Chapter 8
‘A-Are they not going to fight?’
First Grade, Class 2, Number 2, Na Jiwon.
Watching Kim Siyeon—who’d been on the verge of a fight just moments ago—fall mysteriously quiet as Han Seojin smiled and stroked her head, Na Jiwon let out a sigh of relief.
That was because—
‘I was scared….’
Kim Siyeon was scary.
Her appearance, which had made him fall in love at first sight, was one thing, but ever since she’d entered the classroom, she’d been glaring at Han Seojin as if she might attack him at any moment. As her seatmate, it had been a nerve-racking situation.
Even though Han Seojin and Kim Siyeon sat at opposite ends of the classroom, it wasn’t so big that they couldn’t reach each other with just a little movement.
He was relieved that Kim Siyeon, who’d seemed ready to start a fight at any moment, had quieted down like that, but he was also impressed by Han Seojin, who’d managed to calm her.
‘How on earth did he do that…?’
He’d gotten her to calm down with just a few pats on the head.
In the mind of Na Jiwon, who was hoping to become class president, Han Seojin’s stock had risen. He decided he’d have to ask him how he did it sometime.
“W-What are you looking at?!”
‘E-Eek…!’
At the sound of Kim Siyeon’s voice, as if she’d only just noticed the eyes on her, Na Jiwon hurriedly pretended not to be interested and started reading the book he’d opened a while ago.
Kim Siyeon was so pretty that he’d thought he could die happy just from seeing her smile so sweetly a moment ago, but before that, he’d felt like he might actually die.
“By the way, are you two dating?”
“Pfft?!”
Despite his resolve, someone had eventually dropped a bombshell. Na Jiwon could only pray desperately that he wouldn’t be the only one caught in the blast.
==========
-Pat, pat.
What was happening to me right now?
So, the protagonist had raised one hand.
-Pat, pat.
That hand was now resting on my head,
-Pat.
“……”
…And he was moving it from side to side, stroking my head, right?
‘Why?’
From why this idiot had suddenly started doing this to what I was supposed to do in response…
His sudden behavior had me so flustered, and I had no idea how to handle it, so all I could do was sit there blankly and feel his hand stroking my head.
…H-He’s actually pretty good at this, unexpectedly.
‘N-no, that’s not the point.’
Mom had worked hard to tidy my hair for the entrance ceremony today. I couldn’t just let him mess it up like this, so I decided I had to put a stop to it.
“…W-What are you doing?”
“Hm? Petting you.”
“I’m asking why you’re doing that, you idiot!”
I’d asked what he was doing. Wasn’t that basically telling him to stop?
It was oddly irritating how plainly he explained what he was doing. I was about to pinch his cheek, but managed to hold back when I noticed the eyes on us.
Whether he knew how I felt or not, the protagonist kept stroking my head and spoke as if it were obvious.
“Because Siyeon likes this, right?”
“……”
At that, I was at a loss for words.
I-I mean, if you asked whether I liked having my head patted, I did.
But that was because the person doing it was usually my mom, not that idiot—and because she patted my head while paying attention to me, not by just ruffling it like this.
This isn’t what I mean…!
“H-Hurry up and s…”
I needed to tell him to take his hand away—
No matter what I tried to say, I couldn’t get the rest of the words out.
‘…Wh-Why does this feel so good?’
My hair was getting messed up, so I had to stop him right now. I had to…
It felt better than I’d expected. Having him stroke my head like crazy really did feel good…
“M-Mm…”
Before I knew it, I’d closed my eyes and focused entirely on feeling his hand move over my head…!
I-I wasn’t doing this on purpose or anything. He was just so good at it that I couldn’t help it.
Yeah, yeah. I was only doing this because I couldn’t help it.
“Ah…”
“Feeling better now?”
And so, I spent several minutes doing nothing but enjoying his touch without putting up any resistance.
As his hand fell away and he asked if I felt better, I stared at it, disappointed.
…I-I wish he’d do it just a little longer.
“…Dunno, idiot.”
“Not yet…?”
I expressed my dissatisfaction with a curt reply, and like the idiot he was, he put his hand back on my head.
I tried to use that as an opening to take back control, but his hand immediately started moving, and I forgot what I was going to say. I just sat there blankly, accepting his touch.
‘…….’
Wait, weren’t the other kids watching too?
Maybe that idiot had swept me up and made me stupid too, because I’d completely forgotten we were at school…!
I hurriedly opened my eyes, which had been closing, and looked around. Almost everyone was watching me and the protagonist.
“Ah, aaah…!”
This is embarrassing.
I was twenty before I got possessed, and now, counting the years since then, I was twenty-three—and here I was, just sitting there and accepting the touch of an idiot who’d lived far less than I had.
If it were just the two of us, maybe that would be one thing, but the fact that this was happening at school, where everyone could see, made it even more embarrassing.
“W-What are you looking at?!”
In the end, unable to bear the embarrassment, I shouted at the kids who were watching me.
Only then did the eyes on us begin to lessen, but I was still embarrassed.
…Because he was still stroking my head.
No matter what I said, he kept smiling broadly as he stroked my head. He was so annoying, but I gritted my teeth and endured it, telling myself that my head felt nice.
“…Idiot.”
Why was he so good at stroking my head when he didn’t need to be?
Even though I could sense something strange about our relationship, which wasn’t quite what I’d imagined, I let it slide since it hadn’t crossed the line I’d drawn for myself.
It wasn’t as if I liked him or anything. Not yet.
Even after living as a woman for three years, the idea of liking a man was still almost taboo to me. I felt like I’d sooner choose to stay single for the rest of my life.
‘I’m the pioneer of staying single for life…!’
There wasn’t such a thing as being single for life before, so I guess I’m the one starting it, right?
“I’m starting it… Pfft.”
“By the way, are you two dating?”
“Pfft?! Cough, keh-heh!”
As I quietly chuckled to myself, thinking, I’m starting it, a thunderbolt of a question suddenly rang out nearby, and I choked.
W-Where did that come from all of a sudden…!
“…Who just said that?”
“I-I did, but… it’s obviously true!”
After calming down a little, I looked for the culprit. The kid shouted as if they couldn’t admit they’d done anything wrong.
“W-Who said I was dating this idiot?!”
“You were smiling while he petted your head!”
“I wasn’t! I mean…”
Since I still hadn’t completely calmed down, I yelled back and immediately tried to refute what he’d said, but…
‘How am I supposed to refute that…?’
I was stuck…!
I mean, if I’d ever dated anyone, I could clearly distinguish between what couples did and what friends did.
My only experience with romance was that game, which had become my world after I got possessed…!
“I mean, I mean…”
“See? You’re dating!”
“We’re not…!”
When I couldn’t come up with a rebuttal and just stammered, the kid took the chance to pounce on me.
I denied it right away, but at this rate they’d force us together, like elementary school kids always did, and tease us about it…!
‘H-How do I refute him somehow?’
“Huh?”
As I struggled to come up with a rebuttal, unable to think of one no matter how hard I tried, the idiot spoke as if he were going to help me. I started to feel hopeful, but—
“We really are together, though?”
“-??!!!?!”
And just like that, I fell into despair.
==========
“…Seriously, what were you saying, idiot?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me, you idiot moron…!”
Taking advantage of the privilege of being a first grader who got out of school after third period,
I decided to get to the bottom of what that idiot had just said while holding his hand.
“W-Why did you say we were dating, idiot?”
It already felt too late to deny it somehow, so why would you add fuel to the fire…!
“Oh, that? We’re really together, aren’t we?”
“…?!?! Wh-What are you talking about, you idiot!”
Completely unaware of how I felt, he suddenly said that we were dating. I yelped in surprise and tried desperately to hide my face, which had already turned bright red.
Seriously, what was this idiot saying?!
“It’s not wrong, is it?”
“It’s completely, completely wrong!”
“…Aren’t we friends?”
“…Huh?”
Just as I was about to snap at him, my emotions all worked up, I sensed something strange and asked him a question.
“…Wait, when you said we were together, did you mean as friends?”
“Yeah!”
“…Sigh.”
Of course. What would this idiot know?
Feeling a sense of emptiness wash over me, I grabbed both of this idiot’s cheeks and pulled them hard.
…Seriously, idiot, I’d been really worried about what to do.