This Is Fine Keep Moving_____________
The girl behind me keeps insisting that I see the nurse, but I'm pretty sure a nurse can't fix this situation. Last I checked, no scientist has successfully explained post-death transmigration. I assure her I'm fine, which is, of course, a blatant lie—and certainly not the last one I'll tell today.
She doesn't look convinced. "Is that so... then are you ready to go?" she asks, her pink eyes scrutinizing me from behind round glasses as she brushes back her equally pink hair.
What's with all the pink?
She's dressed in a black coat over a crisp white blouse, accented by a tiny necktie—standard student attire, I suppose. But since when do schools allow such flamboyant hair colors? Or am I missing something here?
The real question is: why am I in a school at all?
She opens the door labeled 'Reconcile Room' and gestures for me to enter. "Sunbae?"
Sunbae? Is that supposed to be me? Well, going with the flow usually minimizes trouble.
I step inside, pushing aside the avalanche of questions piling up in my mind.
The room greets me with an almost eerie elegance. A massive window dominates the far wall, framed by deep crimson drapes that seem to bleed into the surrounding space. In the center, a long white table stretches between two luxurious ruby chaise lounges, occupying only a fraction of the expansive room. The air conditioner hums softly, enveloping everything in a cool embrace.
To the right of the setup are four girls, each lost in their own world.
Despite my not-so-subtle entrance, only one girl bothers to look up. Her light brown hair cascades just to her shoulders, with delicate bangs resting on a petite forehead. Her emerald eyes widen in surprise before quickly darting away, but not before I catch a glimpse of their startling clarity—like fresh dew on spring grass. Her shoulders tremble ever so slightly.
Beside her sits a girl with an air of authority. Poised and composed, her fingers dance across a keyboard with practiced efficiency. Sharp, discerning eyes remain glued to her laptop screen, giving me the distinct impression that whatever she's working on is far more important than acknowledging my existence.
A short distance away sprawls a petite girl with fiery red hair that spills onto the floor like a dragon's tail. She's sitting with her legs in a casual V-shape, almost exposing more than intended, but her too-long skirt preserves modesty (goddamn). A gaming console is practically glued to her face, her fingers furiously tapping away while earbuds pump music directly into her oblivious ears.
The fourth girl appears... dead. Face down, arms sprawled over the table, silver hair forming a shimmering veil around her. Just as I'm about to seriously question her vitality, her back rises and falls in a slow, steady rhythm. Alive, but dead to the world.
Including the pink-obsessed girl behind me, that makes five females in the room. Funny, I think I saw someone like her on Instagram yesterday—or maybe not. She does resemble that Korean influencer I double-tapped on.
Wait, yesterday? Does time even correlate here? Is this the same world, the same timeline?
"Sunbae, these are the girls," the pink-haired girl announces from behind me.
There it is again—Sunbae. Pretty sure that's more of an honorific than a name, at least from what little I remember of Korean televisions.
Instinctively, I flash her a smile and make my way to the opposite couch, taking a seat that feels remarkably like sinking into a giant marshmallow.
Silence hangs in the air as I struggle to process this bizarre situation. From the fragmented memories swirling in my mind, these girls are supposed to be my students.
Or rather, his students—the original owner of this body. He was apparently the third-smartest student at some place called Acadasia. As for me? Before waking up here, I was... a -1? I was... Hmn. Right, never mind that. The more I try to recall my past, the fuzzier it becomes, like trying to grasp smoke.
"Sunbae? Sunbae..." The pink-haired girl—Sohee, if memory serves—tugs gently at my sleeve. "Why are you just sitting there staring into space? Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should see the nurse after all."
I shake off the lingering haze and force a reassuring smile. "No, really, I'm fine."
She doesn't look entirely convinced but chooses not to press further.
Just then, the girl with the laptop speaks up, her fingers never pausing their relentless typing. "So, who's he, Sohee?"
Sohee straightens up, adopting a more formal tone. "First, I'd like all of you to stop what you're doing and listen."
Clack. Clack.
Click. Click.
Nope, no one stops. The laptop continues to click away, and the gamer girl remains immersed in her digital realm. The brown-haired girl, however, clasps her hands tightly on her lap, trembling slightly, while the silver-haired one remains in her comatose state.
Sohee sighs, clearly exasperated.
The brown-haired girl slowly raises a shaky hand, her voice barely above a whisper. "S-Sohee... is he... g-go... t-to... us?"
"What?" Sohee leans in, straining to hear. "You need to speak up, Mei."
Mei's cheeks flush as she stammers, "I-I have the same question as Shizuka."
The typing ceases abruptly as the laptop girl—Shizuka, apparently—smirks. "I wish I could high-five you right now, Mei, but my hands are a bit occupied."
Sohee rubs her temples before gesturing toward me. "This is your new tutor."
The room's atmosphere shifts instantly. The clicking stops, the gamer girl pauses her game, Mei's trembling intensifies, and even the silver-haired girl lifts her head slightly, revealing groggy, half-lidded eyes.
The gamer girl pulls out an earbud, eyeing me skeptically. "Tutor? Him? Are you sure he's not some kind of observer?"
Observer? That's a new one. I glance at Sohee, who gives me a subtle nod, prompting me to play along. "Well, maybe a bit of both?"
"Sunbae!" Sohee hisses under her breath, clearly frustrated by my improvisation.
Clearing her throat, she addresses the room again. "He's your new tutor—pending a recognition session, of course."
Recognition session? That sounds ominous.
Shizuka's eyes finally leave her screen, sizing me up with evident disdain. "Is he even qualified? He's... male."
Well, last I checked... which was about five minutes ago via a rather unorthodox method, I confirmed that detail. "Confirmed and verified."
She chuckles, "That's not the point."
Mei timidly raises her hand again. "B-But Sohee, I thought male teachers weren't allowed to teach us..."
"He's a tutor, not a teacher, Mei," Sohee corrects, her patience wearing thin. "And he'll only be here for a few hours each day. The school has made an exception, considering his impressive credentials. I expect you all to cooperate."
From behind her console, the red-haired girl—who I mentally dub 'Dragon Girl'—snorts derisively. "Cooperate? With him? Please. He looks more like he's here to fuck than teach."
"Carrie!" Sohee's voice sharpens like a whip. "Language. Unless you fancy another meeting with the disciplinary committee this week?"
Carrie rolls her eyes but retracts her legs and tucks away her console, muttering something under her breath as she replaces her earbuds.
Shizuka leans back, crossing her arms. "Don't be surprised if a complaint letter ends up on the principal's desk."
Sohee arches an eyebrow. "And you think, given your plummeting grades and spotty attendance, that the school will take your complaints seriously?"
A smirk plays on Shizuka's lips. "Worth a shot."
Is that a euphemism? Or is she genuinely concerned? Hard to tell.
Sohee lets out a heavy sigh, clearly exhausted from the back-and-forth. Meanwhile, I sit there absorbing the dynamic, realizing that winning over these girls is going to be a monumental task.
Not that I blame them. From their perspective, I'm an intruder—a male one at that—in their all-girls sanctuary. And to make matters more complicated, I'm inhabiting a body with expectations I might not be able to fulfill.
I eat my feet everytime before writing.
The Girls_________________________
No one seems to care much about what Sohee says. She's like a mom at the dinner table, and these girls are the rebellious daughters. And me? I'm the awkward new stepfather trying to find my place.
I get the feeling these Negative Girls hate men—or maybe just the idea of anyone intruding on their time, forcing them to study in this sterile, personality-less room. Honestly, I can relate.
Sohee rubs her forehead with a sigh, trying to keep her composure. "Look, like it or not, it's mandatory for you four to introduce yourselves to every new tutor. We're wasting Sunbae's time."
Nah, just go ahead. I need a moment to process what just happened in the last ten minutes.
"Sunbae?" Shizuka chimes in, a devilish grin spreading across her face. "Are you two closer than we think?"
Sohee's face flushes, and she glances at me, searching for a reaction, but I give her none. She glares at Shizuka. "I meant your new tutor."
Shizuka licks her bottom lip, and I take back my earlier thought—she's less a mischievous student and more like a seductive succubus. "Oh. Buuuut, I'd like to call him my Sunbae too." She says it like she's in a movie.
Sohee twitches, clearly uncomfortable. "But that's—" And before she can finish, Shizuka jumps in.
"If you let me, then maybe I'll consider talking."
Sohee rubs her wrist, glancing at my jaw like she's considering something. Is she hinting at something again? Don't. I might misinterpret your look again and think you're asking me to touch you.
She gives up with a sigh. "Alright, fine. Just—"
"Then I'll start," Shizuka giggles, cutting her off. She stretches her arms, causing her short sleeve to slide down, revealing a clean armpit. She winks at me playfully. "So, Sunbae, do you like what you see in a maybe-student?"
That's... not exactly how one should introduce themselves.
"It's fine," I say, suppressing a laugh. Honestly, girls' armpits are on my top ten list of things to admire.
The succubus laughs, her smile all too smug, and it sends a strange thrill through me. Maybe it's this body reacting, a remnant of some past life where I wasn't immune to such things.
"Hngg?" She notices my gaze. "So like I'm your type or something, Sunbae?"
"He's not," Sohee mumbles, looking away.
Shizuka either ignores her or doesn't hear. "Well, people tend to like things they barely know. So, Sunbae, what's your fetish?"
Before I can answer, Sohee sighs, "Shizuka..."
I'm starting to think Shizuka is more interested in getting under Sohee's skin than in teasing me. Sohee's clearly the only one who wanted me here—for whatever reason—and that's exactly what Shizuka is poking at.
Shizuka turns back to me, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "You're the boring tutor, and I'm your cute, ignorant student. Does that excite you?"
"I..."
She leans in, whispering suggestively, "What's your fetish?"
Mouth.
I was about to say it but Sohee, on the other hand, isn't having any of it. "Shizuka, keep it relevant—"
"Anyway, Sunbae," Shizuka cuts her off again, "if you make it through the recognition session, which I doubt, can you please treat Shizuka well? You will, won't you?" She gives me a look that's all too inviting. "If you do, Shizuka might give you a pleasureable reward."
God, those playful lips couldn't be more tempting.
If only she's not playing around...
"What kind of reward, exactly? And how should I treat you?"
Sohee nudges me, clearly not liking my question, but it has to be asked.
Shizuka puts a finger on her lips, feigning innocence. "Isn't it obvious, Sunbae? A good reward, one any guy like you would imagine."
Yep, definitely a sex reference.
She shifts in her seat, adding, "As for how, you can start by reducing my workload—especially in math. I'm not a fan. My skills are so average I can barely count my fingers, let alone those stupid letters pretending to be numbers."
She spreads her fingers like she's showing me how serious she is.
Sohee rolls her eyes, "You're not even average."
Shizuka just smiles in return, her playfulness fading as she turns back to her laptop, signaling the end of her introduction.
That's it?
She just dropped her act so sudden.
"What are you working on?"
She doesn't look up. "A prose."
"What kind?"
"Idon."
"What's Idon?"
"Idonwannatell."
Okay, that was a joke, I guess. She's clearly not in the mood to share.
I let it drop. Creative introduction, though.
Sohee thanks Shizuka for her cooperation, though it goes unanswered, and she turns to the next person.
Mei's shoulders jump as Sohee faces her. Sweat rolls down the side of her face, her brown hair sticking to her forehead. She's still avoiding eye contact with me.
Her voice trembles, "H-Hello, um, my n-name is Mei."
I can feel her eyes trying to meet mine, but something stops her.
She continues, "L-Luis."
Mei Luis. As I look at her, a strange desire builds up in me. Have you ever wanted to hug a skittish rabbit? That's what I want to do right now.
Sohee smiles sympathetically. "Mei, it's okay. I know this is hard for you." She turns to me. "A name is enough, right, Sunbae?"
I shrug, "Of course—"
"I-I can tell more," Mei insists, her voice still shaky but determined.
Then, for the first time, her emerald eyes meet mine. If someone gouged those out and sold them as jewels, no one would know they were eyes.
She exhales, "I h-hope I'm not bothering you as a s-stude—"
I don't catch the rest, but she finishes and quickly looks away, seeming more comfortable not having my attention.
Is that it?
Sohee smiles. "We appreciate your courage, Mei. So, ne—"
"She's stuttering," I interrupt, keeping my voice low enough so only Sohee can hear.
She looks at me carefully. "Sunbae, that's because of you."
Is it? "She likes me?"
Sohee nudges my thigh. "We talked about this yesterday. She has androphobia."
So, she haaates me.
"How's this supposed to work?" How can a male tutor teach a girl with androphobia?
"It'll be fine," Sohee says, though her smile is weak. "As long as Sunbae doesn't invade her personal space, you can talk to her just fine… She's getting better," she adds proudly, "though she still stutters, as we can see."
"Right." So I can't even get close to that D cup? I must say, Mei's got the biggest ones here.
Sohee moves on to the next girl, the one absorbed in her console game. If Mei's the biggest, Carrie's the most aggressive.
"Carrie?" Sohee calls.
The console girl keeps playing—she's a true gamer.
Sohee sighs for the nth time and pulls her earphones off by the wires.
Carrie yells from behind her console, "What the fuck, I was—"
Sohee's voice sharpens. "You ARE in school, so put down the game before I confiscate it again—for a week this time."
Carrie grunts, lowering her console. She glares at me, her crimson eyes full of annoyance. There's a viciousness there, and a tiredness too. But damn, they're beautiful.
Maybe they're contacts, like Sohee's pink eyes or Mei's emerald ones. I don't mind. They look pretty as hell.
Under her glare, her small lips twist into a scowl. "I'm not letting you take my virginity."
Sohee flushes, her body stiffening. "Th-That's not what he wants!"
I don't?
Carrie huffs. "Then what am I supposed to say to that noobish face?"
She's not wrong. I never ranked higher than Gold in LOL. That's pretty noobish, right?
Sohee slumps beside me, rubbing her temples. "Just tell him your name and maybe a little about yourself, and then we're done."
Reluctantly, Carrie says, "CarryYourAsh."
"Real name, please," Sohee prompts.
Carrie rolls her eyes. "Carrie Alter. Love, video games. Hate, studying. So, you're unlikeable to me."
"Why the 'noobish face' comment?" I ask.
"I can tell when someone's a noob," she says confidently. "Your face tells me you can't even beat a bot in a one-v-one match."
"Some theory," I say. "What if I prove you wrong?"
Carrie frowns. "I'm never wrong."
Sohee chimes in, "Your answer sheets are mostly wrong."
Carrie's dragon-like eyes widen, her hands gesturing animatedly. "That's different! Studies are like, using your mind and stuff. Gaming is all about experience and skill, so they're not the same!"
She doesn't score any points with that argument, though.
"Are you trying to prove a point?" Sohee sighs, clearly unimpressed.
Carrie grunts, crossing her arms. "I've done everything you asked. Now, give me back my earphones!"
Sohee calmly tucks the earphones into her skirt pocket. "I'm afraid not. You're going to listen to us, not your game."
"But you promised!" Carrie snaps.
"I didn't."
"Wha—"
Yeah, Sohee didn't promise anything, and Carrie realizes it too late.
Sohee smiles, unbothered. "I have to do it this way, or you wouldn't get anything good out of this."
By lying, huh.
Carrie blows a raspberry in defiance. "Pshh, what are you two? My parents?"
Sohee's smile widens at the comment. She seems to like the idea.
"Okay, next we have Claire," Sohee says, turning to the last girl.
Claire doesn't budge from her nap, seemingly unbothered by the noise around her. Despite the chaos, she's still asleep—or at least pretending to be.
Sohee repeats, "Claire?"
A soft but sharp whisper cuts through the room. "Shut up."
Claire's eyes peek out from behind her silver hair, one dark eye glaring at the world with annoyance. The atmosphere tenses, but Sohee pushes on, unfazed. "Claire, introduce yourself to Sunbae."
A long minute passes before Claire finally responds. "Sure."
She stands up, shedding herself from the table. Whoa, she's tall! We might be the same height.
Her dark eyes lock onto mine with apathy, her dry lips barely moving. "Claire."
That's more of a command than an introduction.
"Yeah," I nod, accepting it.
She pulls a black hoodie over her head, tugging at the pockets as she heads for the door. The hoodie's thick, too thick for the weather, and there's dirt smeared on it.
Sohee stops her with a question, "Where are you going?"
"Toilet. I did enough favors by showing up, so do me one too."
She slams the door behind her with a bang.
Well, that's something.
Carrie rubs her ear, wincing. "Could she quit that? Geez. A girl shouldn't close doors like that. Talk about being a crime syndicate's daughter."
Sohee waves her hand dismissively. "Carrie… it's bad to talk behind someone's back. Besides, that's just a rumor."
Carrie's voice drops to a slow, deliberate tone. "I think not. I confirmed it with my own eyes yesterday."
The room falls silent. They're all wondering if one of their classmates really is the daughter of a crime syndicate.
I decide to break the tension. "Is she coming back?"
Before Sohee can answer, Shizuka chimes in playfully. "Oh, naive Sunbae. It was never her intention to go to the toilet. Let's just say, in her diary, 'toilet' is a figurative word. It means she's 'fucking off from school.'"
Sohee shoots Shizuka a warning look for her choice of words.
And that reminds me, I think it's time for me to go to the toilet too.
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