A Fun (?) Day for Middle School Girls
After my warning, neither Yoo Chaerin nor Seo Harin fought anymore.
It's already a mess.
More than that, the bigger issue was that Seo Harin had figured out I was a Transcendental.
Even now, Seo Harin was staring at me with intensely sparkling eyes.
Usually, in stories like this, don't people go a long time without getting caught, or at least misunderstand things?
Like, wouldn't they suspect me and ask, "Who on earth are you, and how are you as strong as a Transcendental?!"
Why do I get caught so easily?
I could only feel sad about my poor lying skills.
Before long, we arrived at the shopping district.
True to its status as a luxury vehicle, the limousine arrived at the bustling streets without the slightest bump.
As expected, cars really are worth the money.
"This is nice. Should I buy one too?"
Chaerin, who still didn't know the price of a limousine, seemed interested in it.
Actually, wait.
If it was Chaerin, couldn't she just land a single commercial and get one as a gift?
I felt like our Chaerin was gradually reaching another level entirely.
"The karaoke is over there! Let's go!"
Just then, Chaerin spotted a coin karaoke lounge and shouted.
Out of the four of us, Chaerin had the most active personality.
Naturally, she took the lead.
"Are we going there?"
"Shall we?"
But for some reason, Yeonhwa and Seo Harin looked at me, seeking confirmation and agreement.
Even Chaerin didn't seem to have any objections and waited for my answer.
Guys, why are you doing this?
It's putting pressure on me.
But if I didn't answer, none of the three would move.
"L-Let's go!"
In the end, I had no choice but to swallow my tears and answer.
And sure enough, as soon as I spoke, the girls started moving.
On the way to the karaoke building, people on the street stopped and glanced in our direction.
A group of middle school girls walking together wasn't anything special, but...
"Who were those four just now?"
"Are they trainees or something?"
Chaerin was a given, but Yeonhwa and Seo Harin were also classic beauties with an elegant aura.
And me...
...Well, I was pretty cute.
Whenever I looked in the mirror, I could see myself looking more and more like a girl as the days went by.
Even though I was still young, I sometimes found myself staring blankly into the mirror without realizing it.
...Now is not the time to talk about looks. Get a grip.
A group of middle school girls.
I was the only adult here.
If so, it was my duty to take responsibility as their guardian.
I had to keep a close eye on them so they wouldn't get mixed up with the wrong crowd.
"Did you see the one in the middle?"
"She must have come out to play with her older sisters. So cute."
Wait, are you talking about me by any chance?
I looked back, but I couldn't bring myself to ask.
I-I'm the oldest one here.
My birthday is even January 8th.
This is all because of my height.
As I was feeling gloomy, Seo Harin spoke up quietly.
"Miss Yoo Chaerin, wouldn't it be better for you to cover your face when you walk around normally?"
"Why are you picking a fight again?"
It seemed Chaerin assumed anything out of Seo Harin's mouth was a provocation.
However, Seo Harin, true to her strong-willed nature, didn't even blink as she replied.
"You are a celebrity. You stand out whether you want to or not. Even if it's relatively quiet now, the number of people who recognize you will only grow as you perform more active duties."
Seo Harin turned her cold eyes toward me.
"And accordingly, those eyes will also turn to the people around you. Today alone, Miss Ha Yuna was hounded by her classmates."
Hearing those words, Chaerin's eyes widened as she whipped around to look at me.
"It's true."
Yeonhwa chimed in as well. She was the one who had helped me when I was surrounded by the kids.
"Inside the school, Yeonhwa or I can handle it. But outside, it's a different story."
Seo Harin subtly pointed to the gazes gathering around us.
"Your best friend, Miss Ha Yuna, could also draw unwanted attention and suffer because of it."
Chaerin's eyes wavered.
What Seo Harin said was something even I couldn't refute.
As Chaerin became more famous, eyes would naturally turn to me, her best friend.
Sometimes, people might approach me just to use Chaerin.
But in the midst of that conversation, I grabbed Chaerin's hand, responding to the anxiety in her eyes.
"It's fine. I just have to become a Hunter as famous as you, Chaerin."
If I had cared about things like that, I would have distanced myself from Chaerin from the very beginning.
But I had absolutely no intention of doing that.
I protect my best friend.
"So, we'll be equal, right?"
Chaerin was ahead of me right now, but I would definitely catch up.
When I smiled brightly, Chaerin smiled along and hugged me tightly.
"Yeah! Yuna, you're going to be an even more amazing Hunter than me!"
Becoming a more amazing Hunter than an S-rank seemed like it would be incredibly hard, though.
Still, it was a relief that Chaerin didn't look anxious anymore.
"But since you aren't yet, we should buy a hat. You made a good point."
And just like that, Seo Harin was acknowledged.
Seo Harin didn't seem to care as long as I was fine.
At the same time, the two of them suddenly whispered to each other.
"And in the meantime, if anyone tries to harm Yuna..."
"Yes, we will quietly take care of them."
Guys, please don't say scary things with me standing right between you.
Yeonhwa simply turned her gaze away from the three of us in silence.
After many twists and turns, we arrived at the karaoke lounge.
Maybe because Chaerin loved going to karaoke so much, I had also learned quite a few of the latest songs.
I wasn't particularly good at singing, but having lived a past life as a man, singing female songs in a female voice was surprisingly fun.
And my throat got hoarse less easily as a girl than as a guy.
I was a complete novice at singing, so it might just be my imagination, but that was how it felt.
"This is my first time in a place like this. What should I do? Is there some kind of etiquette?"
Meanwhile, Yeonhwa looked around flusteredly.
Yeonhwa really was a sheltered young lady to the core.
"Yeonhwa, is there a song you usually like?"
While Chaerin was already putting in a song and singing excitedly, I picked up the karaoke remote to help Yeonhwa. Yeonhwa fell into deep thought.
"...Niccolò Paganini?"
What kind of spell was that?
"I'll show you a few things. If there's a song you know or want to sing among these, just tell me."
"Okay."
Yeonhwa stared intently at the screen I was navigating.
She reacted occasionally when she recognized a song, but when I told her to sing it, she hesitated. It was understandable since it was her first time at a karaoke place.
I waited patiently.
Anyway, Chaerin was entering numbers and queuing up songs endlessly.
Usually, Chaerin would put in a bunch of songs she wanted to sing, and if I found something I wanted to sing, I would just reserve it next, so I was used to it.
"Ah, if it's this one..."
Just then, Yeonhwa found a song she liked.
It was a musical piece for a mother and daughter.
"It's a musical I like. The actors were also very nice people."
Naturally, the fact that she personally knew the actors wasn't even surprising anymore.
"Then let's go with this!"
As soon as I entered the song, Chaerin's song ended.
Yeonhwa stood up, holding the microphone with a slightly nervous expression.
Then, with perfect posture, she held the microphone with both hands and began to sing the first verse.
And soon, we were all astonished.
It was an incredibly sorrowful and beautiful voice.
She sang so well that we could feel the emotion in every single lyric. It was on a level that couldn't even be compared to Chaerin, who was just slightly better than average.
As Yeonhwa sang the last verse and caught her breath, I quickly raised my hands and clapped.
"Yeonhwa, what was that? You're amazing!"
It was my first time in my life hearing someone sing so well in person.
"You've got skills."
Even Chaerin readily admitted it this time.
This far exceeded the level of an amateur.
"Ah, I was in a choir when I was young. Thank you."
Yeonhwa bowed her head in embarrassment. The tips of her ears were bright red, showing how shy she was.
How did such a gentle girl end up becoming the 'Jealousy' of Axion?
It made me realize once again how cruel people's words could be.
"Then, next is..."
At that moment, an ear-splitting guitar riff poured down like a torrential rain.
I turned my head, and there was Seo Harin holding the microphone.
The registered song was heavy metal.
Like a beast howling while chewing on shards of iron, Seo Harin let out a wild, sharp roar.
I realized what it felt like to be completely overwhelmed.
After pouring everything out, Seo Harin raised her head with a refreshed face.
"This is what real singing is."
She didn't care at all about Yeonhwa's singing skills and just sang her own song. At least I could see why Seo Harin became the 'Pride' of Axion.
After that, we kept singing.
Maybe because we sang our hearts out, everyone felt a bit closer than before.
As expected, there was nothing like playing together to get close.
After leaving the karaoke lounge, we went to take photo booth pictures.
Perhaps because they were all girls at heart, they didn't dislike taking photos.
"The camera seems insufficient to capture my essence."
Setting aside the consistent Seo Harin, we gathered our faces in front of the small camera and took the photos.
"Hey, it's no fun if we just do this."
Then, Chaerin stepped up and started putting various digital stickers on our faces. It was the skill of an experienced veteran.
After receiving the photo printed with all sorts of things stuck on it, Yeonhwa stared blankly at it.
"Why? You don't like the photo?"
"Ah, it's not that."
At my question, Yeonhwa looked at the photo and smiled softly.
"It's just my first time taking something like this."
It was the first time Yeonhwa had experienced the joy of being among friends.
I didn't know what kind of family the Hwaseong Group was, but I could tell their way of raising a child was wrong.
"There's so much more to do besides this."
Living as a girl, I realized there were really a lot of ways girls played. With a mountain of things left to do, it was too early to be satisfied with just this.
As I was resting in a corner, slightly exhausted from keeping up with Chaerin's endless stamina...
"Excuse me!"
A voice echoed in my ears.
I turned my head to see what it was, and a boy in a school uniform was standing there.
I guess I really had to look up at all the boys my age now.
Looking at his uniform, he seemed to be a middle school student from another school. Moreover, his face was trembling with extreme nervousness.
As I showed my confusion, he spoke up carefully.
"Um, I really like you, so could I get your number?"
"Oh."
Ah, I see.
"Whose number are you asking for?"
Hang in there, boy. Your courage is commendable, so I'll at least ask.
As I pointed to the three of them and asked, the boy flinched and asked hesitantly.
"Um, y-yours..."
Huh?
As I stood there with a blank face, Chaerin appeared from behind.
"Hey."
She glared at the boy with a deeply scowling face.
"Do you have business with our Yuna?"
As Chaerin pressured him, the boy flinched and shrank back.
You really know how to intimidate people like a future delinquent boss, Chaerin.
"If not, get lost."
"Y-Yes."
Unable to withstand Chaerin's pressure, the middle school boy eventually ran away.
I was flustered because I didn't expect someone to ask for my number, but seeing him like that, I felt a bit sorry for him because it looked like he wouldn't be able to ask for anyone's number in the future.
"Yuna, if guys like that approach you, you have to push them away immediately. You shouldn't just stand there blankly."
Meanwhile, Chaerin came up to me and left a warning.
"Because guys like that will keep bothering you if you give them any hope!"
Chaerin, who are you talking to? I probably know the minds of men better than anyone else here.
"Honestly, I worry when Yuna is left alone."
But Chaerin thought differently. Furthermore, Seo Harin and Yeonhwa behind her had the exact same look on their faces.
Why?
I could only feel deeply wronged!
Hoping for the day I could finally show off my mature, older-brother energy...
"O-Okay."
I had no choice but to quietly agree.