Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Was it because So-hee had joined us in the same class? Whatever the reason, Ha-neul's behavior had grown far more uninhibited lately.
Physical contact had actually become a little less frequent, but apart from that, her "indifference to her surroundings" seemed to have upgraded to "complete disregard for everything around her."
For example, while So-hee might bang on a desk to get the attention of the kids nearby, Ha-neul had no qualms about snatching someone's chair and planting it in front of me—whether the seat was occupied or not. If someone was already sitting there, she'd casually wedge herself in, drawing disgruntled noises; if it was empty, she'd just take the chair and sit down.
Of course, the proud students of Hwayeong High School didn't take it lying down.
They'd naturally treat me, and So-hee, who'd been exposed as completely beneath me, like invisible presences. But Ha-neul was simply someone incredibly close to me. They didn't feel the need to ignore her; she wasn't treated as nonexistent.
So, naturally—
"Hey."
Looking at Ha-neul, who'd shamelessly taken her chair,
"That's my seat."
She could get angry like that.
The problem was that Ha-neul was in a foul mood herself, and I had no idea what she was so upset about.
"And?"
Ha-neul looked up at the girl who'd spoken, her eyes completely flat, no light in them at all.
......Okay, maybe it was closer to anger than irritation.
......Could she really be this angry because I wasn't studying?
"Wh-What?"
Apparently unaccustomed to that kind of look, the original owner of the seat seemed flustered by Ha-neul's icy response. The kids standing with her were the same.
Originally, everything in this school was decided by money. It wasn't an explicit rule, but a kind of unspoken code. Students with less money couldn't recklessly challenge those with more. Once you got on the wrong side of someone here, that reputation stuck around long after graduation.
Once you actually entered the workforce as an adult, the side with more money had no reason to regret cutting off the side with less. After all, even if they burned a few bridges, plenty of others were already lining up below them.
In that sense, this school was both a place of opportunity and a filter. You could get in line early and cultivate a good image, but a minor mistake could easily destroy those relationships.
By that measure, Ha-neul was at the very bottom of the food chain. No matter how good her grades were, without money she was just someone to be hired. As Yoon Da-ho had told her last time, under normal circumstances, Ha-neul's best bet would have been to act as obliging as possible toward the kids around her, graduate with excellent grades, get into a good university, and use the connections she made here to land a job.
......If I weren't here, that is.
Well, even so, she's the protagonist of a Dating Sim, so once she started dating someone like Yoon Da-ho, no one would be able to look down on her.
Given the current situation, that seems unlikely to happen, so let's not think about it for now. The very thought of Ha-neul dating a guy like him was enough to make my stomach churn.
"I said I need to talk with Sara for a moment. Can't you give up your seat for a bit? If you really want to sit, you can take mine."
She'd brazenly dropped my name. That left the other girl with only one "proper" response: act as though I weren't even there and ask what all the noise was about.
But that was much harder than it sounded.
Because the "nonexistent presence" was looking right up at her with those red eyes. The chaebol herself—raking in trillions of won a year, spending over a billion like pocket change, paying her maid hundreds of millions.
And in the seat beside me sat a maid who stood out at a single glance, even without her uniform. Tall, sharp-featured, clearly used to handling "those kinds of things," and earning hundreds of millions a year from me.
That maid was also looking up at the girl.
......To anyone watching, it was a threat.
"......What the hell."
In the end, the girl's eyes wavered briefly before she fled to the other side of the classroom, toward her... friends? Were they her friends? Anyway, she beat a hasty retreat.
"Don't you think that was a bit too much?"
Well, I knew the original Ye Sa-ra had been treated badly, but the atmosphere felt off. It was like the whole class was watching us, warning each other to stay quiet.
Don't talk to them carelessly. If you happen to cross a line, who knows what might happen to you... The incident that morning had set that kind of mood around the three of us.
I've completely turned into a villainess.
At first, I'd definitely thought I would at least avoid the path of becoming the villainess.
"Who's saying what to whom? Considering everything you've endured until now, this is nothing."
Ha-neul made a very rational remark. Whether they heard it or not, the kids sitting in the seats around us flinched.
Maybe they think I'm going to take revenge.
I would, if necessary.
But for now, I had no intention of dealing with every single one of them. I already had more than enough to worry about, and if I paid attention to all of that, it would be far too exhausting.
......Although, if the original Ye Sa-ra came back and wanted to run wild a bit, I'd help her.
Would I still be here then?
I looked at Ha-neul, sitting across from me.
If the real Ye Sa-ra returned, what would happen to my relationships with these kids? Would she become that vicious villainess from the Original Story again?
Was it even possible for Ye Sa-ra to experience an ordinary and happy week?
......Well, I'll find out when the time comes.
"Then, let's start studying."
Ha-neul declared, apparently satisfied that the surrounding situation had settled down somewhat on its own.
I let out another long sigh.
......At my age, do I really have to study even during break time?
*
"......."
"Uh, s-sorry......."
I had done my best to write down what Ha-neul explained, but her reaction was far from favorable, so I apologized quickly. Yeah. The stuff I'd learned ten years ago was completely useless now. I hadn't been the type to study hard back then either, and naturally, I'd never revisited high school math during college.
So it was inevitable that I couldn't grasp half of what Ha-neul was explaining. I felt intensely embarrassed.
In typical regression stories, there are cases where the protagonist uses memories from their past life to get decent grades, but that seemed impossible for me.
"Oh, no, it's not."
Ha-neul, who'd been glaring at my notebook, waved her hands after I spoke. As if genuinely flustered by my dejected expression, her movements seemed a little hurried.
"The attitude of trying your best at anything is what matters. The results just follow."
Unfortunately, a best-effort attitude doesn't always bring results. Especially with subjects like arts, PE, or math, which clearly demand a particular kind of mind. Some people actually find enjoyment in formulas; I can't fathom what goes through their heads to make writing equations fun.
Well, Ha-neul probably isn't that type. In the Original Story, rather than liking to study, it felt more like she was just diligent and kept at it. Depending on the Choice Options, she might not have studied either.
Before I could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of break.
"Ah, let's put this away for now and continue next break."
"We're continuing......?"
"Of course."
Ha-neul answered as if it were obvious.
"We haven't finished studying yet. But we're only at the early stages, so that's a relief. If we set aside some time after school over the next few days, we should be able to just barely catch up."
But I hadn't retained a single thing from what we just studied......?
"It's fine! Don't worry! If you repeat it over and over, studying's bound to stick in your head!"
So she intended to keep drilling it into me until something actually stuck.
And then Ha-neul's gaze shifted to So-hee, who was sitting next to me.
"......."
So-hee subtly averted her eyes, but
"The same goes for you. Your notebook has absolutely nothing written in it."
Ha-neul planted her hands on her hips.
"And you need to know this stuff even more than Sara does. If Sara doesn't understand something, you should be teaching her from beside her, right?"
"Tch......."
So-hee apparently agreed with that sentiment.
I'm fine, really.
If, following Ha-neul, though that would probably never happen, So-hee also insisted on teaching me, it really would feel like I'd come back to school "for real."
Even if, outside of school, I'd thought I might want to return, facing things like exams I'd thought I'd never see again made it a nauseating prospect all its own.
But looking at Ha-neul's determined eyes, that seemed to be my predetermined future.
......Well, it's true that I'm at school now. Unless some huge event occurs that returns me to my own body, I'll probably have to keep attending until graduation.
I let out a long sigh.
*
"......."
Even after class began, Yu Ha-neul simply could not focus on the lesson.
Only moments ago she'd been telling Sara to concentrate in class and review repeatedly, but now she couldn't pay attention at all, because of what she'd seen in Sara's notebook.
It wasn't because of the content. Well, strictly speaking, maybe the content was part of it. But something else was nagging at her. She wasn't upset that Sara couldn't understand things or was studying half-heartedly. She'd expected that.
The real reason Yu Ha-neul was bothered—was the handwriting in Ye Sa-ra's notebook. The handwriting itself.
Scribbled hastily, as if she'd wanted to write as quickly as possible and be done with it, that sharp handwriting was, at the very least, quite different from the handwriting of the "Sara" that Yu Ha-neul remembered.
Yes, it felt distinctly different from the handwriting in the will that Yang Hye-in had shown her.
...No matter how hastily someone writes, can the feel of their handwriting really differ that much?
Or... could it be?
Yu Ha-neul's hands clenched tightly. She didn't know the reason yet. It was too early to jump to conclusions. But if someone other than Sara had written that will, and with the intention of showing it to her, to Lee Su-a, and to Shin So-hee...
Yu Ha-neul resolved to check that will again as soon as possible.