Volume 1 Chapter 16

Volume 1 + Chapter 16: Memories And The Bookstore Pervert

[…You’ve worked hard.]

I said these words of comfort to my father, who had suddenly gone limp and collapsed on the floor, and my mother, who was leaning against the wall.

[Aren’t you two hungry?]

My parents, too exhausted even to speak, nodded with pitiful expressions.

[Then I’ll cook for you.]

I rolled up my sleeves and smiled happily.

My parents, who had looked utterly worn out, both showed expressions as if they had been healed.

Though in the eyes of outsiders they might seem like irresponsible parents, in my heart they are wonderful parents.

I love them dearly.

After simply preparing some food, I watched my parents eat and smiled.

No matter how many troubling things happened outside, returning to this home brought me nothing but peace of mind and reassurance.

[Yuu, is there any boy you like at school?]

My father started his gossip again.

[There isn’t.]

[Is there any boy who likes you?]

[There isn’t either.]

Though there are girls who like me, that is.

[Hmph! With a daughter as beautiful as mine, and they don’t pursue her right away? What a bunch of spineless guys!]

My father suddenly began cursing the elementary school boys, speaking viciously as if their failure to chase after me was some heinous crime.

[What are you saying to your elementary school daughter?!]

Producing a stack of folded paper from somewhere, my mother scolded him as she whacked the back of his head with it.

Struck, my father cooperatively flashed a silly grin, like a comedic actor on television.

[Hahahaha…]

Seeing this, I laughed along very cooperatively. If anyone from school saw me in this state at home, they would surely think I was some kind of impostor.

And these moments, filled with laughter, are the ones I treasure most.

After taking care of everything, I bid my parents good night.

I entered my room and turned on the light. It was already eleven at night.

Due to the arrival of the outsiders, my usual fixed rest and reading time had been pushed back considerably.

It wasn’t just delayed, I had essentially had no time to read at all.

Having grown accustomed to reading before bed every night, not having that time now left me feeling thoroughly uncomfortable.

[Sigh… I’ll practice some forms.]

The arrival of those gang members had left me feeling quite pressured inside.

Knowing this was not the kind of stress that reading could relieve, I decided to dispel it by moving my body.

The techniques my master had taught me in my previous life, I still practiced in this one.

Aside from strengthening my body, I would not practice anything else.

That world was no more. I wanted to live a peaceful life.

I’m sorry… Master.

My master’s bright, pure smile still seemed to float before my eyes.

This was a part of my past I did not wish to touch.

Stopping my reminiscence, I noticed tears slipping from the corners of my eyes.

Wiping them away with the back of my hand, I calmed my mind and took a deep breath.

Following a special breathing method, I regulated my physical state.

I closed my eyes and began to move through the forms slowly.

[Whatever choice you make, I will support it.]

[Don’t get involved, Xiao Rong!]

[Your experience is still limited. Things are often not as simple as you think.]

[…Have you learned it?! And you think you can resolve that matter looking like that?!]

[I don’t have much time left. Don’t let me, the parent, have to bury my own child.]

[You keep calling me Master. Have you forgotten that I am your mother?]

[I love you very much, Xiao Rong.]

[Don’t trust anyone around you!]

[Xiao Rong, Xiao Rong, ]

[What I taught you is only to keep you from being ‘devoured’.]

[Children of the Shi family all encounter such things. It’s not just you!]

[Endure! Grit your teeth! Your tears are an admission of defeat to them!]

[Xiao Rong, I’m sorry, ]

Suddenly, I struck out fiercely, no longer with a gentle, flowing motion.

Even to this day, I still cannot forget the past.

I could feel the weight in every breath. I opened my eyes and stopped my practice.

All those years of self-abandonment had been both resistance and escape.

Having survived, wasn’t this an important matter, something I should understand, even if I hated it, even if I found it repulsive?

Why did I refuse to understand it just because I felt averse inside?

What kind of story and content did this game called Song of the Elves actually hold?

What kind of character was I within it, and what kind of ending would I have?

And furthermore, was this world truly a game world, as the text box had indicated?

Or was the text box a false existence, and this world not a game world but the real world?

If the text box was fake, what meaning did its appearance before me hold?

These were all things I needed to figure out, yet I had been so careless.

I treated them as if they were someone else’s business, showing no concern, no emotional breakdown, no irritation.

Toward the appearance of the text box, I had adopted this attitude: ‘Oh, I see.’

It was this nonchalant, indifferent attitude that reminded me of my own avoidance in my previous life.

Knowing full well I could no longer ignore it, I had rejected exploration time and time again before the game had even begun.

What on earth was I doing?

Like the incompetent me from my past life, I had failed to complete the final mission and return home.

The fact that I had suddenly vanished and died, without leaving so much as a corpse.

How great a blow would that have been to my mother?

These were things I dared not even think about.

The happier I became living here, the heavier the burden on my heart grew.

Rin-nee.

That was why I said your blessing was a curse.

And you, harboring thoughts of a curse completely different from what I consider a curse, gave me a gift like a chain.

[Happiness.]

I did not have the right to receive happiness, nor did I have the ability to give happiness to others.

Yet despite my grievous sins, after coming to this world, from the moment I was born until now, I had encountered nothing but good people.

[Xiao Rong, I want you to be happy.]

But… I don’t want to be happy alone, Mother…

Covering my face, I shed tears in silence.

I hate children.

Because children remind me of my former self.

———

Sunday morning. I went to the living room, next to the balcony.

Through the large window, I could bask in the sunlight while the shaded area just covered my reading spot perfectly.

Lying on the soft beanbag sofa, leisurely reading like this was what I loved most.

Last night’s emotional collapse felt like a dream.

When I woke in the morning, my mood was very light, and even recalling it no longer brought back those feelings.

Being able to continue living such a peaceful, happy life, I cherished it deeply and felt profoundly grateful.

Through my reading, I came to understand the special status of [Piano Healers] and [Spirit Users]. A high-level [Piano Healer] would be listed by the nation as an important protected person, while the most rare [Spirit Users] were designated as top-tier national protected persons.

It was somewhat like a first-class protected animal, but they were people even more precious than protected animals, those rare [Spirit Users].

This dating game really went all out.

Perhaps the trend at the time this game was made was all about overpowered male protagonists and their overpowered storylines.

Maybe yuri was also a trend in that era?

To give such an important storyline to a [Yuri Supporting Character], I really couldn’t fathom what they were thinking.

Or could it be that I, this [Yuri Supporting Character], was actually the hidden protagonist of the game?

Rejecting that possibility, I let out a few cold laughs.

Just like my previous thoughts, many as they were, none of them turned out to be right.

To avoid having my face slapped again, I stopped fantasizing about the game’s plot.

This [Dating Game] clearly did not follow the usual path. It would surely come up with many unexpected story developments.

The male protagonist, just ten years old, had taken first place among youth [Piano Healers] aged eight to sixteen.

He had been covered by various magazines. When I finally got serious about looking into him, 

I discovered that the male protagonist was already a renowned figure in this field. His teacher was also an exceptionally outstanding [Spirit User].

That his teacher was a [Spirit User] was already impressive, but his teacher was also among the very best of the [Spirit Users].

The promise the male protagonist had made. For outsiders, it was an opportunity as rare as hen’s teeth. At this moment, I finally understood.

The game’s male protagonist had effortlessly given me a tremendous opportunity.

And this was an opportunity obtained in just over ten minutes.

If outsiders learned of this, they would surely be filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

The male protagonist’s high-profile reputation finally made me feel that [Horikita Tomoya] had something of a game male protagonist about him.

Originally, I had thought the male protagonist was wasting away on “indulgences” and eating something, (civilized bleep), but he was actually putting in legitimate effort, doing in areas I didn’t understand what a game male protagonist should do.

Silently setting down my worries, I felt that with the male protagonist as this bright pearl.

Those blind heroines would soon discover that they had mistaken a rotten fish eye (me) for a bright pearl. Then they would stop bothering me, and in the near future, I would be free of entanglements.

Just thinking about it was so exciting that only jumping up and down could express my joy!

I grinned wide, delighted by my own thoughts, feeling that what had once troubled me was no trouble at all.

Humming a tune, I happily continued reading magazine reports about how amazing the game’s male protagonist was.

After finishing, I went to the bookstore to learn more about his glorious deeds and impressive background.

The more I read, the more cheerful I became, and the more I couldn’t stop smiling. These books would be useless after reading.

Reading books for free at the bookstore, I was unexpectedly never told off by the staff. Even though closing time was approaching and there weren’t many people left in the store,my behavior should have been quite conspicuous. 

Baffled but not wanting to investigate why, I put down the magazine and finally began selecting the books I needed.

I grabbed a small cart and bought a large pile of beginner, intermediate, and advanced books on [Piano Healers].

When I went to pay, the bookstore owner’s daughter, with whom I had never spoken before, struck up a conversation.

[You’re in a good mood today.]

She spoke in a way that could be considered very rude.

Having already pushed the counted money toward her, I looked up at her, taken aback.

[Yes.]

Since she was older, I replied politely with a nod.

[So now you’re interested in [Piano Healers]?]

[……….]

It seemed she intended to have a long chat with me.

I took a proper look at the bookstore owner’s daughter, whom I had never paid attention to before, and noticed she was very beautiful. The moment I realized this, I also felt that strange sense of fate.

I gazed at her for a while. Even though I just looked at her without speaking, this very attractive bookstore owner’s daughter continued to smile at me warmly.

[Yes, valuable.]

[Is that so~ If it’s you, I’m sure you’ll achieve surprising results very quickly.]

Though it should have been flattery, she spoke as if it had already become reality.

[I hope your kind words come true.]

I answered rather coldly.

[How cold you are.]

The bookstore owner’s daughter showed a slightly lonely expression. That expression made her already remarkable features seem touchingly vulnerable.

She was the type any man would be undone to see.

I thought that if she wanted to make such an expression, she should trouble men with it.

I was just a very young elementary school student, and a girl at that.

Barely restraining myself from showing a look of disgust, I pretended not to have heard that remark and reminded her what she should be doing.

[Take the money. Bag the books. I’m going home.]

[Are you planning to grow your hair long?]

Though she was scanning and ringing up the books, the bookstore owner’s daughter seemed unwilling to end the conversation.

[Yes.]

Already impatient, I abandoned polite behavior and answered in a rough tone.

[Long hair will suit you too. You’ll be beautiful.]

As if she were hitting on me, I finally had enough and looked directly into her emerald-green eyes.

[Are you trying to pick me up? Auntie?]

It was a rather blunt way of speaking. The bookstore owner’s daughter was finally startled, her round eyes opening wide.

Then she gazed back at me for a long moment before revealing a smile completely different from her previous warm one, a very alluring, bewitching smile.

[You could think of it that way, little·girl·.]

Her whisper, close to my ear, unavoidably reminded me of the story of sirens who lured people with their beautiful singing, only to drag them into the sea and kill them.

Her being this close did not trigger my defensive reactions. Confirming that she was part of the plot and a game heroine, I was simultaneously shocked by how brazen this game was and leaped backward.

I also realized the flaw in my earlier thinking.

Though the text box had never explicitly stated that [Inoue Hatsuka] and [Endou Hina] were heroines, their common trait was that they had no presence, making it impossible for me to guard against their approach.

And this was precisely the common trait of the heroines. I had been wrong to think that only when the text box clearly stated they were heroines would I consider them as such.

The heroines, unlike other people, approached without any sense of presence. Could this be used to determine that this was a game world?

But such ambiguous evidence still could not make me believe this was a game world.

In a flash, I thought about many things. My ears, like most people’s, were sensitive, and my face flushed beyond my control.

I could hear my own frantic, exasperated voice.

[You’ll go to prison for this!]

[Five years is totally worth it. No loss.]

Uttering words like a criminal while looking like a beautiful woman, my eyes widened slightly, and I looked at her speechlessly.

[Your eyes are very beautiful.]

The bookstore owner’s daughter said this, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

I snatched the bag full of books and ran off immediately, fleeing the bookstore where there was no one else but her and me.

A bookstore with just the two of us, that was far too dangerous.

Watching the girl carrying a large bag run off with agility and speed, not looking back even once, Tsukimi Sakura felt a rare sense of defeat. She propped her cheek on her hand and sighed.

[Did I take the joke too far?]

She muttered to herself, reflecting on her earlier behavior.

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]