Chapter 38 : Chapter 38

Yoo Ha-neul felt as if her head was spinning.

There wasn't a trace of concern on Sara's face as she smiled up at her.

It made Yoo Ha-neul wonder if Sara even knew what she had just said.

'No, well, honestly, it's not like I'd never sat on a friend's lap before.'

If it was a same-gender friend, there was usually a certain level of physical affection like linking arms, hugging, or even sitting on their lap.

If they were a bit mischievous, they might engage in playful gestures that could be interpreted sexually.

Most of the time, it was obvious they were joking, and even hanging onto someone's arm like Yoo Ha-neul had done with Sara on Saturday could be excused if it was just for a moment.

If it was a close friend, they probably wouldn't think much of it.

But—

The reason those kinds of physical contacts didn't mean anything was because there wasn't even the slightest bit of sexual interest in the other person.

If you had even a little interest, or actually, even if you didn't, but they were the opposite gender, those actions could easily be misunderstood.

'Right, the person telling me it's okay to do this right now isn't of the opposite gender.'

But still… the fact that it's Sara makes this complicated.

'Did she eat something weird…?'

As she pondered this, Yoo Ha-neul's thoughts suddenly halted.

Ah.

That's it.

On Saturday, while sharing a couple's meal with Sara, Yoo Ha-neul had injected some ridiculous ideas into her.

And now, she wanted to grab her head in frustration.

Yes, it's definitely because of that.

Sara, who had been living like a bird in a cage, had never had a friend to teach her about personal boundaries.

She had no way to naturally learn about the subtle distances between people.

And Yoo Ha-neul had exploited that, using it to dispel Sara's suspicions toward her.

Sara might have gone home and searched about physical contact between friends.

Maybe she had seen an image of someone sitting on another person's lap.

Of course, it was probably just a picture of people goofing around, with multiple people piled on top of each other.

…It was all Yoo Ha-neul's fault.

Of course, something else must be going on for Sara to be acting like this during class.

Sara, who had been smiling at Yoo Ha-neul, tilted her head slightly.

"...."

Yoo Ha-neul glanced toward the teacher.

The teacher was looking over in their direction but didn't say anything.

She had a clear expression of disbelief, as if she had no idea Sara would act this way.

Even so, she wasn't reprimanding Sara.

The teacher's attitude made it clear: she was ignoring Sara, just like the other students.

Yoo Ha-neul looked back down at Sara.

Maybe Sara was asking for Yoo Ha-neul's help in her own way.

To somehow normalize this school that openly ignored her.

To escape from isolation.

…And in that process, the strange sense of distance that Yoo Ha-neul had planted in Sara was now showing itself.

'This is my fault.'

Yoo Ha-neul thought, swallowing nervously.

Sara, sitting in her chair, had pushed it back as far as possible, as if to make room for Yoo Ha-neul to sit.

Sara's school uniform skirt wasn't particularly short.

She hadn't tightened it like some of the other girls did.

But as Sara sat in the chair, her skirt rode up slightly along her body, revealing her white knees, with a bit of thigh visible just above them.

'…Sit on that?'

The entire classroom's eyes were on Yoo Ha-neul.

It seemed like no one was even trying to look away; they were all staring.

'Yes, this is my fault.'

Yoo Ha-neul thought again.

'If I had explained things properly on Saturday, Sara wouldn't be acting like this.'

Yoo Ha-neul squeezed her eyes shut.

'Yes, this is my fault.'

'Since it's my fault, I have to take responsibility!'

And so, Yoo Ha-neul accepted Sara's proposal.

"…Ugh."

Sara let out a small sound, possibly from the sudden weight on her lap.

Slowly, Yoo Ha-neul lowered herself onto Sara's thighs.

She straightened her back slightly to lean in.

Through their clothes, she could faintly feel Sara's body heat.

Despite her thin appearance, Sara's body felt unexpectedly soft.

Maybe it was thanks to all the food she'd been eating since last week.

Yoo Ha-neul could feel the outline of Sara's body pressing against her back.

Even through their clothes, the delicate curves were noticeable.

Was that why they felt even more distinct?

"...."

Yoo Ha-neul's heart started pounding so hard, it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

"Well, then, let's begin class…."

The teacher, who had been staring with her mouth open, hurriedly pulled herself together and said those words.

The other students, startled, also came to their senses.

The classroom suddenly filled with the sound of books opening.

Normally, there weren't many students who paid much attention in class, but today was different.

Everyone had their heads down, focusing on their books.

If Sara's goal was to draw the attention of the entire class—

Then she had succeeded perfectly.

*

Ah, what am I supposed to do, not look?

If someone is looking right now, it means they're interested in this situation.

If they aren't looking, it means they're trying their hardest to ignore it.

Whichever choice they made, they were aware of what was happening between Yoo Ha-neul and me.

"...."

But now that we're actually doing this, it feels a little embarrassing.

Because… sitting on someone's lap can be interpreted sexually in so many ways.

And I did kind of aim for that.

Of course, Yoo Ha-neul wouldn't actually believe that I meant it that way.

"...."

The classroom was dead silent.

Except for the teacher writing something on the blackboard.

Even Yoo Ha-neul remained quiet.

…Now that I think about it, it's obvious.

You can't have a conversation with someone who's not facing you.

"...."

A few minutes passed, giving me time to rethink this situation.

I was starting to regret it.

Sure, Yoo Ha-neul was about the same height as Ye Sara.

If I had to compare, Yoo Ha-neul was a little taller, but it wasn't a huge difference.

So I didn't worry too much, but I had overlooked something important.

Of course, a healthy Yoo Ha-neul would weigh more than Ye Sara.

And Ye Sara's body still wasn't that strong.

She wasn't particularly powerful, so the longer time passed, the more I felt crushed under Yoo Ha-neul's weight.

I felt bad about it, though.

"Yoo Ha-neul."

Suddenly, the teacher called out to her.

"Come up here and solve this problem."

Yoo Ha-neul jumped up from her seat and quickly went to the front.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the class.

Even the teacher looked a little relieved, likely because the attention-grabbing scene had stopped.

And I also felt relieved.

To be honest, my legs had been falling asleep for a while, and I was starting to lose feeling in my toes.

"...."

What should I do now?

I blankly stared at Yoo Ha-neul's back as she diligently wrote on the chalkboard.

If I backed out now, it would feel like I was losing.

Causing a scene for no reason would make me no different from the in-game Ye Sara.

But asking Yoo Ha-neul to sit on my lap again seemed a bit daunting until class ended.

Thud.

While I was lost in thought, Yoo Ha-neul put down the chalk.

"Good, well done. Now…"

The teacher glanced sideways at me as she spoke.

"…Go back to your seat."

Yoo Ha-neul didn't even respond to the teacher and spun around.

She quickly walked back to where I was sitting.

Her face, visible through the sunlight, looked a little stiff.

She stood in front of me, staring intently.

…Is she angry?

Well, it makes sense.

Even if we're both girls, forcing her into such an embarrassing situation would make anyone upset.

As I wondered if I should apologize, Yoo Ha-neul suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Eep?"

Taken by surprise, I let out a strange sound as she pulled me up.

Then Yoo Ha-neul calmly sat down in her seat.

Is she really mad?

I heard another sigh of relief from around the room—

"Ack!"

But then, Yoo Ha-neul grabbed my hand again and yanked me down hard.

Thud.

And I landed right on Yoo Ha-neul's lap.

…This position was different from when Yoo Ha-neul had sat on me.

Whether it was intentional or because I was pulled along awkwardly, I ended up sitting 'sideways' on Yoo Ha-neul's thighs.

Basically, if Yoo Ha-neul had superhuman strength, she could easily scoop me up into a princess carry from this position.

"...."

I heard people around us gasp.

The teacher's face had turned even paler than before.

Yoo Ha-neul extended her arms to reach for a pen on the desk.

Her right arm brushed against my back, while her left arm crossed in front of me.

Now my upper body was completely trapped between Yoo Ha-neul's arms.

As Yoo Ha-neul leaned forward slightly to read her book, her hair brushed gently against my face.

The pleasant scent, likely from showering before school, tickled my nose.

My head was spinning.

…This was completely different from just sitting on her lap.

Our faces were close enough that if we wanted, we could easily look directly at each other.

And with just a slight movement, her face would come very close to mine.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn't a normal position between friends.

Yoo Ha-neul lifted her head from her notebook.

Her hair brushed past my face again, and the light revealed her radiant expression.

Yoo Ha-neul was smiling like a mischievous child.

"...."

I see, I get it now.

It didn't matter what position we were in; Yoo Ha-neul had clearly understood what I wanted to do.

If we were going to attract attention, we might as well go all the way.

…Fine.

In that case, let's see how far we can go until the class ends.