Chapter 81

"Are you not wearing underwear?"

Is this something you should say in the middle of Kyoto's city center?

Everyone can hear you. It's really embarrassing.

Look at her, afraid that someone might say she's not a light novel heroine, she's spouting such talk without hesitation.

“T, that’s...”

Rin’s face turns bright red.

Thump.

She places her hand on her chest again and says with a confident voice,

“No, no. I only speak like this in front of you, Kim Deok-sung. I’m a Kim Deok-sung exclusive pervert! I’m not a loose woman, so don’t get the wrong idea!”

What?

An exclusive pervert?

My head hurts again.

“Oh my, young people these days are so passionate. Declaring their love on the street like that.”

“That’s what youth is all about.”

“Hohoho. I once had such times with my beloved too.”

The damn reactions from the extras around us.

“Got it, so stop your unnecessary chatter and guide me to Kiyomizu-dera.”

I’m too tired to argue with her anymore.

She won’t listen to me anyway.

It’s been almost half a year since I was possessed in this crazy world.

Through countless experiences, I’ve realized that the exaggerated reactions of these light novel characters and the absurd convenience of this world are not something I can change.

As the old saying goes, if you can’t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it, but it’s a bit too much to enjoy.

There’s nothing else to do but endure.

“Hmm. When you come to Kyoto, you should definitely visit Kiyomizu-dera. It’s a good choice, Kim Deok-sung. I’ll take full responsibility for guiding you!”

Thump thump.

Rin confidently taps her chest, which is wrapped in a kimono. We board a bus and head to Kiyomizu-dera, one of Kyoto’s most famous tourist spots.

The bus drops us off at Kiyomizumachi.

Despite it being a weekday afternoon, the street is bustling with tourists, as it is a symbolic tourist spot in Kyoto.

Walking down the street with Rin, the shopping district is filled with traditional Japanese buildings on both sides of the slope.

“This is Sanneizaka, the entrance to Kiyomizu-dera. There’s a superstition that if you fall on Sanneizaka, you’ll die within three years, and if you fall on Ninenzaka, you’ll die within two years.”

Rin adds unnecessary commentary.

Sanneizaka.

I’ve seen it a few times in various anime.

“That’s a pretty grim superstition.”

It’s not even called Sanneizaka (Three-Year Pass).

Looking around Sanneizaka, there are quite a few tourists in kimonos.

There are even kimono rental shops.

Rin’s kimono, which stood out in the city, now blends in with the many other tourists in kimonos.

“Here, try this matcha ice cream. It’s quite delicious. I’ll buy you one, Kim Deok-sung. Hehe. Consider it support from your future wife. Take it gratefully.”

Rin, unusually excited, hands me a green ice cream.

We walk up Sanneizaka, and the street filled with traditional Japanese buildings is quite charming.

If it weren’t for the crowds, it would be even more beautiful.

Click.

I take out my phone and take photos as we walk up Sanneizaka, and soon we see the entrance to Kiyomizu-dera.

The main gate of Kiyomizu-dera, painted in bright red, is quite ornate and bustling with visitors, just like Sanneizaka.

“There are too many people. We might get separated.”

“It’s a famous tourist spot, so that’s to be expected, Kim Deok-sung. If you’re afraid of getting lost, why don’t you hold my hand?”

Rin extends her hand.

Her blue kimono flutters in the wind.

Look at her, trying to pull another stunt.

“Are you going to stop moving if I don’t hold your hand?”

“W, well, of course. I swear I don’t have any ulterior motives! But, in this crowded place, if I lose you...”

Rin stammers and blushes.

“Tsk...”

She bites her lip, seemingly flustered.

“Fine, let’s hold hands. Take it.”

If I don’t, she’ll probably stand here like a stone and not move, just like during the school trip.

Thump.

I take her hand and lead her.

“Ugh...”

Rin groans and follows behind me.

“What’s wrong? You said you’d guide me.”

Kiyomizu-dera is a famous spot that appears in countless anime, manga, and light novels.

Even though I’ve never been to Japan, I have a rough idea of what Kiyomizu-dera has to offer.

“A, alright! Let’s start with the famous pilgrimage inside the temple!”

“Pilgrimage inside the temple? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it. It’s not something weird, is it?”

Given her track record, I can’t help but be suspicious.

Rin is taken aback by my words.

“No, no. It’s written in the guidebook that you should do this when you visit Kiyomizu-dera... Ah!”

Rin mentions the guidebook and then quickly covers her mouth.

Of course.

“Alright, just guide me.”

If it’s in the guidebook, it’s probably not weird.

“O, okay. Just follow me!”

Rin taps her chest and leads me.

As we pass through the entrance, we see a landscape filled with wooden plaques bearing wishes.

I stop in my tracks.

Wishes.

I don’t believe in religion, but given that I’ve ended up in this damn crazy world, it’s clear that there is some kind of divine or transcendent being.

“Why are you staring at the wish plaques? Do you want to make a wish?”

“No... This is all superstition. Who would believe it?”

Right.

I don’t believe it.

But I can’t help but keep glancing at them.

A world I fell into by some irresistible force.

News of my unknown family and the original world.

Even superstitions can make you wonder, can’t they?

“The guidebook says that writing a wish on a wooden plaque is also a great tourist activity. I’ll pay, so let’s go.”

Rin no longer tries to hide her guidebook references.

She leads me to a wooden plaque.

“It’s been a while since I’ve written a wish.”

I pick up a pen while listening to Rin’s voice.

There’s only one wish I have.

[Please let me return home.]

I offer the plaque with my wish written in Korean.

A breeze blows, and the plaque I wrote collides with others.

I don’t know if there’s a god or not, but I wish I could return to my original world.

I miss my parents, and getting used to this crazy light novel world is scary.

Is this what it means to be a fanboy who has fallen into depravity?

No matter how accustomed I am to this world, when I encounter new, disgusting patterns, my hands tremble and my face burns.

Just then, as I was about to glance at Rin’s plaque,

“D, don’t look. I, it’s embarrassing...”

Rin quickly hides her plaque behind her back, blushing.

How childish.

“Alright, just hurry up and offer your plaque, and let’s go to that pilgrimage inside the temple or whatever.”

I have no intention of looking.

I’m not interested in Rin’s plaque.

“A, alright...”

After Rin offers her plaque, I finally understand what the pilgrimage inside the temple is.

It’s a kind of pilgrimage ritual that involves passing through a dark maze constructed in an underground space.

A simple ritual where you grope your way through the darkness, find the wall, and make your way to the exit.

The entrance fee is 100 yen.

The problem is,

“K, Kim Deok-sung! I, it’s pitch black, I can’t see anything! I, I’m scared! H, help me!”

Thump.

Rin clings to me, dramatically acting scared.

“A. Why are you doing this? You’re getting in the way. I know you’re not scared.”

I gently push her away.

I’ve seen her endure fear training without flinching.

This clumsy act now?

Doesn’t she feel ashamed?

“H, help... K, Kim Deok-sung... I, I’m really hurt... My ankle...”

Her voice is weak and lifeless.

She’s overacting and ended up causing an accident.

“Really, you’re something else, Rin.”

“Tsk... I’m sorry...”

Her voice is tinged with moisture.

Why are you crying? This is all your fault.

I use my Gift.

The dark underground space lights up like daytime.

Rin, leaning against the wall not far away, is wearing a kimono.

Her ankle is slightly swollen, possibly sprained from the geta.

“Kim Deok-sung...”

I see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

In the original story, heroines often sprain their ankles to get carried or supported by the protagonist.

I can’t believe I’m falling for this damn light novel convenience setting.

It’s ridiculous.

I have to endure this.

“Now, sit here and wait. I’ll go get some medicine.”

“Hey, medicine? For me?”

“No, for me. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m going.”

Rin and Nishizawa.

I came to sightsee, but it feels like I’m just dealing with their problems.

*

At the Kiyomizu-dera bench.

Rin, left alone, bites her lip.

“Tsk...”

She was too hasty.

Even though her femininity is low, she’s not so clueless that she doesn’t realize the person she’s trying to win over doesn’t really like her.

That might have made her even more anxious.

Rin hasn’t won his heart yet, but her rival, Olivia, is already far ahead.

The underdog has to take desperate measures to catch up with the frontrunner.

Wearing a kimono, not wearing underwear, acting silly during the pilgrimage inside the temple, and even making a secret pact with her rival Nishizawa to share Kim Deok-sung—these were all part of her desperate strategy.

‘All I have to offer is my body.’

The problem is, she was too hasty.

“Mistake...”

Her hasty actions led to mistakes.

She ended up spraining her ankle during the pilgrimage inside the temple.

“I’ve become a burden...”

Rin bites her lip.

She doesn’t want to be a burden and be hated by him.

He said he was going to get medicine, but what if he left because he doesn’t like her?

Rin’s mind is filled with negative thoughts.

Even though she’s been freed from being a tool of her family, the scars of her abusive past still linger in her heart.

Her low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and inferiority complex haven’t easily improved.

So Rin tends to imagine negative scenarios easily.

Rin closes her eyes tightly.

“No, no! Don’t go! Kim Deok-sung!”

She can’t let that happen.

“I haven’t even warmed your bed naked yet...”

Tears stream down the corners of her eyes.

She doesn’t want to be sent away.

She doesn’t want to be hated.

Suddenly, she remembers the content of the wish she wrote earlier.

[I want to be by his side.]

She wants to be by his side.

Even as a concubine, not a wife...

“Warm what with what?”

A familiar voice rings in her ear.

Rin opens her eyes.

“Kim Deok-sung...?”