Episode 19. Cramming 1
Episode 19. Cramming 1
"Uh, uhh...?"
I came to my senses at some point.
"Ah, Yubin's awake."
Seyeon was looking down at me lying there with a warm smile.
"Did I... fall asleep...?"
"Yeah. I was giving you a massage, and before I knew it, you were fast asleep. Did it feel that good?"
"......"
For some reason, I felt embarrassed and squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again.
As I slowly sat up from the yoga mat, a strange cracking sound came from my back.
"What the, why is there so much sweat......"
"That's normal when getting a massage. Plus, Yubin, you were too tense."
I see, I nodded. Anyway, I had really sweated a lot. There was a sour sweat smell, a faint sweet scent, and my whole body was sticky as if drenched in caramel sauce.
"Shower at the dormitory before you go. I'll handle the cleanup."
"I'll help too. The area's a bit messy......"
"Ah, that's because I spilled some oil."
The surroundings were full of puddles and sticky marks.
Come to think of it, she spilled oil? So Seyeon has her flustered moments too.
"Anyway, Yubin, let's get you washed up first. I'm saying this because of the dormitory curfew."
"Ah, right."
Come to think of it, that was a thing.
I did as Seyeon said. Today, the water spraying from the showerhead felt unusually refreshing. My body also felt lighter for some reason.
'Is it the effect of the massage...?'
I should get one every day. As long as Seyeon doesn't mind.
When I returned to the room, Seyeon handed me a large paper bag this time.
"Here, take this."
"What is it?"
"A gift."
'Hmm......'
Even if I said I wouldn't take it, she'd probably force it into my hands anyway.
So it's better to just accept it.
"Thank you."
After saying that, I accepted the gift Seyeon gave me.
"Ah, right. Yubin-ah."
"Yeah?"
Smack!
"You don't have to masturbate today. You worked hard."
"Uh, you, really?"
My face instantly brightened like a college student who just got an unexpected class cancellation, and I asked again.
Seyeon answered with her usual gentle smile.
"Yeah. Usually, on the first day of development, we push you to your limit like earlier. So you must have had a tough time today."
"Ah, I seee......"
"Go home and rest well, Yubin-ah."
As she said that, Seyeon gave me a light peck, *mwah*, on my lips.
Whoosh-
My cheeks flushed red, and a feeling of happiness bloomed like bubbles popping, *pop*, *pop*.
"Yeah!"
I answered cheerfully, then took the bag Seyeon gave me and headed home. I faintly heard applause from behind.
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"Ah, sh*t......"
I almost blurted out a curse as I opened the front door but barely held it back.
Because as soon as I got home, I saw a cockroach stuck to the wall.
As soon as it saw me, it flew right at me, so I swiftly caught it with my hand, shook it violently, placed it on the floor, and stomped on it to kill it.
'Still, it's a good thing I'm naturally not scared of bugs.'
Perhaps because the house is old and shabby, I see bugs like cockroaches, spiders, and house centipedes quite often.
About 7 days a week.
"Ouch...!"
After stretching fully, I laid out all the things Seyeon gave me on the floor.
"Wow......"
It was full of miscellaneous but practical items like tissues, wet wipes, fabric deodorizer, nail clippers, toothpaste, etc.
'What's this?'
While looking over the practical items scattered on the floor, I saw something unfamiliar and picked it up.
It was a small, thin paper box.
"Nipple... patch? Band?"
I know what a band is, but what does nipple mean?
I turned the box over and slowly read the description written there.
"It's for sticking on your nipples."
Huh.
"......"
Hmm..............................................
Uhh..............................................
'Hmm................................................'
Why did Seyeon give me this?
From what I see, it's like a bandage that prevents your nipples... no, areolae from being visible.
But since I wear a bra anyway, they won't be visible.
Then why?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out Seyeon's intention, but anyway, I had another use for it.
I looked down at my perky right breast.
'I had a strange feeling this morning.'
It was a kind of peculiar feeling...
Anyway, sticking this on might make it a bit better.
I slowly undid my bra. Just that made my nipples rub against the fabric, causing my body to tremble slightly.
It feels like static electricity is zapping, *zzt*, which is strangely unpleasant.
I peeled the band off the cellophane... and stuck it onto my chest.
"Eek......"
I felt a truly indescribable, peculiar sensation.
I stuck the other one on as well and touched my chest with my hand.
"...Oh."
Even if I poke, *poke*, my nipples, I don't feel much.
Of course, if I poke too hard, a *hih* sound comes out, but it's much better than when they weren't covered.
Since it's not very uncomfortable, it should be fine to keep them on 24/7. Even though it's kind of embarrassing.
Thinking that, I finished cleaning up the messy floor.
Then I found a familiar item.
"There are... pads too."
It was that pack of pads I had returned to Seyeon during the day.
'Well, since I'm a girl too, I guess I'll get my period.'
When that will be is unknown.
Should I search how to use pads... in advance.
...I should, right? I shouldn't be unprepared and end up in an embarrassing situation where it leaks onto my thighs... unexpectedly.
And I need to track my period days and calculate the cycle.
Plus, I heard it hurts a lot when you get your period......
A memory from my past life suddenly came to mind.
My older sister, who stayed holed up at home all throughout the holiday, complaining about menstrual cramps and such.
A girl from my class who suddenly made a pained face and ran out of the classroom during academy lessons.
"Ah, really......"
I suddenly wondered why I had to worry about such things.
How on earth did I end up in such a pitiful state......
Tears threatened to come out on their own again. My face flushed, and my body shrank.
Really, this is why I hate having a girl's body.
Because tears well up, *choke*, at the slightest thing.
I swallowed my emotions as much as possible and went to bed.
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Sparring time.
"When are they gonna win?"
I heard someone whispering that from behind me.
Of course, 'they' here refers to us.
Covered in sand and completely battered, we just stared blankly ahead.
The party we just sparred with was also making an apologetic-looking expression as they walked away.
Somehow, that feels worse than being openly laughed at.
'Sigh......'
I'm curious too.
When on earth will we win?
From the first day we started sparring until now, our party has never won even once.
And probably the reason for that is... mostly because of me.
"Yubin-ah, are you okay?"
The fact that everyone comes to me after the fight is over says it all.
Seyeon and Eunbyeol help me up from both sides, and Haseong (Eunbyeol's boyfriend) picks up the weapons scattered on the floor and handles the cleanup.
Every time that happens, feelings of self-loathing and guilt seem to tighten around my heart.
We plopped down on the floor in a circle.
"Owie owie......"
Seyeon let out a soft groan. Looking at Seyeon, I could see her hand was quite badly bruised. Enough for blood to trickle out.
"...Seyeon-ah, give me your hand."
I took Seyeon's hand and used my skill.
Sssssss...
A strange energy circulated, and I could see Seyeon's wound gradually disappearing.
At least the Heal works properly. Of course, it's passable for everyday use, but it's very insufficient for practical combat use.
After healing the other kids' wounds, I also got rid of the scratches on myself.
A little while later.
"What should we do, guys?"
Eunbyeol asked, looking around at us.
It meant, how can we win?
No one could answer that question. Everyone was pondering deeply in their heads.
'Hmm.'
I decided to think about it myself too.
'First, my problems.'
Because my problems are directly connected to the party's problems.
The first is that I'm too slow.
Thanks to my Intuition, I know where to dodge. I can even sense attacks the others can't see, to the point my body moves on its own.
But... I'm excessively sluggish, to a meaningless degree.
I clearly seem to dodge, but I keep getting hit.
'This is... because I train with Seyeon every night.'
I'll get faster someday, right?
Anyway, this isn't a problem I can solve by thinking about it now, so pass.
The second is that my skill's power is weak.
Heal is what it is, but the real problem is the skill called Vitality Boost.
As the name suggests, it's a buff that enhances the target's overall strength and stamina for fifteen minutes.
15 minutes is apparently quite a long duration for a buff. Since the others said so, it must be true.
The problem is the power.
You do get stronger, but only by a tiny bit. For example... enough to do four or five more pushups.
Even if you receive that pathetic buff for 15 minutes, it's meaningless.
'How... should I utilize this.'
This skill, which seems to have gained time at the cost of power.
'......Huh?'
I felt something like a *boom*, as if lightning had struck.
The thought I just had lingered in my head, circling.
Gaining time, at the cost of power...?
I hesitantly lifted my drooping head and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Gu, guys."
"...Yeah?"
The slightly dejected friends slowly looked at me.
"I, I have an idea."
Seyeon gently nodded as if to say, go on.
"My skill, that... Vitality Boost. The fact that its duration is 15 minutes is a huge advantage, right?"
"That's right."
"But in exchange, its power is too weak."
As if it were the trade-off for the long duration.
"So... I was wondering, what if we modify the skill?"
"......"
"The complete opposite of now, reducing the duration but strengthening the power......"
The atmosphere among the kids slowly changed.
"If that's possible-"
"That's it, Yubin-ah!"
Eunbyeol suddenly shot up from the floor.
"Yeah, then... reduce the time to the extreme and maximize the power, so the moment the skill is activated."
"The compressed effect comes out all at once?"
"Yeah, exactly!"
As Seyeon chimed in, Eunbyeol nodded her head vigorously.
"But, wouldn't the timing have to be just right? If you shorten the time a lot."
The only boy in our party spoke at length for the first time in a while.
"That's true. But it should be fine. Yubin, you have that Intuition skill, right? S-grade."
"Yeah."
As soon as I answered, it felt like something clicked.
First, Haseong is right.
Since the duration is drastically reduced, I need to use the skill by controlling the timing well.
Capturing that brief moment when the party members hit the opponent.
It probably won't be easy, but I have Intuition.
An incredible Intuition that can detect attacks no one else can see, way in advance.
"Using a buff compressed into an instant, through Intuition, at the right timing......"
"Using it...?"
"To aim for a single strike."
Eunbyeol said while making a punching motion.