Calibrating the NTR Drift in the Light Novel 39

Chapter 39 – April’s Test

The next day, Soo-yeon Choi came up to the third-grade cafeteria during lunchtime again and naturally joined the table where Lee Yu-ri and Jeong Eun-ji were eating.

“Hey, you told me not to come to the third grade cafeteria.”

Her Jeong Eun-ji, who doesn’t like Choi Soo-yeon very much, shot her a threatening look as soon as she saw her, but her Choi Soo-yeon didn’t even snort.

And he came and sat right next to me and responded naturally.

“I think I said, ‘I don’t like it,’ too? Well, if a senior is going to die, he has to die, right? Come and come up with a proper school rule that allows you to kick him out if you don’t like him.”

“That’s…!”

“Ha… So why did you come again?”

Jeong Eun-ji, who was trying to get up from her seat, caught her and sat her down, sighing, and asked.

Lee Yu-ri seemed very uncomfortable since yesterday, and it was immediately revealed in her attitude today.

…

As was the case every day, I went out to her house early this morning and waited for her, and it wasn’t long before she came down.

With empty hands.

“Huh? Did you oversleep?”

“What are you talking about?”

Yuri Lee’s voice was blunt.

“I thought I left a packed lunch.”

“What kind of mother am I? Or am I a housekeeper? Take care of your own food! How long do I have to take care of you?!”

“No, you were the one who said you would cum in the first place-“

“It’s okay, I don’t know! It’s annoying! I won’t cook for you anymore! You can buy the food yourself!”

…

That was exactly this morning.

Yu-ri Lee, who had been in a low mood ever since, now looked more exhausted than angry.

Su-yeon Choi, who was unaware of the situation, smiled brightly and looked at Yu-ri Lee.

“Senior Yuri, I heard. You said you were studying at your house on the weekend?”

“So.”

“Please wear me too.”

“We’re not gathering to have fun.”

“I’m sad. I’m not going there to have fun. I’m going there to study too.”

“I can’t even teach two people. I can’t handle three.”

“Hmm? You are mistaken, sir.”

“…?”

Choi Soo-yeon smiled brightly at the sight of Lee Yu-ri and her Jeong Eun-ji who did not understand her English.

“I’m not a learner, but a teacher. Of course, sometimes I ask senior Yuri about things I don’t know.”

“… You?”

Lee Yu-ri looked Choi Soo-yeon up and down with an expression of 100% suspicion.

“You look like you don’t believe it at all.”

“Isn’t it obvious? I also know some juniors in the student council, so I know what the grades of the second-year students are like, so I know a few of the top students. Of course, you are not there. No, rather, aren’t you the lowest among the second-year students? It’s ambiguous even if you are the top second-year student, but your grades are the worst. “Who does the child teach?”

Hehe, let me reveal a shocking truth here. Surprisingly, it’s not that I can’t study, it’s that I don’t study!”

“You and Han Seong-jin are saying the same thing because you play so well together.”

Jeong Eun-ji scoffed and criticized Choi Soo-yeon.

However, Choi Soo-yeon smiled even more brightly, as if her mood had improved, and Yuri pretended to put her arm behind her and hit Jeong Eun-ji with her elbow.

“Ouch! Why are you hitting me?”

“Sorry. By mistake.”

Jeong Eun-ji may not have known it, but she clearly did it intentionally.

Lee Yu-ri lied calmly, then stared at Choi Soo-yeon and responded harshly.

“No. Even if what you say is true, there is no way to prove it. As I said before, I am not a teacher and I cannot teach three people.”

“I don’t have any credibility. It’s been a while since I stopped studying, so I’m a little better at other subjects, but at least I’m better at English than Yuri, right?”

Lee Yu-ri fell for the provocation that touched her pride as the top student in the entire school.

Yuri’s eyebrows twitched widely, and she growled with an even angrier expression than before.

“Can you take responsibility for that now?”

“Of course.”

[Then prove it once.]

Yuri Lee immediately asked a question in English.

Since I was originally bad at English, I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

[How can I prove it? If I just talk in English like this, will you accept me?]

[… You speak better than I thought?]

[When I was in middle school, I was forced to study abroad in the United States because of my parents. The whole school recognized me at that time?]

[But why is it like that now?]

[That’s a personal secret♥]

“Ha… Okay. I don’t think it’s a lie.”

She didn’t even exchange a few words, but Yuri immediately agreed.

Rather, it was Jeong Eun-ji who was more surprised.

“What? Already? What did he say?”

“I just asked him how good his English was. He was good at it.”

“It’s ridiculous. Such a problem child…”

“Isn’t that too much of swearing in front of the person in question? Then, Senior Yuri, can I wear it on Saturday too?”

“Really, why on earth are you like this… I don’t know, you guys just do whatever you want.”

Yuri grumbled in a weak voice, as if she had given up, and then she ate her meal.

And, unlike her, she got up and left first even though the others had not yet finished eating.

Lee Yu-ri’s irritable attitude from the morning seemed to me like she was crying, saying, ‘Please pay attention to me too.’

I hurriedly finished eating and got up first.

“I’ll wake up early today, Suyeon.”

“Eh… I haven’t even eaten half of my meal yet…”

“I’m sorry, there’s something that’s bothering me a little. Please take a look at it just once.”

Suyeon Choi narrowed her eyes, as if she had sensed where I was going.

And she answered in a sharp voice as she absentmindedly scooped up the soup with a spoon again.

“Just this once.”

I gently held her hand to express my gratitude, and we briefly held our fingertips while looking into each other’s eyes.

…

“I’m just asking because I’m not sure, but are you guys dating?”

“Hmm… It seems similar, but we’re not there yet?”

“If it hits, it’s hit, and if it doesn’t, it’s not. What do you mean? Flirting? No, wait a minute. Hey! That guy you’re flirting with is working on Yuri, and you didn’t even know that?”

“Do you know?”

“…?”

######

Yuri Lee was not in the classroom.

There’s usually one place she goes when she’s upset.

Knock

I went to the student council room and knocked on the door.

There was no answer from inside.

“I’m going in.”

Still silence.

I grabbed the handle and pushed the door.

When the unlocked door opened gently, I saw Yuri lying face down on the desk in the student council room.

Her long black hair covered the desk, and she was lying face down on the desk in the typical sleeping pose during class, not even raising her head.

But I could tell she wasn’t sleeping.

Yuri studied alone during lunchtime because she wasn’t the type to waste time sleeping.

Nevertheless, I asked an obvious question.

“Are you sleeping?”

“…”

“Actually, I know you’re not sleeping.”

“Go away, you bastard…”

Yuri Lee muttered helplessly in that prone position.

I pulled back the chair next to her and sat down, but Yuri Lee still didn’t look at me.

“Why do you have horns like this?”

“Go and play with Eunji and Choi Suyeon.”

“Our Yuri, are you upset? Are you jealous?”

As I said that and stroked her head, Yu-ri Lee finally got up.

“Yeah, I’m pissed! He said he likes me! He said he’ll keep telling me as many times as he wants! But… But what’s with that atmosphere with Choi Soo-yeon? And Eun-ji keeps barging in without even noticing! What am I doing, asking me to study together on the weekend… Boo, I called… Ugh…”

As Lee Yu-ri spoke, her eyes filled with tears, perhaps because she was sad.

“The two of us stayed together for a while and talked about various things and… Other than that… I also thought a lot of my own things! A response to what you said… But it all went to waste! I don’t even know what you were thinking, Choi Soo-yeon. Eun-ji keeps getting in the way!”

After pouring out her emotions, Lee Yu-ri fell down on the desk again.

“It’s all so annoying… Why am I always like this…”

“Yuri.”

I gently called her name and held her outstretched hand.

She could see Yu-ri Lee’s body flinching heavily.

“… Why.”

“I assure you, I like you.”

“…”

Soo-yeon Choi accepted it even though she knew that I would do this and that with Lee Yu-ri, but she wasn’t ready to accept it yet due to Lee Yu-ri’s personality and timing.

Of course, it will be revealed someday, so I decided to slowly lower the hurdle in Yu-ri Lee’s heart.

“You know, I’m not the type of person who has lived that well.”

“I know.”

“So, starting this year, I’m going to stop doing all that and although it’s late, I’m trying to live like a human being. I don’t want to be left as a person who makes you feel embarrassed when we hang out together.”

“… Really?”

“Well, the reason I decided to rehabilitate is not 100% because of you, but your role is by no means small. I understand why you are grumpy, but please just know that my liking for you remains the same.”

Yuri Lee slowly raised her head.

The tip of her nose was slightly red, as if she was holding back her tears.

Yuri Lee stared at me for a while and then slowly opened her mouth.

“I heard from Eunji that something happened when you were in middle school. That you caused her friend to have an abortion.”

Oh, shit.

I really don’t remember that at all.

How on earth can this guy erase something like that from his memory?

“Are you disillusioned?”

“Uh.”

Well, it’s even weirder if you don’t become disillusioned even after hearing the opening act.

However, the words that came out of Lee Yu-ri’s mouth the next moment were a little unexpected.

“… I guess I’m really crazy.”

“Why?”

“I should be disgusted to hear something like that. It’s normal to never want to see your face again.”

“…”

“But… Even after hearing that… I was annoyed by Eun-ji and Choi Soo-yeon interfering. When I heard you say that I like you again, I felt relieved and my heart raced. There are more than one person who has suffered because of what you have done. It’s obvious, but I also know that you’re really an idiot with no answers.

And I really, really hate those guys. But still… I feel better when I hear that I like you.

It’s only been a month since we’ve had this normal conversation… This can’t be normal. I’m a crazy bitch. What happened to your head?”

“Yuri.”

I approached her and gave her a light hug.

Our first hug.

Previously, progress had progressed a bit to the extent of holding hands, but Yuri Lee accepted me without much resistance.

“What’s crazy and what’s not normal is what I’ve been doing, not you.”

“Ugh…”

“It’s only been a month and I don’t know how sincere these words may sound, but I am no longer the person I used to be. Of course, the things I did before will not go away.”

“… Yes.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t like me, so don’t think that what you feel is wrong.”

“… I don’t hate it anymore.”

Lee Yu-ri, who said those words, completely buried her face in my chest, probably because she was embarrassed.

The two of us hugged each other tightly until lunchtime was over, feeling the other’s body temperature.