Academy Heroine’s Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 388

This is a disaster.

"Scarlett."

"Why, Yoon Si-woo?"

"I like you, will you go out with me?"

It seems Yoon Si-woo has completely lost his mind.

"Sigh... I'll reject you."

"Ah, rejected again. Well, Scarlett, I have something to say."

"...What is it?"

"I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"...You're insane."

Correction: it's not that he seems crazy, he is definitely crazy.

How did things turn out like this?

A few days ago, I went on a trip with Yoon Si-woo, just the two of us.

During the trip, I somehow ended up getting confessed to by him, and I rejected him.

Up until that point, it was a little overwhelming, but I thought I could chalk it up to a small incident.

But the real problem came after that.

• "Hey, Yoon Si-woo. You still like me, right?"

• "...Yeah."

• "...I think we’re going to see each other for the rest of our lives, so I think we need to clear this up. So... if you're not ready to move on, feel free to keep confessing to me until that feeling goes away. I’ll go along with it. You get what I mean, right?"

Was it wrong to say something like that to Yoon Si-woo, who was heartbroken and couldn't easily let go of his feelings after I rejected him?

Or maybe it was the naive thought that if I rejected him a few more times, Yoon Si-woo would move on and we’d return to the same relationship as before?

Either way, since that day, Yoon Si-woo has completely changed…

"Calling me insane is a bit too much, don't you think? But I still like you, Scarlett. Please be my girlfriend."

"Ugh, I said no...!!"

Now, like a madman repeatedly confessing to me, Yoon Si-woo has gone completely crazy!

Do you know how many times he’s confessed to me in the past few days since we came back from that trip?

A total of 28 times, twenty-eight! Eighteen!

And for some reason, his confessions started increasing from the day before, and they’ve been coming in at a rapid pace since then.

Where did the brave hero who once fought with his life for the world go? Now, only this obsessed madman remains...

I've been struggling to maintain my sanity lately, thanks to Yoon Si-woo’s shocking transformation.

"Ah, rejected again. I guess I’ll have to confess again later. You better accept it then, okay?"

Despite my frustration, Yoon Si-woo said this with a shameless grin.

My head was starting to burn from irritation, so I grabbed my aching head and shouted at him.

"Accept it? Are you out of your mind? Knock it off! Even though I told you to confess as much as you want until I get over this, do you even realize how many times you've confessed to me?"

"Twenty-eight times, right?"

"How do you know that? Are you seriously asking me if you should be confessing so recklessly like it’s a joke?"

"It’s not a joke, Scarlett. I’m always serious."

Yoon Si-woo looked at me with a straight face, and I knew he meant it.

"Ugh..."

That’s what makes it worse.

How can he keep confessing to me so recklessly while always being so sincere about it?

Isn’t confessing supposed to be more embarrassing and difficult for the person doing the confessing?

Why does it feel like I’m the one who’s embarrassed?

I tried to cool my heated head by fanning myself and muttered to Yoon Si-woo.

"...Aren’t you embarrassed? Confessing like that?"

At my words, Yoon Si-woo just smiled softly without saying anything.

Somehow, it felt like he was mocking my embarrassment, so I yelled at him out of frustration.

"Ugh, I don’t want to hear it! Just get out of here already! You’ve got work to do, right?"

"I don’t really have much to do, so I don’t really need to go today."

"Ugh, if you don’t have work, at least patrol the city! As the leader, you’ve got to live up to your title!"

Yoon Si-woo hadn’t been coming home because he was busy, but because he was too nervous to be around me.

The sense of betrayal I felt when I heard that from him...

Ever since, I’d been trying to get him to go to work, even if I had to force him, just so he wouldn’t keep staying home, confessing.

...Of course, the real reason I pushed him to leave was to avoid more confessions.

Anyway, when I ordered him to leave, Yoon Si-woo smiled and said.

"Okay, I’ll head out. Hmm, should I save my next confession for when I come back?"

"Argh! Get out already!!!"

Hearing the word "confession" made me lose it, and as I pushed him toward the door, Yoon Si-woo gave in with a smile and left.

As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, I slumped into a seat, breathing heavily.

Oh, just thinking about Yoon Si-woo coming back and confessing again made my stress level rise, and my heart started racing...

How much longer do I have to keep living like this before I can get my peaceful life back?

Give me back... the Yoon Si-woo who wasn’t obsessed, and my normal, peaceful days!

I silently shouted to myself, like Edward losing Alphonse.

Yoon Si-woo, with a smile at my insistence to leave, walked out of the house.

His face was calm, unlike mine, which was as red as a tomato.

But once the door closed behind him, his calm expression quickly turned bright red.

He hadn’t gotten far from the house before his face was completely flushed.

Yoon Si-woo, as if to hide his embarrassment, covered his face with both palms.

His thoughts went back to the conversation with Scarlett just moments ago.

What? Wasn’t confessing to Scarlett embarrassing for me?

“…Of course, it’s embarrassing.”

Yoon Si-woo muttered, answering his own question belatedly, and his voice slipped out from behind his palms.

That’s right—although I didn’t show it to Scarlett, confessing was still an embarrassing thing for Yoon Si-woo.

For someone who had never experienced a proper relationship, confessing with all his heart was something that naturally came with embarrassment.

But then, why was Yoon Si-woo confessing over and over despite this embarrassment?

The reason lay in something that happened three nights ago.

"I like you, Scarlett. Please go out with me."

"...Sorry, I’ll have to reject you."

"Ah... okay..."

"..."

"..."

"Hey, I’m going to sleep now... Good night, Yoon Si-woo."

"...Okay, Scarlett. Sleep well."

It was just after Yoon Si-woo had been rejected for the third time.

After Scarlett had rejected his confession, she awkwardly went to bed, and Yoon Si-woo sat alone on the living room sofa, sighing heavily, trying to comfort the pain of being rejected.

It was incredibly painful to be rejected by the person he liked.

Even though he had bragged about being the best at never giving up, his heart still hurt, and his pride had taken a hit.

When his first confession was rejected and he was told that she had never seen him as a romantic interest, he had tried to muster the courage for more confessions, only to be rejected multiple times in a row.

By then, Yoon Si-woo was deeply conflicted.

Though Scarlett had said he could keep confessing, he wasn’t sure if it was right to keep confessing to her like this.

Of course, Yoon Si-woo still had the determination to confess as many times as it took. But if Scarlett didn’t want him to, his actions would just be one-sided harassment, and as someone who cared about her happiness, he wasn’t sure if it was right to continue.

Maybe, he thought, it would be better to give up on his feelings for her, thinking it was for her sake.

It was then that Yoon Si-woo saw Scarlett walk out of her room after claiming she was going to sleep.

"Hmm...? Scarlett, what’s wrong? You weren’t going to bed?"

Yoon Si-woo, seeing her walk out of her room and approach him with a playful smile, instantly knew something was off.

This was no longer the Scarlett he knew.

With sharp eyes, he stared at her and asked.

"You... who are you?"

"Aw, don’t you recognize me? We met before."

Her response, as though disappointed by his lack of recognition, made Yoon Si-woo remember a similar situation in the past.

And then it hit him.

"Evangeline...?"

"Heh, you remembered my name."

It was none other than Evangeline, the former Witch of Wrath, now speaking through Scarlett’s body.

Despite confirming this, Yoon Si-woo was still left in confusion.

“How... How are you still here? Scarlett should have lost her witch powers and become an ordinary human...”

It was strange because Scarlett had been reborn as a human without her witch powers, yet Evangeline’s persona had remained inside her.

Seeing Yoon Si-woo confused, Evangeline spoke.

"Yes, you’re right. I’m no longer a witch, just a personality that remains. My personality is still here because it’s a part of the object that is Scarlett Evande, and your Holy Sword must have judged it that way."

"..."

"Heh, don’t be so cautious. I know what you’re worried about, but I’ll never harm her. I’m just grateful for what she did for me. Watching her live happily is enough for me."

Hearing this, Yoon Si-woo relaxed his guard, trusting that Evangeline wasn’t a threat to Scarlett.

The Holy Sword had confirmed her words were true.

But even so, Yoon Si-woo was still curious about why Evangeline, who had been quiet until now, suddenly appeared before him.

"So, why are you here? Didn’t you just say you were fine watching her from afar?"

"Heh, that’s actually why I’m here."

Evangeline smiled mysteriously and moved closer to him.

"I saw that you’re struggling with confessing to her, so I thought I’d give you some advice. Are you wondering if you’re being a nuisance by confessing too much? Or if she really doesn’t have any feelings for you?"

"Ugh...! Well, yeah..."

Evangeline had hit the nail on the head, and Yoon Si-woo felt embarrassed. But at the same time, he felt hopeful.

Since Evangeline was the one closest to Scarlett, maybe she could offer some advice that would help him.

Looking at her with cautious hope in his eyes, Evangeline smiled at him.

"I’ll help with your problem, but why don’t you try practicing with me? Confess to me like you did to her."

"What? Now?"

"Yes, now."

Out of nowhere, Evangeline asked him to confess, not to Scarlett, but to her.

Yoon Si-woo was embarrassed, but after a moment of hesitation, he decided to go ahead.

After all, if she was offering help, confessing to her as practice wouldn’t hurt.

So, he did what he had done with Scarlett.

"...I like you. Please go out with me."

And the moment he said it, Evangeline grinned and grabbed his wrist, pulling him toward her chest.

"Ugh...?! What are you doing?!"

Yoon Si-woo was startled when his hand was pushed onto her chest.

The soft, yielding sensation made him freeze up in shock.

But Evangeline, still holding his hand in place, pressed herself even closer and whispered into his ear.

"Calm down, just feel it."

"Feel what?!"

"Can’t you feel it? My heart is racing."

Of course, Yoon Si-woo could feel it.

He could feel her heartbeat, pounding wildly.

But there was more to it than just that, and before he could collect himself, Evangeline whispered again.

"It was the same when she heard your confession."

"...Huh?"

"When she heard your confession, she reacted the same way."

After saying that, Evangeline removed his hand from her chest and, with a faint smile, looked at Yoon Si-woo, still stunned.

"It might seem like she’s brushing it off, but every time she hears your confession, she’s this flustered. See? Her face is all red. If she didn’t feel anything for you, it wouldn’t have happened like this."

Evangeline placed her cheek gently against his hand, sending a warmth that was slightly above normal temperature.

Her words were convincing, and Yoon Si-woo was finally starting to understand.

"Every time she hears your confession, she’s clearly excited. She’s lived her life without thinking about romance, and with her circumstances, I think she’s not even aware she’s feeling this way."

"..."

"And she’s naturally weak to any kindness directed at her. So no matter how many times you confess, she won’t hate you for it. As long as it’s not the opposite. In simple terms, you’ve been worrying for nothing."

At that, Yoon Si-woo felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"How do you feel now? Do you think your worries are solved?"

"...Yeah. Thanks."

He bowed his head sincerely in gratitude.

Evangeline smiled at him, then raised a finger, as if to make sure he understood.

"Alright, now that you get it, instead of wasting time with unnecessary worries, go ahead and confess to her again. It’ll be hard for her to realize her feelings unless you keep at it. If it doesn’t work out, maybe you’ll just have to go for a more direct approach, huh?"

"More direct? What do you mean by that..."

"Heh, well, if it comes to that..."

Yoon Si-woo, now flustered, looked at her, and she smiled.

With that, Evangeline stood up, ready to leave.

"Then, I’ll go now. Good luck. I’ll be rooting for you."

With those words, Evangeline returned quietly to Scarlett’s room.

And that night, Yoon Si-woo made a vow to himself.

For Evangeline, who had shown him how to win Scarlett’s heart, he would keep trying.

If ten attempts didn’t work, a hundred, a thousand, he would try again.

He had made up his mind, and now, nothing could stop him from confessing anymore.

That’s how Yoon Si-woo became the serial confessor.

As a side note, after giving Yoon Si-woo his advice, Evangeline sighed and muttered to herself as she returned to Scarlett’s room.

"Phew... I almost lost it. So... how did I do? Did I seem like a love expert?"

[You don’t need to worry... You were perfect...!]

Evangeline’s mutterings were answered by the voice of the true Scarlett Evande, whose personality remained inside Scarlett’s body.

Together, they had worked to help Yoon Si-woo and Scarlett get together.

Despite both of them having no romantic experience at all, they faked being experts on love, just to help Yoon Si-woo gain Scarlett’s trust.

So why did they help him so much?

It was simple: they both sincerely wished for Scarlett Evande’s happiness.

"An opportunity to enjoy a romance with a handsome guy like that in 4DX...! I can’t miss it...!"

[Totally agree...!]

It was definitely not for personal reasons.

After all, they were still Scarlett Evande.