episode_0006

A brisk wind passes between Dakota and me.

Dakota narrows her deep purple eyes, without double eyelids, and looks at me with her arms crossed.

“We need to conduct a witness interview before the disciplinary committee. I would like your cooperation.”

A witness interview.

She is treating me as a witness. Perhaps it is a natural thing, and she seems to be dedicated only to what she needs to do.

For some reason, every little action of hers caught my attention, maybe because of the unnecessary information I received from Lager.

For example, the fact that she has been tapping her arm with her fingers since earlier. Or the fact that she keeps biting her lip, which lacks lipstick.

She seemed somewhat anxious for some reason.

“After work, around 4 o’clock, how about meeting at the café?”

“After work?”

I was momentarily confused by the sudden military term that popped up. After work and café. How should I interpret these two words that do not seem to fit together at all?

And the café is not just any café, where exactly are we supposed to meet?

Looking puzzled, I did not readily respond, and Dakota looked at me with confusion.

“Do you not know that there is a café within the academy?”

“I might not… And there are cafés outside as well.”

“I don’t want to use an exit permit for a simple witness interview.”

Feeling like I was being subtly interrogated for no reason, a voice that sounded defensive came out of me.

I did nothing wrong, but I felt like I was being questioned for no reason, making me feel as if I had reenlisted in the military.

Dakota cleared her throat once and glanced behind me.

Lager, who had gone ahead, was coming back this way.

“Anyway, let’s settle on that time.”

Dakota left those words and turned around.

Lager, who arrived late, stared at Dakota as she walked away for a while, then glanced at me and asked.

“What was that about? What happened?”

“It’s just… I have to be investigated because of the disciplinary committee.”

“Calling you in for unnecessary talk.”

“Well, it didn’t feel like that.”

“Hmm.”

Lager closed his mouth with a dissatisfied look and shook his head.

“No, I have a bad feeling about this.”

He is always worried about trivial matters.

Although I muttered that in my mind.

Afternoon classes, or as Dakota put it, ‘work,’ ended, and we met at the café inside the academy at 4 o’clock.

Without ordering a drink, Dakota sat down and asked abruptly.

“Chloe, what exactly is your relationship with Godin? Are you in a romantic relationship?”

“No, what…?”

“I’m asking if you’re dating.”

I had overlooked one fact.

The Godin, disguised as a young man, was actually a woman until yesterday.

Lager’s concern was not just baseless impatience.

Women’s intuition.

I don’t know what kind of vibe she picked up on, but Lager sensed the emotion of ‘jealousy’ like a ghost.

A few strands of her neatly tied lavender hair fell on her cheek. She excused herself, saying, “Excuse me for a moment,” and casually untied the rubber band from her mouth, starting to twist her hair up.

The clear white neck and the few remaining lavender strands of hair underneath were incredibly enchanting.

Beautiful.

The allure of her neat and tidy appearance, combined with the unintentional charm she exuded, was enough to make all men’s hearts flutter.

This should be enough to be called the ‘main heroine.’

“Seeing you stay silent makes me wonder if it’s true.”

I missed the timing to respond due to being captivated by her doll-like beauty. I vigorously shook my head in denial.

“No, no! What are you talking about!”

“If that’s not the case, then why did he visit your room?”

“Well, the situation was a bit…”

“Breaking down the door and entering seems like it was quite an urgent situation, and in such a situation, the first person that comes to mind is Godeun, isn’t it?”

Dakota’s gaze as she pulled her chair closer was fierce, like a predator chasing its prey.

I don’t know why I have to take on the role of prey, but I definitely need to defend myself.

“It seemed like an interrogation, but the atmosphere was almost like an inquisition.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. It’s just a process to better understand the situation at that time.”

I wonder if she’s being reasonable. Dakota’s attitude of pulling the chair closer once again as if tightening the net was quite burdensome and didn’t sit well with me.

I don’t know why I’m even associating with her in the first place, but in a world where monsters could pop out anytime, I didn’t want to be on bad terms with people either.

I wanted to smoothly navigate the situation as much as possible.

But then, a muscular man with an apron tied around his waist walked towards us with big strides and spoke in a deep voice.

“Hey, students.”

I looked up at the unfamiliar man with a puzzled expression.

“It seems like you’re freshmen, and the rule here is one order per person.”

“Ah…yes.”

“It’s a popular place, so to speak.”

…He’s the cafe owner. I didn’t realize it because of his unmistakable PT trainer appearance.

Dakota stood up from her chair and politely bowed her head.

“I apologize. We unintentionally caused a disturbance.”

“If you each order a drink now, you can safely leave the shop.”

“Then I’ll have a warm Americano. …And what would Chloe like to have? I’ll pay since I invited her.”

Of course, you should pay. I carefully examined the cute menu presented by the middle-aged man.

“Please give me the largest size of the strawberry yogurt smoothie. Add whipped cream and two extra cookies.”

I ordered the most expensive item on the menu.

“Okay. Once you order, there’s no turning back, so don’t regret it.”

The owner happily took the order for the most expensive item and placed the vibrating bell on the table before energetically moving towards the kitchen.

Seeing her eyebrows furrow and her lips purse slightly, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction and smiled subtly.

“I chose what I wanted to eat because you said you’d pay. Was it too expensive?”

“No, not really.”

She made a face as if she had just eaten a bitter pill and sighed lightly before sitting down.

“This is the least popular item here.”

“…Really?”

“The whipped cream isn’t well managed. The cookies are not homemade but store-bought.”

“Oh, I see…”

“By the way, the strawberries are frozen.”

“Oh, why are you telling me this now!”

Facing my unjust expression, she shrugged her shoulders and avoided my gaze.

“You seemed to want to eat it. And since it’s a bad experience, it’s better to use someone else’s money. I just left it there.”

…I was the one who had the bitter experience.

Shortly after, when the vibrating bell rang, she quickly grabbed it and stood up.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

I felt a bit melancholic thinking that I would soon receive the expensive store-bought item.

Nevertheless, despite her intense jealousy, she was quite polite. As a character who loves lagers in the novel’s setting, it could have been a slightly uncomfortable situation for her, but her steadfast adherence to etiquette was quite impressive.

Perhaps she was the type whose words could be persuasive.

So, what should I do now?

As I pondered, a certain assumption crossed my mind. To confirm that assumption, I quickly opened my phone.

I nodded, thinking it was fine.

And right on cue, she clacked over, the sound of her low-heeled shoes echoing, carrying two drinks.

“Here. It’s the most expensive strawberry yogurt smoothie in this shop.”

“Thank you.”

“The largest size. With whipped cream and two cookies. They made sure to include everything you ordered.”

“I’m truly sorry.”

As Dakota had said, the whipped cream had already started to lose its shape. The cookies were soggy.

I had a feeling that her lie about ordering something expensive was a form of payback.

I took a sip of the drink, then stirred the whipped cream into it.

Luckily, the taste of the drink itself was quite good for frozen strawberries. Whether they were fresh or frozen, it didn’t really matter for a smoothie.

“Shall we continue the conversation we were having earlier?”

Dakota, slowly sipping her americano from a mug, raised her sharp eyes and switched back to a serious tone.

But I had already prepared a plan while you were away.

“Dakota, I know it might sound like an excuse.”

“It’s okay to speak informally.”

“No, I feel uncomfortable with that.”

“Then, please continue. …Anyway.”

While it might be fine to use informal language when we’re the same age, it didn’t sit right with me to ignore her use of honorifics and switch to informal language.

I took another sip of my drink, then, twirling the straw, I hesitantly spoke.

“Lager and I are childhood friends.”

“Childhood friends?”

“We’ve known each other for quite a while, growing up in the same neighborhood.”

“That must be special.”

As Dakota set down the mug and fiddled with the handle, I felt a slight tension in her gesture.

It’s going according to plan.

Here, I choose my path.

“So, besides Lager, I don’t have any other friends!”

A coming-out of a loner.

For a moment, her pupils flickered faintly. Her tightly closed lips seemed to silently ask, ‘What are you trying to say?’

“Is that true?”

As I confidently declared ‘I have few friends’ and handed her my phone with the contacts screen already displayed, Dakota took the phone, looking at the contacts and call history with a skeptical gaze.

I had checked it in advance.

I was worried that there might be other people’s contacts or call history, but surprisingly, besides Lager’s number, there was nothing saved on the phone.

I felt a twinge of guilt thinking about Lena, the black-haired girl recovering in some clinic after having her ankle cut off.

But perhaps there was a reason why her number wasn’t in the phone.

Anyway.

Let’s get through this crisis now.

“Really.”

Seeing a hint of suspicion in Dakota’s eyes as she handed back the phone, I silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, the next part is easy.

“Yes. In fact, since we’re in this situation, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Ask me?”

Dakota blinked her deep, dark eyelashes and tilted her head with a curious expression.

Surely, it will be an appealing offer to her.

She might not like it, though.

“Please become special to Lager.”