Chapter 133: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 133
Walking home with heavy steps.
The good condition I had earlier, thanks to a good night’s sleep, seemed to have vanished, leaving my steps feeling sluggish.
As I passed by, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a building’s glass window.
Anyone could see that I was burdened with deep worries.
I sighed without even realizing it.
This wasn’t good.
When I returned, Yoon Si-woo would be there.
Even without me, he already had a lot on his shoulders.
I already felt guilty enough for forcing my way into his home and living with him, so I didn’t want to cause him any more worry. I rubbed my stiff cheeks with my palms, trying to force a smile.
Although my face was squished and didn’t look great, it was still better than it had been a moment ago.
...This should be good enough to hide it.
Hoping that it would be, I returned home.
“I’m back.”
“Oh, Scarlet. Did everything go well?”
“...Yeah, nothing special happened.”
As soon as I opened the door and entered, Yoon Si-woo, who had been waiting on the living room sofa, quickly got up to greet me.
It seemed like he was sitting in that same position before I left...
Feeling slightly flustered, I responded casually, but I noticed Yoon Si-woo’s expression stiffen slightly.
That reaction made me realize I hadn’t managed my thoughts properly.
It was my mistake. When talking to Yoon Si-woo, I should have been extra careful.
“...Did something happen while you were out?”
“...Just a little. Nothing you need to worry about, so let’s just eat dinner. You must have been waiting for me.”
I brushed it off and tried to change the subject.
Yoon Si-woo seemed concerned about something, but fortunately, he let it go without pressing further.
After quickly preparing dinner, I sat across from Yoon Si-woo at the table, and something suddenly came to mind.
“By the way, your leave ends today, right?”
“Yeah, I have to go back to the base tomorrow. This time, I got an extended leave due to special circumstances, but usually, I only get one day off a week.”
“...I see. So, I’ll be alone for the next week...”
Even though I knew this, it didn’t feel good to face it directly.
Yoon Si-woo not being here meant that I wouldn’t be able to stay at home as comfortably as I had today.
Seeing me lower my head and mumble, Yoon Si-woo gave an awkward smile and jokingly asked,
“Haha... Why do you look like that? Are you upset that I’m leaving?”
“...If I said no, I’d be lying.”
“Huh? R-Really? I was just joking...”
Yoon Si-woo looked at me in surprise, glancing at me nervously.
...What? Did you expect me to say I’m glad I’ll have the house all to myself?
After a brief silence, Yoon Si-woo asked me seriously,
“...Scarlet, is there something on your mind?”
“...”
Unable to answer his difficult question, I remained silent, and Yoon Si-woo spoke again.
“You said before that you’d do anything for me and not hold back... It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I’ll do the same for you. If there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Then Yoon Si-woo smiled and said,
“We’re friends, after all.”
His words left me feeling choked.
The word “friend” that Yoon Si-woo casually used weighed so heavily on me.
My father once said something similar.
True friends don’t calculate benefits and losses.
Maybe that’s why, when his friend was in trouble, my father did everything he could to help.
And in the end, he was betrayed by that friend.
But my father never uttered a word of resentment towards him.
Perhaps it was because he still considered that person his friend until the very end.
I could fully understand my father’s feelings.
But what about the opposite?
If the person who betrayed my father had truly thought of him as a friend, and had no choice but to rely on him in difficult times...
I didn’t want to be that kind of friend.
I knew that.
I also wanted a relationship that transcended profit and loss.
But in the past and even now, I’ve always been the one receiving help.
Even if I didn’t want it, those who became close to me saw my situation and wanted to help me.
So I tried my best not to receive help unless it was absolutely necessary.
And if I did receive help, I tried my hardest to repay the debt in any way I could.
I didn’t want to take help for granted just because we were friends.
I didn’t want anyone who helped me to suffer like my father did.
So I suppressed it.
My true desire to ask him to stay by my side and not leave me.
I suppressed it hard and smiled at Yoon Si-woo.
“Yeah, thanks. But it’s okay.”
For now, I was okay.
I could still manage somehow.
But I had no idea how long I could keep it up.
*
“See you later. Take care of the house for me while I’m gone for the week.”
“Yeah, leave it to me. Oh, I’ll fold your laundry and put it on your bed.”
“Ugh... I’ll take care of my own laundry...”
“It’s fine, it’s not that much. Take care.”
Early in the morning, after having breakfast with Yoon Si-woo and seeing him off, I headed to school.
But I couldn’t help but worry about how everyone would react.
Mei had texted me not to worry, but honestly, I knew the moment I stepped into the classroom, all attention would be on me.
Even though I’d been cleared of charges, it wasn’t much different from having been dragged to court in the real world. It was impossible for people not to stare.
And it’s not like I could gather everyone and say, “Hey, guys. Let me tell you the story of how I got kidnapped by a witch, was rescued, and then interrogated for treason!” It wasn’t exactly something to casually chat about.
What should I do? I kept pondering as I walked until I found myself at the academy.
Nervously swallowing, I stood in front of the classroom door, thinking, “To hell with it,” and threw it open.
What greeted me was the sight of all my classmates’ eyes fixed squarely on me.
Bracing myself for the barrage of questions I expected to follow, I tightly shut my eyes.
“Good morning, Scarlet.”
“Morning.”
But contrary to my expectations, what I heard were just ordinary greetings.
Surprised and a bit bewildered, I returned the greetings and sat down at my desk, feeling the weight of everyone’s stares slowly lift.
Relieved by the seemingly normal reaction, I started to relax. But after a moment, I noticed something odd.
“...Hey, did you watch that show yesterday?”
“...Huh? Oh, yeah. That one, right? I did.”
The students were chatting, but it was clear they couldn’t focus on their conversations.
I observed the situation for a bit before I finally realized what was going on.
It seemed like everyone was deliberately trying not to look at me.
Why were they doing that? I tilted my head in confusion and eventually got up to ask Mei what was going on.
“Hey, Mei? What’s going on?”
“...Honestly, none of them can act.”
Mei sighed deeply before answering.
“Well, you went through a lot, right? We figured you must have had a tough time, so last week, we all agreed that when you came back, we’d treat you like usual to avoid bringing up bad memories. But it’s obvious they’re trying too hard. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea.”
I was a little surprised and said,
“...Um, nobody’s bothered by the fact that I was interrogated?”
“What? Did you think we’d shun you just because of that?”
...To be honest, I had been a bit prepared for the possibility, so I nodded.
Mei scoffed and pointed at the other students.
“Scarlet, both I and the others might have died at the hands of that witch if it weren’t for you. We all owe you our lives. Do you really think anyone would treat you badly just because of some baseless suspicion? Besides,”
Mei paused, then muttered with a fierce glare at the class,
“If anyone dared to, I wouldn’t let them get away with it. So don’t worry.”
“...Got it.”
I couldn’t help but shrink back at her intimidating presence.
But still, I was touched.
I never expected that they would act this way out of consideration for me...
As I looked at the students with eyes full of gratitude, they seemed embarrassed, as if they had overheard my conversation with Mei.
...Really, they’re all such kind-hearted people.
“Ah, S-Scarlet! Good morning!”
While I was feeling touched, Jessie, who had just arrived at school, saw me and quickly greeted me, startled.
Anyone could see she was extremely nervous.
...Could it be because they told her to act normally?
I looked at her intently, and Jessie avoided my gaze, mumbling and stuttering.
“W-Why are you looking at me like that? G-Good morning, right? Everything’s just like usual!”
“...Jessie, you can stop now. It’s already obvious.”
“What?! Really?!”
Noticing how terrible her act was, Mei gave her a hint, and Jessie, realizing she’d been caught, visibly relaxed, slumping her shoulders.
Then she looked at me straight for a moment, and suddenly, tears started to fall from her eyes as she rushed into my arms, crying.
“Sniff, sob... I was so worried after hearing what happened... You’re okay now, right? Nothing bad happened, right?”
“...I’m okay, Jessie. I’m fine, so don’t cry.”
“Sniff... I’m so glad you’re okay... I was worried that you might end up like my brother...”
...It seemed I had worried her a lot because Jessie couldn’t stop crying easily.
After a while of stroking her hair and comforting her, Jessie finally stopped crying, and she peeked up at me from my arms, smiling bashfully.
“Hehe, Scarlet, you’re really kind. You’re such a fool. There’s no way someone as kind as you would have anything to do with something as evil as that witch.”
With a face full of trust, she looked me straight in the eyes.
Jessie then smiled brightly and said,
“If you had, I would have killed you with my own hands, but there’s no way that would happen, right? Hehe.”
And so, I couldn’t bring myself to nod in agreement.
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oh my god MORE!!
ReplyDeleteyup! will release 2 more today as a bonus for review on nu
DeleteYay! I'm so happy I wrote a review yesterday!!
Deletetysm
Delete“If you had, I would have killed you with my own hands, but there’s no way that would happen, right? Hehe.”
ReplyDeleteKinda ironic. Scarlet is technically the incarnation of Witch of Wrath. Jessie will be shock if she knows this.
What is with this flag
ReplyDelete"Sometimes foreshadowing is relatively obvious"
ReplyDeleteI don't think the author was trying to be discreet lmao.
DeleteThe reveal is going to be brutal, Si-woo, Sylvia and Astra are going to have a lot of explaining to do.