A Lewd Sketch Artist in a Gender-Reversed World - Chapter 96

Chapter 96 : Catfight

The atmosphere between people can change quite rapidly.

Even if it's been gloomy and uncomfortable for a while, it can ease up over time.

Conversely, a relaxed atmosphere can suddenly tense up with just a single word.

Though intangible and weightless, the 'atmosphere' certainly hovers around us, manipulating our emotions.

Human intuition is surprisingly sensitive and can pick up on these subtle shifts in the air.

And right now, I could sense that the atmosphere around us had changed.

And not for the better.

"······"

"······"

It only took a single word to make the easing atmosphere tense up again. The sudden reversal was impossible to miss.

I could see them exchanging sharp glances without saying a word.

“Haha, I guess so... But still, I think I've known him longer, since we go to the same school.”

After a brief silence, Eunbyul forced an awkward smile and continued. Her eyes lacked any hint of joy despite the smile.

Watching this, Ahrin calmly asked,

“Aren't you in different departments? So you wouldn't see each other that often.”

“Oh, but I think I've met and talked to him more than someone who lives in a completely different neighborhood.”

For a moment, Ahrin eyebrows twitched.

But that was brief. She poured Eunbyeol a drink and said,

“Ah, but why did I sleep with him first? Even though you had more time to meet him.”

A clear mockery was on Ahrin lips. She was sneering.

I didn't know Ahrin had this side to her... Well, I haven't drunk with her much, so I wouldn't know.

“...Haha.”

Eunbyeol laughed awkwardly and swallowed the alcohol, probably trying to soothe the rising heat inside her with the cold soju.

Invisible blades flew between the two of them.

I was scared.

Quite a lot.

'What's wrong with you two...'

You two were getting along fine just a moment ago...

You introduced yourselves awkwardly but smoothly and were having a good conversation.

But why are you suddenly throwing subtle jabs at each other? I couldn't understand.

Is this what a catfight is? Does a catfight exist even in a reversed world?

I never thought I'd find myself in such a situation.

I felt a bit proud to be at the center of it, but at the same time, the tense atmosphere made my heart race.

I was worried that a fight might break out.

'I, I can't just stand by!'

So I decided to say something, anything, to defuse the situation.

I had to steer the conversation in a different direction before it escalated further.

I pointed at the cabbage pancake with my chopsticks and said,

“Hey, you two, aren't you going to eat this okonomiyaki? It's delicious. If you don't eat it, I'll finish it all.”

Food has always been a universal interest!

Even at this moment, the okonomiyaki was spreading its tantalizing smell, begging to be eaten.

If it's this tempting, they can't resist.

“Do as you please.”

“Eat it all if you want, but order more drinks.”

“Ah, right, we're out of drinks.”

But all I got in return was a request for more drinks.

“Ah, uh, yeah...”

I had no choice but to silently order two more bottles of soju, feeling a bit deflated.

These two... They were so busy exchanging blows that they didn't notice the soju bottles were almost empty.

*Clank!

Then Eunbyeol put down her soju glass and said. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Her eyes scanned Ahrin body.

Then she smiled softly and opened her mouth.

“Yes, it must be nice to have slept with him first. But what can I do? I think I have a better body. I work out quite often.”

Ah, she just changed the subject. Since she couldn't find a way to break through, she was trying a different approach.

Eunbyeol's cunning smile was, to be honest, a bit ugly.

Regardless, I ate the side dish.

Mmm, okonomiyaki is indeed delicious.

Maybe it's because I like flour, but the unique sauce and flour taste blended well together.

I wish there was a bit more, but since it's a type of pancake, it gets eaten quickly.

The portion is running low, should I order potato fries next? Nothing beats potato fries in terms of quantity.

*Clank!

Then Ahrin eyes went to her chest. There was a slight superiority in her expression.

“Well... I don't know. You seem to be lacking in a certain area.”

No.

Quantity isn't everything in this world.

So just looking at the quantity and ordering potato fries felt a bit lacking. They are tasty but too plain.

Besides, eating something greasy in this situation might upset my stomach.

“Eh, as long as it meets the standard size. Isn't it better to have good proportions?”

“Is that so? He likes them big. And I have good proportions too.”

So I just ordered dried pollock as a dry snack. You know, the one that's almost the same as dried yellow croaker but has a different name.

It's not too greasy, easy to nibble on, and the taste isn't too common, so it's worth ordering.

Wow, I'm amazed by my foresight.

“Kugh...”

Then Eunbyeol let out a groan. It seemed she had run out of things to say after the continuous exchange.

Wow, I didn't know Ahrin had such good verbal skills.

Where did that timid loser go? Now a little fox was reigning.

Seeing her grown-up self made my heart swell with pride.

No, is this really growth...

I decided to step in soon.

“Hey, hey. You two, stop it.”

I waved my hand to distract their attention.

If I left them like this, who knows what might happen.

Of course, they both have common sense, so they wouldn't get into a physical fight... But I couldn't just stand by and watch the atmosphere get worse.

This would be quite entertaining to watch from the outside, but being in the middle of it was killing me.

“Both of you, stop growling and calm down. Hmm...”

I briefly imagined their future as I looked at them.

Then I awkwardly smiled and said,

“It seems like it's best if we just drink today and go our separate ways.”

“Huh?”

“What? Wait, what?”

For a moment, the two women's gazes turned to me. Two flushed faces were visible.

There was a hint of panic on their faces.

Regardless, I continued,

“It's awkward to sleep together in this situation. And we can't force it.”

It's a bit disappointing that we can't have a threesome... Well, it can't be helped.

We can't forcefully go to a motel in this atmosphere.

And to be honest, I've already achieved what I wanted.

The threesome was just a suggestion, and the main purpose was to introduce each other's existence.

So, I can say that the main purpose was achieved once they met face to face.

Anyway, they're not the type to say anything even if I sleep with someone else, and even if they do, I can handle it well enough.

It's best to wrap things up around here.

It's disappointing that we can't have a threesome... It's quite disappointing...

“So, let's just eat and drink moderately and go home.”

We can meet many times. If not today, we can aim for the next opportunity, and if not the next, then the one after that.

I thought that if we meet several times, they might get along better.

I swallowed once and continued,

“Still, personally, I hope you two get along well. You are both precious connections to me.”

In this place where I fell and had no friends, they were my rare companions and close friends.

Even if it wasn't because of Yasu, these two were precious to me.

So, seeing them argue was not a pleasant sight for me.

“······”

“······”

After I finished speaking, an awkward silence hung over the table.

I spoke with such sincerity, so it would be hard to continue the argument from here.

But it would also be awkward to continue the conversation smoothly.

I sighed inwardly.

'Hmm...'

Did I say something unnecessary?

As I thought, I'm not good with serious talks. I don't suit such cheesy atmospheres.

Look, I stepped in and only made the atmosphere worse.

Damn it, my face is getting red from the cheesiness.

This is bad. I already ordered the dried pollock...

Can I even eat it in this atmosphere?

As I was thinking that, a pain suddenly rose from my stomach.

Growl!

The sound of my intestines rumbling. I frowned at the unpleasant sensation.

'Ah, damn.'

The timing...

Did I eat too much okonomiyaki? Or was it the spicy seafood stew? My stomach was already sending signals to let it out.

My large intestine was causing a war inside me.

I can't hold it in.

Among various bodily functions, this was the most dangerous one.

What should I do... No matter what, I can't say “I'm going to take a dump” in front of two women.

But I also didn't have the confidence to hold it in until this storm passed.

“I, I'm going to get some air.”

So, in the end, I had to make an excuse and leave the scene.

Fortunately, the restroom was near the building stairs, so I had a good reason.

I stood up abruptly and tried to act as calmly as possible as I headed towards the restroom.

While I'm gone, those two will probably feel even more awkward... But there's no choice. This is an emergency.

I just hope they don't fight while I'm away.

____

_

'Ah.'

What should I do? I messed up.

Eunbyeol looked at Se-won, who was leaving the room, with an anxious face.

It seemed that the tension between them had brought his mood down.

The way he left with a stiff face showed that.

'This is bad!'

Eunbyeol screamed inwardly.

She had been so caught up in the argument that she didn't pay attention to Se-won.

They were fighting in the seat he had prepared for them, so it was understandable that he felt bad.

Of course, Se-won had actually gone to take a dump... But words can be distorted in hundreds of ways if not conveyed properly.

So, the sight of Se-won suddenly standing up and leaving the room... was enough to amplify the anxiety of the two women.

Moreover, he had just declared that the threesome was off...

It was reasonable to infer that his mood had soured.

Eunbyeol looked depressed as she muttered to herself.

'I didn't mean to...'

She had just been a little excited and exchanged a few barbs, but she hadn't intended to upset him.

After all, there was nothing good about upsetting him.

He was someone she quite liked, so she didn't want to make him feel bad.

She was well aware that he often considered her feelings.

'I... have done a lot wrong.'

She briefly reflected on her past actions.

Just off the top of her head, there was running away during the Yasu incident and secretly requesting lewd pictures behind his back, among other things.

Honestly, some of them were things that even she found disgusting when she thought about them. She knew it well.

And some of those things were enough for him to use as leverage against her.

Yet, he didn't bring them up.

Instead of bringing them up, he even tried to cover them up as if they had never happened.

Of course, he did bring up the lewd pictures sometimes... but that was more of a harmless joke.

Despite his somewhat fierce appearance, he was actually a deep person.

At least, that's what Eunbyeol thought.

'...'

Thinking about it, she realized that she had done quite a lot wrong.

At this point, the threesome seemed insignificant.

She needed to improve his mood.

Eunbyeol looked ahead for a moment.

She saw the other person, who was also restless. She was looking at the door where Se-won had left with a worried face.

Looking at her, Eunbyeol thought.

'She doesn't seem like a bad person...'

A person who makes such a worried face doesn't seem like a bad person.

That's good enough.

One of the reasons she had been angry at the threesome suggestion was because of her concern for him.

Since he had directly said that they were 'precious connections,' it was right to respect that.

Of course, it was a bit unfair that she had been provoked first... but it was better for her to yield here.

“Excuse me.”

“...Yes?”

So, Eunbyeol opened her mouth.

She scratched her blue hair awkwardly and said,

'I... I'm sorry. I got a little excited and my words came out too strongly.'

“Huh?”

For a moment, Ahrin eyes widened. She hadn't expected to hear an apology first.

She said apologetically,

"Hey, if you apologize first, what does that make me... I was the one who provoked you first."

"No, I was the one who reacted to it."

"No, I'm sorry. Maybe it's because of the alcohol, but I felt like teasing you."

Ahrin awkwardly smiled and reached out her hand. It was a gesture to make peace here.

Eunbyeol smirked and took her hand. After all, the fight was just a verbal one, so there wasn't much resentment inside.

In reality, Se-won had gone to take a dump, but thanks to that sudden action, a dramatic reconciliation took place.

The atmosphere was still awkward and uncomfortable, but it wasn't hostile. The sudden reconciliation was a bit embarrassing, but it wasn't a bad feeling.

Thanks to that, the heavy silence that had been hanging around also eased a little.

"Nice to meet you."

"Yes, me too."

The two women continued to talk a little until  Se-won returned.

-

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id