39) Chapter 8. This Year for Sure! (2)
“Uuugh, Rua, I’m dying…”
Soi groaned, and my chest vibrated.
Not emotionally—literally. Her face was pressed against my chest, so the sound waves made it shake.
Even though the training room had cool, dry air from the AC, thirty minutes was enough to drench us in sweat. If we wrung out our shirts, it would drip.
We showered afterward, of course.
With trembling limbs, we collapsed onto my bed, and Soi naturally sprawled on top of me.
Her face rested on my chest, like she was using my body as a blanket.
“Soi, you’re heavy…”
“How can you say something so cruel…”
She sniffled dramatically into my chest.
“Aren’t you tired, Rua?”
“I’m tired…”
“Should we tell her we want to stop?”
“Mm.”
Honestly, I was tempted.
Auntie Yujin was a good person. If we said we didn’t want to continue, she wouldn’t force us.
But she suggested it for our sake.
No—probably for my sake.
“No.”
When I answered, Soi lay silently on top of me for a while.
Then—
“Okay.”
Her voice had a bit more strength.
Still…
Chae‑yi and Soi both…
Was this normal? Even if we were both girls, was it normal to bury your face in someone’s chest like this?
…Well, maybe this world had different standards.
It was a world with superpowers and heroes. And the novel I read was basically a harem light novel.
Girls hugging each other wasn’t considered strange in those stories…
“……”
But when we go to the academy, will Soi and Chae‑yi end up falling for the male protagonist?
And later… doing that kind of stuff?
We’d never dated anyone. I definitely wouldn’t.
…Why did that thought make me feel bad?
I had no right to feel bad about Soi dating someone, but still…
“Soi.”
“Mm?”
“…No, nothing.”
“Why? What is it?”
“Just… nothing.”
We were middle schoolers.
Some kids dated even in elementary school, but for me, middle school was when romance became a common topic. Even if I didn’t have many friends, I still overheard things.
So maybe Soi or Chae‑yi had someone they liked.
“Why? What is it?”
When I kept dodging, Soi suddenly lifted her head. Her chin pressed into my chest—ouch.
Her expression was firm.
Probably because of the school atmosphere lately. She must’ve thought I was trying to hide a worry.
Dodging the question would only make her worry more, so I sighed softly.
“I was just wondering… if you like someone.”
“Like someone…?”
Her brows knit slightly. She stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly pushed herself up.
“Rua!”
“W‑what?”
She practically pounced on me, startling me.
With her hands planted under my armpits, she hovered over me and stared straight into my eyes.
“Do you like someone!?”
“Huh?”
That question was so unexpected I froze.
“No?”
Thinking about it, my question was random. I’d just been thinking about the academy, then the original story, where Soi, Chae‑yi, and Seo Rua all became heroines.
Because the male lead forgave them for bullying him.
Obviously, I had no intention of bullying the male lead here, nor falling for him.
And since the novel never described him as particularly handsome, I doubted Soi or Chae‑yi would fall for him at first sight.
But what if the world forced them into that role anyway?
That scared me.
“Really? No one? Not even someone you’re curious about?”
“No one…”
Only after I answered did Soi sigh in relief and sit up.
I sat up too.
“Good. You’re too young for romance.”
“…We’re the same age.”
“Shh.”
She pressed a finger to my lips.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Then you might date someone?”
I asked, feeling oddly annoyed.
Soi fell silent.
Her cheeks turned faintly pink.
“No, more importantly—why did you bring that up?”
She clearly didn’t want to answer my question, so she asked her own.
“…It just crossed my mind.”
Feeling embarrassed, I grabbed my plushie and hugged it.
Resting my chin on its head felt comforting.
“Hmm.”
Soi tilted her head.
“I’m not thinking about dating yet.”
“I see.”
Relief washed over me.
She wasn’t thinking about romance yet.
…Honestly, I knew I was being weird.
In stories, people hated when characters had ex‑boyfriends. It was the author’s choice, after all. Why add unnecessary baggage to a harem light novel with superpowers and villains?
But in real life, having a girl next to me and worrying about her dating someone felt… intrusive.
Yet I still didn’t want her to.
“Why~?”
Soi grinned as she watched me fidget with my plushie.
She crawled across the bed toward me.
“Does our Rua not want this big sister to get a boyfriend? Hm~?”
“No…”
“Why? Afraid I won’t take care of you if I do?”
“No, that’s not it.”
…Was it?
If she got a boyfriend, she wouldn’t have time for me.
When you date someone, you focus on them.
…
Thinking about that guy made me angry.
The male lead of a harem novel—letting all the heroines flock to him.
He ends up dating all of them.
Sure, that’s how harem novels work.
But imagining Soi or Chae‑yi being part of that made me furious.
Like I’d hand them over to some guy.
Yeah. That must’ve been what I was feeling.
Let’s go with that.
“Don’t worry!”
Soi grabbed my hand and smiled brightly.
Then she leaned close, resting her face on top of my plushie.
Even though the plushie was big, her face was still incredibly close.
I leaned back instinctively.
“I won’t let you end up alone because of something like that. Never.”
“…O‑okay.”
I looked away as I answered, and Soi giggled.
I loved that mischievous smile.
Because seeing it made all my worries feel pointless.
It wasn’t a serious smile—but maybe that’s why I felt so safe here.
Soi didn’t let go of my hand for a long time, so I stayed trapped in that strange mix of comfort and discomfort.
*
“…So Rua’s doing it too?”
The next day at lunch.
We were outside, cooling off in the shade, and I told Chae‑yi about yesterday.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Soi answered for me.
It was hot, but the shade wasn’t too bad. Soon even the shade would feel unbearable, though.
Since we weren’t in the classroom, Soi and Chae‑yi openly played games on their phones, so I turned mine on too.
…Honestly, I’d given up.
If they were going to sit beside me with a swimsuit‑clad character who looked like me on their screens, what was the point of pretending I wasn’t playing?
“Hm.”
Chae‑yi seemed to be thinking.
The sunlight was hot, and even in the shade it felt warm. With both of them pressed against me, it was even hotter.
So I stared blankly at my game screen, then at the sky—
And noticed two figures hovering nearby.
They kept glancing at our phones, shuffling awkwardly.
The two otaku girls I’d tried to talk to before—the ones who panicked and ran away.
Ah. I recognized that behavior.
They’d found someone with the same interests, felt a sense of kinship, but didn’t know how to start a conversation, so they hovered nearby.
I knew because I used to be like that in my past life.
…But why were they brave enough to hover now, when they were terrified before?