53. Meeting Is Easy, Winning Over Is Hard
53. Meeting Is Easy, Winning Over Is Hard
53. Meeting Is Easy, Winning Over Is Hard
Waking up in a body that had shrunk overnight was incredibly inconvenient.
The Hero Academy dormitory was built for students over seventeen, designed with their physical size in mind.
"W-what the hell!"
It was the morning after clearing the gate, back in the academy dorm. I was on tiptoe, trying to reach the bread I'd put on the kitchen shelf.
Why on earth had I ever put bread up that high?
A tsunami of regret washed over me.
Still, a blessing in disguise, maybe? Ban Ha-na, who was now taller than me, stood on tiptoe and pulled the bread off the shelf. She was wearing pink pajamas and handed it to me with a smile.
"Here! Si-jun is too short to reach it, but I can get the bread! Take it!"
"..."
I snatched the bread from Ban Ha-na without a word.
She looked absolutely delighted that I had become small.
I recalled what had happened the night before.
When I first got back to the dorm, Ban Ha-na had been in my room with the lights off. The pillow was a little damp, so I could tell she'd been feeling very lonely. As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, Ban Ha-na came rushing out.
'Si-jun...!'
Ban Ha-na, calling my name as she rushed out. But the silhouette she saw at the entrance wasn't mine, so she hesitated for a moment.
'Si-jun...? Is that really you...?'
No matter how she looked, it was the figure of a short boy.
Ban Ha-na was on guard, uncertain.
It was embarrassing, but for Ban Ha-na's sake, who had waited so well, I turned on the light.
Click.
The light flickered to life, and the dark room brightened in an instant.
What Ban Ha-na must have seen then was a small child.
Because Yu Ha-yeon had shown her a photo from the past, Ban Ha-na could figure out that the boy was me.
'Si-jun... your height...!'
At first, Ban Ha-na was shocked.
To meet my eyes, she'd always had to look up at me. But now the situation was reversed: Ban Ha-na was looking down at me.
I spoke to her in a small voice.
"I'm back."
When I said that in a voice that hadn't broken yet, she started trying to hold back laughter.
'Pfft... Si-jun... your height...!'
From that point on, Ban Ha-na's struggle to suppress her laughter began. Every time she looked at me, she smiled, and when she fell asleep, she hugged me tight, saying I was like a rabbit doll. The pillow had been a bit damp, which also told me how lonely she'd been waiting for me.
That was last night, and Ban Ha-na's teasing continued straight into the morning.
"Can't be helped! Si-jun. A kid shouldn't be cooking! I'll do it for you!"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"It matters! Stay still!"
All I had to do was stand on tiptoe to put butter in the frying pan and toast the bread. But Ban Ha-na declared that because I looked younger now, she, being taller, would do it.
'Just you wait...'
The list of things I'd have to do once I returned to normal had just grown longer.
'But can Ban Ha-na even cook...?'
A sudden worry crossed my mind. In my case, my body was small but my mind was the same. But Ban Ha-na, no matter how much taller she got, still had Ban Ha-na's brain. Could she cook? My answer, naturally, was 'no'.
Full of unease, I watched her.
She took an egg out of the fridge. It looked like she planned to make eggs and toast.
"You take this... and then... like this..."
Ban Ha-na held the egg in her hand and brought it down on the frying pan.
Thwack!
Wasn't that a little too much force...? I stood on tiptoe and checked the pan where Ban Ha-na had slammed the egg.
"Ha-na. Get out of there right now."
"Otay..."
Ban Ha-na had looked excited a moment ago, and now she slunk away deflated. The frying pan was full of countless shell fragments mixed with the white and yolk. Was she really going to give that to me? I'd rather starve. Ban Ha-na had murderous cooking skills.
I ended up making breakfast myself.
'My toes...' Cooking on tiptoe was more painful than I'd imagined. I realized I had no talent for ballet.
***
After finishing breakfast with Ban Ha-na, I wanted to get moving quickly since I had no idea when I'd return to normal size. Seeing me like that, Ban Ha-na asked anxiously,
"Si-jun. Where are you going...?"
"...I'm just stepping out for a bit."
I couldn't exactly tell Ban Ha-na I was going to meet another woman. Her feelings toward me were somewhere between romantic and deeply dependent. Even for me, telling someone like Ban Ha-na that I was off to meet another girl would be a scummy thing to do.
'Sorry, Ban Ha-na.'
As long as I didn't get caught, there wouldn't be any problems between us. Ban Ha-na's anxiety wouldn't grow.
She seemed to hate being alone, because she asked, "Can't I come too...? I was good and stayed alone, Si-jun..."
"Sorry... just wait a little. I'll be right back."
Feeling a bit guilty, I said it with affection. But my voice was that of a young boy, so it didn't come off as cool at all.
"Let's go out together later. I'll show you something fun."
"Si-jun. Can I really trust that...?"
"Have you ever seen me lie? Just trust me."
Keeping Ban Ha-na cooped up in the dorm forever would make kidnapping her pointless. I promised her we'd go out together later and tried to head out.
"Si-jun. You forgot. You have to give me my reward."
"Ah, right."
Rewards. Ban Ha-na earned rewards for being good. She seemed to have gotten along well with Shin Si-hwa while I was gone and hadn't caused any incidents.
'How am I supposed to give her all these accumulated rewards?'
People get tired of the same reward if it's given too often. Ban Ha-na had already received the same one quite a lot. Sometimes you need a special treat. What could it be? I rested my small hand on my chin and started thinking.
"Reward! Give me my reward! Give it to me! If you don't, I won't be a good kid anymore!"
As my deliberation dragged on, Ban Ha-na threw a tantrum. I thought about what would be good, but no good ideas came to mind. In this situation, asking the person herself was the best option.
"Ha-na. Is there something you want as a reward? Besides a kiss."
"...Besides a kiss? Hmm..."
Ban Ha-na fell into deep thought. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she racked her brain as hard as she could. It looked like she did have something she wanted.
"A picture! I want to take a picture with little Si-jun!"
"A picture...?"
"Yeah! Just like the one that woman had!"
Was she talking about the photo Yu Ha-yeon had bragged about to Ban Ha-na? The picture of my childhood self, taken when I went on a trip with her. Maybe she'd been jealous of Yu Ha-yeon, because Ban Ha-na's eyes sparkled as she asked for a photo.
"I-if I have that, I won't be lonely even when I'm alone! I can always see Si-jun!"
"...Not bad."
If it could ease Ban Ha-na's anxiety, that photo would be worth it. The problem was getting caught by Yu Ha-yeon. 'As long as I don't get caught...' I'd promised myself I'd be more careful before. But if I didn't grant Ban Ha-na's wish now, my conscience felt like it would shatter and disappear, so I had no choice but to agree.
"You have a phone, right?"
"Yeah! The red-haired teacher gave it to me! But I don't know how to use it!"
Shin Si-hwa had given Ban Ha-na a phone, but apparently hadn't taught her how to operate it. Well, I could teach her later. I took Ban Ha-na's phone, opened the camera app, and switched to selfie mode.
"Si-jun! I'm on the screen!"
"Yeah, Ha-na. I'll take just one picture, okay?"
Neither more nor less. Just one.
In the frame, Ban Ha-na and my younger self were displayed. I counted down to make sure we looked nice in the shot.
"On three. One. Two. Three..."
"Mwaah...!"
Right on three, I felt the touch of Ban Ha-na's small lips on my cheek.
Click.
Checking the photo, Ban Ha-na had her eyes squeezed shut as she pressed her lips to my cheek. So this was what she wanted. Ban Ha-na took the phone back and looked satisfied with the result.
"Hehe...! I have a picture now too...!"
Perhaps remembering how she'd been toyed with by Yu Ha-yeon before, she smiled happily as she looked at the photo.
'Cute.'
I stroked Ban Ha-na's head as she beamed, then turned toward the entrance in my slightly oversized clothes.
"I'll be back."
"Okay! Come back soon!"
Ban Ha-na waved her hand vigorously as she saw me off. Looking at her, I steeled my resolve.
'...I can do this.'
Lee Seol-ha. Conquering her would be difficult if not now. This was a golden opportunity that would never come again.
I took out my phone and checked the message I'd received.
— It's me, Lee Seol-ha. I have something I want to talk about. Can we meet? The place is...
I didn't know how she got my number, but Lee Seol-ha had sent me a text urging a meeting. Judging by the fact she was still acting this way, she was clearly suffering from side effects.
'That's exactly what I'm hoping for.'
Reason and instinct both said that meeting Lee Seol-ha was a perfect chance to seize that opportunity. I urged my smaller body onward, hurrying to meet her.
Toward my third conquest target.