Chapter 7: Doki Doki literary club

“Hey, Class President!”

Hearing a voice calling out to me as I was leaving school, I turned towards the field.

Choi Hyeong-gon, one of the three capture targets, was standing on the basketball court, bathed in the evening sun, waving at me with a bright smile.

He held a basketball in his other hand, suggesting he had been playing with friends.

Seon-a, who was walking home with me, looked wary of his sudden appearance.

Her eyes narrowed like a cat’s, and she took a step back.

It didn’t seem like love at all. I’d had my suspicions, but it seemed Seon-a really wasn’t in love with him.

Rather, she seemed to openly dislike him.

“Why did you call me?”

“Huh? I just called you because you’re the class president? I’m the vice president. Oh, wanna play basketball?”

I hadn’t mentioned it yet, but this guy had won the vice president election, which took place right after the class president election.

He nominated me for class president, then ran for vice president himself? He was hard to read.

Did he really call me over for such a trivial reason when we weren’t even close? Then again, in the game, he was the one who approached the protagonist first, expressing interest.

Perhaps the game and reality weren’t so different after all. But even so, inviting a girl to play basketball… how clueless could he be?

I glanced at the boys playing basketball behind him.

As expected, they all looked awkward, unable to hide their embarrassment at seeing me. It was a bit strange for me, biologically female, to join a group of boys.

“Sia, let’s just go.”

“Well… it’s fine for a bit. Give me the ball.”

“Here.”

Seon-a tried to dissuade me, but I accepted the basketball he offered.

I couldn’t refuse the vice president’s invitation.

It would be easier to have at least a casual acquaintance with him.

Things wouldn’t work if we were too awkward around each other.

Of course, I had no intention of actually participating in this sweaty boys’ game with this body.

I would just play along for a short while, literally.

It felt wrong to outright refuse his request, and more than anything, I wanted to step onto the court again after so long.

I bounced the ball a few times and stood near the three-point line, then assumed a shooting stance, relying on hazy memories.

Left hand is just for guidance.

It had been a while since I played basketball, but I still remembered the basic shooting technique.

Recalling a famous line from a manga, I flicked my wrist, extending my bent elbow and releasing the ball.

The basketball flew in a clean arc, hitting the center of the hoop before dropping through the net.

“Whoa…”

Choi Hyeong-gon and the other boys looked stunned, as if they hadn’t expected me to make a three-pointer without any practice.

“Let’s go, Seon-a.”

“Oh… okay.”

I’d received a text from my sister saying she’d be home early today because her student council work finished quickly.

I didn’t want to waste any more time with them. I quickly left the court, taking the equally stunned Seon-a with me.

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped my lips, turning into a puff of hot air.

Warm water cascaded down my bare skin.

I stood there for a moment, enjoying the languid feeling that enveloped me, then snapped out of it and turned off the shower.

Perhaps because I was a girl now, I felt grimy whenever I came home from outside.

So I usually showered twice a day. Though I didn’t wash my hair during my night showers.

The steam-covered mirror offered a hazy reflection of my naked body.

My slightly protruding breasts, the curve of my waist below, and my flat lower body. My gaze lingered there for a moment.

A bittersweet feeling washed over me as I thought about what was now gone.

I thought I had forgotten all about my male self, but perhaps not.

I rubbed my head vigorously with a dry towel, as if trying to erase the lingering vestiges of the past that kept surfacing like clouds.

After drying myself and changing into comfortable clothes, I left the room. My sister was in the living room, watching a boring variety show on the sofa.

She was munching on something, her small mouth moving busily.

I crept up behind her and saw she was eating yellow pudding.

Seeing her in the cat pajamas I had bought her, eating pudding, she looked so childlike that I chuckled.

“Are you done with your shower?”

“Yes. Can I have a bite?”

“Here.”

“Ha!”

I opened my mouth wide next to her face, and something soft and squishy entered my mouth.

The sweet substance melted on my tongue.

It was just cheap convenience store pudding, but it was good enough for my equally cheap taste.

As some wise man once said, all things sweet are truth.

Of course, no one actually said that.

I was only saying these nonsensical things because I had become a girl.

So I couldn’t help letting out a strange moan. I’d never even looked twice at pudding before.

I sat down next to my sister and leaned against her.

The impact of my body against the sofa cushion made her body jolt slightly.

She looked surprised. Her small hand reached out and gently stroked my smooth abdomen.

“Have I been spoiling you too much, making you gain weight…?”

“Gain weight? You’re the one who’s underdeveloped.”

I was meticulous about managing my figure, even if it was out of necessity due to our financial situation.

But that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about.

“How’s student council life these days?”

“Same as always. Why do you ask?”

“Hmm… was my question too broad?”

My hand unconsciously went to the back of my head.

Seeing my sister’s disapproving look, I quickly withdrew it.

“Specifically, how’s the vice president?”

“The vice president? Are you talking about Seong-hyeon?”

“Yes. Kim Seong-hyeon, that senior.”

Kim Seong-hyeon, the second capture target.

With his handsome looks, tall stature, and characteristically cool demeanor, he was known as the “Ice Prince” and was quite popular at school.

Despite his seemingly perfect background, he had a painful past.

This wounded-wolf aspect was what made him especially popular with the girls.

For some reason, my sister was in love with him in the game.

She became the student council vice president just to be near him and ruthlessly eliminated any girls who approached him, through bullying, threats, assault, and other methods.

She stopped short of murder, but her actions sometimes bordered on serious crimes.

She even had secretly taken photos of him, that was how obsessed she was.

An excessively passionate love. No, it couldn’t even be called love.

It was fanaticism.

Naturally, such passionate love only led to a tragic end.

An inevitable conclusion, as predictable as a rerun movie.

Disgusted and terrified by her, he rejected her and chose the protagonist, who comforted him.

Experiencing despair for the first time, my sister ultimately killed herself.

Jumping from the school rooftop.

But that was just the story in the game.

I trusted the sister sitting next to me more than anyone, but I still had to ask.

If things went wrong, it would be too late.

So I asked her directly, looking into her large, black eyes, trying to draw out her true feelings.

She had become too important to me to let her go now.

“Seong-hyeon is a good colleague.

Yes, a good colleague.

He carries out his duties diligently without complaint, and he’s very efficient.

Oh, and I like that he doesn’t flirt with the other girls in the student council.”

“And?”

“And… what? That’s really all.”

But her innocent face showed no strong emotions.

She spoke about him in a casual tone, as if he was nothing more than a colleague.

…Thank goodness. Like Seon-a, she didn’t seem to have any romantic feelings for him.

My concern wasn’t about interfering with her love life because of some overprotective sibling complex.

I just wanted her to avoid a relationship with him.

I sincerely hoped she wouldn’t fall for that kind of guy.

If she was going to fall in love, I wanted her to fall for someone who could cherish and protect her.

I doubted such a man existed, though.

Well, my sister wasn’t like that troublesome character in the game.

It shouldn’t be too difficult for her to find a decent guy.

No one could dislike someone as kind and cute as her.

“Why do you keep asking? Are you perhaps…”

“Huh? No way! I’m just worried that that jerk might steal my sister away!”

“Hmm…”

Still looking suspicious, I slipped my hands under her arms, lifted her up, and placed her on my lap.

“Wait, Sia, I’m almost an adult now…”

“You dare doubt me after I showed such concern? This is your punishment.”

Feigning annoyance, I hugged her tightly like a teddy bear.

She looked troubled at first, then relaxed against my chest.

Warm and soft, she really did feel like a plush toy.

It felt more like a reward than a punishment, but I was happy, so I decided to be content with it.