[The Sex Partner]
Should I start by apologizing to Yozora? No. If I were to apologize, what on earth would I even say? "I'm sorry my body is more seductive"? "I'm sorry my body is more to the teacher's taste"? Doesn't that sound a bit weird? ...Maybe it's because the teacher called me an idiot yesterday, but I feel like I'm the one being the pervert here...
Then, perhaps it would be better to pretend nothing happened and treat her as usual. Even if it could be considered deception, as long as I don't let it show, it should be fine. As I continued to ponder, I suddenly stopped walking. When I came to my senses, I realized I was in front of a crosswalk crowded with people since early in the morning. I didn't want to be squeezed into that suffocating crowd. So, one step. Two steps. After quietly distancing myself, I let out a nervous sigh.
As always, if I waited until the signal was about to change, Yozora would arrive. Then, I would greet her as usual. I prayed that the teacher hadn't said anything, and I would just whisper that I had sex with him as she wanted. Yozora would be happy that it was finally her turn, and she would start chattering away by herself like always.
"..."
The light turned green. Yozora didn't appear. The traffic light turned red. I held my breath to block out the smell of exhaust fumes wafting through the air. As time passed, people gathered again in front of the crosswalk. And then, it turned green. Yozora still didn't appear.
Did she go ahead without me? I thought I might have left a little late, but it was the same time as usual. And the idea of Yozora leaving me behind in the first place was a bit...
....
...
Ah.
"..."
After sweating slightly at the thought, I crossed the crosswalk with the third green light.
"..."
Pure romance manga sometimes has that side to it. Whether it's a device for the heroine and hero to definitely end up together, or a device created to write a "classic" salvation narrative, there are occasionally settings where the heroine is bullied by people around her despite having done nothing wrong. You know, like scribbling "die" all over her desk. Putting thumbtacks in her indoor shoes. Hiding animal carcasses in her personal belongings. Things like that. Those things, of all times, were coming to mind one by one right now.
"..."
I passed the main gate of the academy and walked straight to Class 1-A. I felt someone's gaze occasionally, but this much was fine. Usually, I felt gazes even more sinister than this. If I had to compare, it was a slightly better start than usual.
As I passed the main building entrance and entered the hallway, I saw kids whose faces and names I knew because they were in the same class. It goes without saying, but we didn't greet each other. They didn't acknowledge me first, and I didn't offer a greeting either. It was just the same treatment as always.
...And, just like that. I smoothed out my clothes and entered Class 1-A.
"..."
It was the same as always. Everyone was in their own seats, talking with their own friends. A girl with good social skills smiled at me and waved, but that was it. Nothing bad happened, and nothing good happened. ...Ah, no. Something good did happen. The fact that things were "as usual" was a relief in itself.
I stood holding the doorknob and caught my breath for a moment. After responding to a greeting with an awkward look, I slowly headed to my seat.
"..."
As always, Lee Jiyoon, with wired earphones firmly plugged into her ears, was slumped over her desk, sleeping soundly. And right in front of her, Yozora was not in her seat.
"...Haa."
What is this. She just overslept. I let out the useless tension and checked the text I had sent late.
"Why are you asking me that when you're not even a classmate?"
"That's because you are..."
The words "Yozora's sex partner" rolled on my tongue for a moment. If the person I had obtained that information from was Yozora in a sober state, it might be different, but judging by the text I received, it was clearly Yozora in a state where she was prone to getting drunk and breaking her phone. Of course, I knew Yozora wasn't the type to spout nonsense just because she drank a little. But, there's the public perception, isn't there? That you shouldn't trust the words of a drunk person. Especially an alcoholic.
"...Because you know Yozora."
"...Ask her friends. I don't really know."
"Wait, just a second."
"..."
I had tried to beat around the bush, but Seo Woojin's attitude was much more indifferent than I expected. When I finally slammed my palm on the desk in front of him to get his attention, his indifferent gaze, which had been fixed on his laptop, slowly looked up. Of course, you have to filter out what a drunk person says...! Even by common sense, that's correct...! But because of what I saw with my own eyes last night and the circumstances so far, I couldn't help but believe it to some extent.
It was okay that Seo Woojin knew Han Su-a, who was a freshman at the time. Since she was the princess of a famous group in Korea, he might have known her by chance. But that Seo Woojin became close enough to have a physical-only relationship with Han Su-a? Even with Han Su-a, who Yozora said was a client with a lot of money and that she would ruin her so she couldn't graduate? Adding to that the fact that Yozora and I were still attending the academy just fine without being purged...
It smells pretty fishy, doesn't it? It's not a world where personal protection is impossible. And even if it were, a healing-type transcendental is a target that should be coaxed and persuaded, not someone you take revenge on by saying, "Pay with your life!" The reason he says nothing to the academy.
"...Do you really not know?"
"Yes."
...Because Seo Woojin is in a relationship with Yozora where they satisfy their sexual desires. Or perhaps, an even deeper relationship.
"You've been in contact recently, haven't you? You really don't know?"
"Me? With Yozora?"
"...Yes."
"Haa..."
For example, Seo Woojin... likes Yozora a lot, or something like that. Even if she's a terrible alcoholic if you look at her core, her face and body are enough to seduce males, right? ...Soft. Big. Pretty. Yes.
"...It's not like that, so go back. I'm not in contact with Yozora."
"Don't, don't lie."
"And don't show that you're close to me. Others will find it suspicious if they see it. Are you okay with that?"
"They'll just think, 'Oh, they were secretly close,' because you're a healing-type transcendental. So..."
"Whew..., ...Hey."
"..."
"Why do you think I'm still in contact with Yozora?"
"..."
It came. The first hurdle. Come to think of it, I only had circumstantial evidence and Yozora's (who was clearly dead drunk) text message as the only piece of evidence. In this situation, I couldn't present that alcohol-smelling text as proof..., but without it, there was no other way. Biting my lower lip, I decided to trust the drunkard just a little bit.
"Sex..., you're sex partners. You and Yozora."
"..."
"...Isn't it?"
Seeing him unable to answer, it must be true.
"...I'm not going to say anything about you having that kind of relationship with Yozora."
"...Haa..."
"Honestly, I don't know what's so good about that, but it's weird to say anything to others just because I don't like it."
"...So?"
"Just tell me that. Yozora's home address."
"..."
"She seems to be sleeping after drinking a lot yesterday..., so I'm going to drag her here by her hair. If she smells like alcohol, I'll just excuse it as a sick leave."
The reason, of course, is obvious. Yozora needs to live her academy life as quietly and inconspicuously as possible. It was important to complete the request perfectly, but it was just as important to remain "Ordinary Student 1" and not receive anyone's attention. In that situation, "unexcused absence" is a pretty big stain compared to the shortness of the word. To solve that with an ordinary absence like "sick leave," or to bring her myself and finish it as "tardy," I needed the help of Seo Woojin, who would know more about Yozora than I did.
Because. I don't know where Yozora lives right now, and the address written in the student records is obviously a fake address, just like her fake name and fake age, and this crazy bitch hasn't read the over 100 texts I've sent since about 2 hours ago...
"...Baek Seoyeon."
"Didn't you say to just call you 'sunbae' last time? It's cringey, so call me sunbae within the academy. Like 'Student Council President'... or something. Ugh. This is also cringey..."
"Sunbae."
"..."
I tried to ease the atmosphere because of his strangely cold voice, but Seo Woojin's voice, delivered once more, was still cold. Maybe it's because I've only heard endless affection if it's a "man's voice," or the annoying voice of the vice president lately. Come to think of it, it's not a big deal, but I'm a little flustered.
"It seems like a difficult situation, so I'll help you."
Google Maps. Seo Woojin, who pinned an officetel there, turned the laptop screen to me and said.
"Don't ask for favors like this in the future. Yozora and I, we aren't in that kind of relationship."
*****
"Room 702..."
I told the next class teacher it was "Student Council President work," so it should be fine. The door lock password was 0000, right? Phew, I let out a small sigh and got off the elevator. - It's not like that, my ass. If you know the home address and even the password, you've already enjoyed Yozora's body to the fullest, you brat who hasn't even had an ID card for a few months - such complaints were a bit better now. Anger is an emotion that cools down as quickly as it burns, so if you endure it just once, you can move on smoothly. Why would they say that if you endure the character 'patience' three times, you can even avoid murder?
"If it weren't for the healing-type..."
If I hadn't practiced how to suppress anger through the vice president, I would have flicked Seo Woojin on the forehead. I flicked my fingers against the wall of the officetel hallway to vent my anger for a moment, and then I arrived in front of Room 702. Instead of the doorbell I saw next to it, I started pressing the door lock.
Beep. Beep-beep-beep-beep.
With a familiar sound, the lock opened. At first, I was a bit skeptical when he said the password was 0000, but it seems he didn't give me wrong information. Besides, the smell coming from inside the house was a faint smell of alcohol, so it was definitely Yozora's house...
"..."
...What is this? This strange smell.
"Yozora?"
The smell is stuffy. I'm frustrated because I don't have other words to describe it, but it's actually like that. A stuffy smell. And a very faint smell of urine was mixed in, tickling my nose.
I sniffed for a moment at the entrance, then killed my sense of smell as much as possible because of the unpleasant odor and went inside. Did this crazy bitch drink and pee herself? With that thought, as soon as I passed the entrance and turned right, what I encountered was.
"Hek..., hek.... he......"
"..."
Yozora, lying face down on the sofa naked, panting for breath. And an electric massager vibrating "brrr-brrr-" pressed between her crotch and the sofa.
"Hiik..., ugh, hyat......"
"Huuuu..."
Aha. So she skipped class to masturbate after drinking. Her phone was within reach, but she ignored all my texts. Yeah, yeah. You can skip class while masturbating. I don't know why masturbation feels good, but it might have felt good enough for Yozora to skip class.
I clenched and unclenched my fists and approached Yozora. And then, I grabbed her black hair that was scattered here and there.
"Ung-et.... k-a-a-a..."
"...What are you doing?"
To help her come to her senses. I threw it under the sofa.
"Ung...? Ah, Shiroda Shiro..."
"I told you not to call me in Japanese."
"Eh.... was it better when you called me Seoyeon-chan...?"
"...No, I asked you what you were doing here first."
"Well.... I think I fell asleep while masturbating? Probably?"
"..."
"Hehe..., I've been masturbating all night since last night.... Oh, come to think of it, you don't know the house I moved to..."
"Please, just shut up for a second. ...I'm shaking with annoyance."
"..."
"..."
"...Aha. So that's it."
"I told you to shut up."
"Ah. I'll shut up..."
"..."
Why do I feel like I'm shoving sweet potatoes down my throat even after sharing a few words with her? I looked down at Yozora, who was grinning annoyingly even though she had been rolled under the sofa. I sighed deeply, grabbed Yozora's limp wrists, and forced her up.
"...Wash up quickly and come out. I'll talk my way through it so it's treated as a simple tardiness, so hurry up."
"Eh. I don't want to go..."
"If you do this, I'll be in trouble too, you crazy bitch."
"I just need to not get caught for my identity laundering..."
"That's why, just in case. Ah, seriously..."
"And I, I have no reason to go to the academy anymore..."
I was going to wash her myself if it didn't work, but Yozora suddenly spat out strange words. When I turned back to the sound of her being dragged, she smiled brightly.
"You said you had to make sure Han Su-a doesn't graduate."
"That was just a request I took to get a fake identity..."
"No, if you just throw it away like that, what about your coalition's Kwon Nam-ho, that person..."
"I broke up with Woojin, so I don't want to go to school anymore..."
"..."
"Ah.... I wanted to try a 3-day, 2-night sex session wearing a school uniform and getting nakadashi-ed a lot too.... Bad guy..."
She spat out words that made my head throb to the point of exploding, saying she did such things just to have sex with a man.