Why Are You Here?
"Still, are you sure about this?"
"Pardon?"
"That secret room."
After sending the swarm of combat students back the way they came, Liu sat in Namgung Min's illegally occupied base, sipping instant coffee. She turned her head.
"I won't ask why you're looking for it, but wouldn't it be faster to use your fortune-telling than to leave it to those guys?"
"……You're not wrong."
No, I can't find it. Namgung Min's blood, which had rushed to his head because of the note, had cooled. He gave an answer that didn't match his true thoughts. He couldn't be honest.
"However, a fortune teller cannot read his own fortune."
"……Ah, that superstition."
"They say a fortune teller doesn't even know the day he'll die."
A fortune teller who reads fortunes cannot read his own fate. More precisely, it was close to a taboo. The superstition said that if you read your own fortune, your fate would become twisted or you'd never be able to tell fortunes again. Of course, it was a rather convenient excuse for Namgung Min.
"Does that mean the secret room is connected to you?"
"It does."
"Hmm. You admitted it pretty easily."
"It's better than being suspected by you for no reason, Miss Liu."
"………Hmph."
Strictly speaking, it was a room only the player—him—could enter, so there was a connection. But could he even find the secret room—the Developer's Room—in the first place?
'The chances of finding it are low.'
The Developer's Room and other post-ending elements only existed in the game. It would be stranger if they existed in reality. Yet even while pessimistic about the room's existence, he had no choice but to cling to it. That was his reality.
'This is frustrating.'
He wished she had never said anything at all. Namgung Min felt a deep frustration welling up from the bottom of his chest.
'Forget this place and live happily?'
She made this trash game and still had the nerve to say something like that. Namgung Min mulled over the message Ji-soo had delivered, then let out a hollow laugh.
'In the end, it's all about the ending.'
He would try, but he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to meet Ji-soo until he saw the ending. Still, once he saw the ending, he could return. Then he could hear the full story from Ji-soo. In the end, he was back where he started.
"It's frustrating, but also refreshing."
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Just talking to myself."
"You little punk."
Thinking about Ji-soo made him frustrated, but knowing everything would converge on the game's ending made him feel refreshed. Having a goal that had already existed become even clearer was motivating in its own way. He couldn't keep agonizing over it forever.
But then……
"Aileen?"
"………."
"Aileen? Are you all right?"
"………Namgung Min oppa."
Huh? Oppa? Didn't she used to call him "Deity"?
"Ah, yes."
"You……won't leave, right?"
"………."
At the sudden question, Namgung Min could only blink. Aileen, who had been fiddling with the untouched instant coffee, lifted her head.
"Like Mother……did."
"………."
Aileen Teddybear's mother—Charles Teddybear's wife. He didn't know who she was. He didn't even know her name…… She was a character who never appeared in the game. But he knew Aileen had lost her mother at a very young age.
'And I know exactly how deep that wound runs……'
She still had her father, but all Namgung Min had left was his little sister. That was why he understood.
"……Of course, Aileen."
"Yes. I'll believe you. Because that's what I was told to do……"
It wasn't irresponsible to say this even though he would leave once he saw the ending. Rather, because he had experienced the same sorrow, he had to say it.
'What Aileen needs right now is certainty.'
Even if it became a lie later, even if she came to resent him for it. Right now, she needed the certainty and hope to endure the pain. Only then could she grow strong enough to accept the sorrow of parting later. Aileen still had a father who loved her, so even if they parted, she would be able to endure.
"You can believe me. I'll stay by your side."
"……Yes."
The words "you can believe me" and "I'll stay by your side." They were words the young Namgung Min had desperately wanted to hear but never did. As if repaying his own childhood, Namgung Min whispered,
"Do you believe me now?"
"……I believe you."
"Don't worry. Ah, do you not like coffee?"
"Ah, no…… I've come to like it now."
"……Pardon?"
"There are times when the version of me who can't drink coffee comes out, even if only for a moment."
What was that supposed to mean? Still, since Aileen had calmed down, Namgung Min smiled softly and watched her take a sip of coffee. He would have kept watching if someone hadn't suddenly poked him in the side.
"Hey. Look over here."
"Urk, ugh. Miss Liu? Why all of a sudden……"
"Didn't I tell you last time? You never know when that girl might smash your head in with her flail."
"……Hearing that makes me angry. Unbeliever."
What? Weren't things getting kind of warm and fuzzy just a second ago? Why were they suddenly pulling out flails and artifacts?
"There you go again. Aren't you embarrassed to keep saying that 'unbeliever' nonsense?"
"I'm only being honest. There's no particular emotion behind it. And you—after having your secret exposed, are you really okay acting so confident?"
"Why, did you think I'd just shut up?"
"Hah."
Hey, you two, if you're gonna fight, take it outside! This is my base!
"Both of you, please sit back down. This is my base……"
"You said it well. Fortune teller, now's your chance to speak clearly."
"Yes?"
"Me, or this bitch?"
"……………Pardon?"
Namgung Min's brain froze for a moment at Liu's line, which sounded like something straight out of a morning drama. Aileen didn't miss the opening and leaned toward him.
"Namgung Min, please be honest. I'm the one who's most helpful to you, right?"
"Bullshit. Without my money, this guy couldn't even have opened his fortune-telling shop."
"What's the point of a fortune-telling shop with no customers? Lonely tycoon."
"This bitch?"
Ah, so they wanted him to choose who was more helpful? Namgung Min, who had been seriously wondering when he'd started two-timing without realizing it, let out a sigh of relief.
'As long as I'm a guy, their favorability won't rise above friendship anyway. I got nervous for nothing.'
No matter how deeply involved he got, his relationship with them could never become anything more than very close friends of the opposite sex. Reminding himself of that fact, Namgung Min regained some composure and looked back and forth between the two girls.
"It's pathetic that the only thing you can brag about is having friends. Doesn't that mean you yourself aren't helping the fortune teller at all?"
"If we're going by that logic, you're nothing but a corpse without your money. It would've been fun to watch if you weren't the Tycoon."
"Haha, look at this crazy bitch talk. You sure you won't regret this?"
"I could say the same to you."
"Please, both of you, stop……"
Why was their relationship so bad? Why couldn't they just get along?
"Then you just have to say it clearly. Between me and this bitch, who—"
"Obviously Miss Liu."
"——Uh, um. Th……at's right?"
Liu looked flustered at the answer that came without the slightest hesitation. Aileen had been a great help too, but even so, she couldn't compare to Liu. Without Liu, it would've been hard to get acquainted before the entrance exam, and without Liu's payment, this base wouldn't even exist.
Aileen, who had been frowning at Namgung Min's answer, could only glare at Liu with venomous eyes, unable to deny it.
"Mm, yeah. Honestly, I didn't expect you to say it so directly, but choosing me is the right call. Yeah……"
"It's only natural."
"……Hah, was there any point in asking? Trying to get confirmation for something obvious feels kind of embarrassing."
"You know it well."
"Hey. Haven't you heard that shutting your mouth gets you halfway there?"
"Even if you tell a fortune teller to shut his mouth……"
"Bullshit."
Namgung Min gave a wry smile at Liu, who was blushing slightly while still spewing harsh words as usual. Then—
Ding.
Suddenly, a bell rang.
"Hm?"
"This sound……"
"Ah, damn it."
While the other two were still confused by the out-of-place sound, Liu—the only one who understood what the bell meant—scowled and glanced at Aileen and Namgung Min. Then, with a very reluctant sigh, she stood up.
"……I'm leaving first."
"Take care, Miss Liu."
"Goodbye, unbeliever."
Grind.
The moment Liu stood, she glared at Aileen, who had already moved to sit beside Namgung Min, and unconsciously ground her teeth. Receiving Aileen's triumphant look, Liu left the building and walked for a long time. She walked, and walked, and walked some more. She had even left the academy's outskirts where the building was located and was nearly at the forest when—
"Come out."
"Yes."
Liu sat on a nearby stump in the deserted forest area, her eyes filled with venom. A female student who had rung the bell knelt before her, enduring the fierce hostility.
"First, bow your head."
"Yes."
"And roll."
"Yes."
Following the order, the girl pressed her forehead to the ground and rolled until she was covered in dirt. She accepted the commands—childish tantrums with no warning—without a single complaint. After rolling, she knelt again, now covered in dust. Seeming somewhat appeased, Liu gestured without further orders.
"Report."
"I found the location of the artifact you mentioned, Miss Liu."
"……You found it?"
Really? Honestly, Liu hadn't expected much from the girl in front of her, so her expression showed surprise. The only clue she'd given was a single photo of a cave with a stone coffin. She never thought the girl would actually find it.
"Then the item?"
"It seems to register the user the moment it's removed from the coffin, so I couldn't bring it."
"A bound artifact?"
Among artifacts, there were rare ones that bound to only one user. Liu herself owned several bound artifacts, which could be summoned no matter how far the user was. Unlike normal artifacts whose skills disappeared when removed, bound artifacts permanently granted their skills once registered to an owner. Even in Romance Academy, who would've thought they'd put such a precious bound artifact in a treasure hunt?
'No wonder the golden light was so strong even through the photo.'
Liu's Eyes that Chase Wealth only worked reliably when she saw something directly. She could see golden light through photos or videos, but unless the item was extremely expensive and rare, it usually appeared faint. However, the stone coffin in the photo had shone with a clear golden light, so she'd guessed it was valuable—but she hadn't expected it to be a bound artifact.
"Where is it?"
"Near the Great Lake on the southern side of the academy. If you want, I can take you there right away."
"Hmm, I see."
Even though the report should have been cause for joy, Liu listened with a somewhat indifferent attitude while fiddling with a ring on her right hand. The artifact Devourer of Artifacts.
Whoosh!
"Urk!? Wh-what!"
The ring, shaped like a white snake biting its own tail, flashed and instantly transformed into a long serpent that wrapped around the girl. Though thinner than an average forearm, the snake was an artifact and possessed strength beyond common sense, coiling tightly.
"Miss Liu! Why are you doing this!"
"Because you lied to me, that's why."
"……!"
Despite the flustered girl's cry, Liu calmly saw through the lie and crouched in front of her. The girl's eyes were wide with disbelief. Had she really thought Liu wouldn't notice?
"Hey. Did you forget why you're doing all this?"
"………."
"You got addicted to gambling, blew through your parents' entire fortune, then borrowed money from me and tried to run away."
"……"
"Who caught you when you were trying to escape back then and made this obvious lie?"
Cold eyes pierced the girl, forcing her head down. Liu grabbed the girl's hair and yanked her head up to meet her gaze.
"You already showed your true colors. Still, you were a class holder, so you somehow got into the academy and slipped through."
"…………"
"If you'd just done what you were told, I would've kept giving you pocket money. Was that not enough for your gambling? Or did you hold a grudge against me?"
"………"
"The latter, huh. Ungrateful little shit."
Thud.
Liu released the girl's hair and returned to the stump. Now openly hostile, the girl glared at Liu even while bound by the snake.
"You demon……!!"
"Isn't the real demon the one who gambled away her parents' entire fortune? Even among the idiots I employ, you're in a league of your own."
"Shut up!!"
Hum.
With a rage-filled cry, the back of the girl's hand glowed blue. She activated the bound artifact she'd obtained long ago—
"Idiot."
"……Huh? Huh?"
"Did you think I'd never seen a bitch like you before?"
——But nothing happened. The dazed girl stared as Liu raised a glowing necklace of her own. She was smiling refreshingly.
"Didn't you know there are artifacts that block other artifacts? Or did you just not want to think about it?"
"…………"
"How many artifacts do you think I have right now, you stupid bitch?"
Three bracelets on her left hand: Trinity. One of her necklaces: Devourer of Artifacts. An earring on her right ear: Light's Protection. Each one was an end-game artifact that would make Namgung Min laugh in disbelief if he saw them, and they all glowed from various places on Liu's body.
"……Kill me."
"What?"
"I'm sick of crawling like a dog under a bitch like you. Just kill me!"
"Wow, she was even crazier than I thought."
But those words didn't stir any emotion in her. Still looking indifferent, Liu spoke.
"I can keep an obedient idiot alive, but I don't need one that bites its master."
"………."
"Don't worry. You'll have a better life dead than alive. You're still a class holder, so if I send you to the gates to work as a porter until your debt is paid……"
"Miss Liu."
"………Huh?"
Namgung Min?
……Why are you here?