Chapter 628: Understanding [1]

The more I stared at the two, the more my heart sank. I didn’t quite understand what was happening, but the coldness in Zoey’s eyes made it hard for me to ignore. I knew that something must’ve happened while I was on the operating table, but I just didn’t quite know what it was.

Despite this, all sorts of thoughts started to float inside my mind.

’Did this ’fan’ of mine show her something? Maybe he showed her something related to the Jester? Is that what it is? Or is there more to it?’

No, but her gaze wasn’t the only issue.

I turned my attention to Rowan. His eyes were lifeless, his face extremely pale. He looked like someone who had already given up on life.

What was up with him?

’...Was the trial that difficult for him?’

Thinking back to everything that I had experienced, I started to sympathize with him. I also suffered quite a lot.

His reaction didn’t seem all that strange.

At least, that was what I thought at first. However, the moment I tried to move toward him, he seemed to pull away. His gaze lifted slightly, his eyes rippling as his lips opened and closed several times, as if he had something to say to me but couldn’t quite bring himself to say it.

In my confusion, I turned to look at Zoey.

"What’s wrong with him?"

"What’s wrong...?"

Finally, Zoey opened her mouth. However, her words were cold. Unbearably cold, as she almost seemed disgusted by my mere presence.

I frowned.

"You don’t even realize what you did, do you?"

"No, that’s why I’m asking you. Maybe there’s some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe⎯"

"Maybe nothing!"

Zoey’s voice rose, attracting the attention of the nearby people as I hastily reached for my face, only to remember that I had already taken precautions.

But that was beside the point, as Zoey moved closer to me, grasping my shirt as her face contorted.

"...The fact that you don’t even know proves that I’ve been right with my thinking! I’ve been thinking over and over again about you, trying to make excuses to explain your character, but it’s become painfully clear that you’re really a bastard of a human."

"What?"

I tried to get some words in, but Zoey seemed too heated. The more I tried to speak, the angrier she seemed to get. This left me at a complete loss as I really didn’t know what was going on.

However, I did get my answer.

"Rowan’s sister..."

Zoey stopped, her face tightening as she bit her lip and glared at me.

"You... you... Definitely could’ve done something. Had you..."

Stopping, her head lowered as she shouted, "Fuck!"

Now all attention was on us. I felt the numerous stares directed my way and felt an extreme wave of discomfort.

The more people looked, the more uncomfortable I became.

"Ok. Ok. It’s my fault. Let’s just talk about this elsewhere."

"No, I’m good."

Seemingly calming down, Zoey let go of my shirt and turned her attention to Rowan, who seemed completely out of it. Then, moving toward him, she shook her head.

"I... don’t want to talk to you anymore. I just..."

She paused, lowering her head to stare at her hands.

"...The mere thought of having to talk to you makes me feel sick. I don’t really want anything to do with you, honestly. All I want is for you to disappear and never show up again." She let out a short laugh, her face twisted with ridicule. "Not that it’s possible, given your current reputation... maybe I should be the one to leave."

Placing her hand over Rowan’s shoulder, she muttered something to him as the two moved. I didn’t quite catch what she said, but it seemed to be something related to his sister. Yet again, I was at a loss.

What about his sister...?

I hadn’t even met her. She seemed to be speaking as though I had done something to her, but I didn’t even see her once.

I would’ve known had I seen her, but I didn’t.

My eyes followed the two of them as they left. I wanted to say something, get a better idea of what was going on, but with all those gazes still lingering, the words never left my mouth. I simply raised my hand, only to lower it again.

’...Well, it’s not like anything will change if I talk to her now. It’s the same with Kyle. They’ll understand when I speak to them eventually.’

Eventually⎯

Scratching the back of my head, I turned away from the scene and headed in the opposite direction, deciding to leave through the northern exit. Since the two couldn’t stand me, it was best that I went elsewhere.

’Judging from the way she looked at me, she probably would’ve killed me had I gone with them.’

I scratched the back of my head again.

A strange sensation still lingered in my head, likely from the botched moment during the operation. It was oddly ticklish and refused to fade. However, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it, as my thoughts drifted back to the one who had caused this entire mess.

’I’ve attracted too much unwanted attention, no thanks to Paimon... I knew that they were going to target me, but I didn’t expect them to target me like this. I somehow managed to survive, but I’m certain that they never planned on killing me from the start. This was probably their way of measuring my strength.’

My heart sank at the thought.

As things stood, I wasn’t even close to the same level as this ’fan’ of mine.

In fact, it also seemed like they knew a lot about me. Not just surface-level knowledge.

This was even more bothersome.

Was I being spied upon?

’Ah, this is really troublesome.’

Added to the Zoey and Rowan situation, and I knew that it had to be something that this ’fan’ of mine had planned. But what was their goal in achieving this?

This thought lingered at the back of my mind as I moved away from the exit and headed to a more secluded area, eventually finding myself at the park behind the hospital. Looking around, I found a bench to sit on, my eyes scanning the surroundings as I tried to calm my nerves.

But I just couldn’t.

Opening my eyes again, I looked around.

For a park, it was rather deserted. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, and after looking around to make sure no one was present, I found my lips parting on their own.

"What do you think? Have you managed to process everything?"

My head turned, falling on the figure sitting next to me.

He sat in silence, his gaze focused ahead as his lips remained sealed. I continued to stare at him, the silence between the two of us feeling somewhat tense, but eventually, his lips opened.

"...You may not be him, but you’re just as much of an avoidant as he is."

I tilted my head.

He was on about this stuff again?

I sighed.

"Look, I told you many times before. I am Seth. I⎯"

"Why do you think I joined this line of work?"

I paused, my mind blanking for a moment. Taking a moment to look at Kyle, I suddenly realized something.

I... didn’t know. Yeah, why did he take this line of work?

"See?"

Kyle suddenly smiled.

"You act as if you know me, but you really don’t know anything about me."

"That’s..."

I wanted to refute it, but found myself unable to say a single thing. Because... He was right. Thinking about it, I had always treated Kyle as the same Kyle that existed in my own world. I had never asked him about why he had joined this line of work, or anything else, to be exact.

Ah...

"You act, speak, and behave like him, but you’re not him."

"....."

"You’re a fake."

"....."

"Even though Seth is usually an avoidant and is introverted, it is not to the same extent as you. You’re the same but also completely different. You’re a more extreme version of what he normally is. You’re so blinded by your own thoughts that you can’t even seem to realize what is happening to you."

"....."

The more Kyle spoke, the less I found myself able to say anything back to him.

That’s...

"You weren’t the main target of this entire operation. No, you were, but it’s clear that the real targets were Zoey and Rowan. I don’t know what happened to the two of them, but it’s clear that they both have lost faith in you or have given up on you."

"....."

"He’s trying to separate everyone away from you. He’s taking away whatever little you have left."

I covered my lips.

All of a sudden, a lot of things started to make sense.

Right, right...

I wasn’t the real target of the tart. The targets were Zoey and Rowan. If this ’fan’ of mine has information about me, he most certainly knows about who I am close with and not. In that case...

"Haha."

I suddenly laughed as I leaned forward a bit, my hand grasping my mouth with more force.

Kyle didn’t say anything from that point, but I could see him shift away from me.

I didn’t mind it and just stared at the distant hospital.

"So... he’s trying to separate everyone from me. He’s trying to... take the little things that I have."

I ruffled my hair.

The more I thought about the situation, the more I felt like laughing.

No, I did laugh.

But purely out of amusement.

’Is he stupid?’

I didn’t have much in this world, but the little things that I did have in this world were probably what were stopping me from just doing whatever that I wanted. Still, it was clear now. I didn’t belong to this world. I simply... didn’t fit here.

And... if someone took the little things that brought any semblance of attachment, then...

I really had no reason to care about anything.

Should I...?

"No, no, no."

I ruffled my hair, lowering my head.

"I... can’t go that far."

I ruffled my hair again.

"...But it’s not like it’ll matter."

I mean, if I just returned to the world that I belonged to, then it really wouldn’t matter.

It wouldn’t matter if I burned everything in the process of returning.