You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 37

‘Hey. Yoo Seol. Wake up.’

I just fell asleep, why are you waking me up? Frowning, I pushed away the hand touching my shoulder. But the person persistently grabbed my shoulder again and shook my body. Eventually, I let out a deep sigh and raised my head.

‘Ah, I didn’t get any sleep today.’

‘Who cares. Let’s go buy bread.’

My one and only friend, clinging to me like a leech, didn’t seem like he would give up even if I refused here. In the end, I stretched to chase away the sleepiness and got up from my seat. Then, I reached out and lightly tapped my friend’s shoulder.

‘I don’t have money. Buy mine too.’

‘Okay.’

Finding solace in getting free snacks, I went down the stairs and arrived at the snack vending machine. Since it was break time, many students were lined up using the vending machine. Ah, I hope the strawberry pastries don’t sell out. I tiptoed to check if there were any left.

As time passed and the people in front of me disappeared one by one, it was finally my turn. Fortunately, my favorite bread was still available. Standing in front of the vending machine, I rummaged through my friend’s wallet and took out some coins. Suddenly, I heard a thud as if something had collided nearby. Surprised voices and murmurs of pity could be heard around me.

What happened? I stopped rummaging for coins and lifted my head to look out the window. On the window, which had dust scattered here and there, there was a trace of something round having collided. I looked down, tracing my gaze. Beyond the window, a white bird lay collapsed on the ground.

The bird was twitching and trembling. Judging from its hazy eyes, it seemed to be out of its mind. It jerked a few times as if trying to muster strength, then closed its eyes and didn’t get up again. People were saying it was pitiful, but they took out their phones hidden in their pockets and started taking pictures. The sound of clicking filled the surroundings.

I, who had been standing still in front of the vending machine, returned the wallet to my friend and went outside through the side door. Then, I approached the flowerbed where the bird had fallen. The bird remained still even as I got closer. It seemed to have either completely fainted or lacked the strength to get up.

I crossed the flowerbed and crouched down. It was even whiter and rounder than I had seen through the window. I carefully reached out and picked up the bird.

“Are you okay…?”

The bird, held in my cupped hands, was very light and soft. Perhaps because it was a cold winter, I couldn’t feel much body heat. Thinking it might freeze to death if I left it here, I fidgeted and looked around.

I searched for a warm place, but the only warm spot that came to mind was the classroom. It would surely be noisy if I brought it in… After a brief contemplation, I placed the bird inside my jacket so that others wouldn’t see. Then, I carefully walked into the classroom.

Entering the classroom, I saw my friends sitting huddled together at their desks, chatting with each other. I cleared my throat to avoid drawing attention and went to my seat to pick up my bag. Sensing something suspicious about my behavior, my classmates glanced at me like ghosts. Then, a sociable friend from the class approached and asked.

‘Are you sick?’

‘Ahem! Yeah. I caught a cold, see.’

As I spoke, mixing in coughs here and there, my friend patted my back and told me to go home and rest. Yes! I inwardly grinned with a wicked smile. An unexpected chance to leave early.

I slightly nodded and put the bag on my back. After making sure no one was around, I quickly climbed over the fence and left the school. Only after getting far away from the school did I take out the bird I had placed inside my jacket. The little one still had its eyes closed.

‘When will you wake up?’

I asked, poking it with my finger, but there was no movement. Worried it might have died, I touched its body and felt a slight movement. Confirming it was alive, I put it back inside my jacket and ran.

After about 5 minutes of alternating between running and walking, I arrived home. I pressed the apartment password and went inside, slightly opening the front door. I peeked my head in to check for any presence, but it seemed no one was there, so I slipped inside.

Hurriedly entering my room before anyone could see, I put down my bag as if throwing it. I immediately spread out the blanket, making it fluffy, and placed the bird on top. The small, unconscious bird remained still, just as I had placed it.

“Are you cold?”

For now, I gathered the blanket spread out in all directions and wrapped it snugly around the bird’s body. Wondering what else I should do, I picked up my phone and searched.

“When a bird hits a window… It’s not coming up. Should I say it collided with the glass?”

I pondered and changed the search term, and questions from people with similar experiences popped up one by one. Bird… pick up… I selected a question with my thumb and checked the answers below. Birds often collide with transparent glass, so if you find a bird collapsed like that, it’s best to provide warmth and water in a cozy place.

I put down my phone and gently stroked the bird’s head with my index and middle fingers. Wake up soon. I whispered softly and got up from my seat. I was going to get some water for the bird that would wake up someday.

“Huh?”

But the moment I opened the door… Instead of the living room that should have been visible, it was pitch black. Startled, I let go of the door handle, and the door disappeared without a trace. I turned around to look at my surroundings, but the bird that had been there just before, and my room, had vanished, and I couldn’t see anything as if I had entered an abyss.

What is this? Where am I…? Finding myself alone in a strange place, I got scared.

Slightly shrinking my body, I walked slowly forward while looking around, and suddenly, a single door appeared before my eyes. It was much larger and more luxurious than my room door. A door that seemed to belong in a Western noble’s mansion. Can I open it? Worrying, I carefully reached out and pushed, and through the slightly opened gap, bright light seeped out. The sudden influx of light made my eyes sting, so I squeezed them shut.

When I felt the white light had adapted to my eyelids, I slowly opened my eyes and saw a familiar ceiling.

“Ah.”

In a dazed state, I lay on my back and blinked my eyes. What kind of dream did I have? School? Ah, I dreamed about my high school days. The dream when I first saw that child.

The realistic dream made it hard to distinguish what was reality and what was a dream. Needing time to adapt, I just blinked my eyes, and then I heard a voice beside me.

“Seol-ah.”

Startled by the sudden sound of my name, my body jolted up like a carp out of water. I hurriedly turned my head to look, and it was Karhan. Ah, right. I had asked him to call me by my name. Now that he called me faster than I expected, it felt strange.

He approached me with a faint smile, as if relieved. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he spoke softly.

“Are you alright now?”

“Karhan…?”

Karhan placed his hand on my forehead and brushed it. The silver-white hair that had been tickling my forehead was neatly swept to the side.

“Unfortunately, you won’t be able to enjoy the festival.”

“Huh? Why?”

Why can’t I enjoy the festival? I’m fine now. I looked at Karhan’s face with a disappointed expression. Even with my disappointed face, he shook his head, saying it couldn’t be helped. Then, he stretched out his finger and pointed to the window. Bright sunlight was pouring in.

“Oh.”

It’s strange. I was told that during Athlena’s 3 Days, only the moon would be out… I looked up at Karhan with a puzzled face. He was still stroking my head. With a suspicion in my mind, I asked.

“Don’t tell me… I slept for 3 days?”

“It’s been 5 days in total, including the 3 days that passed.”

He said I had slept for a total of 5 days straight.

🐤

Liras, who had put Cheep to sleep, plopped down on the chair beside him. Crossing his long legs and leaning back against the backrest, he slowly stroked his chin. Alternating his gaze between the round full moon visible outside the window and the soundly sleeping Cheep, he muttered softly.

“It feels familiar…”

He sensed an energy he had felt many times before emanating from the sleeping child’s body. With a suspicion in mind, he asked Karhan.

“Did he perhaps meet Asmil?”

“…We briefly met him before coming here.”

At Karhan’s answer, Liras shook his head.

“Not just before, but a bit earlier. Wasn’t there some incident?”

He asked, wiggling his index finger. A bit earlier… Karhan slightly furrowed his brows in thought. It seemed he was asking about the time they had met while resolving Viscount Valdez’s case. More specifically, he was probably referring to what that person had done to Cheep at that time. Karhan obediently nodded.

Liras smiled wryly, saying, “I see.” Asmil was quite a handful, one of his aching fingers. He was the only one left after all the original Armas disappeared. They were in the same situation.

Left alone with everyone around him gone, Asmil blindly pursued only things that brought him fun and excitement. He didn’t care whether it was something that harmed people or not. He only sought stimulating things that would stir his heart.

It was both understandable and not.

When he tried to do something that would greatly disrupt the world’s order, Liras stopped him, but recently, he had been hiding his whereabouts well, so Liras didn’t know his status. Of course, if he was determined to find him, he could, but since no significant news reached his ears, he quietly left him alone. But to think he would get involved with Karhan…

Liras looked at Karhan, who was sitting next to the strange child with silver-white hair, with a peculiar gaze.

The meeting of a half-blood Arma and a pure-blood Arma. It was unknown what kind of fate this would lead to, but he expected it would be quite an enjoyable thing to watch. He smiled brightly.

Seeing Liras just sitting in the chair and smiling, Karhan furrowed his brows. What kind of thoughts was he lost in again? Just as he was about to ask what Asmil had done, Liras spoke.

“To be precise about his condition… He has an excessive amount of mana.”

“Mana… you say?”

“Whether human or animal, all living beings have a set appropriate amount. They live using that as their driving force. If it’s excessively low or high, problems arise. Especially for this child… um, how should I put it?”

Liras closed his mouth for a moment, seeming unsure of how to explain, and rolled his eyes back and forth, pondering. After choosing his words for a while with a furrowed brow, he parted his lips.

“From what I see, this child is someone who had no energy, or should I say, mana. It was either already worn out or absent from birth. Of course, one cannot live in that state. But for some reason, he survived.”

It would have been good if the story ended right there. Liras tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger. The sound of shallow breaths, as if they would soon cease, tickled his ears. It was truly unfortunate. If only he hadn’t caught Asmil’s eye, perhaps he could have lived peacefully.

“Something that wasn’t his entered him recklessly. And in large quantities that he couldn’t endure.”