Ch.30Taking Off Your Glasses Doesn’t Exactly Make You a Hottie (5)

I had initially planned to just lightly tap the tire-shaped head a few times and be done with it.

Seeing the uniform and bamboo sword in the closet, I figured that Ban Do-young in the original story must have practiced kendo too.

“Die, Do Ha-min!”

-Thwack!

Of course, it was also a good way to relieve some stress.

“Haa… I must have cracked his head about 50 times now.”

But at some point, when I came to my senses,

I found myself so engrossed that I hadn’t put down the bamboo sword until the inside of my uniform was soaked with sticky sweat.

This enjoyment was definitely coming from Ban Do-young’s body, not me.

In my original world, I knew absolutely nothing about kendo.

“Sniff, sniff. Wow, this Ban Do-young girl’s sweat under her chest smells like lime.”

Since I’d already sweated so much, I decided to take a whiff.

It had a tangy lime scent that made me want to keep my nose close.

“Anyway. She really does have talent for kendo, this one.”

I had somewhat expected it, but this skill was far more overwhelming than the talent for singing or handwriting I’d discovered earlier.

Even though I didn’t know the basic stance or how to begin properly,

Ban Do-young’s body moved with muscle memory, knowing the sensations instinctively.

Just as people don’t consciously think about how many breaths to take per minute,

or where to place their tongue in their mouth,

Ban Do-young’s body naturally extended both arms holding the bamboo sword, centered her weight on her heels, and moved her feet with precision.

“Do Ha-min’s skull!”

-Bang!

“Do Ha-min’s wrists!”

-Thunk!

“Do Ha-min chopped to pieces!”

-Swoosh!

From head to waist,

From large movements to short ones,

A series of concise movements without any excess.

“Perfect!”

Though I was possessing a character in a novel without any status windows,

For a moment, I felt like a game character executing skills.

“Haah, Kamusari!”

“Stop it, you idiot.”

-Bonk

If Dad hadn’t smacked the back of my head,

I probably would have kept going until the evening class students arrived.

.

.

.

“You should have opened the window. Anyone would think this is a sauna.”

“Sorry. I was worried the noise would disturb people outside.”

Dad opened the window to ventilate the stuffy air that had filled the dojo.

I had the window open when I started, but there was no way I could shout “Die, Do Ha-min!” at the top of my lungs with the window open.

“Look at all that sweat. How long have you been at it?”

“Ah… since I got back from school, so about an hour?”

“So you started not long after I left for the shuttle run.”

It had been nearly ten days since I possessed Ban Do-young’s body.

I’d naturally figured out the dojo’s basic operating hours.

I thought it would be good to use the time when no one was at the dojo.

“Since when?”

“Since when what? I told you, about an hour.”

“No, I’m asking when you started practicing kendo again.”

“Huh…? Isn’t it natural for the daughter of a kendo dojo master to practice kendo?”

“…”

With eyes filled with complex emotions,

Dad seemed to feel something was off seeing me in the dojo uniform,

holding a bamboo sword and practicing kendo.

“Why… shouldn’t I practice kendo?”

Could it be that I was once again straying from the original Ban Do-young’s character?

Perhaps I, who knew nothing about kendo, had sword master talent,

while the original Ban Do-young had none?

No, that couldn’t be. That’s impossible.

Even though I’d often played sword-fighting games with sticks as a child like most boys do, I’d never felt any particular talent for it.

The source of the skill I just displayed was undoubtedly

from the talent of Ban Do-young, the original owner of this body.

I could say that with certainty.

“…No, no. I was just surprised because it’s been so long. I don’t remember the last time I saw you, Do-young, wearing a uniform like this.”

Dad lowered his head with a face that was hard to read—whether he was smiling or feeling regretful.

“It’s been so long,” he said. So the original Ban Do-young hadn’t practiced kendo for a while?

“And with such a happy face too. Well, you’ve taken a break, but do you still remember how?”

“Form is temporary, but class is permanent.”

“Should I take that as a yes? Good, that’s fine then.”

I thought he might throw the bamboo sword at me asking what nonsense I was talking,

but Dad just nodded and brushed off my joke as if it didn’t matter.

“Your mom will be happy to hear about this tomorrow. Dad is happy too, of course.”

“Ah, Mom. Tomorrow’s the day she comes back, right?”

It was tomorrow already.

The day Mom would return after going abroad to take care of my younger sister who was studying overseas.

That’s why I’d been cleaning the basement storage all night,

and why I fell asleep in class and got called a “rag girl” by the class president.

In a way,

I might have contributed to spreading the “Ban Do-young is a rag girl” rumor.

That mother of mine, really.

“Since you’re at the dojo after so long, should we order pizza and eat here tonight?”

“Woohoo! If we’re ordering, let’s get that Papa Katsu pizza that’s doing the game collaboration!”

“Alright, got it. That pizza place, right? One otaku pizza for delivery. The address is…”

“Tell them I want the prettiest character, not the one with glasses!”

Because seeing glasses would remind me of that Do Ha-min guy and make my blood boil.

While Dad was ordering the pizza, I went back to practice.

Despite what people might say about me not being an athletic girl, I still had plenty of energy left even after swinging the sword for nearly an hour.

Mentally, I could fight all day, but physically, probably not.

Still, I felt like I could easily hold out until the delivery arrived.

“Practice? Sure, go ahead. We have plenty of time.”

There was still some time before the evening class would start,

and since no one else would be coming to the dojo until then, Dad gave me permission to practice freely.

Though I probably couldn’t shout “Die, Do Ha-min!” anymore.

“Can I turn on the air conditioner while I practice?”

“What air conditioner in March? And you’re alone. Use the fan instead of the air conditioner.”

“Can’t you see I’m sweating under my chest from practicing so hard? Can’t we turn it on just a little?”

“If you’re hot, take off your clothes. You’re practicing alone anyway.”

“Tch.”

He was happy to see me in uniform earlier, but now this.

I wondered if the love for the second child was a bit lacking compared to the youngest who was sent abroad to study kendo.

Still, since he was buying pizza, I had no choice but to comply.

“Wound of the Wind!”

So for about 10 minutes,

following Dad’s advice, I set up a large fan and loosened my uniform top,

hitting the training dummy.

It was quite an unseemly sight, practicing in just a bra while sweating,

but it was better than being hot.

-Creeak

Dad, who had been in the dojo office, came out when he heard someone entering the dojo.

It was still quite some time before the evening class students were supposed to arrive.

“What’s this? Pizza can’t be here this quickly on a Friday.”

“Is it a customer?”

“I’ll go check. You just keep practicing, Do-young.”

“Okay, Avante Stratos!”

At that point, I wasn’t paying any attention to who the unscheduled visitor might be.

I was too busy enjoying Ban Do-young’s athletic abilities, which performed impressive movements just by saying technique names.

“Welcome, how can I help you today?”

“…”

Between the loud footsteps on the blue rubber mats,

the whirring fan circulating air for ventilation,

and the constant tapping of the bamboo sword,

it was nearly impossible to hear anything from outside the dojo when standing in the middle of the practice area.

“Ah, you’re here about using the dojo. Please, have a seat.”

“…”

“Hmm, looks like someone came for a consultation.”

The deep, resonant voice of Dad, who was both the dojo master and the one who gifted Ban Do-young with powerful vocal cords, was still audible.

But the polite and soft voices of visitors without such vocal power couldn’t reach my ears in the dojo.

“Oh, physical strengthening is your goal? That’s perfect! There’s no better exercise than kendo for building strength. Arms, legs—you use everything. It’s also great for improving concentration, which will help with your studies too.”

“Wow, Dad. You’re working really hard.”

I heard that elementary school applications in the apartment complex had increased dramatically,

but I wondered if he needed to be so desperate in his sales pitch.

It was a moment where I could indirectly feel my father’s hard work.

“Classes between 5 and 6 PM…? Oh, this is a problem. We don’t have classes during that time because it’s dinner time at the dojo… Is there any chance you could make it after 6 PM?”

“…”

Unfortunately, it seemed there wasn’t a suitable time slot for the visitor who had just arrived.

Someone who could only attend classes during that awkward time probably had to work late into the night or start work early in the morning.

Perhaps a shift worker who couldn’t easily free up time.

“Hmm, you have to attend night study sessions…. What a diligent student. Wanting to exercise during your brief dinner break because you don’t want to cut into your study time.”

“…”

“…Wow, I was pretty close, even if not exactly right.”

I was slightly off, but it was still hard work either way.

Night study sessions are indeed as grueling as working a double shift.

“Judging by your uniform, you seem to go to the same school as my child. If I told my kid to do that, they’d probably faint in protest, hahaha. My child absolutely dreads studying.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’m sorry, student. We try not to schedule classes during that time slot. Unfortunately, you might be better off looking into other dojos or gyms.”

Despite his enthusiastic sales pitch, Dad couldn’t accommodate the time slot and was gently trying to persuade the student to look elsewhere.

“By the way, student, I don’t recognize your face among the kids living in this neighborhood… Did you move here recently?”

“…What?”

-Clatter!

At that moment, I tossed aside the bamboo sword I had been holding and

opened the office door where Dad and the visitor were.

“Do Ha-min!”

Sure enough, the person who had come to our dojo was none other than

Do Ha-min.

“Why are you here—”

“Oh, hello… HIIIK!”

The moment Do Ha-min saw me, he covered his face with both hands and turned his head away.

“What’s with you! Why are you covering your head like a pheasant when you see me! That doesn’t hide who you are! Your name is written on your uniform nameplate!”

“N-no! That’s not it…!”

“Hey, you idiot! Coming into the office looking like that…!”

“…Oh.”

I had forgotten.

I was practicing with my top off because it was hot.

-Thud

Do Ha-min collapsed on the office floor with a nosebleed.

“Hey, Do Ha-min! This guy fainted with a nosebleed again. Hey, it’s a flesh-colored bra, not no bra!”

“Student, student! Are you okay? Hey!”

“Dad, where are the tissues? By the laptop?”

“I’ll handle it, Ban Do-young, you get out of here, you fool!”

And with that, I was kicked out of the office.