School Festival #8
School Festival #8
I moved my legs and hips.
And stared straight at Kim Geun-cheol, who was watching me from over there.
"Heh heh heh."
It worked perfectly.
'Kim Geun-cheol. You're just gaping at me with your mouth hanging open, aren't you?'
Finding a specific target with superhuman vision is nothing. The moment Leona stepped onto the stage, she located Kim Geun-cheol, and she danced while sending him her gaze.
The result: Kim Geun-cheol was staring at her with his mouth open, utterly stupefied.
'Yes! That's how it should be! Who else would you even look at while I'm dancing!'
Even by her own estimation, the dance was perfect.
Seductive choreography. A superhuman body can pull off any dance, no matter how difficult, flawlessly.
Soft movement and flexibility. Balance and the flow of motion. This exotic dance was something she'd seen at a performance in Europe once and rearranged to suit her own taste.
The choreography, the rhythm—she'd handled all of it herself. She never imagined she'd be performing it publicly like this, but watching Kim Geun-cheol's jaw drop was deeply satisfying.
'Well, this kind of opportunity isn't so bad. He's always going on about angels and angels—let's see how he likes this. I'm curious what he'll say afterward.'
Relentlessly.
She danced while staring at Kim Geun-cheol.
Without paying the slightest attention to the other spectators, she looked only at Kim Geun-cheol.
'How do you like it, Kim Geun-cheol! The completely changed me!'
She kept looking him right in the eye. He was concentrating on her just as hard.
The longer that went on, the more Leona seemed somehow excited, riding the rhythm and launching into her choreography with even greater vigor.
'This is Leona Kainus!'
Who knew dancing could be this exhilarating?
'Am I not just too dazzlingly bright to let your eyes wander!'
Leona was dancing with such joy, but there were two things she didn't realize.
One was that her dance was overwhelmingly seductive, and the other was that while dancing like that, she focused entirely on Kim Geun-cheol.
* * *
I could barely feel the passage of time.
In this dark space, only Leona filled my eyes.
Seriously... isn't she dancing way too well? I never imagined she could pull off such a professional-level performance.
I figured she'd get all pumped and do some kind of powerful superhuman dance or something. But that was literally the perfect dancer. An exotic dancer, snaky at that.
—Slither.
Every time Leona's arms and legs moved elegantly, it almost felt like I was being bound.
I'm dead serious. I poured more focus into falling into Leona's dance than I'd ever used dissecting Yu-ri's swordsmanship.
A binding so strong it made me think, if a real snake coiled around my body, it would feel like this.
"...Finished!"
How much time had passed?
"That was an absolutely incredible performance!"
"Huh?"
Leona's stage was over.
"What? It's over? Already?"
When I came to my senses, Leona was gone. She must've already exited the stage, and as that thought reached me, all the strength drained out of my body.
—Slump.
I must've been watching way too tensely. It felt like my body was melting into the chair and collapsing.
"I mean, wow. Seriously, isn't she dancing too well?"
I'd planned to go into one of my usual over-the-top praises when Leona came back, but because a huge impression had been driven right into my heart, I couldn't even begin to figure out how to express it.
Seriously, what am I supposed to say?
Whatever I come up with, it feels like it'll need to be way beyond normal praise... And honestly, that's just the truth. The whole auditorium was erupting in an overwhelming roar of cheers.
"And on top of that."
We kept making eye contact.
She'd danced as if she was showing off specifically for me, and she kept sending glances my way. Did she really want to show me that much...? Thinking about it makes this even harder.
What in the world am I supposed to say to praise her?!
That's the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful dance!
"Grrk!"
I turned my head and looked around, and Mr. Yul-ha-o Bak was covering his mouth with both hands, trembling.
As I clutched my head, the MC was shouting something again.
"Then next... it's Cadet Woo Yu-ri's dance stage!"
"Ah."
That brought me to my senses.
"Right, Yu-ri's turn."
After Leona came Yu-ri's turn. Woo Yu-ri must've practiced like crazy for this. And earlier, she'd even provocatively told me to prepare to die. So what kind of dance is Yu-ri going to show?
A beautiful dance. Leona's movements keep flashing through my mind. I want to stay lost in the afterglow, but I can't now.
Now I have to watch Yu-ri's dance.
"But Yu-ri, after what Leona just did, my standards have shot straight through the roof."
A dance that satisfies these eyes.
Can you really pull it off?
I'll be watching, Woo Yu-ri!
—Fwoosh!
I shook awake the spirit that melted after Leona's dance. Right now, I was the most authoritative dance judge in the world. I was going to strip Yu-ri's dance down piece by piece and hand down the most fitting verdict possible.
Bring it!
—Flash!
Yu-ri stepped onto the stage, and the lights focused on her.
Yu-ri was in her uniform too. The difference from Leona was that Leona wore even the uniform jacket, while Yu-ri was in just her dress shirt.
"Hm."
Her walk was ordinary.
Anyway, Yu-ri took her spot center stage.
"Ah, I'm Woo Yu-ri from the Warrior Class!"
She grabbed the mic and shouted something.
You're going to introduce yourself? I was listening to hear what Yu-ri would say, but right then the backing track started. What? No intro? Looking at her, she's already getting into the rhythm to dance right away.
Anyway, listening to the music, it sounds like an idol dance.
Well now.
It does seem like a good fit for Yu-ri.
"Let's see it."
And so the backing track played.
—Flash!
Yu-ri's idol dance began. Let's see. Leona's every single move was elegant and fluid—literally a seductive dance like that of an exotic dancer from a far-off land.
But Yu-ri...
"Huh?"
—Woah.
I can't.
Look away.
"Ooooooh!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Kyaaaaaa!"
She struck a powerful pose and moved her waist. But the movement of her pelvis was anything but ordinary...! The dance Yu-ri did was a classic sensuous idol dance!
"No way!"
She seriously picked a sexy dance like that?!
Holy crap!
—Flash.
As the idol singer's song played, Yu-ri danced in time. Her moves were so professional you'd believe she was an active dance idol. Especially the waist and pelvis work was no joke—how was she pulling off such an embarrassingly risqué dance so well...!
Could she really reach this level with only a few days of practice? I guess a superhuman really is a superhuman!
—Slip.
And while I was watching, at some point Yu-ri started throwing waves into her hips and staring straight at me.
"Gasp...!"
We actually locked eyes!
I made real eye contact with Yu-ri while she was performing a sexy dance!
—Smirk.
Locking eyes with me, Yu-ri grinned, then rode the wave even more confidently and shook her upper body. And then Yu-ri's chest—the one that had kept drawing my attention—rose up in compliance with the laws of nature and began to sway...!
Seriously, can she really smile while pulling off such a bewitching dance? If Leona bound me with her seductive dance, then Yu-ri stole my gaze with a sensuous, sexy one.
I never expected their dance styles to be this different.
Of course, that just shows how different their personalities are.
—Swish!
Anyway, Yu-ri, who'd been dancing standing up, at some point squatted down and even stretched out on the floor. Seamless movement connections. She'd apparently memorized the whole choreography. And of course, every time the moves changed, thunderous cheers erupted.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
When Leona danced, everyone was so overwhelmed that they focused on the performance in a hushed, absorbed kind of way, but Yu-ri literally drew a crowd response.
This was seriously a dance you'd see on TV.
"Hrk...!"
Honestly, watching this was a bit embarrassing... and on top of that, Yu-ri was looking right at me. So watching her dance while shaking her body all over the place felt incredibly awkward.
But it was still physically impossible to look away.
As expected of Milky.
"That was a truly astonishing performance!!!"
And so Yu-ri's turn ended.
Yu-ri simply left the stage, wearing a satisfied smile.
"Wow."
Just pure admiration.
Because the overwhelming spectacle had shaken my very soul, both my body and heart had completely melted. Becoming something jelly-like and becoming one with the chair wouldn't be so bad.
—...
Maybe because the heat rose to my face, I felt a warmth... No, that sweet, lively Leona could dance such a beguiling dance? It's a complete image reversal.
And while Leona showed a new side of her charm, you could say Yu-ri brought out her own charms even better. She amplified her sexiness.
My face was seriously burning—how was I supposed to deal with this?
"Uuhng...? G-Geun-cheol? Where are you going...?"
"Gonna get some fresh air. And I've got to perform soon too."
"O-Oh, right..."
I immediately stood up and went outside the auditorium. It definitely felt cooler out here. Maybe because it's outside.
"Phew."
I was about to grab a drink from a machine and head back when—
"Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Hey!"
Voices calling me came from behind.
"Gasp!"
It was Leona and Yu-ri!
—Stride stride stride!
The two women approached like martial artists using footwork, stopped in front of me, and grilled me.
"So how was it? My dance?"
"Huh? Leona. This bastard's face is all red. Why's it red? Huh?"
"Hmm? Definitely. His face does look a bit heated. Heh heh, so Kim Geun-cheol? How were the performances?"
Wait.
"No, hey. That's. Just a sec."
"Hey. For the record, from now on you have to say who danced better."
"What?"
"Say right here who did it better."
What?!
"No, hey!"
How am I supposed to judge that here!
If I say you were both great, I feel like I'll get hit, but if I say someone was better, that's a whole other disaster!
"This won't do!"
"Oh! Hey! That bastard's running!"
"No! Kim Geun-cheol?! Don't run awaaay!"
If I get caught here, I'm done for!
I need more time to judge, I tell you...!
"Give me some time! How can I evaluate right after watching such perfect stages!"
For now, run!