Chapter 274: Rainbow Bridge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 274: Rainbow Bridge
Although we couldn't ride the Halfpipe Tokyo, Joypolis was still packed with things to do.
There was the ‘House of the Dead,’ a haunted house-like experience; the ‘Gekion Live Coaster,’ which combined a rhythm game with a roller coaster; and ‘Zero Latency VR,’ a multiplayer shooting game using VR headsets.
Thanks to all the unique attractions you wouldn't find in a typical amusement park, I felt like a kid again and completely lost track of time as we played.
"Phew! Nothing beats a soda after working up a sweat!"
"Well, it's not bad."
"Haha…"
After running around nonstop for nearly two hours, we finally sat down on a bench. Hearing Rika and the President's comments, I let out a dry laugh and leaned my head back.
I'm exhausted.
Not physically, but mentally.
I wondered if the President and Rika were a cat and dog in a past life, the way they were always at odds over every little thing.
And yet, when they were actually together, they seemed to have fun, which was confusing for me to watch from the side.
I couldn't tell if they got along or not.
It's probably because of the original story.
It felt a little late to be thinking about it now, but the President was the classic villainess character.
As someone who stood in opposition to the heroines by the protagonist's side, it was only natural they wouldn't be compatible.
But the President I knew was mature, even if she could be a bit clumsy, so I thought she'd get along with Rika. It seems I was mistaken.
"Ryu-chan! Let's go play air hockey next!"
Already rested, Rika grabbed my arm and started pulling me along.
"Air hockey… I've never heard of such a game before."
Perhaps because of her sheltered upbringing, the President was still unfamiliar with the ways of the world.
Though their personalities were completely different, the expressions they wore as they looked at me were identical.
"Alright, let's go."
It was the kind of expression that says you're so fond of someone you don't know what to do.
I really am the luckiest guy in the world.
With that thought, I offered an arm to each of them and headed toward the indoor arcade inside Joypolis to play air hockey, just as Rika wanted.
*
"You're terrible at this, President~"
"Ugh! Let's play again next time!"
"Nah~ At this rate, it'll take you a hundred years to beat me, you know~?"
"Grrrr!"
It was nearly 4 p.m. by the time we left Joypolis.
Rika, who hated walking for long periods, seemed to want to stay and play more, but the Fuji TV building, which was on our date itinerary, closed at 6 p.m., so we had no choice.
Leaving Joypolis with a hint of disappointment, we walked five minutes to the Fuji TV broadcast station.
"Wow! It's the Hachitama observatory!"
Rika pointed at the station building in front of us, her voice filled with the excitement of a student on a school trip.
Well, I couldn't blame her for reacting that way; it was a world-famous landmark.
One of Fuji TV's most distinct features is its exterior, which is covered in titanium, making it shimmer so brightly you can spot it from a distance.
Following the glittering silver walls upward, you could see a spherical observatory near the top of the building.
Commonly known as Hachitama (はちたま), it was a symbol of Odaiba, appearing in countless anime, dramas, and movies whenever the setting was Odaiba.
Everywhere we'd been today was crowded, but being Christmas Eve, the area in front of Fuji TV was also bustling with couples on dates and families out for a rare outing. It looked like any of the hands-on programs for visitors would take up too much time, so we decided to just look around for today.
"Wow! I loved that anime when I was a kid!"
Rika darted around the program exhibition hall inside the building like a puppy let loose in a field of snow.
The President, on the other hand, browsed a list of past cultural and current affairs programs, muttering to herself, "This one was interesting…" completely lost in her own world.
Unlike the two of them, I was only in my third year of being transmigrated and had no particular memories of Japanese TV shows, so I could only stand there like a totem pole.
It was at that moment.
"Ah! You're Kim Yoo-Sung from The Blue, right?"
One of the tourists passing by recognized my face and shouted.
"What, what's going on?"
"Is that young man an actor from a drama?"
"Oh, I know him. You know that video that was trending on YouTube recently? The Real-life Bancho!"
That drew a ton of attention, and a portion of the people passing by started to gather around me.
And as they crowded around, other passersby began to show interest, and a vicious cycle began in an instant.
"Um… can I get a picture with you? I want to show it off to my friends."
"Me too! Me too!"
"Take one with my kid, too!"
Before I knew it, I'd become the Pied Piper. Trapped by a wall of people, I was stuck.
Click! Click!
The sound of camera shutters erupted from all directions.
The curious gazes of the crowd.
The clamor of people begging for just one photo.
It was, in a word, complete chaos.
It was obvious I was becoming a nuisance to others who had no interest in me, so I quickly looked around.
Ah.
I saw Rika and the President standing a short distance away, waving their hands frantically, having noticed my predicament.
When Rika saw that I'd spotted her, she pointed a finger toward the entrance.
She meant for us to meet up there.
I gave a slight nod to signal I understood, then pretended to be overwhelmed by the constant photo requests as I backed away toward the wall behind me.
The circle of people slowly closed in.
A little more, and I'd be trapped in the throng, unable to move an inch.
I have to escape before that happens.
Having made up my mind, I spun around just before the crowd could get any closer.
Fwip!
I kicked off the wall right behind me, launching myself nearly three meters into the air in an instant. I sailed cleanly over the human wall and landed on the other side with a roll.
"Woooooah!"
"What was that just now?!"
"That's insane!"
"Japanese ninja!"
Not only the Japanese locals who recognized me, but even ordinary foreign tourists stared at me with wide eyes.
But I wasn't fond of the burdensome attention, so I said to the crowd, "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry," and fled without a second glance.
"Awesome! I've gotta post this on Twitter!"
Little did I know that this would give birth to yet another internet meme.
*
Because of the small commotion inside the broadcast station, we practically fled from the Fuji TV building. With our tour cut short, we had an early dinner at a nearby family restaurant.
"I'm sorry. We couldn't even look around properly because of me."
As I said that and bowed my head, the President wiped her mouth with a napkin and shook her head.
"It's alright. It's not like you did it on purpose, Yoo-Sung."
I still thought of myself as a normal person, but it seemed that after my face appeared on a terrestrial broadcast, the frequency of people recognizing me had increased.
I never imagined it would cause trouble on the day of our date.
Thankfully, both of them accepted my desperate apology, but looking back, I felt like I'd dodged a bullet.
"It's not much of a substitute, but let's make sure we go up to the Rainbow Bridge observatory."
Just as famous as Fuji TV's Hachitama observatory was the one on the Rainbow Bridge, the bridge connecting Tokyo and Odaiba.
That's where I'll give them these, too.
I fiddled with the cases for the necklace and bracelet in my pocket.
I had been looking for the right moment to give them the gifts all day, but for a romantic atmosphere, there was probably no better way than watching the night view.
"Ryu-chan, what are you suddenly thinking about?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing."
Snapping back to reality at Rika's call from across the table, I mumbled a vague reply and glanced at the massive bridge visible outside the window.
The Rainbow Bridge.
That was the site of today's final showdown.
*
After eating dinner at the family restaurant near Fuji TV, we headed straight for the Rainbow Bridge.
"Alright, let's take a light walk to help digest our dinner."
"Sounds good."
We set off from Odaiba Seaside Park around 6 p.m. and began to cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot, aiming for Shibaura-futo Station on the other side.
The sun set much earlier in winter, and the Tokyo sky was already dark.
But thanks to the brilliant lights of the Rainbow Bridge illuminating the darkness, the spectacular night view of the city was laid out before us over the shimmering black water.
"It's beautiful," Rika murmured, gazing blankly at the city as we walked along the pedestrian path.
"It really is."
Even someone who normally didn't care for beautiful scenery would have their heart stolen by this overwhelming sight.
Countless starlights floating between the dark night sky and the dark sea.
The colorful, brilliant city lights held a subtle magic that captivated the heart.
This must be what people mean when they talk about being drunk on the atmosphere.
"Ah, there's the observatory."
After walking nonstop while admiring the city's nightscape, we finally arrived in front of the observatory.
I pressed the elevator button to go up and said, "I'm not usually a fan of these things, but I'm actually looking forward to it today."
The President, standing next to me, smiled faintly and said, "Me too."
Hearing our conversation, Rika added, "Me too."
Ding!
The elevator finally arrived.
As the tightly shut doors slid open, we all boarded at almost the same time, as if on cue.
To ascend to the observatory on the top floor.