“Virgin?
Swoosh.
Rin flips open a mysterious guidebook.
“Hmm…”
Rin thoughtfully strokes her chin.
Evanjelin watches her with sparkling eyes.
Beatrice glances over, seemingly uninterested.
“The most famous tourist attraction in Beppu is this Hell Pilgrimage,” she says.
Flap, flap.
Rin opens the guidebook to show us.
There are colorful ponds that look like something out of a cartoon.
From blood-red hot springs to cobalt-blue ponds reminiscent of the sea.
Photos of various hot springs fill the guidebook.
And they’re all in unnecessarily bright colors.
Seeing the pictures is definitely fascinating.
As expected from the city in Japan famous for its hot springs, it seems to have all kinds of attractions.
“Besides that, they say there are safaris, amusement parks, aquariums, and cable cars that are also famous, but…”
Shuffling.
Rin flips through the guidebook as she speaks.
Isn’t it unnecessary to see safaris, amusement parks, aquariums, and cable cars here?
“Deok-Sung. Where do you want to go?”
Rin looks over at me.
As soon as she finishes speaking, Beatrice and Evanjelin’s gazes turn this way too.
“Me too! Me too! Kim Deok-Sung! Where do you want to go?”
Swoosh.
Evanjelin looks at me with sparkling eyes in a prayer pose.
It’s like something out of a Japanese animation, those shining eyes.
Seeing it for real is a bit weird.
Is her gaze some kind of LED lamp?
Why is it sparkling like that?
Anyway, my destination was set from the start.
“Let’s do the Hell Pilgrimage first.”
We’ll soak in the hot springs at the accommodation later.
For now, we need to enjoy the sightseeing.
“Wow, wow, wow… I will follow Kim Deok-Sung’s opinion!”
Evanjelin blushes and smiles.
“Got it. Then I’ll guide you.”
Smack.
Rin closes the guidebook.
“Wait! You humans! How dare you decide without hearing my opinion! How outrageous!”
Late to the party, Beatrice protests, but Rin ignores her, and Evanjelin pets Beatrice silently.
“Ugh…”
Beatrice’s face turns red from the petting.
Thus began our Beppu sightseeing tour.
*
The Hell Pilgrimage consists of a total of nine hells: the Boiling Hell, the Sea Hell, the Blood Pond Hell, the Winding Hell, the White Pond Hell, the Monk Hell, the Mountain Hell, and the Golden Dragon Hell.”
Hell consists of a total of nine realms: Guisan Hell, Ocean Hell, Blood Pond Hell, Whirlwind Hell, White Pond Hell, Monk Hell, Mountain Hell, and Gold Dragon Hell.
Of course, it’s called hell, but it’s not the actual hell. It’s just a place where thermally heated water erupts at such high temperatures that it feels like a hell, a name that has persisted since the Edo period.
“…And that’s how it became hell.”
Tap.
Rin closes the guidebook, saying this.
Clunk.
Outside the bus, the city of Beppu, with steam billowing up here and there, can be seen.
They say it’s a hot spring town, but just like Gyeongju where you dig and find artifacts, here you dig and hot spring water bursts forth.
“Wow, wow, wow… Hell, huh… Just hearing it sends a chill down my spine, yet it’s such a fascinating feeling!”
Evangeline’s eyes light up as she sits next to Rin.
“Hm. A pilgrimage to hell… It’s probably just a downgraded version of a true ‘hell’ I’ve experienced, but it seems there are quite useful places in the human world too. I hope I can at least feel a hint of my hometown, Dark Flame Hell.”
Beatrice visibly shows interest, a rare occurrence for her.
Her single eye glows red.
Where on earth is Dark Flame Hell?
This is absurd.
“So, which hell are we going to first, Shinozaki-sama?”
“The Cauldron Hell.”
Rin answers Evangeline’s question.
Just then, the bus arrives at the destination.
As we get off the bus, we see a large Oni statue alongside the rising steam.
An impressively bizarre red Oni statue, looking like a cheap theme park attraction, sits on top of a large cauldron-shaped structure.
“I’ve heard that in the past, people used the steam here to warm water or cook food to offer it to the gods. That’s why it’s called Cauldron Hell,” Rin follows up with an explanation.
Cooking rice with steam?
Seriously?
They do some strange things here.
“I’ve heard this is the most popular spot on the hell pilgrimage…”
“Let’s hurry and go take a look!”
Evangeline, with sparkling eyes.
She seems the most excited here, jumping inside without waiting for Rin’s direction.
“Wait, hold on! Contractor!”
Beatrice follows Evangeline.
“If we’re not careful, we might lose those two. We should hurry too, Deok-Sung.”
Rin says with a serious expression.
We follow her into Cauldron Hell.
In the distance, we can see Evangeline and Beatrice checking out a muddy hot spring.
“Wowww…”
Evangeline’s eyes sparkle.
Upon getting closer, we see a steaming muddy pit.
Except for the hot energy radiating from it, it’s pretty much just a mud pit.
Are we really calling this a sight?
Just then, I click my tongue.
“Look at this sign! It’s written not just in Japanese, but also in Korean!”
Evangeline points to a sign next to her.
So she wasn’t amazed by the mud pit but by the sign instead?
Lo and behold, as she said, the sign really does have both Japanese and Korean on it.
I’ve heard Korean tourists are number one among those visiting Japan, but I never expected to see Korean here.
“I heard Koreans are number one, but I never expected to see Hangul here.”
“But the font isn’t great.”
“Hey? It says over there that this hot spring water can make you look ten years younger!”
Evangeline points to a distant spot that looks like a spring.
The only difference from a regular spring is the steam everywhere.
On a bamboo sign, it kindly reads in Japanese and Korean, ‘Drink one cup and become ten years younger!’
Drinking hot spring water makes you younger?
It’s obviously a scam selling false hopes to tourists.
“Wow… a hot spring water that makes you younger, that’s fascinating.”
“Hmmm. The hot spring water from the Hell of Boiling Cauldrons has special effects…”
“Who would believe that?”
“Tch…”
As I cut her off, Rin bites her lips.
Still, it wouldn’t be bad to try the local specialty, so I headed towards the hot spring water spring.
That’s when I caught sight of a familiar silhouette.
A busty beauty with strikingly darker pink hair than Evangeline.
Rin, recognizing her, gasps in surprise.
“Mayuzumi-sensei?!”
“Who, who said I’m Mayuzumi-sensei?!”
Mayuzumi-sensei waves her hands in denial, her face turning bright red.
“Sensei… to my eyes, it certainly seems like it’s you!”
Evangeline shakes her pink twin-tails and adds, “Ah, no! Sensei mustn’t have been tempted by the idea of getting ten years younger to drink the hot spring water… Ugh!”
Hearing Evangeline, Mayuzumi-sensei freezes mid-sentence and covers her mouth.
Rin, Evangeline, and Beatrice exchange strange looks.
An awkward silence falls among us.
It’s Rin who breaks the silence.
“Sensei… you wanted to be younger, didn’t you?”
“Hmmm. I’ve also heard whispers that Mayuzumi-sensei is an old maid.”
Beatrice innocently chimes in with a pure voice.
Old maid.
Upon hearing that, Mayuzumi-sensei’s face turns pale.
“I-I’m not an o-o-old maid!”
Mayuzumi-sensei shouts, her face flushed.
The age listed in the setting guide for Mayuzumi-sensei is twenty-five.
Considering that the average first marriage age in Korea is late twenties to early thirties, Mayuzumi-sensei is definitely not an old maid by Korean standards.
But unfortunately, this isn’t the reality I lived in; it’s a light novel world where absurdity becomes common sense.
In the light novel world, a woman is considered an old maid if she’s over twenty-four.
Thus, Mayuzumi-sensei is also a victim of the light novel world’s flawed norms.
“I-I don’t admire the chairman for maintaining youth regardless of age! It’s not like I had a fantasy of returning to my peak, ten years ago, when boys lined up to fill the playground, to become the real ‘Magical Girl’ of ten years ago!”
Mayuzumi-sensei shouts, fists clenched.
“What’s going on? Eri, did you just hear a familiar voice? Oh, look, it’s Master and Mayuzumi-sensei!”
“I swear I heard a familiar voice! Oh, that’s Master and Mayuzumi-sensei, isn’t it?!”
“W-wait, wait, could it be you?! Are you actually seducing the teacher on top of being an exchange student?! No more cat burglar shenanigans will be tolerated as a personal maid!”
“Geez······.”
“Nishishishi. Calm down, sisters. Mayuzumi-sensei has ‘not’ fallen for him yet. But it doesn’t really matter since my ultra-cute little sister Haru is already here! By the way, sisters, is this disguise really meaningful? It seems super pointless.”
“Shut up! Be quiet! Kurosawa!”
A familiar voice, not from an extra, comes from nearby.
I turn my head toward the direction of the voice.
Shasha-shak.
I see four beautiful girls hurriedly hiding in the nearby bushes.
It’s Olivia, Makoto, Eri, and Haru.
Of all things, they’re dressed in sunglasses, a fedora, a mask, and a trench coat.
They even hold twigs in both hands, with leaves stuck on their fedoras, thinking that’ll help them blend in.
Do they seriously believe they’re not noticeable like that?
This is serious.
“Ugh······.”
Mayuzumi-sensei shivers.
Seeing that, Rin awkwardly speaks up.
“S-sensei. Cheer up. Age is just a number, right?”
“Kim-kun!”
Then, she suddenly grabs my hand.
What is happening now?
I’m completely taken aback.
“S-sensei, do I really look that much like an old maid?! I want to hear the opinion of the ‘Black Beast’ Kim-kun, the master of harems!”
Her pink eyes sparkle.
Who’s the expert here?
Why does our homeroom teacher seriously believe that?
It’s absurd.
[Partner. The lady is asking a serious question, so don’t give her a rude answer, okay?]
The Black Prince’s voice chimes in my head.
“Kim-kun······.”
Mayuzumi-sensei trails off.
Her gaze turns toward me.
I don’t even need to follow the Black Prince’s words.
“No, you don’t really look like an old maid at all.”
My common sense is still intact.
I haven’t been corrupted by the norms of this light novel world… yet.
“R-really?!”
At her words, I nod.
Her face lights up.
“Waaah! Thank you so much! Kim Deok-Sung!”
Abruptly, Mayuzumi-sensei hugs me.
Her soft, ample presence squishes against my chest.
“Thanks for nothing. I was just stating the facts. Back off a bit.”
I push Mayuzumi-sensei away.
This isn’t the time for that.
“Hehe. Sensei is in such a good mood! See, it’s better not to believe in superstitions and pseudoscience! Students, don’t fall for superstitions!”
Feeling good, Mayuzumi-sensei says as she starts to leave.
Considering she was just about to fall for a superstition, her words aren’t really convincing at all.
Geez.
What a situation to run into while sightseeing.
Just as I was internally tongue-clicking at the chaos, I heard Rin’s voice behind me, colder than usual: “······Deok-Sung.”
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