Chapter 43

Our school is a private institution, so the campus is incredibly spacious.

To exaggerate just a little, it’s almost the size of a university campus... well, maybe about half the size of a typical campus.

There are a few things that make it stand out compared to regular schools, one of which is the sports grounds.

There are three sports fields and two gymnasiums.

In fact, the gymnasiums are used not only by the physical education department but also by the entertainment and other departments.

I don’t know why there are so many sports fields and gymnasiums. I’d have to ask the school president about that.

But let’s stop talking about this and get to why I’m mentioning all this random stuff.

"The opening ceremony just ended, and we’re jumping straight into the games?"

"This is the traditional sports festival for our arts school."

"Everything’s so efficient, huh."

Right now, three sports fields are being used simultaneously for the games.

They’re running soccer, basketball, and T-ball, but even though they’re trying to save time, this is a bit much, isn’t it?

Thankfully, since the opening ceremony is over, it's now free time. As long as I’m only focused on the events I’m participating in, I can wander around freely and watch the games.

In other words, if our team is losing in soccer, I can just leave and not worry about it.

Well, that’s just an example. I’m not the type to leave a game just like that.

The joint performance by the entertainment and music departments at the opening ceremony was impressive.

I can confidently say that it was a performance worth applauding.

It’s no wonder the students here are so talented.

Some people even stood up and clapped, shouting for an encore.

Anyway, right now, it's free time. The time is 9:00 AM.

In the morning, the main events, like soccer, basketball, and T-ball, are taking place. What I’m looking forward to are the ping pong and badminton matches.

Since they’re indoor events, you know. With air conditioning.

I’m also excited for the sepak takraw since it’s indoors too.

Such an open-minded perspective, right?

I’m already feeling like my head is about to cook from being outside. I really need to get to the gymnasium.

'But if this is the April weather, how much worse is it going to get?'

I really feel like it’s going to get unbearable.

I arrived at the gymnasium with Ha Soo-Yul, Lee Do-Yoon, and Baek Yoo-Seol.

Ha Soo-Yul’s first event is the relay race. But the relay race takes place just before lunch.

Until then, we had free time. It was better for me to keep track of them rather than letting them wander around like stray cats.

Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol would follow me around even if I didn’t tell them. By the way, those two were participating in the same event.

'What was it... indoor hockey?'

That’s also in the gym, so I’ll cheer for them.

I’d be cheering for our class in my heart though.

We left the first-floor area where the ping pong game was taking place and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"Doesn’t this sports festival feel like a university festival?"

If I hadn’t explained it, you wouldn’t have known, but on the way to the gym, we passed some food trucks.

There were a lot of families, and I occasionally saw students from other schools too.

The number of students seemed smaller compared to the size of the school, but with so many people gathered, it felt like there were more than enough.

Looking at the gym filled with people, I thought to myself.

'Really, I’m glad there’s no COVID-19.'

Unlike my past life, this is a romantic comedy world, so there doesn’t seem to be any epidemic or anything like that.

No SARS or MERS, at least.

The four of us sat in the front row, close to the railing, and watched the ping pong game.

Only the physical education students' teams made it to the final, and of course, the physical education students won.

But where the students came from could cause some disputes.

"Ugh, why are all the literary and creative writing department students the ones winning?"

"They got lucky, all those writing geeks."

"That guy just doped! Let’s see. I saw him drinking Red Bull before the match!"

As expected, some amusing disputes broke out, and factions began to form.

"Which side are you on, Eun?"

"What are you talking about? What side? I’m not betting on anything."

Ha Soo-Yul was trying to drag me into a gambling conversation. I ignored her chatter and waited for the next game after ping pong.

It was probably going to be sepak takraw. That game has its own thrill.

It’s a game where a single mistake could make you a criminal.

Especially for people like me, who just give advice instead of playing, it’s exciting.

"Hey, dumbass! Aim properly!"

"Oh, you idiot. How could you aim there!"

"Bad luck?"

I thought about opening my mouth to shout along with the others, but then I realized...

'I don’t have any friends except for these guys.'

What would happen if some random classmate shouted out? It would probably be an awkward moment.

So, I just stayed quiet and watched, sneaking glances at Ha Soo-Yul, who was surprisingly focused.

I knew she liked sports, but I didn’t realize she was this into it.

"Looks delicious..."

Hmm. Upon closer inspection, I saw that Ha Soo-Yul’s eyes were glued to the player’s mouth.

The player was chewing on an energy bar, and it seemed like Ha Soo-Yul wanted one.

What a weirdo.

"Didn’t you have breakfast?"

"Nope. They said I have to manage my weight for the relay."

"Even so, you can’t skip meals."

I pulled out three ABC chocolates from my pocket and handed them to her.

Her eyes lit up immediately. I couldn’t help but laugh at how she reacted.

By the way, she wasn’t wearing the gym uniform. She couldn’t wear that spinach-colored thing.

She just threw on some light workout clothes she had at home.

Even Ha Soo-Yul, who usually doesn’t care about clothes, shook her head at how bad it looked.

"How much do you weigh now?"

I was suddenly curious, so I asked her.

"...Hmm."

She hesitated, subtly covering her body with her arms. What’s this?

"Sorry. Eun."

"Yeah, sure."

She looked slim, but maybe it wasn’t like that. Still, I didn’t think she weighed over 60 kg.

"60, give or take."

"...Down. Eun’s a pervert."

Well, whatever. That’s a decent enough number.

The pointless conversation continued, and soon the indoor hockey game with Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol started.

"Be careful."

"Bye~."

After our brief exchange, the two of them nodded and went downstairs.

The hockey game went just as expected, with the physical education students dominating.

Lee Do-Yoon’s entertainment department team ended up winning.

When the two returned, their mood wasn’t bad—only Baek Yoo-Seol seemed a bit upset.

Watching Lee Do-Yoon fussing around and comforting Baek Yoo-Seol made me feel a little uneasy.

'If a guy does that...'

It’s not that I dislike guys who comfort others. But seeing it from a male perspective made me feel uncomfortable.

"Go shower, both of you. After a while, it’ll feel even worse."

At my words, both of them hurried off to shower. The school has shower rooms.

As time passed, it was soon nearing lunch.

I felt my phone vibrate and left the gymnasium.

Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol said they would stay behind, so we parted ways.

Ha Soo-Yul and I were heading out because we had the relay, but we also had a guest coming to see us.

"Mom~."

Ha Soo-Yul’s languid voice called out as she ran over and hugged someone.

It was Aunt Yoo Ji-Hye, and...

"Ah! The weather’s terrible..."

Our dear lady, Mrs. Kang. But seeing her like this, I could definitely feel how young my mom looks compared to other parents.

She looks about 15 years younger than women her age. How does she manage that? Of course, Aunt Yoo Ji-Hye looks young too, but not like my mom.

"You should’ve brought an umbrella."

"My daughter took it when she went to school..."

Ah, if Yunie took it, there’s nothing we can do.

"You should’ve bought a few earlier."

"I should’ve listened to my son. I’ll buy one while we’re walking..."

"The relay’s coming up soon. Do you want to go inside, or stay out here and watch?"

My question had both of them huddling together.

"Even so, my daughter’s running. I should stay here, right?"

"Sis. Then I’ll go in with Eun and—"

"Really? So rude!"

The way my mom pouted at Aunt Yoo Ji-Hye made me laugh, but Aunt Yoo Ji-Hye shot a glare at her, making my mom smile sheepishly and wave her hand.

"Just kidding! Of course, we’re staying here while Yul runs, and Aunt will stay too."

In the end, my mom gave in, and we had to find a spot in the blazing hot stadium.

"If only there was some shade."

My mom’s complaining continued, but why was she saying it to me?

Aunt Yoo Ji-Hye had grabbed my mom, not me.

Sighing and scratching my head, I muttered to myself.

"Is this about the umbrella?"

"Hehe, please, son."

How is she in her 40s?

Reluctantly, I went back to the classroom, grabbed the umbrella, and returned to the field.

I also brought a blanket, just in case.

I wonder if they’ll appreciate my efforts.

Just as I came out, Ha Soo-Yul was already running.

'She’s really fast. Usually, you couldn’t see any muscle, but now...'

All the fat I thought she had? Turns out it was muscle. Could this be the so-called functional muscle?

I handed over the umbrella and blanket and watched her finish the relay with a dazzling first-place win. She came running toward me with a bright smile.

Wipe your sweat first.

"How was it?"

As soon as she returned, she stuck to me and asked how it went. This might give the wrong impression.

Anyway, I gave her a thumbs-up and praised her. But?

"How much? How amazing was it?"

...Why is she like this? Her eyes have a crazy gleam in them. I backed away slightly, ignoring the complaints I heard and continuing to act as if nothing was wrong.@@novelbin@@

The relay ended, and the next game was the Lucky OX Golden Bell.

The break before lunch was the perfect time for this game.

By the time the Golden Bell game ended, various complaints filled the air.

"These questions were so lucky! It was so easy."

"Lucky? The luck was all gone. How the heck were we supposed to know what fork Leibniz liked?"

"Yeah, it’s Lucky OX. They just want us to rely on luck."

In the end, all the lucky chances had passed.