Episode 455 – Farewell, and.
A sigh mixed with resignation escaped my lips.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Everyone, run away!!!”
“No! No! No!!!”
“This can’t be happening!!!”
People started fleeing chaotically at that signal.
Well, I somewhat expected this reaction.
Right now, Hyeji and the monsters just revealed themselves.
So it’s only natural for them to be shocked.
[Honestly, if they weren’t scared by this sight, it’d be surprising.]
‘True, I’d probably be scared too.’
That’s how dangerous Hyeji and the monsters are.
Of course, we honestly have nothing to be ashamed about.
We didn’t come through illegal means; we followed normal procedures.
That’s why we had to endure some hardships for a while.
“Mom? What’s going on?”
“Sweetie! It’s dangerous! Get out of here if you don’t want to die!!!”
“I have to live!!!”
Even so, their reaction is pretty concerning.
The fleeing people have nothing to do with us; they’re from another world.
Thus, they are completely unaware of our situation in Japan.
But of all times, both Hyeji and the monsters showed up.
[Are you planning to stay like this?]
‘Well, let me at least try speaking out.’
To be honest, I don’t expect much.
With two dangerous beings around, would they leisurely listen to me?
It was a race against time to escape, let alone report the situation.
But still, I was thinking of at least giving it a shot.
If things go sideways here, other problems will follow.
Because the worst-case scenario is having to send the monsters back to South Korea.
Anyway, with my role set, I put on the biggest smile I could.
With an innocuous gesture, I approached the people with my palms wide open.
“Everyone, please calm down a bit. This isn’t dangerous!”
To soothe the panicked crowd from Hyeji and the monsters’ presence.
“Eek, harmful species Kim Shinwoo is here!!!”
“This is a violation of the Japan-South Korea treaty!!!”
“This is how World War breaks out!!!”
“South Korea has unleashed Kim Shinwoo on Japan!!!”
Their chaos stemmed from me, for some reason.
I couldn’t understand why.
Hyeji is there, and so are the monsters.
Why am I the focus of all this?
I’ve had a fucked-up start in this fucking country, and all they do is freak out.
Seeing their reactions made me explode without thinking.
“Hey, you fucking bastards!!!!!!”
Of course, no one was left in that place to hear me.
As a result, my pent-up shout echoed back at me in emptiness.
The heroines tried to comfort me with various words.
“Of course, Shinwoo. You qualify as my boyfriend.”
“We’re really playing in deep waters now!”
“Yeah, this is what it means to be worthy of my partner.”
“I guess we could even start a religion at this rate.”
I couldn’t take that as comfort; my heart had taken a heavy blow.
[Looks like a commemorative event will be created.]
‘Shut up, you fucking bitch.’
Japan truly was a fucked-up place from the get-go.
*
“I’m so sorry. Did you wait too long?”
“…No, it’s fine.”
Despite saying that, the crew from the Monster Rights Association soon arrived.
They brought a huge dump truck to take the monsters away.
With this, one of our tasks was coming to an end.
“By the way, you don’t look too happy. Is something wrong?”
“…I just can’t adapt to being in Japan for the first time…”
Basically, I was feeling completely pissed off.
“I see. Hang in there. It’s normal to be a bit overwhelmed in a foreign country.”
“Yeah… Thank you for your words…”
Objectively, things had gone smoothly until now.
Even though the monsters had been exposed to others, nothing major happened.
They hadn’t been attacked, nor had they attacked anyone else, so…
Except for one idiot whose dick got cut off.
[Why did you have to put the breathing hole down there?]
‘Did you expect any differently, fuck?’
Besides, I was a bit surprised that nothing happened even after Hyeji was revealed.
Even if people in Korea have gotten used to walking disasters…
This was the first time for them to actually see Hyeji, not just hear about her.
Honestly, I anticipated them screaming about a third nuclear disaster over a little girl.
“What kind of fucked-up thing are you thinking this time, Shinwoo?”
“…Nothing.”
It was genuinely nice that wasn’t the case.
Yeah, everything’s great.
All’s good, but…
Why did they react that way the moment they saw me?
Of course, thanks to that, everyone disappeared completely.
Without anyone around, I didn’t even have to wear my hood to hide my identity.
But more than that, it made transporting the monsters easier.
Still, it hurt; it really hurt.
[A harmful species is more frightening than a natural disaster in this world, right?]
‘Ah, shit…’
As I got lost in my sticky thoughts filled with wounds,
the Monster Rights Association people had loaded all the monsters into the dump truck.
Now was the time to say goodbye.
“Then, we’ll head out now.”
“Yeah, thank you for your hard work.”
Before the dump truck left, I shouted toward the cargo containing the monsters.
I couldn’t see them, but at least they should be able to hear me.
“Thank you for being with us, and let’s meet again sometime!”
[…Isn’t that against the academy rules?]
‘It was a fucked-up deal with those assholes.’
The monsters responded to my words with their own cries.
Then the dump truck, carrying them, slowly started moving away from us.
Once again, a reunion and a farewell took place.
I sat on the spot, staring blankly at the moving dump truck,
as a wave of emotions surged within me.
So many unfamiliar feelings that words couldn’t express.
[This time, it really might be the last.]
‘It probably is, right?’
At that moment, Hyeji placed her hand on my head.
“Shinwoo, this isn’t the end.”
“I know.”
Without even glancing at Hyeji, I just replied absentmindedly.
I had no idea how to honestly express my feelings right now.
But Hyeji gently patted my head as if that was enough.
“The monsters’ lives have just begun.”
“I know, Hyeji.”
Now, I began to get a glimpse of what my emotions were.
“Don’t cry.”
“Sniffle…”
It was the sadness of a true farewell.
Is this what it feels like to send off your child?
Experiencing parting not just once, but twice felt incredibly odd.
Yet, I decided to put a stop to the sorrow here.
“Have you calmed down?”
“Yep, thank you.”
In the end, things went as I wanted them to.
I freed the monsters from that dream-wielding bastard.
And at the same time, I had slightly disrupted that bastard’s plans.
Now all that was left was to have fun and forget the sadness.
“Husband, let’s go refresh ourselves now!”
“If that’s the case, we should head straight to the hotel.”
“It’s time to stop crying already.”
“…I want to cry again now…?”
It felt like a different kind of sadness was about to creep in.
[You’ll cry down below, not up above.]
‘No, you crazy bitch.’
However, it was our guild’s first vacation.
Until now, we had lived a tough and tight life.
This time, I wanted to play and enjoy for a long while.
Because it could very well be our last vacation.
Just then, I spotted a van-shaped taxi waiting at the airport.
Just as we were about to hop into it and head to the hotel,
suddenly, Hyeji halted our steps.
“Shall we go to the hotel first and drop off our things?”
“Shinwoo, wait a moment. Stop.”
I wondered if something was up, so I asked.
“Why? Bathroom?”
“That’s you, isn’t it?”
“Fucking bitch.”
“Anyway, just wait here a little bit.”
Hyeji only smiled cheerfully.
‘Is there some kind of secret going on?’
[Isn’t Hyeji the one with secrets (屄密)?]
‘…Yeah, I was wrong. I was wrong to ask you, fuck.’
Hyeji seemed to be waiting for something.
But I wasn’t going to leave her behind, so we patiently waited with her.
To be honest, I didn’t know what we were waiting for since Hyeji never told me.
At that moment, Hyeji suddenly sprang up from her seat.
“Sis, what’s going on?”
“It’s finally here!”
She began pointing her finger at something.
“What’s coming?”
“They say a climax is typically around this time.”
“Look over there.”
Even with the heroines chiming in, she was just saying what she had to say.
We shifted our gaze towards the direction Hyeji’s finger was pointing.
And there was a woman, looking somewhere and glancing around, seemingly searching for something.
A typical Japanese beauty with slender body lines and an average height.
Long black hair, dark eyes, and a cute appearance reminiscent of a cat.
Dressed simply with a touch of accessory.
She looked like the kind of typical Japanese beauty you’d find online.
[What’s going on?]
‘Hmm. That’s odd.’
But something felt eerie.
It seemed like a face I’ve never seen before.
Yet, it felt like I had possibly seen it somewhere long ago.
I couldn’t pinpoint when, but that feeling lingered.
In that moment, the woman suddenly glanced our way and began waving her hand while running toward us.
At the same time, Hyeji dashed out toward the woman with excitement.
It was then that the sense of familiarity I felt earlier finally clicked.
She was a Japanese student who came on an academy field trip in our freshman year.
Among them, a girl with whom we shared profound memories for a short period.
That’s right.
“Hyeji-chan! It’s been a while, www!”
“Kyoukyou! How have you been?”
It was a reunion with Kyoukyou.
