VR Game Club

“Eum…”

It’s the first class I’m taking since becoming a high school student.

I groaned, focusing on the class that the teacher-nim was conducting.

I wasn’t tired because I hadn’t been logged into Deron until late.

But something felt off.

So many numbers written on the blackboard.

Next to them, squiggly letters like earthworms continued.

I can’t understand it. I can’t keep up with the class.

I crossed my arms in disbelief and tilted my head.

Why can’t I solve high school math problems?

If I think back to the last exam in the third grade of middle school, I should be able to solve them without any problems.

“Eum…”

“Is there a problem?”

“No…”

I shook my head and answered Sohee, who was talking to me from the side.

I glanced at Sohee’s notebook and it seemed like she was keeping up with the class without any problems.

I can’t believe it.

Sohee’s test scores are similar to mine.

She occasionally gets higher scores than me, but mostly she maintains a similar score range to me.

In other words, if Sohee can solve it, I should be able to solve it too.

But I can’t solve it.

It felt like a huge wall was blocking me.

“That’s all for today.”

The math teacher-nim, who had been writing densely on the blackboard, smiled contentedly and left the classroom.

I sat blankly, staring at the blackboard.

No matter how long I looked at it, I couldn’t understand the formulas written on it.

The situation was similar in the other classes that followed.

I could at least understand English or Korean, but the other subjects were the problem.

I was in great shock and couldn’t get up from my seat.

Quite some time passed like that.

The tightly closed door of the classroom opened, and a small silver-haired girl came running in dodadadat.

“Hayun!”

The person who opened the door and came in was Ellie.

She was shorter than me, and her pretty face immediately caught the attention of the other kids in the class.

“Ah, Ellie.”

“Ma, the words are not correct!”

“The words are not correct?”

“That’s right! School is not a place to sleep!”

I tilted my head at Ellie’s words.

School is not a place to come to sleep. It’s just a place where it’s okay to sleep.

There are teachers who don’t let you sleep, so you need some skill to sleep at school.

“It’s a place where you can sleep. It’s not a place where you only sleep.”

“Th, that’s…”

“Was there a problem?”

“Ah, it was confiscated…”

“Confiscated…?”

“That’s right… my blanket and pillow…”

I opened my mouth blankly at Ellie’s words.

I may not know much about school life, but I never thought she would bring a blanket and pillow.

And they were even confiscated.

I wonder how dumbfounded the teacher-nim who took the blanket and pillow from Ellie must have been.

“That…”

“Hayun… I know you have a lot of experience in school life… What should I do to get back the confiscated items?”

I glanced at Sohee, who was sitting next to me, at Ellie’s words.

She was also taken aback by Ellie’s absurd situation, and her eyebrow was twitching.

“Sh, shouldn’t you go to the teacher-nim and ask them to return it?”

“Th, that’s right… Go to the person in charge and negotiate… I understand!”

Ellie nodded as if she had made up her mind, then turned around and ran out dodododot.

She came in in a frenzy and left in a frenzy.

Seeing her running around so actively, I thought I could put aside my worries about Ellie for a while.

At that moment, I remembered the promise I had made with Ellie.

The promise to have lunch together at school.

Now that the morning classes are over, lunchtime will begin soon.

The kids who were sitting in the class also started getting up one by one and leaving the classroom.

“Shall we go too?”

Sohee was also smiling brightly at the thought of going to eat with me.

But I couldn’t go straight to the cafeteria.

“I have to find Ellie.”

“Ellie…? Why?”

“I promised to have lunch with her.”

“Lunch…? With her? Why?”

“Because she asked to eat together. Sohee, you’ll eat with us too, right?”

In middle school, Sohee was always with me.

So this time will be no different.

“… Yeah.”

The answer came back quite late.

I grabbed Sohee’s hand, who was sitting blankly, and left the classroom.

Ellie, who had come to find me, said she was going to get back her stolen pillow and blanket.

If so, there’s a high possibility that she went to the faculty office.

“Let’s go!”

And so, I headed to the faculty office on the first floor with Sohee.

[Why, why won’t you return it!]

[No… this is…]

[If you don’t have enough money, I’ll give you more!]

A loud shout that could be heard the moment I came down the stairs and stepped into the hallway.

A small girl was screaming at the top of her lungs.

I could tell just by listening.

That the owner of this voice is Ellie.

[Take it. Take more!]

I stopped in the hallway and exchanged glances with Sohee.

What on earth is going on inside the faculty office that Ellie is screaming so loudly?

Unable to contain my curiosity, I grabbed Sohee’s hand and headed to the faculty office.

The door of the faculty office was slightly open.

Inside, a small girl with white hair was holding a luxurious wallet in her hand and throwing out wads of paper.

“Return my things!”

In front of Ellie, a teacher-nim with a pale face was sitting.

Judging from this situation, it seems that the teacher-nim is the person who confiscated Ellie’s pillow and blanket.

“Heok…”

I widened my eyes as I looked at the wads of paper falling to the floor with a thud.

Checks. Checks with a huge number of zeros attached.

The number of checks, not just one, but over a hundred, was rolling around on the faculty office floor.

An amount that an ordinary person would have a hard time getting even after working for a month was rolling around on the floor.

Is that why? The other teachers nearby were also unable to react easily.

“Ha…”

I ran my hand over my face as I looked at Ellie.

The method is wrong.

If she had gone and apologized and said that she wouldn’t bring them again, they would have returned them.

Deureureuk-!

It was then.

Sohee, who had been looking through the crack in the door behind me, stepped forward and flung open the door of the faculty office.

“So, Sohee-ya?”

“Wait a moment.”

I nodded at Sohee’s words and hid my body next to the door, peeking out only my face.

Sohee, who had entered the faculty office, passed by the checks scattered at her feet and stopped in front of Ellie and the teacher who had confiscated the blanket.

Immediately after, Sohee’s mouth opened.

But maybe because it was far away, her voice was only faintly audible.

The hallway of the school is not quiet. Especially during lunchtime.

The sound of students running out quickly completely drowned out Sohee’s small voice.

How long has it been?

The teacher-nim, who had been sitting with a pale face, took out a large bag from a corner and handed it to Ellie.

“Waa!”

Ellie rubbed her face on the bag she received.

It seems that she got back the confiscated blanket.

Sohee led Ellie out of the faculty office.

A commotion had occurred, but neither of them seemed to care much about the commotion.

“Ah! Hayun!”

I gave an awkward smile to Ellie, who was running towards me happily, and looked at the checks scattered on the faculty office floor.

Is it okay not to take those?

“Ellie. It seems you got your blanket and pillow back.”

“That’s right! Sohee here helped me!”

Ellie said that and gave a bright smile.

The small girl’s smile had the effect of brightening the area around her.

“But what brings you here? Do you have business in the faculty office?”

“No. I told you we’d go have lunch together.”

“The promise we made this morning…!”

“Yeah.”

“Wa, wait a moment! I’ll put this blanket and pillow down in the classroom and come back!”

Ellie said that, turned around, and ran away hodadak.

Seeing her struggling to climb the stairs with a large bag in her arms, I expected it would take quite a while for her to return here.

“Sohee-ya.”

“Yeah?”

“What did you say inside?”

“Just. I said, wouldn’t it be better to return it?”

“Is that really all?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded at Sohee’s words.

It seems that the teacher-nim easily forgave her since it was the first day of class.

That reminds me, what will happen to all those checks?

“Oh?”

It was then.

While I was looking at the checks scattered inside the faculty office and having small worries, I discovered a large poster attached to the wall of the hallway.

[The Tennis Club Wants You!]

[Recruiting Go Club Members. A quiet place. You can just read books.]

[Recruiting Reading Club Members. Inquire at the library.]

[Recruiting Drama Club Members! It’s okay if you’re short! Passion!]

I hadn’t noticed them before, but now that I saw them, they were quite eye-catching and flashy promotional posters.

“They’re club activity advertisements.”

I nodded at Sohee’s words and admired them.

Seeing that they were even making posters so earnestly, it seemed that the scale of the club activities was quite large.

“Is there a club you like?”

“Eum…”

A club I like…

I looked through the various posters at Sohee’s question.

What I found was a poster in the most cornered spot.

[VR Game Club.]

A promotional poster made without sincerity.

Inside the large poster, there was a large capsule and various VR game images plastered all over it.

It was made by cutting and pasting with Paint.

“Do you like that one?”

“No?”

A VR game club.

I was quite interested, but I don’t like club activities.

It’s just a waste of time.

It would be more beneficial to go home and play Deron for even an hour more.

“I’m going to be a ‘go-home’ club member again this time.”

“Hayun-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“They say club activities are mandatory in this school.”

Club activities are mandatory?

I guess you get deprived of your freedom when you become a high school student.

I sighed in disappointment at the bleak reality.

“Then I’ll do the VR game club.”

If so, it was right to choose the club that was closest to games.

I pointed at the shoddy poster with my finger and said.

“Are you really going to do this?”

“Yeah. If I can.”

Sohee nodded at my words and smiled quietly.

Todadadadak!

At that moment, a loud footstep was heard.

It was the sound of Ellie’s footsteps as she hopped down the stairs.

She collapsed on the hallway floor, panting.

“Heok… heok…”

“Are you back?”

“Heok…”

It seems she doesn’t even have the strength to answer.

I looked down at Ellie and said.

“Ellie, do you want to join the VR game club too?”

“Ga… heok… game club…?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded at Ellie’s question and pointed to the promotional poster.