Chapter 119

There is a magic that affects girls once a month, making them feel particularly moody. Since I had never been affected by this before, I figured today must be the day I was under its influence, with my emotions fluctuating so much.

Typically, on such magical days, bleeding is expected, so I had planned to address the situation with someone’s help if it occurred. However, by the time school ended, there was no sign of bl**d, meaning today wasn’t actually a magical day for me.

Hmm… maybe I was just in an ambiguous mood today. It’s been over a month since the last occurrence, but I’ll ask Inna about it sometime later. She might tell me, or I might just forget about it, who knows.

With school done, I should have headed straight to study, but Kim Ha-neul and I had another destination: the teacher’s office.

“Seriously… why were you both absent from class today?”

Our homeroom teacher summoned us after hearing that we skipped a class. Watching our teacher sigh deeply made it clear we were in trouble, but since Kim Ha-neul and I had prepared our story, I wasn’t worried.

“Ever since the previous incident, I feel suddenly anxious whenever I’m in the classroom, just studying quietly. I keep thinking, maybe I’ll d*e later if I stay like this.”

“That, that’s not true. Our school’s security isn’t that weak. The country’s public safety isn’t that bad either. Adults will do their best to ensure students can just focus on studying…”

“But the fact that we were attacked remains true. Until we know why they targeted us, we can’t stay idle without honing our skills… Sorry.”

Kim Ha-neul bowed deeply to our teacher as an apology on our behalf, and I followed suit. This excuse was made up right before entering the teacher’s office.

The freedom we experienced during the school trip was indeed beneficial for students, yet it also gave us the leverage to voice dissatisfaction if needed.

Considering our past attack, I figured the teacher wouldn’t question us skipping class to prepare for a potential next attack.

Naturally, since this excuse might jeopardize the freedom of our future school trips, those trips would likely be stricter and more controlled like other schools. But since I only planned to finish this year, I didn’t care much about that.

Surprisingly, Kim Ha-neul showed no objections to my reasoning, whether because she agreed or believed the school trips should have stricter supervision.

“Well, I understand what you’re saying. But you should know you can’t keep doing this, right?”

The excuse I fabricated was an excellent one, designed to make the teacher feel guilty and avoid punishment.

Of course, the teacher knew this was merely an excuse to avoid getting scolded.

Simultaneously, the teacher might also acknowledge the possibility that our excuse was, in fact, true. Therefore, instead of reprimanding us, she let it slide, choosing moderation.

After all, she was human too; she must have known that if we were genuinely troubled by trauma or cleverly used the excuse, we might not even show up to school at all.

“It’s natural. Today was just a momentary confusion. But after taking a short break, didn’t we return to the lesson? There’s no need to worry too much.”

“Then, Erica, are you alright?”

Even though I hadn’t specifically instructed her, Kim Ha-neul flexibly handled the question with her own excuse, leaving bystanders wondering who the true master of excuses might be.

However, the fact that Kim Ha-neul and the teacher’s conversation flowed well without my intervention was a good thing. But when the teacher’s question turned to me, my quiet strategy failed.

“I’m fine now.”

Though I wasn’t really alright, I’m not the type to lash out at someone genuinely concerned.

That said, if I were to snap at Inna and Kim Ha-neul, it would only be because they’ve wronged this body before.

“With the finals coming up, I hope you’ll do your best for your future. You’ve done well so far, but you must continue until the end of third year. Given all that’s happened recently, it’s understandable if you’re shaken up…”

While the teacher said “you,” her eyes were fixed on me.

This was understandable—on the school trip, it wasn’t Kim Ha-neul but me who had almost perished bl**d-soaked. And previously, it was me who attempted s*icide. I also faced bullying from classmates and had my grades dip in mock exams.

It was only natural that, as a homeroom teacher, she would worry more about me, who seemed only to get into negative trouble, than Kim Ha-neul, who skipped class but for generally positive motivations.

Of course, most of these troubles occurred either before this body changed, or as a result of it changing, which felt deeply unfair to me. But without a valid excuse to argue against it, I silently accepted it.

“Well, that’s all the lecturing I’ll do for now. Both of you can handle this, right?”

“Of course. We’ll try our hardest not to do it again next time.”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t do it at all…”

Kim Ha-neul responded while I nodded.

The teacher, who had been silently scrutinizing us with evident dissatisfaction, sighed deeply and dismissed us. We left the teacher’s office after bidding farewell.

For the teacher, it might have been unsatisfactory, but I wanted to tell the least amount of lies possible since I didn’t understand why this sudden mood swing occurred.

Now, heading back to the classroom to pick up my bag, it was time to study. Kim Ha-neul was skilled at teaching, and I’d learned a lot from just yesterday’s session, so I looked forward to what today could bring.

Kim Ha-neul, silently trailing behind me toward the classroom, suddenly spoke.

“So, are you really alright?”

“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have come back. I would have stayed in place, even alone.”

Considering my skill at maintaining mental stability, the persistent and unexpected gloominess earlier was implausible.

Also, since nothing related to the “magic” affecting girls happened by after-school time, that possibility could be safely ruled out.

So, in my current state, I was sufficiently well, to the point where others did not need to worry about me. To demonstrate this, I momentarily stopped and, with a raised arm, flexed it, showing strength underneath a seemingly frail appearance.

Kim Ha-neul placed her palm against my fist and slightly pressed down with her fingers, causing my arm to drop as well.

“Seems like you’re not quite alright. Are you sure?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re too strong?”

“Are you criticizing me for worrying about you?”

By presenting my supposedly robust condition, Kim Ha-neul was instead showcasing how strong she was.

Of course, her concern was for my mental state rather than physical condition, so her reaction to my display could have been a minor act of annoyance.

Even as we joked around, neither of us paused our steps—both eager to head home for the study session—though we had something else to do at the classroom.

“If it’s too hard for you to keep up with what we’re asking, feel free to reject us. Inna knows that you prefer being alone, so she wouldn’t mind if you decline.”

“Are you asking for something?”

“The study session today.”

Taken aback, this wasn’t the answer I expected. I was the one who requested the session, so why would Inna have an issue with it?

“You were the first to suggest it, but yesterday during the session, I noticed a pattern. You can study perfectly well on your own.”

“Are you tired of studying with me?”

Did she want to kick me out of the study session to study alone with Inna? This situation wasn’t entirely surprising. Kim Ha-neul would naturally need to send me away if she wanted to pursue closer relations with Inna.

Since it was her session, I knew from the start that if she wished it, I would have to leave, so the situation wasn’t particularly shocking.

“I enjoy teaching while learning as well. Looking at others’ perspectives for the same problem can be quite enlightening. However, you clearly don’t like it.”

“Do I dislike it? When did I express such dislike?”

Could she be lying just to send me away?

“You enjoy being alone, as well as studying alone. Yesterday, while you appreciated the help in the initial stages, afterwards you seemed more comfortable studying alone.”

“It doesn’t hurt to study together.”

Though I said this, I took a closer look at Kim Ha-neul. Even if this was her way of sending me away, it wasn’t an untrue statement. I did find solitude and solitary study comfortable.

Did Kim Ha-neul, while seemingly focused on teaching, instead observe me all this time?

A protagonist-like observation skill. No wonder heroines tend to like protagonists.

With that observation skill, heroines could learn what they like, dislike, and worry about, enabling the protagonist to resolve their concerns, which in turn makes the heroines fall for characters like Kim Ha-neul.

“I understand. I’m not forcing you out; I’m simply asking that if you don’t feel like studying with others, please let us know. We’re fine.”

“Inna might not like it.”

Inna, who prefers to be with me, would not approve of Kim Ha-neul’s suggestion. This suggested Kim Ha-neul’s intention was to be alone with Inna.

“What do you think?”

“Whatever you want to do, we should respect it, right?”

Thinking her reasoning aligned with mine, I was surprised when Kim Ha-neul glanced to the side and there stood Inna, apparently having appeared unnoticed.

Though I had been pondering whether her insistence on discussing the study session was a lack of respect given my reluctance to study, I softened my thoughts and suggested we proceed.

“Let’s just go for the study session.”

The fact that Inna already held our bags meant we didn’t need to return to the classroom.

After finishing the study session, the day would conclude as usual.

We would keep repeating the same day until the end-of-term exam, or so I speculated. But that prediction proved wrong once again.

Before we could leave the school for our study session, a woman approached us.

“Are you very busy?”

The Student Council President.

She had come looking for us.

Rather, specifically for me.