Chapter 73

I’ve never given dating advice before. Similarly, I’ve never been in a relationship either.

But I do know how good the beach is as a dating spot.

The beach has water. When water clings to the body, it reveals one’s figure. Even by just seeing Han Ye-seul in a hoodie without a swimsuit, it’s evident that she has a pretty impressive figure.

An ordinary man wouldn’t need to see her face—just her body would be enough to captivate him. The beach is the perfect place to maximize the effect of such a figure.

So, to sum it up:

The beach is an excellent place for Han Ye-seul to charm Kim Ha-neul.

I was slightly annoyed that she came to the beach without informing me and joined Kim Ha-neul’s group. Still, there’s no point in staying mad. It might be better to make use of the situation since we’re already at the beach.

“So, did you bring a change of clothes?”

“I did bring something, but… it’s kind of hard with other people around.”

Why is she hesitant to flaunt her figure while still avoiding being labeled as overly flirtatious? I wondered about this before realizing something.

Occasionally, I forget that this woman is a celebrity. If she changes into a bikini or anything revealing, the people around here might discover her identity.

On the other hand, if she doesn’t remove her hood, she’ll just draw attention for looking suspicious.

Is the beach not such a good place for romance after all? As I was about to lose myself in this absurd train of thought, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

“Come to think of it, where are we even going?”

“…Huh? I was just following wherever you were going.”

When I asked why she wanted to go somewhere far away from the group, she replied that she had simply been following me.

The distance from the group reduced the chances of others hearing our conversation, but…

Do we really need to keep going?

We stopped, stared at each other blankly for a moment, and then silently agreed to turn back and retrace our steps.

We had been walking along the shoreline, and thanks to catching the misunderstanding early, it didn’t take long to return to the group.

The group hadn’t waited for us and was already enjoying themselves in swimsuits, having dipped into the water, assuming that Han Ye-seul and I would soon return and join in.

Or maybe, having been ignored when we didn’t announce our arrival at the beach, the group didn’t particularly care if we returned or not.

“Erica, why don’t you join them and have some fun? I could lend you my swimsuit.”

“They’d probably be different sizes, right?”

We sat on a stone staircase that allowed us to look down on the group’s play.

Kim Ha-neul, who felt some modesty about completely exposing her body, was wearing a black rash guard swimwear. Rao Ha, whose appearance was indistinguishable between clothes and golden cloth, and Kim Da-seul, who wore a striped swimsuit with a waterproof camera around her neck, all displayed their unique styles. Additionally, Yoo In-na, constantly looking around for someone, was dressed in an attention-drawing outfit that felt somewhat awkward to keep staring at.

Watching the distinctive play of our eclectic group for a few minutes, Han Ye-seul quietly asked:

“Are you really not going to join in?”

“I just don’t want to get wet. If I really wanted to play, I’d go buy a swimsuit from one of the nearby shops. This has nothing to do with you, so don’t worry about it.”

The sea breeze tickled through my hair and then disappeared. They say sea breezes carry a salty tang, but I didn’t sense any brininess in this case. Maybe it’s because I kept some distance from the water. Perhaps the newly acquired sensitivity of my body is dulled.

Having no experience of visiting the beach in this world, I have no way of comparing how different they might be from the previous one.

“You know what? You’re giving off too many signals of disinterest.”

“Suddenly using polite language and criticism together?”

I wasn’t expecting gratitude for being here in the first place, but I also didn’t anticipate criticism.

Han Ye-seul took a quick look around after removing her hood, revealing white earphones in her ears.

So, she was listening to music while conversing with me? Since I never felt her multitasking as unpleasant, I wasn’t annoyed.

“You seem to be strangely considerate towards people who don’t even want to go into the water, right?”

“Why are you suddenly formal and distant?”

It’s not like I’m insisting on using informal language. If she uses polite language, I’ll do the same; if she uses informal language, I’ll match that too.

Since the moment I acquired this body, I stopped expecting politeness, though this body was originally meant to receive respect from students.

Thinking about it this way, it feels like I’ve become someone deserving respect, and it boosts my mood. Originally, I wasn’t extraordinary, but now, I am.

“Well, isn’t it strange to be formal with someone who holds a strange misunderstanding yet insists they’re correct? Would you like to try listening to something?”

She pulled out one of her white earphones and handed it to me. Checking for any dirt or residue, it was clean.

With my new body, I noticed this morning that my hair wasn’t oily, and no sweat marked my face. Maybe this body receives some sort of beauty benefit from its supernatural protection, or it’s common for heroines in this world to receive similar enhancements.

Heroines maintain their neat appearance either through the favor of the world or due to possessing supernatural powers. Since most heroines have such powers, the reasons may overlap.

After confirming the earphone’s cleanliness, I plugged it into my ear without hesitation. I was curious about the music she was listening to, but instead…

All I heard was a repeated voice saying “Ignore me. Don’t see me. Don’t acknowledge me.” It sounded like something that could make people think Han Ye-seul was insane if they overheard.

But this voice reminded me of something I witnessed on the day I first arrived at the school—a voice that made things happen as if by mere command, similar to a supernatural power.

If such a command was applied to a recorded audio, then it explains why others avoid approaching Han Ye-seul and remain unaware of her identity despite her fame nationwide.

“Then how did we recognize you?”

However, that raised another question.

Even though Han Ye-seul initiated contact with us without removing her hood, we immediately identified her as Han Ye-seul.

If the audio had a coercive effect, we should have remained unaware of her identity.

Through the system, I see the names and powers of people hovering above their heads, but the others should have been unaware. However, they weren’t, implying that others also recognized her.

“Well, because I wanted you to recognize me. Although, even if I hadn’t desired that, Kim Ha-neul’s power might have let him identify me anyway.”

Indeed, it seems she intentionally kept us within her power and revealed her presence. Considering Inna’s abilities, the more I think about it, the more I admire the skill with which they control their powers.

Some require a threat to fight, which is a passive type of extreme ability. Others freely adapt their powers, pushing the limits of strength. Comparatively, my power feels like garbage.

Or perhaps, I’m simply not fully utilizing the true form of my power, and there’s room for application as others do.

“Didn’t Kim Ha-neul have a power that made some kind of glowing effect?”

Radiance.

Frankly, while I imagine it as something sparkling from his hands or eyes, it seems unlikely the protagonist’s power would be so simple.

I’ve never directly witnessed his ability, so that’s all I know.

If I never see his power and leave this world or if his ability is used in support of our side, it would be great. But an inexplicable intuition tells me otherwise:

—I will only see Kim Ha-neul’s power when we become enemies. While I don’t often trust my intuition since it’s rarely accurate, it’s just a feeling, nothing more.

The terrorist attack that will happen during the school trip will presumably require him to use his power for us, so my intuition is probably wrong.

Anyway, in this peaceful world where using superpowers to k*ll is banned, Kim Ha-neul using his power doesn’t seem like a threat to my life.

“I can’t say much about his power since discussing it would be impolite, but I’ll give you a hint: He can execute all his movements with a power akin to superhuman abilities.”

Does that mean physical enhancement? But what does “close movements” mean? It’s impolite to question further.

I know Kim Ha-neul is academically excellent and possesses strong physical abilities far above other supernaturals, as showcased during gym class.

Everything about him seems impressive compared to others—he considers himself ordinary, but to everyone else, he’s practically a protagonist from a romantic visual novel.

Yet, from the hint given, it seems his abilities aren’t entirely due to that. Perhaps it’s because of the subtle influence of his supernatural power, but if I were speculating while supporting my chin as she observed, she seemed to shift the topic with a sudden “Oops.”

“In any case, it’s because of the water damage to my earphones. That’s the only reason I didn’t get in. And, the reason I’m not joining them… you know, you have a particularly doting childhood friend who looks ready to k*ll me just for being near you.”

Upon hearing her words, I turned my head to see Yoo In-na, who had finally located me, glaring fiercely at us.

I waved at her, and with a slightly stiff face, she returned the wave, appearing dissatisfied with the current situation.

Why is she upset?

Han Ye-seul’s explanation doesn’t feel completely accurate.

There’s no reason for her to be mad just because we came here and stayed away chatting. Maybe she just happened to see us coincidentally while being discontent with something else.

As for what that something else is, I have no clue.

“Alright. To be honest, I’m not a fan of wearing swimsuits anyway.”

Anyway, while waiting for my answer, her persistent gaze made me repeat the same reply. After that, she no longer urged me to join the others.

Under the scorching summer sun, we quietly watched our group enjoying themselves.

“…!”

…Although, Yoo In-na, seemingly dissatisfied with “that,” yelled something from a distance.