18 – Pranks (4)
“Hey, Yuna? What are you doing right now?”
“Just stay still. It’s almost done.”
Yuna’s faint voice came from above my lowered head. I couldn’t sense any ill intentions, but my heart inexplicably became more and more restless, and my lips kept parting.
“Hey, do we really need this?”
“Yeah. I have to do it.”
“Can I ask for the reason?”
“…If you find out the location of my dorm, will you come looking for me without hesitation?”
“I promise I won’t, so can you please take this off?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
Yuna said that and tightened the blindfold strap on my head.
“…Ugh.”
It was an improvised blindfold, and the strap tightened around my head more than necessary. In an instant, the surroundings plunged into darkness, and I felt a sensation as if someone was tightly pressing the back of my head, making my vision go black. Unconsciously, fear crept over me.
“How is it? Can you see anything?”
“Uh… I can’t see anything. Yuna, are you there?”
“What’s wrong? Are you scared of this?”
Yuna lightly chuckled as my voice trembled a bit, then playfully nudged my arm. I wanted to respond with wit, but finding composure in the extremely dark surroundings proved to be a daunting task.
“Shouldn’t I just close my eyes and follow? Wouldn’t that be more natural for others to see?”
“Don’t worry; we’ll take less noticeable paths.”
“But still…”
“Hey, sorry, but the one who should be nervous right now is me, right? Let’s go quickly.”
“But…”
“Enough, grab on and follow me.”
At that moment, as if fastening handcuffs, warm fingers intertwined with mine in the darkness. Grabbing onto that hand without thinking, Yuna held each of my fingers tightly and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
I felt that resisting any longer against her resolute voice would be futile. Eventually, I nodded, and as a signal, Yuna began to move. I followed her with uneasy steps.
With every step into the endless darkness, unknown waves rippled beneath my feet. Even though it was ground I walked on every day, the fact that vision was blocked made my heart oddly thump.
“Hey, Yuna. If I take this off, as expected…”
“No? Don’t raise your hand. Absolutely not.”
“hahahaha…”
When I tried to take off the blindfold, Yuna firmly held both of my hands and dragged me along. It felt like being taken to an interrogation room as if I were a prisoner of war. No, what’s the problem with me finding the way to the dormitory? At most, I would go out to play when I’m bored, secretly make a copy of the house key, or occasionally sneak in and steal some snacks.
But Yuna didn’t care about my hesitant heart and just dragged me along. In the meantime, a message rang in my head acknowledging the fact that she was holding my hand.
[You have completed the mission.]
[Just holding hands (for more than 5 seconds) – 5 shillings (repeatable)]
Jingling.
…
The deposit is confirmed.
Suddenly, I burst into laughter. The sponsor must have wanted something like this. Maybe they wanted to start with holding hands, then putting on rings, creating a romantic atmosphere, hugging, and finally caressing each other’s hair in that state.
But unfortunately, this human trash left a deep kiss mark on my neck and was being dragged by the villainess with the sin covered and eyes blindfolded, receiving a meager amount of pocket money.
…
“Phew…”
I tried to lighten the mood with a lame joke, but the lingering uneasiness didn’t easily go away. Was I afraid of such things? It was a fact that I learned for the first time.
With each step I took, waves of uneasiness washed over me, and every time, remnants hidden deep in my heart came to mind. Instinctive fear that I didn’t even know about. Memories of the past that remained as trauma. Memories of childhood that passed by a long time ago.
Whenever those memories resurfaced, I held Yuna’s hand even tighter. Like a firefly that illuminates the darkness of a deep forest, her hand became a ray of light in my heavy heart. Normally, I would have lectured her not to cling too much, but maybe my attitude seemed too serious, so she held my hand even tighter. As her body heat seeped through the gaps between our fingers, my trembling heart calmed down a bit.
[You have completed the mission.]
[Interlocking fingers (for more than 5 seconds) – 10 shillings (repeatable)]
It wasn’t my intention, but money was coming in the meantime.
“Alright. We’re done. We’ve arrived.”
As I felt the satisfying weight of the jingling coins, Yuna’s saving grace-like words finally came out before she could say anything. Without waiting for her to say anything, I took off the blindfold that was covering my eyes, which she had already removed my hand from. Sweat hidden in my hair flowed down as a deep sigh escaped from me.
“Whew…”
“What’s up with you? You really scared me.”
“Yeah… seems like it.”
“You’re sweating. Do you have some bad memories or something?”
“Well, I don’t remember, but I guess so.”
“A bit unexpected.”
Yuna looked at me, amused by my weakened state, and chuckled. However, her smile didn’t last long. She inserted the key into the locked door and abruptly turned to look at me.
“If you go in, don’t touch anything unnecessarily.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t wander around just because you’re excited.”
“Yeah.”
“… Just follow me from behind. Got it?”
“Since you say that, I want to try everything.”
“That won’t do. Just hold my hand and follow.”
With mischievous eyes, Yuna grabbed my hand tightly, opened the door, and pulled me inside.
“Oh… Whoa…!”
As the light leaked inside, I prepared to express my admiration with a series of exclamations. However, Yuna, without saying a word, roughly pulled me inside, stepping in with determination. I struggled in anticipation, wanting to explore the vast dormitory of the famous aristocrat, Lady Yuna.
“Hey, Yuna… Just a quick look…”
“No! Just follow.”
“Come on… just a moment. Can’t I at least stop by the bathroom? The one I use is outside…”
“What? No! Are you crazy? Hurry up and get in!”
“Just a moment… Ugh…!”
Yuna squeezed me into the innermost room as if she were putting an insect into a collection jar. Ah, I really wanted to see. But the girl’s determination to protect her sanctuary was more formidable than I had imagined, so I tumbled into the room before I could even take in the scenery outside.
“Ah… Just a moment…!”
Thud!
“Phew…”
At the same time as I entered the room, Yuna firmly closed the door. I quickly turned my head, wondering if there was anything special in Yeongae’s room, but apart from the books piled up on the desk, there was nothing else that caught my eye. In the end, a disappointed sigh escaped my lips.
“Ha…”
“What’s wrong? You seem really annoyed. Why the sigh?”
“It’s nothing.”
Swallowing my disappointment, I slowly stood up. Then, I plopped down on the bed as if I were in my own room. Yuna, as if she had been pricked in the side, startled and shouted at me.
“Hey… hey! What are you doing sitting there!”
“Why? It’s the softest spot here.”
“No, there’s a perfectly good chair. Why did you choose to sit on the bed!”
“But there’s only one chair. And don’t worry. I sat at the edge, so it won’t get dirty…”
“No, that’s not it… Forget it. I’ll bring a chair from outside, so sit on the chair.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll bring it. Landlords should stay put. It’s the guests who…”
“No… no! Don’t do that! Forget it! Don’t get up!”
Yuna caused another commotion and finally allowed me to sit on the bed, tears welling up in her eyes. Then she plopped down on the chair and let out a deep sigh.
“I guess I shouldn’t have brought you here for nothing…”
“Yuna, you should just sit here too. It must be uncomfortable.”
“Fine.”
Yuna, out of nowhere, flattened her glasses as she stared at me. Then, she cleared her voice and spoke.
“…So? How much exactly are we short of?”
“Well… about 500 shillings?”
“What? How did you manage to lose that much?”
Maybe I overspent a bit. I shrugged and offered a vague excuse.
“There was a really big hole. I mean, a really big one.”
“Well… I guess it’s possible for someone like you…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
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“Nothing. Anyway, 500 shillings… How much did you get in donations last time?”
“Oh, speaking of that.”
It was now that I brought up the topic of the mission list in response to Yuna’s question. There was no point in hiding it anymore. Yuna, upon hearing about the list, blushed slightly in surprise, just as I expected.
“So… there was something like that? How much if we hold hands?”
“5 shillings. If we link pinkies, it’s 10 shillings. Head patting is 30 shillings, and hugging is 50 shillings.”
“So holding hands is 500 won, and a hug is 50,000 won? It’s subtly expensive… No, maybe it’s cheap.”
“Do you know that you mutter to yourself quite often, Yuna?”
“Huh? Don’t mind it! It’s just… a habit.”
I felt it was quite a lonely habit, but I swallowed my words to avoid getting scolded. In the meantime, Yuna mumbled to herself once again.
“So, if we think about it simply, it’s over after ten hugs, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Shall we start with that then?”
“What?”
I naturally spread my arms, and Yuna looked at me with wide eyes. Then she averted her gaze for a moment.
“Ah… well… that’s not possible.”
“Why? It’s not like you haven’t done it before.”
“What? Well, that’s true, but… do you have to say it like that?”
“Is it really such an impossible thing to do?”
“And there must be some order in that list, right? Wouldn’t it be better to start from the beginning? Like holding hands first…”
“If we’re going to be so precise, haven’t we done everything already? We’ve held hands, interlocked fingers, even…”
“Okay! Okay, stop it…”
Yuna couldn’t overcome her embarrassment and shouted back. By the way, thinking back on it, we’ve done a lot more than I thought. Considering that, I could somewhat understand why Iriya misunderstood our relationship. We were always holding hands and hugging each other, so when would they think we would take it to the next level? I was inspired by Iriya’s thoughts and dryly replied.
“If we’re going to hug twice a day like that… four days should be enough. It’ll be right on schedule. Once during lunchtime, once before going home. Wouldn’t that be appropriate?”
“Uh… ah… um…”
After I said that, Yuna closed her mouth and pondered my words for a while, then spoke in a voice that was almost a whisper.
“…But wouldn’t that be too much like a couple?”
“If we really want to be picky, it’s almost like a married couple.”
“Hey…”
“Anyway. Shall we do it like that?”
“…”
Yuna fell silent again. But this time, the silence didn’t last long. She opened her eyes slightly and looked at me, blinking her large eyes repeatedly, before speaking.
“You know, over there…”
“Sure.”
“Can we start with gentle strokes? That’s… somewhat similar.”
“But does that mean I have to do it three times a day?”
“For now, let’s start with that… and if it’s okay, we can change it later.”
“hahahaha…”
When I ask Yuna for her opinion, why does it feel like it’s deteriorating gradually? Maybe the supporter in my head should have sent support to Yuna instead of me, who seems to skip steps on my own. But well, maybe Yuna is right, and there’s a certain order to things. I nodded approvingly.
“Got it. Shall we start right away?”
“Huh? Yeah…”
As I raised my hand, Yuna flinched, stepped back, then accepted her fate, bowing her head towards me. She grabbed the arms of the chair tightly with both hands, shaking her chin until it quivered. I awkwardly spoke up as her tense posture seemed pitiful.
“Um, don’t be too nervous there.”
“I wasn’t nervous.”
“Okay then, here we go.”
“Yeah…”
I gently placed my hand on her obviously tense head. As my rough palm swept through her soft hair, the scent of shampoo subtly spread, and I felt a warmth like the sun’s rays. However, Yuna, feeling uneasy about the touch of my hand, quickly withdrew her head.
“Uh… wait a moment…”
“Hey, Yuna. You have to stroke for at least 30 seconds.”
“I know. I do…”
Yuna bowed her head towards me again. But this time, it didn’t last long. Even before 10 seconds had passed since I raised my hand, she pulled her head away again.
“Uh… sigh… just a moment…”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… I haven’t really been comforted by anyone before…”
“Well, actually, I’m the same. I was practically an orphan, so I didn’t really have anyone to receive comfort from.”
“…I see. It’s my fault.”
Yuna took a deep breath and once again bowed her head to me. Continuously repeating the same motion caused her head to bow even lower, and my gaze gradually followed suit. Thus, due to an unavoidable natural cause and effect, my gaze rested on the ribbon attached to her uniform.
So, the ribbon. I didn’t consciously think about it, but the more I looked at it, the more I realized how sizable Yuna’s ribbon was. It swayed slightly on both sides with every movement, boasting a pleasant weight. But it was not just plump; the shape was also quite beautifully held, making me think that I wanted to touch it at least once.
How can it be that it is exposed on top of the clothes and still look so pretty in shape and texture? To be honest, there were times when I felt uncomfortable because my gaze kept drifting in that direction even when I wore my lab coat. I was more conscious of it because I was sweating and more concerned about it than usual.
Oh well. Does the lab coat also have a ribbon attached? I don’t know, maybe it does. Anyway, as Yuna continued to bow her head towards me, the ribbon, which could be glimpsed through the lighting, without a doubt captured my gaze. As I stared blankly at it for a while, Yuna’s nervous voice suddenly reached my ears.
“…What are you looking at?”
“The ribbon.”
“You’re looking at the ribbon?”
“Yeah. Can I touch it?”
“…No, you can’t.”
After hearing those words, Yuna quickly stood up from her seat. Then, she sat down on the nearby seat with a thud and said,
“Let’s do it like this. I can’t let you keep stealing glances at my chest.”
“That’s a shame.”
“What?”
“By the way, are you okay? You didn’t like sitting on the bed.”
“That… it’s fine, so just hurry up and comfort me. Come on.”
Yuna forced a fresh expression on her face and tilted her head slightly. She’s quite a difficult girl. I chuckled and brought my hand towards her head.
“…”
This time, I didn’t consciously avoid or dodge her. However, as I gently stroked Yuna sitting quietly beside me, I felt a strange tension. In the midst of this peculiar mood, I absentmindedly blurted out a few words.
“Alright. Good, good.”
“…”
“Yeah. You’re doing well.”
“…”
“Yeah, yeah. Good girl…”
“…Wait a moment.”
Once again, Yuna couldn’t fill the 30 seconds and lifted her head. Then, with a strangely displeased expression, she asked.
“It feels strangely unpleasant, like I’ve become a puppy.”
“But I couldn’t help it. It just kept coming out without me realizing.”
“Do you like puppies?”
“So, it felt really good just now. It felt like petting a puppy.”
“…”
Yuna couldn’t bring herself to continue speaking. However, it was clear that she was as uncomfortable with this situation as it was apparent. After a brief moment of contemplation, I stepped back a bit, stretching my legs.
“Shall we do it this way then?”
“W-What?”
“Like earlier, when I asked you to come this way? Then, you won’t have to worry about me peeking at your chest or experiencing the feeling of being a puppy.”
“Is that the solution now?”
“Then how about a hug?”
I spread my arms and smiled, while Yuna tightly closed her eyes. Soon, another soliloquy escaped her lips.
“Just like that elf…said…”
She pondered that phrase for an unusually long time, then stood up again.
“…”
Without saying a word, she came over and sat down in front of me with a thud.
“Um…”
I was slightly startled by her uncharacteristically swift action, and my hand twitched involuntarily. Without even turning her head, she spoke in a low voice.
“…Hurry up.”
“Ah, okay.”
Reflexively, I raised my hand at her words. As soon as my hand touched the top of her head, her shoulders shrank again, but she didn’t avoid it. I gently stroked her head as calmly as possible.
“…”
With each firm stroke on her head, my heart sank a little. It felt somewhat comfortable to describe it as stuffy, but it was a strange feeling that made my chest pound. Until now, I hadn’t felt this way because Yuna had always been scolding me, but now that she was quietly accepting my touch, it made me tense instead.
“Ah…”
However, Yuna wasn’t in such a calm state either, as she let out a sigh. I didn’t know how she was feeling right now, but at least her tension seemed to have loosened compared to before. Now, she was finally accepting my touch a little more naturally. I wanted to believe that.
Well, it’s definitely strange. It felt very different from when I stroked Guelo’s head, and the atmosphere was completely different from when Iriya sat in front of me. There was something I couldn’t feel from them that I could feel from Yuna’s back. Seeing Yeongae, who had been so sharp, accepting my touch so quietly… I don’t know how to put it…
…I want to hug her tightly.
But I couldn’t do that, so I reluctantly suppressed my desires and listened to the voice in my head. Only then did I realize how long 30 seconds can be. Her small and delicate shoulders, unlike Guelo’s, and the distance that was neither too far nor too close, like Iriya, kept exciting me.
[Mission accomplished.]
[Head patting (30 seconds or more) – 30 shillings (repeatable)]
Just as I was contemplating this strange feeling, a voice echoed in my head. I almost sighed when I felt the coin jingling in my pocket. Now that it was over, 30 seconds felt shorter than I thought. I paused for a moment, feeling perplexed by the sudden change in my feelings. Then Yuna glanced back at me and asked.
“Hey, is it over there?”
“…”
“Ellen?”
“Not yet. It seems there’s a little bit left.”
Unconsciously, a lie slipped out of my mouth. As soon as I spat out such an obviously visible lie, I regretted it. Yuna also pointed out that fact.
“…Feels like it’s been a while though.”
But even so, I didn’t retract my head or anything. I accepted it as permission and gently stroked the side of her protruding hair. Then, I deliberately changed the topic.
“Should we do this three times a day? In the morning, during lunch, and before parting.”
“Yeah. With this, there’s no need to hide anywhere, it seems.”
“Stroking your head is a simple thing.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
With these words exchanged one by one, we fell into silence again. We both felt like we had something to say, but it was as if we didn’t know what that something was. However, since I couldn’t seal my already excited mouth, it opened again.
“Hey Ellen. So, about that elf, what are you going to do in the end?”
“Ah.”
Right, Ellya. That problem was still lingering. I came to talk about that after all. I completely forgot about it.
“Well… yeah. What should we do…”
It was an important issue, but strangely it had been left behind as if it were put on the back burner. Like, until recently, it made me quite embarrassed, but suddenly it became like these pockets filled with coins.
…
Money…
Come to think of it, this is extra money for me.
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Deep in thought, I suddenly chuckled. It seemed a bit absurd even to myself, and that laughter just came out naturally. Nevertheless, I went ahead and brought up the topic.
“What if we do it like this?”