Dodgeball and a Taste of Normalcy
Fifth period after lunch was PE—dodgeball, of all things.
The entire Class 1-3, including me, changed into our gym uniforms and headed out to the field.
Running right after eating? The schedule had zero consideration for our stomachs.
Meanwhile, Hyun-jik was already fuming the moment we got to the field.
"Ugh, damn it! Seriously!! Why does this school start PE with dodgeball every time!? Why is it always pair dodgeball, pair sit-ups, pair long jumps, pair bungee jumps—nothing else?! Why'd you suddenly start screwing me over since last October?! I came to high school to play soccer!!!"
"Don't be so down, Kim Hyun-jik. There's pair soccer too, at least."
"Gaaahhh!!!"
At Seon-ha's words, Hyun-jik clutched his head and wailed.
"Yeon-woo?"
Seon-ha called out to me, hands behind her back. She was in the black-and-white winter gym uniform, her usual curves even more pronounced. It was eye candy in a different way from her neat school uniform. Her black hair was tied back with a single band, exposing her sleek neckline refreshingly.
"......Doesn't it embarrass you to talk about yourself like that?"
"It's just the truth. But why are you already panting, Yeon-woo?"
"There's a reason."
"Tell me. Or Seon-ha will tickle you until you do?"
She wiggled her fingers like a ghost, all cute and menacing.
"Some girl chased me with a meat skewer... Had to shake her off."
"A meat skewer? What a naughty girl. Should Seon-ha scold her for you?"
It started because of you. You.
......
Should I seriously ask her for help, just once?
Ban Gyu-ri had piled up grudges all the way back to the carrot candy incident. She seemed dead set on killing me for real.
Favorability or whatever, there was no angle for us to get friendly.
Now, even if I were dangling off a cliff, she wouldn't save me. Hell, she'd whack my fingers with that skewer to make me fall.
Sacrifice one heroine and ask Seon-ha for backup?
It felt weird, like borrowing a missile from Kim Jong-un or something.
"......How exactly would you scold Ban Gyu-ri...?"
"Talk some sense into her, I guess."
"Doubt that'll work. She's got a temper like no other."
"Then I'll declare a mobilization order. Summon the reserves nearby."
"I'll handle it myself. Somehow."
Calling out the army just to scold one high school girl?
'...The army, huh...'
Maybe it was a blessing I hadn't transmigrated post-discharge.
Honestly, I'd planned to enlist quietly in the arms of the fatherland if I failed to conquer Seon-ha by then. My little sister had thrown a fit about enlisting with her big bro and started digging up NCO recruitment info...
-Tap, tap, tap.
A woman in gym clothes with a whistle around her neck came down the platform stairs.
She clapped her hands, drawing the attention of us rowdy kids scattered everywhere.
"Alright~ Class 3. Everyone gather here."
The PE teacher was a tall woman with a big chest—
-Zzt.
The PE teacher was a woman.
"We're pairing up for dodgeball now. The method is..."
Draw lots, obviously.
"Drawing lots."
Consistent since last October.
Me and Seon-ha had been "coincidentally" partners 31 times in a row.
No matter how I struggled, it was rigged to pair me with her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have suffered through 31 PE classes.
-Oh my, Yeon-woo. Are you lifting your upper body again just to see Seon-ha's face...?
-Lee Yeon-woo Pair Sit-Up: 1 rep.
Hmm.
Truth be told, watching Seon-ha physically dodge even the carrot candy had broken my spirit a bit.
In games, there's no fun if the opponent is too strong.
What couldn't she do if she set her mind to it? If this field split in half right now and an Eva unit popped out, she'd be the only pilot.
And so, it was my turn. I reached into the box for my 32nd Seon-ha...
"Hey. Us again."
"?"
No way. My partner was Kim Jin-ah.
...Seon-ha gave a wry smile of disappointment and stuck out her tongue.
"...Tch, guess luck alone isn't enough..."
She scratched her head with an innocent look.
What the hell.
I'd been bracing for some sticky contact play.
...
Why wasn't I paired with Seon-ha?
Seon-ha approached my partner, arms crossed, index finger raised as she recited warnings.
-Listen up. Don't pretend to dodge the ball and touch Yeon-woo. Hiding behind him is fine since it's pair dodgeball. But no grabbing his clothes. If your fingerprints show up on his gym uniform later, it won't end well for you.
After schooling Kim Jin-ah, Seon-ha hopped over to the other court.
She was on the enemy team.
Her steps halted as she caught my dazed stare.
"...What? Is it that surprising?"
Yeah.
...
"......Sometimes... this kind of thing is nice too, right? Just... normally. Like regular students."
-Whish.
A spring breeze blew in. A few loose strands of her tied hair fluttered.
...
Seon-ha, uncharacteristically normal.
"...Ugh..."
Unable to bear my stunned gaze, her lips quivered.
"......Fine, whatever... Just let it slide this once... You're getting more suspicious by the day."
"..."
"Making me say stuff like this..."
Her hands clasped together below her navel in a plea.
"......You said you were tired from all that running earlier."
True, I'd been exhausted from sprinting all lunch hour.
"......Ah, whatever. Just relax and have fun this period... Really, nothing's up, so don't worry about anything else... B-but since we're on opposing teams, I won't go easy in dodgeball! Ah, bye...!"
She bolted off in a fluster.
*
What a load of crap.
Pretending to be some spunky rom-com heroine spilling her guts? Like telling a cat the fish shop's door code.
...
But really, nothing happened.
Paired with some freckled guy whose name I didn't know, Seon-ha diligently dodged balls, her hair bouncing.
Sometimes laughing, sometimes squealing "Eek!"
She ignored me completely, focused solely on the game.
...
Is there seriously nothing?
'Am I just imagining things?'
That's when a ball flew at me while I stood there spacing out, hogging space.
-Whoosh.
"Ack!" "Ah."
Damn, my body dodged on instinct.
Forgot it was pair dodgeball.
Turning back, Kim Jin-ah grinned sheepishly—she'd been hit.
"Sorry. I should've blocked it."
"Nah, my bad dodge."
Per pair dodgeball rules, the eliminated girl headed to the sidelines, and I went behind the enemy lines.
...
Seon-ha didn't even notice I'd "died," just watching balls fly back and forth.
'She's really into it.'
Her feet danced busily. ...Come to think of it, she was student council president back in middle school.
The polar opposite of my half-assed, go-with-the-flow type.
...
'...Yeah. Paranoia needs fuel to build.'
As long as she wasn't rubbing up against me as partners... there was nothing suspicious about dodgeball.
And...
The former student council president, panting and beaming innocently as she ran... didn't seem to care about favorability or any of that.
...At least not right now.
'...'
Seon-ha was still a teenage girl, after all.
-Sometimes... this kind of thing is nice too, right? Just... normally. Like regular students.
Sure, even she wanted to sweat it out normally sometimes, laughing with everyone.
The whistle blew.
-Last one standing!
The game, flowing our team's way from the start, was nearing its end.
Without Seon-ha's near-superhuman dodges, it would've ended ages ago.
And even that mastery reached its limit.
"Oh!"
Seon-ha's feet tangled dodging a ball in her own territory.
The pass ball from our team happened to land in my hands.
'Throw and end it.'
I reared back my arm.
Seon-ha instantly prepped to dodge. Too late.
'...Game over...'
...
Her sweat-and-dirt-streaked clothes caught my eye.
-Thwack!
...
"Ah......"
Too much power.
The ball sailed far, rolling right out the school gate.
"Argh! Lee Yeon-woo! You gonna miss that!?"
Hyun-jik, on the same team across the court, yelled.
"Sorry. I'll grab it."
Apologizing to my teammates, I headed out the gate for the ball.
Made Jin-ah die earlier too... I was trolling hard today.
-Step, step, step.
'...'
It was right there. Why'd I miss?
*
The ball had rolled to the road.
More precisely, it was crushed under a car tire, burst open.
Inside the ruptured ball: pansies, stuffed full.
"..."
-Since we're on opposing teams, I won't go easy.
Yeah. Fits right in.
*
I reported the ball was busted.
The teacher fetched a new one.
With the new ball, Seon-ha's expression shifted.
She snatched her partner's ball.
-Move. Watching from the side is frustrating.
She took over throwing—and obliterated our team with ferocious momentum, securing victory.