“Waaaaah!”
“How can we have only one year left…!”
“Uh, no do-overs! It’s our turn now!”
“Seo Yu-na, finish it! End it, end it!”
“You’re definitely gonna mess up! You’re gonna drop the Ji-gi-dol!”
“Interrupting won’t do any good at all!”
Since Na-me taught them the Air Game, the 2nd Grade A Class has been obsessed with playing it during lunch and recess.
The kids learned quickly, showing off skills so impressive they could easily be called seasoned players.
Na-me hung back a little, leisurely watching the spectacle of them playing.
Yuna, by now, had fully embraced her role, having gained the trust of her peers.
The sound of children’s laughter was something that could brighten anyone’s mood.
“Are you not going to play?”
Ha-ru, who had just finished brushing his teeth, sat next to Na-me and asked.
“Well, it is a bit childish, isn’t it?”
“But you created the game, right?”
“I played it a lot when I was younger, so much that it got boring. There was really nothing else to do when I was alone. I couldn’t do string games or anything.”
“You’re definitely weird.”
Ha-ru made a straightforward evaluation. Na-me nodded along, thinking that might be true.
And so it went.
It was hard to tell whether Na-me was really watching the kids play or just staring into space.
When she had that unfocused look in her eyes, it reminded her of her great-grandmother, who would sit in a massage chair, gazing lazily at the distant Han River.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just… thinking about the past.”
“Do you remember things from back then?”
“Yeah, I even remember when I was a baby.”
Ha-ru was about to tell her not to lie, but she thought maybe Na-me was capable of that, so she held back her counterargument.
“Why did I suddenly tell you all about my family? I kept it a secret even from my best friend Nuri…”
“Looks like you wanted to spill it to someone, whether it was me or not.”
“No… how could I talk about that…? Yuna was teased so much about that last year. For some reason, I thought you wouldn’t be like that.”
Na-me was already considered the most mature child in the class.
Even Ha-ru, who originally held that role, admitted it directly.
Ha-ru suddenly remembered how Na-me had treated her the last time and brought it up.
“How did you do it back then…?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I collapsed on the street before, you hugged me. Suddenly, my head didn’t hurt at all.”
“Ah, I used a bit of aura. I considered using magic, but I wasn’t exactly sure of your condition.”
“Aura…? Isn’t that mana used to strengthen muscles?”
“There are countless ways to use it. Usually, the most typical is for physical enhancement, but it can also serve as a substitute for psychiatric medications.”
“Eww, I don’t understand any of that…”
While mana could disrupt the body’s balance in an instant if misused, aura coexisted within the safe limits of what the body could handle, so there was no concern about side effects.
Especially when it came to treating psychological trauma, the use of benzodiazepines or antidepressants wasn’t recommended.
So Na-me’s goal at the time was solely symptom relief, not treatment.
“So what exactly were the symptoms? Is it just a throbbing pain in your head?”
“No… It’s that I hear strange sounds. Beeping sounds that make my head hurt.”
Ha-ru complained about one of the most common symptoms of auditory hallucinations.
As she didn’t know where her hallucinations stemmed from, Na-me was at a loss for how to help her.
After some serious thought, Na-me proposed a plan.
“Do you want to try reconciling with Yuna first?”
“Huh? Right now?”
Ha-ru’s expression suddenly shifted dramatically at the unexpected suggestion.
If it was symptoms caused by acute stress disorder, then starting with filling that unconscious void would be the right direction.
As Ha-ru hesitated, Na-me moved closer.
“You said you wanted to apologize to Yuna, right?”
Ha-ru brushed her long hair nervously.
Twisting her hair with her fingers mirrored her complicated feelings.
“But… it’s embarrassing… Yuna might not really want me to apologize…”
After a long struggle, her words came out laced with deep distrust.
She thought it was impossible to restore a normal relationship with a friend she had declared to cut ties with.
“I just don’t get it. Why do people keep doing things they’ll regret and hate each other as if they’ll live forever?”
“…? I don’t really understand what you mean.”
“The day you were hit by Yuna, what did you wish for her?”
“Can I be honest…?”
“Go ahead.”
Na-me watched Ha-ru intently as if she were waiting for her answer.
“I thought it would be better if Yuna moved to another class… But I don’t think that way anymore, don’t get me wrong…!”
That was Ha-ru’s heartfelt secret that she didn’t want to reveal to Na-me.
With that comment, the anxiety that Na-me might be disappointed started to loom over her.
“Didn’t you ever think it would be good if Yuna just died right then?”
Ha-ru’s eyebrows twitched.
Her tone was dry, but the content was extremely extreme.
“I’ve never, ever thought like that!”
“Then why are you delaying your apology? What if Yuna dies today and you never get to apologize? Would that be okay?”
“That’s…”
“Death comes unexpectedly at any moment. You, me, Yuna. There’s no guarantee we’ll have another chance to talk face-to-face like we are now tomorrow.”
To Na-me, people who fought with their beloved partners, parents, and children were one of the hardest kinds of people to understand.
“I just hope you don’t create regrets.”
*
In truth, Na-me spoke grandly to Ha-ru…
But when it came to how to reconcile young kids, she couldn’t immediately come up with a proper method.
In her past lives, relationships were always a single-digit number.
It was indeed a sad reality that even if she were an extreme loner, there wouldn’t be any argument.
But seeing Ha-ru’s state seemed really precarious, so she thought it would be better to heal whatever inner wounds she had as soon as possible and this was the idea she managed to come up with.
“Pajama Party?”
Yuna’s eyes widened as she repeated the question.
“Yeah. How about this weekend?”
“Oh. Uh… Hmm… I like it, but when will we study…?”
“We can study at my house too. If you’re really worried, I’ll help you with the next performance assessment.”
“Waaaah, really? It’s my first time staying up all night at a friend’s house, I’m so excited…!”
“It won’t just be the two of us. Ha-ru will join too.”
“Why is Ha-ru coming…?”
Yuna’s expression turned icy, clearly displeased.
“Isn’t it more fun to all play together?”
“Isn’t it going to be boring with just me and you? Is it because I’m not fun enough? You’re my only friend, Na-me… that’s why I only wrote your name on the survey…”
Yuna grabbed my clothes and pouted.
“I also wrote Yuna as my first choice!”
“Really?”
Yuna responded with a much brighter voice.
She was truly a simple child. It was ironic that this kind of kid was at the top of the grades.
“Actually, Ha-ru wanted to talk to you, so I invited her over.”
“Then you could just tell me in class.”
“It seems to be a bit of a serious topic.”
“Okay… But remember, Na-me, you’re my best friend! You absolutely can’t forget that!”
I answered positively by stretching Yuna’s cheeks.
This kid really had a lot of desires…!
“Whee!”
But she was innocent, so I’ll let it slide.
“What should I bring? Pajamas?”
“I should probably bring clothes for the next day and some toiletries like a toothbrush, right?”
“Yup! I’ll ask my mom first and then pack! Do I not need a pillow?”
“We have enough pillows and blankets at my place, so it’s okay.”
“What about stuffed animals?”
“… If you really want to bring them, then bring them.”
“Hehe, it’s okay. Honestly, even without my dolphin, if I cuddle with Na-me, I don’t think I’ll be scared at night…!”
Why am I already thinking about sleeping with her when I’ve never allowed her to touch my body?
If she turned out to have a serious sleep disorder, I planned to immediately escape to my bed.
Then the next day, I’d probably see Yuna looking 100% like she was about to cry, but I’d think about that later.
Actually, I was worried if Ha-ru’s family would allow it, but she assured me not to worry and promised to visit our house this Saturday.
I should probably mention to Professor Chun to whip up a delicious dish.
The menu selection was entirely at the professor’s discretion, but I could not give up on dessert. It absolutely had to be crepes.
I really needed to start carefully contemplating how to bring Yuna and Ha-ru closer together.
Lastly, I recalled the unavoidable task of the internet broadcast.
As far as I knew, there was a condition in the terms where if you didn’t receive donations for four weeks, earnings would temporarily be banned.
Whether I would play games was still to be determined, but I figured I would have to show up on the broadcast at least once soon.
