I chuckled at her expression, and Sara shot me a glare. By now, I was so used to it that her face didn’t even scare me anymore.
Well, knowing her psychology, it’s more accurate to say that I found it cute.
After all, it’s not every day that two girls end up at each other’s chest level. Even if it did happen, it would likely be in a relationship beyond just friends.
…Of course, since I was wearing that Renaissance-style dress from last time, when my hand grazed that area, I felt the thick lace before reaching her. So there wasn’t much of an issue there.
“Ah, anyway!”
Sara, who was feeling awkward alone, suddenly shouted.
And then she pointed a finger at my face, saying, “If you don’t like it, just say so! Don’t wallow in some strange misunderstanding by yourself! That’s all I wanted to say!”
“Alright, alright.”
Thanks to Sara, the worries I had been dwelling on disappeared, and I replied with a smile.
Feeling somewhat relieved, I plopped down onto the bed, and Sara rushed over to sit beside me.
“…….”
“…….”
We were quiet for a while.
“……But,”
I was the first to break the silence.
Even though Sara said she was okay, that was a comment related to my actions regarding her body. It didn’t relate to anyone else in Sara’s circle.
Friends are friends, so there’s no discussion needed there, but the stories regarding Yang Hye-in were different.
……Clearly, there were people who wronged Sara. I wondered how she felt about them.
“How would you like to handle this situation?”
“…….”
At my question, Sara fell silent, deep in thought.
On the surface, she seemed calm, so I felt a tiny bit reassured, but asking her this didn’t ease my mind. After all, we were discussing the reason Sara had nearly given up on her life.
“……I’ve thought about this situation too.”
After a while of deep contemplation, Sara finally spoke up.
Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead. Even while speaking, she seemed lost in thought.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah.”
Sara nodded and then turned her face towards me.
Her expression didn’t reveal deep pain or anguish.
Instead, she looked confused.
It was as if she didn’t know how to think about or act in this situation.
“I haven’t really spoken with people up until now, so… I don’t know how to treat those who have wronged me or how to respond to those who apologize to me.”
“I still haven’t received an apology yet, though.”
I didn’t know exactly what Yang Hye-in was thinking, but she seemed like she wanted to apologize.
The problem was that she didn’t know how to go about it.
When I had heard the story, I felt angered, but after calming down and thinking a bit, I began to wonder if she just wanted to finish up the legal stuff first and then apologize properly.
Though it might not have been the case in the past, it was clear that she was on Sara’s side now.
“That’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“……Sorry.”
As Sara pouted and apologized, she let out a big sigh.
“But… I can’t just keep relying on you for every situation like this.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“…….”
Still wearing a disgruntled expression, Sara said, “Currently, the reason I’m depending on you is that you call this ‘your life’.”
Ah, she was right.
The reason I was moving in this body was that Sara claimed it as ‘my life’ because of the relationships I had formed. Thus, I was responsible for managing the connections I had created.
But when it came to Yang Hye-in… sure, I had an influence, but the root of the issue lay within the ‘original Sara’s’ life.
Of course, all those connections were created without concern for Sara’s wishes.
Most of it was due to Choi Na-kyung.
…And, all the feelings I experienced every time I was near Choi Na-kyung were rooted in the past between her and Sara.
“……This is my life.”
Sara said with some difficulty.
“At the very least, I should take responsibility for my own life. I can’t leave everything to you.”
“…….”
That was definitely the answer I wanted to hear.
It was what I had been longing to hear, but…
“……Will that be okay?”
In this situation, I didn’t expect to hear such words.
I had hoped Sara would express her wish to return to her own self in a more normal and happy setting.
Otherwise, it felt as if I was the one shifting all the burden onto her.
“You fool. What are you thinking?”
“Huh?”
Sara looked irritated as if she could read my thoughts.
“Of course, I don’t want this either. Most of my past is during a time I loathed. But if I can’t deal with this, I won’t be able to maintain my current life, you know?”
Sara turned her head away again, resting her elbows on her crossed legs, and propped her chin up.
After a brief hesitation, she said, “……I like my life now. I like my friends, I can eat what I want… getting healthier feels good too… and……”
As Sara’s voice became fainter, it trailed off with, “……it’s good.”
“Hmm? Sorry, I didn’t catch the last part properly.”
“Ah, I mean it’s good!”
When I cupped my hand to my ear and asked like that, Sara shouted at me.
“Anyway!”
After shouting once more, she declared, “So this time, I’ll cooperate!”
“Cooperate?”
At my question, Sara took a deep breath before exhaling rapidly.
“Just lend me your body for a bit. Don’t get the wrong idea. Once everything is settled, I’ll jump right back in!”
“……Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course it’s not okay.”
Sara turned her head sharply, irritated.
“……But, this is something I need to handle. And……”
She added as she placed her hand over mine resting on the bed.
“And no matter where I go, you’ll be going with me.”
“……Yeah.”
I nodded.
“…….”
“…….”
And the two of us fell silent for a while.
“Ah, but to change bodies again, we have to ask Ha Neul. Are you okay with that?”
“Do you really have to mention that in this situation!?”
*
“Um, Ha Neul?”
“Yeah?”
It was Sunday morning.
Despite the somewhat rocky situation yesterday, Ha Neul kept her word and had a good night’s sleep. And as usual, she’d probably eat a big breakfast before heading back home.
So we had some time to be together. Well, we did, but…
The problem was that the request I was about to make involved a form of intimacy that was ‘just a bit too much to do in front of others.’
Even if we didn’t actually go as far as a kiss, we still needed to get as close as a breath away.
Moreover, it’s unclear if just maintaining a position similar to a kiss would be sufficient. In order to evoke ‘maximum vivid memories and feelings,’ it was necessary to not only get our lips close but also to press our bodies as close as possible.
…And, understandably, such actions in front of others felt rather awkward.
Ah, right, of course, I had already jumped on Ha Neul in the middle of the classroom with Sara.
And Sara had let Sohee see that moment too.
Everyone knew it was to recover memories, at least. They might not have known that it was a complete personality switch.
…But because of that, I really didn’t want to display it again.
Even though I had found my memories already, if I were to maintain that pose again, it might genuinely lead to misunderstandings.
I was fine with it, but I didn’t want Sara and Ha Neul to feel awkward.
That’s why I purposely decided to speak to Ha Neul early in the morning.
Sohee, who nearly always stuck with me for 24 hours, also had something to take care of early in the morning before her maid duties kicked in.
And I had already told Sua to go wash up first. Since I had dried her hair once before, she didn’t have any doubts and went to wash up without hesitation.
Of course, the time alone with Ha Neul wouldn’t last long, so I had to resolve this as quickly as possible.
……It felt a bit uncomfortable to express the act of getting as close as possible to someone like it was just a trip to the bathroom.
Thus, I immediately brought the topic up with Ha Neul.
“Ha, Ha Neul. That… I think we need to change places…”
“Oh.”
I managed to squeeze those words out forcefully, surprisingly enough.
Ha Neul blinked for a moment and then said, “Got it!”
She immediately agreed, much to my relief.
Ha Neul rushed to the bed and plopped herself down.
Since the bed wasn’t as cramped as a chair, I knew I would have to bend my knees to get on top of Ha Neul, but that was fine. I was just grateful she agreed.
However, as I moved toward her, my steps froze as I was taken aback by Ha Neul’s next move.
While she was sitting on the bed, she suddenly flopped backward.
“Come on, hurry up!”
Ha Neul shouted.
“…….”
Um… if I climb up now, it will look like I’m just about to pounce on you who was sitting on the bed……?
