Chapter 172

“Heavens…”

“Why are you sighing again?”

“Really… Is everything alright? No matter how many times I look at this…”

Despite saying that, Harnier, thinking she was causing too much trouble, hadn’t stamped the collaboration agreement yet.

Ah, this girl is also as stubborn as that one.

If I keep hesitating like this, I might as well take the initiative.

“There’s no time for hesitation.”

“Huh? Wait, forcefully taking it is…!”

*Thud.*

“Oh, even though I roughly stamped it, it turned out quite nicely.”

Due to Harnier’s trembling hand, it didn’t stamp perfectly in the center, but I doubt she would complain about this much.

“Ahh…”

However, our fiancée still seems worried about the contract with the beautifully stamped seal.

I should say something to comfort her.

“Don’t worry. I feel like I’m the one who benefited more from this.”

“…”

“Harnier, you know as well as I do that there’s some problem with the soil in Shatren. If we had a normal piece of land as a comparison, that would have been great, but you solved this problem for me. You weren’t just a burden.”

At that moment, Harnier gasped and turned her head sharply.

“…thank… you.”

“…thank you?”

Another word I can’t seem to get used to.

‘How am I supposed to react in situations like these?’

Since managing two territories is better than running Shatren alone, should I say there’s no need?

Or should I firmly state that since there’s mutual benefit, there’s no need for gratitude?

Or maybe I should assert that since this collaboration proposal opened a new opportunity when things were bleak, I should repay this favor?

I don’t know.

I’ve never received gratitude from anyone before.

Thinking about how to respond to this simple word ‘thank you’ made me realize how difficult it is.

In the end, all I could say was:

“Well… let’s consider it a trade.”

“Huh?”

“We’re engaged through a contract, right? Since you provided a comparison for the soil, I’ll manage your territory. Isn’t this a kind of trade?”

Harnier suddenly turned her head towards me.

But unlike before, she didn’t avoid my gaze. Her eyes clearly met mine.

“…”

After staring into my eyes for a while, she pressed her hands together and turned her head away, gazing blankly into space.

Since she didn’t deny it, I guess this means she accepts it.

Just as I was relieved, she spoke again.

“…from… now…”

“Huh?”

“…from… now?”

“Could you please repeat that?”

Her voice was too soft to hear properly.

To make sure I heard correctly, I leaned in closer.

Then…

*Whoosh!*

“Eh?”

My head was pulled forward.

The soft feeling on the back of my head was from her thigh. Oh no, not again. Another awkward moment.

“Sleep first! Starting tomorrow, I need to manage two territories, and I haven’t slept properly!”

“No, um… that’s not…”

“Stay still! How can I feel good if you don’t sleep properly and just work?”

“No, there’s no need to worry about that…”

*Slide.*

Seems like Harnier didn’t want to respond verbally.

She covered my eyes with her palm instead.

Then she spoke solemnly.

“While the terms of the trade are insufficient, I’d be grateful if you let me rest on my legs once in a while.”

She made this humble request as part of the trade terms.

“You couldn’t help me at all. If this is a fair trade, then I’ve already failed as a merchant.”

“…”

“So… just sleep for a few hours and wake up. Accept it as a nap when I visit sometimes. This is the only thing I can do for you.”

I couldn’t see her expression because my eyes were covered.

But I could feel a slight tremble in her fingertips. Her voice was already shaky.

It seemed like Harnier was making a heartfelt plea rather than proposing trade terms.

“This is so awkward.”

Please stay still.

Let me rest a little.

This is the only thing I can do for you as a trade.

Indeed, this puts a bit of a burden on me.

Managing two territories and increasing productivity isn’t just about trust.

Generally, people would gladly accept free work and even get a bonus, but not this girl. She’s too honest.

Maybe she has a different perspective.

I could understand her true feelings by looking at her face, but I didn’t want to.

It wouldn’t be hard to fall asleep on her soft thigh.

By fulfilling this simple request, perhaps I could ease some of my emotions.

“Just one hour of sleep, then I’ll wake up. That should be enough.”

As I closed my eyes, memories from the past came flooding back.

“…thank you.”

“Come to think of it, I did receive gratitude before.”

From just one person.

A girl who I could call a friend said thank you to me.

And back then, she said something similar.

We ended up like this because of our tasks.

Even the last part, resting on her thigh, felt familiar.

Same situation, same response.

“…it’s a perfect wrong answer.”

Still, it’s difficult.

I still don’t know what the right response is.

Closing my eyes and reminiscing, I soon drifted off to sleep.

***

“Isn’t it forbidden to work individually on group assignments?”

“Yes.”

The teacher nodded with his arms crossed.

“Group assignments are meant to be done cooperatively. What’s the point if you do it alone?”

“…But, if I can handle it alone, shouldn’t that be fine? Wouldn’t it be better to avoid conflicts and wasted time?”

The teacher sighed deeply.

“Yes, you’re right. Conflicts and wasted time happen often when everyone has their own ideas.”

“But that process is necessary. You need to learn how to coordinate and resolve conflicts. There are things in this world that can’t be solved alone.”

“…”

“At least try to find one other member. If you work alone, even if you produce excellent results, Minhyuk, it will be graded as zero.”

“…Yes.”

The classroom door closed with a thud.

The boy who came out of the counseling room couldn’t understand.

What’s so difficult about living alone?

Even if left alone, he could survive by relying on his skills and resources.

Why must he go through such unnecessary processes just for an assignment?

“Sigh. Complaining won’t solve anything.”

He needed to find someone.

Otherwise, his grades would suffer.

But finding someone wasn’t easy.

No one wanted to join him, given his status as a pariah.

Even if they agreed, it would just be laughed at.

Never did he imagine that academic issues would turn into such problems.

“How can I… Sigh…”

Walking while contemplating, he heard an unpleasant sound.

*Slap!*

The sound of flesh hitting flesh.

But the forceful hit was aimed at the unguarded side.

A sound he was most familiar with—violence.

Then, a female student’s voice reached his ears.

“I knew she was strong from the start. Why, they say she’s obsessed with men, and now she’s in the same group?”

He recognized that voice.

It belonged to a group where a male student had recently dropped out.

“No, that’s not true.”

“That’s not true, you crazy girl! We all saw her flirting with him!”

Another female student from the same group erupted in anger.

“That guy, we’ve known him since we were ten. Not just for assignments, but we’ve been friends since long ago. But ever since you appeared, his eyes changed.”

“Do you know how his eyes changed the first time you put on those clothes he designed? Ever since that day, his eyes were always fixed on you. As if he was going to melt!”

“I just showed him some fabric. What did I do…!”

“This is ridiculous!”

*Slap!*

Another unpleasant sound echoed.

“Bitch. You’re amazing. You really know how to win over men. Even after I flirted with him for years, he didn’t budge, but you got him in one go.”

“Hey, why are you crying?”

“Damn it, I’m crying because I’m sad! Why does a girl like her deserve a confession, and even more, why does she make him leave the group?”

“…That fox is the problem. Tsk.”

“Rumors spread fast in school. Even friendships spanning years can break down.”

“Let’s go. If we stay, all our efforts will be for nothing anyway.”

Though he didn’t witness it firsthand, it was clear what was happening.

Several girls were pressuring one person.

“You just wanted to secure your grades, right? Fine, then let your grades drop.”

That was how the remaining members of the group, excluding the leader, left.

“…Who?”

The girl, crouching with her knees, raised her head as shadows fell over her.

Some of her disheveled hair fell slightly. Confirming her identity, she was indeed the girl whom boys always praised for her beauty.

“…Regardless of the situation, it doesn’t matter.”

It was absurd, funny, and incomprehensible.

But this was an opportunity.

“Group assignments, no matter what, need to be completed. They took everything, but…”

“…But?”

“Join my group. I won’t ask for anything else.”

That was the first time I clearly remembered someone’s name at school.

Ji-eun Seo.

The name of the girl who thanked me later, despite her dazed expression.

***

*Creak. Creak. Thud.*

“…”

The clock ticking made me vaguely aware of my surroundings.

When I opened my eyes, the scene was eerily similar to when I mistakenly thought I was sleeping on Ji-eun’s thigh.

Instead of the familiar ceiling, a voluptuous body blocked my view.

Only later did I realize it was a dream.

*Ding!*

▶Status Ailment: Sleep Deprivation has been recovered.◀

▶Status Ailment: Fatigue has been recovered.◀

[ Sleep Deprivation: 0, Fatigue: 0 ]

Even though I vaguely sensed it from the sound of the clock, I didn’t expect to sleep for five hours straight.

But something else was bothering me.

“Mmm…”

“Why are these similarities?”

Did something happen today?

Carefully pulling my upper body up, I saw Harnier sleeping on the sofa with her back against it. It reminded me of the old days during group assignments.

“…thank you.”

“…thanks…”

“…sigh.”

The overlapping voices made me wonder why there’s no difference. I tried to cover her with a blanket but gave up with a sigh.

While carefully carrying Harnier, who was sound asleep, to the bed, I gave up on thinking.