In a silent room a secret place Ochana usually used for experiments.
She was deep in thought, recalling what Death Raven had whispered to her.
"Hmm… will I regret it if I keep staying with Shen Akira?"
Ochana began to reconsider. To her, Shen Akira was her savior the only person willing to help her—while her parents lived far away in the remote outskirts of the Eastern region.
"Maybe… I should wait a little longer."
Ochana called Shen Akira.
"Hey, why are you taking so long? I've been waiting in the usual room. You'll keep your promise, right?"
Shen Akira was silent for a moment.
"Not right now. I'm dealing with a disturbance, and I might be getting trapped. The person who met you before the one who let you go—entered my territory and wiped out my guards. But after that, he disappeared. I don't know what he's planning, but he's strong. It worries me."
Ochana looked irritated.
"What do you mean? That has nothing to do with this… or are you lying because you don't have the medicine yet?!"
"I won't lie to you. I want your face to return to normal once everything calms down. Things are chaotic right now—the timing isn't right," Shen Akira replied.
But Ochana immediately ended the call.
"He's always like this… always postponing. Ugh. I've done everything he told me to do, yet everything I ask for gets delayed. Was that crow really right…?"
Ochana stood in front of the mirror and removed her robe. Her face looked horrifying—half destroyed, with one eye blind.
She touched her face and made a disgusted expression.
"I hate this disgusting face."
---
Meanwhile, Shen Akira's mind was in turmoil.
"When you returned the money to Lingmei's house, did anything happen?" Shen Akira asked his subordinate.
"The one who took the money was Lingmei. Her face was full of bruises and wounds… but she was smiling," the subordinate replied.
Shen Akira panicked, remembering what Lingmei had once told him.
"Huh? Are you okay, Lord Akira?" the subordinate asked.
Shen Akira's assistant was shocked to see his expression—fear and anxiety—something rarely seen on his usually calm, indifferent face.
"I'm fine," Shen Akira said.
He immediately left and boldly headed back to Lingmei's house.
But upon arriving, he was stunned to see many people unconscious.
"What happened here…?"
Shen Akira thought there must have been some kind of disturbance—but who would dare cause trouble for such a terrifying family?
Not wanting to get involved, Shen Akira left.
---
Meanwhile, Nic went to Hinata's house.
Hinata wasn't home—she was gardening—and only Aurelia was there.
"What's wrong, Nic? Are you looking for Hinata?" Aurelia asked.
Nic let out a long sigh. Since Aurelia was here, he decided to talk to her as well.
"There's something important I want to discuss. Something you should probably know," Nic said.
Aurelia nodded. "Okay. Let's sit."
Without beating around the bush, Nic mentioned Ochana's name, shocking Aurelia.
"Huh? How do you know Ochana?" Aurelia asked.
"I found out myself. She's your friend, right?" Nic replied.
Aurelia nodded, nervously playing with her fingers.
Seeing that, Nic concluded Aurelia already knew about Ochana's condition.
Nic then explained everything—about Ochana, Lingmei, and Hinata.
Aurelia already knew Hinata's story, but she was shocked by Lingmei's and Ochana's past.
"You're serious? So Ochana wasn't at fault all this time?" Aurelia asked.
"Not at fault? Didn't Hinata tell you? And didn't anyone investigate whether she was innocent?" Nic asked.
Aurelia shook her head. She had already graduated from Qwelin Academy and only heard rumors.
"So… can I meet Hinata now? I want her to change and stop being trapped in the past," Nic said.
Aurelia hesitated. Hinata would surely break down when hearing about her past.
But this was Nic—and Aurelia's affection and loyalty were absolute—so she entrusted Hinata to him.
---
Nic approached Hinata, who was gardening, greeted her, and immediately helped.
"You look relaxed, Nic. You're all over the media right now—they're looking for you," Hinata said with a small laugh.
Nic smiled at her cheerfulness. "Hinata… I'm sorry."
"Eh? Why are you apologizing?" Hinata asked, confused.
"By the way… have you ever apologized?" Nic asked.
Hinata fell silent.
"Um… always. But I only apologize inside my heart. I always want to say it properly, but I never can. It's such a simple thing… yet it's hard."
Nic shook his head.
"For you, it's difficult—and it always feels wrong. Do you know why I asked?"
Hinata shook her head, starting to worry where this conversation was heading.
"Just like you're thinking now, Hinata… this is about the past," Nic said directly.
Hinata clutched her chest, but Nic instantly activated God of Emotions and God of Psychology, stabilizing her mental state and calming her down.
"Relax, Hinata. As long as I'm here, you won't feel overwhelmed when talking about the past," Nic said.
Hinata realized her heart wasn't racing. She felt calm—normal.
"Why… my chest doesn't feel tight like usual?" Hinata asked in confusion.
Nic explained that she felt safe beside him.
"I-is that so…?" Hinata blushed.
Then Nic mentioned Lingmei.
"What do you think about Lingmei?"
"Lingmei? Didn't I say I don't know her… hehe," Hinata said, averting her gaze.
"Don't lie, Hinata. Be honest," Nic said.
Hinata sighed, playing with her hair.
"Lingmei is hard to explain… She used to be really cheerful and curious. But suddenly she became cold. I didn't know why—I thought she was angry. After that, her cheerful side never came back."
Nic smiled.
"Do you want to see that old Lingmei again?"
"Huh… what do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"The Lingmei you knew has returned. Do you want to meet her?" Nic asked.
"Really? But why?" Hinata said.
"I just want you two to reconcile… and apologize to Ochana," Nic replied.
Hearing Ochana's name, Hinata's legs gave out and she collapsed. Nic caught her and stabilized her mind again with his skills.
"Hic… Ochana… how do you know about her, Nic…?" Hinata said, still burdened with guilt.
"Anyway, I want you both to accept and let go of the past. Don't carry guilt for too long," Nic said gently.
Hinata gathered her resolve and agreed to meet Lingmei.
"Okay… thank you, Nic."
Nic held Hinata's hand and took her to the Unity Temple.
---
The Unity Temple was quiet. Only Lingmei and Chira were there.
"Wow, you're really good!" Chira said.
They were playing Monopoly.
"Haha! Look, all the cities are mine! You lost again, Chira! Hah, rookie!" Lingmei laughed.
"Hey! I just started learning—so annoying!" Chira pinched Lingmei's cheek.
They laughed together. Meanwhile, Nic and Hinata were listening from behind the wall.
"So? Is that the Lingmei you knew?" Nic asked.
Hinata looked stunned and immediately ran toward Lingmei.
"LINGMEI!" Hinata called out.
Lingmei and Chira were surprised. Chira saw Nic and excused herself to the restroom, sensing Nic wanted to handle something.
As Chira passed Nic, he smiled. "Thanks for keeping her company."
"It's nothing," Chira smiled and waved goodbye.
Lingmei froze.
"Hinata…? It feels like it's been so long since I last saw you!"
Lingmei approached and grabbed Hinata's hands.
"Where have you been?!"
"W-where? I haven't gone anywhere… has it really been that long?" Hinata said, confused. She thought it had only been about a year.
"Eeh, really? Then where's Ochana? Why aren't you with her? You two are usually together when you come see me!" Lingmei pouted.
Hinata froze.
It felt like she was meeting Lingmei for the first time—Lingmei still thought Ochana was with her.
Hinata looked at Nic, silently asking why Lingmei didn't seem to know about Ochana.
Nic approached them and suggested playing Monopoly.
"Let's play," Nic said.
He changed the rules: you couldn't use money to get out of jail—you had to rely on rolling doubles or a Get Out of Jail card. If you didn't get them, you stayed jailed until the game ended.
Hinata and Lingmei were confused but agreed. The game ended quickly—with Nic winning.
"Ugh, why are you so lucky with the dice, Nic?! Cheater!" Lingmei complained.
"Yeah, my dice are always terrible… but Lingmei, isn't your dice kind of cute?" Hinata said.
"What's cute about it?! I get money, then end up paying fines every time! And I got stuck in jail until the game ended because of this stupid dice!" Lingmei grumbled.
"Haha… those dice are like yourselves," Nic said seriously.
Hinata looked at the board and realized her dice had always been bad—just like herself. She bought houses, but they were taken back. She got a Get Out of Jail card but never went to jail.
It reflected Hinata—kind and gentle, easily taken advantage of, unable to speak up when she needed to.
Lingmei, on the other hand, often gained advantages at first, only to lose them to fines and taxes, then end up trapped in jail until the end.
That mirrored Lingmei—joyful at the beginning, then broken by something, with her true self imprisoned without understanding why.
Nic ended the game and released them from it.
"I'll be honest, Lingmei. Your father brainwashed you. The personality you have now was asleep—that's why you don't remember what happened," Nic said.
Hinata was shocked. Had the Lingmei she'd been living as… not been her true self?
"Yes Hinata, It was just Lingmei's alter ego controlled by her father." Nic continued.
Lingmei burst into tears.
"T-then what really happened? Does it have something to do with our friendship… and Ochana?"
Nic told Hinata to explain everything to Lingmei—this was between friends—while he waited outside.
Hinata told her everything.
Lingmei was overwhelmed with guilt, just like Hinata had been, and wanted to meet Ochana to apologize.
When they were done, Nic returned.
"So… are you ready to apologize to her?" Nic asked.
They nodded, holding hands.
"That's good. For now, wait a bit. Ochana might be hard to meet—but I'll make sure she returns to normal and reunites with you," Nic said with a sincere smile.
They felt relieved and thanked Nic.
Elsewhere, Ochana sneezed while lying down.
"Who's talking about me…?"
To be continued…