Morning classes wrapped up, and lunchtime arrived.
Dawn High School's lunch setup basically lets you eat at the school cafeteria.
It's cafeteria food, not school lunch.
It's important, so I'll say it twice: I'm not a school lunch junkie... I'm a cafeteria junkie.
There's also a snack bar on campus, plus a building with outside franchise fast-food chains.
The first floor even has a cafe.
If none of that appeals, there are rest areas where you can eat a packed bento. The cafeteria works too.
Impressive, Dawn High. A high school straight out of a romcom world.
We headed to the cafeteria for lunch like usual, the four of us together...
...or we tried to, anyway.
"Ijin! Eat lunch with me too! Hey, you know my name from intros earlier, right? Let's get along! Yoon Jiu, Lee Sea, Lee Soyun. That's you guys, yeah?"
One girl who stood out so much you couldn't forget her name,
and
"Seo Ijin... We need to talk."
another who stood out for totally different reasons, both joined up.
"Wh-what? Talk? What about?"
Yoon Jiu jumped in shock, making a huge fuss.
Lee Sea and Lee Soyun looked pretty startled too as they turned to me, and Hong Yeonseo shot a glare at Seong Yurin—probably since she'd joined at the exact same moment.
"Oh, it's nothing big. Let's eat first and talk then."
...Turning our group of four into six. Anyway, we headed to the cafeteria for lunch.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We snagged a decent table and bought our meal tickets.
Today called for udon.
Glancing over, I saw Hong Yeonseo buying three tickets... She's a total pig when it comes to eating?
Still, with all the exercise she gets, she keeps that slim figure, so I stopped myself from thinking rude thoughts.
The noodles were prepped already—just add broth and toppings, and out came the udon. I grabbed some chopsticks and kimchi, then headed back.
Kimchi over radish for me with udon.
We gathered with our assorted meals and dug in.
She really stands out. Hong Yeonseo...
The one with three bowls in front of her started inhaling them fast but gracefully.
In the middle of everyone eating,
Yoon Jiu, who couldn't sit still eating quietly, asked Seong Yurin about her earlier comment.
"...I ran into him jogging this morning... We were heading the same way, so. Jogging. Together."
"For real!?"
I nodded to Yoon Jiu, who was staring at me.
"Y-you two are doing morning workouts together!?"
Lee Sea gulped down her food in a hurry, shaking her head wildly as she spoke.
Then Lee Soyun quietly made her presence known.
"Ugh... Then me too. Me too."
"Lee Soyun, you said that before and bailed after three days."
She ground her teeth at my words. "Grk."
"Mornings are my weakness..."
Both Lee Soyun and Lee Sea had tried joining my morning jogs a few times before.
They both hated waking up early and quit pretty quick.
"Hmm..."
Right then, Hong Yeonseo—who'd polished off her food in a flash and was watching us—perked up with interest.
...Hold on. That was way too smooth. And fast. Three bowls, too.
Is that even physically possible?
"Mind if I join too?"
It was sudden, but two or three—whatever. I asked Hong Yeonseo back.
"Uh... Sure, no problem. But we run near my neighborhood. Old town area. Where do you live?"
"Dorm."
That's pretty far, right? Downtown's between school and the old town, so she'd have to leave at least fifteen minutes early to make it.
"Guess we'd need to change routes."
"Huh? No, I can just head out earlier."
Hm. If she's cool with it, fine?
Whatever, then. I was about to wrap up the convo,
when
"...Hold on. What about my opinion?"
Seong Yurin, who'd been listening silently, twitched at the corner of her eye.
"I wanted to do it just the two of us. Exercise."
"Aw, c'mon. Two or three—what's the difference? You can chat and stuff."
I swear I saw lasers shooting from Seong Yurin's blue eyes and Hong Yeonseo's red ones, sparking on collision.
Did she pull aggro just to show this off?
"Hey, what about me...? Eek."
Yoon Jiu tried slipping in, but got blasted by both lasers and sank.
In the end, Seong Yurin was the one who backed down in the staring contest.
"Ugh. Do whatever. But if you're late, I won't wait."
"I exercise every morning anyway, so no worries~"
Yeah, figures for Seong Yurin.
Despite her tough vibe, she's got that lone wolf side inside. No way she beats Hong Yeonseo, who's got real killer instinct, in a stare-down.
We all swapped contact info.
One quirky thing: She probably thinks she's hiding it,
but you could tell Seong Yurin totally dotes on Lee Soyun.
Seong Yurin, out of character, must like cute stuff.
...Or not? It kinda suits her?
Maybe she has a teddy bear she hugs to sleep.
Girls who seem ice-cold often go nuts for cute things.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We finished eating and split up to kill time our own ways.
Hong Yeonseo and Seong Yurin vanished somewhere, while Yoon Jiu dragged Lee Sea and Lee Soyun off to raid the snack bar.
They invited me along, but it sounded like a hassle, so I passed.
I brushed my teeth with the toothpaste and toothbrush I'd brought.
Take care of your teeth while you're young. Rotten ones mean suffering in old age!
...I didn't get that old in my past life. Just feeling sentimental.
Back at my seat, I slouched and fired up a mobile game.
Love that this world doesn't confiscate phones at school.
It's not just 'cause it's the first day—it's always like this.
My old school's morning routine was rounding up every phone.
The familiar game logo flashed by, loading finished, and there was the smiling girl from my gacha game.
My creation.
Started doing illustration commissions in middle school to earn pocket money,
never thought it'd lead to pro-level freelance gigs as an actual illustrator.
Of course, being a minor, it's all per-project deals, no contracts. But getting paid makes you a pro, right?
Am I really that good? Well, they keep hiring me and treating me well, so yeah.
Thanks to commission cash, freelance pay, and allowance from my parents, I live pretty cushy.
Pulled wireless earbuds from my bag and popped them in.
Heard earbuds aren't great for your ears if overused.
...Am I starting to sound like a middle-aged dad with all this health talk?
Anyway, listening to the voice actress who'd brought my character to life—pure bliss through the earbuds.
For the umpteenth time, I silently thanked the god who reincarnated me with these skills, closed the game, switched to music, and shut my eyes.
Air's still chilly, but sunlight streaming through the window warms you right up.
That sweet contrast made my sun-soaked body go all drowsy, and just like that, the end-of-lunch bell rang.
The half-empty classroom filled up quick.
The ones who'd already made friends were chattering away.
"Ijin, what'd you do at lunch? Stay in class the whole time? Earbuds in? Listening to music?"
"...Go to your seat."
Hong Yeonseo burst in from outside and plopped right next to me, chattering nonstop.
I reflexively yanked out my earbuds and stashed them in my bag.
I'd wondered where Lee Soyun—the original owner of the seat Hong Yeonseo stole—went. Turns out she was hanging with Seong Yurin.
They're bonding fast. Heroine chemistry at work?
Lee Soyun was soaking up all the doting, and she didn't seem to mind one bit.
Truly a feast for the eyes.
"Heard you like working out, Ijin? What kind? Gym? Ooh, your arms are solid."
"Wh-what're you doing? Get off."
Hong Yeonseo suddenly started kneading my arm.
Even for me, with my babe immunity, that touch was intense.
My poker face crumbled, and my shaky voice gave me away.
Seeing that, Hong Yeonseo grinned wider and leaned in closer—
when
"Yeonseo. Teacher's. Coming soon. Sit down."
Lee Sea, sitting up front, half-turned and glanced our way.
"Hmph... Fine."
That hum must be Hong Yeonseo's habit.
Whatever. The weird vibe between us faded as they separated.
"Hey, Seo Ijin. You're popular, huh?"
"What're you on about? You saying that to me?"
Yoon Jiu turned around from behind and tossed in a line.
This con artist, talking to me like that.
- Rattle
"Alright~ Seats, everyone! Lunch hit the spot?"
Jeong Chaeyeon's entrance settled the rowdy classroom.
She nodded, seeing all the seats filled.
The 1st Year Class C students chorused "Yes~" and she smiled, continuing.
"Now, time to hand out textbooks for core subjects. Class pres and VP... Oh, and the books are heavy. Need some helpers to carry?"
Eyes locked on Lee Sea instantly. Guys' eyes lit up, hands shooting up: "Me!" "I'll do it!"
"Jin."
I'd zoned out, figuring someone else would, when Lee Sea called me.
"Huh?"
"Wanna help carry them? Together?"
"Sure."
She beamed at my quick reply.
Yeah. I can swing that much.