Ch.125Equipment Shutdown (8)

“Ah, so it’s for your friend who couldn’t come because they’re sick. That poor friend. What a shame to come all the way on a school trip only to fall ill.”

“I know. It’s especially sad because Ah-in’s greatest strength is always being energetic and confident.”

Perhaps it was a strange sense of comfort he felt in conversing with someone from his hometown while in a foreign land, overseas across the ocean.

Despite being awkward at talking with strangers, Hamin somehow exchanged a few more words with the girl he had just met there.

“I thought something was odd. It’s still early morning, but instead of visiting cultural sites or photo spots where most people go, you’re just wandering around souvenir shops.”

“Haha… I was worried it might be too late later… I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“What?”

“That friend who’s lying sick in the lodging. Is she your lover?”

“W-well…”

Hamin hesitated to answer.

The fact that he and Doyoung had officially become a couple was something that not only his classmates didn’t know,

but even his closest friends, Sahyang and Hyerang, were unaware of.

In reality, from the other students’ perspective, Hamin was perceived less as Doyoung’s lover

and more as a toy that was fun to keep around and tease.

Even if it were true, should I, a mere plaything, freely spread such information around?

And even if I did, how many people would actually believe it?

‘What? You’re Ban Doyoung’s boyfriend? That’s bullshit. Just because you didn’t burn to death and became some goddess, and Ban Doyoung keeps you around a bit, you don’t know your place, you bastard.’

‘You might as well say the class president is dating Lee Jeongkyu, that would be more believable. You’re talking nonsense.’

He could clearly envision such reactions with just a little thought.

Even if what he said was the truth, if no one believed it,

in the end, Hamin would be the one labeled a liar.

“…”

I should just say we’re friends here.

I need to avoid looking pathetic by going around boasting about being Doyoung’s lover.

Besides, it doesn’t matter how I gloss over it to this girl who isn’t even from our school.

What matters is which answer is easier to give.

The truth or falsehood contained within wasn’t important.

“That person and I are just…”

Just as Hamin was about to speak.

“…mmph.”

-thump

Hamin covered his own mouth.

“No, if even I turn my back on it just because others don’t believe…”

He couldn’t deny that confession himself.

If he did, Doyoung would be the only liar left in this world.

He couldn’t make the person who had accepted such a pitiful confession the most miserable person in the world.

“What’s wrong, shorty oppa? Did a bug fly into your mouth?”

“Yes. I think something like a bug got into my mouth. A very pathetic and useless bug.”

“B-bugs… You must really hate them. You don’t need to say it like that.”

After wiping his mouth that had almost spoken those bug-like words, Hamin turned to the girl and said:

“Yes, she is my lover. Because I like her.”

“Oh… that’s an unexpected answer. I thought someone like shorty oppa would be the type to get embarrassed and deny it.”

The girl spoke with her mouth forming a small, surprised O.

She too seemed not to have expected such an answer from Hamin.

“You must really like that friend a lot, to say it so openly to a complete stranger.”

“I’ve received a lot from her. But compared to that, I think someone like me is terribly inadequate. At first, I was going to say no, but… I couldn’t bring myself to deny my feelings for her, so I answered honestly.”

“Hooo… that’s kind of cool. A girlfriend who gives love generously and a boyfriend who knows his shortcomings but doesn’t run away. That’s pure love, pure love. Clap, clap, clap.”

“Th-thank you…”

The girl gave Hamin the quietest applause in the world, touching only the tips of her fingers together.

Still unaccustomed to such praise, Hamin scratched his head and gave an awkward smile, brushing off the girl’s compliment.

Of course, it didn’t feel bad.

Normally, it would have been a fact too hard to believe, let alone receive proper congratulations for.

“Hahaha… wait.”

In the midst of his embarrassed laughter,

Hamin suddenly raised his head, feeling something off.

“Um… when you said you thought I’d be embarrassed, doesn’t that mean you already knew we were a couple…?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Your forehead turned bright red the moment I asked, so I figured out at least that you liked someone.”

Hamin had taken time to come up with his resolute answer,

but the girl was quicker on the uptake than he thought.

“And more than anything, I already heard it.”

The girl playfully tapped her own cheeks with both hands,

mimicking the habit Hamin often did when shaking off negative thoughts.

“Should I buy her mugwort rice cakes…? No, maybe clothes would be better…? But she doesn’t know what size I am… What kind of boyfriend am I…? I heard you lamenting like that.”

“Ah… ahh…”

“Hehe, you say you like her so much, but it seems you don’t know what your girlfriend would like.”

Hamin covered his eyes with both hands, hiding his reddened forehead.

The forehead that had been exposed as a sign of determination before Doyoung returned to its original state with just one imitation from the girl.

“Oh, your face is red. Is it that embarrassing to have your muttering overheard?”

“No… I’m used to that by now.”

“Huh?”

Taking someone’s words and throwing them back in a mocking, playful voice.

The so-called “mimicking to tease.”

Both then and now, it was something often done to tease children who lacked confidence or were timid,

or who spoke with a naturally nasal voice.

Of course, Hamin was no exception, but

having experienced it so often that he was used to it, he had reached a point where he could brush it off without much concern.

“What’s actually more embarrassing to me is saying I like her but not knowing what gift would make her happy.”

“…”

“I… I’ve really only been receiving from her. Without knowing anything about what she likes.”

More than having his muttering overheard,

more than being teased for his lack of confidence,

what embarrassed Hamin most was the fact that he knew so little about Doyoung.

“That’s a common thing, though. Not knowing what the people around you like.”

“You’re right. Even if I rack my brain now, all I know she likes is zero cola, lime, [Magical Girl Marina★Hwarina], One Piece, going to karaoke, rolled eggs, chocolate-covered bananas…”

“That’s quite a lot.”

Though he knew more than he thought,

it was also clear that this information wasn’t enough to form a clear image of what gift to buy.

“Whew, I can’t listen anymore.”

The girl yawned while listening to Hamin’s words,

then stretched and stood up from her seat.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Did I keep you too long…? You probably just spoke to me in passing.”

“No, well. I was the one who spoke to you first out of curiosity. I should take responsibility for initiating the conversation.”

Despite her young face and cute voice making him think she was younger than him,

once the girl stood up, her height was similar to or slightly taller than Hamin, whose growth plates had just begun to open.

‘She… she’s taller than I thought.’

Of course, only their height was similar;

in terms of leg length, Hamin was far behind.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“G-go? Where?”

“To pick out a gift for shorty oppa’s girlfriend.”

“…Eh?”

“Follow me, I know a few good stores.”

The girl patted Hamin’s shoulder and gestured for him to follow her.

“What are you doing? I said follow me.”

“No, why are you suddenly offering to help choose a gift…”

“Because I’ve taken a liking to shorty oppa. Isn’t that enough?”

The girl strode ahead with her legs, longer than those of Hamin despite their similar height, quickly creating distance between them.

“Hurry up, shorty oppa. I walk fast and get ahead quickly. I’m not the type to look back either. If you just stand there, you might miss a good opportunity like me.”

“W-wait a moment…!”

“With legs like yours, shorty oppa, you might not catch up unless you sprint with all your might! Hehe.”

Hamin bit his lip slightly indignantly and ran toward where the girl had been.

Thanks to kendo lessons with Doyoung, his confidence in his physical abilities had been gradually increasing.

“Here we are.”

“A-already?”

But making his indignation look foolish, Hamin couldn’t catch up to the girl from start to finish.

The girl was leaning against the sign of a store that was about a hundred meters away from where they had first been, timing how long it took Hamin to arrive.

“Huff… huff…”

“120 meters in 14.12 seconds… not bad. About average for a human teenage male runner.”

“Human?”

When Hamin finally arrived, his cheeks were covered in sweat,

but the girl smiled faintly at the panting Hamin, without taking a single deep breath or shedding a drop of sweat.

“Wow… you’re incredibly fast. Are you an athlete or something?”

“Well, more like something I do diligently rather than just a hobby.”

It was true that the girl’s steps were quick,

and that her wide stride allowed her to cover long distances in just a few steps,

but even accounting for that, the agility in the girl’s movements was difficult to explain in words.

“I-I thought my stamina had improved somewhat…”

“Shorty oppa, you shouldn’t say your stamina has improved with just that level.”

“You keep saying shorty, shorty… could you stop that?”

Shorty oppa. Honestly, it wasn’t a very pleasant nickname.

If I’m short, then I’m short, and if I’m an oppa, then I’m an oppa.

But shorty oppa? What kind of bizarre nickname is this?

He thought she was older,

but it was a nickname that made no sense other than implying that his height and build were ridiculously inadequate for what she perceived his age to be.

“How old are you, shorty oppa?”

But the girl paid no mind and stubbornly called Do Hamin by the nickname she had chosen.

“S-seventeen.”

“Hmm, two years older than me. So ‘oppa’ is correct, and since you’re two years older but have a similar or shorter height than me, ‘shorty’ is also correct. Don’t you think?”

“No, I have a proper name. Do Hamin… my name is Do Hamin.”

“Dopamine?”

“No, Do Hamin. ‘Ha’ for summer (夏) and ‘Min’ for sky (旻), so Do Hamin.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Hamin revealed his name to the girl first.

“What about you? What’s your name?”

“My name…? There’s nothing good about knowing it.”

“W-what… I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It’s because I’m involved in rough places that would be difficult for shorty oppa to imagine.”

“…Huh?”

-swish

At that moment, the girl suddenly covered one eye with her hand and struck an incomprehensible pose.

“For now, remember me as the passing Crimson-Eyed Sword Master, the Scarlet Swordmaster.”

“…”

The girl’s age was two years younger than Hamin, fifteen.

She was in the second year of middle school this year.