147 – Masquerade Ball – 1
When I’m going about my normal life, I tend to forget that I’ve entered the world of romance novels for women.
And when that happens, without fail, an incident that I can’t understand will break out and fix my head. By my standards, it’s the female students who fight to death over trivial things that aren’t really X, or all kinds of scandals that I hear even if I cover my ears. When I heard about the relationship between the five senses of a woman I had never seen before, I doubted my ears. This is the empire, the animal kingdom.
Anyway, even though stories of that level are quite shocking, they sometimes come into my ears and end up reminding me of reality. However, occasional large-scale events do have a significant impact on my daily life. For example, the prom that comes every time it’s worth forgetting.
“Prom? What kind of prom is there again?”
I frowned and asked Seol-ah. To be honest, the prom was nothing more than a nuisance to me. It means that it is not a very welcome existence. Can’t you help it? I am not very interested in socializing, nor in the dancing or singing of this world. Of course, the prom, with all three of them combined, is something that really doesn’t interest me at all.
“Why is there another prom…. What is the flower of baseball?”
Then, without thinking about answering Seol-ah’s question, she suddenly threw a question out of the blue. Flower of baseball I don’t know much about baseball…. I went to the game a few times with my baseball-crazy friend, but I would just eat chicken and beer and watch cheerleading and then come back. No matter how much I looked at baseball, I couldn’t get interested in it.
I squeezed in a little bit of baseball knowledge. The flower of baseball is, of course, a home run. I don’t know anything else, but looking at the fact that I remember the moment I hit a home run.
“Suddenly, why baseball. Hmm… , home run?”
“You’re a pitcher! They say our Dragons are incredibly strong pitchers again.”
Seol-ah clicked his tongue at my words, and then he started talking about the team he supported. Whether the Dragons are pitchers or hitters, I don’t know. As I stared at her bored expression, she looked at me.
“… Aren’t you having fun?”
“I don’t really know because I don’t have much interest in baseball. Rather, is that a necessary story right now?”
Seol-ah let her arms hang down and sighed. She seemed to regret not being able to talk to me about baseball. Anyway, people who like baseball want to talk about the team they cheer for whenever they have a chance.
“I’m talking about this with you or anyone else. Anyway, you just want to hear the main story.”
“No, I really don’t know what to do. Neither you nor I understand why the navy’s flower is the deck.”
“Were you in the Navy? Are you wearing a red dress? Are you cutting your hair very short?”
Look. He’s talking about things he doesn’t know. Why can’t women tell the difference between the Navy and the Marine Corps?
“That’s the Marine Corps. Are the two different? The Marine Corps is below the Navy, if you have to insist.”
“Really? One of my seniors who had just graduated from the Marine Corps pretended to be very strong, but I guess it wasn’t like that.”
“What… , that’s it.”
What I meant to say is that the Marine Corps belongs to the Navy, but… , She honestly decided to give up because she felt like she would have to stay up all night to explain it to Seol-ah. Seniors who don’t even know your face, I’m sorry.
“No, the story keeps falling into Samcheonpo. So why are you at the prom again?”
I thought about those terrible two years for a moment at the story of the military that popped up out of nowhere, and then I remembered that that’s not what’s important right now. At my words, Seol-ah shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s nothing. Just as the flower of baseball is the pitcher, the flower of romance is also the ball.”
“Did the conversation go round and round like this just to talk about that?”
This is absurd. What is the relationship between alternative baseball and romance fantasy novels? To be honest, I don’t think I can explain myself properly. I decided to just say so, rather than listening to nonsensical sophistry. This is much more economical And instead, I asked another question.
“Even if we have a prom, there shouldn’t be a justification for it. Well, there’s a national anniversary, at least something like the 60th birthday of our principal over there. You can’t schedule a prom on a weekday when there’s nothing to do.”
“First of all, Thanksgiving? It seems that Add a little bit of Halloween to it.”
“I understand Thanksgiving, but what about Halloween?”
“Didn’t you know? This time it’s a masquerade ball. Braided!”
Seol-ah lightly covered her two hands over her own face and then straightened her out. That, how should I react? A moment of silence passed. Seol-ah crumpled at my sullen response.
“What is the reaction?”
“No, honestly, even if it’s a masquerade, nothing really touches me. Doesn’t it just make it uncomfortable to eat and drink?”
To me, the meaning of the prom is only that I get to see a ‘clumsy but hard-working Hestia’ that I don’t normally see while having good food and drinks. But what if you wear a mask? Not only is it inconvenient to eat and drink, but it also becomes inconvenient to see Hestia. There is nothing good about me.
Seol-ah looked at me with an expression of mixed feelings. Of course, it wasn’t very positive. What can I compare it to, a gaze like looking at an older brother or younger brother?
As if she had already abandoned her expectations of me, she spoke with an attitude close to resignation.
“Yeah, what. Rather, if you were expected, then I would have doubted. Are you really the Mikhail I used to know? Do. No matter how much it is, I think it’s a bit too much to say that I don’t like it because eating and drinking is uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s not always like that, it’s childish….”
She belatedly tried to make amends, but it was already too late. Seol-ah covered her ears and pretended not to hear me, ignoring my words.
“Ebebebe. Yes, it’s late, it’s late.”
“No, they treat people like barbarians. To be honest, isn’t wearing a mask more uncomfortable?”
At my words, Seol-ah shook her head. No, no matter how much I think about it, wearing a mask is much more uncomfortable. I can say this for sure from my own experience. A mask is a mask, but imagine a terrible object that is made of wood and is hard, poorly ventilated, obstructs all vision, and even covers the entire face. Even breathing was a bit uncomfortable.
I couldn’t understand, so I asked her.
“No, then is it better for you to wear a mask?”
“For me, of course, it’s much more comfortable that way.”
“Why?”
“Do you know how much I have paid attention to every event? Being the crown prince’s woman is a position that stands out more than I thought.”
“That bastard is stuck in his house and can’t move.”
“That’s why you stand out more! The prince suddenly took a break from the academy and started living in seclusion. And she was the woman who was with the prince right up until the moment before. Even if it were me, I would gossip.”
She shuddered as if the thought of it had accumulated more than one or two things. I didn’t know it would be so difficult for her. Sorry for something Then, Seol-Ah, as if she knew everything even if I didn’t tell her what I was thinking, she cut it off.
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“If you pretend, you pretend. Your eyes were just like that. Is this my fault? The eyes of a wandering lamb who lost his place to come and go.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Okay, then cancel the lamb. Anyway, it’s true that the eyes are shaking wildly. Why is it your fault If I had to argue, it was my fault in the past when I ran amok with the dog psycho prince without knowing anything.”
As Seol-ah said that, she tapped me on the shoulder.
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be able to even think about such extravagant things right here. So, don’t worry too much and think about what kind of mask to wear in advance. Didn’t you decide anyway?”
At her words, I pondered for a moment. It’s a mask, to be honest, I don’t think much of it. Can’t I just use what I have and go?
“Um… , the mask she wore last time….”
“Are you crazy?”
As I sneakily brought her up, Seol-ah glared at me with her sharp eyes. I hurriedly tried to gloss over it, but I couldn’t pick up her words and contain them.
“Are you going to use it?”
“Just kidding, kidding.”
“I have nothing else to joke about! I’ll tell you in advance, I’m still angry that you and Cordelia took part in such a dangerous thing without saying anything to me and Hestia. Poor Hestia.”
I had nothing to say, so I just kicked the floor with the toe of my shoe. He also told Cordelia what had happened that day. Because there shouldn’t be anything to hide from each other. Somehow, it ended up being a secret only from Hestia.
“I’ve said it before, but it had nothing to do with you guys, and I didn’t want to get involved….”
“Can you talk about that in front of Hestia later?”
“Um….”
I let out a groan. I honestly wasn’t sure. It’s not that I don’t have confidence, but maybe I don’t even have time to say that? You’ll have to get down on your knees and beg.
“Ehh. Anyway, you haven’t decided what mask to wear yet? If you can’t choose, it’s okay to go shopping together next time.”
“A mask? Is there a place that sells masks?”
Is there a store that sells something like that? I thought about it, but there was no such store. If it’s such an unusual store, there’s no way I can’t remember it.
Seola added an explanation.
“Perhaps every store that sells accessories or clothes these days sells masks as well. When Valentine’s Day or White Day approaches, all supermarkets are covered with chocolate and candies.”
“Similar here and there.”
I nodded. In this respect, there is not much difference between here and there. Merchants are always the same.
“So, is that a decision? I can go see it this weekend.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Aren’t you going? You wouldn’t have prepared at all anyway.”
“That’s right.”
“Then stop talking and follow me.”
Seola dismissed my words with one word. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with that, but why do I feel so lost? She feels like a little brother who needs a lot of help…