NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57
“······You’re a bad guy, Kim Deok-Sung. The worst.”
Falling genuinely for a bad guy who’s not even my type makes me the absolute worst.
Rin swallowed the words she couldn’t say.
Staring at the flames rising over the solid fuel, she buried her face in the loose hem of her oversized shirt with her arms crossed.
Somehow, it smells nice.
I feel like I can sense his scent.
Hugging a heat pack, Rin buries her nose in the sleeve of the shirt.
As she inhales, her face turns red.
“It’s driving me crazy. Think whatever you want.”
Flash! Boom!
Thunder and lightning crash down, drowning out Kim Deok-Sung’s sigh.
“You’re a good friend.”
“······You’re a bad guy, Kim Deok-Sung. The worst.”
Fwhoosh.
The flames attached to the solid fuel blaze higher.
Rin’s expression is visible.
Her cheeks are flushed, perhaps from the warmth of the fire.
Half-burying her face in her sleeve, it’s hard to see her expression clearly.
What an unexpected accusation, it’s ridiculous.
Who’s supposed to be saying what to whom right now?
“It’s driving me crazy. Think whatever you want.”
I don’t even want to think any further.
I need to rescue Ichiro soon.
Then this long, bad connection will break.
Flash! Boom!
Thunder claps.
Even though it’s May, the rain pouring makes the day quite chilly.
Bringing the solid fuel was a smart move.
Holding the heat pack in my hands, I wrap a blanket around myself.
It’s warm.
Heat packs are definitely the best for cold weather.
A survival strategy I learned in the military.
I shake the green heat pack with my hand.
Grrr.
A thunder-like rumbling from my stomach fills the air.
“Mmmm.”
Rin lets out a strange sound.
“J-just so you know, that sound is not coming from my, my stomach······.”
She stumbles over her words, burying her face between her knees.
I didn’t even ask about that.
I turn on my Hunter Watch to check the time.
It’s just past 1 PM.
It is indeed lunchtime.
I open my bag and take out my lunch box.
“If you’re hungry, you can eat my lunch too.”
“Ah, got it······.”
Rin opens her own bag and pulls out a lunch box.
When she opens the lid, I see the still-warm Inari sushi inside.
Of course, Inari sushi is the classic choice for lunch.
I tear open the wooden chopsticks and pop one Inari sushi into my mouth.
It’s delicious.
It’s not the taste my mom used to make for picnics, but I still like Inari sushi.
“Mine’s rice balls.”
Rustle.
Rin opens her lunch box and pulls out a typical Japanese triangle rice ball wrapped in seaweed.
Wait, did everyone pack rice ball lunch boxes except for me?
Rin takes a nervous bite of her rice ball.
“Guh······.”
She bites her lips.
“As annoying as it is······ it’s tasty.”
Rin mutters in a small voice.
“Is this the difference between me and Bonaparte…?”
After hearing Rin’s evaluation, Olivia became a bit curious about the taste of the rice balls she made.
“Hey, Rin.”
“W-What is it?”
Rin stuttered unnecessarily, her face turning red.
You’re Olivia, aren’t you?
“Just give me one rice ball.”
“Just one?”
“I’ll trade you one of my Inari sushi. Seems fair, right?”
I lift the Inari sushi with my chopsticks.
Seeing this, Rin nods her head.
“Uh, yeah… It’s not like I have to give you one, but… Okay…”
We exchange one of my Inari sushi for one of her rice balls.
I take a bite of the rice ball Olivia made.
The mentaiko inside blends well with the rice and tastes pretty good.
A Japanese rice ball made by a French person is delicious.
“It’s tasty. The rice ball.”
“Is that so…? Heh, surprisingly, the Inari sushi is good too. I suppose being from the gourmet country of France is a thing. I admit it. I’ve lost.”
I’m not sure what we’re winning or losing about, but it’s true that Olivia is useful in many ways.
After finishing the bento, the rain finally stops after a long while.
By now, the sunset has covered the flooded area.
I turn on the Hunter Watch map and lead Rin out of the cave to return to the base camp.
As we approach the tent, the smell of curry wafts in the air.
“Master! Welcome back! We were making curry with the princess! Tonight’s dinner is a curry full of Eri’s love!”
“Why are you so late… What’s going on?”
Nishizawa, holding a curry-covered ladle, and Olivia, who was blowing air into the stove with a pot, greet me.
Olivia’s blue eyes turn towards Rin.
“Hey. Why are you wearing his clothes?”
“The princess is right. Cow. Why are you wearing the Master’s clothes?”
“Oh, this?”
Rin steps forward.
She places her hand on her chest.
“Can’t you see? Today, Kim Deok-Sung and I went into the cave to avoid the rain and… you know…”
What? Know what?
“Nonsense! She lent me her clothes because I was worried I’d catch a cold in these wet clothes. Hey, Rin, if you’re here, change into your own clothes. Come on.”
“…No way. I want to keep wearing this outfit today.”
Rin fidgets with the cuffs of her sleeves, her face still red.
“Just listen to what people say nicely.”
“…Fine.”
With a reluctant expression, Rin enters the tent.
It’s honestly frustrating that no one understands right away when I say something.
“Wearing the Master’s shirt? Cow is jealous today. Tomorrow, Eri wants to be in the same team as the Master.”
“Hmph. You’re jealous of looking cheap by wearing the clothes of an outsider? You really are cheap. Try to behave yourself a bit!”
“Maybe the princess is jealous of Cow too?”
“W-Why would I think such a cheap thing! Ughhh!!”
I hear the disastrous conversation between Olivia and Nishizawa next to me.
Cow, huh.
It makes me dizzy every time I hear it.
I sit down at the picnic table.
“Hey, Nishizawa. Stop wasting time with pointless chatter and make the curry properly!”
Olivia shouts at Nishizawa, her face flushed.
That’s right. You’re doing great, Olivia.
The vibes from the top-tier are the best.
“Okay! I’ll listen to the princess. Delicious become, delicious become. Ugh. Yap!”
Just then, as Nishizawa Eri stirs the pot, muttering a disastrous spell,
“…I’ve changed. Everything.”
Whoosh.
The tent entrance opens, revealing Shinozaki Rin, now dressed in gym clothes.
The sight of Shinozaki Rin, changed into different clothes, comes into view.
Still wearing bloomers, though.
Unlike earlier, they’re not blue but red ones now.
Looks like she still hasn’t given up on those pesky beauty tricks.
“You changed! Now give me back my clothes.”
“That is…”
Rin’s face turns red.
She buries her face into my neatly folded shirt and shakes her head.
“Not going to give it back?”
“Ah, I get it…”
I reclaim my clothes from her, who is sitting next to me.
“Oi! Big bro! I’m back!”
“I’m here. Kim.”
Kurosawa and Ishihara, drenched from the rain, return last.
“Master! I’ve finished the curry filled with Eri’s love!”
“Hmph. Who said it was your love-filled curry? Hey! You! This curry was made by me, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, so eat it with gratitude! Got it?”
Soon, dinner time arrives.
Tap tap.
After the light novel style banter, curry rice is placed before me.
Without a word, I scoop a spoonful of curry.
Not bad.
This doesn’t taste much different from the Korean curry I used to eat in my past life.
“It’s delicious.”
As expected, curry reigns supreme at Imgan School.
*
After dinner.
To take care of the dishwashing duty for today, I headed to the brook near the base camp with the protagonist.
Using my living alone experience, I’m washing the plates while I see the protagonist scrubbing a pot next to me.
The mountain of dirty dishes is now halved.
Now’s the time to bring it up.
“Hey, Kurosawa.”
“Yeah? Kim, what’s up?”
Kurosawa Yuji responds with a smile.
A smile full of kindness, typical of a light novel protagonist.
Taking a slight breath, I gather my thoughts.
Shinozaki Rin.
To cut ties with her, I need to save Ichiro.
And the only one who can save Ichiro from his obsession with the Kurosawa family and his inferiority complex regarding swords is the protagonist, the last heir of the Kurosawa household.
So, I need to persuade him well from now on.
That’s why I volunteered for the dishwashing duty with Yuji.
I need to sweet-talk the protagonist while it’s just the two of us.
“Do you know that Rin is in a difficult situation right now?”
I throw out the bait.
“Shinozaki’s situation…? What kind of trouble is she in? Is something happening to Shinozaki?”
Just as I expected, Kurosawa Yuji bites onto my bait.
He questions back with a serious expression and worried tone.
The contents from the original volume two flash in my mind.
The protagonist, Kurosawa Yuji, was unaware of Shinozaki Rin’s situation until she confessed.
Ichiro is someone who values family prestige.
At least to the outside, especially to the Kurosawa family, they portrayed a harmonious family, which is the backstory.
“Rin is actually the adopted daughter of the Shinozaki family, and within the family, she is treated like a tool to enhance their prestige, not even receiving proper human treatment.”
“That’s…”
Yuji trails off.
“She couldn’t even call her father ‘father’ properly and grew up being abused without ever receiving proper love from the family.”
“…So that’s why. The shadow on Shinozaki’s face was because of that…”
Yuji nods seriously.
According to the original volume two, the protagonist wasn’t completely oblivious; he suspected all along that Rin was hiding something dark since their childhood days.
He just didn’t have conclusive evidence.
In the original, Rin confesses directly, but since the original is twisted and the connection between Rin and Yuji has vanished now, I have no choice but to tell him.
But now that the original story has twisted and the connection between Rin and Yuji has vanished, I have no choice but to tell you.
“Cough. Here I am… Not noticing anything while my childhood friend is suffering…”
Yuji bites his lip.
Splash.
His fist slams the surface of the water with frustration.
Seeing over-the-top acting that you’d expect only in Japanese anime in real life is something else.
“I thought there might be some circumstances, but I didn’t expect it to be like this…”
Yuji continues with his anime-like monologue.
His cheek trembles slightly.
Yuji’s black eyes turn to me.
“Hey, Kim. What should I do? If I want to save Shinozaki… How do I do it? Tell me. Please.”
If he were a kind-hearted protagonist, he wouldn’t question my intentions or the source of my information; he’d just ask me how to rescue his childhood friend Rin.
This is a very light novel-like situation where the protagonist seeks advice from a friend, precisely as I expected.
The moment a fish takes the bait has arrived.
It’s time to thoroughly roast the protagonist.
“Challenge Shinozaki Ichiro to a duel with the Association President.”
“Out of nowhere, to the Association President?”
A question mark appears on Yuji’s face.
Since the expected question has come up, I need to provide the correct answer again.
That way, the protagonist will roll with it, make the president rethink his life choices into a clueless dad, and also sever his bad ties with Rin.
“The reason the President abused Rin is because of his inferiority complex towards your father, the Sword Master, and his desire to erase the shadows of the Kurosawa family. The President, who has lived as the number two for ages, has projected his distorted desires onto Rin, someone he could never surpass in his life.”
“……”
Yuji falls silent.
It’s implied that Yuji is somewhat aware of the President’s inferiority complex.
The reason Yuji got flustered when I mentioned Shinozaki during our first meeting was because of that.
“So that’s how it was. Rin getting cold wasn’t just simple rivalry… It was a result of abuse… I had some idea of the President’s true nature, but I never thought he had fallen that far…”
Muttering to himself, the protagonist starts to grasp the situation.
This is why the casual light novel world is so comfortable.
Infinite trust without questions is the best.
I take a deep breath.
I need to say one more thing to get the protagonist moving.
Having to spew another light novel line is terrifying.
“…The only person who can stop the President is you, Kurosawa. After Imgan School ends, show the true power of the Kurosawa Divine Sword to the President.”
I awkwardly deliver my light novel lines.
It seems Yuji is touched by my words and nods.
“Right. Kim. As you said, I’ll stop the President. Thank you. You’re truly my one and only precious friend.”
The protagonist smiles at me.
Is it really that easy to sway him?
Anyway, I’ve achieved my goal, so that’s what matters.
I won’t have to deal with Rin’s annoying charm acts anymore.
Looks like I’ve successfully pulled a fast one this time.
I feel so relieved.
I wash the dishes with a sponge.
For some reason today, it feels like I’m washing dishes better than usual.
*
Yuji’s gaze turns towards Kim Deok-Sung.
As if he’s said everything he needed to, he quietly focuses on the dishes, his profile in deep thought.
‘Kim may speak harshly, but he’s a warm-hearted person inside.’
A smile appears on Yuji’s lips.
Kim Deok-Sung, without hesitation, revealed the circumstances of his childhood friend Shinozaki Rin, which Yuji himself wasn’t even aware of.
Moreover, he presented a solution to save her.