[Chapter 161]
[Those Who Oppose Noh Eun-ha (4)]
Though the second day of the comprehensive division tournament main event had ended.
The second day of the cultural festival was not over.
"What's with this because of you, hyung."
"Hey, does that mean you're going to walk around campus shirtless? There are people from outside here right now."
"Why did you have to burn my clothes..."
"Who's the one who burned my clothes and is saying this?"
Eun-ha and Jin Pa-rang left the arena, barely shook off the crowds of people, and returned to the dormitory.
They entered Jin Pa-rang's room, and Eun-ha took back the blazer he had been wearing.
He carelessly took off his clothes even with Eun-ha there and put on a uniform he took out of the closet.
"Ah, I'll have to buy another set of uniforms... I don't have many clothes left to wear now."
"Why buy a uniform now when you're graduating next year? Just live with the clothes you have left."
"Oh ho, it's not your clothes, is it? Hey! Shouldn't you compensate for the clothes you burned?"
"Why are you asking me for compensation when you're receiving sponsorship?"
"Because you burned them!"
"Geez... Let's go if you're done dressing. The kids will be up on stage."
The two argued for a while.
Then they quickly left the dormitory and ran to where the male crossdressing contest was being held.
For some reason, it was a contest that quite a few of Eun-ha's friends were participating in.
So they had to go watch the contest almost forcibly to avoid being nagged by the female students later.
"Phew... we arrived just in time. It seems to have just started."
"There are so many people, we won't be able to get to the front seats."
Female students up on the stage.
Jin Pa-rang sighed in relief, and Eun-ha tried to find seats.
But it was hard to find seats because people were packed in.
Just then─.
"─You should have come earlier. There are hardly any seats left now."
"Huh? Bae Su-bin, why are you here?"
"Yeah. Weren't you participating in the contest too, Su-bin?"
"Putting on airs up there doesn't suit my personality, so I just became stage staff instead."
Someone wearing a hat pulled low suddenly approached and spoke to the two.
It was Bae Su-bin.
"You won't be able to see anything from there, follow me."
She nodded her head with her hands in her gray hoodie pockets.
The two followed her.
The place Bae Su-bin guided them to was where they could look down on the stage from the second floor.
The people in the seats were wearing staff lanyards, so it seemed to be used only by stage staff.
"Don't worry about those guys. I outrank them anyway. They know who you are so they won't pick fights either."
Bae Su-bin explained.
She sat down in a plastic chair.
Eun-ha and Jin Pa-rang also sat on either side of Bae Su-bin.
"But don't make too much noise. Of course, you can't interfere with my and their work. I'll kick you out if you do."
"I'll stay still. This hyung just needs to keep his mouth shut and stay still."
"Why are you picking on me!?"
"Dummy hyung, mouth."
"Pa-rang oppa, do you want to get kicked out?"
"...I really won't say anything."
The female students who had come up on stage were each introducing themselves and showing off their charms.
Bae Su-bin was busily directing the staff in charge of lighting while holding a walkie-talkie.
The kids' turns are still far off.
Eun-ha, who figured out the order in which the crossdressing female students' names would be called, decided to do something else until it was soon his friends' turns.
He hadn't been able to properly look at his smartphone almost all day because he was participating in the comprehensive division tournament.
Eun-ha decided to read his backed up messages.
"Oh?"
Then he tilted his head.
It was a message that had just come up.
A photo uploaded to the friends' group chat.
It was Choi Eun-hyuk kneeling and Jin Seo-na patting his head.
"Puppy": Kids, I bought Eun-hyuk!? (7:23 PM)
The 3rd year high school academy students' project 'Introducing Noh Eun-ha's Companions'.
Abbreviated as Nodongso.
Nodongso had been receiving people's attention every day since the cultural festival started.
It seemed Jin Seo-na had bought Choi Eun-hyuk who came out in Nodongso.
"Well well, they're having fun..."
Eun-ha snorted.
Looking at the message Jin Seo-na posted afterwards, she said she bought Eun-hyuk for the large sum of 5 million won while competing with scouts.
Eun-ha clicked his tongue.
The scale is really different since it's the academy.
He was surprised that Jin Seo-na had enough money to buy Choi Eun-hyuk for the large sum of 5 million won.
People's scale was different.
It seemed the average bid price for 3rd year students who came out in Nodongso was about 2 million won.
Clans and direct descendants of political and business circles who visited the cultural festival participated en masse.
In that situation, it seems Choi Eun-hyuk's bid price was measured as the highest so far.
Anyway, Eun-hyuk is Puppy's slave at least until tonight.
Eun-ha smiled bitterly.
It seemed Choi Eun-hyuk would have quite a hard time.
Then Eun-ha suddenly recalled something and turned to look at Bae Su-bin.
"Su-bin."
"What? Hurry and say it. I'm busy right now."
"Are you making the fireworks this year too?"
"I'm not making them, just managing custom-made fireworks. Why?"
Bae Su-bin who had been directing the stage using the walkie-talkie next to him for a while.
Eun-ha had a good idea from her appearance.
"Then can you modify the fireworks? You don't have to touch anything else, just make the sound extremely loud."
"What? Why make the sound loud? No way. There were instructions from above to reduce the firework sounds because of the commotion two years ago."
"Can't you do something?"
"What on earth are you trying to scheme?"
She who took her eyes off the walkie-talkie soon.
Bae Su-bin asked with a frown.
It was a gaze full of suspicion.
To this, Eun-ha shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not scheming anything. I just have something where the sound needs to be heard loudly even over the phone."
"Hmm..."
"It's our last school life, can't you do something?"
"So you're telling me to disobey instructions? Your personality really..."
Bae Su-bin was dumbfounded.
Nevertheless, Eun-ha pleaded.
In the end, she couldn't resist his request.
"Fine... I'll make it moderately loud. But you're not trying to use the firework sounds as an excuse to fool around with Ha-yang or Han Seo-hyun, are you?"
But she didn't let go of her suspicious gaze until the end.
She asked with her eyes flashing.
"─I was going to watch this year's fireworks with you guys, what's this about?"
Eun-ha felt wronged.
He wondered if there was so little trust.
☆
It was slowly becoming his friends' turns.
The first person to receive the spotlight was Jung Ha-yang.
Perhaps because of her small stature, though she crossdressed, she only looked like a woman with short hair.
Moreover, she who received the microphone was shy.
"You're hot at the academy right now, aren't you? I heard you're in the middle of a passionate romance with that person at the academy..."
"Ugh.... Why are you suddenly saying things unrelated to this..."
"Well, everyone is most curious about how you're sharing love with that person rather than your crossdressing. Come on, answer frankly now. How is it? Is it good? Are you happy?"
"I'm not Jung Ha-yang right now, I'm Jung..."
"Who else is here besides Jung Ha-yang? Is there a man who looks like this? Haha!"
"Ugh..."
Jung Ha-yang turned bright red.
The mischievous MC stopped appropriately and turned to the person next to her.
"Oh, this person is famous too."
"Hello!"
"Your voice is nice and loud too. Then shall we have a time for self-promotion?"
"They call me the manly man of the academy! I have no name because I'm a manly man!"
Jo A-ra wearing a male uniform.
She who had a bob cut, perhaps wearing a wig, answered vigorously.
The students all laughed at her bold appearance.
Moreover─.
"─For self-promotion, I'll properly show you what a wall slam is!"
"A wall slam is good. But there's no woman around to be slammed... Can you do it alone?"
"Ha-yang is next to me so it's fine!"
The students laughed hysterically.
In contrast, Jung Ha-yang who had unfortunately become Jo A-ra's target couldn't hide her bewilderment.
"Ah, A-ra, don't do this..."
Jo A-ra approached with heavy steps.
Jung Ha-yang gradually retreated.
Then she was cornered against the wall.
""""Kyaaah!!""""
Jo A-ra with her back to the people.
She hugged Jung Ha-yang tightly and put on a passionate performance as if kissing her.
People screamed.
They're having fun...
Eun-ha burst out laughing.
Jung Ha-yang returning to her seat with a red face was very impressive.
Thus Jo A-ra seemed to be deeply imprinted on people.
But it was only for a moment.
"Hi everyone! I'm
""""..."""""
"She's really..."
High tension.
Pink hair faintly visible under the brown wig.
Color contacts to hide red eyes.
Eun-ha sighed at Ariel's male disguise wearing a male uniform while carrying two swords on both sides.
Though the students were giggling.
Eun-ha couldn't hide his complicated feelings.
Why did she disguise herself like me?
I don't understand what fish are thinking.
Eun-ha clicked his tongue while watching her who seemed to be waving at himself.
"So you're that person from the academy. Then can we know how that person who the industry is most looking forward to came to be here?"
"For the prize money! Show me the...!"
"Stop there. Prize money?"
Ariel put her hands on her hips.
She shouted confidently.
"I came to stand here to buy the real Noh Eun-ha who will come out in Nodongso with the prize money!"
"She's really..."
I want to rip open the fish's head.
Eun-ha couldn't raise his face from embarrassment.
On the other hand, Bae Su-bin and Jin Pa-rang were now holding their stomachs laughing.
"I don't have much money. But my friends said the real Noh Eun-ha will be sold for an extremely high price."
"So you're aiming to hit the jackpot by winning this contest?"
"That's what life is all about!"
"Haha, you're living for today."
"That's how Noh Eun-ha is!"
"Ah... I just got a call that that person is here right now. Noh Eun-ha-nim, if you have anything you want to say to the real person, please say it."
Bae Su-bin's mischief.
Eun-ha glared at Bae Su-bin after hearing what the MC said.
She pretended to be innocent.
Meanwhile, Ariel found where Eun-ha was with sparkling eyes.
"Noh Eun-ha! Look at me!"
Ariel disguised as Noh Eun-ha waved her arms widely.
Eun-ha felt like hiding in a mouse hole if there was one.
"I'll save up a lot of money and come, so don't get sold to someone else and wait for me!!"
People burst into laughter.
Eun-ha lowered his head.
Why is the embarrassment my share...
Eun-ha lamented inwardly.
Regardless, Ariel jumped up and down imitating Noh Eun-ha until her turn was over.
The person who followed her next was Hoshimiya Kaede.
"Oh, it's the person who became a hot topic yesterday. I really enjoyed watching your match yesterday."
"...Thank you."
"Then shall we have a time for self-promotion now?"
Hoshimiya Kaede with her tied hair hidden in a hat.
Wearing glasses.
She was taking an attitude that she didn't like being here.
Nevertheless, the MC steadfastly asked her questions out of professionalism.
Just then─.
"─All lights, focus on Kaede right now."
As if waiting for this moment.
Bae Su-bin giggled and instructed the staff through the walkie-talkie.
Soon all the lights illuminating the stage turned towards Hoshimiya Kaede.
"Uh..."
Hoshimiya Kaede who suddenly received the spotlight was flustered.
Regardless─.
"─Who told you to beat me?"
Bae Su-bin created opportunities for Hoshimiya Kaede to be flustered while smiling wickedly.
In the end, she had no choice but to do self-promotion that she thought was humiliating according to the MC's guidance.
"You're really something..."
Kaede pushing Ariel against the wall as if copying Jo A-ra's actions.
Eun-ha said to Bae Su-bin as he watched her tearful passionate performance.
☆
The male crossdressing contest ended.
The person who got the large prize money and trophy was Cha Eun-woo who came out with a ponytail.
No one knew Eun-woo had such an appearance.
The students were surprised.
Cha Eun-woo, who had been rumored to be kind and gentle among academy students so far, showed a completely different appearance from what they thought.
She wearing clothes that only Western nobles would seem to wear showed a sword dance using three swords.
Eun-ha was surprised once seeing her use swords, and surprised twice seeing her handle swords unexpectedly well.
She must have practiced that much.
To show a masculine appearance as much as possible, Cha Eun-woo refrained from opening her mouth unlike other participants.
She tried to emphasize masculinity only through swordsmanship and eye acting.
So people were impressed by Cha Eun-woo's strategy and effort and gave her the honor of winning.
"Now that the contest is over, let's go down too."
"I'll stay because I have cleanup to do. Tell the kids I enjoyed watching if you see them."
Bae Su-bin decided to stay.
Eun-ha and Jin Pa-rang decided to go down and find their friends.
People were leaving.
The two decided to wait for everyone to leave while standing to the side.
It was then.
"─Isn't that Min-ho?"
"It really is."
Among the people leaving through the door.
Jin Pa-rang had spotted Mok Min-ho.
Eun-ha turned his head in the direction Pa-rang was pointing.
Cha Eun-woo was next to Mok Min-ho too.
They look close.
Happy that she won.
Cha Eun-woo with a ponytail was smiling and hugging Mok Min-ho's arm.
And the corners of Mok Min-ho's mouth were raised so much that Eun-ha could tell even from far away.
"Ah, Eun-ha! Pa-rang oppa!"
Meanwhile.
Eun-woo who was about to leave the hall spotted Eun-ha and Jin Pa-rang standing quietly to the side.
Soon the two approached.
"Did you see me win?"
"Of course we saw. Your sword dance was really good. I would have believed it even if you said you were a dealer instead of a supporter."
"That's how much I practiced. But still, I think supporter suits me better than dealer. Do you know how much Min-ho scolded me while I was learning?"
"When did I ever scold you?"
"You may not realize it, but I was scolded by you the entire time I was practicing."
Cha Eun-woo was very excited.
Then she grumbled while mentioning Mok Min-ho whose arm she was linking.
Mok Min-ho looked like he felt wronged.
Meanwhile─.
"─Your opponent tomorrow is me."
"...I know."
Mok Min-ho looked at Noh Eun-ha.
He suddenly spoke.
Eun-ha nodded.
"Before our match tomorrow, there's one thing I want to tell you."
Mok Min-ho opened his mouth again.
Because his eyes were so serious.
Eun-ha didn't avoid his gaze.
Then Mok Min-ho─.
"─I'd like you to use Maengoseu instead of a one-handed sword in tomorrow's match."
"Why's that?"
"Because I want to break that sword. No, to be precise, I want to break that sword's attack magic."
Mok Min-ho said firmly.
Eun-ha closed his mouth and tried to grasp Mok Min-ho's true intentions.
But there was no need to grasp them.
"If I manage to break that sword─."
Because he said next.
"─I'd like you to give me command authority for the party you'll create."
"..."
"Even if you create a party, you'll have to divide into multiple parties with the current number of people, right?"
"..."
"In that case, I want to be the leader of one of them."
Mok Min-ho's declaration.
In short, he was asking for a position equivalent to sub-lord in the party Eun-ha would create.
And he said he would prove his skills by breaking Eun-ha's Winter Blooming Coldly.
─Interesting.
After carefully listening to his words.
Eventually Eun-ha smiled slightly.
"─Okay, fine."
Noh Eun-ha answered readily.