Chapter 30: The Last Day (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: The Last Day (4)
*
…What exactly was going on?
“I’ll call you later.”
“Lee Seung-ho…?!”
Lee Sol called out to him, but no answer came back.
Amidst the boisterous roar of the amusement park, Lee Sol stared blankly in the direction he had disappeared.
He really left.
“…”
To be honest, she was stunned. She couldn't believe he had suddenly turned back right at the entrance to Dotendo World.
Lee Sol’s mind couldn't quite process the sudden shift. She stood there for a moment, her mouth hanging open slightly.
“…”
…Should she follow him?
Her fingertips twitched with the impulse.
…But they said if she left now, she couldn’t come back in.
What was the best thing to do?
Lee Sol took a step forward, then hesitated. She hovered in place, paralyzed by indecision.
“Are you okay?” Shin A-young peeked at her cautiously.
“…About what?”
“I mean… about Lee Seung-ho going to check on Nuri…” Shin A-young’s eyes darted back and forth, clearly trying to read the room.
“…What’s there to be ‘okay’ or not okay about?”
It made sense, after all. Lee Seung-ho had gone to look after someone who was sick. She couldn't exactly get mad at him for that. Objectively speaking, what he was doing was the right thing. He was going to check on an ill friend.
…Of course, that was separate from how she felt.
A faint sense of bitterness rose in her throat, making her wonder if she was the only one who had been looking forward to Dotendo World.
“…”
…No. That wasn't it.
“…Sigh.”
To be honest, rather than feeling hurt right now… she was a little pissed off.
Didn't this make her look pathetic for being the only one with expectations? She knew Lee Seung-ho hadn't technically done anything wrong, but she couldn't help the spiteful feelings bubbling up.
I mean, it’s not like I’m some charity case.
Would it have killed him to just hang out?
“…”
Maybe that was why she felt entitled to at least a little bit of pettiness toward him. On a sudden impulse…
“Shin A-young.”
“Yeah?”
“…Don’t buy him a Bario hat.”
She spoke in a huff, the sharp tone slipping out before she could stop it.
“…”
Shin A-young’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “…Then, should we just enjoy ourselves enough to make him jealous?” she suggested.
“…Whatever.”
Lee Sol shot one last glance toward the direction he had gone, then slowly started walking toward Dotendo World.
…Fine. It was only for one day. Surely, nothing big would happen.
*
“Ugh—”
I stretched my stiff body as I walked out of the performance venue.
Despite everything, the show had been fun to watch. I bet the front row would be nice and cool in the summer, but unfortunately, it was a bit chilly right now.
“…”
— “...Come to think of it, it’s not like he confessed. I should just act like I usually do, right?”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me nodded to itself.
— “If it looks like he’s about to confess, I’ll just turn him down clearly then. Besides, I’m not even sure if I just like him as a person or like-like him…”
Well, it’s neither, actually.
But if she was going to act that way, it was fine by me. Since I had no intention of confessing anyway, our relationship would just continue on parallel lines.
Of course…
— “...Naturally.”
Her Mini-Me returned to its stiff, awkward way of walking.
As long as she kept up that misunderstanding, it was inevitable that her awkwardness would leak out like this. Even if she acted natural on the outside, her inner thoughts were laid bare.
I hurried toward the next location to change the mood.
…And so, we arrived at the second attraction.
“Oh…?”
Ji Nuri’s eyes trembled slightly. She looked surprised. The reason she was trying so hard not to show it was likely because the place we had arrived at was an animation collaboration attraction.
It was a collab for the anime Goblin’s Blade.
Since she wasn't feeling well, she wouldn't be able to go on the ride itself, but there were plenty of other things to see here, so it shouldn't matter much.
“Ahem… hmmm…”
Ji Nuri crossed her arms, maintaining as stoic an expression as possible. She looked around with a detached gaze, as if wondering what this place even was…
— “Whoa, whoa, whoa…!!”
But her Mini-Me was cheering, jumping up and down with its arms wide open. Its brown bob hair fluttered in the wind with every bounce.
“…”
Man… that gap was amazing every time I saw it.
Does she really like it that much? I’d come here because it was written in her notebook, and seeing her this happy made me glad we came.
“…Do you like anime?”
At Ji Nuri’s casual-sounding question, I nodded.
“I watch it sometimes.”
I used to be more into games, but lately, I’d been keeping up with anime more often. Maybe because I enjoyed Saw Blade Boy so much, I found myself wanting to check out other theatrical features too.
“I watched Goblin’s Blade recently. Since the movie came out and all.”
Actually, I watched the movie first and then binged the series later. But I’d seen it all. It was good enough that I understood why it was so popular.
“Ohh~ Is that so?”
Ji Nuri nodded nonchalantly, but the corners of her mouth were twitching strangely. She really is an open book. Just like Lee Sol, she was terrible at acting with her face. I didn't even need to look at the Mini-Me to tell.
Since I said I enjoyed it, her excitement was leaking through her poker face.
— “He’s an otaku too…!”
Her expression brightened instantly. She was talking happily about finally having an otaku friend, but then…
— “...Wait, let’s not let our guard down yet.”
Snap. Her tension dropped. The Mini-Me straightened its back again.
— “...Can’t a normal person just like anime? Anime is a total normie pick these days.”
I wondered if she really needed to go that far, but Ji Nuri’s expression was dead serious. …But isn't she a normie too?
— “If he’s a real otaku, he should at least have seen something like ‘The Time My Sister, My Childhood Friend, and I Started Living Together’—”
Ah. Never mind.
— “Hmm…”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me narrowed its eyes and scanned me from head to toe.
— “But… given that cosplay photo from before… maybe he’s a closet fan too…”
She began shooting suspicious glares at me again.
“…”
I silently shuffled away. …Whatever. I’ll just ignore her and look at the souvenirs.
There were quite a few interesting items inside. They were selling plushies of the enemy characters from the movie, toy versions of the swords the protagonists used, and even clothes you could actually wear.
“…Whoa.”
I checked the price tag and immediately put the item back where it belonged. That is insanely expensive. The quality was high, but the price was even higher.
…As I spent a good while browsing the souvenirs.
— “Hmm…”
Glance, glance.
I noticed Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me hovering restlessly around me. What now? She looked like she was dying to say something. Where did all that awkwardness from earlier go?
“…”
Ji Nuri kept stealing glances at me until she finally seemed to make up her mind, naturally closing the distance between us.
— “...Should I try to bait him…?”
Along with that thought, Ji Nuri picked up a keychain and asked casually.
“Did you pick out a lot?”
“…No, not yet.”
“If there’s a character you like, you should get one. I kind of like this guy. Jinnosuke.”
Huh?
“…You mean Minosuke?”
“Ah, right. That was it. Minosuke.”
Ji Nuri awkwardly set the keychain back down.
“…”
That… she definitely got the name wrong on purpose just now.
— “...Seeing as he knows the correct name of a character with a tricky name, he’s definitely not a normal person.”
The Mini-Me was scribbling away in a small notebook, checking things off one by one. It was getting to the point where it was a little scary.
— “...I’m almost a hundred percent sure…”
Ji Nuri’s suspicion had turned into near-certainty. She glanced around the area, then slowly leaned her head in until it was almost touching my ear.
“Are you, by any chance—”
The moment Ji Nuri opened her mouth—
“Hey.”
Lee Sol appeared, her shoulder lightly bumping into Ji Nuri’s. Her silver hair swayed gently.
“?!”
Ji Nuri’s eyes went wide, and she instinctively brushed her shoulder. “Whoa, you scared me… When did you get here?”
“Just now,” Lee Sol answered curtly.
Seriously. I was a bit startled too. I wondered how she knew to come here, then remembered I’d sent her a text saying we were heading here after the show.
“…W-what’s with you? Just running off without a word.”
Shin A-young followed in behind Lee Sol. She seemed to be catching her breath, as if she’d run the whole way.
“…”
The two of them must have been having a blast; they were decked out in all sorts of merch. They were wearing mushroom hats and Bario hoodies, with Dotendo World-exclusive bracelets on their wrists.
Looks like they had a good time. I was glad they at least got to enjoy themselves. Still, they had returned much sooner than I expected.
“You should have stayed and played more.”
At my words, Lee Sol shook her head. “The lines were too long for anything else.”
“Ah…”
So that’s why they came back early.
“…Here.”
Lee Sol bluntly handed over the Bario hat she had been wearing. I wondered why she was wearing one that looked a bit too big for her. It turns out she was wearing mine.
…But wait, I asked Shin A-young to get it. Why did she buy it?
— “Wait, what!?”
Looking at Shin A-young’s Mini-Me, it seemed she was just as surprised.
“…”
Just then, Lee Sol’s gaze shifted between me and Ji Nuri.
— “...What’s with the vibe between these two?”
Her Mini-Me muttered in a low voice, its face looking quite serious.
— “...It couldn't be, right…?”