“I’m crazy…”
Yeon Minha muttered repeatedly with vacant eyes.
Only the intoxication had faded, but the memories remained vivid as ever.
“How could this disgrace happen…”
Rubbing her thighs, playing with her fingers suggestively, even whining pitifully.
Even she thought her appearance yesterday resembled that of a courtesan more than a noble lady.
Thinking about seeing his face tomorrow, the world before Yeon Minha felt dark.
“Ha… huh?”
In the midst of her sighing, she recognized the warm sensation enveloping her right hand.
Additionally, the regular sound of someone else’s breath reached her ears.
Ding-dong – She jerked her head around, but soon calmed her heart when she found a familiar male student sitting on a stool, his head deeply bowed.
His strong hand gently covered hers as if it were a precious treasure.
As Yeon Minha subtly tried to pull away, his arm slid off the bed and fell with a thud.
However, she was slightly puzzled as to why he was in her bedroom like this… but the memories from last night answered her once again.
‘Don’t go… don’t leave me…’
‘Stay with me…’
“…”
Yeon Minha felt her face heat up in an instant.
In her memory, she had been sulking to him in a very twisted voice.
The dignity of her role as a senior was nowhere to be found.
Momentarily displaying a look of emptiness, Yeon Minha’s eyes widened as if she remembered something.
She glanced around to check her appearance.
Jacket, shirt, skirt, stockings, and all.
“Underwear… is also intact…”
There was only a slight wrinkle in her outer clothing, and she looked no different than when she entered the banquet hall earlier.
There were no signs of being disheveled, disturbed, or torn anywhere.
Even the slightly sheer white stockings were perfectly in place.
“…Are you really an idiot?”
Having confirmed everything about him, Yeon Minha muttered with a frown.
She couldn’t even recall how she pleaded with him in her chemisole from the south.
Only feelings of regret filled her heart.
Nevertheless, she already knew well that he was not the kind of person to take such actions.
Yeon Minha took a deep sigh, filled with complicated emotions.
Then, glancing sideways, she carefully slid off the bed and stood before him without making a sound.
“…”
On the small nightstand next to the stool was the mask he always wore.
He was a person who used the mask as a wall to keep distance from others, but he showed a more relaxed demeanor when they were together.
On one hand, it made her feel quite good, as it seemed to signify their strong trust.
Yeon Minha wanted to see his face, which was bowed down.
Once she sat down and raised her gaze, all of his features fully came into view.
She watched him sleep endlessly, forgetting the flow of time.
His delicate and sharp features were completely incompatible with his wild and hot-tempered personality.
The thought of the solid sensation of his embrace made Yeon Minha blush slightly.
She thought to herself that even if he were to be considered the ugliest man in the world, there was nothing she could do about it.
Having confirmed his true self multiple times now, there was no need to speak more.
On the other hand, it was quite heart-wrenching.
No matter how unsightly the scar was, it was merely an embellishment on him.
Yet here he was, wasting his potential by being bound to that.
“…”
Abruptly, Yeon Minha felt a desire to ease his troubles.
However, if she tried to lay him down, there was a greater possibility of getting pinned underneath him again.
If that happened, she would surely die of a heart attack.
She was already overly stimulated by the slight smell of his sweat.
Ultimately, Yeon Minha could only content herself with carefully removing the outer layer of clothing enveloping his body.
Unlike her own, it had numerous wrinkles here and there.
After all, since there was an extra one, she planned to drop it off at the laundry.
Taking care of a junior’s appearance was a senior’s duty, after all.
Before tossing the jacket into the collection bin, Yeon Minha shook the pockets to see if there were any belongings she might have missed.
Aside from a few candies that annoyed her, there wasn’t much else in there.
Yeon Minha finally checked the inner pocket of the jacket.
But contrary to her expectation of finding nothing, as soon as she turned the pocket inside out, some object fell thud to the ground.
“…?”
It was a rather thick but not very high-quality, coarse, and stiff little piece of cardboard.
While some parts of its original white color remained, it had significantly yellowed over time, as if it had survived through many years.
Seeing it on the floor, Yeon Minha bent down to pick it up.
Then she flipped it over to check the front of the cardboard.
“What’s this…?”
Drawn on the small, old cardboard was the portrait of a certain individual.
It was drawn primarily with a pencil, lacking any artistry, but in one way, it felt full of affection discernible in its every stroke.
A girl and a woman. The girl looked somewhat like she fell in between them in age.
She appeared a few years younger than their current selves.
As if she were someone who was indeed in pain, the girl in the portrait looked extremely skinny at first glance.
Yet that smile on her lips.
As if pain was nothing at all, it seemed like she was proudly displaying herself as the happiest person in the world.
For some reason, that oddly familiar feeling made Yeon Minha feel uneasy.
“…”
Yeon Minha slightly furrowed her brows.
Despite flipping the picture several times, there were no clues about the owner to be found anywhere.
The only clue was that oddly familiar yet uncomfortable girl’s smile.
Yeon Minha stared at it, refusing to blink as if in a staring contest.
And how long had it been?
“…!”
As if she had realized something, Yeon Minha’s pupils expanded widely.
*
The escapade ended with just one night of the banquet. The cradle returned to its usual routine, as if nothing had happened.
Especially this week, since the second ranking match was scheduled, students had to spend their days busy balancing their studies with preparing for the upcoming ranking match.
And among them, I was particularly busy.
With studying and the ranking match, not to mention tracking Seol Yujeong’s whereabouts and the duel with Jin Yeseo over joining the student council.
“Senior, everything is organized.”
“…”
“Senior?”
“…”
“Minha Senior.”
“…”
“…Yeon Minha?”
“Hiie…”
Finally, upon hearing her name called, Yeon Minha responded with a shudder.
Despite being busy, I was diligently maintaining my promise with her.
Even if it was a conversation shared with a drunken person, a promise is a promise.
“You keep subtly climbing up these days… do you think I’m easy?”
Yeon Minha shot back, looking up at me with a resentful expression.
Even amidst this, she wouldn’t forget to fluff her well-combed hair with her fingers.
“If you don’t like climbing, then just answer quickly. Are you perhaps still half asleep?”
Yeon Minha enjoyed sleeping in late, so it was a reasonable conclusion.
“W-What kind of nonsense is that…”
Yeon Minha glared at me more fiercely and turned her head sharply away.
Just as she was about to tidy up her appearance and leave the dormitory.
She suddenly paused in her tracks, hesitating to glance at me sideways as she opened her mouth.
“…Um, you know…”
“? Yes, go ahead.”
“So, um…”
“…”
After stammering for quite some time, she ultimately shook her head in confusion.
“…Ah, it’s nothing. Just wanted to tell you to prepare well for the duel…! See you later…!”
“Wait…”
Before I could even respond, Yeon Minha hurriedly left the dormitory.
I racked my brains, trying to figure out the reason behind her strange behavior she had been showing all week, but a clear answer still didn’t come to mind.
I was pretty sure she had told me that she remembered nothing because she was too drunk that day…
*
The loud cheers and noise surged through the atmosphere, heating things up.
The dueling grounds were already packed to the brim with people.
Especially those who ranked high on the scoreboard were all present without exception.
After all, for those who might face Jin Yeseo in the upcoming ranking match, it was a perfect opportunity to analyze their strengths.
I took a moment to scan my surroundings before the duel began.
The adjudicators of the duel committee were positioned at the center of the audience.
To their left were the student council members supporting Jin Yeseo from the Paecheon faction.
And to my surprise, I could see some familiar faces.
A braided female student with a cautious look, 2nd year Choi Ireh.
And next to her was… oddly enough, a gentle smile from a graceful female student, Kwon Yuri, met my gaze.
“…”
While I thought her character was quite consistent, I still couldn’t bring myself to look at the person beside Kwon Yuri.
Meanwhile, on the opposite stands, Yeon Minha was glaring at someone with an uncomfortable expression.
It was easy to guess who the focus of her gaze was directed at.
But today, her eyes seemed to glimmer with a different feeling.
It wasn’t just a simple expression of conflict from the difference in standing… there was something more sticky approaching.
I briefly lost myself in thought to grasp its origin when a sharp, irritable voice from a woman snapped me back to reality.
“…Oh, look who’s so carefree.”
I turned my head toward the direction of the voice.
Two green eyes had approached and were now burning with competitive spirit, staring at me.
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