...
Yes... That was exactly it. There was no need to hesitate or overthink how to approach Kim Hajin.
Build a friendship first, gain his trust and only then reveal that I also ca from Earth? It was a valid approach, no doubt.
But I needed answers, and I needed them now. There was no way to wait for a gradual bond, for careful interactions that could bring us closer together.
Being direct was the best option. Reach out to him, expose the truth and observe his reaction. If he gave the information I was looking for, great. If he didn't, then I needed to consider less conventional alternatives.
I could simply use my abilities to access his mories.
That was a possibility I would keep open. It wasn't the most ethical approach, but when it ca to the truth, the safety of those who had beco important to and the future I needed to shape, there was no room for hesitation. If necessary, I would use this skill without a shred of guilt.
At the end of the day, what mattered was whether the co-author had altered his plans or not, and the best way to find out was with Hajin.
Looking at his surprised expression, I realized that my words had hit him hard. His eyes trembled slightly and his rigid posture showed his disbelief.
I seized the mont to continue, my voice not giving him ti to think properly.
"I'm from another world, just like you... I died in my world and woke up here, inside the story I was reading."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kim Hajin's eyes were still fixed on , assessing every detail of what I had just said. His expression was a mixture of shock and suspicion, as if he was trying to find so flaw in my words, so indication that it was all a lie.
I don't bla him. If it were the other way around, I'd be suspicious too.
The atmosphere around us seed to have frozen in ti. The typical buzz of cadets leaving training sounded muffled amid the tension that now filled the air between us.
Hajin finally took a deep breath, clenching his fists slightly before opening his mouth.
"How can you be sure that I'm just like you?"
He asked, his voice laden with caution.
I smiled slightly.
"Because I know the story. I know you're no ordinary character in this world."
I leaned forward a little, without looking away from him.
"And I know that you also ca from sowhere else... from Earth."
Kim Hajin frowned, clearly uncomfortable.
"That doesn't prove anything. You may well have gotten information about sohow."
Of course, he wouldn't accept it so easily. I'd expected that.
Without saying another word, I raised my hand slightly and activated my clairvoyance ability. A screen appeared and, instantly, information about Hajin began to unfold before my eyes, like pages in a book being turned at high speed.
His true age, his skills obtained so far and...
But I didn't need to dive deep. Just a glimpse was enough.
Closing my eyes for a mont, I spoke:
"As you can see... This is one of my skills. It allows to obtain almost any information from this world."
Kim Hajin's expression turned even darker as he saw the magic screen appear before . His eyes narrowed, and I could feel the tension in his body increase.
He didn't say anything right away, just watched cautiously, analyzing every detail of my ability. His instinct told him not to trust , and I understood that perfectly.
"A skill that can obtain any information in the world, huh? That sounds dangerous."
He muttered, crossing his arms.
I smiled slightly.
After all, it wasn't a skill. All I did was broadcast so of the information I already knew about him on the screen...
And, knowing that Hajin also possessed so similar abilities, I knew he wouldn't doubt .
"For soone who has sothing to hide, perhaps."
Kim Hajin remained silent for a mont, pondering my words.
Then he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"If you really know that much..."
He began, his voice more controlled but still suspicious.
"So tell , what exactly do you want from ?"
The question I'd been waiting for.
I kept my posture firm and answered bluntly:
"I want to know if the co-author has changed his plans. If this story still follows the original script or if there are changes..."
Hajin blinked a few tis, clearly taken aback.
He probably hadn't expected this question.
"So that's it..."
He muttered, looking away briefly.
"You want to understand how unpredictable this world has beco."
I nodded.
"Exactly. Can you help with that?"
"But... I don't understand one thing... How do you know about the co-author and ? When I tried to use my skills on you, none of them worked. The opposite should also happen, right?"
The skills he was referring to were certainly "Observation" and "Reading".
'I expected them not to work. After all, how could anyone get information about if I wasn't even part of this world?'
Clearing my thoughts, I focused on Kim Hajin's question. Hearing it, I smiled internally.
'He's beginning to accept the possibility that I really do know more than I should.'
But at the sa ti, his caution was still present.
"Logic would say yes."
I replied, crossing my arms.
"But my existence in itself is already an anomaly, don't you think? I'm not an original character in this world, any more than you are. And yet I'm here. I don't know why, but I'm here."
Hajin frowned, pondering my words.
"You an that your existence... Is outside the rules set by this world?"
"Sothing like that."
I tilted my head slightly.
"But that's not all. The very fact that you can't use your abilities on already proves that I'm different. You realized that from the start, didn't you?"
Hajin's eyes twinkled slightly, indicating that he was analyzing the information more seriously.
"...Yeah, I realized."
He admitted, letting out a sigh.
"But that just leaves with even more questions."
"Then I guess we're in the sa boat."
I smiled slightly.
"Because I have a lot of questions for you too."
Silence settled between us again, but this ti it wasn't filled with distrust.
It was a mont of mutual assessnt.
Finally, Kim Hajin relaxed his shoulders a little.
"...All right. I'll listen to you."
That's what I needed.
"About knowing the co-author, let's just say that my sponsor told a bit about him."
Just as I lied by saying that I ca from the sa world as him, I lied by saying that I had an ability to obtain any information from this world. Now, I also lied by saying that soone told about the co-author.
From the beginning, I ca prepared...
"Your sponsor, eh?"
He repeated, narrowing his eyes.
"So there's soone above you... soone who knows the co-author?"
I nodded slightly.
"Sothing like that."
A well-crafted half-truth, enough to be convincing without revealing too much.
'Who knows what he'll do if he finds out that, in fact, he was never the real author of this world... An author created by another author...'
Kim Hajin crossed his arms, reflecting.
"All right. I'll tell you what I know."
But before I could react, his gaze sharpened.
"But first... answer one thing."
He faced directly, his expression serious and his voice firm.
"Why do you want to know about this? What do you intend to do with this information?"
It was a fair question.
My answer would now define the course of this conversation.
"I want to prevent those I consider important from getting into danger..."
...
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