Academy Heroine’s Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 387

“Wow, look at how the sea sparkles! Yoon Si-woo! What is this place? I didn’t know such a place existed!”

The beach before me was so incredibly beautiful, I was certain it was more stunning than the famous tourist spots I had seen only in photos in my past life.

Unable to contain my excitement at the stunning view, I grabbed Yoon Si-woo and nearly jumped for joy, shouting.

Yoon Si-woo, who had been quietly watching my reaction with a smile, asked me, hinting at something.

“Scarlett, take a closer look. Are you sure you don’t recognize where we are?”

“…Huh?”

At his strange question, I scanned the beach scenery again.

The sea, the sea...

...Wait a minute, this place feels oddly familiar, like I’ve seen this kind of terrain before... Ah!

“This... could it be...?!”

As the thought rushed into my mind, I exclaimed, and Yoon Si-woo nodded in confirmation.

“You’re right. This is where you and the others fought and defeated the Witch of Lust. The very place.”

“Unbelievable… it’s changed this much?”

I was so surprised that I looked around again, stunned.

The black sea, once covered with monsters from the battle against the Witch of Lust, now appeared so different. What had once been such a dreadful place had turned into this beautiful scene over the years.

I couldn’t believe the change. As I stood there in shock, Yoon Si-woo took my hand and gently led me toward the sand, speaking softly.

“Isn’t it amazing? It’s a privilege to enjoy a view like this, so take it all in. The purification and development were completed recently, so right now, access is restricted except for a few people.”

“Oh, ohh…”

I walked along the beach, leaving footprints in the untouched sand as Yoon Si-woo guided me. The ocean before me was so clear and transparent that I thought I might see all the way to the bottom. The waves crashed against the shore, and the foam looked as white and beautiful as pearls.

While I was lost in the view, I suddenly heard a splash from the direction of the sea.

Turning my eyes toward the sound, I saw a pair of dolphins leaping above the water.

Excited, I shook Yoon Si-woo’s hand and shouted.

“Yoon Si-woo! Look over there! Dolphins! There are dolphins!”

“Yeah, that’s probably them. They released some species from the zoo to restore the ecosystem. Take a good look, there might be more than just dolphins.”

“Ah, you’re right! I see fish too! Over there! And there!”

Following Yoon Si-woo’s words, I peered into the sea and began spotting various fish, turtles, and rays swimming gracefully.

Life was thriving in a place that had once been so barren.

The sight was so beautiful that I became engrossed in exploring the beach with Yoon Si-woo, searching for marine creatures. I lost track of time, happily running around, looking for more to see.

After what seemed like an eternity of excitement, Yoon Si-woo, who had been quietly following me from behind, suddenly asked.

“So, Scarlett, how are you? Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Huh? Yeah! I’m having so much fun!”

“Really? I was a little worried that you might not like it, but I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I really wanted to show you this.”

Yoon Si-woo gazed over the beach we had just walked along, as if to make sure I was seeing it all.

“I wanted you to know that this place has become so beautiful. That the world is at peace now. And that it’s all thanks to you.”

Then, turning to me instead of the beach, Yoon Si-woo smiled and said,

“On behalf of everyone you saved, thank you, Scarlett. Really.”

Yoon Si-woo’s words made my heart swell.

This beautiful beach, this peaceful world—he said all those changes were thanks to me.

I didn’t believe it was all because of me, though.

I remembered the people who had worked so hard and sacrificed to get us this far.

But even so, hearing those words from Yoon Si-woo made my chest swell with emotion.

I had fought so hard for this beauty, for this peace.

It was then that I realized the true meaning of all the effort I had put into it.

And so, I smiled.

With sincerity overflowing from the joy and pride in my heart, I turned to Yoon Si-woo and said with the brightest smile I could muster,

“…Thank you too, Yoon Si-woo. Thank you for saying that. Thank you for letting me see this view.”

“…Ah.”

At my response, Yoon Si-woo, who had looked momentarily stunned, muttered something softly under his breath.

“…I like you.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Yoon Si-woo blinked, his eyes returning to clarity.

“…Huh?!”

It was such a small voice that I couldn’t quite catch it, but it sounded like something strange had slipped out.

Looking utterly shocked as if he had said something he shouldn’t, Yoon Si-woo quickly clamped his hand over his mouth.

Confused by his odd behavior, I stared at him. His face turned bright red in an instant, and after pulling his hand away from his mouth, he began rambling as if trying to explain himself.

“No, wait! That was... I mean...! It was a mistake...!”

“A mistake? What do you mean?”

“That, that...! Ugh...!”

As he continued, unable to contain himself, Yoon Si-woo covered his face with both hands.

From between his fingers, a small sigh and murmured words escaped.

“I was planning to say this later, at a nice restaurant I booked for dinner…”

Yoon Si-woo mumbled those words and paused for a moment, standing still, before finally taking a deep breath and pulling his hands away from his face.

His face was still flushed, but now there was an air of determination in his eyes.

Yoon Si-woo, as if he had made up his mind, took a breath and looked straight at me.

“…Scarlett, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“…Something to say? What is it?”

At the strange intensity in his gaze, I hesitated before asking.

Then Yoon Si-woo slowly took a step toward me.

“…Scarlett.”

One step.

“…I…”

Another step.

“…like…”

Finally, the last step.

With that, Yoon Si-woo closed the gap between us, and as his lips quivered slightly with each step, he finally knelt down on one knee before me, looking up as he spoke.

“…I love you, Scarlett Evande. Please, will you date me, with the intention of marriage?”

I was stunned.

“…Huh?”

My brain just stopped functioning.

Is this really happening? Is he confessing? What does “love” even mean? Marriage? What?

I never imagined something like this would happen.

Completely bewildered, I tried to gather my thoughts, stumbling over my words, and finally managed to ask, “Wait, are you... confessing to me?”

Yoon Si-woo nodded.

“…So, when you say ‘love,’ you mean you love me, like, romantically…?”

He nodded again.

And then, the first thought that came to my mind was:

“...Why?”

That was a pure, innocent question of why.

After all, think about it.

Yoon Si-woo—he’s handsome, strong, basically the main character of a harem story.

Why on earth would someone like him choose me over all the other beautiful girls?

I couldn’t help but feel that way, and at the same time, it felt like my world was turning upside down.

“…Why me?”

“Is it necessary to have a reason to love someone?”

Why did I feel like I was going crazy?

Because I didn’t want to lose him! This guy in front of me who’s so amazing, I didn’t want him to feel this way about me!

Huh? Yoon Si-woo, Yoon Si-woo! He could charm any top-notch beauty, like Sylvia or some other cute girl! I’ve seen it with my own eyes!

Yet, he’s here, telling me that he likes me and that he doesn’t even realize he could have anyone else!

This was such a huge loss for him, and I couldn’t help but tell him to rethink it.

“…There are plenty of pretty girls out there, you know?”

“…Scarlett.”

“You’d be better off liking someone like that.”

“…Scarlett!”

But he wouldn’t stop, shouting at me, ignoring what I had said...

My head was starting to heat up from frustration, and my heart started pounding.

“I...!”

I blurted it out before I even realized.

“I’m not, like...! I... I’m not the kind of woman you think I am...!”

I finally confessed the secret I had been hiding all this time.

That while my body is a woman, my mind is not a woman. It was the most embarrassing secret I had.

“…Ugh...!”

I blurted out that secret out of frustration, and immediately, my face burned with shame.

Oh god, what did I just say?!

If anyone else heard me, they’d probably brush it off as nonsense, but Yoon Si-woo, with his Holy Sword of Truth, could tell that what I said wasn’t a lie!

What if he decides to break up with me, calling me a weird girl who wears dresses but isn’t really a woman?!

Panic set in as I quickly tried to gauge his reaction.

But unexpectedly, Yoon Si-woo’s reaction was completely different from what I had feared.

“It doesn’t matter.”

I had expected him to be disgusted or angry, but to my surprise, his gaze toward me didn’t change at all.

“No matter how you see yourself, it doesn’t matter. I still like you, Scarlett.”

His gaze was full of nothing but affection for me.

Despite knowing my deepest flaw, Yoon Si-woo’s love for me hadn’t wavered, and in that moment, I realized something:

That at least his feelings for me were genuine, and that he truly liked me for who I am.

But that realization only made it harder...

“…I’m really sorry, Yoon Si-woo. I can’t accept your feelings.”

I had no choice but to reject Yoon Si-woo’s love.

At least, I wanted him to find happiness, and I couldn’t bear to see him hurt for someone like me.

“…Why?”

Yoon Si-woo seemed to genuinely want to know the reason behind my rejection.

So, I thought of a reason he could understand and told him.

“…I’ve never once thought of you as anything but a friend.”

He must have known by now, especially since he knew my secret.

So, I told him that he should find someone else to love, someone who could return his feelings.

But for some reason...

“…That’s not possible.”

Hearing my words, Yoon Si-woo’s face fell as though he had been struck. His body seemed to lose all its strength.

Seeing him like that was too much for me to handle.

“…Yoon Si-woo? What’s wrong?”

“….”

I called his name to check on him, but he didn’t respond.

Was it because I rejected him that he felt this way?

Then suddenly, a memory of a radio story from when I was younger popped into my head. It was about a friend who confessed and the friendship was never the same again.

Would Yoon Si-woo and I end up like that?

I panicked and quickly called out to him.

“…Yoon Si-woo, no matter what happened, we’re still friends, okay? Forever friends, remember?”

“…Ahaha, yeah. We’re friends. Always just friends... Ahaha…”

His empty response made a loud alarm go off in my head.

Emergency! This could ruin our friendship!

I had to fix this. I couldn’t lose my best friend!

I nervously called out to Yoon Si-woo again.

“…Hey, Yoon Si-woo?”

“…What?”

He looked at me weakly, his eyes full of sorrow and regret.

...I realized then that if I wanted things to go back to the way they were, I would have to take responsibility and set things right.

So, I said to him.

“…Yoon Si-woo, do you still... like me?”

“…Yeah.”

“…I’m telling you this because I think we should clear things up. If you’re not able to move on from this, then go ahead and confess as many times as you want. I’ll accept it. Do you understand what I mean?”

I was giving him the freedom to confess as much as he wanted until he was tired of it.

After all, sometimes when someone is told to stop, it’s harder to quit.

If I could use this to bring our relationship back to normal, I was willing to handle it.

“…Really?”

But at that moment, I had no idea.

“…Scarlett, you know, I’m good at many things, but do you know what I’m best at?”

“…What is it?”

I would later regret ever making that suggestion.

“I’m best at not giving up.”

And that was when I realized Yoon Si-woo was way crazier than I thought.