“Can I actually eat this omelet rice?”
“Make it like Mayu-chan! Otherwise, there’ll be no omelet rice!”
Honestly, I’d rather it just be a lie like some cake in a video game.
This is just ridiculous.
“Junior, you’re going to order… right?”
Kasumi-senpai asks.
There’s a weird glimmer of expectation in her eyes.
Seriously, why does she want to do this?
I really don’t understand, but since I decided to go along with Kasumi-senpai today, I have no choice.
I hold back my churning stomach and make a hand heart.
“Get delicious, get delicious, moemoe… kyun…”
I chant the ridiculous spell while swallowing my tears like a cow being led to slaughter.
[Hahaha! Partner, she said moemoe kyun! Hahahahaha!!]
The Black Prince laughs boisterously in my head.
You’re definitely laughing at me, right?
‘Shut up.’
[Moemoe kyun, kekekekekekeke!]
This is exactly why I didn’t want to do this.
At least it’s a relief that the maid cafe has a no recording policy.
If this were filmed, it would feel like a sharp suicide threat.
“Get delicious, get delicious. Moemoe kyun♥”
In contrast, Kasumi-senpai, blushing and winking, cheerfully chants her spell.
Why am I the one feeling so embarrassed?
The anime song playing in my ears feels extra awkward today.
For the love of all that is holy, stop it. Enough already.
At this rate, we’re all gonna die.
“Well then, enjoy your meal!”
She takes a spoonful of the omelet rice.
It didn’t particularly taste good.
But then again, collab cafes are all like this, just trying to milk otaku wallets dry.
*
After finishing off the omelet rice and soft drink, not even sure if it went in my mouth or my nose, I finally took a Polaroid with Mayuzumi-sensei and was able to escape the maid cafe.
Ding.
“Thank you for coming, Master!”
As I stepped out of the maid cafe with that last nauseating line, the humid air filled my lungs.
Still, being outside feels a bit better.
Even after eating, my stomach feels even more queasy.
I didn’t even drink, and yet I feel like I need something to settle it.
“Ughhh…”
Kasumi-senpai whispers something strange beside me.
When I peek over, I see the back of her Polaroid has a message: “If you want to become a magical girl, come to me! It’s a token for ignoring you! -Mayu-”
There’s no message on the back of my photo.
What is this, some wind-themed nonsense?
“What are you looking at, Senpai?”
“Uh? No, Junior, nothing at all!”
Kasumi-senpai looks startled as she hides the photo, awkwardly smiling.
Her face is red.
“By the way, wasn’t it really amazing? I didn’t think our teacher would be working part-time in a place like this. She was my homeroom teacher in my first year. And now she’s your homeroom teacher, right?”
“Didn’t expect to find you working part-time in a place like this, Sensei. You were my homeroom teacher back in my first year. Now, you’re the homeroom teacher for the juniors, right?”
Kasumi-senpai hurriedly changes the subject.
Mayuzumi-sensei was Kasumi-senpai’s homeroom instructor during her first year.
“Yes, well. Everyone has their own circumstances,” Mayuzumi-sensei says.
What she does is none of my business.
“Ah, right…,” Kasumi-senpai awkwardly nods.
The conversation fizzles out.
In the awkward silence, we walk the streets of Akihabara.
[Partner, throw out some words. The lady is feeling awkward.]
Just then, the Black Prince gives me a jab.
I was about to say something when—
“Junior!”
Kasumi-senpai’s violet eyes sparkle.
What now?
A faint sense of foreboding creeps in.
“Hey! There are tons of juniors!”
She points with her finger.
Looking back, I should have ignored it.
They say curiosity kills the cat, right?
But I couldn’t resist the urge to look where she pointed.
[Kim Deok-Sung Goods Store]
I was about to pay the price for this curiosity.
A hefty one.
What the hell is that?
This has to be a dream.
I knew heroes in this damn light novel world are like idols.
In the setting book, they talked about heroine fan clubs and such, and I already saw Shuo Academy student keychains at the gacha hall.
Earlier, when I met Ishihara Saori, she even shoved a photo card in my face and asked for an autograph.
In a world where everything turns into merchandise, it wasn’t that weird to see character goods for Olivia, Rin, Eri, Ishihara, Aris, and the like, all mentioned to have external fan clubs and high popularity in the setting book.
But staring at a popup store selling fans with my face plastered on them, dolls that portray me, bromides, photo cards, acrylic keychains, phone cases—was enough to make even someone who has trained their mental endurance in this world feel nauseous.
There’s even a life-sized standee.
Oh, I really feel sick.
I can’t take it anymore.
Isn’t being an idol an extreme job?
“Junior! Looks like you’re really popular!”
Kasumi-senpai, with her sparkling violet eyes, pulls at my sleeve while pointing to the goods store with her other hand.
As she said, the store was bustling with people.
The sight of a crowd lined up to buy merchandise printed with my pictures—it was beyond ridiculous and almost surreal.
I felt an impulse to smash everything.
“Is this the Kim Deok-Sung popup store?”
“Kim Deok-Sung, the Black Beast?”
“Looking at him, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy, does he? He’s kinda attractive.”
“I’m a huge fan of the Black Beast now! Bad guys are the best!”
“They say even Hallyu stars praised him.”
A bad guy, huh?
People are buzzing in line.
Did a fan club dedicated to this Deok-Sung guy pop up in Japan too?
And I’ve seen idols like Yoo Se-Ra and Hallyu stars all showing off their admiration for me.
With Han Seo-Jin’s persuasion, I handed over all rights regarding merch licensing to her.
At this point, even if I don’t approve, unofficial goods would be circulating anyway. So, might as well let them sell official goods with a license.
The royalties from selling those goods were quite sweet, so I just let it slide.
But I never imagined they’d push this not just for domestic sales but also for overseas exports.
Even famous idols who topped the Billboard charts and renowned soccer players in the English Premier League mentioned they were avid fans of mine in interviews.
Even a famous soccer player running around said in an interview that he’s a huge fan of mine.
Could it really be because of that?
They keep babbling about how the Hallyu wave is global, but I never imagined I’d experience this damned K-Global in such a ridiculous way.
I seriously feel nauseous.
[Partner, you’ll become even more famous, so you should just get used to it.]
The Black Prince mocks me in my head.
Get used to it? Pfft.
I’d rather have it be like those domestic hunter web novels where it’s like ‘I thought I was F-rank, but actually S-rank capabilities?!’ ‘Come join our guild!’
And now there’s a goods store on top of fan clubs.
‘This is just too much.’
Why do I have to experience something that looks like it belongs in an idol anime?
[That’s not it, back in my day······.]
I ignore the Black Prince’s lecture as he goes on about the old days.
If only I had been reincarnated in a domestic web novel instead of one of those Japanese light novels.
Then I wouldn’t be suffering like this.
I would have likely finished the original story all by myself and gone home by now.
“Let’s just go, Senpai.”
I want to get out of here quickly.
I can’t even imagine what would happen if it turns out that I’m in that line.
It’s bad enough here in Japan, but if I went to Korea…
Returning home is absolutely out of the question.
“Why, Junior? I want to buy some Junior goods too!”
Suddenly, Hoshino Kasumi pulls on my sleeve.
“······Then go buy them yourself.”
Not this time.
If that damned goods store has me in line, and all those people recognize me…
I can’t even bear to think about it.
“Whyyy. Junior, you’re such a bad boy. A beast.”
Kasumi pouts.
“It doesn’t change the fact that I can’t.”
“Junior······.”
Kasumi glares at me for a moment, then claps her hands.
“Are you embarrassed? That’s it, isn’t it? Even our bad boy Junior, the Black Beast, is shy about interacting with the fans?”
She puts her hand over her mouth and giggles.
“······Think whatever you want.”
I pull out the sunglasses Han Seo-Jin packed for me last night, saying they would come in handy.
At the time, I thought, am I a celebrity or something? But the fact that I need them now is even more ridiculous.
At least maybe they won’t recognize me like this?
“Okay, naughty but cute Junior. Then I, the Senpai, will go by myself. You just wait here quietly.”
Kasumi places her hand on my head and ruffles my hair.
She’s smiling.
What’s with this? Is she showing off that she’s older?
She dashes over to join the goods store line.
As I watch her, I trudge over to the vending machine next to the bench.
They say Akihabara is famous for its vending machines, and they have all sorts of drinks.
Well, not just drinks.
Pineapple, chocolate danish, potato chips, yakitori, muffins, bread, you name it.
I pop some coins in and grab a bread can, then sit on the bench.
Opening it reveals real bread inside.
That’s kind of cool.
[Hey, partner. Being unmanly like this is no good. Escorting a lady is the true duty of a gentleman.]
‘Shut up.’
I dismiss the Black Prince’s sneer as I take a bite of the bread.
It’s passable enough to eat.
With nothing else to do, my gaze naturally drifts to where Kasumi was standing in line.
It seems the line is moving fast because, before I know it, Kasumi is up front.
At this rate, she’ll just buy a few damned goods and be done with it.
Just as I’m staring off into space thinking that…
“Hello live viewers of ‘Fresh Today’! We are currently in Tokyo, Japan. Can you see it? The tremendous excitement you can feel even in Tokyo! The popularity of K-hero Kim Deok-Sung, loved by the Japanese archipelago, is soaring!”
“Can you feel this incredible heat even in Tokyo? The popularity of K-hero Kim Deok-Sung, loved across the Japanese archipelago, is on fire!”
I can hear Korean being spoken from afar.
Korean?
What the hell.
A bad feeling creeps in.
I fix my gaze toward the voice.
I see a camera with a public broadcasting logo.
Is it possible that a program like the VX Special Forces or Live Information X is here for a field report?
Of all days, today?
“Oh, what a coincidence! This is Hoshino Kasumi! We are from the Korean public broadcasting program, Live Today. Would you mind if we interview you?”
The reporter recognizes Kasumi in line and shoves a microphone with the public broadcasting logo in her face.
I suspected something was off when my classmates were online whining about the Selection Warfare.
I never expected it to come up in public broadcasting.
The interpreter next to me translates the reporter’s words.
My hands and feet are already cringing.
“W-well······.”
Kasumi’s face turns red.
She hides her face with the handbag she’s holding.
Broadcasting “well” on Korean public television in this world.
Is this really okay?
“So, you came from Korea······.”
Kasumi stutters, brushing her bangs aside slightly.
“I-I’d like to. I’ll do the interview······. Please let me!”
A spark.
Kasumi, with a determined look, clenches her fist.
This is insane.
Kasumi’s appearing on Korean TV.
What the hell is happening right in front of me?
I’m more than just dizzy now; I’m starting to get a headache.
I can’t interrupt now.
I’m going to be on Korean television?
There’s definitely going to be more chaos than this.
[Wow. This is getting interesting. Partner.]
The Black Prince, leisurely enjoying the show, seems thrilled.
What a pain.
“Has Hoshino-san always admired Kim Deok-Sung?”
“Yes! Yes! I like Junior-kun!”
Kasumi responds to the reporter’s question with her fist clenched.
It’s one thing to hear “well,” but now Junior-kun is on Korean public broadcasting too.
My head is spinning.
This must be a dream.
It has to be.
“Can I ask what Kim Deok-Sung’s charm is, Hoshino-san?”
“Well, that’s······.”
Kasumi’s earlobes turn bright red.
She murmurs with her lips.
“J-Junior-kun is······ a bad boy who stole a girl’s pure heart and is the Black Beast, but······.”
That damn nickname slips from her lips.
Everything feels hazy in front of me.
[Hahaha, hAhahaha!]
The Black Prince is laughing mockingly in my head.
‘Shut up.’
[Partner, if you can’t avoid it, enjoying it isn’t so bad.]
What’s there to enjoy?
Where’s the fun in this?
And it’s not like I can just go and overturn everything; I’m at a loss here.
“B-but he’s kind, so that’s why I like him. Junior-kun······. Hehe······.”
Kasumi giggles awkwardly, her cheeks flushed.
She fans herself, her violet eyes downcast.
“Indeed, K-hero Kim Deok-Sung. The pride of Korea, the tip of the Korean Wave. He already has this many fans······.”
The reporter admires seriously.
No, don’t be impressed by that sort of thing.
Besides, why am I the tip of the Korean Wave?
“I heard Hoshino-san is a student at the same school as Kim Deok-Sung. May I ask what kind of person Kim Deok-Sung is at school?”
“W-well, Junior-kun is······.”
