School Festival #5
School Festival #5
Touched.
I am radically, profoundly touched.
That picky, violent Yu-ri stayed up all night practicing her dance for the festival! Seeing her commit this hard, I, as a superhuman singing artist, am—no kidding—radically, profoundly touched.
This is what a festival does.
The warmth of the festival has melted Yu-ri's frozen heart.
"Oh my god, Yu-ri! What's wrong with you! Don't tell me you practiced dancing all night!"
So I ran over, exaggeratedly swinging my hips side to side and making an obnoxious praising fuss, and Yu-ri fixed me with sunken eyes.
Huh?
"Wh-What? Yu-ri? What's wrong?"
"..."
Seriously sunken eyes.
She's got dark circles under them, too.
"You've got dark circles... Don't tell me you seriously practiced dancing that hard? I can't believe this. You're the real artist, you know. A true artist."
To think you practiced this seriously... Thumbs up. I'm honestly so proud. Can't wait to see what dance moves she pulls out.
—thump.
But even though I clapped her shoulder to encourage her, Yu-ri was quiet.
Why no reaction.
"Yu-ri?"
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Prepare to die."
"Excuse me?"
"You're dead."
Huh?
"Wh-What am I dead about?"
After dropping that line, Yu-ri went back to her seat and slammed her forehead onto the desk.
"..."
What the hell?
What was that cold, terrifying voice just now? I felt like prey. A frighteningly menacing voice crushed my morale in an instant.
"No, why, though?"
Dead? Why the hell am I dead?
A chill ran through me—an enormous sense of dread.
"Yu-ri? Don't tell me... you're royally pissed off because you were tired after staying up all night to practice dancing because of me?"
"..."
"Please tell me no! I'm way too scared!"
"Noisy."
"Yep."
I am a dead man.
I don't even know what's going on, just please spare me...!
Right now I absolutely cannot get a read on Yu-ri's mood! The festival that's supposed to be fun is turning into a horror show. As I returned to my seat trembling like that, Instructor Lee So-ra came in.
"Good morning, everyone. As you know, today is the festival. Do your best at what you've signed up for. And watch the other cadets' performances and enjoy yourselves. Those of you whose family or acquaintances are coming, I hope you show them something impressive. Dismissed."
Businesslike as ever. But she's someone who thinks about her students more than anyone else.
Family and acquaintances, though.
"Ah, by the way, Instructor?"
"Do you have a question?"
"In the end, are you going to participate in the talent sh—"
"Kim Geun-cheol, step forward."
"Gahk!"
"Why exactly do you keep trying to push this instructor onto the stage?"
"No, that's not what I meant! Instructor Lee So-ra, you're basically known on the internet as a kind of superhuman idol—"
"Step forward!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Tch."
I immediately dropped my head and rubbed my hands together like a fly, and the instructor looked away from me.
Thought I was going to die of fright.
I mean, this isn't even a joke. Instructor Lee So-ra is practically treated like an idol online.
Sure, there's debate about her age since her official profile isn't out, but judging from the reactions I saw when we went to the store last time, she's definitely idol material.
Shame, I wanted to see it.
The idol's dancing and singing.
"All right then. It's about time. Assemble at the parade ground."
"Yes, ma'am."
I heard that in the morning, each grade's students hold skill demonstrations and a light superhuman athletics meet on the parade ground.
Literally a time to show off your power.
"Let's head out then, Kim Geun-cheol."
"Yeah, let's. No, wait, Leona. Can you do something about Yu-ri?"
"Woo Yu-ri... I suppose she really did practice hard."
"She's trying to kill me!"
"Well, who told you to get her to sign up?"
Anyway.
I headed straight out to the parade ground with my friends. But Yu-ri's gaze as she follows behind me is seriously getting to me. Her eyes look like she's genuinely going to eat me alive.
We went over to our spot and stood.
—murmur murmur.
There's an all-around buzz. Over there, other grades are assembling. The Mage Class kids are gathered by that side, too.
And the outside guests have already taken their seats.
"There's some time before it starts, so you may go see your acquaintances. Be back to watch at the exact time. Well, it's a festival, so it's pretty free and easy—if you don't want to watch, you can go off to some quiet spot and take a nap. But still."
Extremely free and easy.
"It'd still be better to watch if you can. It's a chance to see the other cadets' abilities. Dismissed."
Leaving those words, the instructor walked over toward the school officials over there.
Right, then.
Shall I get moving myself?
"Si-hoo, let's hit the snack bar for a minute. Gonna be spectating a whole lot, so we need something to chew on."
Without something to chew on, uninvited guests might show up.
"Sure. Let's."
"Leona, Yu-ri! Come on with us!"
"Yes. Sounds good."
"..."
I stood up with my friends and we were just about to head over to the snack bar when.
"Geun-cheol?"
A woman's voice called me from behind. Hold on. The owner of this mature voice is... At that moment.
—sliiink.
A woman's arm wrapped around my shoulder.
"Ryu? Ryu A-ra?"
"Heh heh heh, hi. Enjoy the chicken?"
Tight jeans, a white dress shirt, and black sunglasses. Ryuna, in casual clothes, threw an arm around my shoulder and smiled.
—waft.
At the same time, a sudden burst of citrus fragrance.
"Ah, yes. Of course I enjoyed it... Uh, thank you."
But this woman throwing her arm around me out of nowhere... when a tall, older, beautiful woman approaches you this way, every muscle in your body instinctively tenses up.
And that sky-blue hair and her characteristic unreadable smile. Having a face like that right next to me is immensely flustering.
"Heh heh heh, what's there to thank me for? If anything, I'm the one who's more grateful to you, Geun-cheol. Thank you. For taking good care of my little brother. Sounds like something good came of it this time thanks to you, too, hm?"
"Oh, what do you mean taking care of him. That's just what friends do... Well, getting him into the festival was pretty funny, I'll admit. Heh heh heh."
"Oh, was it?"
By the way, when exactly is Ryuna gonna take her arm off my shoulder.
Just as sweat was about to trickle down.
"Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Hey!"
Leona and Yu-ri came charging over!
—sliiink.
At the same time, Ryuna released my shoulder.
"You are... Ryu Cheon-hwi's older sister, correct?"
"Oh my, yeah, that's right. I'm Ryu A-ra. The young lady of the Kainus family, I take it?"
Ryuna looked at Leona and gave a grin.
It's a pretty smile that's impossible to read, with a power that instinctively makes people hesitate, but Leona didn't shrink back at all.
She really is a noble, I guess.
"That's right. Leona Kainus. That's my name. But... are you and Kim Geun-cheol closely acquainted?"
"I wonder? We do have a close relationship."
"Hurk...!"
To be precise, you could call it the relationship between an intelligence agent and an employer.
As I was thinking that.
—snatch!
Yu-ri grabbed me by the wrist and yanked.
"Yu-ri?"
"Hey, hey...! Who's that older girl! What kind of person is she?"
Then she grilled me urgently.
"She's Ryu's older sister."
"I know that, you jackass! What are you two that she's suddenly getting all touchy-feely!"
So that's what startled her.
But it startled me, too!
"No, hey! That's—that startled me, too! She just suddenly did that...!"
It was way too sudden, so I got flustered, too, I'm telling you.
"Bullshit. You think she'd just do that out of nowhere? What are you two. Tell me. Fast."
What do you mean what are we!
"I'm telling you it's not true. You know. She's Ryu's older sister. Didn't you hear about it last time?"
I definitely talked about it when I ended up joining the Ryu family trip.
"Heh? This bastard's acting suspicious? Something happened there, didn't it?"
"No! How is that suspicious! You couldn't even keep your eyes open a second ago and now you're suddenly talking nonsense!"
"Grr! Don't change the subject!"
"Oh my god, I'm being framed!"
I feel like clutching my chest and screaming!
While I was muttering frantically with Yu-ri, keeping our voices down, Leona came over.
"Kim Geun-cheol?"
"Oh, Leona."
"The older sister of Ryu Cheon-hwi, with whom you have a 'close relationship,' has gone off that way."
But Leona narrowed her eyes and said this!
"No, hey! It's not close! I told you! Like I said last time, I just did a little intelligence work for her!"
"Then how do you get that physically close so casually?! Like this—here! She just walked up and did it!"
—snatch!
Leona suddenly threw her arm around my shoulder and started yelling!
"Hurry up and tell me what's between you two!"
"You're killing me with this injustice!"
No, Ryuna!
Why did you suddenly pull a stunt like that!
"What exactly are you going around doing with an older woman, Kim Geun-cheol!"
"I said no! Just let us go to the snack bar!"
The injustice is unbearable.
So we bought a load of stuff to chew on from the snack bar and took our seats, but even then the suspicion never went away.
"Kim Geun-cheol, this is extremely suspicious! We investigate and this all comes out! So spill it truthfully!"
"Guess I'll have to give him a serious beating before he opens his mouth."
Leona and Yu-ri are standing on either side of me and tormenting me.
"Somebody save me, please! You two! Where in the world will you find another honest guy like me to do this to...!"
I'm telling you, I've got nothing going on with that older woman!
* * *
Of course, I know perfectly well that nothing's going on between them, but I just feel like seizing this chance to give Kim Geun-cheol a good talking-to.
'Seriously, when exactly did Kim Geun-cheol get so friendly with such a cool older woman, anyway? I can never let my guard down with him. Seriously, what a guy.'
As I tease him just like he normally plays nasty pranks on me, his troubled expression is an absolute masterpiece. Watching him be so wrongfully aggrieved is deeply entertaining.
Watching him, Leona thought.
'Ryu A-ra, the older sister of Ryu Cheon-hwi... What's her deal? No, I mean, even if you do have some minor acquaintance, who goes and throws themselves at someone like that normally...! Grrr! Well, it doesn't matter anyway. After he sees my stage performance today, his eyes are definitely going to be fixed on me.'
Even thinking that, she felt like biting down on a handkerchief.
'To think I'd be this tense!'
She saw the whole thing earlier.
When Ryu A-ra draped her arm over his shoulder, Kim Geun-cheol was clearly and visibly rattled.
'Let's just see about that. Because I'm going to show you what being really and truly rattled looks like.'
Feeling her confidence rising, Leona glanced over at Woo Yu-ri beside her.