“Congratulations.
You are now a Starter and an Upside Downer.”
“Huh?”
The red-haired woman stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
Caren forced a smile.
“I mean…
what did you call me?”
The woman smiled gently.
She looked kind of soft and kind, like a pillow.
That was a strange way to describe her, but it was the first thing that came to Caren’s mind.
“Uh, even you can’t believe it?
You’re an Upside Downer now.
Isn’t that interesting?”
Caren didn’t answer immediately.
How did she know he was an Upside Downer?
“Who…
who are you?”
The woman raised her eyebrows, then gave him an amused smile.
“Oh…
I didn’t expect this.
Looks like I’m not that popular.”
She shook her head.
“Well, I’m a Continuer.
I’m Red Blade.”
Caren composed his expression, hiding the smirk threatening to form on his face.
“Yeah, that’s a cool made-up name.
But where am I exactly, and why are you here?”
The woman’s face fell.
“Made-up name?!
That’s my Chosen Name.
And are you a dumbass?”
She sighed.
“And you’re in a hospital.”
Caren’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake.
Ren had told him about other Upside Downers.
So were they some kind of secret cult with superpowers?
“Shit…
I…
I mean, I’m sorry.
I didn’t recognize you.”
Red Blade’s face lit up.
“So you finally understood who I am?”
Caren looked away and whispered.
“Well, not exactly.
Can you tell me again who you are?”
Red Blade let out a sigh.
“Let’s just go.”
Caren stared at her curiously.
“Go where?”
Red Blade put a hand over her face.
“Are you stupid?
To the academy.
We want to go to the academy.”
Caren nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, the academy.
Why?”
Red Blade clenched her teeth.
“To train you for your first Water Core.”
Ren had mentioned the Water Core before.
But could he trust Red Blade for now?
“I don’t know.
I really don’t know who you are.
It doesn’t make sense for me to just say, ‘Oh, yes, let’s go.'”
Red Blade smirked.
“Well, you are smart, but you’re also lacking knowledge.
Two officers are waiting outside for us.
Do you trust the police?”
Red blade paused for a second before speaking.
“The thing is, we can’t let you go out freely.
You’ve gained new abilities and superpowers.
Of course, you don’t know how to use or control them, so you must come with us.
There is no choice.”
Caren frowned slightly.
“Well, are you stronger than me?”
Red Blade nodded.
“Definitely.
In a fight, you wouldn’t even be able to see my movements.”
Caren shrugged and stood up.
“So, what are you waiting for?”
He walked toward the door and opened it for Red Blade.
She didn’t pay attention.
She simply walked out as if this happened to her all the time.
Caren had a smile on his face, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“What the hell just happened?!
Who is she?
Why did she talk as if she’s famous, and being an Upside Downer isn’t even a special thing?
Am I even home?”
He followed Red Blade.
She wasn’t lying.
Two young officers were waiting outside.
One of them was complaining about how boring his job was.
The other was using his phone.
Why wasn’t he using a smartphone?
“A…
Nokia 3310?
Well, maybe he likes nostalgic phones.”
When they saw Red Blade leave the room, they both stopped what they were doing.
One of them smiled politely.
“Ms.
Red Blade, should we go?”
Red Blade raised her thumb in approval.
“Yeah, I guess this kiddo is ready.”
Caren sneered at her.
“Well, at least I’m not old.”
The two officers suddenly panicked.
Their gazes shifted between Caren and Red Blade.
Red Blade looked at Caren, then burst out laughing.
Caren furrowed his brow but didn’t say anything.
After a few seconds, Red Blade finally stopped laughing.
“Well, you’re kinda interesting.
I wish I could see you more.”
Caren’s face grew hotter.
Did she just confess to him?
“I guess that’s okay.
She’s beautiful, so I don’t see any problem.”
He ran a hand through his black hair.
“Same.
That would be great.”
They started walking, and Caren and Red Blade followed them immediately.
Caren hesitated.
Then curiosity won, and he asked,
“Can I know your real name?”
Red Blade shrugged.
“Yeah, you can.
My name is Nyla.
Nyla Hermon.”
Caren paused, unsure what to do.
He had never talked to girls like this before.
“I’m Caren.
Caren Dane.”
Nyla spoke casually.
“Nice to meet you, Caren Dane.”
Caren did the same.
His voice was soft.
“Nice to meet you too, Nyla Hermon.”
“Can I call you Nyla?
Red Blade sounds a little strange.”
Nyla tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Sure.
And I’ll call you Caren instead, not your Chosen Name.
Deal?”
Caren nodded.
“Deal, Ms.
Red Blade.”
Nyla sneered.
“You’re lucky that I’m kind.
One slap from me could make your head explode.”
Caren shivered, then looked away.
“Please don’t do that.
I don’t want to die yet.”
Nyla giggled.
“I’m just kidding.
I can’t kill you.
Maybe in a few years, you’ll become a strong Upside Downer.”
Caren asked curiously,
“If I wasn’t an Upside Downer, would you slap me?”
“If you weren’t an Upside Downer, we wouldn’t know each other.”
Caren yawned, still tired from everything that had happened before.
“I didn’t think of it that way, so you’re lucky I’m an Upside Downer.”
They didn’t talk anymore.
When they left the hospital, Caren saw a police car waiting outside.
“Won’t you kidnap me?”
Nyla answered casually.
“Officers can’t beat you in a raw physical fight.
And what’s the point of kidnapping you?”
Caren narrowed his eyes.
He wasn’t important, but mentioning that so directly…
“I guess I’m not that important, but I’m pretty smart.
Well, I failed my last math exam, so I’m not that smart either.”
The playfulness disappeared from Caren’s face.
His eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid and shallow.
Nyla noticed his expression and frowned with concern.
“What’s wrong?”
Her voice was soft, but also anxious.
But Caren didn’t answer.
He just stared at a billboard.