Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Is it because she's the main character?
No matter what Yu Ha-neul does, she carries it off with total confidence. She walks right into places you clearly shouldn't barge into and drags out people you clearly shouldn't just drag outside. I'm not saying her actions were wrong. But the world is full of situations where you can't speak up even when you think something is wrong.
Especially when the other party looks like someone who could steamroll anything with money.
But whether Yu Ha-neul simply had no fear, or her sense of justice ran deep enough to crush any fear she had, she acted without the slightest hesitation.
Then again, she was the same in the original game.
Even when she was ostracized and lost her spirit, even when the people around her pretended not to see her, she kept diligently trying to talk to them. Even later, when it escalated into open bullying, she absolutely refused to be broken by it. Because she had done nothing wrong. And that wasn't just a comforting thought. In those routes, Yu Ha-neul was bullied either because of Ye Sa-ra, who disliked her, or because of other kids who thought she was nothing special.
And in the end, at the story's conclusion, Yu Ha-neul proves that she was never wrong.
She doesn't care what the other side thinks. If there isn't a path, she'll make one as she walks.
"Here, we're here! See? Isn't it close?"
"......Yeah...... real...... close...... practically...... right in front of my nose......"
The slight issue in that process was that she didn't even stop to consider whether there was a path or not, but oh well.
For my Stamina, a 500-meter sprint was obviously way too much. Not that I actually ran the full 500 meters at a sprint, of course. I'd run until my stamina was totally drained, then walk for a long while, then Yu Ha-neul would notice my breathing had calmed down a little, push my back, and make me run again briefly, then walk for another long while...... anyway, we got here by repeating that cycle over and over.
Hmm, Yu Ha-neul's personality creates one more problem, precisely because she's so overtly a main character.
Namely, she doesn't give a single damn about what people around her might be thinking.
Just as Yu Ha-neul said earlier, the shopping complex is "of course" smack in the middle of a busy downtown area where "tons" of people pass through. And that downtown area is absolutely teeming with foreigners, too. Honestly, I get the feeling there might be more foreigners here than Koreans. It was still early enough to call it morning, so there were definitely fewer people than during the afternoon, but it was nowhere near empty.
So, in other words, we had just barreled right through a street already crowded enough to make running awkward.
Alright, "barreled through" is actually far too fast a term. The strength had completely drained from my legs, so if Yu Ha-neul hadn't been pushing me from behind, I wouldn't have even made it here.
That's right. With sweat streaming down my head and gasping for breath nonstop, I walked right through the middle of the downtown street with Yu Ha-neul gripping my back.
And the stares from the people around us watching me in that state were a bonus.
Fortunately, judging by the looks on our faces, they didn't seem to think of it as bullying. From the start, the whole way here, I'd been grumbling incessantly at Yu Ha-neul, so it would never have come off as one-sided harassment.
"......."
"......Uh......."
And it was only once we got here that we both realized one thing.
"......Opens, at ten a.m."
When I read the notice posted in front of the shopping mall, my bangs soaked with sweat and plastered to my forehead, Yu Ha-neul glanced over to the side.
"Th-then, should we go into a café next door for a bit? My treat!"
Yu Ha-neul said it like she was soothing me, but I held up a hand to stop her and flopped down onto the steps at the mall entrance.
"You're saying we should go to a café looking like this? Drenched in sweat like this? Soon I'll definitely be reeking of sweat."
When I said that, Yu Ha-neul apparently ran out of things to say.
Yu Ha-neul had decent stamina to begin with, so she hadn't broken a sweat, but I was drenched as if I'd been caught in the rain.......Honestly, it'd be better to just buy completely new clothes, down to the underwear, and change into them. My wallet was plenty thick anyway.
"......Here."
Yu Ha-neul rummaged through the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a handkerchief for me. The handkerchief was sky blue.
I wordlessly took the handkerchief and wiped my face. The inside of my soaked clothes still felt gross, but at least I could wipe my face.
Yu Ha-neul sat down beside me. It wasn't close enough to call it sitting pressed up together, but it was close enough that I could faintly feel her body heat.
"Even though March weather is still supposed to be chilly."
"If you don't sweat, it doesn't count as exercise."
I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm trying to actually gain it, but...... never mind, I'll keep my mouth shut.
"So then?"
"What do you mean, 'so then'?"
When I abruptly asked, Yu Ha-neul's eyes went wide as she looked at me.
"No, I mean, you called me out this morning. So the first thing we did was come all the way here. We're planning to go in and buy clothes in a little bit. What comes after that?"
"Uh......."
Apparently, Yu Ha-neul hadn't thought that far ahead; her mouth hung open for a moment as she sank into thought.
"Is there anything you want to do?"
After thinking for a long while, Yu Ha-neul asked me that. She suddenly spun her face toward me, and my field of vision was abruptly flooded with light. I'd been steadily getting used to it lately, but when she looks at me from this close, it's dazzling.
I shifted my narrowed eyes away and stared forward again. The number of people on the street was gradually increasing. The types of voices I could hear were growing more varied, too. I could hear Korean, and plenty of foreign languages. Everyone's faces looked reasonably bright. Then again, most of the people on this street on a weekend were out to have fun.
I'd been sitting with my chin propped in my hand, and I answered blankly.
"I don't know......"
What do kids these days do for fun, anyway?
When I was young, it was PC bangs or karaoke rooms. Otherwise, sometimes we'd get drinks...... ah, no, that was in college. During my underage years, I couldn't drink. There were times I'd go watch a movie with friends, too. Big, huge-scale blockbusters, we'd all mob the theater to watch.
......Yeah, what do we actually do?
But I can't exactly tell Yu Ha-neul to go to a PC bang, can I? Even if we said we'd go to a karaoke room, I don't know any songs that high school girls sing often these days. And isn't going just the two of us a bit weird? Movies...... nothing especially comes to mind.
"Oh, ah......."
As I was spacing out alone in thought, Yu Ha-neul suddenly made that sound, as if realizing something.
For some reason, her face had also gone a little pale. Did she forget to turn off the gas or something?
"F-for now! Let's start with the shopping and think about it! The more we look at clothes, the more we'll probably think of things we want to do!"
"Uh, yeah......"
Overwhelmed by the intense reaction that suddenly burst out of her, I ended up nodding my head without realizing it.
*
It had been a mistake.
That question was clearly a mistake.
Of course, you couldn't call it completely Yu Ha-neul's fault. It was something she often asked casually when she met up with friends without thinking much about it. Normally, no special answer came back. The other person would also reply "I dunno?" or they'd suggest figuring it out as they went, and they'd go to a café or get food.
But the girl sitting next to Yu Ha-neul right now was different from ordinary girls.
There was no way Sara, who had lived like a bird in a cage without ever having properly gotten outside that mansion, would be able to give a real answer to a question like that.
Sara shifted her narrowed eyes slightly and looked at the street. Countless people were busily moving around the street with bright faces. Everyone there was living their own lives. People who spent their hectic weekdays, then made time to meet up with close friends or lovers and enjoy themselves.
Sara had never really experienced things like that properly.
"I don't know......"
Sara answered like that as if she genuinely didn't know. It was different from the "Hmm, I dunno......" meaningless answer you usually get when you ask friends.
A reaction born of truly not knowing and truly not knowing what to do.
No, before all that, Sara had even asked Yu Ha-neul first. What they should do from now on.
And for Sara, who had never done anything outside, that was obviously a reasonable question. Because she was genuinely asking because she didn't know.
......Especially since the person who had dragged Sara outside and made her sprint all the way here was Yu Ha-neul herself.
"Oh, ah......."
Having belatedly realized that fact, Yu Ha-neul's face went pale.
"F-for now...!"
What should she do? What could she do to make Sara enjoy this? How could she make her enjoy having run away outside that mansion today?
But in her sudden panic, her mind went completely blank. So to Sara, who was looking back at her questioningly, Yu Ha-neul first shouted this.
"Let's start with the shopping and think about it! The more we look at clothes, the more we'll probably think of things we want to do!"
"Uh, yeah......"
And hearing that, Sara answered, sounding slightly taken aback.
*
"You want me to try them on? All of them?"
Holding an armful of clothes, Sara asked, sounding bewildered. It was clearly a flustered expression.
"How many outdoor outfits do you own?"
Sara couldn't answer Yu Ha-neul's question.
"Not many, right?"
Sara nodded.
"Then it'd honestly be a good idea to buy several sets while you're at it. You can't keep going outside with just one outfit. And if you don't like anything among these, you can just not buy it. It's as simple as that."
"I-is that so......?"
Sara asked back in a slightly uncertain voice.
"It is. If they're heavy, I'll carry them for you."
"No, that's not what I'm worried about......"
Sara thought for a moment, then let out a small sigh. It seemed like she'd ultimately surrendered in the face of Yu Ha-neul's intense stare.
"Fine, I'll try them on then."
Sara gave that answer and went into the fitting room.
And then, Yu Ha-neul immediately pulled out her smartphone. And quickly opened an internet browser.
"Seoul...... famous spots......"
That's right. The reason she'd piled an armful of clothes onto Sara was to buy time to search like this. It was Sara's first-ever outing in her life. Sure, she'd hopped the wall and done various things two days in a row, but strictly speaking, that was her way home from school, not an actual outing. This meant it was the first time Sara had ever left the mansion grounds of her own will.
And probably, most of what they did today would be first-time experiences for Sara. Including this kind of shopping right now.
In that case, ending it with the usual stuff you do when hanging out with friends just felt too inadequate.
Since she was out for the first time, she wanted to give Sara unforgettable memories. And the next time, she wanted to hear the words, "I'd like to try this, too."
That was why Yu Ha-neul was securing time like this and dedicating herself to searching.
But Seoul was vast.
There were many places to go, and many things to do.
Naturally, if you type "Seoul famous spots" into a search bar, way too many things all come flooding up at once.
"What do I do......"
There was too much they could do. She had so many options that she couldn't get a sense of what to pick.
As she was wandering in confusion for a moment, something caught Yu Ha-neul's eye.
"Seoul date course"
"......."
It wasn't just a list of miscellaneous places, but an entire route was laid out suggesting where to go and in what order. Good places to eat, nice places to walk together, even places that were good for taking photos together.
Coincidentally, the party consisted of exactly two people: Yu Ha-neul and Sara.
......Wouldn't this be okay?
Even if it was called a date course, it was an extremely wholesome route. Even if two female friends went together, it didn't seem like there'd be a big problem.
......It'll be fine, right?
While she was feeling that internal conflict in her own way,
The fitting room curtain opened with a rustle.
"How is it?"
The clothes Sara was wearing were a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a black t-shirt, and a khaki jacket.
The outfit was modest, but since her face was pretty, the clothes seemed to come alive because of her instead.
If she also tied her hair back and put on a hat here, it seemed like it would suit her incredibly well.
......It's fine!
After seeing that sight, Yu Ha-neul had convinced herself of that, inside her own head.