Chapter 43 : Chapter 43

Lunchtime.

As usual, the three of us gathered in the same place, but the atmosphere was slightly different from the usual dining hall.

If you only considered the fact that we were being ignored, the reactions of the other kids might not be so different from before.

Yes, if you only considered the fact that we were being 'ignored'.

But aside from that, everything else had changed.

Previously, when we came to the dining hall, even though the other kids acted like we didn't exist, they didn't avoid coming near us.

Naturally, why would they avoid sitting where 'no one' was?

So, it wasn't as though the seats next to us were intentionally left empty.

The other kids just avoided looking at us and sat in the empty seats nearby.

It was as if they simply ignored us, just like they did in the classroom.

But now, that wasn't the case.

The kids tried hard to avert their gazes from us, but the way they were 'trying so hard' to ignore us was obvious.

Right next to our table, there were no kids at all.

One seat was empty, and the rest of the seats were filled with a cluster of kids.

Because of the crazy things I did during the morning classes, they probably thought that if they sat near us, they would get caught up in the chaos.

"Hey, Sara."

Even Lee Soo-ah looked at the two of us with an extremely flustered expression.

"..."

And it wasn't just Lee Soo-ah who was flustered.

I was too.

"Here, say ah~"

Ha-neul, who was sitting right next to me, held food up to my mouth with chopsticks.

She wasn't just sitting next to me.

She was clinging tightly to my left arm.

Even using chopsticks with her left hand.

Did the original Yoo Ha-neul have an ambidextrous trait?

For reference, with her right hand, she was holding onto my left arm, so even if I wanted to move away, I couldn't.

Ha-neul was much stronger than me.

…Wait a minute, wasn't she flustered when I showed her the article earlier?

Wasn't she super embarrassed because I miscalculated our distance and was planning to teach her a lesson, but then got extremely mortified when she realized the truth?

She was so red-faced from embarrassment.

"You said earlier that it wouldn't be so bad to continue like this, right?"

As I hesitated to eat the food in front of me, Ha-neul leaned in close to my ear and whispered.

Her breath brushed against my earlobe, tickling me.

"..."

Ah, this.

Is she picking a fight?

She was terribly embarrassed when I told her to sit on my lap during the first period, but she quickly recovered and started teasing me halfway through, and after class, she proudly lectured me about personal space.

Does she go berserk if her pride is hurt?

…Thinking back to the original, that might be true.

She was the type to steadily and persistently deal with characters who were prickly towards her.

That's how it was with Yoon Da-ho's route too.

What happened again?

In the end, Yoon Da-ho didn't care about his position and was freed to live the life he wanted…

That was the ending, I think.

…Wait a minute.

…Am I being wooed right now?

Is Yoo Ha-neul walking Ye Sara's route?

That thought crossed my mind seriously for a moment.

It seemed like Ha-neul wouldn't move her hand until I accepted the food into my mouth.

In the end, I gave up and took a bite of the food, and then I happened to catch sight of Lee Soo-ah sitting across from us.

Her pupils were shaking wildly as she looked at us.

Well, that's understandable.

Last week, we didn't sit this close during mealtimes.

Actually, not just mealtime—we didn't sit this close at any time.

"…Could you come sit next to me?"

If I left things as they were, I felt like Lee Soo-ah would end up misunderstanding like the other kids, so I motioned to my right with my free hand.

Lee Soo-ah looked at my face, then at Ha-neul clinging to my side, and finally at the empty seat beside me.

She nodded, dragging her chair over and bringing her plate as well.

…I asked her to sit next to me, but I didn't mean for her to sit this close.

Lee Soo-ah sat close enough that our arms would touch with the slightest movement, though not as close as Ha-neul.

…Well, since I planned to speak quietly, it wasn't bad for her to be nearby.

I turned my head slightly toward Lee Soo-ah and whispered.

"Did you see the article that went up online today?"

"Yeah, I saw it."

That makes things easier.

Good.

"…The day in that picture was last Saturday. It looks like the person who took the picture or the newspaper wanted to write the article in a certain 'direction'."

When I emphasized the word 'direction', Lee Soo-ah nodded seriously with a knowing look.

Fortunately, it seemed she had understood that it was some kind of dating rumor.

"But, well, it's not like that. We were just hanging out as friends."

"…Just as friends?"

Lee Soo-ah asked as if confirming.

When I nodded, she glanced down at Ha-neul, who was sitting on my left.

"..."

Ha-neul, who had been darting her eyes around as if avoiding Lee Soo-ah's gaze, eventually nodded as if admitting to it.

"I see."

Lee Soo-ah nodded, looking as if she understood.

"But, I thought it might be a good idea to let the article play out like this. I've been thinking about changing the situation around me a bit, and I figured I might as well use this to my advantage. That's why we were… sticking close together during first period."

I couldn't bring myself to mention how Ha-neul had climbed on top of me in every possible angle.

Even if I had done it on purpose, it was still too embarrassing to admit.

"Oh, so that's why…"

Lee Soo-ah seemed to recall my sudden appearance in her class earlier and nodded.

"I heard about it. It wasn't told to me directly, but a girl from Class 1 mentioned it to a friend in my class during break. She said you two were… doing 'something like that' during class."

No, phrasing it like that makes it sound like we actually did something.

Well, we did do something!

If you stretch the interpretation, it could look like a suggestive gesture!

No, honestly, since that was the intention, it makes sense for people to interpret it that way!

"I see. So that's why the kids were glancing at me like that."

Lee Soo-ah mumbled to herself, as if understanding everything.

"But, if people really misunderstand…"

"They're supposed to misunderstand. That's why I acted like that. If someone approaches me later… Well, that's the whole point of doing this, isn't it? When that happens, I'll just laugh and tell them they got tricked. I don't know who it will be, though."

"I see…"

Lee Soo-ah nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Ha-neul, who had just been feeding me, had her head lowered, blushing as if embarrassed.

Although she didn't move away from me, it seemed like hearing that our actions from first period had already spread across the school had finally caught up to her.

I think I'm starting to understand her pattern.

When her emotions run high, she tends to push through things head-on, only to feel embarrassed later.

She really does act like a main character.

After delivering some cringe-worthy line, she'd get flustered if someone brought it up later.

"Then, I'll help with your plan too."

Lee Soo-ah, who had been organizing her thoughts, said that.

"If you're willing to help, that'd be great—"

Before I could finish, something soft touched my right arm.

"..."

When I looked down, I saw that Lee Soo-ah's… chest was pressing against my arm.

Her uniform looked taut across her chest, making it seem difficult to put anything in the pocket there, and her name tag was slightly lifted.

That chest was now pressed firmly against my right arm.

And, of course, Lee Soo-ah's left arm was wrapped around my right one.

"So, you mean as long as it becomes an issue that no one can ignore, right?"

"Uh, well, yes, that's true, but…"

I couldn't quite grasp the situation, and my mind went blank for a moment.

"If that's the case… what if, let's say, two people were involved? Wouldn't that make it even harder for people not to look this way?"

Huh?

*

When she first saw the article, she was a little shocked.

The article, featured prominently on the main page of the portal site, had large photos of the two people who had been sticking together all last week.

At school, the three of them were always together, and even when going home, they'd climb over walls to leave together.

Sure, after school, one more person had started hanging out with them, but Lee Soo-ah didn't mind.

She didn't think So-hee seemed like a bad person.

She even thought that perhaps they could continue hanging out like this until graduation.

After all, she had experienced something similar in middle school—staying close with friends she had been with since the first year all the way until graduation.

Though now, they hardly talked anymore.

To Lee Soo-ah, it seemed like Sara was being brave.

Instead of simply ignoring the people who ignored her, she was actively trying to correct their behavior.

She spoke confidently to strangers, without backing down.

She didn't push away those who approached her.

She simply spoke what she believed was right and called out what she thought was wrong.

Even though people around her were still ignoring her.

Lee Soo-ah thought that was admirable.

So, she tried to act the same way.

She didn't hide what she was doing.

She tried talking to others about Sara, and she even tried to maintain her existing friendships.

But every time she mentioned Sara, or whenever she revealed she was hanging out with Sara, her relationships with her friends deteriorated.

In conclusion, it 'didn't go well'.

Perhaps, that's why she clung to Sara even more.

While the other kids distanced themselves as soon as their relationships started to break down, Lee Soo-ah believed that Sara wouldn't do that to her.

But then, this morning, she saw an article with Sara and Yoo Ha-neul clinging to each other.

Of course, Lee Soo-ah wasn't in that picture.

She had never met up with Sara separately.

After seeing that picture, Lee Soo-ah sat in class with a dazed expression all morning.

Maybe the two of them had become more than friends…?

That thought crossed her mind.

Although it wasn't a rational thought.

They hadn't even known each other for that long.

There wasn't time for them to jump from acquaintances to a full-blown romantic relationship.

Even when she saw Sara walk confidently into the classroom or smile at her, Lee Soo-ah wondered if the two had grown closer while leaving her behind.

Although she almost burst out laughing at what Sara did right after.

"We're doing it so they misunderstand. If someone brings it up later… Well, I hope someone does. When they do, we'll just laugh and say they got tricked. I don't know who, but someone will bite."

"..."

During lunch, when Lee Soo-ah heard Sara say that, she stared intently at Yoo Ha-neul.

Yoo Ha-neul tried hard to avoid her gaze.

…I see. So that's what it was.

Most likely, Yoo Ha-neul had reached out first over the weekend.

And by some method, she had gotten Sara to come outside.

And, maybe… there was some small hint of a feeling there, which was why they were sticking so close together.

Then, the picture was taken.

I see.

That's what happened.

On one hand, she felt relieved.

At least, for the time being, she wouldn't be left behind alone.

She wouldn't be ostracized like when she was younger.

But…

That didn't mean she wasn't feeling jealous.

After all, the first person to have a picture taken with Sara was Lee Soo-ah.

Among Sara's current friends, the first one to speak to her had been Lee Soo-ah.

And, there was always the chance that this 'plan' of theirs might turn into something real one day.

"If that's the case… What if, let's say, two people were involved? Wouldn't that make it even harder for people not to look this way?"

After all those thoughts swirled in her mind, she spoke impulsively.

And with that, she clung tightly to Sara's right arm.

It was embarrassing.

Extremely embarrassing.

Honestly, even among friends, it wasn't common to stick this close.

But right now, Yoo Ha-neul was sitting this close to Sara.

"Uh, ah, well, that's fine, but…"

Sara stammered, her face turning red.

"If you two are holding onto me like this, I won't be able to eat."

That's not something to worry about.

Lee Soo-ah picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a small piece of meat.

Sara's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen.

It was, of course, terribly embarrassing.

Her face was probably completely flushed by now.

But she didn't want to be pushed out of Sara's attention.

…Until now, Lee Soo-ah had been a little timid around Sara, but originally, she was the type of person who flitted between large groups of friends, always chatting and laughing.

Even if most people didn't acknowledge her now, she used to be the type to swallow her embarrassment and approach unfamiliar people first.

So, if she set her mind to it, she could handle a little embarrassment.

At least as much as Yoo Ha-neul.