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There were multiple reasons for dragging the kids into this, but if I had to pick the biggest one, it was ultimately to lure out Blanca.

I was at least aware that it was a petty and cowardly act. And I knew all too well that exploiting unsuspecting kids was pretty rotten.

Still, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to confirm Blanca’s true identity, so I decided to take the plunge and involve the kids.

And it wasn’t just to determine Blanca’s identity that I pulled off such a reckless stunt.

I was also calculating the gains against the risks the kids would have to face, and that’s why I gathered so many of them.

After all, these kids would end up clashing with the Evil Society and drawing their attention sooner or later.

Bringing it forward by a few months wouldn’t change much. The Evil Society is full of cowards.

If we were just a bunch of homeless folks, they’d swoop in and take us out the instant we became a nuisance, but these are future heroes under the banner of Heros Company, so they won’t pull that nonsense.

If even one of them went missing, there would be flyers plastered everywhere and news reports galore. There’s no way they’d take that chance.

With a bit of courage squeezed out, they could maybe pass off one or two disappearances as tragic ‘accidents’, but pulling half the kids in would make that impossible.

Plus, there’s no way they’d have the guts to mess with the son of a higher-up at Heros Company or the kids of the returnees who are thought to have the power to flip society upside down all by themselves.

Even the useful Ability Users cut their losses and pretend they don’t know anything when they think they might get caught, so there’s no way they’d go after someone who could grab the interest of Heros Company or worse.

Even if we started digging deep, they’d probably just sit tight unless we were looking to dig up direct intel from their leadership.

They’d rather mislead us into thinking what we uncovered was everything while they stealthily faded back into the shadows.

So, if I was going to do this, the smart move was to gather all the kids and trap them.

…To be honest, it was just that I was pondering how to draw Blanca in, and I ended up creating a reason even she’d have no choice but to believe.

Somehow, it turned into a plan too appealing to even resist.

So, until the identity of the stalker was revealed, I thought it was a flawless plan.

That is, until Blanca shouted out, “It’s Wang Tai-lun!!!”

Just as we closed our eyes for a moment, Blanca barely escaped from the grip of Wang Tai-lun, who suddenly appeared, calling out to us from the alley.

“Wang Tai-lun must be the one… He’s the clone user we encountered during the field trip, right? So the stalker was that guy?!”

Changwon, who was waiting right next to me, seemed just as shocked, but quickly tried to use his ability to crush the clones.

His power was so ridiculous that he could exert physical force on even ghostly clones.

However, contrary to our expectation that all the clones would fall flat on the ground, Wang Tai-lun literally ‘vanished’ in the blink of an eye.

“…Huh?”

Seeing Wang Tai-lun appear and disappear like a phantom left Changwon baffled.

“It’s dangerous!!”

But without missing a beat, he got lucky and kicked away a clone that had appeared behind him, saving himself.

“Changwon, lift all the kids into the air! Right now!!”

I couldn’t tell what was going on. But I knew we had to get everyone airborne.

At least we’d be safe from Wang Tai-lun’s attacks while in the air.

“Got it, but bear with it if it’s a bit rough! I’m not exactly skilled at lifting people without hurting anyone!”

Without hesitation, Changwon lifted everyone up into the air, including Blanca.

Fortunately, it seemed we were the only ones ambushed; the other kids were panicking, trying to figure out what was happening as they suddenly floated up.

“Wh-What’s going on? Wang Tai-lun?!”

Yeonhwa, grappling with Jinhyeon, finally steadied herself and asked me what was happening.

“The stalker was Wang Tai-lun! But something feels off! It seems like he’s developed a power he didn’t have before!”

“Is that even possible?!”

Even Lucia seemed to snap back to reality, astonished, and asked me.

“I don’t know! Just know he can suddenly appear from anywhere!”

I was just as confused. At least there weren’t any Ability Users in Evil Society who could steal powers and grant them to others.

That never even came up until the end. But suddenly he’s got new abilities? What the heck is going on?

Seolhwa said we could talk later, then conjured a barrier of ice to surround and protect us in multiple layers.

Jinhyeon wrapped lightning around the Ice Barrier, while Changwon created a violently rotating field to prevent anything from getting close.

“Fukukin, contact the teacher! And Ageha, help Alice detect Wang Tai-lun!”

“What?! There’s nothing here, what am I supposed to detect?!”

I gave instructions to Ageha, but she shot back, confused about what to sense since there was nothing around.

“L-Let me explain! Just think of it as… When a ghost passes by, there’s this chill, this eeriness… like now?!”

While the others were busy erecting barriers and brainstorming, Blanca and Alice twisted and turned with all their strength, trying their best to break free from their lofty positions.

And amidst the chaos, Wang Tai-lun appeared suddenly, strutting onto the scene in his black coat and fedora like he was ready to run.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, he vanished.

Taking a wild chance, Alice barely avoided Wang Tai-lun’s grasp and shouted at me in her upside-down stance.

“This barrier is pointless! He’s like a ghost, but not a ghost; he just slips right through!”

“Then, should we lower the barrier…?”

“Don’t! I know what that power is! I’ve seen it before! That’s the Mirror Dimension ability that the woman who attacked us back then had!”

The Mirror Dimension… That would be Elisée’s power. But why is it in the hands of Wang Tai-lun?

And how does Blanca know about it?

My mind raced, but the events were unfolding faster than I could think.

“They can’t see us from their side! That guy is literally just jumping in blindly!”

“Is it really possible to bridge this distance by just jumping?”

Normally, I would have kindly answered Lapiz’s question, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“Someone must have squeezed another’s abilities into a different body; of course, there’s going to be some physical enhancement!”

“But why is that guy, who’s from the Evil Society, here? Is he affiliated with them or what?!”

Even Jinhyeon, who usually kept his emotions at bay, looked utterly shocked, his yellow hair crackling with static.

“Let’s think about it later! Right now, just focus on not getting caught! Changwon, keep us moving randomly! If Blanca is right, he won’t be able to see exactly where we are!”

Changwon moved us about wildly as I directed, making it hard for Wang Tai-lun to predict our location.

“Fukukin, how long until the teacher and the Hero arrive?!”

“They said they were coming at full speed; we just need to hang on a little longer! Just a bit more, hold on!”

“From now on, should we work on building up our motion sickness resistance… ugh?!”

It might have sounded like a joke, but nobody laughed. There was no room for humor.

Even at this moment, Wang Tai-lun was plunging into this barrier trying to catch us.

Since he was entering through the Mirror Dimension, all we could do was move around randomly while praying to miss him.

“You better be prepared for what’s coming after this! Why’d I have to go making things more complicated? Ugh…!”

Even as Blanca was tossed around by Changwon’s telekinesis, she shot me a death glare.

This time, I was genuinely lost for words. If we’re being honest, it all started because of my greed.

After conjuring trouble that wasn’t even in the original story, who was I supposed to blame for this mess?

“Is there no way to counterattack?!”

“There is, but it’s too dangerous! If we get pulled into his domain, it’s game over!”

Someone seemed to ask a question, but I was so dizzy that I couldn’t even catch who was calling me.

Regardless, the moment we were captured would mean he’d have to materialize, so if we could time it just right, we might be able to do something.

However, no matter how I thought about it, it seemed quicker for him to drag us in than for us to take him down.

“The teacher… says he can see something! We just need to hold on a little bit more─”

Fukukin offered us some hopeful news.

But in that exact moment, as I brushed past Blanca, Wang Tai-lun manifested right behind us, capturing us.

“Cat, you’re coming with me.”

Ah.

…Oh no.

 

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