30) Chapter 6. Let’s Go Home. (3)

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When had it begun?

Soi thought it must have been from the very beginning.

Her memories from kindergarten were already quite faint, but there were still moments that came back vividly.

For example, the first time Rua came to Soi’s house.

A child who hunched her shoulders tightly, unable to keep her gaze fixed anywhere, eyes darting around.

For a long time—almost years—Rua acted as though that house wasn’t her home.

Even when eating, she always glanced around nervously at the table, and even when they shared the same room.

Soi didn’t like that at all.

Why?

Weren’t they going to live together from now on?

As family, living in the same house?

Then why did she keep acting so cautious?

As if she were someone who would have to leave someday.

As if she were someone who would have to disappear completely someday.

“Ah…”

The sound hurt.

The sound of Rua being dragged across the floor. The sound of her hitting something.

Even the kids and the teachers nearby couldn’t look directly at that scene. They were all staring out the window toward the playground instead.

What if they got involved and got hurt? What if they died? What if they ended up bleeding like that person outside—

Thinking about it now, maybe Rua really had been thinking that way.

Ever since she was little, she had been quietly preparing herself to disappear.

Why? Why? Why?

Because she had gone through things like that?

Because she had encountered villains, been threatened?

In elementary school, before that, even now—because she had gone through things like that.

“……uh…”

Rua somehow managed to keep her eyes open and look toward the children. Her hand kept reaching upward into the air. It wasn’t just flailing. Soi knew Rua’s ability. She was trying to do something. Trying to protect the kids.

Trying to protect Soi.

Looking this way again and again with a desperate expression. Her head hitting the floor, her body being dragged.

Her face full of guilt.

Why was she making that face?

The bad one was that woman.

No one knew if that woman was really Rua’s mother or not. But whether she was or wasn’t, none of this was Rua’s fault.

If she wasn’t her mother, then she had come to the wrong place from the start. She was clinging to the wrong person.

If she was her mother, then abandoning her daughter in the first place was the real wrongdoing. Even if she wanted to come back later, she shouldn’t have come like this.

What kind of mother in the world acts like that?

Whenever Soi thought of “mother,” she could only think of her own mother, so she couldn’t understand it at all.

Rua was crying.

Looking at Soi—who always acted like an older sister in front of her, who always said she would protect her, but who never actually knew how to do anything.

That pretty face was being ruined. Swelling red everywhere, soaked with tears and sweat and blood—

A sharp ringing filled her ears.

Her vision narrowed, and she couldn’t hear anything around her. Not the kids sniffling, not the cries for their mothers, not the hushed voices calling the police. Everything suddenly went silent.

The moment she first met Rua.

A small, pretty, frightened girl.

Soi had wanted to wipe that frightened expression away. Because until then, there hadn’t been a single kid who didn’t smile when they were with her. Every kid in her kindergarten was her friend, and whenever they saw her, they smiled brightly and asked to play.

She didn’t want such a pretty girl to stay scared like that.

So Soi had approached her with a smile.

“……”

“…Soi?”

At some point, Chae‑yi had come close and was pulling Soi back, calling her name with a startled voice.

But there was no time to answer.

“…You.”

Her mind was already entirely focused on the scene before her.

Soi forgot that she hadn’t awakened her ability yet. She stood up and stared straight at the woman.

She was furious.

Furious at that woman, furious at the adults who hadn’t stopped someone like her from getting this far, furious at her mother who wasn’t arriving fast enough even in a situation like this.

But the one she was most furious at was herself.

She always said she would protect Rua, always talked big, but every time—always—she was like this.

When it really mattered, she was never any help.

“Let go of Rua.”

She spoke toward the woman who looked at her with a slightly bewildered expression.

“Let go of Rua!”

And again.

Shouting like that—

The next moment, she was already running.

  • *

A meteor.

She had seen that light on TV countless times.

Of course, she had never seen it in person. Watching Auntie Yujin at work meant being at the scene of a battle between heroes and villains.

And Auntie Yujin was known as the strongest hero in the country. She didn’t show up for just any villain.

“Ah.”

So she had never imagined the light would be this bright. This warm.

Soi’s hair was burning.

No—her hair itself had become a flickering flame. It still flowed downward like hair, but that golden hair shone as if it were ablaze.

Her eyes were the same. Her normally playful brown eyes now glowed gold.

The light was brilliant. Far beyond anything seen through a screen.

Just the presence of that light was enough to make one feel safe, without any reason.

“…Oh dear.”

Seo Arin muttered as if troubled.

Her voice sounded strange. Just moments ago she had been an emotionless psychopath, but now her voice was full of anxiety and tension.

But she hadn’t given up on Rua. She yanked at her body stubbornly.

“Ugh—!”

No.

Rua didn’t want to give up after finally seeing hope right in front of her.

She reached out. To keep from being dragged away, she dug her nails into the floor.

“Ghh!”

Her hand was only pressing against the floor, and her extended sense was what dug into it.

It hurt.

As if the bones in her fingertips were shattering.

Her invisible hand—cut and crushed so many times—could exert strength as if none of that mattered.

But the fingertips striking the floor hard enough to crack it felt like they were breaking. Her forcibly embedded nails slowly lifted and peeled back as she was dragged. Goosebumps rose on her back. She could imagine exactly what that pain would feel like—

“Aaagh!?”

And again.

She felt something grab her invisible hand. A force that passed through normal hands without resistance now met something of the same kind and held it easily.

A cracking sound echoed in her head.

“Kyaa!?”

A scream burst from her mouth. She clutched her arm and curled up. Her body wasn’t badly injured, but it felt as if her real arm had been broken.

Crack.

And her body was dragged helplessly.

Thud, thud.

This time she couldn’t resist at all. Because Seo Arin was dodging Soi’s attacks, Rua’s body slammed into walls and corners as she was dragged.

Her strength drained. Her mind grew hazy, her senses dull.

She was only breathing to avoid dying.

Stop.

Please stop.

When would it end? It hurt. Everything hurt.

Before she could even sniffle, she was slammed into the corner of the hallway again.

Groaning, she curled up as tightly as she could. Someone called her name. Footsteps running toward her.

She forced her eyes open, but something was dripping over them, blurring her vision. She saw a girl with pink hair running toward her. She couldn’t see her expression.

And then, floating in the air—not just running—was a “meteor.”

Ah, she understood.

Burning fire.

If it was hot, it hurt. A simple principle. Seo Arin had said that even if Rua’s invisible hand burned, it wasn’t real—but the pain was still real.

“……!”

But that didn’t mean Soi had the advantage. She had only just awakened her ability.

Objects flew toward Soi—many of them.

Everything in the hallway shattered. Window frames, broken glass, chairs and desks piled against the door, even the doors themselves burst open inward. All of it flew at Soi.

The objects struck her body, leaving wounds. Blood splattered, skin tore.

“Ah… ah…!”

Rua instinctively tried to crawl toward Soi—only to be held back by Chae‑yi.

“Wait, wait, Rua.”

Chae‑yi crouched over her, covering her with her own body, holding her tightly.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

It wasn’t okay.

Soi was hurting because of her. Getting injured because of her.

And yet Soi kept running forward to protect her.

Things around them melted. Burned. The sprinklers burst and water sprayed everywhere, but around Soi it all turned to steam.

Rua felt like she would pass out any moment, but she forced herself to look at Soi. She had to help. She didn’t know how—

But before she could reach out—

A loud crash.

A sofa burst through the hallway window and slammed into Soi. She barely blocked it with her arms, but her arms dropped limply right after.

“Haa… ngh…!”

Soi still shone brightly.

But she finally sank to the floor.

“……”

Seo Arin only glared at her. So angry she could barely speak.

“Hah… as expected.”

Seo Arin said.

“All of you—”

“All of us what?”

A voice came from behind her.

Even with the fire alarm blaring and water pouring from the ceiling, the hallway suddenly felt strangely quiet.

Crack, crack.

Behind Seo Arin, the broken barricade was being forced open.

“What exactly are you planning to do?”

A gentle voice.

A voice they heard every morning.

“……”

Seo Arin slowly turned around.

Standing there was another “meteor.”

No—the real “Meteor” they all knew.

“Meteor” looked around. The destroyed hallway. The bleeding Soi. Rua collapsed on the floor. Chae‑yi shielding her.

“……”

Was she angry?

Her daughter had nearly died because of Rua. She must be angry.

Would Rua ever be able to look her in the face again—

“…Rest for a bit.”

But Auntie Yujin smiled softly.

“I’ll take care of everything.”

Hearing that, Rua finally felt at ease.

And her consciousness faded.

A word from the author (A/N):

I’ll upload one more chapter before midnight!

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Pub: 17 Mar 2026 21:03 UTC

Edit: 17 Mar 2026 21:04 UTC

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