chapter 5
chapter 5
Translated by POWERPUFF
Semi-basement
I tend to eat quite a lot of school meals.
The reason is, of course, to save on food expenses.
Even before regression, I had been living in a way where I filled up my stomach at school and ate smaller portions at home.
Some might think it’s a bit shabby, but this is how you save money.
After finishing my tray completely, I stood up to get more food.
As expected, the more delicious meat dishes were already gone.
That didn’t particularly matter.
I’m not someone who eats while caring deeply about taste. As long as I’m full, that’s enough.
So I took some kimchi, one other side dish, rice, and soup, and returned to my seat to start eating again.
But as I was eating, I felt a gaze.
When I looked up, Min Arin was sitting alone at a table a short distance away, looking at me.
What is it?
Unable to understand the situation, I kept making eye contact as Min Arin slowly approached me with her tray.
Then she sat down directly across from me.
"Hi."
She greeted me with a smile that looked somewhat sly.
Well, I say sly, but honestly it seemed a bit awkward.
Wondering why she was suddenly acting like this, I thought for a moment and found a clue.
Her friends who had been eating with her earlier were gone.
There wasn’t much time left in lunch, but there were still quite a few students around.
Min Arin clearly looked like someone outgoing who would usually hang out with friends.
"Where are your friends?"
"Uh… I told them to eat a bit more, but they left…."
"You came here because you didn’t want to eat alone?"
"No, it’s not exactly that… more like… for socializing. The purpose is socializing…."
I almost said that eating alone wasn’t such a difficult thing, but I held back.
I’ve been eating alone for a long time, and since I’m someone who’s busy just trying to live, I’ve become indifferent to things like that. But for others, especially high school students like her, it’s probably something they’re quite self-conscious about.
"Well, then let’s eat together."
After I replied, Min Arin’s face brightened, and we began eating while chatting casually.
In fact, eating with a friend was something I hadn’t experienced in quite a while.
I had eaten alone during my university days before regression, but more importantly, after regression.
After being dropped into this world and failing to adapt, I spent most of my third year of middle school living alone.
Even if I had adapted to the reversed-gender world, I probably would have still lived alone.
The guys I used to hang out with in my previous life’s middle school acted like girls in this current life, after all.
Anyway, the changes in my friends aren’t important now.
What I mean is simply that I’ve been eating alone for a long time, and it’s been quite a while since I shared a school meal with someone.
As I was thinking that, a voice reached my ears.
"Hey, why do you only have those side dishes?"
"The meat was already gone."
"Want some of mine?"
"I won’t refuse if you offer, but… suddenly?"
"No, it’s just…."
I wondered why she was trailing off, but after a short pause—
"I actually took all the remaining meat earlier…."
So she was the one who had emptied the meat container.
After hearing that, I let out a small chuckle.
Why was she making such a guilty expression over something like that?
In any case.
For me, it’s a good thing.
It’s true that I don’t care much about taste, but that doesn’t mean I refuse delicious food either.
"Really? Then can I have some?"
"Yeah, take some! Think of it as friend tax, friend tax! Hehe."
And refusing would just make things awkward anyway.
Min Arin herself seemed a bit self-conscious because of the mountain of meat she had.
I slightly revised my evaluation of Min Arin in my mind.
A high school girl in her growth phase sharing meat with someone.
Even if Min Arin looks a bit intimidating, her personality seems unexpectedly decent. As expected, my judgment wasn’t wrong.
From fifth period onward, nothing much happened.
Just a series of ordinary classes.
Min Arin seemed to be hit by post-lunch drowsiness, or maybe she was just sleepy, and kept dozing off again using Cheon Sejun as a windbreak.
As for me, I attended class while taking notes.
Time passed, and before I knew it, homeroom was over, and I was on my way home.
It’s about a 40-minute walk to my house.
Naturally, as a person who lives the “walk everywhere” life, buses aren’t an option.
Summer or winter, I always walk.
But today, I can feel that my footsteps are different from usual.
Normally I walk slowly with weak, aimless steps, but now my stride feels full of energy even to my own eyes.
There’s a reason for that.
Today is a somewhat special day… or rather, a day where something special might happen.
I had forgotten because of all the accumulated irritation, but it suddenly came to mind during class earlier.
On this day in my previous life, I met a new family member.
Of course, not a human.
It was a chance encounter, a fateful meeting.
We ended up living together for six years after that, and considering that being’s lifespan, that was quite a long time.
In that sense, the word “fate” fits perfectly.
Because of that, I can’t be completely certain.
I’ve keenly realized that the history of this reversed world differs slightly from the history I know.
It’s not completely different, but there are times when events I knew simply don’t happen.
A representative example is Bitcoin not becoming popular.
Still.
I should hope today is different.
I don’t want to give up on meeting this friend.
And.
It’s been a good day, meeting people with good personalities like Min Arin and Cheon Sejun, so surely nothing bad will happen now, right?
To cut to the conclusion, the meeting was successful!
The first encounter happened when that guy entered my home through a window I had left open due to the heat.
And that first meeting happened exactly the same in this life as well.
Ever since coming into this reversed world, there hasn’t been a single day without stress, but today feels like a day I can simply enjoy without overthinking.
Yeah. My life may be full of irritation, but at least days like this deserve some luck.
Looking at the one playing on my hand, I couldn’t help but smile.
A small, cute body, likely because it’s still young.
Thin, elongated legs.
And on its head, two adorably protruding…
…….
Antennae.
This creature’s name is “Rina.”
A house centipede.
Some might say it’s creepy, but honestly, if you live with it, you’ll find it surprisingly fine.
It eats spiders, moths, and while not its favorite, even cockroaches when it’s hungry.
It also eats other pests.
Our Rina wanders around here and there, so it might be a bit unclean, but that’s something I can tolerate.
Moreover, Rina is gentle and doesn’t bite humans.
At this point, it’s arguably a better companion than a dog or a cat.
I was so sad when it died before, so meeting it again like this feels almost unreal.
This might be the first time I’ve felt glad that I regressed into a reversed world.
When I gently stroked its body with my pinky finger, its legs started moving excitedly, as if it was happy too.
Ah.
It’s seriously too cute.
I almost feel like lightly biting it, but even a light bite would kill Rina. House centipedes have fragile bodies.
Anyway, even for a miser like me, a day like today calls for a celebration. And a celebration calls for alcohol.
Legally, I may be a minor, but in mind, aren’t I an adult? Officially I’m 17, but with regression, I’m effectively 26.
With Rina perched on my hand, I opened the refrigerator wide, only to be greeted by a rather empty interior.
Wait, didn’t I buy soju last time?
Did I already drink it all?
For me, alcohol and cigarettes count as luxury items, but it seems I carelessly consumed them during the transfer process.
It might be better to save money, but still…
Today is the day I met an old friend again.
And there’s no bread at home that Rina likes either.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I immediately put on a thin hoodie.
What I’m wearing now is a white sleeveless shirt and slightly short shorts that reach above the knees.
Even if I’m resistant to the cold, this isn’t enough since it’s still chilly.
Then, following something I saw on YouTube, I roughly parted my hair with a hairdryer and removed my glasses, placing them in my pocket.
It may not look like much has changed, but this is actually quite an effective disguise.
If someone who looks rough goes to buy alcohol, ID checks are mandatory, but for someone who looks like me, they often don’t bother.
Honestly, I do look kind.
People tend to assume someone like me wouldn’t lie about their age.
That said, if I go around looking too casual, I might be seen as a “kind student” rather than just a “kind person.”
A minimum level of grooming is necessary.
Anyway.
"Rina, dad will be back in a bit!"
I immediately headed out to the nearby convenience store.
Upon entering, I saw the usual female part-time worker.
Someone I’m somewhat familiar with.
"Hello."
"Oh, Seunggi! Long time no see!"
"Yeah. I’ve been a bit busy."
I hadn’t really been busy.
I barely even glance at convenience stores unless I’m buying alcohol or cigarettes.
Everything else there is too expensive.
After a brief chat with her, I picked up a bottle of soju and a vitamin drink for the worker and headed to the counter.
The reason for buying the vitamin drink was simple. I felt a bit guilty.
I know this isn’t exactly a good thing. It’s just the bare minimum of an apology.
"You seem to be in a good mood today?"
"Yeah, today I got a pet…."
"Pet?"
"Yeah. I got a pet."
Rina… being an arthropod in the animal kingdom…
So calling it a “pet animal” should be correct.
…….
Probably.
"Really? I’d like to see it sometime… Do you have a picture?"
"No, I haven’t taken one yet."
"Then show me next time."
"Sure."
I continued the conversation with a smile.
But… would she like seeing Rina?