episode_0056

-Oh, Bianca! Should I take Carlisle?

As she says that, Emily links arms with Carlisle.

As if he was deliberately showing off in front of Vita.

“Uh, yeah… ?”

From Vita’s point of view.

It’s quite unexpected and embarrassing.

So, to be exact.

It felt like my hair had turned completely white for a moment.

‘But why did Emily insist on saying that to me…?’

That must have been Vita’s first thought.

Emily partners with her childhood friend Carlisle.

Well, that could happen.

Yeah, I understand. If you’re childhood friends, you’ve known each other since childhood.

It’s not that strange at all, and it’s not something you should necessarily tell yourself.

When Sasha asked if there was anyone she considered a partner, Emily answered like this.

-I have someone to do it.

‘Yeah, that’s it.’

Now Vita can understand why Emily answered like that. Perhaps it was a prior agreement between her and Carlyle.

‘What the… I. I don’t even know that.’

You can partner with Emily for no reason.

Didn’t you get absurdly excited by those thoughts? If you say you didn’t feel needlessly upset, of course you’d be lying.

But more than that, I feel like I’ve stopped at something more essential.

Vita has no idea. She has no idea at all.

Why do I feel this way, why did Emily bother to tell me that?

What on earth are their intentions? I have no idea.

But my heart sank and I was so shocked and bewildered.

At the same time, I felt like I didn’t know why I was so flustered. So I ended up agreeing with a somewhat exaggerated, cheerful gesture on purpose.

“Ah… well. I don’t know why you’re telling me this, but wouldn’t that be okay?”

Smiling vaguely, tilting her head slightly.

Maybe it’s a bit foolish to make excuses.

“Oh, anyway. I didn’t really plan on partnering with Carlyle!”

Why am I making excuses?

Even though I think that way, for some reason I feel like I need to make this fact clear.

“So… Yeah. What do you think is good!”

“Oh, I see.”

Quite a strange atmosphere.

Carlyle Schultz is silent, and Emily smiles vaguely.

And right now.

Vita deliberately avoided looking at Carlyle.

I felt like I had to do that, some instinctive premonition told me so.

If I look at Carlyle now, I feel like something will come out, like I’ll suddenly react strangely.

Of course, it is quite noisy as it is in the middle of a festival.

But time seemed to have stopped for the three of them.

Even the lively Sasha and Ruma were keeping an eye on them, and soon Sasha awkwardly started to chime in.

“Yeah, yeah! We can do it together!”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Even while answering, Vita bit her lips.

For some reason, I feel a little bit angry.

Perhaps somewhat impulsively, I grabbed the arm of my junior who was standing blankly next to me.

“I’m going to be partners with her anyway! Right, Lou… ?”

“Eek, Huh?!”

Vita glared at Rue for a moment as he tried to refute her.

‘Huh, huh… ‘

Lou Millionaire felt his life was in danger!

A very cold chill. Is this a fight between women?!

Lou had a strong feeling that if he refuted his senior now, things would turn out badly for him, so he eventually gave in.

“Eh…what.”

Vita opened her mouth.

“Shasha, you…?”

“Oh, me? I already got it.”

Fortunately, Sasha already has a partner.

‘What a good thing, isn’t it?’

I deliberately summarized the bitter situation in a somewhat cheerful manner.

“Then everything is decided! Shall we start here? The courage training is coming soon.”

Since he goes ahead first, his expression is not particularly visible.

So Vita thought it was fortunate.

I don’t know why, but I had a hard time controlling my facial expressions. That was really a good thing.

***

So Emily and Carlisle, and Vita and Lou were tied together as partners.

When it comes to courage training, it’s the highlight of the school trip.

Late in the evening, students gathered in front of the inn.

“Everyone gathered without missing anything, right?”

The teachers are in control.

The gym teacher, known for being strict, came up to the stage.

“Okay, then! We’re going to start the courage training that everyone has been waiting for, so please listen carefully to the explanation and pay attention.”

Since this is a courage training exercise that takes place in the forest at night, safety must be taken into consideration. The teacher informed the students of several precautions.

“Before you start the courage training, I will tell you some important precautions. First, never act alone. Always go with a partner and take care of each other. If you see someone strange, contact them immediately.”

And second, never stray from the designated path.

“You must not go off the designated path or run around. Lastly, thirdly. If you are not feeling well or are in poor condition, please tell me in advance. Since courage training is a time to create happy memories, don’t be too scared.”

After that guidance, each person was given a flashlight.

Courage training is a method in which two people work together as partners to overcome challenges.

There happened to be a large mountain behind the inn, and there was a suitable route that had been surveyed in advance. They said that safety personnel were stationed everywhere, so preparations were complete.

“Are you all ready?!”

To the teacher’s question, everyone nodded, some with an expectant expression, others with a frightened expression.

“Okay, then. Training begins now!”

At the teacher’s signal, the students take turns, one by one, holding their flashlights and disappearing into the darkness.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Carlisle and Emily also entered the forest.

It really feels like a mountain.

Although the surroundings are quite dark, the probability of an accident occurring during this type of training is extremely low.

As dangerous as it could be, the academy must have been careful.

Carlyle wasn’t interested in this activity.

Because I have a fearless personality, I feel like it’s trivial.

To begin with, the current situation is quite delicate.

So I just move forward in silence.

“Ahh-”

At that moment, Emily stumbled and Carlisle ended up catching her.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, uh.”

Emily blushed and nodded forcibly.

Thud- thud-

A pounding heart.

A crush you like, and a childhood friend at the same time.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen Carlyle…’

Emily Swan is nice because it’s just the two of us. But at the same time, I feel uneasy-

‘From Carlyle’s point of view…’

Yeah, honestly.

I was greedy. If you think about it from the other person’s perspective, it might seem absurd.

‘Originally, of course, I was going to partner with Bianca.’

Emily knows that.

But he created this situation with his own, perhaps absurd, forced efforts.

-Just look at it once.

It’s so lethal.

She had already told her childhood friend Carlyle that. Carlyle was not as cold-hearted as he looked. Emily had calculated everything up to that point.

And then, after that.

-Should I take Carlyle?

If I said that, I could have predicted how my innocent friend Bianca would react. I could even predict how Carlyle would react in that situation.

To be precise, the situation was created so that Carlyle had no time to react.

The person concerned, Bianca Shamal, has already agreed.

-Oh, well. I don’t know why you’re telling me this, but… wouldn’t that be okay?

And the person herself, Bianca Shamal, has been saying that she will partner with someone else. Emily herself has even crossed her arms.

-Just look at it once.

Even that kind of thing has already been said before.

In that situation, Carlyle suddenly pushed away the arm of his childhood friend, who he had known for a long time, and he was not the type of person to say that he absolutely had to be Bianca’s partner.

In the end, everything went according to Emily’s intentions.

And Emily didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“When I was young… Do you remember? When we first met.”

I’m a little worried about my friend Bianca’s condition. But it’s an opportunity that I’ve worked so hard to create.

“… But when we were young, we were pretty close.”

In a dark forest, relying on the light of the flashlight Carlyle was holding in his hand.

Emily spoke first, staring at his broad back with trembling eyes.

“It was like that, I guess.”

Fortunately, Carlyle Schultz agrees.

“We read storybooks and drew pictures together, right?”

He just nods his head to Emily’s next words.

Actually, from Carlyle’s point of view.

A man who brings a ton of snacks and clothes every month. A girl his age who comes with him.

I couldn’t help but become close with you.

However, Carlyle himself had a clear intention.

As they became independent and left the orphanage quite quickly, and as they lived extremely hectic and busy lives, their relationship gradually became distant.

Carlyle opened his mouth, recalling old memories.

“The playground next to the daycare. I played there a lot.”

“Oh, right. One time I fell really badly… Carlyle, you got scolded by your father instead of me!”

We have shared memories, so naturally there are many old stories to tell.

Because I know. Because I know what the other person is thinking.

I just think there’s a more important story to tell in this situation.

So Carlyle hesitated and finally opened his lips.

***

“Are you okay, senior… ?”

The darkness was thick. Just as I was about to enter the forest.

Lou began to feel genuinely worried about his senior, Vita Shamal.

No, really.

He’s had a blank expression on his face for quite some time now. His fists are clenched as if his thoughts are very complicated.

Huh- Huh-

Luka waved his palm in front of his opponent’s eyes.

“Ah… What is it… ”

“Because I was out of my mind enough to come to my senses only then,” Lou asked, worried.

“Can you do it, really?”

There are several missions.

Walking alone in the forest, trying to identify sounds in a dark mountain clearing…

“Even the things that the teachers hid must be found… ”

Although he really wouldn’t have worried if it was just a little bit more serious, Lu was hesitant because his senior’s condition was so serious that he couldn’t even tease him.

‘Why on earth are you still wearing a yukata?’

In short, it means that you don’t even have the presence of mind to change your clothes for a moment.

At least I was wearing sneakers instead of ‘geta’ or something like wooden clogs.

Vita finally answered the question Luke had asked her a long time ago, whether she could do it.

“… You can, of course.”

Of course, I would have been really scared by the courage training originally.

For some reason, I don’t even think about it now.

Because all your focus is elsewhere.

The more I think about it, the more I just can’t figure it out.

-Should I take Carlyle?

A strange kind of chill that I felt at that moment. A feeling of being angry for a moment.

At the same time, the eyes feel hot and the hair turns white.

I felt like an idiot for reacting while wondering why Emily was saying those things to me.

Why was that so?

‘Why on earth is Emily…’

Why are you saying that to yourself?

And, Carlyle.

Vita had complicated feelings.

Did Carlyle and Emily promise to be partners in advance?

‘… But for something like that.’

‘There was no sign of anything…’

Even if that’s the case.

Just imagining it makes my heart pound. It feels like I’m being pricked by needles.

Somehow, my chest feels stuffy. As time goes on, as time goes on.

Luckily, I brought a water bottle with me and drank the water while taking the vitamin pills. But I wasn’t even aware that I had taken the medicine.

‘When did the two of you become like that…’

Are we that close?

No, it’s not.

The two were originally childhood friends, so of course they would be close. In fact, it would be stranger if they weren’t close.

‘… But still.’

What should I say about this?

Maybe because I’ve had a crush on Emily for quite some time?

Or, what the heck…

The image of Emily linking arms with Carlisle next to her, the two of them looking quite good together, is still in my head.

Ku-kung-

to be honest.

I feel extremely shocked.

At that time, Vita’s head suddenly turned white and she was extremely flustered. And she was clearly more confused than that.

Even now, I can’t get over the strangely shocking feeling I had just now.

A state of deep thought that is so bitter.

[Hey, save me…]

So, quite unexpectedly.

“Heeek-! Senior! Hey, hey… !”

I didn’t even notice the strange shape that suddenly appeared in the grass.

I just stare blankly at the excited Lou, then turn my head away and suddenly come to my senses.

‘…!’

Vita is quite timid.

Anyway, when Bianca Shamal, the popular girl at school, appeared with her eyes wide open, the female student playing the role of the ghost became even more excited.

[Should I tear your mouth open too…?]

Quite a bizarre appearance. Extremely bizarre appearance thanks to special makeup.

The mouth is torn all the way to the ears. And on top of that, it’s the virgin ghost that Vita is most afraid of!

“Ugh… Gyaaak-!”

Now a somewhat natural soprano scream.

“Over there…!”

I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him to go away.

In an instant, Vita’s face turned pale and white.

I was so out of it that what I saw right before my eyes was the ghost of a virgin, which I was most afraid of.

Vita is usually quite timid, and since she felt like she was taken by surprise, she almost lost her mind for a moment.

“Seo, senior-!”

Ta- tadak-

When I came to, Vita was running through the forest.

‘Go away, it’s scary…!’

Beep-!

“Student-!”

A whistle sounds. At the same time, the light of a flashlight shines near him.

“Stop, student-!”

“You shouldn’t run on the mountain-!”

“Gasp… Huh… !”

Suddenly, Vita realized that she was too excited and that she had been out of her mind for a while.

So I was able to realize that I had overreacted.

My head is telling me to stop now. At the same time, I’m really scared. My body, which was already quite athletic, was running at full speed, so I’m in a state of acceleration.

“Ah… !”

Woojikkeun-

Eventually, Vita barely managed to step on a branch and fall sideways. Unfortunately, it was a steep slope, and Vita’s body began to roll down.

“Seo, senior… !”

“Students!”

“Call me, quick-!”

‘Oh, it hurts…’

Roll your body inward and protect your head with your arms.

Vita hoped everything would pass quickly.