74) Chapter 13. She Says She Wants to Talk to You (1)
Another week passes.
School has been very peaceful during that time.
Well, there was never really any reason for it not to be peaceful. Honestly, it’s even calmer than the high school I attended in my previous life.
It is a fully residential high school. Even if a student wanted to cause some big incident, there’s no opportunity unless it’s the weekend.
And since only one weekend has passed so far, there simply hasn’t been any time for trouble to happen.
There was one more sparring class, but as expected, no one has beaten me yet.
“Ah, that’s enough, that’s enough.”
After several students took their turns, when it was finally Chae‑yi’s turn, Instructor Justina waved her hand dismissively.
“You’re my assistant. It’s a bit much to have assistants spar with each other. When we start the real sparring rotation, you two can fight then.”
It seems she intends to keep things like this for the entire month.
I felt a bit relieved.
I don’t mind fighting the other kids. Some of them hurt a little when I grabbed them, but it was all manageable.
But if my opponent is Chae‑yi… I’d feel a pain like my hand was being cut off.
I don’t know if that’s what it actually feels like to have a hand cut off, but my ability was severed, and right after that I felt intense pain—so that’s my best guess.
Chae‑yi seemed to sense something when she canceled my ability back then, but everything happened so quickly, and my ability was tangled together with Seo Arin’s, so she probably didn’t realize how much pain I felt.
Instructor Justina, on the other hand, might have sensed the nature of my ability with her own instincts. Maybe that’s why she stopped Chae‑yi from stepping forward.
“Alright, let’s stop here for today.”
Instructor Justina spoke.
“The next turn is… Baek Hyeonji.”
Hyeonji raised her hand.
“Right. I remember. Next week, you’ll start us off. Good. We have… about five minutes left? Let’s end here. Ending a little early won’t hurt anyone.”
At her words, the kids’ faces brightened immediately.
Kids this age never find class fun, no matter what you do.
Sparring class is a bit more popular since it’s not sitting at a desk reading and taking notes, but still—class is class.
So next week I’ll be facing Hyeonji.
Since then, I think Hyeonji and I have been talking normally. Time really does heal things. After a bit, everything felt fine again. If I tell myself it’s nothing, then it becomes nothing. Besides, it’s rude to keep poking at a wound she never even mentioned.
Right?
“What should we do today?”
Soi hooked her arm around mine and asked.
Now that I’m fine, Soi is fine too. Probably. Since she doesn’t need to worry about me anymore, she’s acting like her usual self again.
There isn’t much to do inside the school. At best, we can eat dinner somewhere other than the cafeteria and hang out at one of the cafés.
There are a few cafés on campus, and they’re nicely decorated, but it’s not like there are ten of them. After a few visits, you’ve been everywhere, and it gets boring fast.
For reference, we already visited every shop on campus last week and this week after class, so there’s nowhere left that counts as “new.”
“Hmm, it’d be nice if the cherry blossoms were blooming. Still no sign of them.”
“Yeah. Not even buds yet.”
Chae‑yi chimed in, and Soi nodded.
The two of them were a bit restless. Maybe spring makes them want to do things.
They both love cherry blossom season. When the blossoms were in full bloom, they’d drag me out to take pictures. From elementary school through middle school, even after I quit middle school, our phones were full of photos of us smiling in front of cherry blossoms.
“What do you want to do?”
It’s been like this for days.
Ever since I talked with Hyeonji and the two of us came back together, they’ve been sticking to me like glue.
Are they… jealous?
“……”
And Hyeonji, who thought things were better after our talk, kept watching me nervously for days.
She wouldn’t speak first—she’d quietly observe me, and only when I smiled and talked to her would she respond.
Maybe she’s just shy.
Anyway, everyone worries too much.
Hmm, what should I do?
I need to do something.
Because the exams are still far away. It’s way too early in the semester to worry about tests. It’s only the second week since we enrolled.
I want to make more friends.
My desire to be popular hasn’t changed.
During sparring, some kids glare at me after losing, but others look at me like they’re starting to acknowledge me.
Maybe if I wait a bit longer, I’ll make more friends.
I already became friends with Hyeonji, so it should be possible.
So I need to do something. If I sit in the dorm doing nothing, I start thinking too much. Idle thoughts aren’t good—especially for mental health.
“……Ah.”
My mind was drifting into that “blank thinking” state, so I quickly looked away—and spotted Nam Jinwoo cautiously walking near the edge of the gym.
I still haven’t completely let my guard down. Even if she were a girl, she was someone who built a harem.
I’m a little worried I might end up in that harem zone too.
But things are different from the original story. By now, some girl should’ve already been hanging around her.
But she’s completely alone.
“……”
So I felt uneasy.
What’s the one thing in this world that’s different from the original?
Me. Just me. I’m the only one who knows the future, who can think about how the kids will act, and how I should act.
So if something changed, it’s because of me.
It’s good that Uncle Dohyun survived. That means Soi didn’t lose her father. I don’t know what I did, but Soi kept her bright childhood personality instead of becoming someone who tormented others. And Chae‑yi isn’t clingy—if anything, she pushes me around now. She’s definitely better than before.
…And Hyeonji. Her father—no, no.
Right. No. I was thinking about Nam Jinwoo. Focus.
Nam Jinwoo ended up alone. In the original, she struggled at first but eventually overcame everything and grew strong.
If the only reason she’s different now is me… then did I accidentally turn her into a loner?
“……Do you want to talk to him?”
“Heheh.”
I flinched at the sudden whisper.
Soi had leaned right up to my ear. It tickled like crazy. My arms were pinned, so I couldn’t even scratch.
“N‑no, I just… heheh.”
“Then should we go talk to him?”
Soi whispered again, teasing me, clearly enjoying my reaction.
What’s gotten into her?
Is she jealous of me making friends with anyone else?
Maybe she isn’t as purely positive as she seems. Her jealousy is way stronger than in the original. Well, at least she seems to have a proper sense of loyalty now.
In the original, even when she was supposed to end up with the male lead, she kept hanging around other boys—
“Ghk.”
I quickly stopped that thought.
Right. What’s the point thinking about the original now? Everything is so different.
Just look at Nam Jinwoo.
I’m not even sure if she’s a boy or a girl. And based on everything so far, my guess leans over 70% toward “girl.”
Shouldn’t I confirm it? The original never described her roommate or anything like that.
Maybe the author skipped it because having too many male characters around the protagonist would clutter the harem.
But… considering the later “drift” controversy…
Alright.
“……Yeah.”
“Right? I knew it. Talking to a boy is—huh?”
Soi froze mid‑sentence.
“I want to talk to him.”
“Uh? Huuuh?”
Soi made a weird noise.
“……H‑hmm~”
When I tilted my head, she forced a smile and made her usual nasal hum.
“Hm~ so that’s how it is, hmm~ Rua wants to, hmm.”
For someone pretending to be calm, she was way too nasal. She didn’t look calm at all.
I glanced to the side—Chae‑yi was glaring at me with wide eyes.
Why her too?
“Do you want to talk to him?”
Hyeonji asked, stuck between the two of them.
“Ah? Hey, wait!”
Before I could answer, Hyeonji marched straight toward Nam Jinwoo.
“Eek!?”
She flinched and screamed when Hyeonji grabbed her shoulder as she was trying to slip out of the gym.
“She says she wants to talk to you.”
Hyeonji pointed her thumb back at me, standing a bit behind her.
Um, Hyeonji?
If you say it like that…
…Nam Jinwoo turned completely pale.
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A/N:
Thank you for reading today!
I’m so sorry for the delay ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
And sorry for the short chapter……
Instead, next week I’ll adjust the schedule so that six days will have double updates ㅠㅠㅠㅠ