Chapter 89: Japanese high school girl reading webnovel

The final bell rang, and the tension of the week-long exams drained away, leaving me feeling weak and exhausted. Outside, the summer sun beat down, but inside, the classroom buzzed with the relieved chatter of students celebrating the end of finals.

This exam had been even more grueling than the midterms. Just one extra subject, yet I felt twice as tired. Perhaps it was the five days of testing, only two subjects per day, dragging out the process.

Japanese exams… they were different from Korean exams… and so much more tiring! I slumped at my desk, my head resting on my hand, and Mizuki, ever energetic, bounced over.

“Rina-tan~! Exams are over! Want to go out and celebrate? We could grab dinner on Shirasaki Street and then hit the karaoke~”

Karaoke… tempting, but I just wanted to sleep. “Ugh, Mizuki… sorry, but I’m completely wiped out. I’m just going to stay home and relax this weekend.” I waved my hands weakly. She pouted, disappointed, but she wasn’t one to force the issue. “Hmm~ you’ll hang out with me next time, then?”

“Definitely. Next time, for sure!” I promised, and as I turned, I saw Aya looking at me, a gentle smile on her face.

“We’ll be busy with closing ceremony preparations next week, so it’s good to rest now.”

“Closing ceremony preparations?”

“Yes, the student council is in charge of a few events. It’ll be busier than you think.”

Ah, right. I remembered a similar scene in the novel. “So this weekend is our only chance to relax…?” I asked, a note of concern in my voice, and Aya nodded, her smile reassuring.

“That’s why you should rest up this weekend.” “I am! I’m going to do absolutely nothing!”

I declared my intention to relax and headed home, my steps lighter than they had been all week, looking forward to a peaceful, uneventful weekend.

****

Saturday morning. I woke up late, the morning sunlight streaming through my window as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. “Mmm…”

I didn’t want to do anything, so I did nothing, lazing in bed, scrolling through social media on my phone, checking for new web novel updates.

One of the perks of being Japanese: I could read Japanese web novels without translations!

And one of the downsides: I could now fully appreciate the… varying quality of Japanese web novels.

“Kyaaa! Grammar errors! Typos! This writing… my eyes…!”

And the Japanese web novel market wasn’t that different from Korea’s. Actually, I sometimes preferred Korean web novels. They updated daily, while Japanese web novels often updated weekly, hiatuses a common occurrence. And the good ones often got published, their web versions taken down.

And just like in Korea, there were plenty of one-hit wonders, authors abandoning their stories after a single volume. And so many isekai stories! ‘Stop quitting the hero’s party! Enough with the villainess stories!’

“Ugh…!” The former Japanese web novel otaku, now reincarnated as a Japanese girl, had nothing to read! My standards had risen since I could now understand the nuances of the language, and I found myself craving… Korean web novels.

“…I can even read Korean now,” I mused, slightly disappointed that my Japanese credit card wouldn’t work on Korean platforms. “Wait a minute…”

I suddenly remembered my cousin. She was half-Korean, and she’d given up her Japanese citizenship when she became an adult, since dual citizenship wasn’t allowed in Japan. So… couldn’t I just borrow her account? I texted her.

Rina: Unni~
Miyu: Yes~! My favorite cousin~!
Rina: Hey, um…
Miyu: Yeah~! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)
Rina: Can I borrow your Korean web novel account?
Miyu: You can read Korean, Rina-chan?
Rina: Uh… well…

I switched my phone’s keyboard to Korean. It felt strange, unfamiliar, my fingers slow and clumsy as I typed, the muscle memory not quite there yet.

Rina: [I learned somehow lol]
Miyu: Whoa… you’re practically a native speaker?!
Miyu: Why didn’t you tell me you could read Korean?! (dies)
Rina: You didn’t tell me your secret either.
Miyu: That’s because it’s a real secret…
Rina: It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.
Rina: So, about the account…?
Miyu: Sure~ I can give you my K-site, N-site, and R-site logins, right?
Rina: Yeah, that’s enough.
Rina: And top it up for me~!
Miyu: Hee hee~! Anything for my favorite cousin~!
Rina: (*´з`)ﾉ⌒☆
Miyu: (≧∇≦)/

My cousin’s quick response and generous offer gave me something to do, a welcome distraction from my boredom. “Ah, this is the life~”

My mother had peeked into my room, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation at seeing me still in bed, but thankfully, with finals over, she hadn’t nagged me.

I was so desperate to escape the stress of exams, of student council duties, of the novel’s convoluted plot, that I’d turned to… Korean web novels? “I’m… a reading addict,” I muttered.

Miyu: Here you go! Have fun reading~!
Rina: Thanks!!

I logged in and searched for some of my favorite novels. For some reason, the Korean web novel world seemed to be… largely unaffected by the changes in my own reality. I easily found the stories I’d been reading in my past life. But… I couldn’t remember where I’d left off, and the algorithm, tailored to my cousin’s preferences, kept recommending stories she’d been reading.

“Hmm…?” One of her recommendations caught my eye: a modern fantasy novel with a female protagonist. For some reason, I couldn’t look away. It was a female protagonist, so it should be a shoujo novel, but… [I Accidentally Debuted as an Idol] I clicked on it, and then… “…Huk.”

Why… was it already nighttime? I’d only read a hundred chapters! This story… what happened to the protagonist?! Same-s*x relationships were normal, weren’t they?! Why was there a “no romance” tag?! I wanted the two main characters, our lovely “Livelyz,” to be together forever! Their relationship was so cute, so pure!

‘…Wait a minute… I’m also a high school girl, like the protagonists in this story…’ I’d momentarily forgotten, but I was Kurosawa Rina. This was… a high school girl getting excited over a story about female idols…

And then I remembered. I’d been so busy lately I’d almost forgotten… I was also in a same-s*x relationship. Why had I been so determined to be the “potted plant” in a yuri story, when I was now… living that story? I closed the app, a strange mix of emotions swirling within me. “Haa…”

The novel, a modern fantasy about a girl who accidentally becomes an idol and falls in love with her fellow group members… it was a new concept, a story that resonated deeply, pulling me in, making me root for the characters and their forbidden love.

‘Am I… really into this kind of thing?’ I was slightly surprised, then realized there was no reason to deny it. The original ‘Kurosawa Rina’ was into this, and so was my past self… I no longer felt any dissonance reading about same-s*x relationships, the concept feeling… natural, even… preferable.

“Hmm…”

I tossed and turned in bed, my stomach rumbling, then heard my mother calling me for dinner.

“Rina, dinner’s ready!”

“Coming~!” I headed out to the dining room, the aroma of tonkatsu filling the air. “Wow! Tonkatsu~?”

“Yes, I made it katsudon style.”

“Thanks, Mom~!”

“You seem happy that exams are over, but… what have you been doing in your room all day?”

“…Reading.”

“Reading what?”

I hesitated. “…Just a novel…”

“Ah, young love… I remember reading similar stories when I first met your father~” she said dreamily, her hand resting on her cheek, as if reliving a cherished memory. It wasn’t quite like that, but… I felt a pang of guilt, then shrugged it off and picked up my fork.

“Itadakimasu~!” I took a bite, the crispy coating and juicy meat a delightful combination. “Mmm, so good~! You’re the best cook, Mom.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Try some, Mom, it’s delicious!” It was a pleasant, comfortable family dinner, a welcome return to normalcy.

‘These moments… they make everything else worthwhile.’

Quiet evenings, enjoying a delicious, home-cooked meal without a care in the world… they were precious. And then, after dinner, back in my room…

‘So, what happens to our Livelyz?!’ I dove back into the novel, curled up on my bed, completely engrossed in the story, until…

“I should probably sleep… and then keep reading…” I’d reached chapter 200, the first rays of dawn peeking through my curtains. It had been a surprisingly enjoyable reading spree.