he was even acquainted with Sei-an made him flash a cynical smile.
"I should contact my father."
It seemed the academy intended to quietly cover up this suicide incident, but since things had come to this, he planned to blow the matter wide open.
Pushing Lark, who was currently framed as a murderer, and at least getting him expelled from the academy would be quite satisfying.
And if Sei-an, who was acquainted with him, felt even a little sadness, it would be an even better outcome.
With that, Illnis, who planned to use his father's influence to definitely pin this incident on Lark, hastily went outside to contact his father.
"Heh heh."
A deep smile, unseen on his lips recently, was etched there. He felt as though he had finally found a way to relieve his stress.
***
At a quiet hour when everyone was asleep, dark clouds heavily covered the sky, as if it would rain at any moment.
With both moonlight and starlight hidden, the world was plunged into even deeper darkness.
Click!
In the quiet space where only the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard, an unfamiliar sound emerged.
A window connecting to the academy building's rooftop opened with a small sound, and someone began to climb onto it.
"..."
It was Glomi, the very person Sei-an had shown interest in yesterday afternoon.
She climbed onto the very spot where two other women had jumped and looked down with a slightly fearful expression.
"Haa..."
Then she let out a long sigh and looked up at the pitch-black night sky, where not a single star was visible.
As if mirroring her own bleak life, she sighed deeply once more at the starless, lightless night sky. Tears welled up in her eyes and silently trickled down her cheeks.
"..."
She slowly took a step towards the edge of the roof. Thinking she had no regrets left for this place, she simply closed her eyes and threw herself downwards.
Whoosh...
"..."
But a moment later, Glomi felt a strange sensation envelop her entire body, and her expression turned puzzled.
Is this what dying is supposed to feel like?
It felt as if her body was enveloped in warm air, descending very slowly.
"!"
Glomi slowly opened her eyes and then her gaze widened in surprise. Someone was holding her carefully, staring quietly at her.
