Sohee said a lot to the point I have stopped listening just like the other girls. It reminds me of a mother desperately trying to tell her rebellious daughters to like their new stepfather.
I wonder why these girls push me away. Is it truly because I am a man? That simple? No, I don't think so. Humans are not that simple.
After a lot of words, Sohee touches her forehead and grunts. Cute. "Look here," she starts, now with a different tone than before, "we have a procedure that we agreed on, right? I think Sunbae, just like any other candidate, deserves to have a proper introduction with you four. We're wasting Sunbae time now if this stays."
Wasting my time? I don't think so. In fact take as long as you need, I kind of need time to process everything around me anyway.
Shizuka raises her hand and winks at me, "I'll start."
Reluctantly Sohee nods.
"Do you think I'm pretty, Sunbae?"
"Yes."
Sohee chokes.
"Would you go out with me?"
Without a doubt. I almost answered that but since Sohee is now staring sharply at me, I guess I'll hold myself back.
"Shizuka, what are these questions?"
"What do you mean, Sohee? We're getting to know each other," then to me, her black pearls. "What sort of fetish do you have?"
She licks her lips.
Sohee cuts in again, "You are supposed to talk about yourself Shizuka."
"But everyone knows who Shizuka is. It is pretty boring to talk about that."
That sounds egoistical. But Sohee hasn't said anything about that as if she can't deny it as truth.
"Just try…"
Shizuka shakes her head with a slight smile, "Yare yare. Fine. Let's try it one more time, okay, Sunbae?"
Sure.
"It's Shizuka. The Shizuka Nodaka. You probably already know that, but what you wouldn't know is I have little to no expectations from you. So I hope you also have none for me."
Clank. She starts pressing her keyboard again.
I have to admit it, her introduction was a bit boring after Sohee censored her. I'd like to see where she would take me after asking about my fetishes. Who knows, maybe we are the same kind. But maybe that's not out of the table yet. If I just can keep the conversation going…
"What are you working on?" I ask her.
The room goes quiet for a while.
"Prose of Idon," she answers.
"Idon?"
"Idontwannatell."
Oh.
Well, I guess that's a hint for me to leave her alone.
Sohee thanks Shizuka, who never gives a reply.
And then she turns to the next person.
Nelly. Her shoulder jumps. A light seeps in through her hair and exposes a sweat rolling down at the side of her face. She and I never made eye contact.
"Um. Nelly… Lois."
And then she breathes.
A desire crawls up to my heart as I look at her longer. Have you ever felt like hugging a scared rabbit? That's what I want to do to her now.
"I'm proud of you Nelly," Sohee says and then facing me, "name is enough, right, Sunbae?"
I guess.
Nelly yelps, surprising both of us.
"What was that, Nelly?"
Her voice is so small you have to lean forward to barely listen. "I can tell more…"
A strong phrase for a weak voice.
Sohee sits straight. Her face is strict. "If you can, Nelly."
Her brown hair bobs.
A second passes... thirty seconds now...
"I am not good at studying…"
She finally said it...
And more. But it never quite reaches my ear.
After a while, it stops. Sohee nods with a smile. "Thank you, Nelly."
I'm pretty sure Sohee heard as much as me, too. But based on her face, Nelly has done more than enough to satisfy her expectations. Why is she like that? Is she just not good at talking? Maybe that's the case since this is the 'special class.'
Sohee's eyes move to a girl playing her game console, Varrie. She calls out to her.
"We know you're listening. If you want to keep your game for the next few weeks, you better start introducing yourself."
"Tch."
She slams down her console on her lap.
There's that red eyes that hated me so much.
"I told you, Sohee, m'answer should be obvious. Why d'we need to go through this shit."
"Introduce."
"Fuck. Fine."
"Watch it."
She clicks her tongue as she faces me with contempt, "Bury your ash."
"Real name," Sohee interjects.
"Varrie. Altier. If you hopin' to teach'n'stuff to me, check again with the other failures."
Well, this one is quite a character. I glance down at her game console, still flashing colorful lights. "I guess you're good at playing games."
She snickers, "A thousand times better than you can ever be."
"What if you're wrong?" I just decided to tease her a little. I do know she might probably be right. I don't think I play enough games to call myself a gamer. But again I am in a process to regain my old memory now, maybe I am good at games.
"Hah, I'm never wrong."
Sohee chimes in, "your answer sheet last week is mostly wrong."
Her dragon eyes widen and her hand starts to go about anywhere, "Tha, that's differen'. Studies're like usin' your mind'n'stuff. Gamin's about experience, skills. Both're not the same thing."
"That's a bad argument," Sohee says.
Varrie grunts, "I did my intro. I'm going back."
She brings up the game console to her face as if wearing it like a mask.
That is the end for Varrie.
Then now to the last…
"Claire."
The silver-haired girl. Ah, so her name is Claire. She is still sleeping though. Even through all that noise? That's amazing, she must be so tired from something.
"Varrie. Can you wake up Claire for a second."
She puts down her game, "you crazy? She'd kill me!"
"No she won't. Do it, you're the closest."
She curses silently. She shakes the silver-haired girl's shoulder. Once. Twice.
And the third time. Hard.
Open. Her eyes opened.
Varrie quickly wears her mask, acting like she wasn't the one who woke her up.
The silver hair girl doubles, looking around the room, finding something—-her silver eyes locks on me. Can she see? Usually people with that kind of eyes are blind, are they not?
Her face bears no emotion.
She stands up, rubbing her eyes.
"Claire," she says. "Name is enough, isn't it?"
The last one is more for Sohee to listen to.
Then she pulls the hood of her white hoodie and starts walking around us.
"Claire, where are you going?" Sohee asks her as soon Claire reaches for the door's knob.
"Toilet," she turns the knob, ""Put me on neutral."
Thud.
The door closed.
She is gone.
Well that's something.
"She's not coming back," Shizuka says, looking at me.
One rebellious daughter down.