Rabbit
A demi-human is a being born with mutated genes under the influence of Gates or monsters.
Because of that, their genes did not match those of their parents.
‘That's why demi-humans are ostracized.’
How many parents in this world could truly love a child who shared neither their appearance nor their genes?
Moreover, a demi-human's eyes were even similar to those of monsters.
Thus, demi-humans were often called by the derogatory nickname "child of a monster," and had become beings who were implicitly shunned.
Being abandoned immediately after birth was a common occurrence.
Yeon Haneul's circumstances were no different.
The fact that she lived in an orphanage was something every student in the same year knew.
‘In a way... it's not hard to understand why Yeon Haneul became the Witch of Calamity in the game. She must have lived being ostracized since she was young.’
I recalled a scene from the game.
It was the scene where Yeon Haneul, despairing of her situation and hopeless toward the world, was reborn as the Witch of Calamity.
「Yeon Haneul」
―I'll destroy this rotten world.
Yeon Haneul, her skin sunburned, her hair dyed pitch-black, shedding streams of bloody tears.
The game's story branched depending on the result of the battle against her when she appeared as a mid-boss.
If the protagonist, Gang Hanbyeol, killed her, the story continued with the academy city area devastated.
Conversely, if Gang Hanbyeol died, it led to a bad ending.
Even after being reborn, that bad ending remained vividly in my memory.
[Yeon Haneul multiplied exponentially, eventually covering the entire world.]
[The world was destroyed.]
[All living beings lost their lives to Yeon Haneul.]
[Now there are no life forms left in the world. Humans, animals, and monsters no longer exist.]
[Yeon Haneul annihilated all existence, and in the end, chose self-destruction by annihilating even herself.]
[─Bad Ending─]
One of the 44 endings.
The bad ending where Yeon Haneul, having infinitely multiplied, eventually engulfed the world and erased all existence, including herself.
‘To think that the protagonist of that ending was in the same elementary school as Do Gyeonu—no, as me...’
It was something never mentioned in the game.
Looking at her, who had just finished her self-introduction, I couldn't help but fall into serious thought.
Right there was a potential calamity, one who possessed the possibility of destroying the world.
Fortunately, she didn't know her own power and hadn't awakened as the Witch of Calamity.
So if I acted now, I could kill her and remove the danger of the future.
"..."
If I wanted to survive in this world.
I had to kill her before she became the mid-boss.
It was an extremely calculated, mechanical, cold, and efficient solution.
But I couldn't do it.
I didn't want to kill her for a future that hadn't happened yet.
I knew it was foolish.
But I, too, had convictions.
‘Let's think differently.’
If it was a future that hadn't even happened yet, there was plenty of room to change it.
Killing her unconditionally wasn't the best plan.
Rather, Yeon Haneul, whose role was not yet set, could become either an ally or a villain depending on my will.
Her talent was surely tremendous.
If by any chance I could transform her into an ally....
‘I can strengthen my forces.’
The difficulty of clearing this game was absolutely no joke.
So if I brought her into my forces, I could lower the difficulty.
To that end, I needed to create an opportunity to get close to Yeon Haneul.
And right on time, an opportunity came.
"Since we're all done with self-introductions, let's decide seats from now on! The girls will sit in the seats they want first, and then the boys will sit next to them."
It was a chance to sit beside Yeon Haneul.
* * *
Once all the girls' seats were decided.
The homeroom teacher explained.
"The boys will also sit in their desired seats in the order they draw lots. At this time, the girl next to the seat can refuse up to three times."
"..."
"The boys can choose seats as many times as they want until the girl allows it. However, if your seat isn't decided after circling the classroom once, your turn will be pushed to the very back."
"Teacher! So the boys have to be chosen by the girls every time!?"
"Don't worry about that. Since the girls sat first this month, next month the boys will sit first."
To think you could be paired with the person you liked.
Someone might think the homeroom teacher's seat assignment was romantic.
However, contrary to appearances, it was far from romantic.
"Now, boys, draw your lots!"
Just how likely was it that you would actually be paired with someone you liked?
It takes two hands to clap; there was no guarantee that the person you liked would also like you.
‘I'm number 9. There probably won't be anyone else trying to sit next to Yeon Haneul, so I just need to wait my turn patiently.’
You had to consider the possibility of being rejected and the possibility of not being chosen.
Anyone who puffed themselves up with vain hope and mistakenly believed they had the right to indiscriminately choose their partner would be in for a rude awakening.
"Number 1, go out and choose your seat!"
And just now.
A male student swollen with anticipation moved.
"Hmm... where should I go?"
"..."
He was pretending to ponder carefully, but Number 1's footsteps advanced toward one place without hesitation.
He probably thought his act of pretending to be nonchalant was working, but it was obvious from his voice and movements.
If even I could tell from behind, there was no way the girls sitting in their seats hadn't noticed his act.
"The window seat would be nice, right?"
"..."
Number 1 probably didn't know.
Just as he was evaluating the girls, they were also evaluating him.
"Ah, this spot looks good."
After circling toward the window side, Number 1 placed his hand on the desk next to a certain female student.
‘That's... Kim Suji.’
She wasn't comparable to my clan, but she was from a family that belonged to a fairly renowned house.
She was pretty, good at studying and sports, so she was quite popular.
Number 1 had been aiming for her.
But as I had said earlier, aiming for someone wasn't everything.
"Mind if I sit here?"
"Sorry."
"Huh?"
"Teacher, I'll refuse."
"W-why...?"
Number 1 was greatly flustered.
Perhaps embarrassed to be rejected in front of everyone, his face turned red.
‘...Poor guy. Wait, is it okay for the teacher to be this evil?’
Number 1 must have gained a great realization.
The realization that the world doesn't go your way, and that it's hard to be paired with someone you like.
That was how he woke from his dream and learned the bitter taste of reality.
"Suji has two refusals left. Number 1, choose another seat."
That was why it wasn't romantic.
‘No, maybe it is romantic in a way. Since the number of refusals is limited to three.’
If it were truly realistic, there would be no limit to the number of refusals.
Meanwhile, having lost his composure from being rejected, Number 1's subsequent steps were not smooth.
"Mind if I sit here?"
"Sorry."
"May I sit here?"
"I don't like it."
"Could I... sit here?"
"Why? Do I look easier than Suji?"
Everyone wants to be the first choice to the person they like.
No one wants to be second best.
Moreover, no one would want to be seen as a replacement for someone else, nor would they want to be compared.
To the girls' eyes, Number 1, who was probing around with a hasty heart trying to get anyone he could, couldn't have looked good.
"Number 1 has circled the classroom, so go stand in the very back row."
"Sob..."
"..."
In the end, Number 1 failed to sit down.
He had definitely been in the position to choose.
Yet having not been chosen by anyone, Number 1 had to return with a tearful face.
"Next, Number 2! Choose your seat."
Number 2 set off in that situation.
Having seen Number 1's failure, Number 2 seemed to have woken up to reality early on.
If he pointlessly tried to sit next to Kim Suji and got rejected like Number 1, he would be cast out of the girls' favor.
I could see him glancing at Kim Suji before turning his eyes away.
"Mind if I sit here?"
That was how Number 2 chose his seat.
The girl in the next seat slowly looked Number 2 up and down.
Then she turned her head away with a snort.
"Hmph! Sit if you want, or don't."
You shouldn't judge by appearances, but first impressions are still important.
New school year, new semester.
Students who knew nothing about each other beyond their self-introductions had no choice but to decide based on first impressions.
Number 2 met the criteria.
"Next, Number 3!"
"May I sit here?"
"...Sorry, look somewhere else."
On the other hand, cases like Number 3 being rejected based on first impressions also existed.
Still, people's ideal types vary.
Number 3 was able to sit next to another girl with her permission.
"Number 4! Choose your seat!"
Meanwhile, Number 4 passed other seats and headed toward where Kim Suji was.
"May I sit next to you?"
"...Sorry. Teacher, I'll refuse."
"Suji has one refusal left now."
Even though he had seen Number 1 fail, Number 4 was a brave person who challenged her as if knowing no fear.
And he died a brave death.
"Next, Number 5!"
Kim Suji had one refusal left.
If she refused one more time, whoever was next could sit next to her no matter what.
The question was who would be rejected.
"Next, Number 6!"
"Next! Lucky Number 7!"
There was no one who would go out of their way to sacrifice themselves with nothing to gain.
"Next, Number 8!"
"Ah, whatever!"
But someone had to do it.
Just as a tree must be chopped to fall, and a door must be knocked to open.
Number 8 strode toward Kim Suji with the face of someone betting big at a gambling table.
And.
"Sorry, I'll refuse."
"Kuhuk! What's wrong with me!"
"Suji can't refuse anymore now."
"Number 8! Hurry and get behind me!"
"Hey! Watching from the back is hilarious!"
Number 8 had lost his gamble.
With the face of someone who had lost all his money, he had to go to Numbers 1 and 4, who were waving like ghosts.
And so the turn passed up to Number 8.
"Number 9, please choose your seat!"
Now it was my turn.
I moved toward the window side.
"Is he trying to sit next to Suji too?"
"Ah, I'm so jealous."
"Lucky bastard. He's gonna sit next to Suji."
"Isn't that Do Gyeonu? From the Do Clan of the Divine Sword."
"That coward?"
I heard the boys whispering behind me.
‘Everyone's paying attention to me.’
Meanwhile, all the girls' gazes up ahead were pouring down on me.
Kim Suji, sitting by the window, was also staring at me intently.
Everyone seemed to expect that I would sit next to her.
‘Nope, not me.’
The last row by the classroom window.
I caught sight of rabbit ears that couldn't be hidden among the people.
Yeon Haneul was there.
She had striking white-yet-blue hair and was hanging her head.
With an expression as if she believed she would not be chosen by anyone, nor did she have the right to choose someone.
‘She looks like she's just praying this time will end quickly.’
She had such a melancholy face that one couldn't help but think that.
"..."
Toward such a girl.
I stepped forward.
"...It's Gyeonu. I know your name. I can't refuse, so sit. As fellow members of renowned houses, let's get along for the next month... Huh?"
"What? Where is he going now?"
"Why is he going over there?"
Passing by the mumbling Kim Suji.
Ignoring people's astonishment.
Only Yeon Haneul entered my eyes.
Eventually.
"...Huh?"
I arrived at Yeon Haneul's seat.
She, who had been keeping her head bowed the whole time, looked startled when I stopped instead of passing by.
Bewilderment was etched on her face as she suddenly raised her head.
I spoke to such a girl.
"May I sit next to you?"
"Next to me?"
"Next to you. If you hate me, refuse. Though I wish you wouldn't."
"Why..."
"What?"
To survive in this world.
To reach the ending I desire.
I....
"...No. You can sit."
I become the childhood friend of the mid-boss.
I had become the childhood friend of the mid-boss.