Melin’s Salvation Plan - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

Tepeo let go his hand on the ladder and jumped off the ladder.

 

The sound of water rang through the passage when Tepeo’s foot touched the ground.

 

Soon after, Tepeo also landed on the ground. He brushed off the rust from his hands and covered his nose because of the fishy waters coming from all over the area.

 

“Where…..”

 

“It’s a rainwater drain. Follow me carefully so that you don’t slip.”

 

The underground waterway was a simple one-way passageway with only one direction.

 

I took a step with the thought of grasping only where the light hits.

 

Judging from the dim light coming in from far away, opposite from the hole that we came in, it was probably connected to other drainage channels.

 

And one more thing.

 

In the novel, there is a scene in which Tepeo recalls Melinia’s words when he escaped from the nursery.

 

【”If you go left at the first crossroads, there will be a big waterway and a small waterway.”】

 

“Left at the first crossroads.”

 

I tried to walk to the left to see if the novel was true, but someone suddenly caught my clothes.

 

It was Tepeo.

 

“Why?”

 

“Shall I take the lead?”

 

“…..You?”

 

Your hands are still shaking on the hem of my clothes? You don’t even know the way?

 

“Just stay behind me. I know the way.”

 

“But….”

 

I pushed Tepeo back and he said something.

 

“You know the way? have you been here before?”

 

“What…..I just remember it.”

 

Since I read it in the novel, I can’t just say that.

 

The view quickly darkened as I walked a little to the left with Tepeo hanging behind me.

 

I had no choice but to hit the wall to avoid it from falling. Wet and sticky things stuck to my hands, but there was no other way.

 

I held Tepeo’s hand with my other hand because he was holding to my clothes.

 

“My clothes are going to get wrinkled.”

 

Tepeo quickly understood my words and we held each other’s hands together. Cold hands did not usually seem nervous.

 

I might catch a kid like this.  Maybe the content of the novel is correct, but it would be better to check and return.

 

The sound of our footsteps echoing the passage changed little by little. With that sound, I knew that the structure of the space had changed.

 

“I think we’re almost there.”

 

I was able to see clearly with my two eyes adapted to the dark.

 

As the novel says, the large waterway and the rectangular waterway were visible.

 

【”You have to get into a small waterway from there. The main waterway is a dead end.”】

 

I looked toward the small waterway. It was so dark inside that it seemed difficult to get in right away.

 

Still, it was a big harvest to confirm that the content of the novel I was working on was accurate.

 

“Let’s go back for today.”

 

Tepeo turned quickly as if he had been waiting for my words.

 

Yeah, just stay up there and follow me.

 

It’s not that I don’t know very much if he came and insisted on it, so I laughed with breathless laughter.

 

It’s not that I don’t know very much that he’s scared inside, But I still laughed quietly.

 

We turned back the way we had come. When I climbed up the manhole ladder and came out, the bell for lunch rang.

 

When I was thinking about how to enter without being obvious, the children began to rush out.

 

We were lucky.

 

Tepeo and I were mixed in moderately with the crowd of children.

 

* * *

 

No one has asked me about my strange disappearance since the morning.

 

To be exact, I didn’t think anyone noticed it.

 

“Me, Melin…..Where did you go after breakfast? I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

 

It was none other than Karen who blocked me from leaving the table. Her expression barely put up with it.

 

Why does she keep bothering me since yesterday?

 

“Why do you care?”

 

“Oh…..W, we’re friends.”

 

“I don’t make friends with people who bother me.”

 

I answer back and go on my way. But she caught my arm.

 

Karen clasped me hard, even if it wasn’t a big deal.

 

“A, are you upset about yesterday?”

 

“What?”

 

“Are you mad that I’m trying to get Te, Tepi?”

 

It sounded like she thought I would be angry.  Karen stuttered her words.

 

“I, I’m just saying that s, she just got here, so…..Maybe she’s a w, weird girl, so I’d rather……”

 

“So, you’re saying that you do that for me?”

 

It was great. If you had a heart for me, but you should have talked to me before you spoke to Hope.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. You just don’t want me to be close to Tepi.”

 

Karen’s face suddenly turned pale, perhaps due to a sharp fact.

 

“Y, you’re so weird these days…..! Why don’t you be my f, friend like you used to be?”

 

Karen shouted heavily and began to cry. It was bothersome rather than feeling sorry for her.

 

“Y, you s, said we w, were b, best f, friends in the w, world!”

 

Best friend in the world.

 

What should I do? I didn’t remember saying that to her. I think it’s a promise with Melinia…..

 

Is there any reason why I should keep it?

 

“So?”

 

“H, huh?”

 

I decided to shake off Karen at this point.

 

Since her name was not mentioned in the novel, there was nothing I could gain from being with her.

 

“So do I have to be your friend for the rest of my life?”

 

“…..”

 

“Don’t try to have people your own way. I’m sick and tired of it.”

 

I turned around as soon as I finished speaking.

 

Karen’s eyes were attached to the back of my head, but I did not look back.

 

Come to think of it, she was the first person I saw since I came to my consciousness, right?

 

I recalled the day when I first woke up from this body.

 

‘Me, Melinia, are you awake?’

 

With the name I heard, I realized that I woke up in the world of novel, and that I became Melinia

 

What did Karen say? Melinia fell off the playground and was unable to wake up for two days.

 

Yes, so no one found it strange that I couldn’t remember their names.

 

Back then, I was so distracted by the fact that I was possessed that I had no time to wonder why I had such an accident before.

 

How did Melinia fall off the playground?

 

It was something that never came out in the novel.

 

I decided to find out about Melinia’s accident while I was there. It wasn’t a difficult task.

 

You can ask anyone who’s playing outside right now.

 

I happened to see a boy passing by the hallway, so I called him up right away.

 

I chose him as my supporting character D for convenience.

 

“Huh, me….?”

 

“Yes, you. Let’s have a talk.”

 

I said it with a big smile, but somehow the supporting character D looked as if he was going to cry. It’s just my illusion, right?

 

“I did nothing wrong. It’s the other kids who bullied Tepi!”

 

Oh, there was it too. He was afraid of what I would say about Tepi.

 

“I didn’t call you for that.”

 

“Then….?”

 

Supporting character D seemed uncomfortable talking to me. It was just like that he kept looking around and couldn’t look straight into my eyes.

 

I also took the point straight out because I didn’t mean to talk long.

 

“Do you remember what happened about two weeks ago?”

 

“…..”

 

“When I fell off the playground.”

 

And as soon as I asked, a strange sight became visible.

 

“I, I don’t know about that day!”

 

Supporting character D shouted as if his blood would literally drain out.

 

It was a clear overreaction.

 

“……it wasn’t an accident?”

 

“I don’t know, how should I know? Don’t talk to me anymore…..!”

 

Supporting character D did not listen to my question and disappeared in a hurry as if he was being chased by someone.

 

I was sure when I saw it. Something happened.

 

I walked from place to place in the nursery with my eyes open on the road.

 

Then I saw someone at my age and could understand the situation. I caught them and asked about that day. One of them responded to my question.

 

Either avoid the question, or avoid the person itself.

 

“……I will try.”

 

At this point, there was a sense of arrogance.

 

I searched for Melinia’s accident until it was almost dinner time.

 

It was when I went to supporting character T that I heard a useful answer.

 

The girl with short orange hair suddenly asked me this question when I asked her about the accident.

 

“You really don’t remember anything?”

 

“What?”

 

“What happened to your head? Is it real?”

 

“I’m sorry, but I can hear you all.”

 

I guess she talks without stopping.

 

It was my side, so I waited for the supporting character T’s next words.

 

She broached the subject as if she had been waiting for me to ask.

 

“How can you forget what happened to you?”

 

What do you mean, I’m a victimized?

 

Supporting character T never stopped talking despite my agitation.

 

“Karen, she did something to you.”

 

“…..”

 

“Stop it now, Melinia.”