#338
Great Luck
Seira was a bit flustered the moment she called Wilhelmina ‘sister’, but in this world, it was quite normal according to the common sense that wasn’t from their original world.
Looking at their appearances, Seira and Undertaker seemed to be about the same age, but Undertaker was actually older than Seira.
Moreover, since they were somewhat familiar with each other’s faces and had some level of friendship, it wasn’t weird for Seira to call her ‘sister’.
In the original story, Seira also referred to her as ‘sister’ at times.
The difference was that due to injuries, Seira appeared younger, whereas Undertaker had always been naturally youthful.
In essence, the extreme result of a light novel’s permissiveness that allows for someone to be youthful and not age, like something out of a martial arts novel without any of those fancy settings, is Wilhelmina.
Anyway, Seira had asked a question, so it was my turn to respond.
“Ah, yes. President.”
I nodded to her.
It seemed that Wilhelmina’s survival news had reached Aris.
In the original, Seira believed Undertaker was dead until she faced her true self.
Wilhelmina Heisenberg’s official status was ‘missing.’
Even though it sounds morbidly uncertain, the fact she had been missing for over ten years led most people to assume she was dead.
“Hmm… I see. Got it. Thanks for the important tidbit, Deoksung oppa!”
Seira’s speech pattern swung back and forth as she waved her hand.
Seeing this made me let out a sigh.
Now that everything is fine, I really wish she would just stick to one concept!
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. Did you come to pay your respects for the New Year as well?”
Aris, who had been behind me, looked at me with her silver eyes and spoke.
“Yes, that’s correct. Senior Aris.”
Upon hearing my answer, Aris’s face turned bright red.
She turned her head down and spoke in a small voice.
“…I’m happy to see your face right from the start of the New Year, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris’s earlobes flushed a bright red.
“I wish you and the President a lot of happiness in the New Year as well.”
Just then, as I was exchanging New Year greetings with Aris and Seira, I heard a familiar voice from a distance.
“Deoksung! Happy New Year!”
Amidst the crowd, I spotted a busty beautiful girl in a blue kimono with a deep blue ponytail.
Shinozaki Rin.
According to the official setting, she’s the most Japanese-like and looks best in a kimono among the heroines.
In reality, she looked fabulous in her colorful furisode as she waved at me.
“Hehe. Happy New Year, Deoksung.”
Rin, who had dashed over, looked at me and said.
She spoke while watching.
The moment she tried to slyly link her arm with mine.
“Hmph. Cow. I wish you would refrain from shoving that lewd body of yours towards our Master under the pretext of New Year greetings.”
Eri, who was next to me, placed her hands on her waist and shot a piercing glare at Rin.
“Is it jealousy from those who cannot have? Washboard. Hehe. Why not just admit that you’re envious of my abundant, nurturing, and womanly chest that symbolizes motherhood and fertility?”
“Hmph. I’m absolutely not envious of such heavy, useless lumps of fat! Our Master definitely prefers the slender type! Plus, Eri-Ling is in her growth spurt! She’ll be bigger than now when she becomes an adult! Right? Master?”
Eri, pouting her lips, redirected her arrows towards me.
Likes slender, huh?
Why am I suddenly the topic of discussion?
As I thought, this is embarrassing.
At that moment.
“Hey, Junior! So you were here!”
A familiar voice pierced my ear.
A beautiful girl in a purple kimono that matched her purple hair.
It was Hoshino Kasumi.
She approached me with a chuckle.
“You’re still so popular, Junior? Is this the fate of being a black beast and a bad guy?”
Kasumi started spewing nonsense as soon as she arrived.
My head is spinning.
I looked around.
Haru, Yuji, Olivia, Rin, Eri, Makoto, Kasumi, Aris, and Seira were all gathered.
All the heroines I called upon are here.
Kusunagi is in Yuji’s sword.
Then from now on······.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s go for the New Year’s shrine visit.”
If I let this continue, weird comments will come out endlessly, so it’s best to cut it off here and head to the shrine.
“Got it. Kim.”
To my surprise, Yuji was the first to agree with me.
Thanks for today, at least.
“Hmph. If you insist······ well, I guess I have no choice. After all, I’m your devoted maid!”
She struck a pose while placing her hand over her chest as Olivia replied.
I’ve given up on the devoted maid talk.
Even if I tell Olivia not to act like a devoted maid, she will do it anyway.
“Nishishi. We’re going for the New Year shrine visit? Great! Then I’ll wish to become Haru’s favorite character from now on!”
Haru grinned, showing her teeth.
Why would you even say that out loud?
I’m going to lose it.
“Ahem. Then I should wish to become Kim Rin, the perfect wife for Deok-Sung in the future.”
Rin blushed and coughed lightly in response to Haru’s words.
Is that abominable Kim Rin still not giving up?
“What kind of wish will Eri-Chan make?”
As Makoto poked Eri’s waist, she glanced at her chest and blushed, stuttering as she spoke.
“Um… that’s a secret…”
It’s obvious she’s wishing for her chest to grow bigger in the New Year.
It was like that in the original too.
“Hehe. Nishizawa has quite a cute side, huh?”
Seeing this, Kasumi suddenly appeared and ruffled Eri’s hair.
“Eek!”
Startled by Kasumi’s actions, Eri leaped away from her touch and clung to Makoto.
“Well then, just like Kim Deok-Sung said, let’s do the New Year’s shrine visit and make some wishes.”
Clap.
Aris clapped her hands to lighten the mood.
Everyone nodded in agreement with her statement.
“Yeah. Seira wants to make a wish too!”
Seira, who stood in front of Aris, spoke in a slightly timid voice.
Seira, who was there, speaks in a short, high-pitched voice.
[Big sis…]
The Black Prince lets out a sigh.
Is she still not giving up on that Seira land concept?
With a dizzy head, I followed Aris with the heroines to the New Year Shrine visit.
A shrine building that looks just like what I’ve seen in anime.
Crowded with people in kimonos and suits, our group finally got to make our New Year wishes after waiting for a while.
We stand in front of the offering box.
I see a large rope that rings bells.
During the line, after playing rock-paper-scissors, the heroine beside me for the New Year visit is Eri.
She whispers in my ear.
“Master, the way to make a New Year wish is first to throw a coin in the offering box, pull the rope to ring the bells, bow twice, clap twice, and then pray for your wish before bowing again.”
Eri kindly whispers to me as if I wouldn’t know.
I might know how to do this from all the anime, but I decided to pretend I didn’t.
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
“Ehehe, being praised by Master makes Eri feel great!”
Eri blushes happily at my hollow praise.
She pulls out a 5-yen coin from her coin pouch with a bear embroidery that Rin gave her and tosses it into the offering box, then pulls the rope.
Ding, ding.
The sound of the bell rings.
She bows twice and claps.
Clap, clap.
Then she prays.
I’m not sure if the gods at Kanda Myojin will be effective or not, but I wish that all the stories come to an end this year, and that a two-way gate connecting the original world and this world opens.
After I finish my wish and bow one last time, I step back down.
“Alright, Master! Let’s go draw our fortunes with Eri!”
Eri links arms with me and leads me.
Drawing fortunes.
I don’t believe in superstitions, but I’m curious to give it a try just for fun.
Surely, it won’t be a terrible omen, right?
I remember that Yuji drew a terrible fortune in the original work.
Eri and I arrived at the fortune-drawing station.
The price is 200 yen.
That’s just around 2,000 won in Korean money.
I drop two 100-yen coins into the coin box and shake the wooden box below.
I hear the fortune slips inside getting mixed up.
[Partner. Let’s draw now.]
Listening to the Black Prince, I pick a slip from the wooden box.
The number on the slip is 13.
A slightly ominous number.
I open the drawer labeled 13 beside me.
The fortune paper inside says,
“Wow, Master, you got great luck! Great luck!”
It was Daikichi (大吉).
Daikichi, huh…
‘Well, that’s good luck.’
I’m not someone who usually believes in fortune-drawing, but Daikichi is certainly better than Daikyo (大凶).
Thinking that, I conclude the New Year visit with one last fortune draw.
After finishing the New Year visit, our group left Kanda Myojin, and at Rin’s suggestion, we arrived at the Shinozaki Mansion.
It’s hard to believe this large Shinozaki Mansion is in the middle of the city.
Inside a tatami room overlooking a traditional Japanese garden, the heroines and Yuji’s gazes are directed at me.
On the table are oolong tea and wagashi, but no one dares to touch them.
“Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, what do you have to say?”
The one who broke the silence in the tatami room was Aris.
“Let’s go skiing together! To Korea.”
I couldn’t believe I was actually saying that out loud. How embarrassing!
It felt like the exact thing one would expect to hear from a team leader planning a company workshop.
But hey, I had to deal with Diego Morales before jumping into the final arc.
I needed to set up a trap to take him down, and the only way to do that was to go on a ski trip.
In the original Volume 16.5, Yuji randomly won an invitation to a Hokkaido ski resort during a shopping district event, which led to an opportunity for a ski trip with the heroines. But right now? I had no such excuse.
Thus, I was left with no choice but to drag out the lame reason of “team bonding.”
“How about we all go skiing together? To Korea.”
I can’t believe I actually let those words escape my mouth. It’s utterly horrifying!
Just thinking about the excessive “national pride” makes my eyes go dark and my hands and feet tremble.
“So, a ski trip, huh?”
As I said that, Aris nodded seriously.
“Seira is going! I’m going skiing with big brother Deok-Sung!”
Suddenly, Seira shot up from her seat, raising her hand high.
I never expected her to agree first.
“Eri-Ring is going too! I can’t believe I’m going on a ski trip with my master—my heart is already racing! It’s the first time master took the initiative to suggest a trip, so I’m even more excited!”
Eri clasped her hands in prayer, her face flushed with excitement.
“I want to go on a ski trip with my lord too!”
Makoto, who was next to Eri, shouted.
“Wow, you bad junior! Planning a thrilling ski trip with beautiful girls, huh? Hahaha. You’ve got the harem management down as the Harem King. I’m all in!”
Kasumi-senpai sipped her tea while teasing me.
Harem management? What in the world does she think of me?
“I can’t miss out on a ski trip. Hehe. Good. This is a chance to head to Deok-Sung’s homeland, Korea, and really make my mark as his perfect wife…”
“…I’ll go too, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Rin smiled as she chimed in, and Aris, with a slightly flushed but impassive face, replied.
“Hehe. I, Haru, the ultra-cute JK gal sister of Deok-Sung, have to join this ski trip too. Yuji, you’re coming along as my baggage carrier, right?”
Haru said while covering her mouth with her hand.
“Uh, yeah…”
Yuji nodded at her words, essentially becoming a pack mule. I felt a bit sorry for him.
“Hmph… If there’s a ski trip, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte cannot be left out! I’ll show off the ski skills I trained in the Alps! Everyone, brace yourselves! Ohohohohohoho!”
Lastly, Olivia chimed in with her refined laugh.
After listening to all their enthusiastic confirmations, I nodded and said, “Alright, it’s settled then. Ski trip. Everyone is going.”
Evangeline and Beatrice will be invited through Han Seo-Jin, so that’s all good.
The trip is decided. Now, all that’s left is to go skiing in Korea.
I suddenly felt an intense chill run down my spine as I gulped down my herbal tea.
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