episode_0269

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“Hmm…”

This wasn’t exactly the atmosphere I’d hoped for, but…

Well, at least the two of them are together.

Maybe I shouldn’t overthink the mood too much.

For now, I’ll just focus on making sure Seoyeon and Sua-chan get as close as possible…

“Mmmm.”

“…Are you sure it’s okay to drink at your place, Seoyeon?”

“…Where else would we go? There’s no better spot.”

“What do you mean ‘no better spot’? If not Sua-chan’s place, my place is always an option.”

“Yours is dirty. No thanks.”

“Eck! It’s clean right now, okay?! Not that I cleaned it, but still…”

Nothing brings people closer than alcohol. That’s always been my philosophy.

One of the reasons I like drinking in the first place is because of that feeling of shedding inhibitions when you’re drunk.

No matter how awkward things are sober, alcohol makes it easier to talk.

And if you’re already on friendly terms, being drunk gives you plenty of excuses.

That’s why I wanted to get these two drinking together…

But the first attempt was a bit of a failure.

Still, whether their moods changed or not, a second chance came right away, so I trailed after her with a smirk.

…Who knows?

Maybe tonight,

I can get Seoyeon to drop formalities with Sua-chan entirely?

“Why is your place so far…? How is the nearest convenience store supposedly three minutes from your apartment?!”

“Three minutes is barely any distance.”

“My arms already hurt…”

“Since when is a six-pack heavy…?”

“It’s not just beer. We bought snacks too, you know…”

“…Sigh…”

As I whined while carrying the crinkling convenience store bag, Sua-chan glanced at me and wordlessly took one of the handles to help.

Aish. Even Sua-chan, who used to be clueless about these things, has gotten this much better at socializing. Meanwhile, Seoyeon over here has always just stared without ever lifting a finger.

That’s not even tsundere—it’s just tsun.

Guys aren’t into that kind of thing these days, you know?

Someone like Sua-chan, whose demeanor is unexpectedly obedient despite her looks, is way cuter.

She’s only two years younger, but Seoyeon could stand to learn a thing or two.

Is it really okay to be this un-charming as someone’s unnie?

I mean, she went as far as using me as an excuse to approach Seojin, only to give him that lukewarm reaction afterward…

“…Anyway, after we finish all this, both of you are going home.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know…”

Lost in thought about how to make Seoyeon cuter, I suddenly realized we were already at the apartment.

Wedged between their ample chests in the cramped elevator, I stepped into the genkan with a meaningless “Excuse me.”

…Every time I come here, I can’t help but think…

This really is a boring-ass apartment.

A bland space with zero notable interior design.

You’d think with this much square footage, they’d at least try to decorate it, but no. Makes me question why they even bothered.

If I were richer, I’d turn a place like this into a wine cellar or something…

Seoyeon, the owner of this barren wasteland, either didn’t mind the emptiness or was used to it. She tossed her windbreaker onto the couch with a rustle and took the bag from my hands.

“Two cans each should be fine, right? You already drank earlier, Yozora.”

“Wasn’t that the whole point of buying a six-pack?”

“…Don’t throw up.”

But what’s hilarious is how you scrunch your eyebrows when you can’t think of a comeback.

Swallowing my usual teasing remark, I plopped onto the couch.

No. No.

If I lose sight of the goal, tonight’s opportunity goes down the drain.

Forging some kind of connection—preferably a deep one—between Sua-chan and Seoyeon.

And nudging Seoyeon into showing more interest in romance…

Digging a little deeper into what exactly happened that day she used me as an excuse to see Seojin…

…Because, hey, I’m curious, okay?

All I overheard while waiting for the taxi was Yozora threatening her, saying she “didn’t need to go that far” or whatever…

Judging by the situation, it seems like Seoyeon came on too strong, and Seojin just brushed her off when things got weird.

But for someone as socially inept as Seoyeon to actually make a move…?

There’s no way I’m letting this go without hearing the full story.

Right?

269

…Sure, Yozora drank most of it,

but it’s not like I hadn’t touched anything at the bar.

If I polish off two more cans now… I’m pretty much at my limit.

Not that I’ll be blackout drunk, of course.

Just…

The kind of tipsy where you fumble reaching for a water glass,

Or drop your chopsticks trying to pick up a snack…

That level.

If I can at least show some effort in getting closer to Han Sua before hitting that point, she’ll probably leave satisfied. Right, Yozora?

“…You actually eat this stuff as drinking snacks?”

“Mhm. Tastier than you’d think. Sua-chan, you’ve tried these because of me before, right?”

“Once, last time…”

Some kind of caramel-scented cookie.

Crunching down on the bittersweet crisp, I popped open my second beer can. Yozora, who had been idly chewing on the rim of hers, suddenly struck up a conversation.

“You said you can’t hold your liquor, but you’re doing better than I expected?”

“…‘Better’ how? I haven’t had much. Half a bottle of soju and one beer isn’t exactly impressive.”

“Last time, you told me even one beer would get you drunk?”

“Well… that was just so you wouldn’t make me drink.”

“What kind of excuse is that?! So does that mean I can drag you out for drinks whenever I want now?”

“…Guess so.”

At this point, I’m already being half-forced into drinking with her. What’s the point of arguing?

With a resigned sigh, I grabbed another oddly decent caramel cookie. Next to me, Yozora giggled.

…You’re the only one enjoying this. I’m already ready to die.

I tore my gaze away from her and quietly observed Han Sua sipping her beer.

“…Hey, um.”

“…Yes?”

“How did you… end up getting close to Yozora?”

“Oh, that… Nothing special, really…”

Probably exactly what Yozora wanted.

…I’m not that curious, but if this keeps the conversation going and satisfies her, fine.

At least this’ll wrap up faster.

“At first, it was just because our routes to school overlapped…”

Han Sua, clutching her can with both hands, began recounting her history with Yozora.

Through that, I learned that—contrary to her appearance—she was really into shoujo manga.

…And Yozora, to match her, had crammed her brain full of plots and endings from multiple series she otherwise had no interest in.

…Ugh.

If you’re gonna be born with a good brain, at least don’t waste it on useless crap like that.

What exactly was she planning when she memorized all that just to approach Han Sua?

Instead of ruining her life like the client wanted,

was she just trying to turn her into another sex partner to offer Seojin?

“…And what about you, sunbae? How did you and Yozora…?”

“…Ah. That…”

Unable to put it into words, I just took another sip. By now, Han Sua had finished her trip down memory lane and turned the question back on me.

No way I could say, Oh, I taught Korean to an illegal immigrant and we got close.

So I spun a quick lie.

Well…

Yozora found my wallet after I lost it at a supermarket.

One thing led to another, and before I knew it, we were friends.

Something like that.

Luckily, no obvious inconsistencies stood out. Han Sua nodded along, smiling as she listened to my improv backstory.

Seems like the alcohol was warming her up nicely.

She had the same expression last time when I helped her home.

Judging by the mood, we could probably call it a night after one more round.

We haven’t fully broken the ice with Han Sua yet, but…

Yozora doesn’t exactly look dissatisfied either.

For the first attempt at getting Han Sua to open up, this isn’t bad.

“Oh, right. I wanted to ask you something too, Seoyeon.”

“…?”

Just as I was swallowing the last half of my beer in slow, deliberate sips.

Yozora, who’d been casually snacking on cookies between drinks, curled her lips into a sly smile.

“Though I’m not sure this is okay to ask…”

“What is it?”

“Dirty talk.”

“…”

I stuffed an egg-shaped cookie into my mouth.

Crunch. Crunch.

“You don’t usually like this kind of thing, right?”

“…”

“Sua-chan probably won’t mind. Right?”

“…If it’s not too extreme…”

Whether I liked raunchy conversations or not was beside the point.

If this wasn’t something she desperately wanted to talk about, she wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.

In other words…

“I want to say this while you’re listening.”

…Of course, she waits until Han Sua’s here too.

“…What kind of ‘dirty talk’ are we talking about here?”

“Oh? It’s fine?”

“…I’ll listen a little. If the question seems harmless enough, I might answer.”

If I shot her down now, she’d just pester me harder later.

Better to take the beating fast, isn’t that how the saying goes?

Rather than acting disgusted and giving her the reaction she wants, it’s better to just…

Resign myself and get it over with.

Maybe then this master-servant dynamic will end one day sooner.

“In that case, I’ll have to greatly lower the intensity of the question first…”

“…”

“Then again, I can always slowly ramp it up until Seoyeon catches on~”

“…Are you trying to get punched?”

“Fufufu…”

…Or so I thought.

But honestly?

At this point…

“Seoyeon-chaaan. Seoyeon-chaaan!”

“…What.”

“Is there a guy you’re interested in right now?”

“…”

“First year, second year, third year… Oh, even a teacher’s fine!”

At times like these…

No matter how hard I try not to react the way Yozora wants…

I can’t help myself.

“There isn’t anyone.”

“Ah. Maybe I phrased it wrong. Let me rephrase! Forget ‘interest’—who’s the closest to your ideal type?”

“…That’s the same question. Dumbass. Are you drunk?”

“No way! Just because someone’s hot doesn’t mean you like them, you know!”

“…”

“Wait… Seoyeon-chan… Do you actually like anyone just for being hot? Seriously?”

“…Shut up.”

“Ah, yes ma’am!”

Yozora mimed zipping her lips shut, pressing her thumb to the corner of her mouth while staring at me.

Han Sua too. Not exactly the same, but she was watching me with pure, 100% curiosity—both hands tightly gripping her beer can.

…If I had to be brutally honest…

There is someone who comes to mind.

A guy whose personality is absolute garbage. Disgusting, even.

But if we’re just talking looks, like Yozora said…

Purely in terms of who fits my ideal type…

Not someone I like—never, ever, ever like—but…

Someone whose looks alone are appealing.

And if that’s the answer Yozora wants to hear…

There’s exactly one person in the academy.

“You specifically asked who’s the closest to my ideal type.”

“Mmph!”

“Not who I like. Just whose looks align with my preferences.”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“…And if you twist my answer into something weird, I’m never drinking with you again.”

“Mmph!”

“…Haah…”

Gulp. Gulp.

Washing down my hesitation with cold beer,

I feigned drunkenness—

And gave a bitter reply.

“…The new… uh… first-floor health teacher.”

“…”

“…”

I know his name.

I know where he lives.

…I’ve given him blowjobs.

Had sex.

And yet—

Pretending I’ve only seen him in passing,

That I barely know him…

In front of his sex partner

And his other sex partner.