Because of You (3)
"P-please... be gentle...."
Spirit. Attitude. Gaze. And even his actual skill. Judging by the atmosphere, he still seemed to be the weakest in the class. I remembered reporting that while he was a Mutant-type whose physical strength was evaluated as top-tier, his nature was so timid that there was no need to pay him much mind. I should control my strength to avoid hurting him, but still put on a show of moderate dominance.
"What’s this, what’s this? You never come out for sparring, so what’s the occasion? What about the Student Council?"
"...Just because. I felt like I was going to get sick just sitting in a chair."
The next person to speak to me was a Mutant-type female student whom I remembered as being reasonably competent. I recalled reporting to the higher-ups that she had been scouted by an A-Rank hero's agency during last winter break. I’d play it evenly in a contest of strength, then find a way to win through technique.
"...Do you have time?"
"...."
He was the number one student among the current third-years. A somewhat gloomy Magic-type boy with an impressive, sticky, burning flame that he’d use any means necessary to achieve his ends. In my personal opinion, he had a talent much better suited for a villain than a hero. Since I had already set up a pattern of losing to him ever since my second year—after I started "pretending" to be strong—it would be natural to resist a bit and then wave the white flag this time as well.
Win. Win. Lose. Win. In the middle of an evenly matched bout, I decided it would look more natural to win, so I won. I muttered something like, "You've really improved since I last saw you," and then drew the match. I won.
"Hoo...."
I had been careful with my strength, but perhaps it was thanks to beating up these cute-looking punching bags that I felt a little better. Having relieved at least a bit of the Yoo Siwoo stress that had been piling up inside me, I sat on a chair in the corner of the sparring hall and smiled faintly. My mood had improved slightly. In precise terms, I’d say I’d relieved about 20% of the stress? Of course, the remaining 80% wasn't a small amount, but I didn't care since this much was bearable. Why, it’s quite unsettling to move around holding a water cup filled to 100%, but you don't really think twice about a cup filled to 80%, do you? As long as I didn't let it go in a fit of rage, there wouldn't be any reason for it to spill on the floor. So now....
"...Ugh."
It was time to go back to the Student Council room. Time to calmly endure Yoo Siwoo's bullshit along with the dreadfully boring budget planning. I let out a breath, keeping my voice low so no one else could hear, and stood up from the chair. Yoo Siwoo. If I leave him alone, he acts like there are no boundaries, but if I get serious and tell him off, he keeps his mouth shut for about an hour, so I figured I really needed to give him a stinging piece of my mind this time. I’d tell him that if he kept acting like this, I wouldn't even let him follow me when I went to exercise. No, that wasn't right. It would be better to threaten him that the moment he tried to stick to my side, I’d break his wrists and arms. Since Yoo Siwoo was a Summoning-type, his physical strength was definitely not high. If I came on this strong, he’d probably tuck his tail between his legs for a few days. Given his personality, he wouldn't give up entirely... but still.
"...Haa."
There were plenty of pretty and energetic girls in the second year. Why did he keep taking an interest in me, when I wasn't even that pretty.... Pressing the back of my hand firmly against my throbbing forehead, I told the teacher in charge that I was heading back to the Student Council room, then grabbed my coat and headed for the showers.
10:42 AM. It had been roughly 30 minutes since Seo Woojin had gently grabbed my wrist.
Perhaps it was because it was an awkward time when classes weren't even over yet, but the shower room I stopped by before heading to the Student Council room was extremely deserted. Even the humming of an unknown girl that I usually heard was absent for now. The refreshing sound of water pouring from the shower head—swish—couldn't be heard either. It was a sight I had often seen when I was a first-year, frequenting the sparring hall like it was my dining room to pretend I was working hard. Was it because I hadn't seen this in a long time? How should I put it... it felt like I had rented out a huge swimming pool all to myself. Thinking I was a fool for such a childish thought, I stepped lightly into the stall.
Swishhhhhh—
The warm water pouring from the shower head hanging on the wall soaked me, starting from my blue-white hair at the crown of my head, down to my chest, pelvis, thighs, and finally, my toes. Lifting my head to receive the warm water on my face, I swept my hair from my forehead back with both hands, gathering the limp, seaweed-like strands and pushing them behind me. I had to do this so the hair wouldn't get chewed between my lips. Especially when my bangs or side hair were long. And then, when my hair was sufficiently wet, I reached for the shampoo....
"...?"
...I had intended to squeeze some out, but startled by a strange, dull sensation, I didn't touch the shampoo and instead scurried away to the side of the water stream. Like a cat that freaks out and runs away the moment it sees water.
"...? ......?"
What was this? I’d never felt anything like this when showering before...? Tilting my head, I reached my hand back into the stream of water. ...But it wasn't this. It was something much more... how should I say, a strange sensation.... It seemed that nothing happened when it just touched my hand. If so, did it have to touch my forearm, or rather, my body? Rearranging my hair, which was dripping wet and limp, I walked hesitantly back into the stream.
"Ugh..."
The pouring water hit the crown of my head, my face, my collarbone, and then my chest before falling away endlessly. Under normal circumstances, this would just be the appearance of a normal shower where I wouldn't think of anything at all. But now, it was strangely different. If I had to pick the thing that bothered me the most, it was this. ...The sensation I felt every time the water hit my skin. Especially when it hit my chest... every time my nipples were pressed down under the stream of water. This tingling sensation.
"...Ah..."
For now, it was a kind of... itchy sensation. But if you asked me if it was unpleasant, that wasn't really the case. It would be more accurate to say it was on the good side. But at the same time, it was a very awkward sensation that was a little scary, so I didn't really know how to explain it. Is it scary because the massage is too good? Well. Trying to find a metaphor just made it feel more complicated. ...Ah, right. Rather.
"...Hick..."
It felt similar to the sensation when I awkwardly masturbated with my own hand yesterday.
"Hnnngh..., hu..."
Standing blankly under the shower head, receiving the water, I clamped my mouth shut because of the pleasant sensation that was similar to when I touched my own vaginal opening yesterday, though a little less intense. ...It wasn't that I hated the pleasure, and it definitely, definitely wasn't because I was impatient. This was the Academy. It wasn't my house, it was outside. It was a space where the Student Council President's perverted moans should not be heard.
"Wai, wait.... Haa..."
Unable to even wash properly, I turned off the water, squatted down with my back against the shower stall, and gasped for air. At the same time, when I wondered why that sensation from back then had suddenly flared up now, I was able to reach a fragment of the truth in less than 5 seconds. Didn't I have a hypothesis I’d stopped thinking about before coming here? That heat-like thing—maybe it takes some time after being close to Seo Woojin for it to start.
Swallowing hard, I stepped back from the water stream and placed the back of my hand against my forehead. Then, I felt the same slight fever I had expected through the back of my hand. A fever similar to when I returned home after walking Han Su-a home yesterday.
"...."
That meant, in other words, that Seo Woojin was truly the cause of the heat.... ...Right?
"...."
Am I... a total pervert who gets into heat just from having my wrist touched, or perhaps just from being close for a little while like the night before last...?
*****
Student Council room.
Yoo Siwoo, who was lying on a sofa he’d purchased with his own money, stared blankly at the pure white ceiling. Should he change his approach a little? Or should he consider this a transitional period and watch how things progress? He squinted his eyes at the fluorescent light piercing through his outstretched fingers.
"This is hard~"
It’s not like he was asking to meet with the intention of marriage; they were just two people who knew everything there was to know, so why was she so disgusted? They say playing hard to get is one of her charms, but at this point, he was getting a little tired of it. His voice dissipated like smoke in the quiet Student Council room. Following that, Yoo Siwoo let out a light sneeze and began to fiddle with the game console he’d placed on his chest again.
"...Ah, I should have captured this one."
He never imagined he’d end up pouring over half a year into a single girl. Perhaps it was because he’d always just accepted people coming to him since he was young, and this was his first time approaching someone else. Still, he wished she’d look at him a bit more positively if he appealed to her this much. ...How annoying.
Holding the game console up above his eyes and clicking the buttons, Yoo Siwoo let out a bored sigh. Looking back, he hadn't been this interested in Baek Seoyeon when they first met. If it had been a time when he was starved for women, that would be one thing, but that wasn't particularly the case, and above all, Baek Seoyeon's personality was slightly off from Yoo Siwoo's taste. Should he summarize it as cold? Anyway, that kind of personality never really suited him. He could respect the taste of, "You're the first woman who has treated me like this," but... well. Aren't lively women better for a start? A woman who is like a wooden statue... hmm....
Anyway, the reason he became interested in Baek Seoyeon was for a common, ordinary reason. Just because. After running into her at the Academy a few times, he just became interested. If he had to add something, it was as if he’d been bewitched. Well... since Baek Seoyeon was a Mutant-type with a fox base, maybe he really had been bewitched.
Click.
While he was moving the character in the game, he felt a small presence near the entrance of the Student Council room. Thinking it might be Baek Seoyeon, he sat up slightly, and what he saw was the familiar, pretty blue-white hair. Just as Yoo Siwoo was about to greet her happily and affably, his gaze lingered on Baek Seoyeon's ears for a moment.
"...."
They were redder than usual. Like the ears of the girls he used as toys instead of Baek Seoyeon. He had a fleeting thought that maybe Baek Seoyeon had another man she liked, but he erased it immediately. If there really had been such a man, he would have already taken measures. Since she only repeated the "Academy - Home - Han River Park - Home - Academy" route, there were no links to men. If he had to pick one... right. There were men she met in 3rd-year Class A. But all of them were worse than him. Not even worth worrying about.
"Senior. Senior."
"...."
Assuming she’d just discovered a couple enjoying outdoor sex in a dark corner of the Academy, Yoo Siwoo brushed it off and tried to talk to Baek Seoyeon as usual. But there was no reaction. He wondered if she’d decided to ignore him, but it seemed more like her mind had flown somewhere else. Seeing her walk with her direction slightly off and then flinch and stop just before bumping into a chair, it was certain. If so, had her head become complicated after seeing them do lewd things? It was funny to see her so immune to it when she was usually only cold, so he spoke to her once more.
"Seoyeon noona."
"...."
"Noona?"
"...."
But there was no reaction this time either. She just walked to her seat with slightly unfocused eyes, sat down with a creak, and stared blankly at the 10 or so documents piled on her desk. Watching her closely, Yoo Siwoo stood up from the sofa and approached Baek Seoyeon. He certainly had curiosity about why someone who was fine when he ran into her in the hallway was acting like that, but honestly, most of it was because he felt that now was a good opportunity to talk to her.
"Did something happen?"
"...Ah, Yoo Siwoo..."
When he approached her as if to sit on the edge of the desk and spoke to her, he finally got a reaction worthy of the name. However, her voice was softer than he expected. It wasn't her usual thorny reaction, but a gentle voice, as if she were talking to a cherished Student Council junior. A female junior at that. Only after hearing such a voice did one thought come to him late. Could it be that she hadn't fully recovered from the fever medicine she bought yesterday?
"...."
If so, wouldn't it be okay to force a little skinship now? For example, wouldn't it be okay to gently hold her hand, or wrap his arm around her waist under the pretext of supporting her? And wouldn't it be okay to "accidentally" let his hand touch her under-breast in the process? Disgusting delusions he would never have under normal circumstances began to color Yoo Siwoo's brain little by little. ...Truly, as if he’d been bewitched.
"Senior. You look a bit sick right now."
"...."
"You said you were sick yesterday, is it still like that?"
"...Well, ...yes."
"I'm telling you, you look really sick, not just 'well'."
"...."
Swallowing hard, Yoo Siwoo moved his hand, which had been resting on the desk, closer to Baek Seoyeon. But perhaps she wasn't in a state where she couldn't distinguish between right and wrong yet, as Baek Seoyeon, having noticed the signs, immediately pulled her hand away. Feeling regret, he continued.
"Then.... shall I support you to the infirmary? I don't think you can go alone."
"...."
Baek Seoyeon's deep blue eyes turned toward Yoo Siwoo. She stared at him for a long time, really a long time, with eyes so pretty they would stop your breath. However,
"...Mind, your own business. I'll go... by myself...."
"...."
"...I'll be back in a moment, so please take care of the simple documents instead.... No, just don't touch anything...."
The answer Yoo Siwoo wanted didn't come until the end. Instead, all he got was an order to wait without doing anything.