A school trip isn't simply a journey students take to have fun with one another.
Rather, it can be seen as a trip with the clear purpose of academic study.
And so the destination chosen by the school—Busan.
The place where, during Korea's most chaotic hour when the concept of superpowers suddenly permeated this world, a man who had maximized that chaos was born and met his end.
Even the prohibition of killings caused by superpowers had begun as a result of what that man had done.
Rebellion.
And revolution.
Busan was the most important location in the modern history of superpowers in the Republic of Korea; thus, when it was announced that Busan had been chosen as the school trip destination for an assignment meant to organize modern superpower history, no students objected.
Not that any student would dare object to a school trip destination chosen by the school anyway.
Moreover, Busan was a place with no shortage of things to do and sights to see.
Furthermore, since the schedule ran from Wednesday to Friday, those who wished could stay behind and enjoy themselves longer without issue. They merely had to inform the teachers in advance so that return train tickets could be purchased for the appropriate dates—a minor inconvenience well worth enduring.
While the other groups were already deciding who would stay behind to hang out together, the one group that had gained an additional member gathered exactly four days before the school trip.
The place where as many as six of the school's celebrities had gathered to prepare for the trip was a café.
Normally, one wouldn't choose to talk at a café—whether because the music was too loud, other patrons' conversations were bothersome, or because they feared their own discussion might disturb others—but having spent two weeks together without growing close enough to invite one another to their homes, meeting at a café had been unavoidable.
"So what should I do in this group?"
Even though the former queen disguised as a transfer student possessed an ability called Falsehood, it was one that turned something that had happened into something that had never been—not an ability to uncover what she did not know.
Rather, uncovering the unknown fell to the domain of Gang Yuri's natural enemy: the possessor of wisdom who was also a former queen, one capable of reconstructing the whole from mere fragments of information.
The gaze of Gang Yuri—the disguised transfer student who had joined the group led by Erika—was directed not at the group leader, but at the one she judged to possess the most leadership and recognition among them.
Kim Haneul.
The school only knew that light shone from his hands when he went all out; no one here knew the true nature of his superpower.
But there was one thing that everyone in the school knew.
Wherever he went, incidents erupted, and as he resolved most of them, he extended a hand of salvation to those entangled in their midst.
Though still within the small confines of school, Gang Yuri had witnessed firsthand during her first year just how extraordinary Kim Haneul was; that was why she had looked to him among the five people facing her. But he merely shrugged and turned his gaze elsewhere.
"You'll have to ask our group leader about that—the one fervently insisting she won't become a bus driver."
The girl, who had ordered a sweet coffee and was slurping it down, glanced at Kim Haneul after he dumped the question on her. She pulled her mouth from the straw, lightly wiped her lips with her tongue in case any coffee had stained them, and only then spoke.
"Honestly, there's nothing for her to do."
"Eeeeh?! You were so hard on me, and now this?!"
At Erika's calm reply, the girl she had dubbed Kim Haneul's tagalong shrieked in surprise.
In truth, it wasn't that Erika had been burned by a group assignment before; having been burned far more often during her corporate days, she had resolved to push the project more strictly than usual to avoid repeating the same mistake. Since she had been gathering information on her group members rather than on the assignment itself, she had ended up scolding Kim Daseul, but...
Having no intention of offering such a long excuse, Erika explained why Gang Yuri didn't need to step up.
Partly for Gang Yuri's benefit as well.
"Because by this point, we've already done everything ourselves."
She had assigned Kim Daseul, who enjoyed investigating people, the task of researching superpower users connected to Busan's history. To Kim Haneul, who was well-known at school, she had asked to find destinations that wouldn't overlap much with what others were investigating.
She had left Yu Inna in charge of fleshing out the destinations alongside Kim Haneul, and had decided to let Rao Ha handle connecting the superpower users Kim Daseul had researched with those destinations.
Erase unnecessary material and fill in what was needed. Erika herself had taken charge of gathering the most crucial information in one place and organizing it into a file.
All that remained now were impressions and notes to be written after returning from the trip.
"Well, everyone has to work in a group assignment, so if there's really nothing for her to do, we can just make her the presenter."
"I'm good at presenting, so that works for me~."
An extremely easy role where she need only present the materials everyone had compiled. Still, forcing a different role onto the latecomer might make her bolt, so this was also the best choice.
Having rationalized her decision, the girl looked at the remaining two who hadn't participated in the conversation.
Yu Inna was clinging tightly to Erika's arm, while the woman dressed in flamboyant golden clothing was engrossed in a mobile game.
'You know she's the one from this morning, right?'
Yu Inna had gone so far as to whisper in Erika's ear during break that the former queen had arrived as a transfer student; clinging to Erika's arm like this was virtually no different from openly displaying her implicit rejection of the transfer student who had joined their group.
Rao Ha, meanwhile, made no effort to approach anyone who didn't approach her first. With two out of the six unwilling to talk to the transfer student, the conversation couldn't continue even if they had wanted it to.
Just as a desolate silence seemed ready to stretch on, Erika immediately spoke up.
"Then let's wrap up the conversation here. Those who ordered food, eat up. And if we don't think we'll have much to discuss at length, let's not meet like this again next time—let's just take a moment during break and be done with it."
When a transfer student joined your group, wouldn't you usually barrage them with friendly questions? Erika wondered, puzzled. Though she hadn't done so herself, she distinctly remembered other students acting that way. She didn't go so far as to voice the thought, however.
In the end, this world was a dating sim.
Even if events unfolded differently from what she remembered, there was nothing strange about it.
"Hey, hey, so where did you come from?"
In this complicated and delicate situation where only Kim Daseul showed interest in the transfer student and no one was leaving despite having been told they could, someone tapped the shoulder of Erika, who was wordlessly sucking down her drink.
A boy with androgynous features stood there, wearing a captivating smile.
Perhaps because she had never viewed men as sexual objects, it had no effect on Erika.
"Hey, you said you wanted to meet my sister. Her plans ended early today and she has some free time—when do you want to meet?"
"Today?"
She had assumed it would take a long time to arrange a meeting, but she could see her today, just like that?
In a dating sim, the special strength a heroine possessed was virtually her qualification to be one.
Erika had possessed situational certainty that Kim Haneul adored his older sister, and she had wanted to meet that noona just as badly. Caught off guard by the unexpected news that she could see her so soon, Erika failed to keep her composure and tried to answer—but the woman who had been gripping her arm tightly and refused to let go spoke first.
"No, I don't want to. I don't want to meet her!"
At the same time, it was a warning directed at Erika.
A warning that she hated the thought of Erika meeting another woman.
It didn't end at a verbal warning; she even squeezed Erika's arm with force. However, Erika paid no mind to pain that didn't activate her blessing.
"When and where can we meet?"
"About ten minutes after I leave here?"
"...Why are you suddenly leaving?"
"To call her over?"
"Then you're coming back?"
"No, I have things to do, so I think it'll just end with my sister coming."
Though she was conversing with Kim Haneul, the flow of the conversation was utterly incomprehensible to Erika even as she spoke.
Why go out of his way to leave and call her when there were phones? And what kind of younger brother in this world would call his sister over only to leave before she arrived?
It was utterly bewildering, but since she had matters to discuss with [Her] upon meeting again, Erika nodded meekly for the time being to see [Her] once more.
Then she looked around. The girls who had remained despite having already been told to disband were pretending to sip their coffee while listening to her conversation.
Because everyone except Kim Daseul—who was making an effort to listen to the transfer student's story—was watching her. If she left her seat now, she would only be followed immediately.
No good way to leave them behind came to mind, so Erika simply downed the rest of her drink before finally rising from her seat.
"Then I'll be off first. Tell her I'll meet her there in ten minutes. And tell everyone I'll see them next time."
After Erika slipped out, Kim Haneul also stood up, slowly waved, and slipped out of the coffee shop before running in the opposite direction from Erika.
Erika had left first but was slow; Kim Haneul had left late but was fast. The trackers agonizing over which of the two to pursue eventually began moving toward Erika.
"H-Hey! Where are you going! Just tell me your superpower before you leave! I won't tell anyone! Hey!"
It was the beginning of a game of tag, with Kim Daseul alone chasing after the tails of those trackers...