Vol 1 Chapter 7 (2/2)
”Really? I couldn't tell at all myself”
Without eirl did, anyway
Yeonji explained, crossing her ar the national history class Kids who laugh at the 1920's 'Doujinshi+' of the writer's society, those who giggle at 'Great scholar[1]' Yulgok Yi I, those who chuckle at the Korean prophecy of 'the Eighteen's Succession to the Throne[2]', they're all Otakus I guarantee it”
I was again aeable in Korean History Though, the last joke wasn't really relevant
”However!” shouted Yeonji, flaunting her Otaku detection irl doesn't stop there! If other Pubtakus are a threat, then she's a global eency! I appreciate our Otaku culture just the sa the ie of Otakus over a sense of superiority is unacceptable Sheshe does, but it's outright crazy to everyone else”
”Nngh”
I groaned Otaku's sense of superiority it was a real thing It's best explained as the behavior of Otakus where they are overly engrossed in the japanese subculture, so much that they believe that other cultures are inferior Of course, such behavior was directly opposing thea Clotaku
”I also heard that she forces classmates to cosplay, or even force them to read visual novels until they appreciate it The school's staff is quiet about it, too, so no words got out But surely, this is going to be headline news someday”
”Holy seriously?”
She was indeed insane At that level, her misdeeds were on a co like 'Hey, try this book out, it's pretty good!'
Only e call it they are 'visual novels' In the eyes of the common folk, they were usually seen as 'porn' To force non-Otaku classames was to plummet any tolerance this school had for the Otakus
And one ,
”That Eun Yerin girl who exactly is she? How can the school be quiet about her? Wouldn't she be expelled right away?”
It was a question lingering in et aith such behavior?
Though our schoolthat would affect the academic pursuit of its students was absolutely forbidden
Undoubtedly, forcing students to read visual novels or do cosplays would ruin a studying environ by now Why did the school leave the girl alone?
Yeonji answered, pouting and sticking her lips out like a woodpecker
”Why? Because her grandfather is the CEO of the Eunsung Corporation”
” Really?!”
I was astonished
”No, really Her father is the chair Electronics, and his brother is the director of this school Everyone, including the principal, reports to her fa whatever she likes How can they?”
”Wow” I exclaimed
The surprise did not cohter of the CEO attended this same school, but because such a person is an Otaku
I mean, really, it's not like skilled, s surprise that the granddaughter of the a-corporation is an Otaku-- as if she was a fictional character froame
I feltin this new infor the lottery
”If that's true I guess the school can't do much”
If there was one way for us to do anything, it could be the 'I'randfather!' But even that wasn't si to her history, Eun Yerin's Otaku power level was clearly beyond repair, and all of the school's staff who let her act that ould incur the wrath of Eunsung
Another possibility was that, considering the degree of Yerin'sstories were true) then that behaviorfrom her entire family
Either way, the issue was too volatile to solve from our level
”Oh, , all of this is a huge surprise I haven't heard of anythingthis year How come I never found out about this before?”
”Maybe your ho, area-wise”
That made sense There were a lot of classrooms back at the middle school, too If e for someone like me, a transfer student in the final year of middle school, to have never heard of her
”Hmm”
Eunsung Corporation's future inheritor It was a position that could be called the royal blood of the 21st century The way she spoke did not see about her identity
Okay, neverabout that She's insane, no question
And so, the day at the club ended in tragedy and learning an incredibly odd party game
As an aside, Yeonji seee looks on our way out
Probably nothing, though
Part 2
The next day,
My classes had ended earlier, thanks to the shorter schedule on Tuesdays I had beento myself if there would be any consequences from Yeonji if I attended the club later than usual
'There's going to be an intraame with Class 3 today Maybe it's not too late to join'
Back when the news of the soccererrands for Yeonji To this ret that I hastily declined the offer to join the match because I wasn't sure if I would have any free ti salt to that wound,around with Yeonji rather than it being spent on any of my hobbies
If I don't occasionally hang out withto karaoke with the the uy in the class Then they would reach the next natural question and go, 'Hey, what does that guy do in his free tier
On that note, how does Yeonji act outside of the club? Being a Clotaku isn't si others take notice of your hobbies; it'syourself as someone who doesn't have those hobbies in the first place To understand and perfectly blend in with those outside of the Otaku culture is thea Clotaku
But it doesn't exactlylike that Nevertheless, it ledin her class; the way she regularly talks like an Otaku, it's hard to not worry about her daily school life
Now I'ht Hopefully I'll have a chance to find out in the future, though she never told me her class number before
So whether or not I should join the soccerabout Yeonji I emptied my mind with a violent shake offield
One hour couldn't hurt, I decided Someone else could take over et toothat I haven't been getting enough exercise lately, too
With that decision, I turned around and began walking--
bump
--into somebody
”Ah, s-sorry, are you alright?” I apologized I had carelessly collided into someone while my mind was at a blank state I hadn't heard her approach at all; I must have been completely out of it at the time
”I am fine”
That 'sohtened, red-tinted brown hair that was al her shoulders, and her olive-brown eyes co eyelashes She was not particularly tall, but enough to be slightly inti
There was a certain, stern ato to her for any probleender as I She was a strange girl
On her chest below her emotionless face was a white name card-- which meant she was a third year student in this school
'Aw, crap, she's an upperclassman!'
Thedoubled at that instant
”S-sorry, Sunbae[1] I wasn't paying attention and--”
”I a a robot's I was in pain fron of surprise ”I tend to ithoutany sound It is not your fault, Mister Injin”
Mister Injin?
Weird honorific aside, she called ht?
”Do you know me?”
””
Her only reply was a silent stare An aardme in confusion
”How complicated,” she muttered
What's so co to the situation she'd created, then sure, it was complicated
Silence proceeded again, with Sunbae looking like she was attereatest mystery I twiddled s to do
”I understand Mister Injin, if you do not mind, can you turn around for a moment?”
”Huh?”
I was taken aback at that request I wasn't sure how I'd respond
”It is i of you”
”Y-you don't have to beg L-like this?”
I had no idea why she had asked”no” to a sunbae as that insistent It wasn't exactly difficult to do, anyway
I turned around and faced away from Sunbae Then,
”Thank you Now”
POW!
”Hurkgh”
An unexpected, brutish force struck down the back of my neck as soon as I turned around
Oh What would be the best way to put it? I'd say the closest description would be an extreuillotine blade that h the skin of my neck
With the aforeistered to my neck, I squeaked out a constricted cry of pain
”Ow Nnng ?”
Frightened, I sluggishly turnedup a blunt blade that was the side of her hand
”How complicated”
”W-wait”
POW!
”AARGH!”
Anotherinto the side ofaround I felt like I could die
”Wh-why ACK!”
”How complicated I am terribly sorry”
”N-no, what are you Waagh”
”Quite complicated”
What's so complicated?!
My consciousness finally began to fade out in pain,in my head
How long was I out?
Just as I felt my mind return, my drowsiness was immediately chased away by a relentless flood of pain in my neck
”Ow”
The pain was exponentially worse than waking up in theslept withsent a periodic, tidal wave of pain down the back of inably worse
My hand jumped and reached for my neck in response, but the effort was fruitless as htly held behind my back
Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see duct tape plastered overme to a wooden chair Basically, I looked like I was in the e scene ever
How did this happen? I've never had the displeasure of getting knocked out inme a reason to lose consciousness
The first ti, of course; back then, I'd felt like I was in thesituation that I could possibly be in I hoped for my life that this situation wasn't the same deal, if not worse
I dug through ht help ot here, but there was none to be found Not a big surprise, though, considering howme up out of the blue
'What is this place?'
I glanced around the area, so quickly that I could hear my eyes roll in their sockets I couldn'tlike it would snap off, soaround
The first thing I saas a colossal display cabinet, lined with aniures on every row
””
'Wait, what? I don't reht over But there's no other place in this school where I'd be seeing so like this, sooff, so she hired a senior student? No way
So, where am I? Not my school? It looks like so a classroo!'
Then I caught a voice, slipping throughfrom a direction that I couldn't see
”is the end of it,” said a fa tears to a it was quiteSniff”
Another voice, just as fareed with the first, ”Yes, the co this music director The way there was appropriate h quality art, it has a fantastic overall presentation”
”Hm It was indeed a wise decision to take your advice to play this ga your advice in the future”
”I am honored, Madame”
Their surreal dialogue continued for a fair length of time, then it stopped abruptly, folloith a sniffle
”In any case, is that peasant still deep in slumber?”
”Yes I believe I have overdone it As I've found, it is not all too easy to knock a man out by simple physical trauma to his neck I believe I took thirteen tries to succeed”
With that kind of th, I'm sure it doesn't matter where you hit thirteen ti was 'difficult', you were talking about knocking me out?!
I was then sure enough that one of the tas the sunbae who had knocked ue continued
”No matter However, I am not pleased that I have to wait because of yourhim here in a more delicate way next time?”
”Did you not instructhim here', Madame?”
”I a hi hi him unconscious at all costs You seem to do this every now and then”
”I apologize, Madame”
”Darjeeling tea, Madame”
Followed by sunbae's extreetic voice was another voice that I hadn't heard before It was hard to tell by voice if it was a boy or a girl
”Thank you Miss Sukyong, Mister Yujin, would you care to join me for tea?”
”It will be my honor”
”Thank you, Madame”
Their conversation promptly stopped with their polite replies Then I heard the trickling of a small stream of water, twice or so
I wasn't sure if it was a good thing that their conversation ended early I felt ue, so much that I could feel my limbs slip out of the tapes that held me to this chair
In tiinal size I returned to being terribly confused as to what my next move should be My confusion was cut short, however, by the voice of that 'Madame'
”Good That is just the right teh to make that peasant squeal and snap awake, no , why don't you try it out, now that you've mentioned it?”
What's happening, now?
I was stricken with surprise I could feel so closer to me Unable to contain myself, I quickly yelled, ”W-wait! Stop it! I'm awake!”
”Madame, he says he is awake”
”Hein his sleep It should be fine to pour it on hi?”
”Wait, that's not fine at all!”
Ask !
My neck began hurting again, thanks to my previous outbursts My face contorted and wrinkled up from the pain
In front ofdown onWhat was his name?”
”Kang Injin, Madame”
”Yes, Kang Injin Phew-- It is not easy keeping track of some peasant's name”
Did she forget her pills today or so before, but now she was just pissing me off
”You You're Eun Yerin, right?”
The blonde-haired one out of the coirl I had hter of the CEO of Eunsung Corporations, as I've found out froreat deal of effort, having to overco
”To speak of my noble name with a lowly peasant'sdoith her bright, blue eyes
”Not at all”
'At this rate, there's going to be a civilian casualty for every class attendance checks,' Imy frustrations
Yerin further continued her arrogant lecture, ”Hive you this time In the future, refer to me as 'Lady Yerin', or 'Madame', or 'Mistress Yerin' or 'ht”
She couldn't bother to make it easy to call her damn name
Leaving olden hair over with her hand
”Miss Sukyong, bring the chair over”
A big an unnecessarily big chair was placed in front of ently doo uard her
”Wha-!”
Noticing who the tere, I sharply inhaled One of the two people who stood next to Yerin was indeed the same third-year sunbae froe looked vastly different than before, as if I were looking at an alteration, no, a inal
Simply said, she was in a French maid outfit
On her head was a white, frilly headband, her black dress padded around her shoulders, its front obscured by a frilly apron-- all details that made her outfit an unth hair was tied back into a ponytail, and even her leather boots were strangely but perfectly co sunbae's looks
Seeing a irl in ait here in South Korea, in a school in the middle of Seoul?
And beside her was a boy in a butler's outfit Contrasting the maid with an emotionless face, he -- or she, whichever was the person -- was s a tuxedo
If he's a boy, he could be called a Bishonen If she's a girl, she could be called a Bishojo Either way, the ahtly uncomfortable
An emotionless maid and a cheerful butler
With two art show display escapees by her side, Eun Yerin sat with her legs crossed, staring My focus helplessly wavered at the sight of her plu about
Yerin began speaking in (futile atteant, dramatic tone, ”I am sure you have much to ask”
”Uh yeah”
My starting question was about this blatant kidnapping happening in this law-fearing land Why not letto do all this?
”No, that won't do You're o that easily,” mocked Yerin What arew exponentially every second ”Firstly right Do you not want to knohat this place is?