“Did everything that happened... make you feel uneasy?”
“Yeah... a little. No, actually... I’m starting to feel... a lot of pressure...”
As En spoke with a look of deep-seated anxiety, Melt chose not to offer an immediate, empty affirmation.
She understood that her friend was drowning in the weight of recent events. She knew that what En needed most wasn't a quick fix, but someone to simply walk beside her through the struggle.
En didn't need a shallow, baseless reply. She needed a single word of reassurance—one spoken only after her feelings had been truly heard and understood. To offer that, Melt leaned in and listened.
“I don’t think Sanga was wrong,” En whispered. “The fact that I committed those crimes in the past... that won’t just disappear. Just like the people in the Security Force, there will always be plenty of people who look only at my history and keep doubting me. I started to wonder if maybe it’ll be like this for the rest of my life. No matter how hard I try, the way people look at me will never change... Thinking about that just makes me so scared.”
“...I see. You’re right. It’s natural to worry about that.”
Even if a person reflected on their mistakes and chose a righteous path after repenting, the past was not something easily discarded. It was only natural for it to cast a shadow over one's reputation and self-worth.
En must have been prepared for that—or so she thought.
However, the reality of her past had returned as a weight far heavier than she had anticipated, and the anxiety she had tried to lock away was now overflowing.
Melt had never lived a life of regret or crime, and she knew she couldn't simply wave away En's fears with a few words. But as she listened, the image of a certain young man flickered in her mind.
“...It’ll be okay, En. You can definitely start over.”
“How can you be so sure? Melt, you’ve always walked the right path. You’re an admirable person, unlike me. So why would you say...?”
“It’s true that I’m different from you, En. But, you see... there’s someone very close to me who is exactly like you.”
Melt closed her eyes as she spoke. Thinking of him—the boy in a situation so similar to the friend suffering before her—she began to describe him in a quiet, steady voice.
“That person... apparently, he did a lot of bad things that made people hate him. I don’t know the details, and I don’t think he’s the kind of person who would do those things now. But I suppose he must have hurt many people in the past. Even though he’s become a sincere person now, people still call him the Academy's Number One Scum. He was disowned by his family and kicked out of his dormitory, and now he lives outdoors. But even so... even a guy like him isn’t all alone.”
Melt had watched him be insulted by other students time and time again. Many had warned her against becoming his friend, and the prejudice the student body held against him had hardly lessened over time.
And yet, he continued to walk straight ahead without letting himself rot. He was surrounded by people who believed in him.
Remembering how he had vowed to become the Greatest Hero to live up to the trust his younger brother placed in him, Melt spoke with renewed strength.
“It’s true that many people only look at your past, En. But there are also people who see how hard you’re working right now, aren't there? I’m one of them. If it’s you, En, I know you can become the person you want to be. So, please... start by believing in yourself. It might be scary, and you might be anxious, but... if you remember that there is someone who believes in you, I know you can be strong.”
“Believe in... myself...”
“Yes. If you can do that, you can change. It’s okay—I guarantee it.”
Melt could say this with absolute certainty because she had seen him do it. She had watched his back as he pushed forward, undeterred by past mistakes or the vitriol of those around him.
En could be like him. As long as someone stayed by her side to believe in her, she could definitely start over.
Melt turned a resolute gaze toward En, her eyes carrying the weight of her promise to support her as a friend. Sensing that conviction, En let out a small, tearful smile.
“Thank you, Melt...! Truly... thank you...!”
“It’s not something you need to thank me for. We’re friends. It’s only natural to help when you’re in trouble.”
Melt squeezed En's trembling hand and nodded firmly. Her smile was full of trust and friendship as she offered one final word of encouragement.
“Let’s do this together, En. It might be hard, but you have plenty of people on your side. So don’t let them beat you.”
“Right...!”
Seeing the light return to En’s eyes as she squeezed back, Melt gave a happy, bashful smile.
She believed, without a shred of doubt, that her friend could find redemption. Melt continued to watch over her with a gentle, warm gaze, heartened to see her friend find her resolve once again.