35) Chapter 7. No, It’s Not Even That Different? (4)

I’ve watched Soi for a very long time.

I can’t say I can read all her thoughts and emotions, but at the very least, I can read her behavior patterns.

And in that sense—Soi has been acting suspicious since morning.

Ever since we started going back to school, she hadn’t been watching my reactions at all. For Soi, doing what she needed to do never required checking anyone’s mood.

Helping me, who had become isolated in class, was something she did without hesitation. Holding my hand or linking arms—she never looked to me for permission.

But today, she kept glancing at me during breakfast.

Even Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun, who had known her far longer than I had, noticed her strange behavior and seemed worried about our relationship.

“……”

“W‑what?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

In the end, neither her parents nor I could figure out why she was acting like that.

At school, she sat by the window as usual, leaning back and watching me with sharp eyes.

She clearly wanted something, but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

It was the expression she made when she wanted a birthday present.

But her birthday was far away, and today wasn’t any special occasion. So I could only be confused.

After staring at me for a long time, Soi held out her hand. It felt like she was telling a puppy to “shake,” which was a bit strange, but I placed my hand on hers anyway. She immediately started kneading and fiddling with it like always.

Sometimes I wondered if my hand would change shape from all this.

…But honestly, holding hands like this kept me from feeling like I was alone in the world, so I didn’t mind.

*

Lunch break.

As usual, the three of us—me, Soi, and Chae‑yi—ate together and returned to the classroom.

Normally, our seats would be surrounded by classmates, but not anymore.

They couldn’t openly bully me—because Soi was there.

Heroes had enormous influence in society. They weren’t underpaid, but they risked their lives fighting villains and were the first to rush into disasters.

And on top of that, the fact that I was “the witch’s daughter” actually boosted their reputation.

Raising a child who could’ve become a villain into a good kid—that was admirable.

So if rumors spread online that they bullied me or Soi… well.

The only things they could do were bother me when Soi wasn’t around, or quietly distance themselves.

But since Soi was almost always glued to me except for bathroom breaks, even bothering me wasn’t easy.

So what remained was subtle distance—not full ostracism, but no one speaking to us unless Soi initiated it.

Of course, who knew how long that would last?

If they ever decided I was an easy target, things could change…

“So anyway.”

But Soi didn’t seem to care about any of that as she spoke to me.

She had always acted like her goal since elementary school was to be friends with the entire student body. Wouldn’t losing friends bother her?

Or did she believe she could regain popularity anytime?

…Or maybe I was just that important to her.

Thinking that made me feel awkward—but honestly, happy.

No matter what happened, Soi would stay by my side—

“Look at this.”

—and that thought evaporated the moment Soi shoved her phone in front of my face.

“Hyah!?”

On the screen was the pretty character she said looked like me.

Wearing a swimsuit that was… a bit small. Blushing intensely.

What? Soi didn’t get her before. She was limited.
Did they rerun her recently? I didn’t check updates much—I just logged in daily and did my quests. If it was today’s update, I wouldn’t know yet.

“Hey.”

I reached for the phone, but Soi pulled it away.

Naturally, I leaned toward it.

And ended up in the position Soi always used when looking at me—sitting sideways on the chair, back toward the window.

Tap.

Soi grabbed my arm.

“S‑Soi?”

Something was wrong. My brain blared alarms, but I didn’t know what exactly was wrong.

Just that Soi’s expression was different.

Like a bird of prey spotting its target.

…Actually, it was more like the expression Auntie Yujin made on special occasions.

Usually when looking at Uncle Dohyun.

Soi always freaked out when she saw that expression.

But seeing her make it herself… I guess blood really doesn’t lie.

And then—

Soi spun around.

Thump.

“Hyah!?”

Something landed on top of me.

A bit heavy. We were similar in size, but Soi was more active than I was. She probably had less body fat.

Not that any girl our age could be called “light.”

Then I felt softness and warmth.

Because Soi had… sat on me. Like I was a chair.

“W‑w‑wait!?”

She wriggled to get comfortable, making me squeak even more. Every time she moved, parts of her body pressed against my thighs, my chest, my stomach.

What was happening? What was she doing?

Logically, maybe it wasn’t that strange.

We were teenage girls. Sometimes girls sat on each other for silly photos or jokes.

A faint, slightly damp scent reached me.

It was late April. Not hot yet, but the midday sun could feel warm. We wore jackets in the morning and took them off when it got warm.

If you didn’t take them off, sweat gathered inside…

“…Huh.”

No, wait.

After the shock came a wave of guilt.

I’d known Soi since she was tiny. Feeling embarrassed about this felt wrong.

“Hey.”

But Soi went even further—she grabbed my arms and crossed them around her stomach.

Not gently—she pulled hard, making my body press tightly against her back.

My heart pounded wildly.

My cheek touched her back. Through my right ear, pressed against her, I heard her heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump.

Her voice was cheerful, but her heart was racing too.

My head turned slightly, and I saw the front rows of the classroom.

Everyone was staring.

Thoughts clashed in my mind.

“You’ve seen girls do this sometimes.”
“But not you and Soi.”

I already looked strange to them, but this would look even stranger.

And yet…

Why did I feel relieved?

It was like when she held my hand—but ten, twenty times stronger.

Like I could lean on her back forever.

“How is it?”

Soi asked.

Her voice was small.

But with my ear against her back, I heard it clearly.

Or maybe that was just because I closed my eyes.

“Not bad, right?”

“……”

I hesitated for a long time.

My nose stung.

Her weight pressed against me, grounding me, reminding me she was real.

“…Yeah.”

Knowing she couldn’t see me, I nodded against her back.

Embarrassing or not—if I closed my eyes, I couldn’t see anything anyway.

I listened to her heartbeat for a while.

“Then let’s stay like this during school.”

Soi dropped a bomb.

“…Huh.”

“Did you just say ‘huh’?”

“No, I mean—”

It was just a startled noise!

If she took that as agreement—

But Soi was unbelievably stubborn when she thought she was right.

Unless I absolutely hated it, she’d probably do this every day—

I was trying to figure out how to escape this situation when—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?”

A scream exploded.

From the back door of the classroom.

A voice I knew well.

Not as long as I’d known Soi, but since fourth grade.

It was Chae‑yi.

A/N:

I’ll try to upload one more chapter before midnight!

If I’m a bit late, I’ll still post it even after! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

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Pub: 25 Mar 2026 08:54 UTC

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