Ch.88Call Me Brother (5)

I thought it was just a passing shower,

but the clouds lingered around the school longer than expected.

I certainly hadn’t heard anything about rain this morning.

A spring rain at an unexpected time.

Slightly rain-dampened, glossy hair and damp, clinging gym clothes.

A world revealed through the wet shirt.

From the outside, it would have made quite a poetic scene.

It was a bit disappointing that I wasn’t in a position to enjoy that poetry.

“Ah, if only I’d matched my bra and panties today.”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

Normally, on days with PE events,

no matter how late I’d slept in the day before, I would at least match my bra and panty colors.

A minimum preparation for potential events, you could say.

Just in case I ended up trapped with that Do Hamin guy in the gym storage room or some

“room you can’t leave unless you do something.”

But today, I hadn’t managed to do that.

Partly because PE was a last-minute schedule change,

but mainly because thanks to Ban Sol-young, I’d lost the mental space to think about such things.

In this world of <Half of Half Island>, pointing to Ban Sol-young as the cause of any misfortune is generally accurate.

This case is no exception.

‘If the protagonist struggles to unbutton the heroine’s white shirt and skirt, only to reveal a black lace bra and flesh-colored granny panties underneath…’

Ugh.

That’s exactly the kind of dreary service scene that would drive away fans of <Half of Half Island>.

Well, since the other party is Do Hamin, the all-ages protagonist, such things wouldn’t happen anyway.

He’s the type who doesn’t harbor impure thoughts even in the main heroine’s room.

Such a prude wouldn’t try anything even if left alone with a heroine on a rainy Monday morning in a place like this.

That’s why I was comfortably filling my quota of teasing Do Hamin that I hadn’t managed to complete this morning.

“If we try to go through this rain carrying the milk, we’ll get soaked. I guess we’re lucky we’re wearing gym clothes. What should we do? Wait until the rain eases up a bit?”

“Yeah, that seems better. They said first period PE would be self-study anyway. Our PE teacher rarely takes attendance.”

“Oho, Do Hamin. Look at you. Now you even know how to work the system? Weren’t you just last week apologizing to your mom for getting an 89 on the midterm? Have you grown up?”

“Haha… I know. I never thought I’d say something like that either.”

*Tap tap*

“Hey, come sit here. Tell me the story of how you ended up here.”

After dusting off the step with the sleeve of my gym uniform,

I took out a carton of milk from the box and handed it to Hamin as I spoke.

.

.

.

[Me]

[Are they taking attendance for PE?]

[Chicken Coop #1]

[Nope lol]

[Don’t think they even know we’re missing]

[Chicken Coop #2]

[Exams are over so they just told us to take a break and left]

[The class president is just marking down the noisy ones]

[Me]

[OK]

[Rain’s still too heavy]

[Will come in when it lightens up]

[Chicken Coop #1]

[K]

“The teacher handed authority to the class president and left right away. Maybe because the hockey club competition is coming up. Doesn’t care about non-hockey club students. Good for us though, means we can legally skip.”

“It’s not exactly legal… is it?”

“It’s legal if you don’t get caught.”

*Gulp*

*Glug*

After confirming there wouldn’t be attendance issues,

Hamin and I squatted on the first-floor stairs, moistening our throats with our share of milk,

waiting for the rain to lighten up a bit.

Partly because we were thirsty,

but also because if we could reduce the 20-pack box by even two cartons,

it might be slightly easier to carry.

Besides, since they weren’t taking attendance for first period anyway,

we could just chat a bit before going in and no one would say anything.

“Hmm, I was wondering why I haven’t seen that bastard Lee Jeong-gyu around school lately. So he’s really not coming.”

I definitely hadn’t seen Jeong-gyu’s face recently.

Not just that we hadn’t crossed paths in the classroom, but I genuinely hadn’t seen him around school at all.

It’s typical in school stories for characters to only appear when needed for specific episodes, fading into the background otherwise, as if questioning whether they even exist.

But that’s only from the readers’ perspective.

It doesn’t apply to the people actually living in that world.

“He’s always dozing off during morning classes, so I thought he was just coming in for attendance and then sneaking out around lunchtime. That’s why I couldn’t see his face.”

“He must have some circumstances.”

“What man doesn’t have ‘circumstances’?”

“…Anyway, Ms. Miso couldn’t tell us because he asked her not to explain his reasons.”

“That’s ridiculous. Are his circumstances the only ones that matter? You and I still haven’t received an apology for what he said about us on the first day. And now he’s skipping school without even explaining why? We, of all people, deserve to know what’s going on with that jerk! Both of them are just the same!”

I was already in a bad mood because of Ban Sol-young.

Thinking about Lee Jeong-gyu’s shamelessness made my blood boil even more.

“C-calm down… You hardly ever get this genuinely angry.”

“Sigh… So that’s why you volunteered to be the class monitor?”

“…”

*Gulp*

Instead of answering, Hamin nodded slightly while avoiding my gaze as he drank his milk.

“I’m guessing the competition was pretty fierce…?”

“A-aren’t you being too self-conscious?”

“Just say no if it’s not true. I’ll feel embarrassed enough on my own.”

“…It was fierce.”

“Heheh, see! When the opportunity to be class monitor with Ban Do-young—which would never normally come your way—went up for auction, how could you not bid?”

“…”

“So the fact that you’re here means you won that competition… or should I call it an auction? Whatever.”

“Ugh… Maybe I shouldn’t have done it. I bet you’re making a really smug face right now.”

*Gulp*

“So how did you get it? My partner position. Tell me. In the end, Ms. Miso decides the new monitors.”

I was genuinely curious.

Since I wasn’t there, I couldn’t know exactly what happened,

but surely most of the boys must have raised their hands, loudly insisting they should be the monitor.

Especially someone like Hamin who struggles to speak up

would likely have missed his chance to make his case in that heated atmosphere.

How did he convince Ms. Miso that he was the most suitable person

for the position of Ban Do-young’s partner?

“I told Ms. Miso directly about skipping evening study hall to eat with you last week.”

“Y-you confessed that voluntarily? You, Hamin? Well, we would have been caught soon anyway.”

“…So Ms. Miso gave me the punishment of being class monitor with you, Ban Do-young, for a week. That’s how I got the position. Also because you helped me before when I was monitor.”

“Hooh… Not bad. Willing to take demerits or punishment just to get the monitor position.”

“Haha, but this might make me no different from other delinquent students…”

“There is one difference. You’re short and ugly.”

“…”

“Ahaha, look at your face! If you’re upset, drink more milk and grow taller!”

I handed Hamin a second carton of milk from the box after he finished his first one.

“N-no thanks. I already have mine here. Even if someone doesn’t claim their milk by the end of class, it doesn’t feel right to drink someone else’s first…”

“Really? Then I’ll drink it. Between that guy at home and that Jeong-gyu bastard, there are too many people making me thirsty today.”

“Y-you can’t do that! Ban Do-young, you already had one earlier!”

*Swipe!*

Hamin quickly snatched the milk box and the second carton from beside me like a squirrel.

Back at the entrance ceremony, he couldn’t even properly retrieve his [Mari★huana] from my hand.

His reflexes had improved considerably since then.

“What’s the big deal? I brought them, so I can’t have another? They’re all mine since I brought them.”

“Th-that logic is pretty dangerous…”

“It’s fine, Jeong-gyu isn’t coming anyway. If we’re talking about his milk, no one’s going to miss one carton.”

“Ah, I guess that’s true…”

“So hand it over quickly. The school store is closed for renovations today. There won’t be anything to drink until the yogurt lady comes at lunchtime. Come on, give me Jeong-gyu’s milk.”

“Alright, fine… Here.”

Hamin was about to hand me back the milk he had taken from me.

“…”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and give me ‘Jeong-gyu’s milk.'”

“…I can’t.”

“…Huh?”

But just before the slightly damp bottom of the milk carton touched my hand,

“Aaaah!”

“H-hey!”

*Whoosh!*

He jerked away from my hand and threw Jeong-gyu’s milk out the rainy window.

Naturally, the milk flew in a perfect arc before landing in the drain by the water fountain, bursting with a splash.

“Hey, what a waste! Why are you throwing food away?”

“I-I just can’t…! I don’t think I should give you that milk, no matter what…!”

“What do you mean you can’t? Jeong-gyu that bastard isn’t coming to school. There’s no problem! It’s obvious no one’s going to drink it by the end of the day anyway!”

“Anyway, absolutely not! I absolutely refuse!”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Go out and drink rainwater or something? At least give me yours! Hand over ‘Hamin’s milk’!”

“Th-that’s not possible right now either!”

It took me quite a while to understand the meaning of the milk he was talking about.

‘Hehehe. Ah, this nerdy bastard, seriously.’

Actually, I figured it out after three seconds.

I was just teasing him because his flustered refusals were amusing.

.

.

.

“Heheh.”

“…Don’t laugh.”

“Sorry, but come on. That milk wouldn’t actually be that milk.”

“I know that too, so stop laughing. I just didn’t like it.”

“Well, it’s good I didn’t drink either Jeong-gyu’s milk or Hamin’s milk.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If I drank those, I’d have to produce ‘Ban Do-young’s milk’ too.”

“…I shouldn’t have come here.”