Vol 1 Chapter 9 (2/2)
Eun Yerin had chosen to openly ema to help her friends
Her path as a 'Pubtaku' began with full justification of her cause-- and three years had gone by without a chance for anyone to point out her wrongdoings
And, even now, everything she had done up to this day ht still be justified in her mind
She believed that she was on the side of good, her actions correct and just; her past told her so She let that belief guide her life, a belief that was deep-seated, like an aged tree spreading its roots on her e her now
””
What's gotten into Yeonji, anyway? No ument had become, it was entirely separate from the match itself Even if Yeonji won her little debate, it would make no difference if Yerin's teaame
And there was the possibility that Yerin could have ignored her outright Why did Yeonji start the debate without telling me about it beforehand?
I looked at her out of curiosity Yeonji appeared suppressed by Yerin's last rebuttal, and strangely, she seelances in my direction every now and then But, before I could ponder the question of 'What does she want?' Thea turn for the worse;
”'Tatami Universe' Next turn, please”
”'A Rooster into the Wild' Next turn, please”
”'Occult University' Next turn, please”
While the two girls' exchange spiraled out of control, MoeRe's Ace, Sukyong-sunbae, asserted her do our team with quick answers
”'All the prisoners in this prison are beautiful ladies, so er!' Next turn”
Even the nurse was starting to take a very long time with her answers, and yet the ti-sunbae's hands for longer than a second This was getting dangerous
What the heck is up with that title, anyway? It was a how the nurse still had names to pull from her repertoire of ridiculously obscure visual novels, but disregarding that--
”Stop acting like you're better than us Aren't you just saying that because you've never been bullied before? You're not in any position to judge us, e have to face all kinds of crap for being an Otaku! 'Ibara no Jou'!”
”If you are afraid of being ousted, you should be confident about who you are, instead When an Otaku gets negatively viewed, that is only because they are s cowards and band up publically, you would not be bullied in the first place Is it not ulti the Otaku's place in this country? 'OreOto'!”
Their fight didn't see to end anytime soon
Yeonji's jabs against Yerin were as fierce as Sukyong-sunbae's answers in the Word Chain, but Yerin had always found a way to settle their debate back to its starting point
”Nyu--”
Yeonji beca no progress Heavy breaths escaped from between her lips
”--Uuu”
Again, she shot a glance at me
Her glance was full of despair, like the eyes of a kitten stuck up on a tree with no way back down She looked like those ti to eat, at the cost of my wallet's life
She wanted my help, huh?
Ithere, since Yeonji and the nurse carried the gaa in the Word Chain itself, it was flat-out i-sunbae, as radiating a powerful Otaku aura by just sitting there Nuh-uh
Then the only option I had was helping Yeonji win against Yerin in their debate, even though I still had no idea what kind of help that would ultimately be
And, Yeonji, the (self-proclaimed) fa the clear violation of the Geneva Agree to say that could help Yeonji
Except for that one thing
Yeonji clearly said it yesterday 'The only e can have equal footing against the Pubtaku is to sho the Otakus are targeted in our society'
Like the tie walls of text, filled withit everywhere
Was Yeonji expecting ain, and here?
And does that ?!
”Oh, man”
My face began burning red I feltup ood chance in shaking up Yerin's baseless belief, but
It's waaayy tooo e--!
How could I not be e to be telling her 'Hey, I was quite the loser once!' No one could do that!
And what did I have to gain if I won the debate for Yeonji? Their debate had no effect on the outco out with an unco to happen, no way It was too bad for Yeonji if she was expecting , but I had a line that I was not willing to cross
I carefully evaded Yeonji's glances, suppressing the subconscious re again
”Like I have said before, you only hide yourself because you are weak and cowardly If you are assu an Otaku, without realizing your own faults, you are everything that is wrong with this society”
Ow
Yerin's words became a thorn that pricked at my past
”If you know of anyone who had been bullied solely because of the Otaku label, and isn't a social reject otherwise, then tell me Of course, you could not know of someone who does not exist!”
More words daed my psyche before the previous wounds could heal
”Those worthless people who can't take care of their own body, and end up being ly bony Really, it shames me that they are Otakus like I a a difficult tia-San Chi no Goburin'”
”Erk”
Hearing Yerin's po to get out And then, when Yerin casually passed over the timer with a victorious, remorseless smile--
”You're wrong”
The words escaped my mouth on their own before I could control myself
”?”
Surprised byeyelashes batting I did not have the tilares; I had to speak up now
”How the hell do you explain Sukyong-sunbae, or that guy?” said I, forhts deep within my heart into a voice
”What do you mean?”
”If you think no one gets any trouble for just being an Otaku, then how do you explain those two? Are you saying they're worthless social rejects, too? 'Rean's Feathers'”
”!”
Yerin'sa horizontal line between her lips She fixed a glare with a clear hostility; she must have understood my intentions
”Miss Sukyong and Mister Yujin never received proper education when they were young, so to be honest, they never had the acade normally There may have been some immature students who hated them for that fact, but they had used the Otaku label as an excuse to bully the to keep them in the school with me”
”Is that so?”
They were bullied not because they were Otakus, but because they lacked proper education, which shouldn't affect how sociable or likeable they are?
”Of course! Do you really believe that, in this day and age, people would be bullied for what they enjoy? What are you trying to say?” replied Yerin, brushi+ng her golden hair back, a hint of anger embedded in her movement
Alright, I got it
Why Yeonji led the match into this direction, and why Yeonji wanted my help-- I understood now, and realized what I had to do The reason Yeonji entered this sillytheir club in the first place-- that wouldn't affect how Yerin lived her life afterward No, the true reason was to end her life of the 'Pubtaku Queen' altogether
If we'd win the match and the MoeRe is demolished, that would be the end of it Even if they couldn'tto be the end of the story Yerin's belief was rooted in too deeply that the club going aould do nothing to prevent her froeneral pain in the ass to this school
And so, the time limit was extended to an entire iven us a chance to enter a long-winded debate to tell Yerin what she had wrought upon this school
And then, she asked for my help The final strike to Yerin's belief, the 'real-life experience' that told the tragic tale of what it means to have the Otaku label here in South Korea, was requested by Yeonji
””
That was to be expected fro I could al at every turn, but I earnestly wished that she would explain things beforehand; I could have taken longer to come to this realization
Yes Surely, if I made this blonde idiot co my story is!
I made a decision
”Hear lare fro to no particular audience, I told my tale,
”It happened back in middle school”
It happened back in middle school
As Yeonji had mentioned in her story, I had a ti around with an Otaku friend
We had been the best of friends since ere in elementary school; it wasn't a relationshi+p that I illing to drop for a mere difference in hobbies
”I've always been proud for having a friend like that”
Good looks, great marks, and monstrous athletic abilities-- Until the second year of middle school, no other descriptions were irls, too
And then, the 'Otaku' label stuck Co-to-fear-attitude, everyone in the school quickly knew about my friend's new hobby
That could not end well
I was the only friend left illing to continue our friendly relationshi+p, and then I was influenced to become an Otaku myself I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't felt sorry for a good friend who quickly lost everyone who used to be called friends
And the other reason why I stuck around was--
”Beco”
Becoe in personality or attitude Our lives reht-- the felt difference was basically going fros like 'Wow, I really like your new headband!' to 'Whoa, that's the same headband that Chinami-chan had! Moe!'
After I had sufficiently delved into the Otaku culture to maintain our relationshi+p, no one else in the school was able to understand half the things ere saying- and ultiained the Otaku label myself
I have no excuse for what had happened It was that tied Otaku-- ardless of however I becaroup, the unfaan around us
Why?
They never did that before I was a good student, always ai to be the top of the school at all times, and I knew that I was fairly respected and liked Not even those 'bad kids' of the school crossed et of bullying Yet, I was still the top of the school, even after the Otaku label was acquired
I had thought that,that ed
In hindsight, the actual reason should have been obvious--
”To actually flaunt that we're Otakus, to the point of advertising the fact-- that's what ruined everything”
--Every break that we had, ere sitting in the corner of the class, watching anime by ourselves
--During gym classes, we a or light novels
--When we talked, we discussed topics that no one else could understand, and what others talked about was just as big of a mystery to us
If humans are social animals, then we lacked the trait to be human We were different, so ere outcast, and then ere bullied
Being a top student or being an athletic superstar had no significance if eren't sociable in the first place They were irrelevant traits The only defining factor that changed our lives was the e blatantly exhibited how different ere from others
”It wouldn't have been a proble to ourselves, but at the ti a 'Pubtaku' led to, and it's the path you're on right now 'Dream Drinker Merry'”
I passed the ti drier every second-- then the timer returned
”I' like a coward If I weren't an Otaku, and if I were instead a part of soative attention if I tried too hard to get accepted for it”
”!”
”Did you say that all Otakus of this country should coe mistake How many of us do you think there are in all of Korea?”
Yerin flinched, a flash of disco her face She froith a flicker of confusion, and then answered, ”A-about twentyNorth Korea?”
”Twenty million?!”
That's way too many! Korea would be the land of Otakus at that level! Yeonji asting her ti with her 'Otaku world' plan!
And ould you add North Korea into the equation? Other than Kile Otaku in that country?! I deeply sighed, so s
”I should tell you, if we had every Otaku in japan come over to South Korea, ould still be theto have any voice in this country”
”Th-that can't be” an to suspect that Yerin had been thinking that japan was full of Otakus japan, the Land of Otakus? Sounds terrifying
Realizing how terribly deep she was into her fantasy, I continued ”Being a Clotaku is a natural defense to survive in this country It means to be able to easily make friends with everyone you meet, and every Otaku should learn to be one”
It was the final realization I had before sending my best friend off to a different school My friend's final words of regret were the catalyst: 'If I had thought about being on friendly terht not have to transfer to a different school'
Looking back, for the two years I've spent in my middle school, I haven't made any other friends If there was ever a reunion, I would have no reason to go I've always reassuredas I have ret that decision
”Ugh Sh-shut up!” screa out of the shock that had kept her ripped onto her tirily continued, ”We are not like you illed peasants! We have no need for relationshi+ps with coh Eunsung's power! With Miss Sukyong and Mister Yujin by my side, we'll forever continue to live this way! 'Chi no Togainu'!”
”Ugh”
What a scary thing to say
She ell beyond the do nonsense', and crossed over into the territory of 'indecipherable' Her arguly baseless, and it seeotten the part where she hadto do with her lifestyle Well, there's nothing wrong with planning around what you have-- However,
”But what if your family's company suddenly went bankrupt?”
”What are you talking about?!” yelled Yerin, forgetting to rew pale, which was unsightly due to her already pale skin
”Or, what if, you pass away before your two friends? How are they going to survive this world without your help?”
”Nngh”
I then caiven away how much I knew of their secret, but Yerin was not at a state where she could mind the odd peculiarity
”So, Eun Yerin, I a you”
The shoas now reaching its cli here
Just like her, I became an Otaku to be able to stay with a beloved friend I could talk to her confidently, knowing that our levels were equal
”You are e mistake, 'Because I Don't Like You at All, Onee-San'!”
”!”
The ti out, so I had to add my answer at the end of that sentence Unfortunately, the drama was completely demolished by the absurdity of the combined sentence But anyway
I wonder, for the three years that she acted her villainous role, if there was a single person who had told her that she was doing the wrong thing
Yerin's face contorted Her head dropped down like a lifeless doll, bearing a pained expression as if poison was coursing through her body
”Kuh-- Ugh Nngh”
She rapidly looked left and right, panicking like a little animal that realized that the shi+p was about to sink Her lips repeatedly opened and closed back, but no further words were heard
”'Mayoi wanko Overrun'!”
”Huh?!”
Before Yerin could recover and form a proper response, the tirin Yeonji wasn't the one to pass up the opportunity to kick Yerin while she was down; she began giving her answers at a pace that closely followed Sukyong-sunbae's speed
The ti down
”Oh Oh, no”
Yerin looked distraught and pale; she was staring at the tiame nor myself
Her values that she held onto for the last three years were crua her lips
But she was only given a minute
Hurried by the rapidly changing syital display, her lips slowly opened to make way for an answer
”Ru- 'Run, Nerossu'?!”
”!”
Her lifeless voice shi+fted into a scream at the last syllable; she must have realized her mistake before the final syllable had left hereyes, or her face turning a sick shade of purple, to take notice of her trouble
'Run, Nerossu' was an interesting title; the name ended with the syllable 'Ssu-'
It was a criticalout the unbeatable answer in the very next turn, resulting in their guaranteed loss The roo down the heat from the previous debate It caused a silent disturbance in the room that was so powerful, I could almost see its physical manifestation Everyone in the room surely realized the importance of her mistake
Eun Yerin did not want to give up her club for nothing; this mistake could not have been made nore to her
”Ugh!” groaned Yerin, closing her eyes tightly It was too late for her to say that she meant to say a different answer, and even if she could, her pride would not allow her to make such an excuse
With a defeated look, she tiredly passed the timer into my hands
””
I breathed deeply and received the timer It felt far heavier than I last remembered
Alright
I had the opportunity to say the unbeatable answer, knocking Sukyong-sunbae out of theour victory With their ace player gone, we had the advantage of nu to lose
I took my time
I looked at Yerin first
”Ngh-”
She was paler than before, her teeth clenched in anguish Her gripped fists rested rigidly on her knees, and her eyes, a hateful spiral of blue, were pointed towardsto lose the ive up Though sheup the word chain game; she was convinced that she was not yet 'lost'
That was to be expected
She held onto her belief for the last three years Thirty e her life forever Though weYerin's lifestyle as the 'Pubtaku Queen' would be forever lost
””
Then
I looked at the nurse and Yeonji, sitting by my sides
I noticed that they did not have ed on I prayed for theer After all, I had a few s to say to Yerin
I looked at the timer; I hadn't much time
I began uttering the ic answer that would end this match--
”Ssuro-”
______________________________________________________________________
Reference
1 Reference to 'Naver', a faine/neebsite ←
2 Ki-Il, as fa a fake passport to visit Disneyland in japan There were unconfirmed rumors that he frequently visited Akihabara ←