I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 75

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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I didn’t even know how much time had passed since we ran into each other.

Because we were both so flustered that we couldn’t speak.

I had to think.

If I couldn’t come up with a natural response within the next few seconds, I didn’t know what kind of impulsive action she might take.

Kang Ha-ni.

The academy’s cross-dressing heroine, and originally, a character who becomes the protagonist’s roommate.

She carefully managed her long hair, which was too long for a man, and had tried to dress like a man despite her distinctly feminine face.

Actually, such efforts were meaningless, but since she insisted she was a man, no one suspected her, at least in the beginning of the academy story.

But no one would think she was a man after seeing her just after she had finished bathing.

Because the elegant lines of her body, which she usually concealed with compression bandages and a perception-altering relic, were revealed.

I wanted to stay calm, but the two round mounds that asserted their presence beyond her light clothing kept interfering with my rational judgment.

Simply put, they were big.

“Um.”

Although it was dark and I couldn’t see her clearly, Ha-ni’s face seemed to be flushed.

“I’m sorry…!”

Shit.

In the end, an unrefined apology escaped my lips without going through my brain.

“Senior…!”

And the words I instinctively added without thinking were, in my own assessment, the perfect excuse.

“…Huh?”

Ha-ni let out a silly sound.

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This was bad.

Kang Ha-ni regretted letting her guard down so much.

No, it wasn’t that she didn’t have an excuse.

At first, she was excited about the trip, and since it was just one night, she thought she could endure not showering even if it was a bit uncomfortable.

It was a little disappointing to give up the rose-scented bath that was part of the trip itinerary, but since it would be difficult to shower properly during dungeon explorations or combat situations, she thought she could endure it.

But the problem was Kang So-hyun, who was lying next to her before they went to sleep.

As she took the corner spot and laid down, he naturally took the spot next to her, as if he was protecting her, and she smelled a faint floral fragrance from him.

The subtly wafting floral scent calmed her mind, but at the same time, a thought occurred to her.

What if she smelled like sweat…?

She had been running around quite a bit today.

This was her first time on a trip with friends, and she had been running around excitedly, so naturally, she had sweat.

And they even unexpectedly entered a dungeon, so what more needed to be said?

The friend lying next to her was someone who valued cleanliness, taking his time to shower thoroughly every day.

Of course, since he thought of her as a man, it was fine. She had heard that some men didn’t shower for a day if they felt like it.

Still, she didn’t like it.

It was a feeling she couldn’t clearly explain, but if he said something like, “Hey, you smelled like sweat while you were sleeping,” tomorrow morning, she would be very displeased.

He and everyone else were asleep right now, but this was a matter of principle.

Yes, she couldn’t be remembered as an unclean person by her roommate, with whom she would continue to share a room for the forseeable future.

No one would know if she went and took a bath quickly while everyone was asleep.

Thinking that, she hurried to the bathroom.

Since it was late, there was no hot water, but as she hurriedly washed up and was about to get dressed, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten her compression bandages in her haste.

Putting on the bandages she had already worn once wouldn’t have the same compression effect, and it felt unpleasant to wear them after showering since they had the scent of my sweat.

In the end, she hurriedly put on her top and underwear and rushed to get her bandages.

Since everyone was asleep, it would be fine if she was quiet.

“…Water.”

But then, a familiar person approached while making a strangely cute sound.

“…Huh?”

“…Oh.”

Kang So-hyun.

She ran into her roommate in the dark hallway.

She was screwed.

She should have just put on the used bandages.

No, she shouldn’t have showered in the first place.

She shouldn’t have even come on this trip.

Countless regrets flooded her at once, but it was too late.

Now that she had been discovered, there was no going back to their previous relationship, and considering her family circumstances, she had to silence him.

It pained her to do such a thing to her friend, but it couldn’t be helped…

“I’m sorry! Senior!”

…Huh?

“I didn’t know there would be a senior showering at this hour!”

What was he talking about…?

Could it be…

He didn’t know…?

Did he really not know? Did he not know it was her?

Actually, that made sense.

When you suddenly encountered a woman dressed like this in a dark hallway with no lights, it was more natural to think it was one of the seniors you didn’t know well than to think that your male friend had suddenly grown breasts.

And it was dark, so he couldn’t see her face clearly, right?

Judging by the way he quickly turned around, it seemed like he really didn’t know.

…She felt a sense of relief, and a slight tinge of disappointment, but it must have been her imagination.

She wondered if he would recognize her if she spoke, but when she thought about it, it was fine.

She usually put on a tough front and tried to lower her voice, so he wouldn’t recognize her if she spoke in her normal voice.

“Ah, no, it’s okay. It’s my fault for showering at this hour.”

It felt awkward to speak in her normal voice after such a long time, but it also felt comfortable and nice to speak without forcing it.

“I came to get something I left behind, and I made a mistake.”

But the way he turned around and trembled looked strangely cute.

It wasn’t the time to be thinking such things, but she felt a bit annoyed that he didn’t recognize her even though they were friends, and she wondered if it would be okay to tease him a little.

“Hey, why did you turn around like that?”

Huh? Why did I ask that?

“Well, Senior’s attire is a bit… stimulating…?”

Ah, I see.

“Huh? Really? I covered everything.”

She usually wore compression bandages, so she wasn’t wearing a bra, and although she was just in her underwear and a shirt, the important parts weren’t visible, right?

She seemed to understand why she was having such dangerous thoughts she normally wouldn’t have.

It was a strange, happy feeling.

“I don’t know who you are, Senior, but people don’t usually say ‘covered everything’ when they see someone dressed like that…”

He looked strangely cute, rambling while flustered or angry like usual yet speaking as if he was talking to a stranger.

The feeling of being seen as a woman by someone her age almost for the first time in her life wasn’t bad.

No, she wouldn’t have felt this way with anyone else.

She would have been displeased instead.

But to be seen that way by Kang So-hyun, a friend who was always considerate of others, was…

Not bad.

It was fun to see him embarrassed.

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Damn it, Ha-ni!

You might think your voice is different now, but to other people, it sounds pretty much the same…! People usually don’t recognize their own voice!

It was good that I came up with an excuse on the spot and successfully acted like I turned around in surprise because I thought she was a senior I didn’t know since we weren’t alone here, but after I pretended to not know her, Ha-ni started doing something strange.

Stop acting like a heroine…!

No, there was no problem.

Whether there was actually a problem or not wasn’t important.

Calming myself down was the priority.

Although it would be a disaster if someone else woke up while Ha-ni was trying to play a silly prank on me after losing her reason, and though my mind wasn’t working properly because I had just woken up, it would probably be fine, right?

Wait, there were only problems.

“Hey.”

“…Yes?”

What is it now, Ha-ni?

“How is it?”

“How is what?”

“I heard guys like this kind of situation. What do you think?”

What do I think about what, damn it?

Honestly, I knew what she was asking, but what was I supposed to answer here?

I couldn’t say something like, “Uhyo… So you were hiding those breasts… This guy…” to a senior I didn’t know…!

And what if I raised some strange flag here and it came back to bite me later…!

“This is the first time anyone has looked at me like this.”

Sure.

“…So, is it a turn-off because I look like a tomboy with breasts?”

Ah, damn it.

Stop with the double bind…!

This was my karma.

I should have kept a reasonable distance from Ha-ni, no, the victims of this novel, but I became too close to them instead.

At this point in the original story, Ha-ni had a much more severe androphobia thanks to Lilac.

Without my influence, she wouldn’t have even come to this trip, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have taken the gamble of showering in the middle of the night.

Because of my influence, her aversion to men had decreased, and her vigilance, like her tightly wound bandages, had loosened.

Of course, it wasn’t a bad influence.

To put it positively, she had become more honest.

Her tendency to act alone, which was a problem in the original story, would decrease, and her bonds with her comrades would strengthen.

Above all else, her worries would lessen.

The fact that she wanted to express herself as a woman was a common trope in novels.

But in a world that had become reality, not a novel, it was also true that it was a deep worry she couldn’t share with others.

I decided on my answer.

“Beautiful.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Although they were still a bit smaller than Professor Cathy’s, Ha-ni’s breasts had the potential to grow, and her body, honed from a young age with focused training with no unnecessary muscles or fat, was undeniably attractive.

But whether it was true or not, it was still embarrassing to say it!

“H-huh?”

“I said they’re beautiful. Beautiful enough that I’d like to see them again. Satisfied?”

I said it with some resolve, but it was incredibly embarrassing.

How could the protagonists in novels say such things so confidently?

Were they crazy?

“Hey.”

What now? What? Why? Ha-ni, we’re done here! I’m really tired now!

“Say it one more time.”

That strangely excited voice seemed to be saying she would think I was lying if I didn’t say it again.

It felt like she was asking me to reassure her anxious self.

“…Beautiful.”

I said it again while enduring the rising embarrassment.

Why did the characters in this novel like being told things twice so much?

“Beautiful enough that I regret not seeing your face properly.”

“…Really? Thanks. Did I keep you for too long?”

You knew, huh?

“No. Well, I was just going to get some water.”

“Still, it must have been scary to have a senior you’ve never met before ask if she’s beautiful in the middle of the night. If you were easily scared, you would have thought I was a ghost. I’m sorry.”

Yes, Ha-ni. It’s okay since you know you’re sorry.

Let’s not do this again next time, okay? Promise?

“Well, if you’re really sorry, buy me a meal next time.”

“Huh? You said you didn’t see my face, how do you know who I am?”

“…I’ll leave that to your conscience, Senior.”

“Conscience?”

She chuckled.

“Yeah, I’ll buy you a meal, though I don’t know when. Definitely in this form again.”

-Yes, I’ll say it again. I don’t know when, but definitely in this form again.

Huh.

Weren’t those the words she said in the original story when she was half-crazy and opened her heart to Lilac?

I looked back at her reflexively, but she had already returned to the bathroom.

“…Let’s get some water and go to sleep.”

Transmigrator into an academy story special.

No matter how much you struggle, you always end up at the center of the incident.

Thus, the travel club’s first trip came to an end.

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The next morning.

On the way back to the academy, Ha-ni spoke to me with a strange smirk.

“Hey, So-hyun.”

“Yeah, what’s up, Ha-ni?”

“Looks like you didn’t sleep well? Why the long face?”

She was pretending not to know.

“…I had a rom-com moment with an incredibly beautiful senior.”

“…Oh, who?”

“I don’t know. If I knew, I would have slept well.”

“She must have been really beautiful if you’re saying that.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t see her face, but judging by her atmosphere, she must be beautiful.”

“R-really? Hehe.”

Damn it, you shouldn’t be laughing there.

I wasn’t a clueless idiot like Lilac.

Ah, man.

It felt a bit unfair that I was the only one suffering like this.

“She was a really, really beautiful senior. Good figure, beautiful voice, elegant, and she had a different aura.”

“It-it can’t be that much… could it?”

“No, my intuition is telling me she must be the most beautiful woman in this world.”

“Ah, man, why are you bragging so much about meeting a woman?”

Hah, are you embarrassed? I win.

“Hey, So-hyun.”

“Yeah?”

“Should I buy you a meal when we get back?”

You weren’t planning on hiding it, were you?

“…No, thanks.”

“…Why?”

“The food you make is more delicious than the cafeteria food.”

“Wow, what a personality. Cooking is really hard, you know.”

“Yeah, I know~”

As we were chatting and giggling, the others naturally joined in.

Ha-ni, talking with the others, looked just like her usual self.

As if the feminine expression from just moments ago was a lie.

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T/N – Awww, how sweet. So Ha-ni and the MC take another step. Also, the MC is so smooth, being able to quickly find an excuse and say such things to Ha-ni.

Also, holy sh*t! Was Ha-ni about to off the MC back then? Good thing the MC thought fast.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.