ICYM Ch 26

Episode 26

Once I made up my mind to confess, the amusement park, which I had worried would be too crowded, time-consuming, and expensive, suddenly felt like the perfect choice.

Thanks to the heat cycle, I ended up self-quarantined for three days, which gave me plenty of free time to plan everything out in my head.

I even looked up the amusement park’s schedule for the day we were going and found that there would be a parade and fireworks in the evening.

Could there be a better place to confess?

First, we can relax and have fun after lunch. Then maybe we could go somewhere nice for dinner?

And after that, timing the confession to coincide with the end of the parade didn’t seem like a bad idea either.

I spent the whole quarantine period working on this plan, and when I returned to school today, I realized mid-term break starts tomorrow.

We had planned to go to the amusement park on Wednesday, so there weren’t many days left.

When I got back to the dorm, it was already bustling with activity since more than half the students were getting ready to leave.

“What do I do? I feel so bad.”

This moment hadn’t been in the plan. Sunbae apologized again and again, saying how sorry he was.

He said something had suddenly come up at home, and he had to go back to his family as soon as school ended tomorrow, right at the start of the mid-term break.

My perfect plan…!

“It’s okay, really.”

There was no way he could have known I was planning to confess. As soon as he found out he had to go home, he let me know. Sunbae had done everything he could, and I couldn’t blame him.

“I’ll make it up to you when I come back.”

My mood deflated like an overblown balloon popping in an instant, but I tried hard not to show it.

“It’s not like you’re canceling because you don’t want to go.”

Even though I pretended to be okay, better than I expected, the deeply apologetic look on Sunbae’s face didn’t fade.

“…Still…”

“Really, it’s fine! I don’t know what’s going on at home, but I hope it gets resolved well.”

I can confess somewhere else!

“Weren’t you really looking forward to going?”

“…Not that much.”

By now, the goal wasn’t just to hang out at the amusement park. It was to confess.

If the confession went well, we’d end up spending more time together anyway.

Only after I emphasized again that it was truly okay did Sunbae finally let go of that guilty expression.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. Have a safe trip! I guess I’ll see you next week.

“I’ll be back before the weekend, so let’s meet on Saturday.”

“Okay.”

“How about we meet a little earlier that day, so we won’t get interrupted by the others?”

“…Yeah!”

Even though he didn’t say the place out loud, I immediately knew where he meant. And judging by the way Sunbae smiled and patted my head, he could tell I had figured it out.

“Yeah.”

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to meet at a place that meant something to both of us.

Silently revising the plan in my head, I left the apologetic Sunbae behind and headed back to my room.

“Huh?”

Owen was in the room. He looked startled, clearly not expecting me to come in. For a moment, he froze, staring at me. Then he snapped back to his senses and started fumbling for an excuse.

“Sorry. I was just grabbing a few things. I’m leaving a day early.”

“You don’t have to rush.”

“Okay.”

Before I went into self-quarantine, Owen had taken only the bare minimum of his stuff and moved to another room. Even though he had to move out, almost like he was being kicked out because of my situation, instead of getting angry, he worried about me.

“Um… Is the new room okay?”

I hadn’t expected to see much of him until the end of the mid-term break, and the thought left me feeling oddly wistful, prompting me to speak first.

“Oh? Well… It’s livable.”

Owen gave a faint smile and nodded.

The room he’d moved into was the one Kendrick used to have all to himself.

I remembered that awkward morning when the two of them had stood side by side in silence on the day my heat cycle began.

He said it was fine, but judging by his not-so-cheerful expression, it seemed there was still some underlying discomfort.

“That’s good.”

I wasn’t the type to dig deep when someone said they were fine, so I simply nodded along.

With nothing else to say, I flopped onto my bed and started playing with my phone.

But I could feel Owen’s lingering gaze as he slowed down in packing his things.

Glance.

Glance.

I tried to ignore it, but his gaze was too wistful. I put my phone down and sat on the edge of the bed.

“…Do you have something to say?”

“Are you okay now?”

“Yeah.”

“…Can we eat together again, like before?”

“If you don’t hate me, I don’t really see why not.”

At my response, Owen jumped in protest, insisting that of course he didn’t hate me.

So that’s what he was building up to ask?

We were the same age, but he always felt more like a younger brother than a friend.

He reminded me a little of the Hayden from before I transmigrated. There was something about Owen that felt like he’d grown up surrounded by love.

He probably didn’t even realize it himself, but because of that, I found myself softening toward him more than before.

“Thank goodness…”

The way I couldn’t ignore the look he gave me, like a puppy desperate to pee, made me wonder if he still had more questions.

“Is there something else you want to ask?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Owen looked at me like I’d read his mind. I waited calmly, and after a moment of fumbling, he finally asked another question.

“Shouldn’t you check in with the person who helped you?”

I never even said someone had helped me, so how did he know? I wondered for a moment, but then figured he must’ve heard about it while switching rooms.

“I already did.”

“…You did?”

Owen asked in a dazed tone.

He’d been kicked out of the room so suddenly, without any real explanation, so it made sense he’d be curious. I kindly filled in the blanks.

“Yeah. It was Senior Augustine who helped me.”

At my words, Owen shot to his feet. His voice trembled with emotion as he burst out, “The person who helped you…!”

[—Ahem. Student Owen Bryant, your parents have arrived to pick you up. Please come downstairs.]

I was waiting to see what he was about to say, but just then, his words cut off as his name was called over the dorm PA system.

“Shouldn’t you get going?”

At my question, Owen let out a heavy sigh.

“…Let’s talk when I get back.”

What on earth was he trying to say that he hesitated so much? If you’re going to make that kind of face, at least give me a quick three-line summary and go.

That thought crossed my mind as I watched Owen rush to gather the rest of his things and head out.

“What was that all about…”

A weird sense of unease lingered, but only for a moment.

I lay back down on the bed and stretched my limbs.

I’d gotten used to sharing a room with Owen, but honestly, I was happier about having it to myself again for the rest of the semester.

* * *

Bzzz—

Bzzz—

[Dad

Missed Call – 5:17 PM]

That evening, the first day of the mid-term break, I got a call from Dad.

When he called before, it had been easy to think of him as a complete stranger.

But now, maybe because of those fragments of the past I saw when I collapsed, the missed call lingered heavily in my mind.

He couldn’t have found out… right?

I didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I hadn’t deliberately lied about being a Beta. It seemed the confusion started when I moved into the dormitory, and some of the information had gotten mixed up.

I had specifically requested to keep my designation private and asked for a single room, but neither request had been honored.

Even the principal had come to the dorm to personally explain the situation to me.

He said that if I wanted, he would inform my parents himself and even apologize on the school’s behalf.

“The clause about keeping your secondary gender confidential is basically just a formality. It looks like there was an error when transferring your enrollment documents to the dormitory.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Nothing serious happened, but since you were affected, we want to respect your wishes.”

“…Is there a way not to tell my parents at all?”

“It’s just a matter of whether we tell them now or later.”

That didn’t feel like a real choice at all.

Still, when he mentioned that transferring schools was still an option since I hadn’t completed a full semester yet, I decided I’d bring it up during the counseling session at the end of this term.

The principal seemed genuinely relieved by my choice and repeatedly told me I’d made the right decision.

Though the school had clearly made a mistake, the way they kept lowering themselves this much felt off.

Am I really the one they say laid the turf?

The suspicion that had begun to take root in me deepened even further, but I couldn’t get any clear answers.

If I asked the principal, hearing either a yes or a no would be equally suspicious.

Which meant I’d have to ask my family. But asking my family…?

That would only lead to them grilling me about why I was bringing it up again, and it was obvious they’d find a reason to show up in person.

“…Let’s just leave it alone!”

In the end, I decided to just suppress my curiosity.

* * *

The mansion was four stories tall and could house up to fifty people, but now, including the staff who lived there, fewer than ten remained.

The whole place was thick with silence.

At dinnertime, the line in the dining hall was noticeably short, so I ate quickly and made my way up to the library.

I sat in my usual seat and opened my notebook.

I reread the first line a few times, but couldn’t focus, so I set my pen down.

I figured I wouldn’t be able to study properly unless I dealt with the problem that kept circling my mind.

How should I confess?

I fell into serious thought.