Kim Shinwoo.
I was ten years old at the ti.
Back then, although I had to attend elentary school, I only went to school about three days a week.
The reason was that my mother didn't want other people to see , her child who could see ghosts.
I once wondered if it was possible for to fill my lacking attendance, but whether my mother pressured the teachers or not, they didn't interfere with unnecessarily.
Then, what did I do at ho?
At the ti, since I knew nothing about how the world worked, I used to converse with ghosts. Ghosts weren't just the frightening kind, there were also ordinary-looking ones.
Another reason was that I actually knew so of the ghosts.
"Dad! Hong’s Mom from next door wants to tell you sothing!"
"...Huh?"
My mother didn't like it when I talked about ghosts, but my dad still listened to my stories occasionally.
That day, I told him because Hong’s Mom really asked to tell him.
"Suicide...? Hmm, she’s saying it wasn't suicide, but it was because Hong's Dad pushed her."
Since I was soone who had little interaction with others and could see the dead, I wasn't particularly concerned about the idea of death. Therefore, I spoke brightly.
However, Father's expression quickly darkened.
And then, the next day, he bought a big ga console.
My father, who didn't know much about this technology, only bought one ga CD. However, he boasted that it was the latest ga.
"You can play this ga while you're at ho. Don't talk about other things, okay?"
"......Hmm."
"Your mom doesn't like it. You got it, right?"
"Alright."
The ga was called [Retry].
Although it was recently published, it wasn’t highly rated. However, for , soone who didn't even have a chance to access the internet at the ti, it was like a whole new world.
I overca various difficulties while adventuring across the continent. It was quite challenging, and although my comrades often died, I didn't care.
After all, I could see dead people again. And they weren't even real people, just so code in the ga.
However, seeing the protagonist Aria sad, I felt a strange emotion well up inside .
When I realized that I could no longer use my dead comrades, for the first ti, I felt a sense of loss about death.
My impression was that it was uncomfortable.
Then one day, while I was playing the ga, my mother returned ho after finishing work.
Since she wasn’t really fond of , I wondered if she would scold for playing gas.
However, when my mother saw playing with the ga console, she unexpectedly smiled brightly.
"Oh, you look just like the ordinary kids! It’s nice to see you like this!"
Ah, I see. If I kept playing gas, my mom would like it.
So, I continued playing gas day and night.
While the ga itself was fun, the more I played, the more I would see my mother happy and I liked it.
The ghosts didn't bother unnecessarily.
Normally, ghosts wouldn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere like in the movies.
They would gradually show themselves.
For example, I might hear a crying sound that shouldn't be there from a corner of the room.
Or suddenly, knocking sounds might co from the window, or footsteps might echo in the house when I was alone.
They gave so signs in advance, hoping that I would find them.
However, I could forget all of that when I was focused on the ga.
I could concentrate without any distractions.
That was what I believed.
[Shinwoo.]
A voice ca from the balcony, accompanied by the wet sound of dripping blood.
Splosh.
Splosh.
The sensation that I felt when I saw the ghost climbing up the window, leaving bloody marks behind, was different from usual.
It wasn't just terrifying; it felt like sothing rough was pressing down on my throat.
I was even surprised enough to let go of the gapad I was holding.
[Shinwoo.]
The one who crossed the balcony was Hong’s Mom. She crawled towards with twisted bones, which had deford when she fell from the apartnt rooftop.
[Shinwoo, why didn't you deliver my ssage to them?]
Her eyes were filled with deep resentnt.
I couldn't look away as I realized that they were directed at .
I couldn't hold onto the ga anymore.
[Shinwoo, Auntie1 is in pain, you know?]
Splosh.
Splosh.
Auntie’s grotesquely twisted hand reached straight for my throat.
[Shinwoo! Why! Why! Why! That bastard is still alive and thriviiiiing! That bastard killed Auntieeee!]
"Sto… ahh!"
It was the first ti.
For the first ti in my life, the ghost's resentnt had definitely directly touched . Was it a sensation similar to being pinched with scissors?
[Why are you not pitying Auntie? Auntie wanted to live too! Is it okay to ignore Auntie while playing this nonsense ga? Huh? Huh? Huh?!]
"A-Auntie…"
[Hong, too! His father, too! Do you know how damn shitty it feels to see that bastard still alive when I'm dead?]
"St-Sto…"
Beep, beep.
Whirr!
"Mom's ho."
If my mother hadn't co ho in ti, and if Hong’s Mom hadn't hurriedly fled, I could have died.
So, with tears streaming down my face, I grabbed onto my mother's pant leg and cried.
"M-m-mom! Mom! Hong's Mom from next door! S-she w-wants to tell you that t-the p-person who killed her is Hong’s Dad! Hiccup!"
Unlike usual, I cried uncontrollably, even hiccupping, soaking my mother’s pant leg with tears.
After finishing my jumbled words, I slowly looked up at my mother.
And then.
"......"
She entered the room without uttering a word, wearing a disgusted expression and a cold gaze as if she couldn't tolerate any longer.
After that, I was left in the care of my shaman maternal grandmother.
My grandmother told that if I casually communicated with ghosts, they would only co looking for more.
So I started ignoring them because I didn't want to experience such danger again.
It was at that mont I realized that death was much more frightening than I thought.
Hence, even though my mother never ca to see , my father visited often.
Whenever my father stopped by, a ghost that looked like a factory worker followed him.
Every ti I t him, the numbers increased, and gradually, the ghosts’ hands were trying to reach my father's neck.
Worried about this, I talked to my father about it.
Then, my father, too, never visited again.
I ended up all alone.
I had my maternal grandmother, but she was always busy and kept discussing about my spiritual eyes frequently— sothing I disliked hearing about.
That was how I beca a high school student with empty spots for my family left unfilled.
First year of high school.
When I briefly tidied up my room, I suddenly noticed an old ga console.
As if by instinct, I imdiately wiped off its dust, checked the CD inside, and connected it to the TV.
The ga started with a familiar sound.
It was the ga my father had bought for .
It was the very ga that made my mother happy.
So, once again, I beca imrsed in [Retry].
For a fleeting mont in our brief lives, although it was only for a very short ti, the ga had brought harmony to our family.
* * *
"Your story... saved ."
"...Huh?"
Aria didn't understand what I ant at all, but I gave her a slight smile.
It had been a long ti since I could naturally let out a smile, not the slightly stiff ones I had every day.
It felt as if the icy ground had lted in the sunlight.
"So, please don't say that your story was insignificant. Don't make , who has been saved by it, miserable."
"... I don't understand."
Aria spoke as if she had just been shocked, dumbfounded by my words.
"But sohow it feels comforting."
Aria slowly drew closer while staring at . Then, as if feeling a little embarrassed, she slightly lowered her head and asked .
"You're not the Professor Deus I knew, nor are you even Kim Shinwoo."
"Right."
Yes, I was not the Kim Shinwoo she knew from the first round.
"But you look very similar. So, um..."
"......"
"Can you help say goodbye to him?"
This was what she managed to utter after mustering all of her courage.
It was sothing I had been waiting for, for so long.
Therefore, I nodded gently.
Just like that, Aria nestled into my arms.
"Professor, I really love you."
She looked like she just wanted to stay within my arms forever, like a child.
"I love you so much; if I could give you everything, I would. I love you more than I value myself."
Aria's voice sounded tearful, perhaps she started sobbing again. I felt a lump forming in my chest.
"Even if there were so intentions behind them. Even if you used as your tool."
"......"
"Still, I loved you. I always wanted to give you what you wanted. I wanted to listen to what you said, to follow your words and rely on them."
I chose not to question whether her feelings could truly be labeled as love.
Whether it was an intense emotion that stemd from being brainwashed at a young age, or it was the innocent yet unattainable first love of a girl.
Ultimately, the decision to define this was up to Aria Rias herself.
"If it weren't for you, no one would have saved . I wouldn't have even made it this far."
"......"
"Thank you for saving ."
I gently hugged her back.
As I lightly stroked her head with one hand, she felt that touch and buried her head deeper.
"So..."
In order to gather the courage to move one step further.
"So..."
With a trembling voice, Aria even ca close to biting my shirt in an attempt to restrain her emotions, just before saying sothing she didn't truly want to let out.
"Good… bye."
Farewells were a sorrowful event.
She was the one who first taught that within the ga.
That was why I could empathize with the pain she was experiencing now.
Thus, in place of Kim Shinwoo from the first round, I hugged her a little tighter.
That person’s last words.
- If you get another chance, at that ti.
When I first heard this after seeing Aria's condition, the first thing I thought was, ‘Do not look for .'
Even though we had reached this point, I still didn't understand the aning behind those words.
He might have regretted it in the end.
Or he might have cursed her with a heart tainted by hatred.
Maybe he might have tried to sabotage the second round out of jealousy.
However, did that really matter?
I released Aria from the restraints that were binding her in place of him.
"If there is one thing I wish for you…"
Just one wish…
The one thing I wished for Aria Rias was sothing I had already said multiple tis.
It might have ant sothing different from what the first-round ant, but if I quoted it.
"If you're a student, you should live like a student."
"...Ah."
"Attend lectures, take exams properly, hang out with friends, get in argunts with them, fall in love, and experience various things that you can only do during this ti."
"But..."
But what about the burden that she had to bear?
What about her sense of responsibility, now that she knew about the world's impending doom?
I gently brushed Aria's forehead as she looked up at with questioning eyes.
You were the protagonist of the story because I saw the world through you.
However, this place was now reality.
"Now that I have co here myself. You no longer have to bear that burden."
I kissed the forehead of this lovely child.
It was a farewell gift, a celebration of birth.
To comfort her for the hardships she endured.
It was a gesture that implicated such anings.
"You've worked hard, Aria."
Now…
It's ti for you to break free from the role of tragedy, and for you to now live as an ordinary female student.
"Congratulations on reaching the /genesisforsaken
Reviews
All reviews (0)