My Childhood Friend’s Stock Will Never Fail Chapter 16

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“I’m sorry.”

 

Standing just outside the guideline, Joo-young apologized to Yoohee in a subdued voice. Shielding her eyes from the glaring sunlight with one hand, Yoohee looked at Joo-young’s face, now covered in bandages.

 

Why had he managed to get hit square in the face of all places?

 

“It’s fine. More importantly, are your injuries okay?”

 

“Yeah. Espers are tough.”

 

She had thought the bandages were only on his cheeks. But when the breeze stirred his hair, she caught sight of two or three small bandages stuck to his forehead as well.

 

Just how had the ball hit him to leave him looking like that?

 

“Maybe it’s for the best. Getting eliminated early is less stressful, right?”

 

“I guess that’s true.”

 

Joo-young gave her an easygoing smile.

 

With a face like that, he was impossible to dislike. Even if they never ended up becoming partners, she sincerely hoped he would live a good life.

 

“By the way, Joo-young. I really mean this—have you ever thought about working out?”

 

He had a slender build, not the kind with much muscle. In this harsh world, it would do him good to get stronger. He’d have a better chance of surviving inside the Gates that way.

 

“Hmm… but exercising doesn’t really have much to do with my mana.”

 

Joo-young’s mana carried a weak wind attribute.

 

It was perfect for scattering flower petals to liven up an anniversary or gathering fallen autumn leaves strewn across the ground… well, not really. Inside the Gates, his role was usually rear support, using the wind to throw creatures’ movements and attacks off course.

 

“Even so, you never know what life has in store.”

 

“Yeah. I’ll think about it.”

 

“Ah, the ball got stuck in the tree! Joo-young! Knock it down for us!”

 

Just then, the students inside the guideline called out to Joo-young.

 

There was no one better suited than him to retrieve a ball lodged high in a tree. If anyone else tried, they’d probably end up burning the tree down—or blasting it away entirely.

 

“Okay!”

 

Joo-young hurried toward the tree at a run.

 

Left alone, Yoohee watched his bright, carefree figure disappear before turning her gaze away.

 

I really shouldn’t be worrying about other people right now.

 

That morning, she had gone to Building F to request a reexamination of Joo-hoon’s evaluation. She argued that it was strange for his danger rating to have risen so drastically in such a short time and pleaded that there had to be some room for reconsideration. The prison guards replied that they would conduct another evaluation, but they couldn’t guarantee the outcome.

 

His rating has to go down before I’ll be allowed to visit him.

 

As Yoohee let out a heavy sigh, a sudden chill crept across the back of her neck.

 

Huh?

 

When she turned her head, a large soccer ball was flying straight toward her.

 

It seemed the students playing soccer on the far side of the field had accidentally kicked it off course.

 

But why…

 

Tracing a high arc, the ball came hurtling down toward Yoohee.

 

Her body froze. All she could do was stare at the soccer ball as it rushed closer in slow motion.

 

Someone, please—

 

She couldn’t even cry out for help.

 

No one was paying attention to her. Even the Esper who had kicked the ball didn’t seem to realize it was heading straight for her.

 

Am I really going to die here instead of inside a Gate?

 

Just before the ball could smash into her face, she squeezed her eyes shut.

 

She braced herself for excruciating pain. Or perhaps she would lose consciousness on the spot.

 

But none of the things she had imagined happened.

 

Instead, she heard a soft crumble—the sound of something disintegrating into ash.

 

“Who was it?”

 

At the same time, a chilling voice rang out beside her.

 

“Who kicked the ball?”

 

When she cautiously opened her eyes, Seo Hyunho was standing there, murderous intent radiating from him.

 

[Several Constellations highly praise Seo Hyunho’s sense of justice.]

 

[The Constellation, “Hopeless Romance Fantasy Fanatic,” raises both hands in delighted greeting toward Seo Hyunho, as though welcoming an old friend.]

 

At this moment, Seo Hyunho was no less reassuring than an army of reinforcements.

 

The Constellations seemed to like this side of him as well, judging by their satisfied reactions.

 

…Though was that really a good thing?

 

“I asked who kicked it.”

 

When Seo Hyunho repeated himself in an even sterner voice, the students who had been playing soccer fidgeted uneasily. At last, one of the boys spoke up.

 

“Uh… it was an accident.”

 

“An accident?”

 

Seo Hyunho’s already intimidating expression grew even more menacing.

 

The boy, who had started so casually, immediately changed his attitude and hurriedly apologized to Yoohee.

 

“S-sorry… You’re not hurt, are you? I’ll be a lot more careful from now on.”

 

“Ah… I’m fine.”

 

Yoohee answered almost reflexively, but Seo Hyun-ho’s face remained cold.

 

The atmosphere was beginning to turn tense when a familiar voice broke the silence.

 

“Yoohee! Did something happen?”

 

Joo-young, having gotten the ball down from the tree, came running back toward them, panting.

 

Then he spotted the fearsome-looking Seo Hyunho standing beside Yoohee and abruptly stopped in his tracks.

 

“Did… something serious happen?”

 

The atmosphere was clearly anything but normal. Realizing that, Joo-young’s eyes darted around before he abruptly turned on his heel and ran off.

 

“T-Teacher!”

 

A moment later, Ms. Young-joo came hurrying over to where Yoohee was.

 

“What happened?”

 

“She got hit by a soccer ball.”

 

…Huh?

 

At Seo Hyunho’s blatant fabrication, both Yoohee and the boy who had kicked the ball widened their eyes in shock. Even so, neither of them dared contradict him.

 

“Oh my! Really? Are you hurt?”

 

Startled, Ms. Young-joo grabbed Yoohee by the shoulders and shook her.

 

…Ma’am, if I really were injured, this would only make it worse.

 

As Yoohee flopped back and forth with every shake, Seo Hyunho spoke in an earnest tone.

 

“May I take her to the infirmary? Even if she doesn’t have any visible injuries, she should still rest.”

 

“Oh, of course. Look at you, actually acting like a proper upperclassman for once.”

 

Ms. Young-joo gave Seo Hyunho a few hearty pats on the back.

 

He gave a small nod before draping an arm around Yoohee’s shoulders.

 

“U-um, Senior… I’m really not hurt.”

 

Once they were a fair distance from the field, Yoohee spoke awkwardly to Seo Hyun-ho.

 

Without changing his expression, he replied,

 

“I know. But you almost got hurt, so we might as well.”

 

It was an answer she couldn’t make heads or tails of.

 

Then he settled onto a quiet bench away from the athletic field.

 

Wait… wasn’t the infirmary story a lie?

 

“U-um, Senior… what about your class?”

 

“I already said I was taking you there, so it’s fine.”

 

Seo Hyunho answered as if it were no big deal.

 

Looking strangely practiced, he leaned back comfortably against the bench.

 

Judging by that pose… he’s a habitual truant.

 

A repeat offender when it came to skipping class.

 

Yoohee quietly sat down a short distance away as well.

 

Beneath the gently swaying cherry blossom tree, sitting there leisurely while classes continued all around them felt oddly pleasant.

 

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

 

Still gazing peacefully up at the sky, Seo Hyunho finally spoke.

 

Caught off guard, Yoohee answered in a small voice.

 

“A… a little.”

 

The corners of Seo Hyun-ho’s lips lifted ever so slightly.

 

“I like it.”

 

Without turning his head, only his eyes shifted toward Yoohee.

 

It was as though the clear, pale-blue sky had reflected itself in his gaze.

 

“I feel at ease when I’m with you. That’s why I like being around you.”

 

For a moment, Yoohee was rendered speechless, blinking blankly.

 

Why does he say things like that?

 

At this rate… what if Seo Hyunho’s affection score surpasses Joo-hoon’s first?

 

A sudden wave of anxiety washed over her, and she tightly clasped the hands resting on her lap.

 

Then something astonishing entered her field of vision.

 

“Huh…?”

 

Walking side by side toward them was a young man and woman.

 

She had never met the man before, yet Yoohee recognized him instantly.

 

His slightly curly black hair. His sun-tanned skin. The faint dark circles beneath his eyes. And above all, the unmistakably lovestruck way he looked at Ga-young.

 

Kang Seok-hoon.

 

The original novel’s second male lead.

 

“Can you really walk?”

 

“Yeah. It’s not that bad, so I’ll be fine.”

 

Looking more closely, Seok-hoon was supporting Ga-young by her left arm, while she limped slightly on one leg.

 

Wait… don’t tell me this is that scene.

As the memory of a particular scene from the original story flashed through her mind, Yoohee sprang to her feet and immediately blocked Seo Hyunho’s line of sight.

 

With both arms spread wide, she looked remarkably like a flying squirrel.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Haha… p-photosynthesizing?”

 

“Move.”

 

Quick as ever, Seo Hyunho had already sensed that something strange was going on.

 

You were just saying you liked being with me!

 

Even so, Yoohee refused to budge.

 

Just as Seo Hyunho reached out to pull her aside himself—

 

“Hypothetically… if it were possible to undo an imprint, what would you do?”

 

From not far behind Yoohee came Seok-hoon’s question.

 

At the very same moment, Seo Hyunho had been holding Yoohee’s arm—froze.

 

“There’s no way that’s possible.”

 

“It’s too early to make that kind of claim.”