15 – Prank (1)
“Huh? What did you say…?”
Did I see it wrong just now? Because I was too flustered, words came out instead of sign language. I thought I made a mistake and quickly recalled the sign language gesture, but Iriya, perhaps reading my lips, answered smoothly.
‘But. s*x. That wasn’t the intention, right?’
‘What?’
‘Just now. You were going to have s*x for money, weren’t you?’
“Why would you think that?”
Eliya remained silent at my words, gazing at me without a word. Following her gaze to the floor, there were scattered coins and Yuna’s disheveled skirt. As I stood in front of her, a sense of absurdity passed through me one after another. It was certainly a somewhat misleading sight. I wasn’t sure, but I felt the need to explain.
“Hey, Eliya. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that.”
‘Not like that?’
“Yeah. Right now, this happened accidentally, and…”
‘But I saw it last time too.’
“…What?”
‘I saw you doing this last time too.’
“Last time…?”
Under her simple gesture, memories from the library flashed through my mind. Shadows passing through the blurred vision amid the pain in my sore throat. But no matter how much I examined the dusty shelves, there was nothing rising before my eyes, so I embraced Yuna in front of me instead.
Even though I thought it was just my imagination since it didn’t appear until the end. Was Eliya hiding behind the bookshelves at that time?
Thinking about it, a light shiver ran over my skin. Come to think of it, I didn’t hear approaching footsteps this time either. Well, Yuna was so absent-minded that maybe I didn’t notice, but not even I heard it—something was definitely strange.
What is the identity of this girl in front of me? I stared at Eliya with a fearful gaze. As always, she wore a smile that seemed to know something, then moved her hand once again.
‘So, not doing it?’
“Eliya, it wasn’t that in the first place.”
‘Just in case, if it’s because I’m bothering you, don’t worry about it. I’ll just watch.’
“Just… watch?”
“Yes. I’m curious. Human intimacy.”
“…”
I was left speechless by her crude innocence, and my mouth shut. Only then did I recall the sight of Iriya, completely engrossed in an unknown book in a corner of the classroom. Could it be that she became interested in human intimacy after seeing us that day?
Or was she always like that?
Of course, it doesn’t really matter which.
“Um, I’m sorry, Iriya. It’s not really like that…”
“Are we not doing it today?”
I tried to explain the situation, but Iriya interrupted me with a gesture instead of words. Then, as if disappointed, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, then. There’s nothing we can do.”
“No, it’s not that we’re not doing it today…”
“Then, next time.”
Iriya interrupted me again and stood up. Then she briskly walked out of the bookshelf aisle. I still strained my ears, trying to hear the sound of her footsteps, but eventually gave up and slumped back, feeling empty.
“hahahaha…”
Unconsciously, a bitter laugh escaped from me. It seems that I have a habit of laughing awkwardly in confusing situations. Why are there so many people who make me feel flustered these days?
“Um… Ellen.”
Of course, including this Yeongae-nim.
When I turned my head, Yuna was looking at me with an anxious gaze. She had been hiding behind me for a while, and now she lowered her voice and asked me.
“So, what did she say? There were some… strange gestures mixed in. H-Hopefully, we won’t be spreading rumors about the two of us doing something like that, right? Right?”
“Um…”
How am I supposed to explain this? As memories, short but stormy, flashed through my mind, it felt like my head was throbbing. I closed my eyes and slowly felt the passage of time on my skin before finally opening my mouth.
“Shall we eat lunch first?”
“A-Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not crazy.”
“You really said that? That’s… that’s just perverted.”
“Yeah, perverted seems fitting.”
“What’s their name? Iriya? Who the hell is that?”
“If you keep going, I’ll bite your hair. Just wait a moment.”
With a gentle touch, I lightly brushed away a strand of hair from Yuna’s cheek. I lightly scratched the sensitive skin with the tip of my nail, but she didn’t seem to care at all and continued chewing her sandwich.
“Why do these characters keep appearing in the original that didn’t exist? These unique characters weren’t mentioned even once?”
“What’s the original?”
“Ugh… my head really hurts…”
“…You’re not listening.”
Yuna, her head feeling complicated, scratched her hair incessantly. While still holding onto Yuna’s swaying side hair, I let out a light sigh.
“Phew…”
The lazy afternoon sunshine clung to the breath I exhaled into the air. As the end of lunchtime approached, there was no trace of anyone heading towards the school building on the back road. Nevertheless, Yuna continued to walk quickly, shoving the sandwich into her mouth as if she didn’t know when someone might come. She’ll choke like that. I ate a bite of the sandwich, thinking of the obvious worries.
“Today, it’s ketchup…”
“Do you have the luxury to say that now?”
“You’re surprisingly willing to listen to pointless things.”
I muttered a sigh of exasperation, but Yuna ignored it and brought up another topic.
“So, what is their identity, in the end?”
“Half-friends.”
“Just a half-friend having such strange thoughts and stealing people?”
“That half-friend seems a bit perverted.”
“Think about it seriously! It could be an important issue for you too!”
“Well, maybe she’s just a really curious elf girl…”
“Hmm…”
Yuna chewed on what was in her mouth with a very awkward expression in response to my timid opinion. Then, suddenly, she turned to me and spoke as if she had come up with a good idea.
“Hey, Ellen. I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s that person who sent the sponsorship.”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t it possible that it’s that elf girl?”
“Huh…?”
Because it was an excessively provocative idea, I couldn’t help but stare with my head tilted. But Yuna’s voice became a little more excited.
“Isn’t that possible? It’s really suspicious. It’s strange that we went all the way to the deep library where no one comes at that timing, and it’s strange that we didn’t even get surprised when we saw… that. There are so many suspicious points, right?”
“Well…”
“And that sponsorship must be something that girl arranged with some kind of magic. Because she’s an elf, right? They have a lot of inherent magical power, and we know that they know a lot of magic that we don’t. So there’s a possibility. Don’t you think?”
“Hmm…”
Because it was a somewhat plausible argument, I nodded my head briefly in response to Yuna’s words. Well, elves are a secretive race in many ways. If something inexplicable happened around them, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be accused as the culprit.
If that elf wasn’t Iriya, that is.
“…But Iriya can’t use magic, right?”
“Huh?”
“To the elves, ears are an incredibly important magical mechanism, but Iriya is deaf. That’s why he had no talent for magic, and because of that, he was abandoned by his parents. It was something the magic professor also pointed out. Do you remember by any chance?”
“Um…”
It seemed like it was something that was mentioned as an example when they explained the principles of magic activation at the beginning of the semester. Until then, I had some interest in academia, so it was one of the few things that remained in my memory. However, Yuna responded with a bewildered expression, as if her memory was hazy.
“Did…did that happen?”
“Yes. That’s why it’s absurd to say that Iriya used any magic. Especially since he has no talent for magic, even less than me.”
“I see…”
Yuna’s thought, which she had just managed to recall, crumbled, and she lowered her eyes with a dejected expression. Somehow, she looked like a tail-wagging puppy, and without realizing it, a satisfied smile formed on my face.
“Uh…so now we have one more thing to worry about…”
“One more thing? Is the other one me, by any chance?”
“There’s not much time left until the exam, and it’s driving me crazy…”
Yuna’s face, which had briefly sparkled, was instantly filled with despair. I tidied up her hair beside her while uttering words that I didn’t really mean.
“Well…even so, I don’t think he’ll be a big bother. He’s so quiet that he’ll just stay still in the classroom.”
“Do you think so?”
“That’s right. And he doesn’t have many friends either, so he won’t go around stirring up trouble.”
“…I have a lot of friends, you know.”
“Who? Maybe me?”
From Noble mtl dot com
When I jokingly laughed and made a joke, Yuna glared at me with a slightly sharp gaze. Then, she pushed the sandwich into her mouth all at once and stopped in front of the classroom building.
“Ugh. We’re already here. I guess no one saw us, right?”
“If we consider it as being late, then hardly anyone saw it.”
“Late? Y-yeah, that’s right. We should go in quickly. As for you…”
Hastily cleaning the traces of a sandwich stuck to her lips, Yuna looked at me with a slightly apologetic gaze. However, I pointed to the bundle of money in my hand with an expression that showed no concern at all.
“Don’t worry. I have to put this in the locker anyway. Go in first.”
“…Sure. Let’s talk about this slowly later. Got it?”
“Yeah. Sure. Go ahead first.”
Unlike before, Yuna hesitated for a moment and then headed towards the classroom. I, on the other hand, walked towards the lockers on the opposite side. The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty corridor as I walked alone.
“Sigh…”
Exhaling the held breath, the suppressed fatigue settled between my eyelids. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, but my body already felt heavy.
Why does each day feel so long lately? It felt like a mischievous deity was stretching my time vertically, one piece at a time.
Was there ever a time when the saying “life is a series of hardships” resonated so strongly? The harsh truth I grasped at such a young age buzzed around me like mosquitoes. Nevertheless, I deliberately lifted the corners of my mouth and raised my head.
Well.
Still better than before, I guess.
Positive self-affirmation seemed more appealing than a negative truth. I gracefully stepped away from the now heavier shadow cast by my feet.
“Elren, hurry up and move a bit faster.”
“Yes… Sorry…”
As soon as I entered the classroom, Professor Edman’s sharp voice greeted me. Why does it have to be this professor again? I thought with a tinge of annoyance as I quickly went to my seat and sat down.
…
Yuna glanced at me briefly before shifting her gaze back to her book. It was a momentary exchange, but it somehow felt like our own form of greeting. I responded to her unspoken acknowledgment and rummaged inside the drawer to find the book.
Soon, I touched a thick history book. However, the sensation of touching something for the first time sent a cold shiver through my fingers.
…?
What is this? I automatically turned to look at Yuna, but she didn’t seem like the type to play such pranks. Or maybe it was Goo? I kept speculating about the culprits in my head as I continued to fiddle with the object.
And then, a moment later, I stopped my moving hand as I realized the identity of the object.
“…”
I’ve always prided myself on being calm, but in this moment, I couldn’t help but freeze. The object in my hand was something that should never have come into contact with the sacred academy.
Thud.
I dropped the object into the drawer and slowly turned my gaze. It was the result of an obsession not for reproduction, but for pleasure, and the eternal companion of prostitutes. And the person who would put the result of love that denies the fruition of love in my drawer was only one. She sent a simple gesture as our eyes met.
“A gift.”
…
It seems like it.
The hardships of life seemed to have just begun.