episode_0224

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About an hour left until lunchtime.

After wandering around for quite some time, I finally returned to the infirmary, placed an empty paper cup on the desk, and slumped onto one of the empty beds.

It was just sparring, so there were no life-threatening injuries, but the sheer volume of them left me somewhat exhausted.

Especially since my power itself comes at the cost of fatigue.

And also because… I had hoped to remember the names of any decent-looking girls, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a single one worth noting.

Tch, fuck.

If I’m going to bother talking to girls like that just to sleep with them, I might as well just go for Yozora…

…No. Never mind. It’s not like I’m even considering Seol Da-bin, who I’ve been hesitant to touch, so why the hell am I even thinking about Yozora?

I must be tired and out of it.

Anyway, given the situation, it’s probably best to catch a quick nap here during lunch.

Rather than squeezing in among the middle-aged teachers and enduring tedious conversations, resting here is a far better option.

Their topics of discussion—typical of people in their 40s and 50s—are hard to follow, and the menu selection wasn’t to my liking either.

As for the hunger that’ll come later, I can just stop by the convenience store and grab a triangle kimbap or something.

Just as I finished my thoughts and was about to get up from the bed before another student could see me, I sat on the chair and cracked my neck—pop, pop—when suddenly…

Knock, knock, knock.

A light knocking sound came at just the right moment.

224

“Come in.”

A formal greeting from beyond the door.

But that wasn’t the important part.

What mattered more was how much sound leaked out from inside.

Standing in front of the infirmary door, I suppressed my pounding heart and carefully analyzed the voice I heard from within.

Even though it was just slightly louder than a normal speaking voice, the fact that it was muffled enough to require pressing my ear against the door to catch it meant…

First test—passed.

My memory of the soundproofing being decent wasn’t wrong, it seemed.

Next, I needed to check the foot traffic around here and how often students visited the infirmary. But…

Since it was still class time and the infirmary was tucked away in a corner of the first floor, there wasn’t a single student wandering nearby.

Second test—passed.

But I couldn’t confirm the frequency of visits just by looking around outside.

The only way to know for sure was to ask someone who spent the whole day here.

After one last glance around, I carefully opened the infirmary door and stepped inside.

“…Ah, um.”

“….”

Was it because we’d already seen each other this morning?

Or was it just that she didn’t like me coming here in the first place?

Seo Woo-jin, who had been covering her mouth while yawning, immediately gave me a slightly troubled look the moment she saw me.

…Not like I have any warm feelings toward her either.

It’s annoying because I have to persuade her to meet Yozora again.

Even if we both have dirt on each other, the damage skews more toward me, so it’s hard not to be bothered.

And what woman in the world would look kindly on a guy who dates multiple girls at once?

…Well, I have seen some ridiculous cases before, so it’s not like I can outright say it’s that bad.

But still.

“You’re here again?”

“…Am I not allowed to come again?”

“Hmm… That’s not what I meant.”

“….”

Maybe because of my sharp tone, Woo-jin awkwardly smiled and scratched her cheek.

After breaking eye contact, I glanced around the infirmary and was relieved to see it was fairly empty.

…Well, it’s not like I’ve ever seen the infirmary packed anyway.

Even before Woo-jin, the healing-type transcendent, showed up, there were at most one or two students groaning in the beds. The only time it was crowded was… maybe five times at most?

Either way, this much was enough to meet the minimum conditions.

Though whether I could really say something weird to Woo-jin still required a bit more confirmation.

After making sure the door was properly closed, I sat down in the chair across from her.

“….”

…But.

Even if I could guarantee no more students would show up,

how the hell was I supposed to bring this up?

“Sorry, but would it be okay if I masturbate here for a bit…?” …Am I insane?

Then should I just tell Woo-jin, “Sorry, but could you step out for a moment?”

And add that 10 minutes… no, 5 minutes would be enough?

What if she asks why she has to leave?

I can’t just say “Because…”

And if I’m honest and say it’s for masturbation, that I’m in some kind of rut… that’s still embarrassing no matter what.

Is there any reason Woo-jin would accept and step out for a bit…?

“….”

There isn’t.

Do I really have to masturbate in the same room as her?

Is there no way to get her out, even for a little while?

Lost in thought, I bit my lower lip before letting out a soft sigh and releasing it.

…I’ll try forcing it once, just in case.

If that doesn’t work… then I’ll just have to apologize and ask for understanding.

With that embarrassing resolve…

It was obvious.

Something was off.

“…Hey, there’s something I’m curious about…”

“Curious about what?”

At first, I thought she might’ve come because she was hurt.

Or maybe she was faking illness to skip work.

But dismissing it that simply wasn’t possible—there were too many oddities about Baek Seo-yeon’s return.

Her suspicious behavior was one thing, but the most glaring issue was…

Her current appearance.

“Usually around this time… how many students come here?”

“Hmm. I’ve never counted, but… not many, I think.”

“So, one? Two?”

“Yeah, around that. A lot of students with minor injuries just go to the nearest infirmary anyway.”

After answering, I quietly studied Baek Seo-yeon’s appearance.

Her pale blue hair, which had been neatly settled this morning, was now slightly disheveled.

Not all of it—just one side, as if she’d rubbed it against something repeatedly.

Like if you pressed your hair into a pillow for three minutes and then got up, it’d probably look like that.

Not that I’ve ever grown my hair that long, so it’s just a guess.

But that wasn’t the only strange thing.

Glancing at her hair, I slowly lowered my gaze, making sure she didn’t notice as I examined her neck area.

Specifically, the black tie around it.

“One or two… that much, huh… Hmm…”

“….”

She probably couldn’t see it herself because it was hidden by her chest, but…

The black part near her neck and the black tip of the tie were different shades.

I’d have to touch it to be sure, but at a glance…

The tip was noticeably damp.

Not soaked like it had been dipped in water, but…

It looked like someone had chewed on it before spitting it out.

Under normal circumstances, no one would put the end of their tie in their mouth.

Meaning Baek Seo-yeon had a reason to do so.

…Though whether it was saliva or just water wasn’t confirmed yet.

Still, it was enough to wake me up a bit.

Unfortunately, asking outright would be awkward, so I changed the subject.

Mostly to buy time to observe her further.

“Want one? It’s cheap candy, but you look tired.”

“…Candy?”

“Yeah. I bought some to get closer to the students. Doesn’t seem very effective, though.”

“….”

Reaching into the back drawer, I pulled out a small piece of candy and placed it on the desk. Seo-yeon’s gaze fixed on it intently.

I heard she was a variant-type like Han Su-a and Yozora. Maybe that’s why her reactions were oddly dog- or cat-like.

As she reached out, unwrapped the candy, and popped it into her mouth, I compared her to how she looked this morning, focusing on the parts that felt off.

Her cheeks and ears seemed faintly flushed.

Even though I’d already checked this morning and confirmed there was nothing wrong with her physically.

The only other noticeable difference was that her uniform was more wrinkled than before.

Especially around the shoulders and below.

To put it bluntly—her shoulders, armpits, and the part where her chest protruded were covered in faint creases.

Honestly, with just these clues, the conclusion would be: “Baek Seo-yeon chewed on her tie while groping herself over her uniform and then came to the infirmary.”

But since that was too ridiculous to even laugh at, I quickly erased the thought.

“Anyway, was that what you wanted to ask? How many students come at this time?”

In the end, I still didn’t know why she looked like this.

Popping a candy into my own mouth, I swallowed the sweet orange flavor and asked.

She probably didn’t actually care about student traffic.

More likely, she wanted to talk about something private when no one else was around.

Nothing came to mind, but if I had to guess—maybe a recruitment offer? Or something like that.

Just then, Seo-yeon flinched, hesitated, then let out a deep sigh while looking at me.

Honestly, she looked like a cat abandoned in a box.

“…Obviously not.”

“Then what is it?”

“…B-before I say, there’s one thing I want to confirm first.”

“…?”

As I chewed the half-melted candy, Seo-yeon pulled out her phone, typed something, and showed me a KakaoTalk message.

> If you’ve secretly installed something like a recorder in the infirmary, it’d be awkward to talk. > Can you step outside for a bit? > Once I’ve checked everything myself, I’ll tell you then.

Even as I read it, I couldn’t fully understand.

It was filled with such bizarre wording.

“Why would I install a recorder? Especially in the infirmary?”

“…W-well, y’know, just in case…?”

“If I had that kind of intention, I’d have put it in the student council room or something.”

“….”

“…Fine. If you’re really suspicious, go ahead and check. I’ll wait on the bed with the door locked.”

“Huh? Wha—?”

“What?”

“….”

“….”

“….”

“….”

“…J-just wait a sec…”

Since she was misunderstanding so badly, I confidently offered to leave—but unlike usual, her voice was meek as she responded and stood up.

Letting her search the infirmary freely, I made sure no other students were around before carefully locking the door.