When I Returned, a High School Romantic Comedy Began

16. same stride

After school, after all the still boring classes.

As promised to Hayan, I got up from my seat with my backpack and walked towards the back door to go to the library.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“huh?”

I turned my head when I heard a voice grabbing me from behind, and Chaerin Park gently grabbed my arm.

For some reason, I spoke to her with a dissatisfied face.

“library.”

“Let’s just go right away today.”

Chae-rin seemed to think that I would be waiting at the library again today.

‘We don’t have to go together anymore.’

The reason I left school with her anyway was to save her from the danger of death.

Now that I had already achieved my goal, there was no need to walk home from school with her in the midst of strange rumors.

Jaune said to Chaerin, smiling slightly as usual.

“I have an appointment today.”

“promise?”

“I just decided to help out with some work.”

“… okay.”

Although she had a displeased look on her face, she reluctantly nodded in agreement.

I told her as she was about to put down her clothes since there was no need to go with her anymore anyway.

“And since we don’t have to go to school together from now on, let’s go with friends.”

“what?”

The strength in my hands, which had clearly been loosening, began to come back.

I spoke calmly to her who was looking at me with an expression of disbelief.

“There are strange rumors going around these days. “What if it gets annoying for no reason?”

Since I had no specific excuse, I gave a good reason.

If rumors spread that we are dating apart from the fact that I saved Chae-rin, it would be difficult for her to tell me first because she would feel sorry.

However, if we continue to hang out together, misunderstandings will only increase.

‘Here, I have to hang up first.’

No matter how foolish I am, I still have that level of insight.

Since I received a lottery ticket in return for saving him, it would be perfect to return to a clean relationship like before.

“then.”

However, the hem of my clothes that Chae-rin grabbed was crumpled like a useless leaflet that I had left in my bag without any intention of straightening it out again.

“Aren’t you going to take me now…?”

“… I guess so?”

It felt strange.

Her face became increasingly distorted and her pupils trembled.

Just one thing: we don’t go home from school together.

“… why?”

“Why did you just say that?”

Chae-rin, who was visibly embarrassed, felt a faint vibration in her hands.

“Gasso… don’t lie.”

She was about to spit out a swear word, but then put it back in her throat and corrected herself.

Still, all the emotions that had already leaked out touched my skin.

Chaerin spoke with me in her trembling pupils.

“If you’re someone who’s worried about rumors going around, you shouldn’t have done that in the first place.”

“…”

That was correct.

Considering his actions so far, it was difficult to see him as a person who cares about what people around him think.

Because the person concerned knew that fact too well, it was difficult to give an answer.

She asked with a shaky voice when Jaune didn’t come up with a lame excuse.

“Why are you lying like that?”

The tension was palpable as the anxious voice trembled faintly, like a sand castle ready to collapse at any moment.

“Are you bothering me now? “It’s 5 minutes away anyway.”

Yeah, 5 minutes anyway.

On the other hand, it didn’t take long to walk alone.

What is so important about walking together in such a short period of time?

“Ho, maybe I just ran out at that time…” ”

“no.”

I felt like I knew very well what she was going to say next, so I cut her words like a knife.

‘It’s happening again.’

The eyes were as lifeless as when I saw them in the hospital room.

I don’t know why, but the emotions I felt there were not pleasant at all.

“No, so don’t say that.”

“Then why… ”

Even if you ask me why.

I’m just trying to keep a reasonable distance because there’s no reason for us to stick together anymore.

It didn’t seem to make sense to her at all.

‘Maybe this is good.’

I feel too sorry for the class president to break my promise this time.

But to abandon him…

‘How do you abandon a child who looks like he’s going to cry at any moment?’

Isn’t this a situation that is called a dilemma?

‘Ha… I can’t help it.’

As I said before, it’s 5 minutes away, so I have no choice but to quickly go there.

“okay. “I’ll take you there, so let’s go quickly.”

“… Will you continue to go together in the future?”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

Why are you so obsessed with going together?

trauma?

She already lost her father in a car accident when she was young, and she went through something similar not long ago, so she needs someone to go with her to feel safe.

‘If that’s the case, it can’t be helped…’

I rescued him at best, but now I have to provide after-care service.

‘Once I feel better, it will be okay to not go then.’

I’m still a little emotionally unstable right now, so I’ll just have to stick around for a little while.

After a month, it will soon be back to how it was before.

In the end, I couldn’t resist and gave her a firm answer that I would go with her, and only then did the clouds on my face disappear in an instant.

‘It couldn’t have been acting, right?’

I thought about that for a moment as her expression changed so drastically, but she wasn’t an actress like her mother and she couldn’t act with tears streaming down her face.

‘I guess it’s my mood.’

Okay, there’s no need to complicate things with pointless guesses, so you can just move on.

As I was lost in thought for a moment, Chaerin approached me, carrying a school bag over one shoulder.

“let’s go.”

I nodded to her and walked out of the school gate at the narrow strides I had become accustomed to.

*

“Hey, where are you going?”

“huh?”

Jaune passes by him and heads towards the back door.

Chae-rin, who had been waiting for him to come and talk to her, grabbed him and said.

“library.”

“Let’s just go right away today.”

Since I sent the kids off first today anyway, we could just go home from school together.

‘long time no see.’

It was his first trip home after the accident.

Chaerin subconsciously took this time for granted.

That’s because Jaune stuck to him from the beginning and somehow insisted that we go to school together.

I thought it would go on forever unless I cut it off first.

“I have an appointment today.”

“promise?”

“I just decided to help out with some work.”

“… okay.”

So, I was able to get over it for a day, thinking to myself that I could do that.

‘If it’s a library… are you also a class member?’

These days, it’s not uncommon to see the two of them talking in class.

I don’t know what they’re talking about so excitedly, but they’re very cheerful.

‘…’

When I thought of his face that was even more serious than his usual smile, I felt a little bad.

‘I don’t like it.’

Still, I was just about to coolly let him go since I had work to do and there was tomorrow anyway.

“And since we don’t have to go to school together from now on, let’s go with friends.”

“what?”

I heard something unbelievable.

“There are strange rumors going around these days. “What if it gets annoying for no reason?”

I lost consciousness for a moment.

‘Not just today, but in the future?’

She wonders if she is overthinking things too much.

I asked again, wondering if I had misheard.

“Then, you won’t take me there anymore…?”

“… I guess so?”

Unfortunately, it seemed like the meaning he had accepted was correct.

Chaerin couldn’t hide her absurd feelings.

“Why why?”

“Why did you just say that?”

Because there are strange rumors going around.

Because I don’t want to be bothered for no reason.

‘Is that really the reason?’

The ridiculous excuse almost made her swear without even realizing it.

“Gasso… don’t lie.”

Fortunately, I haven’t lost my temper yet and I corrected myself before I spit it all out.

The heightened emotions did not subside.

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No, rather, she started using that feeling more recently.

“If you’re someone who’s worried about rumors going around, you shouldn’t have done that in the first place.”

“…”

You were the one who attacked me first.

Saying strange things in front of kids.

Even though I told him not to talk to me, he insisted on leaving school with me and made a fuss.

Now you don’t want rumors going around?

“Why are you lying like that?”

It’s a lie that even elementary school students can clearly tell.

Did you really think I would fall for such a flimsy excuse?

No, are you really hoping that I will get over it?

“Are you bothering me now? “It’s 5 minutes away anyway.”

Her face began to fill with emotion.

However, it wasn’t to the point where I cried, and it wasn’t so intense that I got really angry.

Yes, she wasn’t so excited that her voice was shaking and her eyes were moist like they are now.

But instinctively she noticed.

“Ho, maybe I just ran out at that time.”

If you don’t show such strong emotions, Jaune won’t back down easily.

That’s why I deliberately mixed these words in a lame way.

“no.”

Looking at his expression, I knew it was the right answer.

When Chae-rin started blaming herself, she seemed to not want to hear it any more, so she immediately cut off the conversation and faced her seriously, removing even the slightest lightness that remained in her tone.

“No, so don’t say that.”

“Then why…”

I wanted to know why.

Even when he said he would follow him home from school.

Even when I threw myself to save him.

Even the moment I try to walk away again.

I longed for a reason for him who did not give a reason for his actions.

“okay. “I’ll take you there, so let’s go quickly.”

But he still didn’t give the answer he wanted.

This was the same even though Chaerin had to exaggerate her emotions in front of others.

‘… it’s annoying.’

Still, it was impossible to get anything more out of him than this.

After quickly calculating in her head, she calmed down her emotions and nodded.

“… Will you continue to go together in the future?”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

yet.

After confirming that Jaune had not crossed over properly, I thought about drawing the emotions she had been killing off on her face again.

‘So far.’

I decided to quit because I could have been very angry if I had been more greedy.

The moment Chaerin turned her head away from Jaune, the emotions painted on her face quickly returned to their original expression, as if they had been erased cleanly with an eraser.

“let’s go.”

It wasn’t a perfect result, but it wasn’t a bad result.

She walked out of the school gate with a satisfied smile as she watched Jaune instinctively walk in step with her.