Chapter 47
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Why Are You Two Coming Out of the Same House
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Why are you two coming out of the same house?
You know that saying.
School is a small society in itself.
You could call it a preview, a trial version of the harsh reality that teenagers will be thrown into a few years down the line.
Therefore, a class president was someone who served as a role model for the other students.
Han Ju-hee was a prime example.
Her grades were at the top of the school, she was socially active, and she had a reputation for being good-natured.
…Unlike me.
It was safe to say she was the complete antithesis of my lazy and indolent personality.
She was the very image of a meticulous, principled, and exemplary leader.
In a way, it was only natural that Han Ju-hee became the class president.
Just like the way she was acting now.
Ju-hee smiled brightly and extended her hand.
“It must be awkward since it’s your first day after transferring, but I’ll help you out.”
Dayeon stared blankly at Ju-hee. She blinked, unsure how to react.
“You should take it.”
“…Okay.”
After my subtle nudge, she reluctantly shook the hand. She seemed puzzled by the sudden attention.
Man, she’s got her work cut out for her.
Is it because she’s the class president?
She took it upon herself to look after the new transfer student, Dayeon.
I would’ve been too lazy to do that.
Just as I was thinking we were polar opposites, I felt a piercing gaze from somewhere, and a sharp, edgy voice stabbed at my ears.
“You.”
For some reason, Ju-hee shot me a glare. Then she started laying into me.
“Did you finish this week’s math homework?”
“…No.”
“The deadline is tomorrow, and you haven’t done it yet? Are you in your right mind?”
Ju-hee’s voice rose as she glared at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
Baffled by the unwarranted tirade, I couldn’t find the words to argue back.
“I’ll do it by tomorrow…”
“Do you even know what this assignment is? It’s not something you can finish in one day!”
“If I pull an all-nighter, I can probably manage.”
“Are you even listening to yourself right now?”
Her attitude was a complete 180 from how she’d treated Dayeon. Her somewhat harsh and aggressive tone was more than enough to make me shrink.
All I did was miss one assignment, but I had somehow become the worst scum on earth.
“All the other students finished and turned it in to me. You’re the only one left. Do you have any idea what that means?”
Neglecting an assignment given equally to everyone is something only lazy, indolent, and thoughtless people do.
If the submission of the homework is delayed because of me, it’s not just an inconvenience to the entire class, it’s an act that tarnishes the class’s reputation.
Furthermore, the one who has to clean up the mess isn’t me, but her, the class president.
I should learn to get along with my friends, because if I just sleep at school all day, I’ll graduate without any memories. And so on.
Ju-hee went on and on, delivering what was essentially a lecture disguised as a conversation.
Ah, I want to go home.
As I stood there listening, my mind started to go numb. I was just about to drift off to another world when…
“Wait a minute, you! Are you even listening to me properly?”
…Busted.
And so, the conversation dragged on even longer.
The five reasons one must be an attentive listener when communicating with others, the impression a rude attitude leaves on people, and so on.
Ju-hee was teaching me the basic etiquette a person should possess. But her lesson contained not a shred of etiquette toward me.
“Got it?”
“…Yeah.”
I barely held onto my fading consciousness and squeezed out a reply. Only then did my conversation with Ju-hee finally conclude. She snorted, spun on her heel, and walked away.
“Anyway, make sure you bring the homework tomorrow. Honestly, you were the same in middle school, you…”
I stared blankly at her retreating back as she stomped away. Only after she was far enough not to hear me did I manage to speak.
“I thought I was going to suffocate…”
I tried to calm my heart, which had shriveled up completely from the long scolding. I’d almost passed out.
“Who was that, by the way?”
“Our class president. You just met her. Didn’t you hear?”
“It’s just… I don’t know why she’s being so nice to me.”
Dayeon had spent the last ten years alone at school. Perhaps that was why. She still seemed awkward with social interactions.
Well, time would take care of that, too.
I glanced around the classroom. It was a completely different scene from the desolate one a few hours ago.
To think that just this morning, I was chased by the security guard here before my head was smashed in and I died.
Everything that happened this morning felt like a dream. But seeing Dayeon loitering in front of me proved this was reality.
Besides, there was the Status Window.
And come to think of it, the Omake Mode, too.
I suddenly remembered the Omake Mode, the reward I got for clearing the first playthrough.
At the time, things had happened so fast that I hadn’t had a chance to look at it properly.
Maybe I should check it again now. I opened the Omake Mode, intending to examine it carefully.
-Fshhh!
[Omake Mode]
1. Purchase Items
2. NEW! [Click to view]
3. NEW! [Click to view]
4. [To be updated later!]
5. [To be updated later!]
Oh.
Something new had been added.
Was it updated because I cleared Chapter 1?
What kind of new function could it be?
I tapped the screen near the NEW! text.
-Ding!
[NEW! - Progress Status]
【Unreality Progress Rate】
[Click to view]
【@#$%^&*!@#$%^&*!@#$%^&】
‘What the, Progress Status?’
I reread the short pop-up window. …Minus the incomprehensible alien language.
I focused on the name next to the progress rate.
Unreality.
It was the same name as the Tsukuru game I had received via an anonymous email the day before yesterday.
Come to think of it, all these unrealistic situations started happening after I installed the game.
It was as if reality itself had turned into a horror Tsukuru game.
…No way.
A shiver ran down my spine. It was too perfectly timed to be a coincidence.
If the situation I was in was part of a horror Tsukuru game called ‘Unreality,’
then not only the school at dawn but also the system messages that only appear in games could be explained.
It was what you’d call a transmigration.
The horror Tsukuru game ‘Unreality’ had directly possessed my body, completely twisting my utterly boring reality.
In a word, unrealistically.
So that’s what it was.
The source of all these incidents was the anonymous email.
Though it was my fault in the first place for scouring the web trying to find a Tsukuru game.
I let out a sigh.
Reality turning into a game. So that’s why no one could find ‘Unreality’.
The mystery surrounding Unreality was finally revealed.
Anyway, I set aside the matter of Unreality’s whereabouts for a moment and looked at the Omake Mode again.
The most eye-catching part of the progress status was the progress rate itself.
【Unreality Progress Rate - ???%】
[Click to view]
It seemed to serve as a milestone, showing how much of Unreality was left.
When this progress rate reaches 100%, does that mean I clear the game and see the ending?
If so, that would be the end of everything. The ghosts and devils would all disappear, and I could return to my peaceful daily life.
A single ray of hope shone through the pit of despair. Now that it had come to this, I had no choice but to brave through Unreality with the ending as my goal.
That said, I wonder how much is left.
I had just escaped the hellscape that was the cursed school at dawn. I had died, run, and tumbled through so much hardship. I secretly hoped I was at least halfway through.
I cautiously checked the progress rate.
And I doubted my eyes.
【Unreality Progress Rate – 22%】
22%?
Not 77, not 66, but 22?
I couldn’t hide my disappointment at such a low number, not even a quarter of the way through.
To put it simply, to see the ending, I had to repeat what I did at the school three more times.
Vivid memories of the school surfaced here and there. The thought of having to go through that three more times made my heart swell.
‘Damn it…’
It seemed I wouldn’t be seeing the ending anytime soon. The hope that had briefly surged within me plummeted like a roller coaster.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Dayeon poked my cheek.
“Your expression turned weird.”
“There’s a reason for it…”
“Is it because of the homework?”
Dayeon threw the question out casually.
But her words sparked a thought.
“Right, the homework.”
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
The 22% didn’t matter right now. I had been so preoccupied with the game that I had momentarily forgotten the most important thing.
Math homework.
Due tomorrow.
The wailing wall of trial known as homework blocked my path. Just thinking about the piled-up assignment made my head spin.
It hadn’t been long since I escaped the school, yet there was no time to rest. Whether in reality or unreality, life was determined to make me miserable.
‘Damn it…’
And so, my heart swelled at the fact that I had to pull another all-nighter. I collapsed onto my desk and began to melt away.
“Yaaawn, so when’s lunch?”
I turned to the side and saw Dayeon letting out a big yawn. Oblivious to my burning frustration, she was leisurely passing the time.
Her temperature was completely different from the person next to her. Looking at her, I vaguely recalled the conversation we had this morning.
“So, where are you planning on staying from now on?”
“Hmm, I was thinking of going to my one and only friend’s house. Wanna come visit?”
“…That’s my house, isn’t it?”
As expected, Dayeon had no plan.
But that was actually a good thing. I could use this as leverage to make a secret proposal.
“If you really have nowhere to go, you can come to my place.”
“Really?”
Dayeon looked at me with surprise, as if she hadn’t expected me to say that.
“But there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
Following her gaze, I held up a finger. I quickly added my terms.
“Help me with my homework.”
**
The time was now 3 AM.
My eyelids were getting heavier.
My eyes slowly closed.
I started dozing off.
Sleep was gradually creeping in.
Just as I was about to give in to exhaustion and go to sleep,
“Wake up.”
Dayeon pressed an ice pack she’d taken from the freezer against my face.
The cold chill seeped into my bones.
The unpleasant memories of the cold storage room resurfaced, and my mind snapped awake.
“Ugh…”
“We’re almost done. Just a little more.”
As per our secret deal, Dayeon was staying at my place for the time being.
The situation of a boy and a girl living in the same house was more than a little awkward.
Still, I couldn’t just let Dayeon sleep on the streets, and I had to finish my homework by tomorrow, so it was a win-win deal for both of us.
It wasn't like there were any other good options.
And so, we silently worked on our homework in the dead of night.
At first, the assignment seemed like a bottomless pit, but as we quietly chipped away at it, we finally reached the finishing touches.
Even that would have been impossible without Dayeon. The deal with her was definitely an excellent choice.
After fighting off sleep and scribbling with my pencil, the homework was finally finished.
“It’s done…”
“Good job.”
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and threw my pencil down with force. I could finally rest easy.
“It’s already dawn. We should probably get some sleep now if we want to go to school tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
The relief of finishing the homework was brief.
The anxiety that had been lurking beneath the surface bobbed up.
The current time was dawn.
What’s more, there was no one else in this house but us.
And now, we had to sleep to prepare for school the next day.
Together with Dayeon.
In this house.
‘Huh?’
It was just sleeping in the same space,
but for a hot-blooded teenage boy in the throes of puberty, it hit pretty hard.
Amidst my thoughts, I faintly heard Dayeon’s voice.
“Should we sleep now?”
“…You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”
I struggled to maintain my composure and hold onto my sanity.
My house was a small two-room apartment since I lived alone.
It was usually more than enough, but things were different now.
“You sleep here. I’ll sleep in the closet room.”
I discreetly pointed to the room next door. It served as a closet and storage, so it wasn’t fit for a person to sleep in, but it was much better than sleeping with Dayeon.
“Won’t that be uncomfortable?”
“Being with you is more uncomfortable.”
A smile curved Dayeon’s lips as she muttered cryptically.
“…What a shame.”
I pretended not to hear. She was obviously just trying to tease me.
I couldn’t fall for Dayeon’s clever tricks.
The reaction she wanted was for me to blush or stutter like some loser.
“I’m going now, so you get to sleep.”
As a strategic retreat, I quickly left the room. It was the best I could do.
“Wait, I need to ask you for something.”
“What is it this time?”
“Can I borrow some pajamas? I can’t sleep in my school uniform, can I?”
“…Hold on.”
Pajamas.
I wonder if there are any of my mom’s old clothes left.
I rummaged through the closet.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any pajamas.
Instead, I grabbed a spare set of clothes that could be used as a substitute and went back out to the living room.
“There are no pajamas, so you can have this inste—”
I stopped short when I saw the scene in the living room.
Dayeon was slumped over the desk, sleeping soundly with a perfectly peaceful expression on her face.
“Huuu…”
It seemed she was pretty tired too, even if she didn’t show it. She had conked out the moment I left the room.
I didn’t bother waking her. I let her sleep. Still, wanting her to be comfortable, I gently moved her so she was lying down.
“I should get to sleep, too.”
After making sure Dayeon was fast asleep, I went to the closet room to catch some shut-eye.
**
It felt like I had just closed my eyes for a second, but morning had already arrived.
Warm sunlight slapped my cheeks, and the chirping of birds filled the air.
It was a perfect morning to start the day. But I found myself in a less-than-ideal situation.
“Y-y-y-you two! Why are you coming out of the same house?!”
Of all the luck, I ran into Han Ju-hee on the way to school.
Right in front of my house, no less.
“E-explain what’s going on! Right now!!!!!”
Ju-hee shouted, violently shaking the cat doll in her hand.
Was it just my imagination, or was that cat doll staring at me with an unusually intense gaze?
I felt myself shrinking under its unnerving stare.
‘Damn it…’
All I could do was pray for this moment to pass quickly.