68) Chapter 11. I Should Have Said It (8)
The original Seo Rua, Soi, and Chae‑yi were girls with experience.
Naturally, that meant sexual experience. That was why they were such divisive heroines.
Unicorns in this world don’t become aggressive toward people who have sexual experience, but that doesn’t mean they ignore it entirely.
If anything, they prefer girls without experience.
And the longer someone has been without experience, the more they supposedly like them.
It’s an ability with no clear meaning or purpose in reality, but in the story, some even said unicorns could “see the soul.”
But really, isn’t it just a weird creature obsessed with something pointless?
“Whinny.”
“It wants you to pet it.”
Instructor Justina had approached at some point, sounding amused.
Feeling a bit reluctant, I reached out and stroked the unicorn’s nose.
…Does it count my soul as “a girl’s soul” too?
But since I remember my past life, does that make me “the longest‑lasting” among them?
Well, at least in this life I’m only a first‑year high schooler, so there’s nothing to question. But thinking about the total time… it feels like the unicorn is messing with me.
…And if that’s the case, Nam Jinwoo shouldn’t be much different. If it’s about experience or lack thereof, there should be other girls in this class who qualify too—like Hyeonji, or others.
Soi and Chae‑yi are literally right next to me.
So why pick me and Nam Jinwoo specifically?
“……”
Maybe that’s it.
Maybe it just enjoys teasing people who are hiding something.
And it chooses its targets from the ones it “likes.” If it doesn’t like someone, it wouldn’t bother teasing them.
What a nasty personality.
If it weren’t female, I would’ve shoved it away with my powers already.
“Whinny.”
“……”
And there were two more kids petting the unicorn with narrowed eyes.
Soi and Chae‑yi.
I get that Soi gets jealous as a friend or sister, but being jealous of an animal is a bit much.
As the three of us petted it, the other students eventually came over and touched the unicorn too.
The girls loved it. Well, it was pretty. Strange personality aside, it was a majestic pink horse.
Hearing their admiration, the unicorn lifted its head proudly.
Meanwhile, it didn’t seem to care at all when boys tried to pet it. Even while accepting pets from the girls, it would simply trot away whenever a boy reached out.
“What’s with that pervert.”
One of the boys muttered irritably.
Even knowing it was female, it was hard not to think that way. I thought so too.
After happily circling around the group, the unicorn fixed its gaze on one last person.
Nam Jinwoo.
She had been subtly hiding behind other boys whenever the unicorn wandered near, keeping just enough distance to avoid attention.
No one else seemed to notice, but I’d been watching her for a while, so it was obvious to me.
“……”
Well.
It’s not like I planned to help—
“Eek.”
—I didn’t plan to help, but…
Seeing the unicorn approach Jinwoo with such excitement, my feet moved on their own.
I’m not sure why.
Maybe I felt a tiny bit sorry for her.
After all, there’s no reason for her to cross‑dress at this school. It’s an academy in name, but it’s basically a high school with a few unusual classes.
So if she’s cross‑dressing, she must have a reason she absolutely can’t tell others.
Maybe it’s psychological. Maybe it’s something extreme about her family.
Her family situation only appears late in the original story, and I skimmed it so much I barely remember.
…If this follows the original, this might be stupid.
No one suspected Nam Jinwoo was a girl. She only got that weird nickname, “pure man.” Even when the heroines started falling for her later, no one questioned it.
But still…
Seeing her standing alone, keeping her secret, looking so isolated—it bothered me.
“Whinny?”
When I blocked its path, the unicorn tilted its head.
Then, as if deciding this was fine too, it approached me and pressed its forehead against me.
It hooked its horn under my arm and buried its face against my chest. Its head was so big I practically needed both arms to hold it.
Thinking it wanted a hug, I wrapped my arms around its face—
“Wha—!?”
“Rua!?”
“Whinny!”
The unicorn lifted me up with its horn still hooked under my arm.
Not dangerously high—just enough for my feet to leave the ground.
Basically, it was saying resistance was pointless.
“W‑wait, wait!”
I slapped its face lightly, but the unicorn happily marched forward. Probably toward Jinwoo.
Should I use my powers?
But am I even strong enough to stop a unicorn right now?
And honestly… do I need to? This was going to happen anyway.
A thousand thoughts ran through my head in a few seconds—
“Ahem.”
Someone stepped in front of the unicorn.
“Whinny?”
The unicorn stopped. My feet touched the ground again.
I quickly let go of its horn and stumbled back—right into something soft and plush.
“You alright?”
A gentle hand steadied my shoulder—wait, she could’ve grabbed my shoulder, but my head ended up against her chest? Wow.
No, no, focus.
“Ah, y‑yes! I’m fine!”
Startled, I jumped aside.
Seol Heewon gave me a wry smile—
“Kyaa!?”
—before a giant horse head suddenly shoved itself into her arms.
“Whinny.”
Just like it did to me earlier, it rested its horn against her side and pressed its face into her chest.
The spot that had cushioned the back of my head now cushioned the unicorn’s face.
“……”
Silence fell.
Right. In the original, this scene was a sharp contrast to Seo Rua. The unicorn ignored Rua like any other boy, but buried its face in the much older principal’s chest.
Is this thing really female? It sure doesn’t act like it.
“Uh…”
Even Instructor Justina looked stunned.
“……”
Seol Heewon’s ears slowly turned red.
Then, seeing the students awkwardly averting their eyes, they turned even redder. To a worrying degree.
…Hmm.
As someone in a similar situation, I considered saying something comforting.
But anything I said would probably just make it worse, so I stayed quiet.
*
Alright.
Since things turned out like this, maybe I should just confirm it.
If I keep assuming things on my own, I might make a mistake later. And if I’m right, I should be careful.
And honestly, I don’t really want Soi and Chae‑yi getting too close to Nam Jinwoo. She can date girls too, and I’m not letting her two‑time or flirt around.
Especially since Soi and Chae‑yi are precious to me. I don’t want them fighting over Jinwoo.
So maybe I should keep some distance, but also… talk to her a bit.
With that in mind, once things settled down and we were heading back to class, I called out to her.
“Hey, Jinwoo?”
“Eek—! Eeeek!”
But whenever I tried to speak to her—
She panicked and sprinted away.
Why?
Why is she that terrified? It’s not like I bullied her.
And people are staring!
If it were because of the witch rumor, I’d understand. That’s at least based on something.
But being rumored to bully someone I never bullied? That’s annoying.
“Rua?”
“Huh? Huh?”
“Why Jinwoo?”
Soi and Chae‑yi, walking beside me, clearly hated that I was trying to talk to her. Their reactions only made the stares around us sharper.
“……”
Meanwhile, Hyeonji—who caught my silent plea for help—looked conflicted in a completely different way.
I had no idea what emotion that was supposed to be.
*
*
*
“Haa… haa… huu…”
Having run all the way to the end of the hallway, Nam Jinwoo crouched down, clutching her head.
“Ugh…”
She knew running away only made things worse.
But what else could she do?
She’d lived like this for so long. Changing now wasn’t easy.
“I… I really should’ve told her…”
If she’d told Rua back when she first seemed suspicious, maybe things would be easier now.
Running away like this would only cause more misunderstandings.
“But…”
Rua was the one who helped her when she was being bullied.
For some reason, she couldn’t speak properly in front of her.
“And… I think those girls hate me…”
The two scary girls who glared at her every time she and Rua made eye contact—Im Soi and Moon Chae‑yi.
Their wall was far too high for her to climb.
In the end, all Jinwoo could do was sigh deeply.
*
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A/N:
Thank you for reading today!
I’ll add supporter acknowledgments this evening…!
=
Thank you, eternalyg, for your support!
Thank you always for reading my novel! Since the acknowledgment might have been posted too late for you to see, I’ll include it again in tomorrow’s author’s note!
Since it has a harem tag, I believe the ending should naturally be a harem! With so many heroines, having the protagonist end up with only one wouldn’t be fair to the others! As you said, I’ll work hard to write scenes where the heroines never leave his side, day or night! Thank you so much for reading my work every day! I’ll never forget that the reason I can keep writing is because of readers like you! I’ll do my best to make sure reading my stories becomes a memory, not a waste of time! Please continue to support me!