Chapter 111
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Ji Nuri volunteered to become president.
The room fell silent the instant she made that declaration.
— “…I didn’t know Nuri was aiming for president.”
Isol’s Minimi narrowed its eyes and pressed a finger to its forehead.
She accepted the situation and began thinking of another move.
Shin Ayoung, on the other hand, was approaching it from a slightly different angle: trying to change the situation itself.
“…Are you really sure you’re okay with Nuri being president? Won’t it be too much?”
Shin Ayoung asked, her gaze uneasy.
Her fluttering eyelashes conveyed her silent plea that Nuri reconsider.
It was the sort of earnest appeal that would have worked on a man, and at least made a woman stop to think.
“It’s fine~!”
The problem was, her opponent was Ji Nuri.
“I was listening carefully when the president taught Seungho. From right beside you.”
Ji Nuri nodded emphatically.
Her Minimi planted both hands on its hips with a smug expression.
— “For this very moment…!”
She had seemed interested in it for some time.
Maybe she had wanted the president’s seat all along.
Well, if she hadn’t, Ji Nuri would have been doing something else, given her personality.
Ji Nuri twirled her index finger.
“I know how to do it too, so there’s absolutely no problem.”
“…I see?”
Maybe Shin Ayoung hadn’t expected that, because her voice trembled slightly.
But apparently she still hadn’t given up.
“Still, there’ll be a lot of annoying work…?”
“I said it’s fine.”
Unlike usual, Ji Nuri seemed willing to take even that into account.
— “They say great power comes with great responsibility.”
The wording was a little different, but
I more or less understood what she was trying to say.
I wasn’t entirely sure, but I supposed that meant Ji Nuri was that serious about it.
“……But.”
Ji Nuri, suspicious of Ayoung’s continued trailing off, narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You’re not worried because I’m president, are you?”
“Oh, come on—”
Shin Ayoung waved her hand with a silly smile.
“Why would I be?”
She shook her head from side to side, insisting that was absolutely not the case.
“Hmm….”
Ji Nuri still looked suspicious.
Shin Ayoung met her gaze and smiled brightly.
— “……She’s pointlessly sharp about things like this.”
Shin Ayoung’s Minimi broke into a nervous sweat. It looked like she had been hit squarely in the bull’s-eye.
“Ahem. Since I’m second, it’s Sol’s turn to choose, right?”
Shin Ayoung coughed and quickly changed the subject.
She was making sure Ji Nuri wouldn’t bring it up again.
“What do you want to do, Sol?”
“…….”
At Shin Ayoung’s question, Isol continued pondering with her arms folded.
The remaining positions were vice president or member.
“……I’ll be a member.”
That was Isol’s choice.
— “If things turn out like this…….”
Isol’s Minimi muttered in a low voice, then turned its gaze toward Shin Ayoung.
— “……You’ve been thinking, haven’t you?”
Shin Ayoung’s Minimi let out a groan.
— “That leaves me no choice but to be vice president.”
There were two choices, but
Shin Ayoung had only one possible choice.
Since she cared about the jinx, she had no choice but to choose herself over me as vice president.
Isol knew that psychology well.
“…….”
I swallowed as I watched that exchange.
It was a strange atmosphere, with every move underpinned by calculation.
Women’s rivalry really was frightening.
If I had a Minimi, I felt like it would probably be breaking out in a cold sweat right now.
“Then I’ll be vice president.”
Shin Ayoung’s hand rose slightly.
She acted as though she were merely stating what she had wanted all along, without showing any of that.
— “Maybe it’s fortunate things turned out this way.”
Shin Ayoung’s Minimi looked at Isol.
They had judged this preferable to either of them ending up with the other position.
“…….”
I stayed silent as I watched.
Come to think of it, there really hadn’t been any chance of me becoming president.
Ji Nuri had been the variable that made it so. The game had been turned on its head from the start.
‘But who could have known that?’
It was impossible to predict.
Who would normally want to become president, anyway?
And that was how next year’s counseling club president and vice president were decided.
The atmosphere was largely one of satisfaction.
— “Whew. That last part was insane. I took everything Lee Seungho had collected and came in first…!”
Ji Nuri was, needless to say, intoxicated by her achievement.
— “Hmm… I did pretty well, all things considered.”
Isol was reasonably satisfied.
“…….”
There was only one person who looked glum.
— “……What if I end up handling all the work later?”
Shin Ayoung’s Minimi’s eyes trembled.
She was already worried that she would have to take over all the unfinished work Ji Nuri left behind.
‘…Still, Nuri’s not that bad.’
It would be fine.
At least, she was better than she appeared on the surface.
Ji Nuri was just clueless; it wasn’t that she couldn’t do the work.
She was fairly responsible, diligent, and earnest.
Even if my assessment of Ji Nuri turned out to be wrong,
“If there’s anything difficult, I’ll help too, so don’t worry too much.”
I said to Shin Ayoung in a casual, passing tone.
I meant to tell her not to worry too much.
“…….”
Shin Ayoung lightly patted her chin,
then nodded with a much more relaxed expression.
“Yeah.”
When the corners of her eyes drooped, I added,
“Just don’t make too many mistakes.”
“…Yeah.”
Shin Ayoung nodded.
It was a beat late.
……She would have definitely made that exact movement if I hadn’t said anything.
“……Hmm.”
Just then, my eyes met Ji Nuri’s.
She was looking at me with a somewhat peculiar gaze.
“Why?”
What was it this time?
When I wondered about it,
“Nothing.”
Ji Nuri shook her head repeatedly, saying it was nothing.
— “……You’re not as disappointed as I expected. I thought you’d want to be vice president.”
Her short arms folded across her chest as she took on a surprised expression.
……What should I do about that?
No, before that—the premise itself was wrong.
Even if I liked Ji Nuri, I wouldn’t have become vice president.
A jinx was something I treated as nothing more than fun. I didn’t like paying attention to such things.
Brrr—brrrr—
At that moment, the vibration in my pocket tickled as it sounded.
[When are you coming? Feed me.]
[(Emoji of someone lifting a food bowl)]
A text from Lee Seungah had popped up.
Come to think of it, today was one of the days my parents would be coming home late. They must be working hard even on a Friday evening.
‘I guess we’re past dinnertime.’
It was starting to feel like time to split up. Should I just head home like this?
Or—
“What should we do for dinner? Split up here? Or eat first and then go our separate ways?”
I asked the three of them.
“Hmm….”
After a brief moment of thought, Isol opened her mouth.
“…If I go home, I’ll eat terribly late anyway, so I’ll eat before I go.”
Her eyes rolled around.
— “…I don’t want to eat home-cooked food.”
Her Minimi covered its mouth with both hands. That was her true feeling.
“What about you two?”
“Then I’ll eat before I go, too.”
“We should eat. If we go home now and ask them to feed us, we’ll get an earful.”
Once one person said they would eat before leaving, the others followed in turn.
Since we were going to have dinner before heading home, the next matter was decided naturally.
“Then…….”
Tap-tap-tap.
I quickly texted Lee Seungah to figure out dinner herself, then raised my head.
She’d probably order delivery or something.
“What do you want to eat? There are plenty of places around here.”
There were restaurants everywhere along the street; we could walk right into one just by naming it.
“Hmm… I’m fine with whatever you want to eat, Seungho.”
Shin Ayoung said this while looking around.
“I’m fine with anything, too.”
“…….”
Ji Nuri and Isol agreed with her.
Saying that only made it harder to choose.
“…Then, since this is Ayoung’s welcome party, how about malatang?”
“Oh, right, right. We had malatang that time, too, didn’t we?”
Ji Nuri’s expression turned wistful, as though recalling the memory.
To think that had already been several months ago. Time really did fly.
“Then malatang? Are you okay with spicy food?”
I asked Shin Ayoung for her opinion.
After all, today’s stated purpose was a welcome party for the new club member.
Even if that new member looked set to become vice president next year.
“It’s fine. I’m good with spicy food.”
Shin Ayoung gave a soft chuckle.
“If it’s around here…….”
Ji Nuri took the lead and opened a map app.
“Ah, the place we went to last time is the closest.”
“Want to go there?”
“Yep, yep.”
Ji Nuri nodded.
Somehow, she looked more excited than anyone else.
— “That looks delicious.”
Her Minimi gulped.
Apparently, the malatang at this restaurant suited her taste perfectly.
She walked one step ahead with an excited stride,
— “Huh!?”
Ji Nuri’s Minimi leaped straight up from the spot.
That was how it reacted when startled.
“……?”
I tilted my head.
What was wrong?
There hadn’t been anything startling nearby.
I soon learned the reason, because the Minimi’s next words explained it.
— “What? Why is my sister here…!?”
Following Ji Nuri’s Minimi’s gaze, I shifted my eyes.
At the end of it, I spotted someone who looked strangely similar to Ji Nuri.
She had the same blackish-brown hair as Ji Nuri, but unlike her, she wore it long and had glasses.
“H-hey, guys, should we go over there?”
Ji Nuri tried to lead us in another direction, her voice stiff.
She clearly wanted to get away from her older sister as quickly as possible.
Shin Ayoung looked puzzled.
“Huh? The malatang place is this way.”
“Ah, uh… No, isn’t it faster if we go this way?”
She tried to make an excuse.
I considered pretending not to notice and helping her…….
But unfortunately, it seemed we were already too late.
“Hey, Ji Nuri.”
Her name was called from behind in a teasing tone.
At the call, Ji Nuri flinched, her back trembling.
Like a rusty robot, she slowly turned her head around.
“What are you doing here? Out with your friends?”
The woman who looked exactly like Ji Nuri swept her gaze over everyone,
and it held a sharpness completely different from Ji Nuri’s.
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(!Signboard!)
(There’s an illustration if you scroll down!)
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Nuri’s older sister, Jihyori.