“Hey, don’t be like that.”
So-hee said as she dragged a desk over.
Oh, come to think of it, So-hee had come to this school, so she needed a desk and chair.
Still, the fact that there were extra desks and chairs in the classroom meant that So-hee was recognized as a legitimate student here.
This school didn’t normally keep extra desks and chairs in the classroom.
…But for some reason, she dragged the desk between me and Ha-neul.
“…What are you doing right now?”
Ha-neul had a lot to say, but as if deciding to settle this first, she asked.
“Oh, this?”
So-hee straightened her chest proudly as she responded to Ha-neul’s question.
“Well, I’m Lady Ye Sara’s personal maid. Naturally, I should sit as close as possible.”
“…This is a place where people walk.”
That was true.
Normally, there was space between the desks where students sat in rows.
I wasn’t sure if it was designed to make it easy for students to move, or if it was because the classroom had emptied out due to the low birthrate after an era when the school used to be packed.
“Didn’t you say it’s as if I’m not even here? They’ll figure it out. Whether they crawl over the desk or jump over it.”
I wasn’t sure how many students in this class had that kind of athletic ability.
No, rather, I don’t think they’d go that far.
They’d probably just walk around.
Well, I was worried that Ha-neul, with her generally kind appearance, might be bullied easily, but in So-hee’s case… well, it’s a bit rude to say, but honestly, just from her appearance, she looked more like the bully than the bullied.
I wasn’t sure if her skin tone was naturally a bit dark or if she had a unique tanning feature, but from her looks, she seemed like someone who enjoyed playing around.
She probably did like to play.
She had many friends in the game.
Although she did attend school regularly, she had a bulldozer-like personality that would gladly skip if she didn’t feel like going.
It’s rare for even the most delinquent students in this school to give off such an open ‘I’m a troublemaker’ vibe.
Moreover, even now, So-hee had three buttons on her shirt undone.
The ribbon, which should have been neatly tied like a tie, was untied and hung loosely.
Even a homeroom teacher would feel too awkward to point that out.
…Could it be that her previous school teachers didn’t mention it because they were afraid of being accused of harassment?
“…”
Ha-neul pressed the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache.
“No matter how much, this isn’t a place for a desk…”
Then again, I’d often sit close to Ha-neul.
Plus, we already had a reputation for blatantly ignoring the teacher during class.
It seemed a bit late to insist on following the rules now—though I did think that, Ha-neul was fundamentally a diligent student.
She was only breaking the rules to help me.
Otherwise, she would have calmly stayed out of trouble and naturally mingled with the other characters.
Since I was the cause of this situation, I didn’t have the right to complain to Ha-neul.
“How about asking one of the nearby kids to switch seats?”
Ha-neul, not giving up, suggested.
“Oh, really?”
So-hee suddenly stood up as if the idea just occurred to her.
Without a second of hesitation, she confidently walked over to the kid sitting behind me.
Standing firmly between my chair and the other student’s desk, So-hee looked down at the student and said,
“Hey.”
…Couldn’t she at least make the effort to read the name tag?
“…”
But the other student didn’t respond.
Judging from how they stopped their conversation with another student just a moment ago, they seemed a bit intimidated.
It was a stark contrast to when Ha-neul had spoken to them earlier without getting a response.
That was understandable.
Ha-neul had a kind and diligent appearance, and she spoke softly when approaching others.
But when someone says ‘hey’ in such a confrontational manner, anyone would be scared.
Moreover, So-hee was relatively tall for a girl.
If someone that tall looks down at you and speaks like that, who wouldn’t be intimidated?
Even I would immediately hand over my textbook if a 187 cm-tall Kim Tae-yang asked to borrow it.
However, these students knew.
So-hee had declared herself as my maid and spoke confidently to me.
They couldn’t break the rule of not associating with people connected to me.
To stick to that principle, they couldn’t respond to So-hee.
Though, judging by how some teachers gave Ha-neul orders, it wasn’t to the point where interaction was forbidden…
Unlike Ha-neul, who was simply my friend, So-hee, as my maid, probably made them even more nervous.
I couldn’t see So-hee’s expression since her back was to me, but just from the way she spoke, it didn’t seem like she was smiling kindly.
“Hey~ Are you ignoring me~?”
So-hee knocked on the kid’s desk with her hand.
Hearing the screech of the chair dragging on the floor, it seemed the kid flinched.
“…”
The surrounding gazes shifted towards us.
But So-hee didn’t seem to care at all.
“Hmm.”
She waved her hand in front of the kid’s face and even smacked the desk a few times.
Still, the kid didn’t respond.
From my perspective, it looked like the kid was gritting their teeth and enduring it.
Though I couldn’t see the kid’s face, it wouldn’t be surprising if they had tears welling up in their eyes.
“Hah.”
So-hee sighed as if she was dumbfounded, sweeping her hair back.
She looked like an irritated delinquent.
Of course, I still couldn’t see her expression from here.
So-hee stepped aside from the desk.
Then, in a posture that was far from ladylike, she crouched down beside the desk.
It was a position that made me think of kids with dyed hair sitting around in convenience stores or back alleys.
“Gasp.”
The kid inhaled sharply.
Looking at the kid, So-hee said,
“Are you… ignoring—”
Just as she was about to say it in a slightly threatening tone—
“Wait—!”
A certain fool with fluffy blue hair, the student council disciplinary officer, rushed in before she could finish.
Everyone who had been nervously watching So-hee now turned their gazes towards the disciplinary officer.
I heard someone exhale a long sigh.
It was probably the kid behind me, relieved that So-hee had turned her attention away.
So-hee, still crouching, turned her head towards the officer.
Her torso slightly twisted, her head turned, and her eyes glared.
Even if she didn’t intend to, it was the kind of threatening posture that could make an elementary school kid wet their pants.
…She had been acting so gentle in front of me.
Was this the real delinquent?
Well, even for a delinquent, she didn’t seem to act out that much.
After all, she was still the main character.
If she were too unlikable, the players would hate her.
So-hee, with an expression as if thinking, ‘What is this now?’ slowly stood up.
“Ugh…”
Seeing that, the disciplinary officer took a step back.
Yeah, it’s different when you see it in person, right?
The officer probably had plenty to point out.
Starting with her chest, for example.
But could she even bring herself to say it?
“What’s her deal…?”
So-hee asked, looking at me.
“She’s a disciplinary officer.”
“Did we even have those here?”
I guess all schools have them.
Although, they’re practically invisible.
Honestly, who remembers the student council president’s name while attending school?
Even when I voted for them in elementary, middle, and high school, I wondered why I had to do it.
You should at least know who they are to think about it before voting.
By the time I got to college, I didn’t even vote.
“She’s a decent person. One of the few in this school who doesn’t ignore me.”
“Don’t make such reckless judgments!”
…She’s a decent person, and you tell me not to judge?
Does that mean you want me to think she’s not decent?
Well, she probably just said it without thinking.
She was always determined not to lose to me.
“Oh, really?”
So-hee looked intrigued by what I said.
Even though she hadn’t seen it firsthand, she must have heard enough from us to know that I was often ignored.
The fact that this disciplinary officer was stepping up for me must have made her think the officer wasn’t so bad.
So-hee raised her hand towards the officer and said,
“Let’s get along as two people who don’t ignore each other?”
“Do you think I wanted to talk to you!?”
Perhaps shocked by our confidence, the disciplinary officer shouted.
She then pointed a finger at So-hee and said,
“You were just threatening that kid, weren’t you!?”
“Huh?”
So-hee looked down at the kid she had just been bothering.
Then she looked back at the officer.
“Hey, they ignored me first.”
“That just means they didn’t want to talk to you! You didn’t have to force a conversation!”
Well, that’s true.
Although, I thought So-hee had lost her temper because of the obvious disregard for her.
It was understandable that So-hee didn’t have a good impression of this school.
She was my friend and had thoroughly heard about this school from me and my friends’ perspective.
It wouldn’t be strange if she thought this place was full of bad people.
Except for a few unique cases like the disciplinary officer.
“…Hey.”
So-hee whispered to me.
“Does she not know you’re being ignored?”
“I told her. She just doesn’t believe it.”
“Why?”
So-hee furrowed her brow and asked.
“Um… maybe because I’m too good at playing the villain?”
“…What the heck happened?”
“…I’ll tell you later.”
Let’s save the story of my failed attempt to mediate for another time.
“And you, that ribbon—”
Just as the officer was about to scold So-hee for her outfit,
Ding-dong-dang-dong, the school bell rang.
It was the preliminary bell.
For us, it didn’t matter since we were already in class, but the officer had to get going if she wanted to be ready for the next period.
Although there were 10 minutes until the real bell, most teachers arrived after the preliminary bell to conduct roll call before class started.
“…Anyway, I won’t let this slide!”
With a not-so-scary warning, she stormed out of the classroom.
“…”
A moment of silence.
“Well then.”
So-hee looked down at me, smiling brightly as if everything was settled.
“I guess I have no choice but to sit here.”
“…”
I heard Ha-neul let out a long sigh.