27-97

EP.97. A Certain Girl 

A perfectly ordinary morning as always. 

“Streeetch!!!~~~~ I slept well!!” 

Waking up with a lively morning greeting, the girl stretched and, unlike others who struggle with mornings, woke up in a good mood, greeting herself. 

“Alright, time for morning practice!” 

It was still only 5 a.m., too early for everyone else to be awake, but the energetic girl naturally put on her light training clothes for track practice and left the house. Since her parents weren’t up yet, she quietly slipped outside, where the slightly chilly morning air greeted her. 

“Okay, let’s start today’s practice!!!” 

Cheerfully greeting herself again, she began her morning jog as usual. 

“Sss~ha, it’s quieter than usual today~ Ah! A squirrel!” 

With energy hard to believe for someone awake only 20 minutes, the girl felt a bit lonely in the unusually quiet morning, as if she were the only one left in the world. But spotting a squirrel nibbling on an acorn instantly shot her mood back up. 

After finishing her usual 10km jog, she returned home, where her mother and father, who had just woken up, greeted her. 

“I’m back~” 

“Welcome home, hurry and wash up and eat breakfast.” 

“Okay~” 

Her mother was used to her daughter jogging every morning, so this exchange had become a daily routine. 

“Phew~ I feel refreshed again today!” 

After a quick shower, the girl felt her whole body awaken and her energy rise again. 

“Ugh, but am I really not growing...” 

Just after her pleasant shower, the girl glanced at herself in the full-length mirror in the dressing room and felt a bit down. 

At 150cm tall with nearly flat A-cup breasts, her appearance was more that of a growing child than an adult woman. Plus, her short hair, cut to resemble her admired upperclassman, gave her a bit of a tomboyish look. 

She tried squeezing her chest together with both hands to make a small valley, but the result was so meager that she sighed at herself. 

“Humph!” 

Next, she struck what she thought was her sexiest pose in the mirror, one hand on her waist and the other on her head, but all she saw was a girl pretending to be an adult. 

“Sigh~ It looked so sexy in the magazine…” 

She tried to mimic the pose of a model she often saw in magazines, but she couldn’t capture the mature, womanly vibe of the model at all. 

“It’s fine! I can still grow-10cm! No, at least 5cm!” 

She’d been telling herself this like a mantra since middle school, but after six years, her wish still hadn’t come true, and she was the same height as in middle school. 

Even after six years, she’d only grown 0.5cm, not even a full centimeter, but she still hadn’t given up. 

“Mom~ Give me some milk~” 

“Sure, here you go.” 

When the girl got dressed and went to the kitchen, her mother, as if expecting it, had milk ready, and the girl downed 500ml in one go. 

Her mother, seeing her daughter drink over 500ml of milk every morning for six years without growing at all, sometimes thought the milk money was wasted, but couldn’t bring herself to say it to her hopeful daughter. 

“I’m off now.” 

“Have a good day, Dad~” 

“Take care, dear.” 

Her stoic father quietly left for work, seeing off by his wife and daughter. He didn’t show it, but having his family see him off every morning gave him the strength to get through each day, so he left in a good mood. 

“I’m heading out too~” 

“Okay, be careful.” 

With her mother’s send-off, the girl left the house full of energy, happy at the thought of seeing her admired upperclassman again today. 

Though she still looked like she was in her growth period, she was actually a university student and headed straight to the track club room upon arriving at school. 

“Good morning!!!” 

True to her cheerful nature, she burst into the club room and greeted everyone energetically, exchanging greetings with the seniors and classmates gathered there. 

“Hello!! Dohee-sunbae!!” 

She then went straight to her most admired upperclassman, Dohee, and greeted her again. 

“Yeah, good morning.” 

Unlike the lively girl, Dohee replied coolly, but the girl thought that was part of her mature charm and felt even happier. 

‘Ahhh~ Dohee-senpai is so cool today too!!’ 

She’d cut her hair short and tanned her skin to resemble her admired Dohee, but she still felt she couldn’t match even a fraction of Dohee’s charm, which only made her respect her more. 

“I’m off to class.” 

“Ah! I have class too!” 

“Okay, let’s go together.” 

“Yes!!” 

Walking to class together and chatting about trivial daily things was the best part of the girl’s day. 

Usually, the girl did most of the talking and Dohee listened, but just having Dohee nod and respond made her happy. 

“See you at practice.” 

“Yes! Have a great day!!” 

Watching Dohee walk away, the girl’s eyes sparkled as if watching a prince. 

‘Dohee-senpai is really too cool!!’ 

She wasn’t the only one who thought so-every time Dohee walked by, some girls would shyly greet her, and when Dohee replied, they’d squeal with delight. 

‘She’s cool, chic, and also feminine…’ 

It wasn’t just a masculine vibe. Dohee had a perfectly shaped body, with curves in all the right places, and a toned look from athletics, making her seem even more model-like than the models in magazines-the ideal woman in the girl’s eyes. 

“One day, I’ll be like Dohee-senpai!.....” 

Though she would never have Dohee’s body or height, the bright and optimistic girl kept dreaming. 

“You’re staring at Dohee-senpai again-people will think you’re in love.” 

“I-it’s just admiration!” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

As she gazed at Dohee’s back, a friend approached and spoke in a resigned tone. It was a familiar scene, as everyone in their year knew about the girl’s admiration for Dohee. 

And since it was Dohee, the other classmates didn’t think it was strange at all. 

“Come on, let’s go. If you fall asleep in class again, the professor will give you an F.” 

“Ugh… that professor’s class is so boring.” 

“Come on~ You fall asleep in most classes anyway.” 

The girl, not great with academics, didn’t have the best reputation with professors. She’d entered university as a track athlete, so classes weren’t her priority, but she still needed to meet the minimum requirements to graduate, so she struggled to keep her grades up. 

Despite her struggles, she did her best not to fall asleep in class, and as soon as it ended, she headed to the club room for track practice. 

‘Wow…’ 

When she arrived, Dohee had changed into her track uniform, which revealed a lot of skin and made her look even more attractive. The girl found herself staring at Dohee without realizing it. 

“You’re here?” 

“Ah! Yes, senpai!” 

Snapped out of her daze by Dohee’s words, the girl hurriedly answered and changed into her own track uniform. 

‘There’s such a huge difference standing next to Dohee.’ 

Even in the same track uniform, the difference in volume and presence was like night and day. Dohee, with her large G-cup chest, had to have her uniform custom-made just to hold her breasts down, while the girl didn’t even need a sports bra. 

With a sigh, she started practice, feeling a bit envious of the male students who gathered to watch Dohee, but her admiration only grew, and she finished practice as usual. 

“Senpai! How about dinner together?” 

“Dinner? Hmm… wait a second.” 

Wanting to spend more time with Dohee, the girl nervously asked her to eat together. Dohee thought for a moment, fiddled with her phone, then replied. 

“…Okay, let’s eat together.” 

“Yes! Thank you, senpai!!” 

The girl was so happy to be having dinner alone with her admired upperclassman that she couldn’t help but raise her voice. 

Dohee smiled, amused, and they headed to a pasta place near campus. 

Though nervous about her first dinner with her admired senpai, Dohee chatted and helped her relax. 

“U-um, senpai, can I ask you something?” 

“What is it?” 

“Do you not date or anything, senpai?”