Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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Ha-neul was smiling brightly.
No, I mean, her face always shines, but…
This isn’t a description of a physical phenomenon; it’s a metaphor for the smile Ha-neul is giving right now.
Before I knew it, she had wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, pulling me close, her face just a breath away from mine, as if our lips might touch again any second.
That smile of Ha-neul’s looked like it was glowing.
Not from the light coming off her face, but from the smile itself.
I was just staring blankly at her face when,
Suddenly, I felt something touch the back of my head.
There was no one else in this room but the two of us, and both my hands were hanging down limply, so it must have been Ha-neul’s touch.
Realizing that the hand that had been gripping mine tightly earlier was now free, I quickly raised it and grabbed Ha-neul’s shoulder.
“H-Ha-neul, wait…!”
Before I could even resist or fully grasp Ha-neul’s face, the hand pressing on the back of my head pushed me forward.
Of course, Ha-neul’s face also moved forward.
Realizing what was about to happen, I hurriedly closed my eyes, but…
…No, maybe because I closed my eyes, it felt even more vivid?
Ha-neul’s lips overlapped with mine.
Endlessly soft and warm.
Our lips remained locked together for a while, and only when Ha-neul released the pressure from her hands did we finally part.
“…Oh.”
Even though the situation was so shocking, my mind remained clear.
…Why?
I quickly figured out the reason.
Sara, who should have been freaking out and screaming in this situation, was silent.
And in all the time I’ve spent with Sara, I’ve only experienced this once before.
…When Sara fainted.
So… did she faint because of the kiss?
My head was spinning.
Was it because my personality hadn’t switched when it should have, or was it just that the blood rushed to my head?
I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was clear: right now, I had just shared a kiss with Ha-neul.
There was no reason to question why.
It just meant that Ha-neul liked Sara.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t all that strange.
Ha-neul was originally a character in the game who could end up with Sara, and considering the consistent kindness she had shown to both Sara and me, it wasn’t surprising if those feelings had always been there.
In fact, it seemed strange that I hadn’t noticed until now.
“Hey, Ha-neul. I’m sorry, but… the kiss earlier wasn’t with the Sara you wanted, but…”
“No.”
Ha-neul cut off my words with a firm answer.
“W-what?”
Thrown off by being interrupted, I stammered and asked Ha-neul again.
She looked me straight in the eyes and said,
“The person I wanted to kiss.”
One word at a time,
“Was you.”
She said it clearly so I couldn’t mishear.
Ha-neul’s gaze didn’t waver at all.
She fully understood what she was saying and knew exactly what was going on.
“So, that means…”
“I like you.”
“……”
“I’ve liked you since the beginning. From the first time we met. Even before ‘Sara’ woke up. Always.”
“……”
I gaped.
I was like a goldfish gasping for air at the water’s surface.
My mind went completely blank.
It was definitely the most shocking thing anyone had ever said to me, but I couldn’t even run away.
Sara, the personality that could take over for me, wasn’t responding.
But my body didn’t seem shocked enough to faint either.
…Well, even if I fainted and woke up again, the situation wouldn’t be resolved, so it would only cause more trouble for me.
Besides, we were in the middle of a party.
Ha-neul was still wearing her dress, and this room wasn’t the one we normally used but a small storage-like place.
Fortunately, it wasn’t so dirty that dust would cling to her dress.
So… we were in the middle of a party, and whether Ha-neul had led me here or we came in for a break, we were now having this intimate moment alone.
Ha-neul’s hand, which had been wrapped around my waist, slipped away.
The hand that had been touching the back of my head also withdrew.
“Haa…”
Ha-neul stepped back, and air slipped between us, where we had been pressed so closely together.
Only then did I remember how warm Ha-neul’s body had been.
Or was it that Sara’s body—no, my body—had been that heated?
I shivered from the sudden chill.
Even though my body was free now and the blood that had rushed to my head was circulating again, my face, if anything, felt even more flushed.
That cold breeze made me realize just how close we had been.
And even as our bodies parted,
And our lips separated,
I felt a slight sense of regret.
Though I’d experienced this many times in dreams with Sara… thinking that Ha-neul had done the same made me feel an indescribable embarrassment.
It was the difference between someone I had always thought of as my other half, someone with whom we could casually say we’d be together forever, and someone I’d never imagined this would happen with.
Not that I thought Sara was less important…
……
Who am I even trying to explain this to?
“Ah, ugh.”
It felt like the language-processing part of my brain had broken.
Every time I tried to open my mouth to speak, only incoherent sounds came out.
Before I could regain my senses, Ha-neul grabbed my left hand.
She gently lifted my hand with her left hand, and with her right hand…
…with her right hand, she was slipping a ring onto my left ring finger.
A ring from where?
I had no idea.
“Ah, wait…!”
Finally realizing what Ha-neul was doing, I hurriedly tried to pull my hand back, but Ha-neul smiled softly and said,
“It’s okay.”
At that expression, I stopped in my tracks.
“You kissed ‘Sara’ too, didn’t you?”
“……”
How did she know…?
No, wait.
Up until just a moment ago, Sara had been the one in control of this body.
Maybe they’d been talking and Ha-neul overheard.
Maybe, after hearing that, she acted on impulse…
…No, judging by the fact that she had this ring prepared, it wasn’t just that.
Looking closer now, I noticed that Ha-neul was wearing a ring identical to the one she had just placed on my left ring finger.
“You don’t have to answer right away. Just think of it as a friendship ring for now.”
But who puts a friendship ring on the left ring finger…?
Even between women, wouldn’t people totally misunderstand…?
“…Just for now, okay? Please.”
Ha-neul was slightly bowing her head as she slipped the ring onto my finger.
I couldn’t see her face.
But for some reason, I felt like I knew what her expression was.
“Uh, um…”
I was trying to find the right words when,
Suddenly, Ha-neul lifted her head.
The expression on her face… well…
It wasn’t what I had expected.
It was a face full of confidence and certainty.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you fall for me.”
And the words Ha-neul spoke were straight out of a hero’s script.
The kind of thing a protagonist would say while pursuing the heroine.
Even though we were both girls.
“Uh… okay.”
Without even realizing it, I found myself saying that in response to her confident expression.
It just felt like the right thing to say.
“Good.”
Before I could say anything more, Ha-neul cupped my cheeks with both hands.
Ah, I could tell what Ha-neul was about to do now.
“I like you. Really.”
And then, Ha-neul kissed me again.
“…You can rest here a bit, and I’ll head out first.”
Ha-neul said that with a bright smile, and then, practically floating, she left the room.
The door quietly clicked shut, and,
I crouched down on the spot, my face in my hands.
I felt unbelievably embarrassed.
*
I feel like I’m walking on air.
That’s what Yoo Ha-neul thought.
After seeing the confident ‘Sara,’ she could guess a bit about what had happened between Sara and ‘Sara.’
She had no idea how the two of them could have gotten into that kind of relationship or how it had all played out.
But, because of that, she had become impatient.
So, she brought out the ring she had prepared as a birthday present and had been waiting for a moment when the two of them could be alone…
And Sara hadn’t rejected Yoo Ha-neul.
Even after two more kisses!
Sara didn’t hate her, and their relationship hadn’t broken!
Sara had just been flustered, staring blankly in shock like usual.
That’s fine.
There’s still a chance.
Compared to ‘Sara,’ who was always with her, Yoo Ha-neul’s position wasn’t as strong…
But she had a clear advantage.
And that was this body.
Her body.
The body that could hold Sara, the body that could kiss her.
That was Yoo Ha-neul’s real weapon.
Realizing that made Yoo Ha-neul feel great.
So great that she temporarily forgot just how many other rivals she had besides ‘Sara.’