Chapter 121: Monologue (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: Monologue (4)
“How are you here…?”
“Hmm.”
Dorothy stroked her chin, observing me intently.
With [All In the World] and [Emotional Insight], it was impossible to hide one’s inner thoughts and feelings from her. Perhaps her eyes could discern my current state even more clearly than I could myself.
“…”
Dorothy let out a soft smile before her expression shifted into a playful grin. She rushed toward me.
“Nah, whatever! Comforting can come later! Let’s go!”
“Huh…? Uahk!”
Dorothy grabbed my wrist and dashed toward the overpass stairs.
The weak but compelling force generated by her starlight mana pushed at my back. To avoid stumbling, I had no choice but to be forcibly pulled along by her.
“S-Senior?! Where are we going?!”
“Anywhere is fine!!”
With her free hand, Dorothy pressed down her witch hat firmly to prevent it from flying away.
We descended the overpass stairs with haste, practically skipping over the steps.
It was a black-and-white world. Without hesitation, we crossed the street where people dyed in gray moved about like ghosts.
“Let’s go anywhere!”
While running, Dorothy turned her head toward me, revealing her white teeth in a brilliant smile.
A burst of laughter suddenly escaped my lips. I bit my numb lower lip for a brief moment, then laughed again as I let her pull me along.
After all, this girl—the sole person who hadn’t lost her color—looked so radiant.
I was reminded once again why I had liked her so much during my previous life as a State Exam prep student.
*
I shared several stories with Dorothy.
Along with the explanation of the hidden ultimate weapons in Märchen Academy, I told her that this place was part of a trial given by the rock weapon.
I also debriefed her on the current situation: I still hadn’t figured out the conditions for passing this trial, and instead, my situation had worsened as my body turned gray. I glossed over certain things, implying we could discuss the finer details later.
—‘Senior, how in the world did you get here…?’
When I asked that, Dorothy spun an unbelievable tale.
She could vaguely observe countless worldlines… and since her ability had grown stronger, she had reached a level where she could even intervene in them.
I was already familiar with the observation part. Can one call themselves a true fan if they can’t even recite their favorite character’s settings by heart?
However, her ability to intervene was entirely new to me.
‘That’s insane…’
Dorothy was a terrifying existence beyond imagination. Although the Zelver Empire had praised her as a rare genius who would reach the level of an Archwizard within ten years, she was not at a level that could be gauged by mere human intelligence.
Dorothy explained how she had deduced the connection between my unusual actions and the sudden appearance of a new, peculiar worldline, leading her to intervene in this world.
This was a domain far beyond my comprehension… but the only thing on my mind was just how amazing Dorothy was.
Dorothy casually removed the clothes from a department store mannequin and went to the dressing room to change. Out of all the people around us, not a single one paid her any attention.
Surprisingly, anything she touched had its color restored. They returned to black and white the moment she moved away, though.
“How do I look, President?”
A long shirt, short pants, and a neat cardigan that slid down her shoulders. It was an attire reminiscent of the modern era. All the clothes she wore had been restored to their original colors. She had tucked away her original clothes in her magic pocket.
‘Senior, you’re going to be the death of me.’
She was, quite literally, a walking photo shoot.
“It’s perfect.”
“Nihihi.”
When I gave a serene thumbs-up, Dorothy laughed merrily and made a V-sign with her fingers.
Earlier, when Dorothy had held my wrist at the overpass, I had remained unchangingly gray. Even when she placed her hand on my shoulder as an experiment, nothing changed. My color did not return.
The same was true when she touched the shoulder of a female department store employee. For reference, Dorothy was able to touch other people. Regardless, her influence didn’t seem to extend to living beings. It was quite disappointing.
We walked along the streets of Sinlim-dong.
Dorothy was euphoric, exclaiming “So sweet!” while sucking on a lollipop she’d "borrowed" from a convenience store.
How ecstatic is she?
Her voice was drenched with excitement.
“Stealing clothes, dining and dashing. Nihihi, we’re total desperados! Doesn’t this have a certain romance to it?”
Dorothy murmured around the lollipop. Her voice was joyful. As expected of the juvenile delinquent who boasted the most demerit points in Märchen Academy.
“I’m not sure about the romance, but it is comfortable.”
“Righhht~? But, President. Is this the world you used to live in?”
“Yes. It looked like this.”
“President, you really are beyond imagination. I could never have guessed that you came from a completely different world.”
From Dorothy’s perspective, it was understandable to be astounded that I was from another world. But putting that aside…
“…Senior, how did you find me?”
“I sensed your mana. I searched everywhere, you see. I was able to find you by focusing all my strength on mana perception alone.”
Her tone was tranquil.
She had mentioned earlier that she was exhausted to death because she was trying so hard to find me. Not long after the Trial of Sandstone began, she had probably detected the small amount of mana I had momentarily released, narrowing her search to Korea.
And thanks to the [Frostfire] I had released for quite a while, she had sensed that minuscule trace and eventually located me.
“…”
It made me somber. I felt truly sorry…
“Well then! Let’s assess the situation.”
At that moment, Dorothy clapped her hands, signaling for me to focus only on her. As she did, she stopped and gazed at the sky filled with rock mana.
“The sky is falling, and at this rate, it’ll all be over within three days. President has turned gray like the other people. You can’t feel anything even when you touch something, and you don’t feel like you’re still alive…”
‘What the— Why does she feel so dependable?’
Dorothy was actually assessing the situation! Is this really the same Dorothy who got dizzy just from using her head a little?
“President, for now, you see!”
Did she already find a solution?
“Yes.”
I swallowed dryly and listened carefully to her words.
“Let’s play.”
…What?
*
In a way, Dorothy’s suggestion had its merits.
The Trial of Sandstone created this world based on my own traumas. The reason the scenery and my body had started turning gray was definitely because the feeling of isolation and social withdrawal during this point in time had become more severe.
So, if we played around and had as much fun as we wanted to make me feel better, there was a possibility that my condition would improve.
As such…
“All the songs of this world are lying in wait in this cramped space, right?! Oh, President? What’s this box? It keeps changing, eh?!”
We arrived at a coin karaoke booth.
The reason was that Dorothy, who particularly loved music, wanted to fully enjoy what this world had to offer. …I did have a reasonable suspicion that her suggestion was just because she wanted to sing, though.
Once she entered the booth and saw the karaoke machine, Dorothy was amazed. It felt a bit like I was a father who had brought his little daughter to see the world.
“Senior, you don't even know these songs, do you?”
“I heard this and that while wandering around. It was so fascinating~. I liked the songs here!”
It was common to hear music while walking down the street. It seemed that while Dorothy had traveled around Korea looking for me, she had stopped at times to enjoy various songs.
If Dorothy were Korean, she would have definitely dreamed of becoming a singer. After all, she had extraordinary talent and a knack for memorization when it came to singing.
“What’s this funny-looking stick?”
“It’s a mic. Uh, it’s like a speaker.”
“Ah, ah—.”
“Ooooh!”
When Dorothy held the microphone and made some sounds, her beautiful voice resonated within the small space. It was funny to see her amazement.
Dorothy and I sat side by side in the narrow booth and chatted. It was genuinely fun to see her so fascinated by modern culture.
“Ah, President. Do you know this song?”
Dorothy cleared her throat and hummed a single syllable. I recognized it instantly and pressed the remote control button to play the track.
「Violet Fragrance – Kang Susie」
As the music started to fill the booth, Dorothy’s head flinched in bewilderment. However, she soon got excited, blushing and smiling brightly at me. She immediately stood up, holding the mic in both hands.
The awkward atmosphere that usually accompanies the first song of a karaoke session vanished instantly. The machine started playing a random music video.
“What’s that? Why are strange people and animals appearing?”
“Just ignore it.”
“O-okay…!”
Eventually, the first verse appeared on the screen. Dorothy couldn’t understand the lyrics displayed, but it didn’t seem to matter to her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes with a smile.
Then… 3, 2, 1.
“You came to me gently~ like a violet light~.”
Ooooh…!
Suddenly, my heart pounded as my fists clenched. As Dorothy’s beautiful singing turned into a flowing melody, my sense of hearing was overwhelmed with satisfaction.
Whew. Even though I didn’t have a sense of touch, it was such a relief that I could still see, hear, and smell…!
‘My ears are being blessed…!’
I covered my mouth. It felt like I was being moved to tears. After all, her gestures may be dainty, but she is breathtakingly beautiful…!
“You wereeeeee~~!! The one who gave me~~ love~!”
Even her high notes were perfect. As I cheered, Dorothy extended her arm toward me, making a V-sign. Her bashful smile looked so delighted that it lifted my spirits as well.
Soon after, Dorothy’s rendition of 「Violet Fragrance」 ended, and the karaoke machine displayed a score of 97 points.
This impertinent bitch of a machine dared to give Dorothy’s performance a score that wasn’t a perfect 100? How fucking dense and stupid can it be?
“Nyahaha! That was fun!”
…You’re lucky Dorothy’s happy. Thanks to her, you’ll live to see another day.
“Senior, I’ll sing too.”
“President, isn’t this the first time you’re going to sing in front of me?”
“I wasn’t familiar with the songs from that world. I know these ones well.”
“Nihihi, okay!”
I got up and played 「Trip To Myself – Buzz」.
I was planning to sing all the songs I had listened to whenever I had a tough time during my prep student life.
A familiar bass sound. Followed by explosive drums and electric guitar.
Now, 3, 2, 1.
“If! You run to the end of that blue seaaa~!”
“Oooh, Presidennnnt! Oh myyyyy~!”
“Over there with a horseee~!”
Yes! This is it!
The feeling of suffocation, akin to a clogged toilet, burst as it was released from my stifled emotions. Just like I did, Dorothy excitedly moved her body up and down to the beat.
And at the highlight, when I grabbed my stomach and shouted with excessively excited gestures, she exploded into laughter. After finishing the first verse and moving on to the second, she joined in, immediately grasping the mood of the song.
We danced together, and in the chorus, we screamed the high notes in unison.
“”Far away you’re my sunshine! We were together~!!””
I was grinning because it was so much fun. I listened as Dorothy’s laughter mixed with the music. We stomped our feet, jumping around like lunatics.
As Dorothy, who somehow knew various songs, sang famous hits in her own style… I also sang all the songs that had comforted me during my prep student life to my heart’s content.
It was a lot of fun.
◆ ◆ ◆
Agh, my throat hurts.
But well, it was still fun. Though, I shouldn’t be saying such things while looking at the scenery of the world ending.
“That was so much fun! What did you think, President? Have your ears been blessed?”
“Yes. I seriously think that even if I die today, I won’t have any regrets.”
“Good! That’s a perfect answer!”
Even though she had belted out so many high notes, Dorothy’s voice was still perfectly fine. Of course it was. Why wouldn’t it be? Would a goddess lose her voice just from singing a song made by a human? Of course not.
We arrived at the park and sat side by side on a bench, gazing at the Descending Sky.
My body was quite stiff and heavy now. It felt like I couldn’t move freely anymore. It seemed the petrifaction of my real body had progressed tremendously.
“President.”
“Yes.”
“If you were to die today, what would you want to do?”
Where did that even come from…? And what kind of question was that…?
“Isn’t that a bit of an inauspicious question…?”
Don’t foreshadow so ominously…
“Still, the scenery of a world ending like this is not something you can easily see wherever you go, right? It’s not a bad idea to immerse ourselves in our emotions at a time like this.”
“…What does Senior want to do?”
“Eating chicken while watching the world meet its end?”
“Why chicken?”
“It’s delicious.”
At such a one-dimensional answer, I was speechless for a moment. Of course, I agreed with the fact that chicken was delicious.
“What about President?”
“I haven’t thought about it. After all, I don’t plan on dying just yet.”
“…You’re no fun.”
Dorothy giggled but didn’t continue the conversation. We sat in silence for a while.
And suddenly, something soft and supple burrowed between my fingers.
“…?”
I turned my head and looked toward my hand.
Dorothy was holding my hand, which I had set down on the bench, her fingers interlocked with mine. As I looked at her in a daze, her bright smile, shining like starlight, reflected in my eyes.
“Now you can feel a sense of touch, right? I was just trying it out as an experiment.”
“…”
“President, your color has returned.”
In a world dyed in black and white, my body—just like Dorothy’s—had regained its original color before I even realized it.