episode_0168

.

Should I apologize to Yozora first?

No. Even if I were to apologize, what exactly would I say?

“Sorry my body is too sexy?”

“Sorry my body fits your tastes too well?”

Doesn’t that sound a bit off?

…Maybe it’s because I got called an idiot by her yesterday, but this feels even more perverted.

Then maybe it’s better to just act like nothing happened and treat her as usual.

Even if it might feel like deception,

as long as I don’t show it, it’ll be fine.

Lost in thought, I suddenly stop walking.

When I snap back to reality, I’m standing in front of a crowded crosswalk in the morning.

I don’t want to get caught in that suffocating crowd.

So I take a step back. Then another. Quietly creating distance, I let out a tense sigh.

As always, if I wait until the light changes, Yozora should show up.

Then I’ll just greet her like usual.

Praying that she won’t bring up last night, I’ll just casually mention that we had sex like she wanted.

Yozora will probably be thrilled that it’s finally her turn,

and she’ll start chattering away like she always does.

“…”

The light turns green.

Yozora doesn’t appear.

The light turns red again.

The stench of exhaust fumes overwhelms my senses.

As time passes, the crosswalk fills with people again.

And then,

the light turns green.

Yozora still doesn’t show up.

Did she leave first?

Did I come out a bit late? But it’s the same time as usual.

Besides, the idea of Yozora leaving without me feels a little…

…

…Ah.

“…”

A chilling thought crosses my mind, and cold sweat breaks out. With the third green light, I cross the street.

“…”

Pure romance manga sometimes have this kind of trope.

Whether it’s a device to solidify the relationship between the heroine and male lead,

or a classic “rescue arc” in romance stories,

there’s often a setting where the heroine, despite doing nothing wrong, gets bullied by those around her.

Like, covering her desk with death threats.

Putting thumbtacks in her indoor shoes.

Hiding animal carcasses in her personal belongings.

That kind of thing.

And now,

one by one,

those images flash through my mind.

“…”

I pass through the academy’s main gate and walk straight to Class 1-A.

Occasionally, I feel someone’s gaze on me, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.

I’ve felt much more malicious stares before.

If anything, today’s start is slightly better than usual.

As I enter the hallway past the main building, I see familiar faces—classmates whose names I know.

Of course, we don’t greet each other.

They don’t pretend to know me, and I don’t initiate greetings either.

It’s just the usual treatment.

…And then,

just like that,

I adjust my uniform slightly and step into Class 1-A.

“…”

Same as always.

Everyone is at their seats, chatting with their friends.

A sociable girl gives me a small smile and waves, but that’s it.

Nothing bad happened. Nothing good either.

…Wait, no. There was something good.

The fact that it’s the same as usual is a relief in itself.

Gripping the doorknob, I take a moment to steady my breath.

When someone greets me first, I respond with an awkward nod before slowly heading to my seat.

“…”

As always, Lee Ji-yoon is sprawled over her desk, fast asleep with her wired earbuds jammed deep in her ears.

And right in front of her—

Yozora’s seat is empty.

“…Haa.”

What the hell.

She just overslept, huh?

Letting go of the unnecessary tension, I check my phone for a late reply.

But all I see is:

“Self-suspension…? Ugh… Self-suspension? Leave of absence…?”

A single message: “自主休講。” (Voluntary leave from lectures.)

168

“Why are you asking me that when I’m not even in the same class as her?”

“Well, it’s because you’re…”

Yozora’s sex partner.

The words roll on the tip of my tongue.

If the source of that information had been a sober Yozora, maybe.

But judging by the state of the text I received, it was clear she was completely wasted—the kind of drunk where she’d smash her phone on a whim.

Of course, I know Yozora isn’t the type to spout nonsense just because she’s had a few drinks.

But there’s such a thing as common sense, right?

You don’t take a drunk person’s words at face value.

Especially not an alcoholic’s.

“…It’s because you know Yozora.”

“…Ask her friends. I don’t know anything.”

“Wait, hold on.”

“…”

I tried to phrase it carefully, but Seo Woo-jin’s reaction is even more indifferent than I expected.

Finally, to get his attention, I slam my palm on the desk in front of him. His indifferent gaze, previously fixed on his laptop, slowly rises to meet mine.

Sure, you should take a drunk person’s words with a grain of salt…!

That’s common sense…!

But after what I saw last night and the circumstances so far, I can’t help but believe it to some extent.

Woo-jin knowing Han Soo-ah when she was a freshman? Fine.

Given that she’s the princess of a well-known conglomerate in Korea, it’s possible he just happened to know her.

But then Woo-jin became close enough to Han Soo-ah to have a purely physical relationship?

With the same Han Soo-ah Yozora said was hired by some rich person to ruin her graduation?

And considering that Yozora and I are still attending the academy without any repercussions…

It stinks, doesn’t it?

It’s not like we live in a lawless world.

Even if things went south, a healing-type Transcendent isn’t someone you take revenge on—you’d have to coax and appease them, even if it meant groveling.

Yet, the fact that he hasn’t said a word about it at the academy…

“…You really don’t know?”

“No.”

…Because Woo-jin and Yozora are just sex partners.

Or,

maybe their relationship runs deeper.

“You’ve been in contact with her recently. You really don’t know?”

“Me? With Yozora?”

“…Yes.”

“Haa…”

For example,

what if Woo-jin…

really likes Yozora?

Sure, deep down, she’s a hopeless alcoholic,

but her face and body are more than enough to drive men wild, right?

…Soft.

Big.

Pretty.

Yeah.

“…No, so leave me alone. I’m not in contact with Yozora.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“And don’t act friendly with me. People will find it weird. Got it?”

“Since you’re a healing-type Transcendent, they’ll just assume we’re secretly close behind the scenes anyway. So…”

“Sigh… Hey.”

“…”

“Why do you think I’m still in contact with Yozora?”

“…”

Here it is.

The first hurdle.

When you think about it, all I have is circumstantial evidence and Yozora’s text (which was clearly sent while blackout drunk).

I can’t exactly present her drunken text as proof in this situation…

But without it, I have nothing else.

Biting my lower lip, I decide to trust the drunkard’s words just this once.

“Sex… You’re her sex partner, right? You and Yozora.”

“…”

“…Am I wrong?”

His lack of denial probably means I’m right.

“…I’m not judging you for being in that kind of relationship with Yozora.”

“…Haa…”

“Honestly, I don’t get what’s so great about that stuff, but it’d be weird for me to criticize others just because I don’t like it.”

“…So?”

“Just tell me. Yozora’s home address.”

“…”

“She’s probably passed out drunk right now… I’ll drag her back by the hair. If she reeks of alcohol, we’ll just mark her absent for health reasons.”

The reason? Obvious.

Yozora needs to live her academy life as quietly and inconspicuously as possible.

Completing the request perfectly is important,

but just as crucial is maintaining the facade of being “just another ordinary student,” drawing no one’s attention.

In that context, an “unauthorized absence” leaves a much bigger stain than the word’s short length suggests.

To turn it into a simple “health-related absence” or,

better yet, bring her in late to mark it as “tardiness,”

I need Woo-jin’s help—someone who knows Yozora better than I do.

Because.

Right now, I have no idea where Yozora lives.

The address on her student records is obviously fake, just like her name and age.

And this crazy bitch hasn’t even read

the 100+ texts I’ve sent her in the last two hours.

“…Baek Seo-yeon.”

“Didn’t I tell you last time to just call me ‘senpai’? It’s cringey, so just call me ‘senpai’ at the academy. Like ‘Student Council President’ or something. Ugh. That’s cringey too…”

“Senpai.”

“…”

I try to lighten the mood, but Woo-jin’s voice remains cold.

Lately, the only male voices I’ve heard have either been sickeningly sweet or the annoying Vice President’s, so maybe that’s why.

Logically, it’s not a big deal, but it still throws me off a little.

“Since you’re in a tough spot, I’ll help you this time.”

Google Maps.

Woo-jin pins an officetel location and turns his laptop screen toward me.

“But don’t ask me for favors like this again. Yozora and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

“Unit 702…”

I told the next class’s teacher it was “student council business,” so it should be fine.

The door passcode was 0000, right?

Phew. I let out a small sigh as I step off the elevator.

—What do you mean ‘no’? If you know her address and even the passcode, you’ve obviously had your fun with Yozora’s body, you little brat who just got his ID a few months ago—

Those kinds of complaints don’t bother me as much now.

Anger is an emotion that flares up quickly but cools just as fast. If you endure it once, it becomes easier to let go.

Isn’t there a saying that patience three times over can even prevent murder?

“If only I weren’t a healing-type… Sigh…”

And if I hadn’t practiced holding back my anger thanks to the Vice President, I might’ve flicked Woo-jin’s forehead by now.

For now, I vent by flicking my fingers against the hallway wall—thwack, thunk—before stopping in front of Unit 702.

Instead of ringing the doorbell, I start inputting the passcode.

Beep. Beep beep beep beep.

The familiar sound of the lock disengaging.

At first, I was skeptical about the passcode being 0000, but it seems he didn’t give me the wrong info.

Plus, the faint smell of alcohol inside confirms this is definitely Yozora’s place…

“…”

…What the hell?

This weird smell.

“Yozora?”

The air is thick.

I can’t think of a better way to describe it, but that’s how it feels.

Thick, humid air. Mixed with a faint, piss-like odor that tickles my nose.

After sniffing around the entrance, I suppress my sense of smell as much as possible and step inside.

Did this crazy bitch get drunk and piss herself or something?

With that thought, I turn right past the entryway and immediately see—

“Hah… haah… ha…”

“…”

Yozora, naked and sprawled face-down on the couch, breathing heavily.

And between her crotch and the couch, a vibrating massager buzzing brrrrr—

“Hih… ngh, hah…”

“Huuu…”

Ah. So she got drunk, masturbated, and skipped school.

Her phone is within arm’s reach, but she ignored all my texts.

Yeah, yeah. Masturbating until you skip class is totally a thing.

I don’t get why masturbating feels good,

but maybe for Yozora, it was good enough to skip school over.

Clenching and unclenching my fists, I walk up to her.

Then,

grabbing her messy black hair roughly—

“Nngh… kyaaah…”

“…What the hell are you doing?”

—I yank her off the couch

and toss her to the floor.

“Nn…? Ah, Shiroda Shiro…”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“Eh…? But I liked it better when you called me ‘Seo-yeon-chan’…?”

“…No, I asked what you were doing here first.”

“Oh, that… I must’ve dozed off while masturbating? Maybe?”

“…”

“Hehe… I’ve been masturbating since last night… Oh, right, you don’t know where my new place is, do—”

“Shut up for a second. …I’m so pissed my hands are shaking.”

“…”

“…”

“…Ah. That’s it.”

“I told you to shut up.”

“Ah. I’ll shut up…”

“…”

Why does talking to her for even a few sentences feel like shoving sweet potatoes down my throat?

I stare down at Yozora, who’s grinning shamelessly despite having just been thrown to the floor.

After a few deep breaths, I grab her limp wrist and forcibly pull her up.

“…Go wash up and get ready. I’ll smooth things over so it’s just marked as tardiness, so hurry.”

“Eh. I don’t wanna go…”

“You’re making things difficult for me, you crazy bitch.”

“As long as my fake identity isn’t exposed, it’s fine, right…?”

“We can’t take that risk. Ugh, seriously…”

“Besides, I don’t have a reason to go to the academy anymore…?”

I was about to wash her myself if she refused, but then Yozora says something strange.

I turn around at the sound of her dragging herself up, and she smiles brightly.

“You said we have to stop Han Soo-ah from graduating, right?”

“That was just a cover to get the fake identity…”

“No, if you just drop it like that, what about your alliance’s Kwon Nam-ho? What about him…?”

“I broke up with Woo-jin, so I don’t wanna go to school anymore…”

“…”

“Ah… I wanted to try wearing a school uniform and getting railed non-stop for three days straight too… You’re the worst…”

Her words make my head throb like it’s about to explode—

the sheer absurdity of doing all this just to have sex with a guy.