Chapter 102: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 102
There was a friend of mine who started dating a girl renowned for her beauty during our school days and married her shortly after graduation.
He was always boasting about his wife in our group chat, so much so that we teased him, saying he was totally whipped, but also envied him.
One day, another friend asked him, ‘How come you never talk about any downsides of being married? Hearing only the good stuff makes us, who haven’t even dated, sick with envy. Tell us about the tough times you’ve had in married life.’
After a moment of hesitation, our friend answered.
He said that every time he went shopping with his wife at the department store, he felt like he was losing his mind.
He claimed it wasn’t even that exhausting when he had to work overtime for several days straight at the office.
Honestly, when I first heard that, we all laughed, thinking, ‘Come on, you’re going on a date with your pretty wife at a department store. What’s so hard about that?’
“Scarlet! This dress is so pretty! Let’s try this one next!”
“...Okay.”
Having a similar experience now, I think I understand why he said that.
I’m sorry, friend. Shopping is really tough...
“See! I knew it would look good on you! Let’s keep this one in mind and head to the next store!”
“Uh... Do we still have more places to visit? We’ve been at this for about two hours...”
“We’ve only covered a third of the stores! Days like today are rare, so we should make the most of it and shop until late!”
Sylvia’s energetic response left me feeling faint.
Only a third? Gyaaah! Aaaargh!
Why on earth is the mall so vast, I lamented, crying out in agony.
I’m gonna... I’m gonna lose my mind...
After following Sylvia around for hours and trying on countless outfits, I felt like a dress-up doll that girls used to play with when we were younger.
Please, stop with these frilly clothes...
My masculinity was having a mental breakdown...
If I were just watching Sylvia buy clothes, I could enjoy it as eye candy. But shopping only for my clothes offered no such enjoyment and was driving me crazy.
“...Hey, Sylvia. You’re here to shop too, right? Aren’t you going to pick any clothes for yourself?”
Unable to bear it any longer, I cautiously asked Sylvia, who smiled as she replied.
“Don’t worry. I plan to match a couple outfits with you later. So today, I’m focusing on picking clothes for you, Scarlet.”
In simple terms, I was doomed to this fate for the entire day.
Her words struck me like a bolt from the blue.
This is insane. At this rate, I’m going to wither away.
My inner self was screaming, warning me to beg Sylvia to stop for today and come back another time. But then, Sylvia, with a smile full of joy, continued.
“I’m having so much fun today. Going shopping with someone like this is something I’ve wanted to do since I was little. Today, I’ve finally fulfilled that dream. Thank you so much for coming along, Scarlet.”
Ah... Oh no...
Seeing Sylvia’s bright smile as she said how much fun she was having, even my inner self that had been shouting this was madness fell silent and quietly changed its tune.
Hey, how can you ruin it when she’s so happy? Let’s just endure a bit longer...
With those words, I tearfully nodded internally and responded to Sylvia.
“I... I’m having fun too, going out with you, Sylvia...”
“Really? I’m glad. I was worried I was the only one enjoying it since you seemed a bit off... Then let’s head to the next store! Hurry up and change!”
Sylvia exclaimed with a voice full of excitement.
I had promised to go shopping with her, after all.
This was my self-inflicted punishment.
Resigned, I quickly changed as she urged me to, and a few more hours passed.
By that time, I was thoroughly, utterly exhausted.
Always having thought that clothes just needed to be cheap and durable, I usually wore whatever the market ladies sold at a discount.
Seeing clothes with price tags exceeding my monthly living expenses made my heart race, and Sylvia, who said she could buy the entire store if she wanted, made me realize how fragile my commoner’s heart was...
Of course, the most challenging part was the incident at the women’s lingerie store...
Entering the lingerie store had already made me feel like dying of embarrassment, and then a pretty lady approached and asked for my bra size.
But how could I know that?
I had always just worn whatever was already in my wardrobe.
And I deeply regretted not knowing my bra size.
If I had known, I wouldn’t have had to endure that lady thoroughly measuring my chest...
Yes, even putting her hands inside my top to do it directly.
That was really... It was such a huge shock for me.
I had always thought size measurements were done with a tape measure...
Who knew such a pretty lady was an expert who could determine bra sizes just by feeling...
Anyway, after being told my chest was quite large, experiencing the ultimate humiliation, I reached a point where I didn’t know what was what anymore.
I just want to go home and rest...
Feeling utterly drained, I followed Sylvia around in a daze, when she asked with a worried voice.
“Hey, Scarlet? Do you want to take a break? You look really tired...”
“...Yeah, I’ll rest a bit...”
“Then sit over there and rest. I’ll browse the other stores by myself.”
At Sylvia’s suggestion, I trudged over to a nearby bench and plopped down.
Just seeing clothes made me nauseous now, but Sylvia didn’t seem to get tired.
As I pondered this, I felt someone suddenly hug me from the side.
Too exhausted to react, I just rolled my eyes to see a pink-haired girl with twin tails grinning at me.
It was Florene Dolos, one of the heroine candidates from Class 1-B.
Why is she here?
As I stared at her blankly, someone grabbed the back of Florene’s neck and pulled her away from me.
“...Florene, I told you not to just cling to people like that.”
Speaking in a tired voice, the person pulling Florene away was Marin Eloise, the class president of Class 1-B.
She sat down next to me, placed Florene on her lap, and greeted me with difficulty.
“...You’re Scarlet Evande from Class 1-A, right? It’s been a while.”
“...Yeah, it has. What brings you two here?”
When I asked, Florene, sitting on Marin’s lap, answered loudly.
“Marin’s aunt asked her to take me shopping!”
“Sigh, Florene. I told you, as long as you dress neatly...”
“That’s not enough! Marin is so pretty; it’s a waste if she doesn’t dress up!”
Florene's statement made sense given that Marin, one of the heroine candidates in the original story, also had exceptional beauty. Despite her simple attire, her ocean-blue hair and sky-blue eyes caught the attention of every man who passed by.
However, Marin, who believed that dressing neatly was enough, seemed eager to just go home.
Feeling a sense of camaraderie, I quietly muttered to her.
“…Clothes just need to be cheap and durable.”
“…Do you feel the same way?”
When I nodded in response to Marin’s question, asked as if she had been dragged out against her will, she looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
This was truly a moment of shared suffering.
As we both exuded an aura of disdain for shopping, Florene, unhappy with our attitude, wriggled on Marin’s lap and shouted.
“Marin! We need to look at more clothes! Auntie told me to pick lots of pretty clothes for Marin to wear on her matchmaking date!”
“We’ve already tried so many. I’m tired and need to rest...”
“Ugh, Marin, you’re so meticulous yet don’t care about things like this! Fine! I’ll pick out the clothes, so you just rest here!”
With that, Florene jumped off Marin’s lap and dashed off somewhere.
In the original story, Marin usually managed Florene’s troublemaking, but seeing this side of her was refreshing.
A matchmaking date, huh?
Intrigued, I glanced at Marin, who met my eyes and sighed.
“Ha, you’re curious about matchmaking, aren’t you?”
“…A little, yes.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I feel like I should tell you.”
Marin began explaining with a deep sigh.
“You probably know who my parents are, right? Both of them are famous heroes.”
Her surname was Eloise.
Like Leon Lionel, the father of Leonor, Marin’s parents, Natalia Eloise and Lucas Eloise, were among the top five heroes currently alive.
Additionally, they were famously known for marrying quickly due to an unplanned pregnancy during their school years.
When I nodded, Marin continued with another sigh.
“My mother, in particular, is quite peculiar. Perhaps because she married early due to an unplanned pregnancy, she constantly tells me that the earlier you marry, the better. She also nags me about when I’ll start dating. It’s laughable, right? Heroes don’t have time for romance when training is already so demanding.”
As she revealed more about her personal life, I wondered if it was okay to hear all this, but I nodded along, prompting Marin to continue with even more enthusiasm.
“Anyway, my mother found this ‘perfect’ groom and suddenly insisted I meet him. I never said I wanted to! But you know what’s even more ridiculous?”
When I shook my head, she exclaimed.
“The matchmaking partner is Yoon Si-woo, who just became a hero! The one from Class 1-A! She probably begged him to meet me just once for the sake of her pride. If I had known earlier, I would have stopped her... But the meeting was already arranged, so I couldn’t do anything about it. It’s absurd, right? As if he would be interested in me. It’s so embarrassing...”
Oh, matchmaking with Yoon Si-woo...
Considering Marin was also a heroine candidate, there was a good chance things could go well, but why did she seem so lacking in confidence?
Curious, I asked her.
“Why are you so lacking in confidence? Yoon Si-woo is still a guy, and with your looks, you should have no problem.”
Marin looked at me as if I were strange and said.
“…Are you serious? He’s always showing signs of liking someone.”
Shocked, I exclaimed.
“Yoon Si-woo likes someone?!”
Who could it be? Sylvia? Marin? Florene? Leonor? Or perhaps, the unlikely Eve?
Could it be someone he met outside the academy?
As I pondered the possibilities, listing the names of the heroine candidates, Marin asked me.
“…Are you seriously unaware?”
I nodded, feeling completely clueless, and she muttered as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Wow… There really are people like you…”
Her cryptic remark left me puzzled, but Marin, after a brief pause, nodded and spoke.
“I won’t meddle in someone else’s love life, but... anyway, I understand.”
I nodded at her words, understanding that Marin was going to have a matchmaking date with Yoon Si-woo.
Trying to encourage her, I clenched my fists and said.
“Good luck with your matchmaking!”
“Yes, yes, thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the matchmaking myself.”
While I was chatting with Marin, I saw Sylvia coming out of a store in the distance.
Waving at me, she called out.
“Scarlet! If you’ve rested enough, let’s get moving again!”
Oh no…
I had momentarily forgotten why I was here while talking with Marin...
Resigning myself, I stood up and walked towards Sylvia like a lamb to the slaughter.
And then, I continued to shop like crazy with Sylvia.
Dense as a 🪨
ReplyDeleteRofl
ReplyDeleteabsolutely clueless
ReplyDeleteWell tbh, he is still a straight guy on the inside
DeleteThe thought might not have even crossed her mind, and mentally she's still rejecting the possibility
DeleteScarlet is dense, that is true.
ReplyDeleteHowever! I believe she is willfully dense.
She has 3 years to live, and she wants Yoon Si-Woo to be happy. Of course she can't a see future of her with him... She has none...
just like being Sylvia pushover in early chapter. I think she is very much aware the Si-Woo feeling
DeleteOuch. That would sting a lot.
ReplyDelete