Chapter 2

In my previous life, when everyone else thought I was crazy, only Vermont had looked pensive after hearing my story.

He said, “Human physical capabilities are limited. Eira’s condition does defy common sense.”

Although he did not help in the end, that glimmer of doubt was my only hope.

Early the next morning, I dragged my still-weary body and found Vermont supervising training on the field.

“Sir, I have an important matter to report!”

Vermont turned around. When he saw that it was me, he frowned slightly. “You again? Are you feeling better?”

“Sir, I’m not here to ask for time off.” I took a deep breath and met his piercing gaze.

“I’m here to report an extremely unusual situation regarding Eira.”

I switched my approach and described in detail the strange changes in my own physical condition and Eira’s physical performance, which far exceeded human limits.

“Sir, you’re a soldier. You should know that an ordinary female college student, one who’s never received professional training, shouldn’t possibly be able to carry a 110-pound load for 30 miles without even breaking a sweat. Her performance defies logic.”

Vermont listened in silence. He looked deep in thought.

I continued, “I suspect there’s something amiss here, but everyone thinks I’m just jealous of her. I want to verify a hypothesis, so I’d like to request that you file a special report with the school on my behalf to arrange a one-week leave of absence.”

Vermont stared at me for a full minute, as if trying to gauge the truth in my words.

Finally, he said in a deep voice, “The reason sounds absurd, but you really are in terrible shape. It doesn’t look like you’re faking it.

“I can talk to the school, but you only get three days.

“After three days, if your hypothesis doesn’t hold up, you must return to continue orientation training.”

“Thank you!” I felt a surge of joy. This was the first step in my plan.

That afternoon, I finished the paperwork. Then, I dragged my suitcase out of the school and went straight home.

I wanted to see if my health would improve once I left the school and put some distance between us.

As soon as I got home, I practically collapsed onto the bed.

Seeing my face so pale, my parents were terrified. They rushed to make me some food and give me massages.

I felt that familiar exhaustion. It felt like it was tearing me apart. My heart grew heavier and heavier.

It did not go away.

Even though I had left school and left Eira behind, that pervasive fatigue still clung to me like a maggot to a bone.

Distance was not the solution.

That night, as I tossed and turned in bed, my phone suddenly rang nonstop.

It was my high school alumni group chat, which included a few classmates who had gotten into the same university as me.

[Oh my god, you guys haven’t seen our school’s goddess, Eira! It’s been almost a week of orientation training, and we’re all sunburned to a crisp, but she’s still glowing white! She looks like a fairy!]

[You’ve got to be kidding! Her stamina is off the charts! This afternoon, she ran a 30-mile weighted armed cross-country race for our entire college. When she finished, she looked like she’d just gone for a stroll! I heard she wasn’t like this in high school, was she?]

Another classmate wrote.

[Yeah! I remember Eira as a dark-skinned, short, and chubby girl in high school. She was totally unremarkable. How did she turn into a completely different person after just one summer?]

[Speaking of which, do you guys remember Sophie Clark, the class belle who used to be in Eira’s class? I saw her at the mall a couple of days ago. Oh my god, she’s so short and chubby now, and her skin is a mess. She’s practically unrecognizable! She’s a completely different person from her high school days!]

Reading this, I sat bolt upright in bed!

But the feeling of my body falling apart made me slump back down. I coughed up a mouthful of blood. I had to find a way to break this curse immediately!

‘Eira Yard… Sophie Clark…’

A thought surged through my mind. Eira used to be short and chubby in high school, yet she had turned into a goddess.

Meanwhile, the original class belle, Sophie, had turned short and chubby.

How could there be so many coincidences in this world?