章節 32: Come to Agreement

I believe there's nothing I can't do in this world. Perfection is the foundation. Foundation? Yes! Everything is perfection!! But... it doesn't last long. Nevertheless, why are they so insistent on being perfect? My grandfather, Cobra Gilliard, was an ambitious person. She often traveled around the world in search of news. Even with only her legs as a resource, she was ready to traverse vast lands to uncover secrets that were not shared with the world.

Oh, is that too heavy for you? You're quiet for a twelve-year-old, Yulia.

The sound of hardened wood echoed in the room. Nexus and Yulia were playing chess while reminiscing about their childhood. They were not close; in fact, they were enemies.

With a sigh, she said, "You... are truly boring. Not like Nina, she's sharp at assessing situations."

"Sharp at assessing situations? The fact that she's alone with the teacher now is imperfection."

Where Nexus lost, the decision to clear the table was correct. Not only that, Nexus also had to buy a new umbrella for Yulia.

"I thought you hated her."

Yulia chuckled at her words.

"Hating her? What nonsense are you talking about? How could I hate a 'normal girl you can easily meet' like her?"

Nexus stood up from her seat. Yulia's room was warm and filled with the scent of burning roses. It seemed that Nexus didn't mind it at all. In fact, she breathed it in with relief. She walked over to the shelf next to her bed on the right. The cabinet wasn't too large and was multifunctional, able to store books, items, collectibles, figurines, and much more. Not to forget the hidden features where, if someone pressed the buttons on the back of each shelf with the right combination, something surprising would appear.

Nexus forcefully pulled Yulia's cabinet shelf, causing all five of its shelves to detach from the supporting wood and come out. She was surprised to find out that all the buttons had been pressed.

"You didn't try them one by one, did you?"

Yulia sounded a little annoyed.

"Of course not, you think I have the leisure for that?"

Nexus looked puzzled by her words. After some thought, she realized she had never seen Yulia doing anything other than being at the Water Park and this house.

"I guess, instead of Nina, I should keep a closer eye on you."

Yulia raised an eyebrow slightly. Her thin lips moved slightly to the left, indicating her concern.

"You... stop with your worrying."

Nexus seemed to ignore her words while rearranging the shelves she had pulled out of place. Yulia's room was no different from the other rooms. The bed under the window, the multifunctional cabinet on the right side of the room near the bed, and the study cabinet under which there was room to store the small table they had both used to play chess. The study table was on the left side of the room. The only thing that set the rooms on this side apart was the direction of the sunlight. Unlike the rooms on the left side, the rooms on the right side received sunlight from 1 PM until it set.

Nexus walked out.

Before that, Yulia pulled up her black pants from behind.

"If you spy on me, I will search for you until you regret your decision."

Nexus gave her a sharp look.

"Really, you can never be compared to Mr. Alexander."

Nexus proceeded to the middle room on the first floor.

...

After hearing Alice's words, I could only sit in silence. The faint glow of the wall-sized monitor screens continued to fill the room. The monitors illuminated me as if I were the spotlight in a performance. After what Alice said, all I could do was recall a past that I couldn't even remember.

"Nina... There's no need to be afraid, and I'm not a bad person. We will surely help you," she said persuasively. But I knew it was a trap. My sister, she's obsessed with me. I fully understand her obsession with me. But... my mother... She has nothing to do with this!

"Heh... afraid?" Alice interrupted my thoughts and pointed to my feet. "Your body can't lie to you."

Why...? Disappointment haunted me. I still didn't know the source, the root of my fear. All I could remember was giving up on socializing with others because of one thing: 'Friendship won't form if you know your friend's secrets before they know yours.' It was a mantra I held onto for so long. Or maybe... it wasn't?

I sighed and tried to calm myself. No matter how crazy this person is, she won't suddenly stab me. But even so...

"Alice..."

Alice interrupted my words again, saying, "Teacher!" She circled around me afterward.

I was confused by her choice of words. "Since when have you been obsessed with that?"

She retorted, seemingly mocking me. "When? Then, since when have you thought you could live a normal life with your mind-reading abilities?"

Hearing her words, my eyes sparkled. Was this the opportunity I had been searching for? The past will remain the past, and it can't be changed no matter how hard I try. But memories can still recall the past. And if she has memories of it, of course! I will find out the truth.

Although my initial plan to come to this school was for fun and to ease my mother's worries, if I can uncover the truth about my father's murder as a bonus, why not?

The opportunity I meant was that she didn't know what was on my mind. And Yulia's reaction to the machine I described became a strong piece of evidence. They think in their own visual way, but unlike me, who can unlock the true door of how the brain manipulates the soul within our bodies.

With that thought in mind, I burst into laughter as loudly as I could.

Alice was so surprised that she froze, not moving anymore.

"What's so funny?" She asked, confused and concerned.

"Funny? Oh, of course, you can't get information that I don't even say out loud, can you?"

Her pupils dilated, and based on her reaction, I knew she had received the signal I sent. I withdrew my words when I said we were the same. At that time, I saw her as a person who was similar to me, sharp, copying something at will, and not compromising when dealing with something we dislike. After this conversation, I realized, that you and I are different in terms of copying something at will. You are just a maniac, while I adapt. Maybe this is the side effect of receiving too much polluted input from adults' thoughts.

"I've already won, teacher. You lost when you couldn't know what's inside my mind."

My heart suddenly ached.

"I thought you were just a scaredy-cat; I guess I have to correct that," Alice said, smiling with delight at my words.

Please, stop this.

"So, what's the deal then?"

Please...

"You..."

My stomach churned. Was this the side effect of someone who's always honest suddenly forcing themselves to lie perfectly? I might not be able to control my body's fear reaction, but I'd better use it to make her think I've been deceiving her all along with this reaction. But... I was almost manipulating her; why now?

Without any preparation, I could only vomit what was in my stomach.

Once again, Alice was surprised. But she smiled. She walked over to me and tried to help me stand up.

She whispered to me, "If not for your body's reaction, you almost had me believing you're brilliant because you almost fooled everyone. At least your effort to use your body's reaction is good."

This was what I didn't want. She's sharp, just like me.

She handed me over to Ruri for care. Ruri wanted to take me to the fifth floor, where the school nurse's office was for Class S.

Alice just waved to me with a small smile. It felt like the longest 40 minutes ever.

Ruri looked at me several times in the elevator. I tried to ask.

"If there's something you want to ask..."

She was startled.

"Ah! I just wanted to know what happened, but you're going to the nurse's office, so let me check you there."

She had a point, and besides... the risk of patients forgetting statements and misperceptions would disrupt the results of the physical examination. That was something my father, a doctor, always did. He wouldn't immediately examine his patients; instead, he would ease the atmosphere by making a cup of coffee or tea for his patients. Valid information always came from the mouth of someone at ease. But the result was that many patients complained to my father about the slow service.

The elevator door opened, and Ruri walked ahead.

"Come on."

I could only smile as I saw her implementing the school's standard operating system. It didn't mean I knew the ins and outs of the system, but she was like an employee who often opened the door for her boss, polite and gentle in etiquette.

At the school nurse's office, she checked my stomach using a stethoscope.

"So, to summarize, you vomited due to psychological pressure?" She asked while looking at a board with some papers on it. I couldn't see what she wrote clearly, but what I knew was that the papers had nothing on them except for the mutation within me a few days ago.

I nodded. She sighed and said, "You don't need medication for this; just rest, and you will... Maybe you can relax again or practice something that makes you feel stressed to get used to it."

I was a bit surprised. Not many doctors out there recommend their patients to get used to their illness. It was a dumb suggestion, but it was perfect for Class S members who could control themselves individually... maybe except Tiara.