Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Sports Festival #10
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"Not bad, right?"
"Yeah, we're picking up speed."
"I feel like I'm just running at my normal pace."
By focusing purely on practice without paying too much attention to the stares around us, we managed to achieve some pretty encouraging results.
Basically, I matched Seong Yurin’s tempo since I have decent athleticism, and then Hong Yeonseo synced her steps with mine at the end, allowing the three of us to gradually get the hang of running as a three-person three-legged team.
"Impressive. You three are moving like a single unit."
"This is faster than just running by myself..."
Lee Sea and Lee Soyun, who had been watching, clapped in admiration.
"Syncing your steps with someone else sounds easy, but it's tough in practice. As expected from someone with great athleticism. My eyes never lie."
"Thanks, but... coming from you, it feels a bit off."
Coming from someone whose athleticism no one could match, it boosted my confidence while also making me feel a little deflated.
Of course, Hong Yeonseo hadn't meant it that way.
"What? I was genuinely complimenting you!"
"Yet you synced with me perfectly on the first try."
"Heh. That's because it's me."
She said it with such natural confidence, radiating from every part of her body.
The source of that confidence was undoubtedly the skill she'd honed through talent and effort.
"Let's call it a day. It's about dinnertime anyway, and we all seem to have gotten the feel for it."
We'd been practicing for quite a while, and my stomach was starting to growl, so I suggested wrapping up.
"Mm~ Yeah, I guess so."
She looked a bit disappointed but accepted it readily enough.
The moment I spoke, Seong Yurin untied the rope in an instant and put some distance between us.
She must have been very conscious of the onlookers.
Her face gave off the vibe of someone utterly indifferent and detached, but deep down, she was a total introvert.
Noticing her behavior, I glanced around and sure enough, plenty of people were passing by.
There was even an old man sitting on a bench, watching us with a warm, pleased smile...
And some middle-aged ladies who had been doing light exercise, now observing us like it was a drama with keen interest.
"Dinner before you head out?"
Lee Sea made the suggestion as she approached while we were coiling up the rope.
I was fine with that.
My parents weren't home anyway.
Hong Yeonseo quickly agreed with me.
She didn't want to eat the usual school food every day, and she just had to be back before curfew.
Lee Soyun had already called home ahead of time, and the last holdout, Seong Yurin, made a quick call before joining us for dinner as well.
"Your parents approved so readily. I figured they'd be strict."
Rich families always have that image.
But this girl didn't have any bodyguards or anything, and she seemed to have quite a bit of freedom for outside activities.
"I told them I was with you."
"...Huh?"
"They said okay and hung up."
"Your mom?"
"Yeah."
What?
Did I leave a good impression when I met her last time?
I wasn't sure...
Lee Soyun, peeking out from behind Lee Sea, said the same thing.
"Same here. She approved right away when I said I was eating with Sea and Ijin and friends."
I've visited her mom a lot since middle school...
Plus, after that recent incident, she was grateful for me saving her daughter and sent over a ton of gifts.
You know, the accident where Lee Soyun almost got hit by a car.
It was getting a bit tiresome to think about now, but since I figured it was part of the original story's plotline...
Things probably would've turned out fine even without me.
Still, you never know with these things, so I was glad I was there.
After that, knowing my parents were away for work, Soyun's mom had been sending over lots of side dishes, which had kept us well-fed.
...Not that I'm one to complain since we're the ones benefiting, but her cooking skills seemed a bit lacking.
Anyway, with that, the five of us left the park to grab dinner after a busy day.
We settled on a simple snack bar—nothing fancy.
It was a place we used to visit often as kids, but as we'd grown older, our visits had tapered off.
...Not that being a high schooler makes me that old. Still counts, though.
"My goodness, faces I haven't seen in ages! You've all grown so much! And new friends with you?"
"Hello~"
"It's been a while, ma'am."
We greeted the familiar owner lady, took our seats, and placed a hefty order.
Hong Yeonseo greeted her energetically, while Seong Yurin looked a bit shy, which was kinda funny.
"Five of you, and ordering this much? Must be that growth spurt age, huh?"
"Ah, haha... yeah."
We were definitely at that age where we could eat a ton. ...Especially Hong Yeonseo.
The various snack sets came out quickly, and we dove in with our chopsticks.
Tteokbokki, kimbap, fried goodies, sundae... the classics. Pure, authentic flavors.
Having moved around a lot today, I was starving too, so I dug in heartily.
Seong Yurin seemed like the type to use a side plate and eat neatly, but surprisingly, she chowed down tough-style.
Even with that appearance, she's Korean through and through.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Wednesday flew by.
With the sports festival the next day, there was a ton of prep work, so instead of the crutches-wielding Yoon Jiu, Lee Sea and I got dragged around everywhere as acting vice class president whenever we had free time.
Most of it was just silly errands like picking up flyers to hand out to the class or adjusting seat arrangements—nothing major, which was kinda ridiculous.
Well, you can't expect much from high schoolers in a single day anyway.
The only gripe was that the school was ridiculously huge, so moving around took forever.
"This is such a hassle. Sorry about this."
"What do you have to be sorry for? You didn't assign the tasks, and you're not the one who's hurt."
"Yeah... I guess so. Hehe."
The morning zipped by with all the running around, and the afternoon sports festival practice plus soccer prelims went off without a hitch.
Like yesterday, just syncing with our ace captain after he unleashed his full power led to an easy win in soccer.
I wonder if that guy's stamina holds up. ...Well, he's young, so he's probably full of energy.
The sub player filling in for Yoon Jiu blended into the team pretty well too.
...Actually, if anything, he was a slight upgrade.
The link-ups I'd consciously avoided with Yoon Jiu were now flowing through the sub, adding flexibility to our tactics and more variety to our build-up play.
The opposing captain from today's practice match even came over to say that, unlike last time, I had been the trickiest player today—proof that passes coming my way had noticeably increased.
As a midfielder, I figure it makes sense since my style dictates the passing lanes in build-up.
It had been a hunch until now, but after today, it felt almost certain.
Anyway, enough about soccer.
The busy day ended quickly.
After cleanup and saying bye to the class, I headed to the clubroom.
"How was the hospital visit, underclassman? Is your friend doing okay?"
"Yes, thanks to you. He was on crutches but came to school."
The Club President smiled like it was her own good news.
"Glad to hear it. Hope he recovers soon. Don't hesitate to ask if anything comes up—I've got the authority as president. Hohoho."
She really has a warm heart.
Since the topic came up, I apologized for yesterday.
"Sorry for just notifying you over the phone yesterday without much notice."
"No, no! That was fine. No need to bow."
I thanked the Club President for letting me skip club activities to visit my friend in the hospital.
Club time counts as official class schedule, so skipping without permission is basically early truancy.
That said, it's more flexible than regular class hours, so the president's approval is enough to leave early.
It seems like a rule ripe for abuse, but...
Maybe it's because it's a romcom world or something—works out fine.
"Tomorrow's gonna be chaotic."
"Yeah, won't it be too noisy for the third-years to study?"
"Oh, I heard they're moving classes to the annex near the dorms. Should be quieter there."
Like most high schools, third-years skipped the sports festival for exam prep.
Dawn High was especially big, so they held separate events for first- and second-years.
Even one grade took two days, so combining them would be impossible.
"I'll be rooting for your class to win, underclassman. Fighting!"
"Thank you."
She cheered with a bright smile, hands clasped together.
"...But why aren't the others here?"
"Oh, Suli said she couldn't make it today. Something came up at home."
"Talk about timing. I skipped yesterday."
"Hoho. Should I skip tomorrow?"
"I'm not coming tomorrow anyway..."
"Ah, right."
And so, the two of us chatted idly.
With just us, it felt awkward to work, so we ended up enjoying some tea and talking for a good while—something we hadn't done in ages with the president.
We started with everyday stuff, moved to cosplay, then dove into all sorts of subculture topics.
I hadn't shown that side much before, but since she's my fan, we had plenty to talk about.
If I'd known, I would've chatted with her sooner.
No clue why the vice president and treasurer still hadn't shown up. Maybe something urgent? I let it slide.