Chapter 182: The Man Who Knows Too Much
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182: The Man Who Knows Too Much
I made it out safely.
Since this was before Akito met that girl who either reads or hears the truth, if this were a game, wouldn't I have earned a title like 'The First to Deceive a Supernatural Ability'?
Even though I left Hinata with the image of a total degenerate pervert, she’s a woman I’ll never have to see again anyway.
Lust really is the best.
It even works as an anesthetic. By enduring the interrogation while filling my head with every perverted imagination possible, Hinata couldn't read a single thing.
Somehow, I managed to pull it off.
As I lay alone on the rooftop staring at the sky, a shadow falls over me.
"Yahoo! Looking at your face, I guess things went well?"
Right, I knew she’d come looking for me if I was alone.
By the way, today’s panties are black.
I meet the eyes of Park Yu-jeong, who is looking down at me, and give her a smile.
Come to think of it, I wasn't the first.
"How did you do it?"
"Eh? What are you talking about? Ah, ahhh—wait a second."
Park Yu-jeong fumbles through her pocket, pulls out a match, and lights it.
With a dreamy look quite unlike her usual self, she stares at the flame. Just as it’s about to go out, she flinches, waves her hand, and extinguishes it.
Tsk. Why are you throwing the burnt match at my face?
This face is a World Heritage Site, you know. It’s not my private property. Treat it with care.
As I frown and brush off the match, Park Yu-jeong leans down to look at me.
"How did you know I got out of it?"
"I laid out the story we agreed on, and she didn't find it strange."
"Ho-oh... so that means you deceived her too? As expected of Yeon-woo, you're amazing."
Park Yu-jeong wears a somewhat terrifying smile.
Honestly, I only managed it because I’d seen the event where Akito toys with Hinata. But Park Yu-jeong handled it on the spot the moment she saw her, without knowing anything.
Her intellect is chillingly brilliant.
"To react like that without even being told... if you ever become my enemy, I don't think I could stop you. Maybe I should just kill you now."
"Could you spare me? And why are you so wary when you deceived her too?"
"Because I already knew."
"Huh? You knew?"
"Yeah. I’ve hidden plenty of eyes and ears in the Security Bureau 4th Division. I knew in advance that the One Who Hears the Truth was coming."
Why is Park Yu-jeong interested in the 4th Division, which has nothing to do with her?
And she already knew?
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
At my question, Park Yu-jeong grins broadly.
She looks down at me with a smile that’s cat-like yet dangerously excited, making me want to run away right this instant.
"Well—because I wanted to see you panic."
"..."
"But you got out of it so easily. How boring. Or maybe... is it more interesting this way?"
Right, I forgot she was a crazy bitch.
Park Yu-jeong sits down right there with a blissful expression.
Her skirt fans out, and for a moment, being a man, I had some expectations as her panties descended toward my face, but she simply spreads her legs and sits just above the crown of my head.
She sits down primly on her knees, lifts my head to place it on her lap, and looks down at me.
"How did you get out of it?"
"...I'll tell you if you tell me first."
It’s a lap pillow the Comedy Duo would die for, but the soft thighs touching the back of my head feel incredibly precarious.
As if playing with clay or a slime toy, Park Yu-jeong kneads my cheeks while she speaks.
"I used hypnosis."
"Hypnosis?"
"Yeah. You saw the match earlier. That was the trigger to break the hypnosis."
Ah... I see.
In the end, whether they read thoughts or the truth, it doesn't matter as long as the subject being interrogated believes it to be the truth.
Since she knew Hinata was coming, she hypnotized herself to turn the story we rehearsed into her absolute truth.
She really is smart.
"Now it's Yeon-woo's turn."
"...Compared to what you did... I wasn't very smart? It's a bit embarrassing to say."
"You wouldn't do something cowardly like keeping it to yourself, would you?"
Park Yu-jeong squeezes both my cheeks with one hand, demanding an answer.
Left with no choice, I explain that I interfered with the supernatural ability by thinking intensely about sex, without mentioning Hinata's true nature.
"Puhahaha!! Yeon-woo, you really are hilarious. You seriously told the principal you wanted to have sex too? Ahahaha!"
Yeah... it is a bit embarrassing to tell someone else, isn't it?
It’s not like I coolly deceived the ability; I got out of it by thinking about sex.
Park Yu-jeong laughs so hard she even sheds tears.
Every time she laughs loudly, the tremors travel through her thighs to the back of my head.
"I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. I didn't even laugh this much when I saw Butt Man. You have a talent for comedy, don't you?"
"My comedy career is on hiatus for the time being."
"Ehh—that's a shame. You're being too cruel to such a devoted fan."
As Park Yu-jeong, who was looking down at me with a giggle, stops talking, an awkward silence falls.
After staring at each other wordlessly for a moment, Park Yu-jeong smiles slightly.
"Want me to give you a kiss?"
"No."
"Why? Aren't you thinking about sex every day? Ah, should I have asked if you wanted to have sex instead of a kiss? Puhuhu—"
Park Yu-jeong teases me again with another loud laugh.
After laughing for a good while longer, she catches her breath, finally calms down, and asks.
"Yeon-woo, you're really fun. Where did you decide to go for the school trip?"
"I don't want to tell you because I feel like you'll follow me."
"Whyyy~ I'm going to follow you. Tell me."
Park Yu-jeong throws a tantrum, demanding to know the destination.
Malta, Erwan, Barbat.
These three locations are options that are written as 'school trip' but read as 'field training.'
All of them are in different countries from the Government that serves as the stage, so the procedures to go are complicated, and it's not a place you can go just because you want to.
The world outside the Barrier is crawling with monsters; how could anyone just leave?
There is spatial movement that can cross continents or oceans, but it costs an astronomical amount, so only one or two diplomats or high-ranking officials travel back and forth.
The fact that an entire grade is moving as a group shows just how much the Government supports Yggdrasil.
Akito goes to the place he wants, has sex with the girls of that culture, gains power, and returns.
While the magic one can obtain differs, generally, Malta is for basic stats, Erwan is for attribute values, and Barbat is known as the best place to raise proficiency.
The best move is to send the Thug to Malta, the resistance-weak Bukgeuk-jwa and Akane to Erwan, and Angelica to Barbat.
If I'm going to raise Yukina for raw damage, it's Malta, but if I want to develop her Ghost Fire, I have to send her to Erwan. The problem is the Comedy Duo... unfortunately, those bastards also received power from a monster as 'Good Children.'
"Hurry up and tell me~ If you don't, I'll blow up that house you're building again."
"Please don't, because I know you'd actually do it."
"It's not that I might do it, I will do it."
Barbat is actually perfect for Park Yu-jeong.
Since intelligence-based characters usually raise skill proficiency faster, it's better to specialize in that direction.
But it's not like I'm planning to raise Park Yu-jeong, right?
"I'm going to Malta."
"Right, so it's not Malta, but Erwan? Or Barbat?"
"...I really can't lie to you. Fine, I'm going to Erwan."
"Okay, I guess I'm going to Barbat then."
"..."
"Why? You're not going to Barbat?"
Does she have a supernatural ability like Hinata?
I didn't see it in the game, but she might have obtained one separately.
Park Yu-jeong grins as if she knows exactly what I'm thinking.
How on earth did she know I was planning to go to Barbat? I thought I was a pretty good liar.
"I heard Barbat is hot, so I'll have to prepare thoroughly. Ah~ what a shame I won't get to see Yeon-woo~"
Even though she already knows everything, Park Yu-jeong speaks nonchalantly and leaves me alone on the rooftop.
I just got played.
But it'll be really annoying if Park Yu-jeong interferes.
Can the power obtained from an intelligent monster be shared with others?
While I’m lost in various thoughts, I hear the rooftop door opening again, and someone approaches.
However, unlike Park Yu-jeong, who openly showed me what was under her skirt, this person stops a short distance away, keeping their guard up.
Turning my head, I see cold red eyes looking down at me.
Amagi Shizuka.
The character I intended to claim for myself no matter what Akito did.
She isn't just a character anymore.
She is a person who feels joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—a pitiful girl suffering because of her family.
"Why did you call for me?"
"I have a recommendation for the school trip destination."
"..."
Shizuka frowns as if she hates even talking to me.
Still, even if her expression is sour, she’s at least listening now. Doesn't that mean we've gotten a lot closer compared to the beginning?
"You've wasted my time."
"If you leave now, you'll probably regret it."
Shizuka, who had turned to leave, flinches at my words... wait, no she doesn't, she just keeps walking.
Just how much does she hate me? Did that sound like a threat?
"Those eyes. I'll fix them for you."
"..."
At the mention of her beautiful, jewel-like eyes, Shizuka’s relentless footsteps stop.
Good, I’ve got her interest for now.
"What did you overhear that makes you act like you know something?"
Wow... every single word she speaks radiates an aura of 'I don't trust a piece of trash like you.'
In this world, hair and eye colors are as diverse as a random generator, so red eyes like Shizuka's are a common color.
However, there are various rumors about her eyes—that you feel like you're being sucked into them, or that they shine brightly even in the dark.
Why are these Japanese creators such eye-fetishists?
Naturally, there was no way the Japanese developers wouldn't include something related to eyes.
Even Akito has those 'Insight' eyes? Well, anyway, he has some weird, cheating eyes that can see mana and identify magic.
"I've overheard more than you think."
"..."
"Like how your heartless father forcibly implanted those eyes into you?"
Ah, come on. At least listen before you go.
When I paused for a moment, Shizuka immediately turned to leave again, so I brought up her father to stop her.
When Shizuka stopped and turned back...
How terrifying.
I’m experiencing the common expression 'killing someone with a look' in reality, and it's scary as hell.
"The moment you open your mouth recklessly, I will slit your throat."
"..."
I raise my hands above my head in a gesture of surrender.
Since I’m lying down, it looks more like I’m just sprawling out further, but it’s a sign of surrender nonetheless.
Shizuka, who has already swapped back to her katana, slowly approaches me.
She holds the sword, which exudes a chilling aura, to my throat and looks down at me with eyes that look ready to kill at any moment... and yours are white.
I feel like if I mention I can see her panties, she’ll stab me instantly, so I stay still and wait for her to speak.
"What do you know?"
"Far more than you can imagine."
"And the reason I shouldn't kill you?"
Shizuka threatens me with a cold face, suppressing her rage.
No, is this a murder notice rather than a threat?
She really is an Akito-level powerhouse; her anger actually makes me tremble a bit.
"Because if you kill me, you'll have to watch your mother standing next to you for the rest of your life."
Flinch.
Startled, Shizuka looks to her side.
To my eyes, she’s just looking at empty space, but in Shizuka's eyes, she probably sees the half-rotted corpse of her mother, something straight out of a horror movie.
"Can you see her too?"
If the Comedy Duo had said it, it would have sounded like some edgy 'Can you see me?' chuunibyou line, but coming from Shizuka, it looks like a scene from a movie.
"No, I don't have eyes like yours. They're ordinary, but the most beautiful eyes in the world."
"...Then how do you know?"
"I told you. Even if I can't see her, I've overheard more than you'd think."
At my words, Shizuka thinks for a moment before pressing the sword against my neck again.
Hey, that looks like a pretty expensive katana. If you keep pressing it, my mana barrier will drain, so could you not?
Just as I feel my mana barrier depleting from the mere contact, Shizuka asks.
"I see. You are someone related to my father."
"No, I've never even seen your father. Never even spoken to him."
"..."
"He's not exactly the kind of tender person who would talk to a lowly person like me, is he?"
After I take a jab at her father, the pressure of the sword on my neck weakens.
Since she’s softened up a bit, I can talk now, right?
I suppress the urge to keep glancing at her white panties and smile at Shizuka.
"I'll solve that curse for you."
"..."
"Come to Barbat. Ah, I'm not saying I'll solve it right away in Barbat. If it were that easy, you would have solved it long ago, wouldn't you?"
When I reach out cautiously and slowly push the blade away with my finger, Shizuka glares at me, sheathes her sword, and leaves without a word.
There was no answer, but she’ll come to Barbat.
Let's try to win over Shizuka, whom I've been putting off for so long.