The Woman Who Is Suspiciously Kind to Me (2)
The Woman Who Is Suspiciously Kind to Me (2)
Although it was she who cautiously made the request, it was actually me who ended up having to cling to her coattails.
Who in their right mind would refuse an opportunity to do a group project with the Department Ace?
What do you mean "pull my own weight"? Even if I just tightly fastened my seatbelt and held on, she'd transport me straight to an A+.
Even if that person had a rotten personality and acted like an asshole during projects, I would have still considered it.
But for the gentle, capable, and even beautiful Han Chae-eun ssi to be the one proposing we be in the same group...
"I'm actually the one in a position to be asking a favor."
It would have been foolish not to seize this opportunity.
"Really? That's a relief~"
Her face, which had been showing her nervous feelings, relaxed.
It was a side of Chae-eun ssi, smiling brightly, that was unimaginable under normal circumstances.
Seeing her pure smile made me feel a little uneasy.
The cooperative proposal Chae-eun ssi offered me was something that presupposed a one-sided loss for her.
I couldn't imagine someone as insignificant as me being of any help to her.
I would try my best not to hold her back, but human limitations aren't something that can be solved by willpower alone.
A gap would inevitably appear that my inadequacy could never fill.
Maybe I should try to recruit someone who could be more helpful than me.
But with my narrow social circle, there was absolutely no answer. I couldn't even remember most people's names, let alone have anyone close. Was this also a limitation of my abilities...?
Swallowing my self-deprecating thoughts about my utter uselessness, I asked her.
Did she have anyone else in mind, perhaps?
"Nope."
"?"
"Just the two of us in a group."
She answered nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
She said she hadn't even considered anyone else besides me.
"Are you sure I'll be enough?"
"If there are too many people, it's hard to manage. Everyone has different abilities and tendencies, making it difficult to produce uniform results."
"There are plenty of good people besides me. People better than me... people who are much more capable than me."
"In what aspects?"
"Well, ability, or studies, or physical strength, or financial resources... being sociable, having a good personality, being perceptive. Various things... all of them."
She tilted her head and asked back.
"Jin-ah ssi isn't lacking at all either. You're good at studying, right? Your abilities are good too."
"Just barely within the single digits... just enough to maintain that rank."
"As for physical strength, there won't be any heavy lifting, we can take it easy. Don't worry about financial resources. I have more money than I know what to do with. Enough to take responsibility for one person."
"No, if you put it that way, I'll feel too burdened..."
"Is being perceptive really an advantage? It's about not being honest with your own feelings and just catering to others' moods. I'd prefer it if Jin-ah ssi didn't do that with me."
"Uh, uh, uh."
"Having a good personality? I've never seen anyone as kind as Jin-ah ssi. As for sociability..."
Chae-eun ssi, who had been pouring out words rapidly, paused for a moment, looked me up and down, and then suddenly hugged me.
Jin-ah ssi was a little taller than me. So I always looked up at her, but now her head was below my eye level.
Her absurdly large breasts were pressed against and squished by Chae-eun ssi's face.
With her face buried in my chest, she looked up at me with a pitiful smile tinged with a slight sob.
"Jin-ah ssi, don't you want to become close with me? I really want to become close."
"I, I want to become close."
Upon hearing the answer she wanted, her face blossomed into a bright smile.
"Pfft..."
"Then don't worry about sociability. I'll work hard to get closer."
"Okay, okay."
"You understood, right? You do want to become close, right?"
"Of course..."
"But you can't make eye contact?"
"Please forgive me...!"
The pitiful, upward-looking expression from before, and the mischievously smiling face now.
Han Chae-eun ssi, using her whole body to press closely against my voluptuous figure. I could feel her body, with a different kind of firmness than mine, through our clothes.
Lee Jin-ah, 21 years old. Although currently in a female body, I had lived most of my life until now as a man.
Even though it's been over a year since I became a woman, I still haven't completely discarded my male consciousness. For me, every single one of Chae-eun ssi's actions was an overly strong stimulus.
There's no way she could know this unpleasant truth unless I revealed it myself...
Anyway, that's how it was. I simply couldn't look her in the eye.
I couldn't lift my flushed, burning face. But if I lowered it, I'd end up making eye contact with her—
"Ahahaha, this is fun. No, I mean, it's enjoyable."
"You seem quite troubled, so should we stop here for now?" she said, putting an end to it.
She obediently pulled back. The sweet scent coming from her body quickly grew distant.
While gathering my tattered composure, I barely managed to speak.
"I never imagined it. That Chae-eun ssi would have this kind of personality."
"I'm sorry. Did you dislike it?"
"Dislike? Not at all. It's just a side of you I could never have imagined from the usual Chae-eun ssi, so I was a little surprised."
"Actually, I was surprised too. I originally intended to be more formal with Jin-ah ssi, but somehow I feel like I can act comfortably around you."
Showing a reaction that suggested she was also surprised, she smiled again.
It was a smile that somehow seemed more natural than usual.
"Maybe we can become a little closer?"
"Ugh..."
As expected, my heart aches.
I barely managed to stop myself from clutching my chest.
The destructive power of her pure laughter was too strong...
"Then let's decide on the group like this. Just the two of us."
"Okay. That's really good."
"I'll be the group leader. It's not particularly difficult, but I thought you might feel burdened by that kind of thing."
"I'll leave it to you..."
"And, shall we drop formalities? We're the same age."
"Is, is that really okay...?"
"What's there to not be okay with? Treat me comfortably. We're both twenty-one."
"Okay, I'll do that... Hup! I'll do that."
"Hmm."
Chae-eun ssi, no. Chae-eun tilted her head.
Putting a finger to her lips in thought, she then flicked her finger.
"Good. Jin-ah, do you have any plans after this today? Like classes, or a prior appointment?"
I quietly nodded.
"I have a liberal arts class later."
"When does it end?"
"5 o'clock. It'll end pretty late... but why do you ask?"
"Why do you think?"
With an utterly nonchalant face, she said this:
"Let's eat together later. My treat."
*
I spent a heart-pounding time.
The time spent waiting to meet her was enjoyable in itself.
But I was also quite amazed.
Just yesterday, we were at a stage where we'd only exchanged a word or two, and suddenly our relationship had progressed this much.
Of course, there was still a long way to go.
Having a good first impression is one thing, but developing a relationship requires more effort.
That was my weakest point.
Because dealing with people is tiring. Just being with someone drains my energy.
Interacting with people is exhausting.
And no matter how hard you try to build a relationship, human connections are things that can collapse due to some unforeseen trigger beyond your control.
Then, isn't there no reason to make the effort?
What I can gain is too little compared to the effort I put in.
Until high school, I was introverted but had one or two people I clicked with.
Whenever classes changed, I'd make one or two friends to hang out with. I had enough social skills to wave at a classmate whose face I remembered when passing by.
That was before I caught that strange disease and my gender changed.
Before my relationship with a friend I thought was once my best friend became awkward and eventually contact was cut off.
That was before I realized everything was meaningless.
But.
She was different from other people. Should I say she feels somewhat comfortable...?
Even though it should clearly be awkward to interact with her, my body was naturally treating her comfortably.
Should I say it feels like we've already seen everything there is to see about each other? Even though today was clearly the first time we properly talked.
Is this what they call a destined connection...
Ah, that doesn't seem like the right expression.
I don't think I'm a person who suits her. There's no way someone as perfect as her would suit someone as lacking in many ways as me.
What I'm talking about is a lifelong friend, in that sense.
Perhaps a relationship closer than with parents.
A relationship where we hang out more often than with my dad, and where I can confide worries I can't even tell my mom without hesitation.
I don't even expect a romantic relationship.
Just a relationship where we see each other fairly often. I'd be fine with just that much.
"Did you wait long?"
"Not really."
"That's good then."
"Shall we go?"
"Let's go. I'm hungry."
I thought it would probably be okay with Chae-eun.
As soon as the liberal arts class ended, I was dragged along by Chae-eun's hand.
She didn't tell me the destination until we arrived. Since she said she'd treat me to a meal, the choice of restaurant was entirely hers.
I'll treat her next time or something.
Thinking lightly, I obediently followed her.
"Here it is!"
"Uh...?"
In front of a high-end steakhouse with an elegant atmosphere, now that I think about it.
Maybe she didn't tell me in advance because she thought I'd run away if she did.