episode_0038

“….What is this.”

The first morning of the cultural festival.

As soon as I arrived at school, I received a lot of stares.

Why? That’s what I thought, but the question didn’t last long.

Because Riya showed me the answer to that.

“Why am I… a candidate.”

My name was proudly nominated for the Best Couple award.

With Riya.

As soon as I went to the top and entered the voting site, my and Riya’s names appeared first.

Below that were the names of Asuka and Yuwon.

“I applied.”

When I made a dumb expression while looking at the screen, Riya said softly and held my hand.

There was a bit of regret in his voice…

It was a voice that showed no regret.

“…Why?”

“Well, just..?”

It was just a lame excuse.

But I didn’t bother to question it.

If Riya does what she does, there must be a reason.

‘I don’t really hate it.’

Although I was embarrassed, I definitely didn’t like the idea of being a couple with Riya.

I don’t know how many people would hate it because they got involved with someone they like.

If we were to have a like or dislike about this matter, it would definitely come down to favor or dislike.

It’s just embarrassing.

‘It’s more surprising that Riya applied herself.’

Why did you apply?

“More than that… aren’t you going in? It’s just the beginning.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

After hearing her words, I looked at the clock and saw that there was not much time left until the cultural festival started.

The total time of the cultural festival was 6 hours, and I was in charge of the first 3 hours. After that, I will be with Riya the whole time.

“See you later then. I’m with Asuka.”

“Yes. See you later.”

With those last words, I entered the haunted house.

As I entered with a black cloth covering the entrance, Yuwon and Hoyeon, who had already arrived, caught my eye.

“Did you say hello to your girlfriend?”

“No.”

“If they get to the Best Couple award, they are a couple.”

Honestly, I don’t know how to refute this now.

Even if I tried to refute it, I could see the future of being refuted since there were even candidates for this award.

That’s why I didn’t refute Hoyeon’s words anymore and kept my mouth shut.

“Yuwon, did you say hello to your girlfriend too?”

“Woman, girlfriend…? It’s not like that.”

“They’re up for the Best Couple award.”

“That’s up to Asuka…”

Unlike me, who had become somewhat tolerant after hearing this a lot before, Yuwon, who was completely tolerant, blushed at his words and looked away.

Even in the original work, he had a hard time with issues related to the opposite sex. It’s mugwort veins.

‘It seems like quite a bit of progress has been made recently.’

I never thought Asuka would apply first.

Asuka’s direct attack like this is after she clearly developed a crush on Yuwon in the original work.

I was able to progress a little faster than the original.

“Ha… Real life. I miss Haryeong.”

“You see it in the middle of the cultural festival, right?”

Each student can invite two people to our school’s cultural festival, and of course Hoyeon invited Haryeong.

He’ll probably go see Ha-ryeong once he’s done with his role.

“Seeing things before and after doing them are different.”

When Hoyeon said that and was shaking her head.

One of my classmates who was watching the proceedings from outside shouted to the inside.

“Entering now!”

The haunted house has opened.

#

“It’s finally over!”

Exactly three hours after the haunted house and cultural festival began, we were able to come out of that dark place.

Being in a haunted house was harder than I thought.

There are many gimmicks prepared, but each party lasts only 7 minutes, so you don’t know how many cycles were run.

My arm hurts.

“But the response was good, right?”

“Every time I surprise him, he gets a good reaction.”

And the response from users was quite good.

The surprised reaction every time I moved the gimmick made it quite enjoyable.

In particular, the ankle grab in the middle was a double curse nine times out of ten.

Maybe this is the only time I feel good after being scolded.

“Then now I’m going to see Haryeong!”

After coming out and talking for a while, Hoyeon said that and ran away.

It seems that there is a meeting place that has been discussed in advance.

“Should we go together?”

“Because we are together.”

Yuwon and I moved together.

Since Riya and Asuka went together, we had to go together to find it.

The place where I asked to meet Riya was a bench near the main entrance of the school.

“Sihyeon.”

As I headed towards that direction at a quick pace, Riya waved her hand and welcomed me.

Next to him, Asuka also welcomed Yuwon.

“Good job.”

After saying that, she blushed for a moment and put her hands around my waist and hugged me.

Riya’s head was pressed tightly against my abdomen, as if trying to prevent me from loosening it.

I stiffened for a moment and hugged her in the same way.

And at that sight, other students nearby could be heard whispering.

The content was mostly about the Best Couple Award.

It’s still the same, they say they’re a couple, they say they’re not a couple, etc.

I heard many words, but most of them were already linking me and her as a couple, so I felt embarrassed.

“Ri, Riya. Shall we go now?”

I felt embarrassed to say those words, so I said that to her.

Of course, I didn’t do anything to force Riya away from my arms.

She also hugged it, so she stayed there for a while and then immediately leaned back and raised her head.

“…Yes.”

Likewise, his face was bright red and looked like he was embarrassed.

She looked straight at me without covering her red face and held out her hand to me.

“Let’s go.”

A small white hand reached out to me.

I held his hand.

Her hands and mine held each other normally.

“……”

But as if she wasn’t satisfied with just that, she wiggled the fingers she was holding tightly.

Her and his hands, which were tightly attached, slowly move away and then touch each other.

Riya’s thin fingers slipped between his thick yet long fingers. And soon.

Riya’s fingers seeped through them and made a fist and closed it. They were tied to each other, preventing both of them from escaping.

“…!”

He flinched at the cold, thin sensation that came between his fingers.

A slightly bigger reaction than usual. The face also turned red again.

And she had no intention of letting him go.

“Ri, Riya…?”

“Let’s go like this.”

She was also embarrassed and her heart was shaking, but she said that and started walking forward.

Riya was not one to back down from an action she had already made. She never went back on a decision she had made.

He tried to say something, but couldn’t say anything.

I just followed behind Riya with a red face.

#

It wasn’t the first time Riya and I had intertwined hands, but we’d rarely done it before.

The first and last time we clasped hands was at a movie theater. It was also just the two of us clasping hands over the backs of our hands and no one was watching.

But now the situation was completely different. It was a definite clasping of hands, with palms touching, and there were many people.

I was embarrassed.

Doesn’t it feel like they were lovers?

“How about this…?”

“Uh, huh…?”

I tried to channel the shame elsewhere.

But every time I did that, the heat felt between my palms made me realize her presence.

It wasn’t this hot before, so why is that?

At something thin between these fingers, and at the tip of the little finger that slightly brushes over the back of my hand.

For no reason, my chest tightened and my face turned red.

‘…They seem like lovers.’

Of course, it was a vision that did not know that a hug was more like a lover.

How long has it been since then? I ate quite a few snacks and played a lot of themed games, but there wasn’t anything that stuck in my memory.

Two hours had passed like that.

“Hello! Candidates!”

Students who appeared to be from the broadcasting department came to visit us.

A student from the broadcasting department who came with a microphone and camera greeted us and continued talking.

“To promote voting, we are conducting a brief surprise interview. Do you have time?”

“Yes, yes…”

It was Riya who answered, not me. She answered the question with a slightly trembling voice.

I felt embarrassed.

“How did you first meet?”

It was I who answered this. There is no way I would forget my first meeting with her.

“I first saw it when I was in kindergarten. We have been together ever since then.”

“When you were in kindergarten? So you are childhood friends?”

“…You can say that.”

Where else can you find childhood friends as close and long-lasting as these?

After listening to the story of the broadcasting department student, I felt that I was definitely unique.

“Can I know what you two think of each other?”

What do you think of each other?

The moment I opened my mouth because I was able to answer this without any hesitation.

Riya answered the question before me.

“It is more precious than anyone else. Even more than me. Above all else.”

Riya held her hand a little tighter and opened her mouth.

But still, her voice did not tremble.

He was so firm and showed no hesitation, as if he was saying what was on his mind.

“Likewise, Riya is more important to me than anything else.”

Was he a little excited by Riya’s words?

I blurted out the next words without realizing it.

“…It’s like my heart.”

A dark history arose.