Self-Study Seduction and Sham Election
I ended up dozing off right at my desk during self-study, just before the class president election.
“Ughhh!”
Snapping awake from a nightmare, I lifted my head. The classroom. My sweat-soaked uniform shirt was plastered to my skin.
“Did you have a bad dream or something?”
I dodged her hand as she pretended to worry while slyly trying to loop her arm through mine. Seon-ha, who'd sweated just as much as me, looked fresh as if she'd tumbled out of a washing machine. They've got private showers at school, huh.
“You look pale.”
“I'm fine.”
“Was it a dream where Seon-ha dies?”
It was a dream where I married you.
“But... isn't class in session right now? Where's the teacher?”
“Sixth period is self-study. The class rep's jotting down names of anyone who talks.”
“...When did we even pick a class rep...? And doesn't that mean we shouldn't be talking either?”
“We're fine. Oh, and by the way, the current class rep is Seon-ha.”
“Why!?”
“'Cause she's pretty.”
“...”
“Why the silence? If there's a prettier girl than me, go ahead and say it.”
“Feels like she'd vanish if I did...”
“...What kind of scary talk is that? I'm just a normal high school girl.”
“Sure, let's say that's true...”
“Yeon-woo, play with Seon-ha.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It's class time.”
“I'll allow it.”
“Who are you to do that?”
“The class rep. With no teacher here, I rule this classroom.”
“That's abuse of power...”
“If you don't play, I'll have to add Yeon-woo's name to the list of noisemakers.”
“That's blackmail... Do whatever.”
“You sure? The ones listed have to stay for cleanup duty...”
“I'm good.”
“I'll add my own name too. Then we can do cleanup all cozy together...”
“What should we play?”
“20 Questions.”
“...First question: Is it alive?”
“Yes.”
“Correct—Lee Yeon-woo.”
“Right! Yeon-woo's a genius! Your turn to think of one.”
“Nah. You win 20 Questions.”
Scribble scribble... Lee Yeon-woo... Seo Seon-ha...
“I thought of one. What'll it be?”
“Is it alive?”
“No.”
“Pick something else.”
“?”
“Don't like that answer. Make the answer Seon-ha.”
“What's the point of 20 Questions...?”
“Is it alive?”
“Yes.”
Unfortunately.
“Is it smart?”
“Yes.”
“Does it have a very pretty face?”
“Very...? I mean, it's...”
“............”
“Yes.”
“Does it smell nice?”
“Yes.”
“Do you ever want to hug it?”
“No.”
“............”
“......Once every hundred years, maybe.”
“Oh! Do you want to hug it tight and roll around in bed...”
“Just write the name. I'm out.”
“Okay, don't get mad. The answer can only be Seon-ha.”
“Wrong. It's someone else.”
“......Everything's over. I don't want to live in this world anymore. Let's all die. Just.”
“You're right. You're right.”
“I'm happy.”
“Is that half-pulled thing from your bag a bomb?”
“...You're so random... Why would a high school girl carry a bomb...? It's a makeup case.”
“Oh, good.”
“It'd wipe out everything in a 2km radius if it went off, though.”
“It is a bomb!? Where do you even store makeup like that?”
“Yeon-woo, let's go see a movie. Us.”
“I'd like to, but I'm busy that day...”
“Haven't said the day yet. What's a fun movie you've seen, Yeon-woo?”
“...Shawshank... Redemption... Escape...”
“All about escaping.”
“I get really immersed.”
“To the theater. Yeah? I'll get squid jerky and popcorn... and... uh... um... Ah, I'll just buy the whole theater.”
“...You thought of stuff at the theater, got lazy, and decided to buy the place outright, huh?”
“I'm excited. Weekend at the movies...”
“What if I say no?”
“If you refuse, you refuse... I won't force you.”
“Seon-ha's so mature. Then the movie can wait... Fine fine fine fine, I'll go. Put the bomb back in your bag.”
“Not a bomb. Really.”
“Put away the makeup case that blows up 2km.”
“Ahh, this'll be fun... Wish the weekend would hurry up. Should I invent a time machine?”
“...No. Scary that you might actually do it.”
“Then I'll book tickets right now.”
“...Do it.”
“What movie?”
“Whatever... you wanna see... Wait, that's rated R. We can't see it yet.”
“I'll lower the adult viewing age just for that day.”
“Then I'm not going.”
“Huh? Why...”
“I don't like dirty movies.”
“So pure. Too cute.”
“...Seon-ha. Do you know how babies are made?”
“Yeon-woo, Seon-ha knows everything there is to know. Media always portrays chaebol daughters as idiots, right?”
“You do?”
“You have to hold hands while sleeping. Grip tight.”
“Yeah. Let's watch something else. That SF one below looks fun.”
“Okay. Booking this. The one where the protagonist blows up with a robot at the end.”
“Something else.”
“Huh? You said it looked fun...”
“Reason to watch just vanished.”
“......You really want to watch something dirty with Seon-ha after all...?”
“No. Absolutely not. Let's do the horror one next to it.”
“Okay. Booking this. The twist where the serial killer behind the ghost curse turns out to be the macaron shop owner.”
“You're gonna spoil until we pick a dirty movie anyway...?”
“Anything Yeon-woo wants to see is fine by me.”
“Yeah... yeah... Let's watch a dirty movie. Sure.”
“Yes! So I picked Yeon-woo's favorite movie. After, Seon-ha picks what we do!”
“......Not a thug. This.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing... Suddenly sleepy again... Wanna nap.”
“Gasp, with Seon-ha!?”
“......Meant face-down on the desk. Face-down.”
“Uhhh... Thought I should grip your hand tight.”
“...Um, Seon-ha.”
“Yes.”
“......Can you torment me just a little less?”
“......Can you like me just a little more?”
“...”
“...”
“Kidding.”
“Me too.”
“...When's the teacher coming?”
“Yeah. Should I tell her to hurry?”
“Knew you sent her away.”
“......Really not. Seon-ha's a normal high school girl. Teacher probably had something urgent.”
“Ah, teacher's coming. Quiet down.”
“Oh yeah, what's my reward for winning 20 Questions?”
“Don't remember promising one.”
“Vote for me in the class rep election later. That's all.”
“You being class rep was a lie too, huh.”
Han Hyun-joo seemed a bit excited.
“N-Now we'll take class rep nominations!”
She said from in front of the blackboard.
““Yes!””
“Yeon-woo. About to start the class president election... Okay?”
“...Yeah. Go ahead...”
How long is she gonna keep asking me? This woman. Soon she'll be asking permission to use the bathroom.
“......Y-Yeon-woo... C-Can teacher go to the bathroom?”
She raised her hand and asked.
“No. Don't go.”
“...Hic...!”
“...Kidding. Go ahead...”
Why are there no normal women around?
The main heroines I've met so far...
One chases me with a hammer every time we meet.
One asks her student if she can use the bathroom.
Of course, Seo Seon-ha—who turned them both that way—is the weirdest.
…
No, the endgame boss who poured years into visual novels... is me.
Tap tap tap.
Seo Seon-ha
Han Kwang-hoon
Lee Yeon-woo
Kim Jin-ah
I got nominated thanks to the current rep's antics.
Of course, I have zero intention of winning.
Class rep just means volunteering for annoying chores for a single line on your student record.
And I don't plan to stick around this world long enough to need that line.
“Candidates, come up one by one and state your pledges. Ah...! Don't make pledges you can't keep! That's what bad grown-ups do.”
Jin-ah went first.
Didn't notice behind her glasses, but she was surprisingly pretty up close.
“...or so you think?”
“No.”
Next was some guy named Han Kwang-hoon. Blabbed averagely and sat down.
Then my turn. I withdrew.
Last was Seon-ha's pledge.
Figure it out yourselves.
That's all she said.
“Write the name on the handout and submit. Don't show anyone else! Only I see it! I-I'm the teacher...? You all know... right...?”
...What’s with that slimy 'I'm the boss here, got it?' vibe.
Counting finished.
Seon-ha won class rep.
“Yeon-woo. Did you write my name?”
“Anonymous vote.”
“It's fine with me. Tell me.”
“Who are you...”
“Class rep.”
“I did.”
“Thanks.”
I didn't.
It wasn't a normal ballot. Looking close, faint writing said 'The person you like'. Trap, as expected.