I Became the Childhood Friend of a D*ug Dealer

Hello. Nice to meet you.

I’m Cheon Yu-Seong, who just got admitted to the Academy.

I’m a 16-year-old guy…

And I’ve awakened the ability of ice manipulation.

First year in high school.

Just getting into that Academy, which is sometimes featured on broadcasts, makes my heart flutter.

“Haha.”

The girl sitting next to me must be a new student too.

She has a black eye patch over one eye.

Cosplay?

Her vibe is a bit off, making it hard to strike up a conversation.

Just glancing at her feels burdensome.

I only sat here because there weren’t many empty seats, and now I regret it.

I guess it’s because I arrived late.

“Hehe.”

I keep finding myself smiling awkwardly.

The Academy is a coveted place, but I’ve heard there are a lot of strange people as well.

There are definitely a lot of unique characters around.

Many of them look intimidating.

“…Oath.”

I can see the representative new student standing in front of the auditorium.

That blue hair looks just like mine.

Her name is Cheon Yu-Hwa.

She’s my twin sister.

She’s holding a microphone and trying to say something, but I can’t concentrate.

“Hey, you.”

The girl next to me spoke in a strange tone.

The bandaged hand seems like just a fashion statement. Just like the eye patch.

I’m wondering if the ribbon on her school uniform sleeve was originally there.

Her eyes seem a bit spaced out, which makes her even scarier.

They taught me to be cautious of this kind of style.

“…What?”

I think she’s cute, but I’m also scared.

This seems different from what I imagined my school life would be like.

I can’t hear my sister’s oath over the noise.

If I had to guess, she’s probably saying she’s happy about entering the Academy.

“How dare you sit in the same space as me.”

Was she offended?

“I apologize.”

I think I understand why there was no one sitting next to me.

With the eye patch and bandages, isn’t this the kind of thing people call ‘cringy’?

I’ve heard these kinds of cases happen among Awakeners.

“I’ll take it as an honor, but you probably won’t see me around the Academy much moving forward.”

“I’m sorry…”

I’m just continuously apologizing.

What is she saying, being a fellow new student?

It seems best to keep my distance.

“…With that, I’ll conclude the new student oath.”

Yu-Hwa steps down.

I knew my sister would do well in this situation since she’s used to it.

“Next, the top new student, Han Si-Hoo, will share his thoughts…”

Han Si-Hoo?

I think I’ve seen him in the news before.

He’s a rising star who suddenly became notable since last year.

I heard he was the most prominent talent in the middle school division.

I have a strong desire to spar with him at least once.

Although Yu-Hwa in front of me would probably fight better than me.

“Hello, Academy new students…”

Somehow, he seems to be looking this way.

I feel like our eyes just met.

The attention is whatever, but the girl next to me is still weighing heavily on me.

I want to change my seat, but that’s impossible in this atmosphere.

“Hey, may I ask your name?”

“How dare you ask for my true name?”

True name? What the heck is that?

My head hurts.

“I can acknowledge your courage. I’m Yoo Seo-Ah. And you?”

“Cheon Yu-Seong.”

If I see the name Yoo Seo-Ah, I should be cautious.

I feel a bit sorry for her; it seems she might not have any friends.

“Why are you wrapped in bandages and an eye patch…”

I’m curious.

I’ve never seen someone like her before.

“It’s a seal.”

“What?”

“I’m suppressing the power of darkness. It would be wise for you not to come too close.”

If this were a normal situation, I might have thought she was just some kid who was a bit sick.

But the problem is, this is the Academy for Awakeners.

It wouldn’t be surprising if something genuinely dangerous is sealed.

“Oh, uh, I understand.”

If other students are like her, it looks like school life will be quite difficult.

Surely, there are normal people, right?

“You. Your hair color is the same as Cheon Yu-Hwa’s.”

That’s true.

Blue hair is rare.

But for some reason, the Academy shows every color imaginable.

I wonder if it relates to awakening.

“We’re family.”

Identical twins have to share some features, at least.

“Indeed.”

I don’t understand what kind of environment makes someone speak like this.

But I get it.

Given how crazy this world is, anything is possible.

While keeping an eye on the girl next to me, time flew by.

How many times has someone stood on the podium and stepped down?

Someone who seems important has just come up.

They say he’s the principal.

He doesn’t match the usual image I have of school principals.

The principal looks young.

From his appearance, he seems to be in his thirties.

He must be one of the powerful figures in the Academy.

He must be an elite among Awakeners.

Since today is the entrance ceremony, I expect he might say something special.

“Welcome.”

The principal has opened his mouth.

Just standing there gives off immense pressure.

He feels like he belongs in the top tier of Awakeners.

“Congratulations on becoming a proud student of the Academy.”

The principal continues his speech.

The girl next to me has finally shifted her gaze away from me.

Thank goodness.

*

[15 hours 4 minutes]

To prepare for meeting a lot of people, I used a little extra medicine.

Han Si-Hoo might not know, but I packed five syringes as a precaution before the entrance ceremony.

I’ve used two today.

Three left.

Fortunately, there haven’t been any issues with the effects wearing off.

[15 hours 3 minutes]

No, maybe I went a bit overboard today.

Is that why I’m feeling a bit foggy in my head?

But isn’t being happy what matters?

“…That’s all.”

Clap clap clap.

The applause gradually gets louder.

The principal has stepped down.

I guess it’s my turn to get up soon.

The special class is supposed to leave a bit earlier.

“I’ll remember today’s encounter. Take it as an honor.”

Cheon Yu-Seong. Cheon Yu-Hwa.

I know there’s something between them.

If anything goes wrong, Han Si-Hoo will probably handle it.

By the way, her tone is a concept.

What’s the reason behind it?

Well, let’s rewind a week ago.

*

Everyday life consisted of staring blankly at the TV screen.

I stopped flipping channels on the animation corner.

It’s an anime with magical girls.

I wonder if Seo-Ah would have enjoyed watching stuff like this if she had grown up in a proper environment.

It’s actually pretty entertaining.

-Is this finally it?

It looks like it’s the final chapter.

The protagonist’s crew is gathered, ready to face the boss monster.

-You will see the evil deeds you’ve committed!

-Now that I’ve come this far, there’s no other option. It’s going to be the final battle.

The way they wield their magic wands is quite impressive.

I wonder if any Awakeners fight like that.

-It’s the time of judgment.

If Yoo Seo-Ah had been able to see something like this, I wonder if she would have played along.

Given the environment, it feels like she matured way too fast.

She shows a pure side, but I’ve hardly seen her act like a child.

-With the power of love!

“Mmm…”

Trying to imitate that.

If the previous cheerful Yoo Seo-Ah had said that, it might have fit her character.

Now I’m curious what she was like, so I’ll give it a shot.

Protagonist pose.

Protagonist line.

“With the power… of love.”

That’s not easy.

It’s kind of sad.

Looking down at my arm, I see the marks from the injections.

I tightly wrap the bandages again.

From this angle, I look more like the boss monster.

“She’s also wrapped in bandages.”

-Cough, it looks like I have no choice but to use this.

If I were to imitate that, this would be perfect.

Should I give it a go?

If Yoo Seo-Ah was caught playing around like this, I wonder how it would look.

What if that were the case?

-I am the one born from the abyss, destined to change the world. There’s no one who can stop me!

Is that a spell?

It’s pretty exhausting to try to keep up.

As I reach forward with one hand as if preparing an attack, I say:

“I am born from the abyss… destined to change the world…”

I stretch one hand out into the air.

One hand behind me.

Hmm.

This feels more plausible than just copying the protagonist.

I think it would look even more similar if I put on an eye patch.

Bam.

The door swings open violently.

Lena appears.

I was in the middle of striking a pose.

“Huh?”

She’s smiling.

She looks more playful than usual.

“Oh…”

“The one born from the abyss, destined to change the world… what was it again?”

She mimics me.

She’s matching the pose too.

My face goes red from embarrassment.

“Cute!”

“Ugh.”

She caught me.

I didn’t even notice Lena was here.

Did she just switch places with Han Si-Hoo?

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s okay. What’s the big deal?”

I got caught imitating an animated show?

I’m about to be in high school!

I just wanted to see Yoo Seo-Ah strike a pose like that.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Well, in terms of height and development, she doesn’t seem quite like a high schooler anyway.

Maybe it’s because she hasn’t been eating well and growing properly.

There might also be some things I don’t know.

After all, I lost my parents when I was young.

“Do you want to try it again?”

“Again?”

“I’ll join in. Let’s show it to Si-Hoo when he comes back!”

With stars in her eyes, it’s hard to refuse.

She’s asking to play together; is that not what friends do?

I think that’s not such a bad idea.

The meaning of showing Si-Hoo is a bit ambiguous, though.

“Wh-why Si-Hoo?”

“Don’t be shy! You were practicing, right? Smiling and greeting people. It’s the same thing.”

Did I get found out?

Well, I do that in my room all the time.

“You’re already good at smiling; you just need to have confidence. No matter what happened before, you should forget it.”

“……”

“Times like this are important too. You can’t always be down. There’s no need to feel pressured. It just makes me happy to see Seo-Ah enjoying herself.”

The mood had been pretty down.

That’s why I was practicing smiling.

I can’t fulfill Han Si-Hoo’s ideal version of Yoo Seo-Ah.

I’ve tried practicing, but I can’t bring out a genuine smile.

Going back to the past is impossible.

“Si-Hoo says he’s always worried. If you two are down, it breaks my heart too. I hope you can show that you can have fun like this.”

“Is that so…”

“Okay, I’ll play Sapphire’s role!”

Sapphire? What’s that?

Is it the protagonist’s name?

She seems to know quite a bit.

“I used to play with my sister like this. It brings back memories.”

She sounds quite family-oriented.

I felt that when I properly dressed her up and wrapped her bandages again.

She had a sister after all.

“…I am the very one who will save the world…”

As I keep playing along, my goal seems to have shifted.

Instead of imitating a character, I’m creating a new one.

Maybe the medicine is making me feel more high-spirited.

“Right, right! That’s the spirit! Good!”

It could serve as a good excuse for being wrapped in bandages.

If someone in the Academy asks, it wouldn’t be such a big deal.

If someone thinks that I’m just a character whose a little ‘cringy’ due to my middle school phase, they might have some understanding.

While I embody a more vibrant side, it’s a great way to counteract the dark image of the bandages.

As far as I remember, there’s no character that overlaps with this concept.

I just need to show a facade filled with bravado and self-absorption.

Yes, sealed within my left hand is the Dark Flame Dragon.

That’s the truth.

Can I legally have this kind of concept while playing?

I can’t shake off the image of how startled Han Si-Hoo looked when he returned to the dorm.

The eye patch was something Han Si-Hoo ended up buying for me later.

It felt great being able to play together as a trio.

[47 minutes]

However, there’s something bothering me in my line of sight.

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