Chapter 41
* * *
It wasn't difficult to get out of school.
Just as Lee Seungho had said, all I had to do was tell the club president.
I was a little concerned about Lee Sol staring at us so intently, though···.
“···.”
Shin Ayoung shook her head.
I'll think about that later.
“Have you picked one?”
“Not yet.”
At Lee Seungho's question, Shin Ayoung shook her head slightly.
I'd won the bet, so we'd stopped by a convenience store for a moment before setting off in earnest.
We were choosing ice cream.
“···Pick one already.”
“Hmm···.”
Shin Ayoung stared down at the freezer, lost in thought.
Lee Seungho waited until he could wait no longer, then continued window-shopping around the convenience store.
“···.”
Shin Ayoung stealthily rolled her eyes toward him.
“Hmm···.”
Until now, Lee Seungho hadn't asked about her counseling.
He had to be curious at least once.
Was he waiting for her to tell him herself what was troubling her?
Or had he noticed that counseling was merely an excuse and was deliberately not bringing it up?
Either way, it was something to be grateful for.
It meant he was concerned about her. Maybe that was why she spent time with Lee Seungho.
I feel comfortable when I'm with him.
“···.”
After a brief deliberation, Shin Ayoung took out a chocolate bar.
It was the cheapest ice cream.
“I'll take this.”
* * *
“Thank you. Please come again—”
“···.”
I took a bite of my ice cream as I left the convenience store.
With only one source of noise around me, I felt a little more clearheaded.
“I'll enjoy it~”
Shin Ayoung happily tore open the wrapper.
— “--so tasty--.”
Perhaps because we'd bought ice cream, the noise gradually diminished compared to before.
I could now roughly make out what Minimi was saying.
That was probably something like, ‘Tasty.’
‘That aside···.’
I glanced over Shin Ayoung's shoulder.
—“----”
Minimi was sitting on top of it, munching on ice cream.
Its expression was somewhat vacant, though.
The stress was still there.
‘We did get out, but···.’
I wondered where I should take her.
To retrace our original purpose···.
It was to relieve the stress Shin Ayoung was under and eliminate the noise I could hear.
······Then where was Shin Ayoung's stress coming from?
I figured there were two main causes.
One was excessive attention from people around her.
The other was maintaining her image as a celebrity's daughter while being conscious of that attention.
She had chosen games to relieve that stress.
No matter how many mistakes she made, she didn't have to worry about the people around her.
However, now that it wasn't working, I had to think of a better solution.
‘At times like this, physical activity is best.’
Some people said that running relieved stress.
It probably wouldn't work for someone like Lee Sol, but it seemed like it might suit Shin Ayoung surprisingly well.
There had to be something nearby she could do······.
As I was thinking that,
we had already reached the bus stop.
“By the way, where are we going?”
Shin Ayoung finally voiced her question as she took a bite of her ice cream.
Hmm···.
“···Are you good at skating?”
After thinking it over a little longer, I asked Shin Ayoung.
“···An ice rink?”
“Yeah.”
“I know how to skate.”
— “---I rode a few times when I was litt-----, so it should be oka--.”
I focused on understanding Minimi's words. It seemed to be saying that she'd skated a few times as a child, so she should be fine.
Apparently, she wasn't very good at it, though.
That was actually better. Shin Ayoung needed to become a little more comfortable with her natural self.
“Want to go to an ice rink?”
“We can go somewhere else if you don't want to.”
I had no intention of forcing her, either.
After all, in counseling, the counselee's opinion was what mattered.
“No, no. It's fine.”
Shin Ayoung shook her head from side to side.
I couldn't tell whether she was really fine with it or merely watching my reaction.
“I was just wondering if it was okay to go so suddenly. We don't have anything with us.”
“I changed out of my uniform beforehand, and we can buy gloves there.”
I had changed into gym clothes, knowing this might happen.
On days when we had physical education in the afternoon, we could go home in our gym clothes.
* * *
···After traveling there by bus,
I entered the ice rink building with Shin Ayoung.
The air was different from the moment we entered. I could feel the cold every time I breathed. It smelled faintly of winter.
“Maybe because it's a weekday, but it's pretty empty.”
I looked around. There weren't that many people.
There were hardly any adults; most of them were elementary school students.
As someone who didn't particularly like crowds, I found that pleasant.
“Wow··· It's really been a long time.”
Shin Ayoung followed me inside, her eyes shining.
“Do you come here often?”
“Not often. I came skating once, maybe the year before last··· What about you?”
“This is my first time since I was little.”
Maybe that was why.
The corners of Shin Ayoung's eyes curved into arcs. At the same time, it felt a little like a bittersweet smile.
Since her parents were celebrities, it seemed she hadn't been able to come to places like this with her family very often.
“I'll pay.”
When we reached the ticket counter, Shin Ayoung quickly pulled out her card and swiped it.
She finished before I could even say anything.
After buying the tickets, we headed to the skate rental counter.
I asked Shin Ayoung,
“What size are you?”
“Uh··· Probably around 250?”
“250?”
“No, wait. It's 240.”
Shin Ayoung lifted her heel to check the sole of her foot, then corrected herself.
“One 260 and one 240, please.”
“Okay—”
The employee quickly brought out two pairs of skates.
“Here, one 260. This one is the 240.”
“Thank you.”
I took them and moved to find somewhere to sit.
I also grabbed a helmet displayed along the way and bought a pair of gloves.
I found a suitable empty spot beside a vending machine.
There, we changed our shoes into skates.
“Want to go in right away?”
“Sure.”
Shin Ayoung waddled awkwardly toward the rink. Minimi waddled along after her.
It was a somewhat amusing sight.
“···!?”
The moment Shin Ayoung set foot on the ice, her body tilted unsteadily.
I caught her arm as she staggered.
Her trembling balance, on the verge of collapse, gradually stabilized.
“You said you knew how to skate.”
“···I-it's just been so long, so I need to get used to it.”
Shin Ayoung furrowed her brows and raised her voice for no reason.
The tips of her ears were red.
“Really?”
“J-just don't let go for a moment···!”
I could feel her grip tighten around my hand. Shin Ayoung's eyes trembled in panic.
Both her thighs bent inward like the legs of a newborn giraffe.
“···Come over here slowly.”
I carefully led her toward the wall.
She braced herself against the railing.
“Phew···.”
Only then did Shin Ayoung breathe a sigh of relief.
“Are you sure you're okay?”
“···I told you, I was just flustered because it's been so long···.”
She boldly let go of the railing.
Perhaps recalling an old memory, she forcefully pushed one foot backward.
“Eek!”
Shin Ayoung slipped and landed hard on her backside.
She slapped a hand down on the floor.
Following after her, I immediately pressed myself against the wall.
“···Are you okay?”
“···.”
Shin Ayoung's eyes darted around the rink.
Rather than checking her own condition, she had instinctively prioritized that.
She seemed worried that the others might look at her strangely.
It was the compulsion to do everything well.
“Here.”
I took her hand and slowly helped her to her feet.
She must have been extremely embarrassed.
Minimi's expression had gone beyond mere gloom, its eyes shimmering like water droplets.
···Only.
Once the people around us realized they weren't paying much attention to her, Minimi's stiff expression gradually relaxed.
Falling at an ice rink was practically an everyday occurrence.
Inexperience was perfectly natural here.
······.
···Once she gained a little confidence, it happened quickly.
Shin Ayoung found her balance and slowly moved forward.
She wasn't fast enough to call it fast, but she was skating well enough to say she had the hang of it.
As expected, she learned quickly.
“···.”
The corners of Shin Ayoung's eyes narrowed as she looked at me.
— “Heh.”
Minimi puffed out its chest proudly as it looked at me.
The noise had disappeared before I knew it.
Whether it was relief from her sense of accomplishment or from realizing she no longer needed to worry about the eyes of those around her,
either way, it was a good thing.
“How is it? Pretty good, right?”
“···.”
I nodded without a word. Clap, clap. I applauded her.
Shin Ayoung's lips turned into a pout.
She tapped my shoulder, telling me not to tease her.
“I can skate a little now, can't I?”
“Better than before.”
I really should have recorded how her legs were trembling earlier.
That was a little disappointing.
The people from the counseling club would have burst out laughing if they'd seen it.
“Huh, seriously.”
Perhaps she was dissatisfied with my answer.
Shin Ayoung said she would try going a little faster, then increased her speed on the ice.
Somehow, that seemed a little worrying—
“···!”
Ah.
I quickly dashed forward and grabbed Shin Ayoung's arm.
Instead of letting her fall, I gently twisted my body so that she slid naturally to the side.
The moment we veered toward the wall.
Swish— shhhk——!
At the same time, some children streaked past us at high speed.
They were playing among themselves and skating without properly watching where they were going.
Peeep—! Peep-peep!!
A safety guard soon appeared, blowing a whistle and stopping the two children.
“Phew, that scared me···.”
I frowned and clicked my tongue.
What were they doing skating so dangerously?
They should have been more careful, especially since there were so many children here on a weekday.
“Tsk···.”
I watched the children being led away, then turned my head toward Shin Ayoung.
“You didn't twist anything, did you?”
“···.”
She stood there with a stiff expression, blinking at me, and then
slowly backed away. Since she was on the ice, the movement was very smooth.
— “---”
She must have been quite startled.
A short burst of noise was ringing softly from Minimi.
notes le chat gpt maybe error no?