Chapter 8: Breaking Ties with Reysir

If this were a typical academy novel, then right now would be the point where the real story hasn’t even begun.

It’s still vacation, so I haven’t attended a single lecture yet.

And yet, I’ve already found myself in a crisis.

Who said life as a possessor would be easy in a crazy, grim, dark-fantasy novel world?

In my heart, I raised a middle finger at Senna, the author who created this world, and spoke up in a subdued voice.

“…So?”

“So what?”

“If, as you said, I messed up trying to get closer to you, what then? If there was some other reason, what then? And if there was no reason at all, what then? In the end, the fact remains that I unfairly harassed you. Now, do you expect us to laugh and play at being friends? Are you really that easygoing, or do you just have no pride?”

After crossing off each option one by one, I realized there was only one choice left for me.

[Option 4. Scrape up all your pride and become someone no one wants to associate with.]

It would be nearly impossible to completely clear away the grudge this body accumulated in the past, but I was prepared for that from the start anyway.

As long as I can avoid ending up as the Reading Friend while not making the main character feel deceived, that’ll be enough.

“You’re not really in a position to say that, are you? You’re the one who harassed me.”

There was a slight edge to Reysir’s voice as he retorted.

Of course he’d be upset.

Hearing that kind of thing from the perpetrator must sound as if a cat is lecturing a mouse.

Still, if he thinks back on my words later, he’ll probably feel relieved that he didn’t become friends with Karvald Austri on a whim.

“If you didn’t like it, you should have handled yourself better. So I wouldn’t have to say things like this.”

As I said that, Reysir glared at me with narrowed eyes.

He must really be feeling indignant.

But since he just kept his lips tightly shut and didn’t say anything back, it meant he was at a loss for words.

“I really meant it when I said I wouldn’t bother you anymore. So from now on, enjoy your time at the Academy without worrying. Even if we happen to have overlapping classes and meet in the lecture hall, let’s just act like we don’t exist to each other. It would be even better if you could erase me from your memory altogether.”

“……”

“That’s all I have to say. You don’t look like you have anything else to say either, so I’ll be going now.”

I quickly declared the end of the conversation and turned around.

As I started walking toward the dormitory, I heard Reysir let out a hollow laugh behind me.

He must be experiencing a temporary sense of absurdity.

Since Reysir also lives in the same dorm building, I was worried he might follow me, but thankfully, the only footsteps echoing in the hallway were mine.

Well, after that conversation, he probably wouldn’t want to walk alongside me as if following me around.

Thinking that, I kept my guard up and hurried my steps until I reached my room.

“Classes haven’t even started yet, and this is what happens on my first day at the Academy….”

Even though I knew no one was following me, I locked the door as soon as I entered my room and let out a sigh.

I couldn’t tell if checking the library’s novel section was a good idea or not.

My head was a mess, and my heart felt stuffy, so I couldn’t help but sigh.

What I needed right now was healing, and the only one who could give me that was still curled up in a sturdy eggshell.

Still, sometimes, just having someone to listen to you can be a great comfort.

Even the tangled threads of complicated thoughts can be unraveled if you talk them through slowly.

So I hugged the Familiar Egg tightly and collapsed onto the bed.

Lying on the bed in my outdoor clothes went against my personal principles.

Even if it wasn’t obvious, the bedding must have gathered dust over the vacation.

But since I was going to strip off all the sheets and pillowcases to replace them anyway, I didn’t mind.

“Hey, Familiar, do you know who I ran into at the library just now? The main character of the original, Reysir. He seemed like he wanted to make me his Reading Friend. I think, just as I suspected, this possessed body was originally meant to reform and become the main character’s friend. So Reysir is the kind of character who could forgive and accept someone like that….”

If the readers’ reaction hadn’t been bad, and the two characters did become friends in the original, what would have happened?

Even then, they probably wouldn’t have sat together reading novels and sharing their thoughts.

Most likely, Karvald Austri would have felt guilty about the past and, using his family’s authority and wealth, become a pushover side character who kept giving things to the protagonist.

‘And then, when Reysir eventually got involved with someone much more capable—a true power player, not a half-baked noble like Karvald Austri—Karvald would have been written out of the story through death.’

The Reading Friend role is even worse.

With Demonic Realms popping up everywhere and the world growing more dangerous, how could the protagonist just sit around reading novels for fun? That wouldn’t be much of a dark, grim fantasy.

To begin with, the original never even mentioned that Reysir liked novels.

In short, the main character’s Reading Friend is nothing but a ‘useless character who should be gotten rid of as soon as possible.’

“There’s no rule saying that will continue even after I possessed this body… but this is still the ruthless world of 《Nas-e》, isn’t it…?”

I rolled over onto my side and hugged the Familiar Egg tighter.

As I did, I thought I could feel a faint pulse from within the egg.

‘Was it because of that?’ Without realizing it, the fear I’d been suppressing started to leak out.

“I really want to live… or rather, I just don’t want to die again. The moment of death was over in a flash, but the memory and feeling of how scary and painful it was still linger. Having been given a new life like this doesn’t feel like an opportunity—it feels more like a punishment, with the fear of death hanging over me….”

Just recalling that time made my body tremble and my eyes squeeze shut.

‘Why did I have to end up in a novel where death is so light and meaningless?’

“I really hate losing people close to me, too…”

I don’t have a father.

But my mother was there for me, loving me with everything she had so that I never felt the absence of a father.

…She ‘was’ there.

‘How painful was it when I had to say goodbye to my mother, who was my whole world?’

Having experienced both my own death and the death of someone I loved, this world of 《Nas-e》 feels even more cruel and terrifying to me.

I couldn’t help but constantly think, ‘I shouldn’t have read this kind of novel.’

“So that’s why I’m determined never to get involved with the main character! But somehow, no matter how much these possessed characters swear that, they always end up tangled with the protagonist. Is this really okay?”

No sooner had I spoken my resolve than a cliché related to it popped into my mind, and anxiety surged up.

Damn occupational hazard.

“Sigh, what am I even saying, hugging an unborn kid… Sorry, I’ll stop talking about dying now.”

I didn’t know if the Familiar could hear me, but I rubbed my cheek against the smooth surface of the egg and apologized.

Anyway, the apology was done.

Even if Reysir never said he forgave me, it seemed like some of the grudge had faded.

Now, all that’s left is to keep my promise not to bother the main character until the day he leaves the Academy.

And that’s a really easy thing to do.

Literally, doing nothing at all is all it takes.

In fact, harassing someone is way harder.

“By the way…. Why do web novels from my world exist here as physical books? Even my third novel hasn’t been released as an e-book yet—it only exists as serialized chapters on the platform. Familiar, what do you think about this, huh?”

No answer came.

Since it hasn’t even hatched yet and, according to the original, Familiars can’t speak human language, that’s only natural.

So I just kept talking to myself, undeterred by the Familiar’s silence.

“Could it be related to how I possessed this world? But if that’s the case, there were a lot of other authors’ novels too, and it’s not like all of them possessed someone in this world, right? Maybe it’s just a MacGuffin…”

I muttered that absentmindedly, then shook my head.

Nothing is certain yet, so I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

If I decide on something too soon, I’m bound to miss something important.

“But do all the web novels from my world exist here as physical books?”

Tomorrow, I should check the library’s novel section again.

And I ought to go out to the bookstore outside the Academy as well.

“Ah, come to think of it, it’s about time for dinner. Should I just go out now instead of putting it off until tomorrow?”

Since Valhalla Academy operates with dormitories, of course there’s a dining hall.

According to the original, you could choose food from all over the world, and it was supposed to be delicious too.

Although, after Reysir had food dumped on his head by Karvald Austri, he just wanted to eat in peace and never set foot there again.

Anyway, right now, I can’t use the dining hall.

There are students who, like the main character, can’t go home because of supplementary classes, but since it’s vacation, the dining hall is closed.

Even the convenience store doesn’t operate during vacation.

So, for the next week, I’ll have to go all the way to the commercial district outside the Academy to get food…….

“What a pain, and what a waste of time.”

I calmly considered all the things I need to do and the amount of information I need to memorize before the semester starts.

Then I sat up and checked the amount of dust piled on the bed frame.

Skipping one meal won’t kill me, but if I don’t clean up now, I’ll be sleeping with the dust tonight.

“Yeah, I can eat tomorrow.”

If Korean readers saw this, they’d protest, ‘What are you talking about?! Today’s meal and tomorrow’s meal are different! Eat your food!’

Isn’t there that saying? ‘In Korea, even web novel characters are serious about their meals.’

So when I wrote novels, I made sure my protagonists always ate well. A healing novel protagonist who skips meals is like a hot iced Americano or a cold hot chocolate—just wrong.

But what the author eats is another matter.

***

Clean up, wash up, practice Karvald Austri’s handwriting while recording the original story, and if there’s time left, study a bit before bed.”

I muttered, “Busy, busy!” as I got up from the bed and started bustling around.

I felt like I needed an excuse, but it’s true that I’m busy, so it’s not like I’m pretending.