The simulation ended with a soft chime.
Light faded. john opened his eyes in the dim dorm room, the pendant still warm in his hand and the faint scent of ozone clinging to his skin.
His heart still ached — not from pain, but from the weight of everything Raiden Mei had shown him.
Even if it was just data... the guilt in her voice had been real.
He looked at his hand. The potion reward shimmered faintly beside him on the desk, along with a folded note the system had left:
> [You've seen her pain. You've stepped into her shadow.
> Now guide her. Not as a hero — but as someone who understands.]
He stood up quietly, pocketed the potion, and stepped out of the room.
He wasn't done with Raiden Mei.
And he wasn't ready to lose Himeko either.
They were both unraveling in different ways.
And he had no intention of letting either fall.
After john's patient guidance, Raiden Mei finally set aside her hesitation.
"Although I've been living an ordinary life in St. Freya Academy for some time now, I still have doubts… about 'myself.'"
"Is it about Miss Herrscher?" john asked, tone calm but somehow undeniably certain.
As expected, Raiden Mei's expression grew complicated as she nodded lightly.
This opened up quite a few potential directions.
john's gaze sharpened as he gently continued, "So, is it that you're having trouble getting along with Miss Herrscher? Or maybe you're struggling with the sudden shift in identity?"
"It's about what happened in Changkong City..." Raiden Mei lowered her eyes and lightly bit her lip.
Hearing that, john raised his eyebrows but didn't look surprised.
After all, this was normal—so normal that it didn't even warrant a reaction.
The Third Eruption had broken out in Changkong City and spread to nearby areas, killing over a million people.
And Raiden Mei, being the Third Herrscher born of that eruption, was naturally seen as the sole "culprit" in the public eye.
Even she herself thought so.
One day she woke up and everything had changed. Suddenly, she was bearing the unimaginable guilt of having "killed over a million people."
Who could possibly accept that kind of reality and remain mentally stable?
With her family fallen from grace and her social standing plummeting in school, facing ostracism and relentless bullying, Raiden Mei had often wondered—"Wouldn't it be better if the whole world just ended?"
But that was just a passing thought.
Deep down, she never really wanted that. It made perfect sense for her to feel lost and filled with self-blame.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
"If I could've made different choices earlier… if I'd had more strength… maybe everything wouldn't have turned out this way."
"No one is born strong, Mei," john said gently. "You can't blame yourself for surviving something you didn't cause."
"But…" she hesitated, her voice breaking, "I was the Herrscher…"
"A Herrscher, yes—but not a monster. If you really were, you wouldn't be feeling guilt right now."
That seemed to hit her hard.
john moved closer. "You want to know what you really are? Let me show you."
——
At nightfall, Himeko's body trembled violently on the bed.
She had passed out cold, her skin clammy with sweat. A deep groan escaped her lips as pain surged through her body, and she instinctively curled up, like a dying ember trying to preserve its last heat.
john didn't speak. He just silently placed her body in the right position, undressing her with practiced hands to expose her back.
His gaze was serene, focused, not a hint of lust. What lay before him was a warrior's ruined body—scarred and burned with artificial stigmata from years of battle.
He poured a translucent potion into his palm. The scent of bitter herbs and faint sweetness spread out.
He pressed his palms gently onto her skin.
Artificial stigmata glowed faintly. His hands moved with unnatural precision, tracing every ridge and groove.
Himeko's brows furrowed tighter—then slowly relaxed.
'Nnngh…' A weak moan slipped from her lips, her eyelids twitching as if caught in a dream. Her breathing grew less labored. The pain, while still present, seemed dulled—like the edges had been sanded off.
He kept going. Fifteen minutes passed in silence.
Only then did Himeko stir awake, her voice low and incredulous.
"…What… what are you doing?"
"Saving you."
She blinked, dazed. "…Why?"
"You're not someone who deserves to die like this," john said, gaze firm.
She was stunned speechless.
He gave her one of his family's last potions. That alone was enough to make her heart twist.
"I… I can't repay you for this."
"You don't have to."
"That's not how life works," she said, suddenly emotional. "Even if I'm just a dying woman, you can't just throw something this valuable at me…"
john smiled faintly. "Food exists to feed the hungry. Medicine exists to cure the sick. What use is a miracle drug if it stays sealed in a bottle?"
Himeko stared at him, lips trembling.
"I'll repay you… somehow… even if I have to give you my heart."
He gently embraced her.
"You think I'd let you run away after doing something like that to me?" he whispered with a slight smirk, voice low near her ear. "Too late now. I'm keeping you for life."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Maybe it was the pain relief. Maybe it was john's words. Or maybe… it was just everything all at once crashing down on her.
She cried.
For the first time in years, she cried in someone's arms.
Outside the window, sunlight poured through the clouds.
The world was warm again.
And for the first time, Himeko felt like she could finally breathe.