12) Chapter 3. That's not it, actually...! (4)

It was good that, unintentionally, we even got her permission.

But I couldn’t help wondering whether that really solved all the problems.

Chae‑yi was still awkward around us.

It felt like she was trying to get along only because her foster mother told her to.

She walked with us, but she didn’t smile, and the atmosphere around her felt a bit gloomy.

Of course, there was no way we were just going to leave things like that.

“Chae‑yi, let’s play!”

Whenever she had time—during breaks or lunchtime—So‑i would go find Chae‑yi.

To be precise, she took me along because she knew I was worried about Chae‑yi.

“Chae‑yi, let’s go together!”

She said the same thing when we were heading home.

Whenever she said that, Chae‑yi would walk a little distance away from us.

Since So‑i always had a lot of friends, she would quickly get surrounded by kids greeting her or talking to her, and Chae‑yi would end up awkwardly stuck among them.

Still, the fortunate thing was that Chae‑yi’s expression was slowly improving.

She wasn’t suddenly bright or talking to other kids first or anything like that.

But at least she no longer wore that cold expression when she was next to us.

Thinking about it, this was all thanks to So‑i.

Because Chae‑yi’s mother liked So‑i, she was allowed to stay near her, and because of that, she could delay the studying she would normally rush home to do.

…But then again.

Doesn’t that mean she didn’t actually get close to me?

I mean… she got close to So‑i, right? That woman looked at me like I was nothing special.

Maybe she’d heard my name, but being “smart” in elementary school doesn’t necessarily mean you’re truly smart.

Chae‑yi was already studying middle‑school and high‑school material, so academically she might even be ahead of me.

“……”

Thinking about it like that… I didn’t like it.

Not that I disliked So‑i. Or her actions. Probably not.

It was more that I felt pathetic.

How could I be relying on an elementary schooler like this? Even if talking to someone is awkward, this is too much.

So, feeling impatient, I tried my best to talk to Chae‑yi, who was walking a little apart from us.

“Um, Chae‑yi.”

“…Yeah.”

Huh.

Why does her voice lose strength whenever I talk to her?

It’s not like she answers brightly when So‑i talks to her either.

I wondered if I shouldn’t have spoken, if maybe I’d upset her somehow, but since I’d already prepared something, I took a candy from my pocket and held it out to her.

“Do you want this?”

“Huh?”

Seeing the candy suddenly held out in front of her face, she blinked.

Honestly, it was incredibly embarrassing.

I just couldn’t imitate the way kids acted. Even though I was an elementary schooler in this life, and doing childish things wasn’t embarrassing and adults wouldn’t think badly of it…

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to make silly jokes, blurt out random words and laugh, or imitate catchphrases from kids’ shows.

Maybe I didn’t have friends in my previous life because of this personality too.

I never kept up with trends or anything.

“Uh… okay…”

Maybe because of the ice cream and the permission earlier, she still looked deflated but a bit more relaxed.

After that, I kept giving her little things.

Partly because I wanted her to like me, but also because it just felt like something I should do.

Ever since I started living with Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun, I’d always seen an energetic child.

So‑i was… well, lively.

Just watching her made you feel good. If someone had to pick an example of “how a child should grow,” it would be her.

So I wanted Chae‑yi to regain some energy too.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. At home she was told to study, and in such a strict household they’d probably want her to use her psychic abilities properly too.

…Come to think of it, why did she come to a regular elementary school?

If they wanted her to be friends with So‑i, wouldn’t it have been better to transfer earlier? Being friends from first grade would’ve been easier.

“Do you want yogurt?”

“Huh? Oh?”

When I took out another snack from my bag, she looked startled.

“Eat it.”

Eating something tasty makes you feel better.

As she hesitantly put the yogurt into her bag, I said,

“Do you want chocolate too?”

“W‑wait, what?”

I took out another snack and handed it to her.

With both hands full of snacks, she stared at me blankly.

Seeing that expression made me feel a little better.

A startled face was better than a lifeless one.

“Hey, hey, Rua.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you like Chae‑yi?”

“Huh?”

What is she even talking about?

“I mean, you keep taking care of her lately. Oh… or maybe not?”

Tilting her head, So‑i pressed her index finger to her temple and thought for a moment.

“Actually, not lately. I think it’s the first time. You acting like that toward someone else.”

“Oh.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Ever since entering elementary school, I’d always been the one being protected.

Honestly, I was pretty hopeless. I let a much younger kid treat me like a little sister, and I even found it kind of comfortable.

“Do you want to be that close to her?”

“…Yeah.”

But I didn’t want to lie to So‑i. She was always honest with me.

“Hmmmmm.”

She put both index fingers to her temples, closed her eyes, and paced around the room.

Even with her eyes closed, she somehow avoided bumping into anything and circled the room three times. Then she suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“HMMMMM.”

She looked like she was about to say something, then closed her eyes again and spun three times in the opposite direction.

“Okay!”

Finally, she shouted as if she’d made a decision and turned to me.

“I’ll help you!”

“You’ve already been helping—”

“But there’s one thing we need to make clear.”

She marched up to me.

“Hyat!?”

Thud. She placed her hands firmly on my shoulders.

Then, with an absurdly serious expression, she looked straight at me.

“Rua is my little sister. Right?”

“Uh, um?”

“Did you just say ‘um’?”

I definitely put a question mark at the end.

“Did you say ‘um’?”

“Uh… yeah.”

Overwhelmed by her intensity, I changed the question mark to a period.

“Hehe.”

She let out a slightly deflated laugh, then stepped back and smiled brightly.

“Good. Then it’s settled. I’ll help you.”

“Uh… how?”

“Hehe, leave it to your big sister. I have a plan!”

Even if an elementary schooler said that, it didn’t sound reassuring at all.

…Or maybe it did? Thinking about it, So‑i was pretty reliable.

…Is it weird that I find an elementary schooler reliable? Probably. But I decided to worry about that later.

So the “plan” she mentioned was ridiculously simple.

“Okay, okay.”

While walking with Chae‑yi, after all the other kids had gone home, So‑i pushed me toward her and said,

“You two talk!”

And then she left the two most awkward kids alone and ran off to hide behind a utility pole, peeking out at us.

Does that count as leaving us alone? She’s still watching.

Chae‑yi and I blinked at each other.

“Um…”

Since it didn’t seem like she would speak first, I opened my mouth.

“Hi.”

“…Hi.”

But we already greeted each other earlier. We’d been walking home together the whole time.

“Hmm…”

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Come on, So‑i!

Is this really your plan? Just sticking us together won’t magically make us close!

Well… maybe she could make friends that way. I’d seen her talk to a kid in a dentist waiting room and become friends instantly.

But I’m not like that!

“Um…”

After hesitating, I finally—

Pulled my bag forward and rummaged inside.

Then I took out a candy and handed it to her.

“Want it?”

“…Yeah.”

She accepted it.

She stared at it for a moment, then shook her head and handed it back.

“No.”

“Huh?”

I took the candy back, sweating even more.

Did she just reject me?

Now that I thought about it, I’d never really been rejected before.

Because of So‑i’s presence, my appearance, and my reputation for being smart, people usually liked me.

“If I take it… I can’t eat it.”

She said quietly.

“It’s bad for me.”

“Oh.”

At that, I was at a loss for words.

Whoosh.

A breeze blew between us.

Warm spring air.

But it felt unusually cold.

So‑i, help me!

===
Author's Note

Thank you for reading again today!
I’ll try to proofread typos as quickly as possible!

=
Morea-nim, thank you for your support!
Thank you always for reading my writing!
Ever since I was young, I wanted to become a writer.
To be honest, I had given up on it to some extent, so rather than wanting to earn money or serialize properly with this job, I just wanted to finish at least one story in my life…
But thanks to all of you, I’ve been able to complete several chapters like this.
Ever since I started writing, every day has felt like a miracle.
I’ll work hard to write something fun every day so that the miracle you’ve given me doesn’t go to waste!
Thank you so much!
Please take good care of this work as well!

=
Mint_567-nim, thank you for your support!
Thank you for looking forward to it!
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
When writing a novel, it naturally ends up going in the direction I want.
This story too will probably be about a kind protagonist and supporting characters getting into various situations.
I also want to include a lot of romance-related content—harem, yuri, and so on!
I want to write another story that ends happily in the end.
The main characters have only just begun to appear, but aside from the two on the cover, there will be a few more heroines.
Once they get to the academy, of course the number of friends will increase, right?
After all, the title says they want to be popular!

Thanks to all of you, I always enjoy writing.
The reason I was able to upload this new work as well is because I know you read and wait for my stories.
I hope the joy I felt while writing can be fully conveyed to you too!
Thank you so much!
Please take good care of this work as well!

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Pub: 07 Mar 2026 05:13 UTC

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