Chapter 331
The Ferris Wheel
Endless snow accumulates layer upon layer in Tokyo Death Land.
Thanks to spending quite some time in the haunted house, it seems like quite a bit of time has passed, and outside, the sunset is painting the sky.
The pure white snow is being stained red by the crimson glow of the sunset.
The sight of a snow-covered amusement park with no one around is quite a spectacle.
But seriously, with this much snow, isn’t it going to be a hassle for the snow removal crew?
Every time it snowed, I remember having to wake up at 4 AM during my military days.
The nightmare of snow that never seemed to stop piling up.
Even now, after being discharged, I can’t forget those terrible days.
Just thinking about it makes me shiver.
As I was shaking off those bad memories from my military days in my mind, a Ferris wheel comes into view.
It’s a massive Ferris wheel, comparable to a skyscraper, and I can’t help but wonder why it’s so unnecessarily big, illuminated in colorful lights.
“Welcome, Master’s Master. Ms. Han Seo-Jin.”
As we arrive at the entrance with Han Seo-Jin, Bella greets us.
When did she get here?
Wearing her maid outfit, Bella gives a light smile.
“I’ve confirmed the two of you for the Ferris wheel. I hope you have a wonderful time.”
Bella lifts her skirt politely with both hands as she bows.
With that, the cabin door of the Ferris wheel opens automatically.
“Please, this way, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. Inside.”
Han Seo-Jin leads me into the cabin.
Clack.
As we board the cabin together, the door closes automatically.
With a slight vibration, the Ferris wheel begins to operate slowly.
A ride that’s a must-have in Japanese amusement park event clichés, the Ferris wheel.
Since we’ve made it to the Ferris wheel, unless something unusual happens, this is likely to be the last event of the day.
The only passengers in the high, enormous Ferris wheel are Han Seo-Jin and me.
The Ferris wheel starts to ascend slowly, and through the large glass windows, the scenery of Tokyo Death Land is fully visible.
Typically, this is the part in light novels where a heartfelt conversation happens with the heroine.
“······.”
Han Seo-Jin, sitting across from me, continues to remain silent.
It’s an incredibly awkward situation.
[Partner. Say something. I’m feeling all awkward here.]
The Black Prince speaks in my mind.
Yeah, I guess it’d be better to say something.
I ask her a question in Korean.
“Are you still filming that vlog or whatever it’s called?”
Since I’m asking, I decided to ask something I’m curious about.
That vlog mentioned earlier. There’s no way she’s still filming it, right?
“No, Wilhelmina Heisenberg disabled all the drones that were filming, so nothing is being recorded here now.”
Han Seo-Jin responds immediately in Korean.
Wilhelmina Heisenberg.
Undertaker.
It was a bit awkward with her sudden appearance, but at least she did something good, so I guess that’s a relief.
“······.”
After a brief conversation, silence follows again.
The Ferris wheel spins endlessly.
It’s not the romantic atmosphere depicted in animation.
As I rest my chin on my hand and gaze out the window, Han Seo-Jin speaks up.
“······Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Was it okay to mention the League to them…? Are you scared?”
Han Seo-Jin says in a slightly cautious voice.
If she means ‘them,’ she must be talking about the heroines, right?
“It’s fine right now. Anyway, to properly confront the League, they are essential resources, so I was planning to let them know eventually.”
I just didn’t think today would be that day.
“By confronting them, you mean… are you serious about facing the League head-on?”
Han Seo-Jin asks me with a slightly surprised expression.
“Yeah.”
I nodded at Han Seo-Jin’s words.
It’s just a matter of timing; the Messiah will definitely show up and raid the academy.
His ultimate goal is the underground ruins of the academy, Broken World.
The original’s final chapter, destroying the academy.
Even in this world, where the flow of the original story is completely denied, the final chapter event will definitely happen in the future.
So, I have to be prepared.
“······.”
Han Seo-Jin remains silent at my words.
Her gaze turns towards me.
“······I see.”
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes blaze with determination.
She looks at me and says, “Then I, along with Korea, will fully support you, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Han Seo-Jin’s confident expression.
I was worried she might fall into a sense of inferiority like during last summer at school, but thankfully, she doesn’t seem to be displaying that.
“Thanks.”
“I should be the one saying that.”
Han Seo-Jin bows her head at me.
Her gaze turns towards me again.
“······Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
She speaks to me.
“What do you think of your female colleagues?”
Han Seo-Jin asks me cautiously.
Female colleagues?
Is she talking about the heroines?
Out of nowhere, she’s bringing up the heroines at this timing.
What’s the intention behind the question?
I hesitated for a moment at Han Seo-Jin’s unexpected inquiry.
Han Seo-Jin has her usual expressionless face, making it hard to read her emotions.
I couldn’t figure out her intention.
After some contemplation, I decided to give a model answer.
“What do you mean how do I think? Of course, they’re reliable colleagues…”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Han Seo-Jin’s gaze shifts towards me.
If that’s not what she meant, then what is?
After taking a deep breath to compose herself, Han Seo-Jin says to me with a serious expression.
After a moment of contemplation, she looks at me seriously.
“The real essence of my question is about how you feel regarding the feelings they harbor towards Kim Deok-Sung…”
No sooner had she finished speaking than—
Clank.
The cabin jolts slightly as the Ferris wheel comes to a stop.
We are perched at the top of the Ferris wheel.
It’s so high that not only Tokyo Death Land but also the night view of Chiba Prefecture stretches out before us.
Outside the transparent glass, thick snowflakes swirl around.
The feelings that the heroines hold for me.
[Partner. You’re not seriously going to say you didn’t know, right?]
The Black Prince’s voice echoes in my head.
Didn’t know?
I am not some dull, self-proclaimed ‘average high school student’ with hearing issues who frequently says, “What, huh?”
No way that’s true.
I’ve known for a long time.
“…I suppose it’s true that there are no eyes watching or ears listening here?”
“Yes.”
Han Seo-Jin nods.
She wouldn’t lie.
So, as she said, this Ferris wheel cabin is just the two of us, or rather, three if we include the Black Prince, making it a complete private space.
“So it’s okay to be honest. I swear on my life that I won’t disclose anything about our conversation today.”
Han Seo-Jin tells me.
Why she’s asking this now, of all times, rather than any other heroine… is a bit odd.
But thinking about it, Han Seo-Jin is like the manager assigned to me by the Korean government.
Managing my social relationships is one of her main tasks.
Given that, her question doesn’t seem so strange after all.
It’s just a bit out of the blue.
[Partner… ]
The Black Prince calls out to me in my head.
The answer is actually predetermined.
The problem is that I’ve never voiced it before.
I meet Han Seo-Jin’s gaze.
Her steady gray eyes lock onto mine.
The Ferris wheel is still, the lights shimmering against the backdrop of Tokyo Death Land and the view of Chiba Prefecture.
If it’s Han Seo-Jin and the Black Prince, then I should be able to share my answer.
They might accept it; after all, this topic was brought up by the heroines in the original.
Having made my decision, I looked at Han Seo-Jin and said.
“I know, too. About their feelings…”
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes flicker slightly at my words.
“…Since I know, I’ll take full responsibility for everything after the league’s full-scale battle. I will.”
The way their feelings turned out this way is ultimately a result of the butterfly effect caused by my changed actions since I was possessed.
Thus, I must take responsibility for the flow I disrupted in this world.
Absolutely.
Whether it’s the Messiah’s turmoil or the heroines’ feelings, all of it.
Not once has my heart shaken since that day of the engagement incident.
[Partner, you bastard… ]
“Indeed… I see.”
The Black Prince and Han Seo-Jin respond in unison.
I take full responsibility.
The so-called harem ending.
In fiction, that might be fine, but I knew this wasn’t normal in reality.
But I didn’t care.
I have already decided to take full responsibility for the consequences of my actions, entirely on my own.
Whether that’s possible or not remains to be seen, but I intend to turn the impossible into possible.
After all, the heroines suggested a harem ending to the protagonist at the very end of the original story, so it can’t be that impossible.
That’s what I thought.
Of course, even if the Black Prince and Han Seo-Jin looked at me strangely, there was nothing I could do about it…
[What a man! Hahahaha. This is how my partner should be!]
My train of thought is interrupted.
The Black Prince laughs heartily.
“A man, huh?”
Isn’t it just typical for a light novel world to have such an abnormal mindset?
“Understood. If that’s Mr. Kim Deok-Sung’s will… I will help you.”
As soon as the Black Prince finishes speaking, Han Seo-Jin clenches her fists, and her eyes blaze with intensity.
Her appearance was the most fervent and crazy I had ever seen from her.
If this were an anime, without a doubt, sparks would be shooting from her eyes, and she’d have that fiery aura effect all over her body.
Even I couldn’t help but feel a start at such heat.
What on earth was she planning?
At that moment, when I was already slightly shivering with fever in my body…
[We will now begin the fireworks show.]
A guide announcement comes from the speaker installed in the cabin.
Fireworks at the Ferris wheel.
What a painfully cliché spectacle.
Time had crept on into the midnight hour.
Rays of light shoot through the dark blue night sky.
Bang! Bang!
With the sound of fireworks bursting, reds, blues, and greens of colorful sparks adorn the night sky.
From simple circular fireworks to…
[Merry Christmas!]
A firework with a phrase to celebrate Christmas.
[Black Beast Fighting!]
And even a damn firework talking about the Black Beast, the variety was endless.
Wait, who even put that Black Beast thing in there?
Bang, boom.
After the last firework bursts, the night sky calms down, returning to its original state.
The bright full moon pours down brilliant moonlight like falling snow.
She calls out to me.
“Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
“Why do you call me?”
At my reply, she shifts her gaze to the window.
“……”
A strange silence envelops the cabin.
Why did she call me?
As if making a resolution, she places her hand on her chest.
Her face turned away, so I still couldn’t read her expression.
Staring out the window, Han Seo-Jin slowly speaks in a soft voice, not in Korean but in Japanese.
“……The moon is beautiful.”
The moon is beautiful?
The full moon is shining brightly, but…
[Well, the moon is indeed pretty today.]
The Black Prince’s voice rings in my head.
Why did she have to say it in Japanese of all languages…
At that moment, the real meaning behind her words flashed through my mind.
The true meaning of “The moon is beautiful” in Japanese.
That phrase commonly seen in anime…
“Han Seo-Jin, you can’t be…”
Right when I was trailing off with my words.
Clunk.
The Ferris wheel, which had been stopped, begins to move again.
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