SWNOVELXO Chapter 206
No, maybe that was an action that read the atmosphere very accurately.
Seeing Sohee flash a V-sign, I thought maybe they had already had those feelings for each other before confessing to me.
Come to think of it, it’s a cliché in harem stories that heroines know they all like the same person.
And usually, even the most straightforward heroine, who says whatever she wants, struggles to confess to the protagonist…
But it seems that doesn’t apply to them.
Or has the era changed? Am I unable to adapt to a game scenario written by a Korean after only reading Japanese rom-com harem manga and light novels?
No, now is not the time for such thoughts.
Thinking about the other three, who had completely turned to stone, made it clear that my current situation was incredibly dangerous.
…
No. Now that I think about it, Sara seems to be frozen too. Now it’s their names.
And the first one among those frozen to start moving was Son Ah-reum.
“You-you-you-you-you—”
Of course, that doesn’t mean they started moving properly.
“What the heck are you guys doing!?”
Son Ah-reum, looking like a video stuck on buffering, screamed that out.
“What do you mean, what are we doing?”
Before I could respond, Sohee opened her mouth first.
Uh, this isn’t good.
But it was already too late for me to say anything.
“Is this some kind of inappropriate relationship?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Was there anything inappropriate about my actions?”
Sohee tilted her head proudly as she asked.
“What, huh?”
Son Ah-reum seemed to want to explain something, but it looked like they were too flustered to articulate it properly.
“Look, we’re in our mid-teens. Except for the parts where they outright get naked, every movie shows everything. There are huge kiss scenes too.”
…And there are scenes where people get killed, scammed, tortured, or beaten up, right?
Of course, Sohee didn’t mean it in that way. Rather, she probably wanted to argue that ‘the things we do are what everyone does.’
The problem is, uh, what was it…?
“You can’t just blindly follow what’s in the movies!?”
“Then you’re not going to do it?”
“Uh…?”
“When you end up with someone you like later, are you going to say, ‘But we’re still too young…!’ without even holding hands?”
“Ah….”
“Huh? If someone you like tries to hug you, are you going to scream that we’re too young? You wouldn’t, right!?”
“….”
And Son Ah-reum couldn’t retort against Sohee’s words.
It seems like they were totally okay with it.
“Ah, no, what I’m trying to say isn’t that…!”
“It’s just lips touching, no reason to be stingy about it.”
“…!”
Son Ah-reum silently protested in frustration, but Sohee didn’t seem to care at all.
“…Uh, Sara.”
And finally, Ha Neul, who had been silent and watching the situation, spoke up.
Their expression was clearly smiling. There was no hint of anger in their voice, and they weren’t trembling or blushing.
…But why does it feel like there’s such a hot energy radiating from them?
Maybe it’s because of the light coming from that face.
“So… that means? You kissed Sohee today, right?”
“….”
I had a ton of things I wanted to say.
Yeah, I did. But it wasn’t what I intended. Sohee tackled me, pinning me down with her weight and grabbing my arm. Didn’t that just happen with Sua too? I thought I was just receiving a present when Sua suddenly kissed me on the cheek, and I turned around in surprise and ended up kissing her. Of course, I admit there was a moment to dodge, but if I had done that, what would the atmosphere be like right now? I had kissed both Ha Neul and Sohee, but not Sua. That seemed unfair, right? It’s not like I was excluding anyone. And if I think about that, Ha Neul isn’t much different. Ha Neul pounced on me very suddenly too. Honestly, since I couldn’t move, wouldn’t the cases with Ha Neul and Sua be similar? So if I were to argue, wouldn’t I be the victim here? Because even though I look like a pretty girl on the outside, I’m a guy on the inside, and feeling guilty for being the first kiss for those girls makes me forget about the before-and-after relationship.
That’s an incredibly long excuse.
Seeing the jumbled thoughts that flashed through my mind without context, Sara evaluated me quite coolly.
Even though Sara was in my consciousness, I could still feel a prick at the back of my head, as if Sara were glaring at me from a different body in this room.
No, no matter how I looked at it, that’s not right.
Honestly, I never jumped in first!
“….”
But I shouldn’t say that to the girls who gave me their first kisses, right?
“So, with Sohee too?”
Even Sua, who was listening to the conversation, reacted like that.
There were many things I wanted to say. Lots of them.
But I didn’t have any valid words to throw out.
“Everyone here…?”
Son Ah-reum muttered with her mouth agape.
No, what I mean is…
…
Ah, forget it. I think I should just keep my mouth shut and stay still.
*
After a long, long silence, it seemed Ha Neul finally calmed down.
No, they calmed down, but it doesn’t seem like they’re completely relaxed. Looking at their shoulders still trembling, it seemed like they were still a bit angry.
“…Yeah, I know. I know. It’s my fault for kissing you without permission, so you’re not in the wrong.”
I appreciate them saying that.
“And probably, the others were the same.”
Sua subtly turned her gaze. Even Sohee, who caused this situation, seemed a bit embarrassed hearing that and avoided looking.
Son Ah-reum had been staring this way with a red face for a while now.
She looked like someone watching a romantic movie firsthand.
Do you want some popcorn, maybe?
Of course, I couldn’t say such things in this situation, so I just kept silent and nodded.
“And… well, yeah. Honestly, we’re not dating. We just confessed and kissed unilaterally, so it’s just about that.”
That’s a trap.
I’ve never had a girlfriend, but hearing that made alarms go off wildly in my head. My instincts screamed at me to not agree to that statement. I should just stay silent and do nothing.
I know.
My rational side told me.
That’s why I’ve been quiet for a while.
What a remarkable intellect you have.
But someone could read my mind.
“So right now, it’s all a draw, right?”
A draw?
Were we even competing over something?
If it’s between me?
As I slightly furrowed my brow and tilted my head, Ha Neul seemed to realize my mood wasn’t quite so great and flinched.
“No, I mean! There are so many people who like you, and since you’re not dating anyone yet, doesn’t everyone have a chance? That was what I meant, okay!”
Yeah, thinking about it, I shouldn’t be the only one suffering here.
Shouldn’t I be allowed to act a little brazenly?
Just at that moment,
“Then I think it’s only fair to share kisses equally.”
I heard the craziest thing from someone I thought was the most normal.
“Huh?”
And the brazen line I was about to say flew far away along with my sanity.
“Yeah, Sua. You shouldn’t say such things so casually. Sara’s own opinion is important too, right?”
That was quite a rational judgment coming after being angry just a moment ago. It seemed Ha Neul sensed that I was getting a bit annoyed.
“I see….”
Sua mumbled in response to Ha Neul’s words.
Phew, that was close. I think I managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. Despite everything, becoming a kiss machine would be a bit too much.
These three should learn to value their own bodies more.
And if possible, mine—no, Sara’s body too.
…
Yeah, and if possible, my mind too.
“Of course, it’s my kiss, so my opinion is—”
“…You didn’t like it?”
“Ha—Huh?”
Before I could throw out my brazen line again, Sua cut me off mid-sentence.
With her head slightly bowed, Sua slowly lifted her face.
Tears were welling up in her eyes, just waiting to spill over.
“…So, Sara didn’t like it.”
“W-wait a second!”
I hurriedly said.
No, if that comes out, then what am I supposed to be!?
I seriously contemplated that.
If I kissed a girl, and that girl then said, ‘I didn’t like it,’ how would I feel? That’s if it were my first kiss.
“….”
Um, they might have a point.