Chapter 128: The Never-Ending Summer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 128: The Never-Ending Summer
Even after we finished splitting the watermelon, we spent another three or four hours running around and playing on the beach before we started getting ready to head back.
Part of it was that our checkout time at the guesthouse was approaching, but we also couldn't be too late, or we might miss the bus home.
"Ah! That was so fun!" Rika said with a stretch, her skin tanned dark from two days of playing hard at the beach.
"I feel like we went totally wild."
"It'd be great to come again next year."
"We'll all be third-years then."
"Even if we're busy studying for the Center Exam, a day off should be fine, right?"
We chatted idly as we walked toward the bus stop, our bags feeling much lighter than they had on the way here.
As a Korean, experiencing these things while attending a Japanese high school was all new and refreshing to me.
The summer vacations I remembered from my Korean high school days consisted of a short one or two-week break, followed by supplementary classes back at school.
"Ah, the bus is here."
About ten minutes after we arrived at the stop, the bus bound for the express bus terminal pulled up.
We hauled our luggage on board, claimed the back seats, and continued our unfinished conversations.
It was around 2 p.m. when our bus arrived at the express terminal.
Before catching the bus to Tokyo, we grabbed a late lunch at a nearby restaurant and then boarded the bus we had booked in advance.
The same kids who had been bursting with energy just moments before started to knock out one by one as soon as they sat down.
Sasha and I were the last ones awake, but soon enough, she let out a small yawn as drowsiness overtook her and fell asleep. It seemed pointless for me to be the only one staying awake while everyone else was sleeping, so I decided to close my eyes until we reached Tokyo.
*
An hour later, the express bus arrived at the terminal in Shinjuku.
We had just been here yesterday, but it felt like we were returning after a very long time.
"Hwaaah! Are we splitting up here?"
At Satoru's question, which came with a yawn so huge it looked like his mouth would tear, we all looked at each other.
It was 4 p.m., so we could still hang out more if we wanted to.
But the Class President, who had been the leader of our trip, raised her right hand and spoke.
"Sorry, but I have something to do this evening, so it'll be tough for me."
"Really? What about everyone else?"
"Everyone still looks pretty tired. Wouldn't it be better to just head home? We can hang out anytime."
At Yaguchi's suggestion, everyone nodded in agreement.
It had already been well over twenty-four hours since we’d left our homes.
It was about that time when you start craving a home-cooked meal.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways. Good work, everyone."
With that, the Class President waved and was the first to leave.
Apparently, Sasha and Karen's people were coming to pick them up.
Satoru said he'd get home on his own, so only Ryuji, Rika, Yaguchi, and I, who were all heading in the same direction, went to Shinjuku Station to catch the subway.
Luckily, there were empty seats, and we naturally sat in a row. Just then, the foreign ghost that had appeared in front of Ryuji looked at me and spoke.
"Kim Yoo-Sung, I have something to ask you. Could you spare a moment after you part with the girls?"
Hearing that, I glanced at Ryuji beside me.
Ryuji nodded.
It seemed the two of them had already talked.
Now that they knew I could see ghosts, there was no point in trying to avoid the conversation.
It was best to face this head-on.
I sent Ryuji a message on a messenger app: 'Okay.'
Ryuji took out his smartphone, checked the message, and put it back in his bag.
*
"Bye! Ryu-chan! I'll text you tonight!"
We said goodbye to Rika, who had one more stop to go, inside the subway car.
Yaguchi, who lived in the same neighborhood, parted ways with us at the intersection in front of the station since his house was in the opposite direction. Naturally, only Ryuji and I were left, heading the same way home.
As we walked side-by-side, Ryuji, who had been sneaking glances at me, finally asked as we turned into a deserted alley.
"When did you start seeing Mahes?"
"...Mahes?"
"Ah, that's his name."
Ryuji pointed to the foreign ghost floating beside him.
When our eyes met, he gave a slight wave.
Figuring there was nothing left to hide, I decided to be honest.
"I started seeing him after I touched that cat-shaped ornament when I visited your house."
"I see. The guidance of the goddess Bastet."
"Goddess Bastet?"
I stared at the foreign ghost, who was saying things I couldn't understand.
Ryuji quickly explained.
"Ah, Mahes is Egyptian. I met him when I traveled to Egypt, and he followed me all the way to Japan."
So this was a culture shock thing.
I looked at Mahes with a new sense of wonder and then brought up the question he had wanted to ask me earlier.
Mahes crossed his arms and began.
"I am a pharaoh of ancient Egypt. And in my era, the title of pharaoh also meant the strongest warrior. In other words, I was the strongest in all of Egypt."
"And?"
"As the strongest warrior, I became pharaoh and gained absolute power, but I was also disappointed by the fact that there was no one who could stand against me. So I asked my closest friend and most trusted subordinate, the high priest, how long I would have to wait for people who could challenge me to be born. His answer was '5,000 years'."
"Five thousand years?"
Did that mean this ghost in front of me was from around 3000 B.C.?
He wasn't just an old-timer; he was practically a fossil.
"So, before I met my death, I had the priest make arrangements. So that I could be resurrected at any time, should people capable of challenging me be born in a future age."
As the story grew more and more grandiose, I shot a look at Ryuji.
"What the hell did you pick up in Egypt?"
"This is the first I'm hearing of it, too."
Ignoring us, Mahes continued to recount his personal history.
"It was truly an age of endurance. You cannot even imagine it, but life in the underworld has nothing that could be called stimulating."
The underworld? Did heaven and hell exist in this world, too?
Honestly, I was more curious about that than his story.
"After 5,000 years, I finally met Ryuji. Perhaps the priest foresaw a future where I would meet this boy."
As the story dragged on, I held up a hand to cut him off and asked, "So, now that you're resurrected after 5,000 years, what is it you want?"
Mahes chuckled—hmpf—as if I'd asked the obvious.
"A thrilling fight with a strong opponent, of course. In the past, I was nothing more than a frog in the well of Egypt. But now, the world is teeming with powerful individuals, and the environment is ripe for me to fight them directly. It has become the very world I desired."
After saying that, Mahes looked at me.
"Kim Yoo-Sung, from what I can see, you are by no means an ordinary person. To accumulate that amount of Tutra, you must have trained relentlessly from a very young age. So, I want you to tell me. Tell me about the hidden side of this world, and give me information on the truly strong."
I glanced at Ryuji, who was standing next to him.
"Sorry to spring this on you, Yoo-Sung-ah. But if you know anything, I'd really appreciate it if you could tell us. It's obvious this guy won't give up until you do."
Hearing Ryuji's words, I hesitated for a moment.
From the looks of it, the current Ryuji knew nothing about the underworld.
Of course, it wasn't like I knew a lot either, but I definitely knew more than these two.
But was it really okay for me to share this information?
I couldn't help but worry that I'd be opening a can of worms.
After thinking for a long while, a clever idea suddenly struck me.
I cleared my throat and said, "Sorry, Ryuji. I don't know much myself, so there's not a lot I can tell you. It's not much of a substitute, but I can introduce you to someone who might know about that kind of information."
"Who is it?"
"You should go here."
I took a business card out of my wallet.
It was the one the manager had given me when I went to the cafe where Fuma-senpai works.
I was glad I hadn't thrown it away.
"Machi☆Asobi Cafe?"
"Just go and tell them Kim Yoo-Sung sent you."
"Thank you. I am greatly indebted to you."
"It's no big deal. You don't have to put it like that."
I stopped Mahes as he started to bow deeply, a dark smile forming on my face internally.
If I didn't want to be the one to tell them, I could just have someone else do it.
Immediately after, Ryuji also bowed his head.
"Thanks, Yoo-Sung-ah. For putting up with this guy's stubbornness."
"Don't mention it. You've got your hands full."
I patted Ryuji on the shoulder and said that since I was home, we should part ways here.
"See you next time."
"See you later! Yoo-Sung-ah!"
After seeing the two of them off, I briefly stopped by the shop on the first floor.
"I'm home."
My mother, who was in the middle of wiping a table, asked with a welcoming expression.
"Did you have a good time?"
I gave her a thumbs-up.
"Of course."
"You must be tired. Go on up and get some rest."
"Okay. I'll see you at dinner."
After popping into the kitchen to let my father know I was back, I carried my bags up to the second floor.
Tiring!
It happened just as I had finished unpacking and was about to put the clothes I'd worn yesterday into the washing machine.
Hearing the sudden messenger notification, I opened my smartphone screen.
[Kim Yoo-Sung, you haven't forgotten your promise with the President, have you?]
"Ah."
Right. I was supposed to go out with the Student Council, too.
I'd completely forgotten.