19 – Quiet During Class (1)
At the back of the classroom building, between the crossroads leading to the cafeteria and the library, there was a secluded path where the sunlight barely reached. During lunch or break times when students would casually wander there, but in the quiet morning hours, it was a deserted path where no one would tread.
Even I wasn’t aware of this place until yesterday when I heard about it from Yuna. But this morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I headed straight to that spot. Upon reaching, it was indeed a place with an atmosphere detached from the bright academy. It felt like a space neatly separated, as if an invisible boundary had been drawn.
I stood there quietly, waiting for her. Although it was a promise made in an unfamiliar place for the first time, strangely, there was no sense of unease. I had a peculiar certainty that she would appear in front of me soon.
Soon enough, as my conviction held, a small shadow began to emerge through the sunlight. I waited until the sunlight revealed her to me, and then I greeted her with a mouthful of laughter.
“Hello, Yuna.”
“Hi. Hello.”
Yuna’s voice carried a full load of awkwardness, as if it were her first greeting. After receiving my greeting, she scratched her cheek a bit and spoke.
“So… should we?”
“Yeah.”
Although it sounded like we were discussing some secretive meeting, nothing extraordinary happened. When she lowered her head, I raised my hand to pat her head.
The time covering my body temperature over her tousled brown hair was a mere 30 seconds. Of course, I didn’t keep count. Even after the supporting message resonated like a clear bell, I intentionally continued patting her head for about 10 seconds more. Yuna probably knew, but she pretended not to and waited until I lowered my hand. Then, deliberately, she threw a word.
“…Done?”
“Yeah. Done.”
“Should we continue like this during lunch?”
“Shall we?”
“Let’s discuss that slowly.”
Yuna nodded thoughtfully and then subtly stepped back. How to conclude this secret meeting was still unclear. Since we were bound to meet again anyway, there was no need for a farewell. Eventually, she gave me a nod and quickly left the place.
And even though Yuna and I had the same destination, I deliberately walked slowly, following behind her. Despite holding hands several times and invading each other’s personal space, our distance remained as wide as it was. It was a distance that could not be reduced by a mere touch.
If this distance wasn’t due to a mysterious sponsorship, it would never have diminished.
As I pondered such thoughts, I lifted my head. And then I focused on the matter at hand. The elf girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, just as prominent as the sponsorship.
She’ll probably rush in as soon as she enters the classroom. She might even run up to me with her clear eyes, asking what happened yesterday. Until yesterday, I would have been flustered, but fortunately, I had a plan for today.
“hehehe.”
Unintentionally, I chuckled wickedly and put my hand in my pocket. Then, taking out a coin, I suddenly swung open the classroom door that had approached before I knew it.
‘…’
“hehehe…”
‘…’
“Heh.”
‘Ellen.’
“Yeah?”
‘What were you doing?’
Iriya glared at me with an unusually suspicious look. I leaned against the desk, giving her a relaxed smile.
“It bothered me that you kept coming during break time. Plus, exams are coming up soon.”
‘You. You don’t study.’
“I’m planning to start now.”
‘You’re not doing it even now.’
“I’m starting soon.”
‘…’
Iriya expressed a straight mountain peak shooting up with his hand as I spoke. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I still averted my gaze over Iriya’s shoulder, thinking that Yuna would be shocked if she saw it.
“Gue-ro.”
“Ung.”
“Tie up your hands too.”
“Okay.”
‘…!!!’
Before Iriya could resist, a giant hand grabbed his delicate arms. She struggled for a moment, then completely lost her will to resist and looked at me with a furious expression. And above her head, Gue-ro’s chin gently rested.
The sight of the slender elf girl snuggled in the arms of the giant mermaid girl was a peaceful scene that healed the heart. Gue-ro hugged Iriya tightly and occasionally swayed her tail, while Iriya nestled in her embrace and chewed her lips as if reminiscing. In reality, she was probably thinking of insults to spit at me, but luckily she couldn’t put them into action, so this scene was incredibly satisfying for me.
It almost felt like a naive puppy being embraced by its mother. Perhaps it was because of the height difference between the two. Or maybe it was because Gue-ro’s face was so peaceful compared to Iriya’s wrinkled expression. She rolled her head back and forth on top of Iriya’s small head and spoke towards me.
“But Ellen, you should pay extra for this.”
“One shilling, then?”
I casually flicked a coin, and it landed right between Gue-ro’s breasts. She looked at the coin that slipped through the unbuttoned buttonhole with a sense of futility and spat out irritably.
“Hey, you did that on purpose.”
“Well, no matter where I throw it, it’s all your chest, so what can I do?”
“Damn it, it’s annoying to look for it like this.”
“But it’s not your fault.”
“Don’t say it’s not your own fault. Anyway, I’ll make good use of it. Thanks to you, I’ll have a warm meal after a long time.”
While love may not be bought with money, people can be bought with money. Realizing this long-standing truth, Gue-ro put the coin back into her pocket and asked.
“So, should I keep you until the end of the day?”
“Yeah. Oh, can I ask you for a favor tomorrow too? I have a feeling I’ll be using your services often.”
‘…!!!’
Iriya widened her eyes, as if she could read my expression, and looked astonished. She smiled brightly, whether or not she knew what it meant.
“Well, it’s me, so it’s fine. Ah, tell Iriya that I don’t have any personal feelings towards her. I’m definitely not doing this because I hate her.”
“Okay. Iriya, Gwero says he’s not doing this because he hates you.”
‘…’
Instead of answering, Iriya bit Gwero’s arm, but unfortunately, it didn’t cause any significant pain. From Gwero’s perspective, it probably just felt like a mosquito bite. I looked at that scene and quickly turned my gaze forward. Iriya would have to concentrate on the class without any movement during the upcoming class. We made that agreement, after all.
Is this the pleasure of spending money? I savored Yunah’s reaction while feeling the sweet taste of capital for the first time. I felt a little sorry for the weak-hearted Youngae-nim, who glanced at Iriya with a hint of guilt, but she seemed satisfied with the result nonetheless.
As expected. Money is good.
I pondered the truth once again and looked straight ahead. The magic professor had entered and was about to start the class. Soon, her lively voice echoed in my ears, and I soaked in the peaceful atmosphere that I hadn’t experienced for a long time.
Yes. This is what peace is. The professor’s monotonous voice ringing in the air. The sound of pencils scratching on paper mixed in between. Yunah’s profile, fully focused on some unknown content, and Iriya’s discontented face still stuck to Gwero.
To someone else, it might not be anything special, but to me, it was a glimpse of peace that I had barely found amidst countless incidents. I had come a long way, but this was exactly what I wanted.
Suddenly, the beginning of all this came to mind. The day I first held Yunah’s hand. Since then, there was only one thing I wanted, you know. The reason I held her hand back then was…
…
…
…
Was it because I was bored…?
I slowly lifted my head, feeling that something was terribly wrong. Come to think of it, I think I started all this just because I was bored. Yeah, that’s right. I decided to start a conversation because I wanted Youngae-nim, who was sitting next to me, to relieve me of this boredom.
But looking at the current situation, hasn’t anything been achieved? Yunah is still completely absorbed in the class, and Iriya, who used to play around occasionally, is unable to move. Even Gwero, who used to interact with me, is busy taking care of Iriya.
In the end, isn’t it just me who suffered from this?
“Uh…?”
Quietly pondering my thoughts, I slowly lifted my head. It felt like my eyes, which had been locked in peace, suddenly opened. As I raised the eyelids that covered my sight, the boredom hidden within the name “peace” finally revealed its wicked form. Looking at the devil’s face, I recited the prayers I used to utter for him.
Wow.
Boring.
“Uh-huh…”
As that word echoed, time around me seemed to slow down instantly, and a lethargic sensation spread throughout my body. Conversely, my veins pulsed, and a paradoxical desire to do something began to emerge.
Whether Yuna knew about my thoughts or not, she was concentrating on the professor’s words with a very serious expression, diligently taking notes. Even when I glanced at her from this side, there was no sign of wavering. She seemed much more composed in terms of concentration compared to before.
Even if it’s boring, what can I do to someone so focused on studying? Moreover, the exam period is approaching soon. I noticed that yesterday, I stayed up late studying again. It would be unfair to disturb someone like her.
So, I thought I should endure a bit, even if it feels unjust. Everything has come back to square one. No, it’s even worse, but what can I do? It’s my own fault. Still, I did manage to become somewhat closer to Yuna, so I’ve achieved some of my goals.
Let’s just endure it during the exam period. It’s not like I’ll die from boredom. Let’s endure a little.
…
…
…
No matter how much I say that.
Humanly, it was too boring.
“Whoa…”
“…!”
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I unconsciously blew the wind, ruffling Yuna’s side hair. Yuna looked at me in surprise, and I turned my head forward again, pretending nothing happened. She glanced at me for a moment with a puzzled expression, then attributed it to the open window and returned to the lecture.
…
Interesting.
Discovering a small joy, I wickedly smiled. Well, this much should be fine. Thinking that, I blew the wind again, and Yuna annoyingly brushed her side hair. I wonder if she really thinks it’s because of the wind. Laughing to myself, I blew the wind again towards her ear, exposed slightly by her movements.
“Hoooo…”
“…”
“Huuu…”
“…”
“Ho…”
“…Hey.”
Oops.
In the moment when the wind blew again, Yuna turned her eyes towards me with just a glance. I stared at her with my mouth still in a pouty position, frozen.
“What are you doing?”
“…Just bored.”
When I answered honestly, Yuna squinted her eyes and looked at me. Then, she uttered a word that felt like a faint sigh.
“Don’t.”
“I’m just bored.”
“Still, don’t.”
It was an extremely firm tone. However, she soon sighed and said,
“…Even if I tell you not to, you’ll keep doing it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not like you’re making money from this.”
“Just doing it because I’m bored.”
“How can we stop this?”
“Hmm…”
I didn’t want to stop. After careful consideration, I ultimately decided to take a step back.
“Just five more minutes, then I’ll stop.”
“Sigh…”
Yuna covered her face as if it was crumbling. But she had become somewhat accustomed to my antics, so the despair didn’t last long. Eventually, she made up her mind and threw the pencil aside.
“Fine. Just five minutes starting now.”
“Yes!”
“What should we do?”
“Hmm…”
At her question, I quickly came up with dozens of games in my mind. But since five minutes was a short time, I had to use it efficiently. I dismissed most of the ideas that came to mind and decided on something simple.
From Noble mtl dot com
“How about playing rock-paper-scissors with a punishment for the loser?”
“Oh, we have rock-paper-scissors here too…”
“Huh?”
“Oh…never mind. So what’s the punishment?”
“How about a light slap on the back?”
“I’m not good at that.”
“Then how about a flick on the wrist?”
“…I don’t like wrist flicks.”
“Really? Then…hmm…”
This is harder than I thought. I pondered once again. Hitting is out of the question. It shouldn’t be too complicated for class time. Using money for the punishment isn’t fun. So how should we do this…
Hmm…
After erasing one by one, there was only one thing left. Something that could be done during class. Unrelated to money. Not something violent. The answer that popped into my head was delivered in a surprisingly refreshing voice.
“How about a strip tease?”