Chapter 20: The reason it had to be that way(5)

“Hmm, let’s call it a day for now. Do you have any other questions?”

“Huh? Not really… I still don’t really get what we learned today…”

“You can’t expect to be full from just one spoonful. It’s always like that at the beginning, so don’t worry too much. Anyway, I’d like to go over more with you, but I’ve got some things to take care of, so that’s it for today.”

“See you both tomorrow. Da-hyun, try to find time to sit cross-legged at home too.”
“Ugh… at home too? Okay, see you tomorrow, Seonyul.”

After briefly teaching Yoo Da-hyun how to train her energy, Na Seon-yul sent us off, saying she had things to do.

With nothing else to do at school, Da-hyun and I left the Problem-Solving Clubroom and headed home.

“Phew, I don’t think I did much, but I’m still tired… I mean, they told us to feel this ‘energy’ thing, but I don’t feel anything. And sitting in that weird posture the whole time made my legs fall asleep.”

“Still, Seonyul seems to know a lot, so it’s probably a good idea to listen to her. I’d like to help too, but I don’t really know much.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

While chatting with Yoo Da-hyun on the way out of school, I found myself going over what Seonyul had told us.

There had been a lot of surprising things.

I had suspected I wasn’t the only one who could see things, but finding out Seonyul could too, and then hearing about the ‘Association’…

I didn’t expect there to be enough people like me that they’d form an entire organization.

Knowing I wasn’t alone brought a sense of relief—but also a pang of sympathy for others who might have suffered like I had.

As I was deep in thought, we arrived at the bus stop in front of the school.

When we got there, Yoo Da-hyun naturally stopped in front of it.

“See you tomorrow, Dahyun.”

Assuming, as usual, that she would take the bus home, I said goodbye.

Then she turned to me, looking confused.

“Huh…? You’re not taking the bus? But the other day…”

“That was just because I was worried about you. That guy isn’t around anymore. Later.”

“Ah…?!”

With that, I turned around and started walking home.

But then I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

When I looked back, there was Yoo Da-hyun walking beside me.

Surprised, I asked, “What, you’re walking home instead of taking the bus?”

“W-Well, I thought… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to walk home once in a while…”

She looked away and mumbled her excuse, but the blush on her face gave her away.

She was clearly embarrassed.

She must’ve been too shy to admit she didn’t want to go alone.

But still, I didn’t want to push her to say it out loud, so I just nodded and walked home with her.

“Yoo Da-hyun.”

“…Huh? Wh-What is it?”

“We’re at your house.”

“Huh? Already? Oh… right…”

Before I realized it, we were standing in front of her house.

She had been following me so absentmindedly that she almost walked right past it.

Looking a bit flustered, she stared at me for a moment and then said, hesitating,

“I-It was nice walking home together like this. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah. It’s the first time I’ve ever walked home with someone, and it’s not bad.”

She’d been quiet the whole walk, and since I adjusted my pace to match hers, it took a bit longer than usual.

But it was my first time walking home with a classmate, and having someone next to me wasn’t a bad feeling.

I nodded as I said that.

Blushing even more, Yoo Da-hyun clenched her fists and asked, “Really? Then… how about we go to school together tomorrow morning too? We can match our times…”

I guess she still didn’t feel safe going alone.

There was a desperate tone in her voice that said, “Please say yes.”

Well, since she was that earnest, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to help her out a bit more.

So I nodded.

“Sure, I’ll come by your house tomorrow morning.”

“Huh? R-Really?”

Her face lit up as soon as I agreed.

Seeing her that happy made me glad I didn’t turn her down.

“Would 7 o’clock be okay? That should give us enough time, right?”

“Seven? Okay! I’ll have to wake up a little early, but… yeah, see you then!”

“Alright, see you tomorrow morning.”

And with that, I made plans to walk to school with Yoo Da-hyun and went home, studied a bit, and went to sleep.

***

The next morning, I left the house a bit later than usual to match our agreed time and headed to her place.

Even though I got there at 6:55, five minutes early, Yoo Da-hyun was already standing in front of her house.

“Ah, hi! Good morning!”

“Yeah, morning.”

Yawn~ “Huh?!”

“Tired? Did I set the time too early?”

“N-No! It’s not that… I just didn’t sleep that well last night… and I got up early to get ready…”

After an awkward yawn, she seemed a bit embarrassed, but we exchanged morning greetings.

Just as we were about to start heading to school, Yoo Da-hyun called out to me.

“Uh, hey… today, do I…”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Uh…! N-Nothing! It’s nothing, forget it! Haha…”

Even though she was the one who called out to me, she quickly shook her head as if nothing was wrong.

But her eyes seemed to linger on me with a trace of longing.

Was there something she wanted to hear from me?

I’d hardly ever talked to other kids my age, so I wasn’t sure what to do in a situation like this.

Then I remembered something I’d heard before.

My mom once told me that girls usually like being told they’re pretty.

Recalling that, I said something to her, even if it was a bit out of the blue.

“By the way, you look pretty today.”

And just like that, Yoo Da-hyun’s eyes went wide.

“Ah…?! R-Really? I did spend a bit more time than usual getting ready today, but you noticed? Ehehe, I’m glad I put in the effort. Ah! I-It’s not like I dressed up just to show you or anything, I just felt like doing it today…!”

Though I didn’t fully understand, seeing Yoo Da-hyun light up with joy at being told she looked pretty made it clear she was happy.

As expected, Mom’s advice wasn’t wrong.

I was impressed by that thought and went to school with Yoo Da-hyun, feeling a bit more cheerful.

As we walked through the still-chilly early morning air, Yoo Da-hyun, walking beside me with a big smile, murmured: “This is nice… walking to school together like this. Maybe I should stop taking the bus and walk instead?”

“You should. Walking is good for your health on streets like this.”

“Really? Then I’ll just keep walking with you from now on?”

With that, Yoo Da-hyun ran a few steps ahead, turned to look back at me, and smiled as if to signal her determination.

In response, I nodded at her, chuckling at the sense of satisfaction I felt from having changed the mind of someone who had been taking the bus for a mere 30-minute distance.

After we arrived at school, the day passed uneventfully and classes ended.

Thinking she’d need to go to the clubroom again for energy training like yesterday, Yoo Da-hyun quickly went to Na Seon-yul and asked: “Seonyul, should I go to the clubroom again today like yesterday?”

“Ah… I’m really busy today, so I don’t think I can make any time. Sorry, but from today until the weekend, can you train on your own at home? Okay?”

“Mhm, don’t be sorry. Got it, I’ll do that.”

Apparently busy, Na Seon-yul sent her off with that, and left with nothing else to do, Yoo Da-hyun came over to me and said: “Seonyul’s busy today. If you’re going home, want to go together?”

“Sure.”

And so, like yesterday, I ended up walking home with Yoo Da-hyun.

When we were almost at her house, after a walk during which she kept stealing glances at me, she suddenly took a deep breath and asked:

“Um, hey… do you have anything to do today?”

“Something to do? Not really. I was just planning to study at home.”

“Really? T-Then, um…”

She hesitated for a moment, then asked: “C-Could I maybe come to your house?”

I was surprised by her sudden request and asked:

“My house? Why?”

“Oh? Uh, well, um, yeah! For training…! If I stay at home, my mom and dad keep coming into my room and bothering me! So if you’re just going to study at home, I thought maybe I could just quietly sit beside you and train… Would that be okay?”

She stammered her explanation.

So she’s saying her home isn’t the best place for focused training?

After hearing that, I replied:

“Sure, in that case.”

I nodded at Yoo Da-hyun.

She seemed surprised, as if she didn’t expect me to actually agree, and asked: “Ah! R-Really?”

“You said it’s just for training. Then it’s fine.”

Na Seon-yul had said that if Yoo Da-hyun doesn’t quickly learn how to control her energy, she could end up in danger again like last time—so the least I could do was offer her a place to train.

“Ah… Y-Yeah… It’s because of training, after all…”

As I responded with that thought in mind, Yoo Da-hyun averted her gaze and muttered quietly.