This High-Teen Mid-Series is Scheduled for Early Cancellation 4

<Character Status Window>

◈ Name: July Baek (Korean Name: Baek Woogeon)

◈ Age: 18 years old (12th grade)

◈ Popularity: -3%

◈ Nickname: ???

◈ Special Notes: EMO, Extra in the drama ‘Pizza Saver’

“Oh, that Asian who came in the car with David? He does look kind of good-looking, but…… Why did he go around like that until now?”

“……”

How the hell did that bastard July go to school? How did he drop his popularity to -31 when it would easily rise just by taking off the piercings and wearing decent clothes? Do American high schools also like neat students since they’re schools too? Am I considered neat-looking here? Should I act like a model student? But how do I show off that I’m good at studying?

“You’re the kid who came in the car with Dave, right?”

“……Yeah.”

I, who had been pretending to rummage through my cabinet while looking at the status window, turned around in surprise. Standing there was a girl wearing a cheerleader uniform with her blonde hair tied up high in a ponytail. She was very tall, and with her arms crossed and slightly leaning on one leg, I felt an inexplicable sense of ease from her. I realized instinctively. This girl’s pretty high in the hierarchy. Since she’s a cheerleader, it’s certain.

“What was your name again? June? April?”

“July. July Baek. What’s your name?”

Although it was obvious she was pretending not to know while knowing, I answered with a bright smile. The girl scrunched up her face.

“Ha, you don’t know me? Me?”

Her expression said it was absurd. The girl looked at the girl standing next to her as if asking whether what she was hearing was real.

“Hannah, did my makeup not turn out well today?”

“No, it’s the same as usual. But Harper, it’s ridiculous that he doesn’t know you!”

The one standing beside her was shorter than the girl who spoke to me, but she had a slender figure and a pretty face. The two whispered in voices loud enough to hear, then soon looked at me simultaneously. As if it made no sense not to know them, especially the tall one. If she’s this confident and famous, plus a cheerleader, could it be…….

“I was just pretending not to know. You’re Harper Cruz, right?”

NEW!

Say hello to 100 students [6/100]

<Character Status Window>

◈ Name: Harper Cruz

◈ Age: 17 years old (11th grade)

◈ Popularity: 94%

◈ Affection: ???♥

◈ Nickname: ???

◈ Special Notes: Captain of Bluedale High School’s cheerleader team Wings, Stargram influencer, main character in the drama ‘Pizza Saver’

“She’s kind of annoying, but still, I want to copy everything about her! Everything she does is hot!”

“I guess you wanted to catch my interest? It wasn’t a very good method. Don’t use it next time.”

The girl, Harper, went “Hmph!” and rolled her eyes haughtily.

“But what’s up? To be honest, I couldn’t believe someone like you would talk to me, so that’s why.”

When I complimented her a bit, Harper’s expression improved considerably. And she gestured toward the girl next to her. That girl slipped a cell phone into Harper’s hand.

“It’s the first day of school today. So there’s a school opening party. Today, at my house. Since you’re close enough with Dave to ride in his car, I’m inviting you. Come to the party. You’ll come, right?”

It was a courtesy question, but her attitude said I would obviously come. And I really did have to go. I nodded my head vigorously.

NEW!

Popularity increased by 5!

It was an opportunity I absolutely couldn’t miss. Just accepting the invitation made my popularity shoot right up. Moreover, the protagonists Natalia and David meet for the first time at that party. I don’t really know how to make this goddamn drama flow properly, but I thought I should stick the male and female protagonists together well to raise the romance index.

“Okay. What’s your Stargram address?”

“Uh…… I probably don’t have one……?”

“What kind of answer is that?”

Harper, furrowing her eyebrows slightly, went tap, tap on her cell phone and then held the screen out to me.

“It’s here.”

The Stargram account @july.beack…… was full of selfies taken with those strange black lenses and eyeliner drawn in that state. The camera was held so high that the eyes were huge like marbles and the chin was very pointed like a comb-pattern pottery. Please, please stop doing that with a face identical to mine, please…… I pressed my forehead in despair. Harper looked back and forth between me and the photo.

“……Unique taste.”

“A long time ago, a long time ago! That was. A long time ago…… It’s not like that now. Really!”

“Well…… Okay. I sent you a DM, so come today.”

Having left her words as she pleased, Harper spun around and walked away with a haughty attitude. Her pleated short cheerleader skirt swayed.

But…… what’s the Stargram password?

knives&pens1226

As soon as I sighed inwardly, text appeared from the system. System, I love you. You’re all I have, really!

🙂

I quickly logged into Stargram and deleted all the weird posts. I was relieved that it became a clean account with nothing strange. But when I saw this strange account had three followers and checked…… it was Mom, Dad, and my older brother.

“……You should’ve stopped your son or younger brother from posting photos like this!”

This family was strangely harmonious.

* * *

The first day of school was very tiring. There was too much to learn, and I said hello to an awful lot of kids to complete the quest. I wasn’t an outgoing type to begin with, but I exhausted what little social energy I had. When I managed to return home, I wanted to just lie down on the bed and fall asleep.

“……But I can’t.”

I dragged myself up and sat at the desk. I should review, review. The first day of the new semester is always the most important. I can’t let my guard down…….

“……But can I even go to college here?”

The Valentine’s party is the last scene, and by then I’ll leave this place. There was no need to go to college. Rather, after leaving here was the problem.

“Then should I study past college entrance exam questions……”

(Boring!)

“What’s boring? Students should study.”

Bbyong! Bbyong! Warning! Warning! Please focus on the quest! Focus!

“There’s nothing to do right now anyway……”

Diring! A cell phone notification interrupted my words. I was slumped in my chair looking at my cell phone when I jumped up.

“Ah! The party!”

Studying and college entrance exams weren’t the problem. There was Harper’s party! I hurriedly opened the closet and closed it again. It was because I made eye contact with the skull on a T-shirt. There were no eyeballs, just empty holes, but still.

I hurriedly checked Stargram. Even though I didn’t do it separately, all the kids I said hello to were followed.

Posts with hashtags like #party #schoolopening and such were uploaded in droves. It seemed most of the students had gathered at Harper’s party. Thinking I’d be late at this rate, I rushed out of the room. I was tiptoeing while watching my parents sitting on the living room sofa watching TV, but I ended up getting caught.

“Son, where are you going at this hour?”

“Uh…… a party.”

Since I’d never once lied to my parents’ questions, I unconsciously confessed honestly. Dad opened his eyes wide. Ah, I made a mistake.

“O-our son is going to a party. Honey, did you hear?”

“I heard! Honey! The kid says he’s going to a party! August, August! Your younger brother says he’s going to a party!”

Mom jumped up and shouted into the phone.

― What? July’s going to a party? July? July’s going to a party?

I could hear my older brother shouting loudly all the way here.

“……Am I not allowed to go?”

“No! No! Of course you can go! Of course, go! Just go! Drink freely! Throw up! Experience a hangover! It’s all fine!”

“……That’s not fine though.”

They’re okay with that? Only the faces are the same, they’re so different from my real parents.

“Don’t you need allowance?”

“I’m fine.”

“Take allowance, allowance! Allowaaance!”

I pretended not to notice Dad shouting enthusiastically and quickly went outside. He looked ready to press several hundred thousand won, no, several hundred dollars into my hand, so it was a bit scary.

I still didn’t know how to drive. But I already knew how to ride a bicycle. Fortunately, Harper’s house wasn’t far from our house by bicycle.

↑

→

←

I rode the bicycle in the direction the system indicated.

“……Wow.”

I could see a large mansion shining brightly in the distance. The gate was also incredibly huge and tall, like the kind of place European nobility would live. No matter how clueless I was, I thought it would be quite embarrassing if I got caught riding a bicycle among kids driving cars, so I was carefully trying to park it by a nearby tree when,

“July?”

“……”

I heard a distinctive clear, firm, and low voice.

“……We meet again.”

It was David Evans. I awkwardly turned around and laughed. David, who had slightly leaned out of the driver’s seat, was looking back and forth between me and the bicycle with an amused face.

“I wondered who would be riding a bicycle at this hour……”

“……”

I stealthily hid the bicycle lock behind my back, looked down, and tried to play dumb, but it didn’t work.

“You’re going to the party too? I heard you were invited.”

“……Yeah.”

“So that’s why…… you’re working so hard riding a bicycle. Your car?”

“……It broke down.”

“You should’ve said. I would’ve given you a ride.”

“……”

David’s eyes persistently scanned the bicycle, so I blocked the bicycle’s front basket with my whole body. To think I got caught by David Evans of all people riding a bicycle, the kind you’d only use to go grocery shopping. I felt like I’d die of embarrassment.

“The bicycle’s cute.”

David went “pfft” and laughed.