Chapter 82
Chapter 82
I wasn't the only one in that bed this time, either.
I didn't know how long she'd be staying, but So-hee's bed had already arrived. My bed had a desk and table beside it, so luckily it couldn't be placed right next to mine. Instead, it ended up not too far away—diagonally to the left of the foot of my bed.
It was right next to the door, but that didn't seem like a big issue since so few people came in and out of this room anyway. And as a spot for So-hee, one of the people who would be using that door, it was pretty well suited. Not that I'd given any specific instructions. Yang Hye-in probably arranged it that way.
"This is unfair."
So-hee, sitting cross-legged on her new bed, clearly didn't see it that way.
Her claim that she only wore a top to sleep was half true, half false. She was wearing an extremely oversized t-shirt. The neckline had stretched out and drooped to one side, hanging well past her hair, giving her a look that could've graced the cover of a certain magazine I used to see in the military, the one with the same name as those instant coffee mixes.
But the "wearing nothing else" part only applied to the outer appearance. Underneath, she actually had on short dolphin shorts. Standing up, the baggy t-shirt made it look like she was wearing it as a dress, but she wasn't actually going around in just the shirt.
Still, thank god she wasn't really walking around bottomless. If she were, the maid who's supposed to make my life easier would've ended up making me uncomfortable instead.
"What do you mean, unfair?"
"Why are you two sleeping together?"
She had a point.
So-hee had a bed, but obviously there wasn't one for Su-a.
The interior had been designed without assuming any guests would come, and it seemed like no one had ever imagined someone would sleep over. Although, the fact that my own bed was notably oversized did make me suspect the chairwoman had some shady thoughts in mind.
I glanced over at Su-a, who was sitting beside me hugging her knees.
Yang Hye-in, ever capable, had bought not just underwear but also clothes Lee Su-a could wear. Nothing fancy, just a t-shirt and lounge pants, but the fact that she'd managed to eyeball a roughly correct size showed she had a decent eye.
At least this sleep outfit was far less embarrassing than last time.
"...Well, there's no space. We can't exactly make a guest sleep on the floor."
The sleeping bag So-hee had brought was still in the closet. It was unlikely, but if this room ever had so many visitors that the beds overflowed, we'd have to pull it out... but that probably wouldn't happen.
"Tch..."
She'd brought the sleeping bag fully prepared to sleep on the floor herself, but her conscience apparently wouldn't let her argue back and force Su-a down there.
"I'm fine with it."
Su-a cut into the conversation.
"If it's awkward, I'll go sleep on the floor. I'm the one who showed up uninvited without permission."
At Su-a's words, So-hee shifted restlessly, looking uncomfortable.
"No, that's not what I meant..."
Her voice trailed off.
"As long as you're here like this, it's because I gave permission, so you don't need to worry too much. You can stay until you can make up with your family."
At my words, Su-a gave me a bright smile. With her hair down, she looked completely different from usual. She'd already had a calmer impression than in the game, but with her hair loose like this, even the remaining lively image vanished entirely, replaced by pure, quiet elegance.
Textbook dating-sim heroine.
"..."
So-hee pouted, apparently at a loss for words. Yeah, I probably wouldn't be able to talk casually to someone with that kind of atmosphere either.
"Then why don't you just sleep in this bed?"
"Isn't that bed a bit small for two people?"
The bed I used was abnormally large, but So-hee's was just a standard single. If two people lay down on it, the situation would be only slightly roomier than back when the four of us squeezed onto this bed. It would definitely be horribly cramped.
"No, no."
So-hee shook her head.
"I meant the guest sleeps here, and I'll sleep over there. A guest's here—shouldn't I give up one of the beds? Isn't that my duty as a maid?"
Was that a duty?
Well, I wasn't a maid, and sure, if space were really short a maid might give up her spot, but why bother when there was already room to spare?
And by that logic, she'd be inconveniencing me, her master.
Besides, two people on this bed would actually have more space each than one person alone on that one. It was just that big.
"Do we really need to split hairs like that? It's not like anyone here is higher or lower than anyone else. Let's just sleep wherever there's room."
When I said that, So-hee stuck out her lip again.
Even with that expression on So-hee, who was taller than me, I still found it a little cute. Guess she really was a dating-sim heroine too.
In the end, the three of us decided to sleep right where we were that night. We were too tired to switch spots and debate it. It was getting late anyway.
If we wanted to debate, well, we could always do it tomorrow at school. Starting tomorrow, So-hee would be commuting with us to the same school.
...And when I woke up, for some reason I was sandwiched between So-hee and Su-a on both sides.
Seriously, what the hell.
*
"So you're saying you got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, got confused, and just climbed into my bed?"
When I asked So-hee that in the car on the way to school after hearing the story, she replied,
"That's right... ma'am? It was dark and I thought it was my bed. I'm really very sorry."
"..."
She'd started answering casually without a second thought, but after a quick glance at the driver and Yang Hye-in in the passenger seat, So-hee hurriedly switched to formal speech.
"If I happened to be rude, I'll be careful not to do it again next time."
It seemed she was at least trying to use what Yang Hye-in had taught her, adding that in a polite tone.
"..."
I narrowed my eyes and looked at So-hee, but she just lifted her bowed head and grinned at me.
...What's the point of saying anything.
Well, aside from being a bit uncomfortable when I woke up in the morning, it wasn't a big deal. If it had been a guy, I would've freaked out and bolted right out of there, but... the ones on either side were girls, so whatever.
When I turned my head the other way, my eyes met Su-a's. She gave me a soft smile. Uh... I had no idea what to say to her either, so I just smiled back. A totally unnatural, awkward smile, but still.
While we were having that pointless conversation, the car came to a stop.
Before Yang Hye-in could open the door, So-hee quickly opened it herself and bolted out. It was a miracle she didn't trip.
"Young lady, we've arrived."
Holding the door she'd just exited from, So-hee said that to me.
"..."
I shifted my gaze and met Yang Hye-in's eyes. She gave me a slight nod, then opened her own door and stepped out.
Without a word, I got out on the side So-hee was holding.
"Opening the door on the left side can be dangerous—a car could come. This is private property, so the sidewalk and road aren't clearly separated here, but please be careful from now on."
Watching the scene, Yang Hye-in spoke to So-hee.
"Ah, yes, understood."
So-hee answered right away.
They'd only spent one day together, and already a proper senior-junior dynamic seemed to have settled in. Well, no harm in them getting along.
Anyway, I got out of the car and looked toward the school gate, and my eyes immediately locked with Ha-neul.
She must have been waiting for me at the gate like always.
"..."
Ah, right.
I forgot to tell her.
I turned around a little stiffly. There they were: So-hee in her Hwayeong High School uniform, and Su-a wearing her uniform with the torn parts hastily patched up just enough to get by.
When I turned back, Ha-neul's face had gone a little rigid.
Uh...
How am I supposed to explain this.
For a moment, it felt like the temperature around us had dropped several degrees.
*
"...So, you're saying."
In the classroom, after I'd somehow relayed everything that happened yesterday, Ha-neul rubbed her face.
"So-hee's a maid now, so fine, I'll accept that. But Su-a's just outright left home...?"
I could see the kids around us perking their ears in this direction. But that wasn't really our concern. They'd all already seen us get out of the same car together this morning anyway. If it were once, maybe not, but this was the second time. To anyone watching, it could only look like I was periodically dragging people home to sleep over.
And on top of that, I'd turned one of those sleepover members into my personal maid, and the other had run away from home and holed up at my place. You couldn't ask for better gossip material.
Yeah, if I'm going to play the attention-seeker, rumors like this are exactly what I need.
That way, the people around me won't be able to take their eyes off me.
But...
I glanced toward the window. Above the classroom window, a blue tendril poked up like an antenna.
...The Disciplinary Committee member's hair.
When we'd met last time, I'd been too overwhelmed by her intense presence to notice it, but with just the top of her head visible like this, it was impossible to ignore. Was that what they called an idiot hair? If she'd been a character you could pursue in a game, she'd definitely be the slightly dim but cute type.
I could overlook the hiding, but... every single kid walking by glanced at where the Disciplinary Committee member was crouched, amplifying her presence even more.
"...Pretty much."
I finally tore my eyes away from the Disciplinary Committee member's overwhelming presence and looked back at Ha-neul. She pressed the bridge of her nose with her finger.
"...If a runaway shows up, you're supposed to talk some sense into her and send her back."
That was the right thing to say.
But she should've seen Su-a's face. You know how when a stray cat follows you inside, you know you should put it back out, but you just can't bring yourself to do it? It was like that. Sure, Su-a's not a cat—she's a person. Maybe that's exactly why it felt even more that way.
I averted my gaze slightly to the side. Ha-neul let out a deep sigh.