Chapter 137: I Forgot
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: I Forgot
"Young Lady! Are you alright!"
The one shouting urgently as he stepped off the cruise ship was none other than Mr. Meguro, the head manager of the island mansion.
He was startled to see me standing next to the President, but he quickly cleared his throat and spoke to her.
"We were worried when we lost contact with you after you went out on the yacht yesterday. Fortunately, you sent a rescue signal in time, so we came looking as soon as the sun rose."
"It was all thanks to my attendants, Minami and Shinji. They said they would climb to a high place to send a rescue signal."
"Come to think of it, I don't see the two of them."
"They should be back soon. It seems they slept on the mountain since it got too late yesterday."
"Young Laaaadyyyyy!"
Speak of the devil. With uncanny timing, the Vice President came running from a distance.
Of course, Minami was with him.
"Were you alright while I was gone! Are you hurt anywhere?!"
As the Vice President said this and shoved his face forward, the President pushed his face back with a look of disgust and said, "I'm fine because Yoo-Sung protected me. But what about you two? Are you okay?"
Minami was the one who answered.
"We were fine. We found a cave halfway up the mountain."
"I'm glad to hear that. You did well, Minami."
"I was only doing my duty."
While the master and her retainers were exchanging pleasantries, Mr. Meguro, who had been watching from the side, approached and said, "Now, now, let's save the rest of the stories for when we get back. You must be tired from sleeping in an unfamiliar place, so I've hastily arranged for a cruise ship."
"Shall we?"
The President looked pleased at Mr. Meguro's suggestion and turned to us.
"Then let's go back. All of us."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
With the Vice President and I answering in unison, the student council members' short time as castaways came to an end.
*
"Thank you for everything!"
"It was a short time, but it was an honor to serve you, Young Lady."
"I was also glad to have met someone as kind as you, Mr. Meguro."
The student council's special intensive training camp, a four-day, three-night affair, came to a successful conclusion today.
At first, I wondered what they meant by strengthening our 'friendship,' but looking back, it seems the student council members have developed a strong bond.
If one thing became clear during all this, it's that I probably don't need to go to the beach again this year.
Including the time the Group D members went to the beach, I've had more than my fill of swimming in the ocean on this island.
The student council members, myself included, thanked the mansion staff for taking such good care of us for four days and three nights, then boarded the khaki-colored buggy.
It had been our ride since the first day.
"I guess this is goodbye to this thing, too."
As I said that and patted the vehicle's body, Minami fiddled with the steering wheel, as if she too was sad to part with it.
"Driving this makes me want to get my driver's license as soon as possible."
"You're addicted to driving."
At the Vice President's remark from the passenger seat, Minami pouted and said, "No, I'm not!"
Anyway, with everyone on board, we left the mansion's grounds and headed for the pier.
Vroooooom!
The island scenery flew by with the roar of the engine.
From far away, I could hear the chirping of cicadas in the trees.
Now that the day to leave had come, I felt a strange sense of sentimentality.
This was something I couldn't even have imagined last year. To think my surroundings could change so much in just one year.
Compared to my overwhelmingly bleak school days or my time as a graduate student, my life now felt like it was sparkling.
'So this is what youth is.'
A season that was gray for some was blue for others.
The President, who had also been quietly watching the receding island scenery, suddenly turned her head and asked me, "Did this trip become a good memory for you?"
It was an unexpected question, but I answered without hesitation.
"Yes. I think it will be a good memory."
The summer, with its sweltering heat in full swing, was slowly drawing to a close.
*
The fourth Thursday of August.
As if a late rainy season had arrived, it rained all day yesterday.
Thanks to that, my mother grumbled that the laundry wouldn't dry, but I deliberately looked away, pretending not to notice.
After all, more than half of our household's laundry came from my workouts.
Anyway, it felt like summer vacation had just started at the end of July, but after a few major events, it was already nearing its end.
With school starting in two weeks, I was in a hurry to finish my summer homework.
If I didn't start chipping away at it now, I could already picture myself cramming it all in the day before vacation ended.
Anyway, I'd been cooped up in my room doing homework from morning till night, and my brain was about to cramp up.
Since I was the top student in my grade, solving the problems themselves wasn't difficult, but the sheer volume was the issue.
Still, sitting at a desk for hours on end just solving problems is bound to make your body ache.
"Hoo— That's enough for today."
Having finished about half of my math homework, I closed the book and stood up to stretch.
After sitting at my desk for the better part of half a day, my muscles felt pretty stiff.
I should go for a light jog before dinner.
I neatly placed the dumbbells I'd been using while studying in a corner of the room and changed into some light workout clothes.
The thought of abusing my body after abusing my brain was enough to make me whistle.
I quickly stopped by the dining room on the first floor to tell my parents I was going for a run so they wouldn't look for me, then ran my usual jogging route for about thirty minutes.
My brain, which had been starved of oxygen from being cooped up in my room, was now getting fresh air, and it felt like all my fatigue was melting away.
"This is why I work out."
It's always new and thrilling.
After finishing my workout, I stopped by a convenience store on the way home to buy a chicken breast for a snack.
The frozen chicken breasts I usually eat aren't bad, but the ones from the convenience store are a tasty treat now and then.
Beep!
"Kim Yoo-Sung. It's been a while."
"Fuma-senpai?"
Startled by the familiar voice from the checkout counter, I looked up.
There, standing in front of the POS machine, was Fuma-senpai, dressed in the distinctive blue-striped uniform of a Lawson convenience store.
"I haven't seen you at the gym for a while. Something come up?"
Fuma-senpai said, handing me the chicken breast after scanning the barcode.
"Are you working part-time here now?"
Fuma-senpai nodded.
"The last place I worked didn't throw out much food."
"...You have it rough."
It was such an overly realistic reason that I couldn't help but look at him with pity.
"Anyway, what about my question?"
"Oh, that. It's because I changed my workout time. I've been going during the day recently instead of in the evening."
"I see. I thought you were avoiding me because I made you uncomfortable."
"You could have just asked the Director or Kazuya. They would've told you."
"I don't like those two. If I ask about you, they'll just try to tease me."
"...Ah."
He wasn't wrong about that.
They're both more interested in other people's love lives than their own.
"By the way, a kid named Ryuji came to the café a while ago. Was he the one you sent?"
"Ah, yes. Did he stop by?"
"He apparently dropped your name out of the blue and asked to be taught about the underworld. At first, they tried to send him away nicely, but my sister got interested when she said he seemed to have a powerful guardian spirit attached to him."
"Guardian spirit?"
Is he talking about that Egyptian ghost, Mahes?
"She said it was a spirit with a level of power rarely seen these days. I heard she even spoke with it directly."
"You don't seem to know the details?"
"He came on a weekday, so I wasn't there. I only work weekends."
I see. Can't be helped, then.
As I nodded and asked him to heat up the chicken breast, which I had already opened slightly, Fuma-senpai narrowed his eyes in annoyance but dutifully took it back from me.
"By the way, Kim Yoo-Sung, vacation's almost over. When are you planning on visiting our village?"
I froze in the middle of putting my wallet away.
"Ah."
"Don't tell me you forgot about your promise."
"No, it's just... I've had so much going on lately, I haven't had a moment to think..."
The more I spoke, the sharper Fuma-senpai's glare became.
In the end, I gave up on the excuses.
"I'm sorry. To be honest, I forgot."
"Haaah... Honestly..."
Fuma-senpai shook his head as if he had a headache, then spoke while holding the now-heated chicken breast.
"Then let's strike while the iron is hot. How about this weekend? I think I can get a day or two off from my part-time job."
"This weekend?"
I quickly ran through my schedule in my head.
Fortunately, I didn't have any plans.
"I think that should be possible."
Only then did Fuma-senpai's expression soften as he handed me the chicken breast.
"If you had said no, I would have held this hostage."
Holding protein hostage in front of someone who just finished a workout... what kind of evil scheme is that?
I was once again reminded that Fuma-senpai was a heartless ninja.