Chapter 69: One Thing That Gives Strength

Even as a new semester began, the classroom scene remained unchanged.

Nobody had transferred, and no one was injured. Our homeroom teacher’s exhausted face looked the same as ever. Except for the weather getting hotter, it was just like the first semester.

Still, the students chattered about how they’d changed during the break.

Some had gained weight, others got tanned from wandering around different places.

Their ability to create conversations from such trivial topics was almost impressive.

Even these discussions would run out of steam after a couple of days.

The day after the opening ceremony, silence fell over the classroom once morning classes ended.

The academic track students weren’t talkative by nature. The arts track students had all crashed from post-vacation fatigue.

Someone’s suggestion to get lunch sounded unnecessarily loud. That’s how quiet the classroom had become.

In this peaceful classroom, light, bouncy footsteps suddenly echoed.

A rhythmic walk that suggested good spirits. A soft, humming melody. And the inevitable trail of boys’ gazes following the movement.

I immediately knew who those footsteps belonged to.

Looking up, I saw So-yul walking as expected.

Her expression held a fresh smile. She swung her arms energetically, seemingly full of vitality.

Then she gently opened the back door and slipped out of the classroom with a refreshed look.

With So-yul gone, the classroom returned to its state of half-dead zombies.

Well, there wasn’t much point in staying here anyway. I was getting hungry too, so I might as well go eat.

Without much thought, I grabbed my bag and made my way between the desks.

Just as I stepped outside and closed the back door behind me.

“…Boyfriend.”

An unexpected voice reached my ears.

Turning around, I found So-yul standing there, as one might expect.

She looked at me with a bright smile, as if she’d been certain I would come out.

After checking that no one was around, she whispered faintly.

“Since we both seem to have some time, could we talk alone for a bit?”

“…”

It seemed my girlfriend wanted to chat with me regardless of time or place.

Realizing she felt the same way I did, I couldn’t help but smile.

◎

“What if I hadn’t come out soon? How long were you planning to wait?”

I asked as we reached the staircase below the rooftop, a space relatively free from others’ surveillance.

At my question, So-yul giggled and said:

“They say couples have telepathy, you know. I was sending telepathic waves telling you to come out of the classroom right away. I knew you’d come out soon.”

“…Sorry, but I didn’t receive any telepathic message.”

When I shared this uncomfortable truth, So-yul stuck out her lips proudly.

“My feelings must have reached you, making you unconsciously want to leave the classroom. And even if not, let’s just pretend they did, dummy.”

How right she was.

Well, the idea of couples sharing thoughts was romantic. If her feelings had reached me unconsciously, there were no contradictions. As So-yul suggested, I decided to pretend the telepathy had worked.

“Besides,” she added.

As I was about to laugh it off, So-yul whispered softly:

“Today… I wanted to talk with you, even if just for a moment, no matter what.”

Her voice somehow seemed slightly dejected.

Hearing it made a sharp sensation bloom somewhere near my heart.

I felt the same way about wanting to talk with So-yul.

We’d only just started dating before being separated. Even without that, I always wanted such a pretty girlfriend by my side.

Last night we’d finally seen each other face to face after so long, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I wanted to meet So-yul whenever the opportunity arose.

A relationship where we had to meet secretly to avoid being caught. Yet hearts that wanted to be alone together whenever possible.

In our hearts, now that we were real lovers, the scales kept tipping back and forth endlessly.

But I sensed So-yul’s feelings now meant something slightly different.

I reached out to stroke her hair. Her long amber hair flowed beautifully today as well. So-yul’s shoulders twitched as if it tickled.

“Did something happen?”

When I asked quietly, So-yul nodded slightly and said:

“Just thinking about having to play piano in front of my mother after lunch made me feel a bit down.”

She told me this in a voice that seemed to fade away.

I’ll make So-yul quit piano. Her mother was acting faithfully to this intention.

Whether her performance was excellent or had mistakes, it didn’t matter – she only drove nails into So-yul’s heart. That said it all.

To think this person would accompany So-yul’s lessons and practice for a whole semester. Her intentions were obvious. She would probably use criticism-level language to continuously break So-yul’s will.

So-yul, who had already suffered under her mother at home, could anticipate this more clearly than I could.

That’s why she wanted strength from me, to avoid crumbling under whatever her mother might say.

But there was just one point that puzzled me.

“Didn’t you say yesterday that it didn’t matter what your mother said? That you’d been suffering at home already, and I shouldn’t worry?”

“W-well, yes. But I’ll probably get criticized for a lot of shortcomings, you know. Before it gets too difficult, I thought it would be nice if my boyfriend could give me some strength…”

To me, this sounded like an admission that it was hard to endure.

Perhaps yesterday she’d just been trying to ease my worries, but in truth, So-yul also struggled to bear her mother’s harsh words.

Wrapped in deep concern, I parted my lips.

“Please tell me if it becomes unbearable. I’ll help you somehow.”

If she was asking me to share my strength with her, this was no ordinary situation.

Perhaps she’d had a premonition that from today, she would suffer so terribly that she couldn’t endure without me.

If that was the case, I wanted to help her by any means possible.

This time, I truly wanted to hear So-yul’s honest answer.

With a stern expression, I waited for her response.

After hesitating for a long while, So-yul finally spoke.

“Well, it’s just that…”

“Just what?”

When I echoed her words to prompt her to continue, So-yul bit her lower lip hard and said:

“…Unlike at home, I have a boyfriend at school, so I wanted to try acting a little clingy.”

“…What?”

Caught off guard by this unexpected answer, I was completely dumbfounded.

When I finally regained my senses… my heart was pounding wildly because my girlfriend was just too cute.

Did she not notice my state? So-yul flailed her hands frantically, her cheeks bright red.

“I-I figured you’d do something more actively if I did this. And you’re so cautious, so I thought it might be better if I pulled you forward instead, no, that’s not what I…”

She seemed to have fallen into deep confusion, perhaps finding it too embarrassing to reveal her true feelings.

Though her shy attempts at explanation were incredibly lovable… if this continued, she might become the world’s first person to die from embarrassment.

“I understand what you’re saying. It’s okay.”

“…Uuugh.”

When I offered these brief words to calm her, So-yul let out a trembling sigh.

Her breath that reached me felt as heated as her flushed cheeks.

Smiling lightly at that warmth, I continued:

“But what can I do? I don’t really know how to boost someone else’s spirits…”

Should I hold her hand and cheer her on? Or maybe I should praise her performances that I’d heard so far?

I wasn’t sure how to lend her strength. Even with abundant willingness, not knowing the method made it useless.

So-yul blinked her large eyes at my words, then chuckled as if I was saying something ridiculous.

“Hmm~ I just realized earlier. How I can get strength from you.”

“Earlier?”

“Yes.”

When I asked in confusion, So-yul answered in a spirited voice.

Then, very slowly, gently, just like before, she closed her eyes tightly and said:

“When my boyfriend pats my head… I think it gives me strength.”

“…Pfft.”

“W-what? Why are you laughing?”

So-yul demanded in a sulky tone when I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

So in the end, she just wanted me to pat her head. I couldn’t help thinking she’d taken quite the roundabout way to ask for something so simple.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Really? You’re not laughing because you think I’m silly, right?”

“Of course not. Why would you be silly?”

After reassuring her, I gently placed my hand on So-yul’s head.

“Alright. I’ll give you as much strength as you want.”

I told her this while feeling the soft touch of her hair against my palm.

So-yul raised the corners of her lips and replied in a voice mixed with faint breaths:

“…Thanks.”

She kept her eyes tightly closed as if savoring my touch while giving this response.

That was actually fortunate for me.

I could hardly imagine how ridiculous my face must have looked while gazing at my adorable girlfriend.

After this time of giving strength to my cute and lovable girlfriend passed,

We looked at each other, shared smiles, and went down the stairs together.

And with perfect timing…

“Hey. Why are you two together when you left separately ages ago?”

We were completely caught by our classmates who were leaving the classroom as a group.

…It seemed this semester would be filled with difficult struggles.