Chapter 160: The Past of Three People
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: The Past of Three People
"You're in great shape, Kim. What kind of workouts do you usually do? No matter how much I exercise, I can never seem to build muscle."
Hattori, sitting next to me, chattered away like a sparrow.
Considering her looks and the fact that we had just introduced ourselves, it wouldn't have been strange for her to be a bit shy, but she didn't seem to mind at all.
"By the way, didn't you say you were from Osaka? You barely have an accent."
At Karen's question from across the table, Hattori waved her hand.
"Hey, not everyone from Osaka uses the dialect. Maybe a slight difference in intonation, but that's it. The internet is so developed these days, you know."
"I guess that's true."
Karen conceded, picking up a fish cake from her udon.
Then, Hattori turned the question back on us.
"So, what's the relationship between you four?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, how should I put this... the gender ratio of the group seems a bit off."
Usually, it's half and half, or girls hang out with girls and guys with guys, right?
The one who answered her question was Sasha, who had been quiet until now.
"We're rivals."
"Huh? Rivals?"
"We're all vying to be Kim Yoo-Sung's girlfriend."
"W-What?!"
"Wait a minute! Sasha!"
The other two stared, completely startled.
But Sasha, who had just dropped the bombshell, simply asked with an unfazed expression, "Is there a problem?"
To be honest, I was the one in the most difficult position to react.
It felt like no matter what I did, it wouldn't end well.
At the very least, the relationship between the three of them was bound to get strained.
As I sat there, frozen with my chopsticks in hand, Hattori's eyes lit up.
"So you're saying it's like one of those messy love quadrangles from a drama! I love that kind of stuff!"
"..."
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
What exactly are these popular, outgoing types?
One thing was for sure: they were a species I could not comprehend.
*
Lunch ended in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
After a meal where I couldn't tell if the food was going in my mouth or my nose, we returned to our classroom.
I knew all too well that this ambiguous relationship had to end someday.
I knew that dragging it out would only lead to a bad ending.
Whenever I watched a rom-com, I'd curse the dense protagonist who couldn't understand the heroines' feelings, but now that I was in his shoes, I couldn't bring myself to laugh.
Does a happy ending where everyone is satisfied truly not exist in reality?
"Alright, alright! I know you're all sleepy after lunch, but it's the first day of a new semester, so let's power through! Everyone, give the person in front of you a shoulder massage!"
"Yoo-Sung, please be gentle."
The question thrown at me once again had me searching for a solution I could accept myself.
"Ack! Aaargh! Tap! Tap!"
"Ah, sorry."
I quickly took my hands off Satoru's shoulders as he looked like he was about to die from the pain, apologizing profusely.
I must have put too much force into it without realizing while lost in thought.
*
「I'm back.」
Saya, who had been gone for a while, returned to my side just as school was ending and it was time to go home.
"You don't look so good."
「Something happened.」
Saya said evasively, then fell silent with an uncomfortable expression.
It was clear she was deeply upset about something, so I spoke to her in a gentle voice.
"Come on, you can tell me. I'll listen."
She hesitated, pursing her lips, then finally spoke after some deliberation.
「...Ryuji seems to be doing well.」
"Well, I'd expect so."
I didn't know the exact details, but since I'd been resolving some of the incidents he was supposed to have gone through in the original story, he was probably having a relatively peaceful time.
Besides, Maiya ended up being the main heroine in the original.
「I thought I'd be okay even if Ryuji didn't remember me. But... I guess I wasn't. When I saw him happily eating lunch with Maiya, I just snapped. I kept thinking, I'm the one who should be sitting next to him.」
"It's only human to get jealous when you see someone else next to the person you like."
I'd never been in a relationship, but I'd had my share of painful one-sided crushes.
During my first year of college, I saw a girl I had a bit of a crush on coming out of a motel with some guy I didn't know. Honestly, my mental state was completely shattered.
"Speaking of which, when did you first meet Ryuji?"
「When I was little, he lived next door.」
So she was a childhood friend, too.
"Huh? Then do you know Maiya as well?"
「I didn't at first. We became friends after Ryuji introduced us at the playground.」
Ah... oh no.
I could perfectly picture the situation in my head.
Two childhood friends liked the same person. One of them moved away, and the other naturally took her place by his side.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
Saya shook her head, her expression dark.
「Honestly, I don't know. At first, I thought just seeing his face would be enough, but now that I've seen him, I've gotten greedy.」
"Greedy?"
「If only I were still alive, or at the very least, if I hadn't left this town, I could have made so many more memories with Ryuji.」
Her words were steeped in powerful, lingering regret.
And the more she spoke, the more a dark aura began to swirl around her body.
'Isn't this getting a little dangerous?'
Seeing Saya's aura darken, I quickly changed the subject.
"Ah, how about we try this?"
「...Try what?」
"Sasha or I could lend you our body. Then you could talk to Ryuji, even if it's just for a little while, right? And while you're at it, you could get your lost name back."
This way, even Ryuji, who couldn't see ghosts, would be able to talk to Saya.
My suggestion must have sounded like a brilliant move, because the gloom on Saya's face was replaced by a bright smile.
「That's a great idea! Let's do it right now!」
"Whoa, not right now. We have to get Sasha's permission first. You'll have to wait until tomorrow."
「You can just use your body!」
"Imagine a big guy like me talking in a girly voice."
「Uweeegh.」
"See? Sasha's the better option, right?"
「Yeah, gotta admit that's a good point.」
"You need to spend less time on the internet at home. What's with that slang?"
She definitely didn't talk like this at first, but after spending all her time on her phone because she was bored, her speech patterns had gotten a little weird.
In any case, relieved that Saya's dark transformation had stopped, I made a mental note to ask Sasha for a favor when I got home.
*
The first time I met him was through a window.
Before my father's business took off, I lived in a two-story house.
'Hi. My name's Ryuji. What's yours?'
'I'm ■■■.'
'Why are you always lying in bed? Are you sick?'
'Yeah. The doctor said it's a disease they can't name. I was born with a cold body, so my pulse is a lot slower than other people's.'
'What game is that? I'm so jealous. My mom doesn't buy me new games very often.'
'Wanna play together?'
He always spoke to me with a smile, even though I couldn't go outside because I was sick.
Due to my mother's overprotectiveness, I had always been confined to the house. He was the first friend I ever made.
The time I spent with him was joyful.
I hadn't lived for very long, but those three years in that house were probably the most fulfilling of my entire life.
He left me with so many memories.
As my father's business grew and my mother, tired of nursing me, left me with a caregiver to go out, he was the only one who stayed by my side.
'Wanna sneak out to the playground?'
The first time I ever went to a playground was with him.
My mother would have been furious if she found out, but honestly, I didn't care.
That's how important my time playing with Ryuji was to me.
Ryuji went out of his way to help me, since I had trouble getting along with other kids.
Thanks to him, I was able to make many other friends besides him.
But Ryuji was the most special one of them all.
No, he was the most precious person to me.
The day I had to leave town because of my parents, I made a promise with Ryuji.
'When we grow up, will you make me your bride?'
It was a childish promise made with a young heart.
I think it was because I wanted him to run away with me.
I wanted to escape from my suffocating birdcage.
I wanted to be with him forever.
Hearing my request, Ryuji looked surprised at first, but then he nodded with a bright, confident smile.
'Okay. When we get older, I'll make you my wife!'
That was probably the most encouraging thing anyone had ever said to me.
Even when I was abandoned by my parents, recuperating alone in a mansion deep in the mountains, fighting an endless illness, those words remained in a corner of my mind.
In the end, I died a lonely death in that mansion where no one ever visited, but it was okay.
At least I could take my good memories with me.
That's what I thought.
*
"..."
I woke up at dawn and rubbed my eyes, feeling a strange sense of unease as I sat up.
"Was that her dream?"
I looked at the face of Saya, who was still deep in dreamland.
So that's what she was really thinking, even though she always acted so tough.
Honestly, it was a sad story.
They promised to marry as children, but one of them died first.
If I were her, I'd have so many lingering regrets I wouldn't be able to pass on either.
In any case, as a third party, all I could really offer her was comfort.
Ultimately, this was a problem they had to solve themselves.
I checked the message I sent to Sasha last night.
Thankfully, she had replied.
[It's possible. When should I make time?]
Well, I'd succeeded in recruiting the most important person.
Next, I guess I just need to arrange a place.