Our village’s pride
Twitch.
Aris’s body trembles at the sight of her own statue.
Her silvery eyes shake with uncertainty.
“W-What the heck is this…?”
An accent bursts out of Aris’s mouth uncontrollably.
Her face, already flushed, turns even redder.
It looks like the statue is coated in silver, gleaming in the sunlight, and it’s ridiculously detailed.
Standing proudly with a spear planted like Joan of Arc, the base of Aris’s statue reads, “Silver Queen Saionji Aris.”
Behind the statue, a banner hangs.
[The pride of Wakayama Prefecture, Saionji Aris!]
I’m not even related to this, and I’m embarrassed.
It’s not like we’re in the ’60s where a rural prodigy makes it to Seoul National University and throws a feast with a banner hanging up.
I have no idea what this is about.
“Ughhh…”
Aris bites her lip.
Her face burns red.
Her body shakes.
[I know that feeling.]
The Black Prince speaks in my head.
Well, the Black Prince is a great hero in France after all.
I do remember seeing a statue of the Black Prince in Paris when I visited France before.
Olivia had a smug expression while looking at the Black Prince’s statue.
[But isn’t it normal to feel proud when your own statue is erected?]
As expected of a light novel character, the Black Prince’s way of thinking is anything but ordinary.
Proud? What are you talking about?
The first time I saw my statue between King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin at Gwanghwamun Plaza, I still remember that feeling.
A chill ran down my spine, my knees buckled, and cold sweat dripped down my whole body in an ominous sensation.
Why, of all places, Gwanghwamun Plaza, alongside King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin? I still question it.
Recalling that dizzying feeling makes me understand Aris’s reaction.
“Are you okay, Senpai?”
Tap.
I grab Aris’s shoulder.
Only then does her complexion return to normal.
She nods her head.
“Ah… Yes. I’m okay. Thank you for your consideration, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Just then, while Aris is offering a faint smile…
“Hey, isn’t that Saionji’s daughter?”
A distant, unfamiliar voice reaches us.
Turning my head, I see typical rural middle-aged folks.
“Yep, that’s Saionji’s daughter.”
“Oh my, I heard you’ve been doing well in Tokyo!”
“I heard you’ve done something big this time too; truly, our village’s pride is only Saionji’s daughter!”
Ladies, gentlemen, and grandma and grandpas with sparkling eyes swarm around Aris like it’s an idol fan meeting.
An auntie with sparkling eyes, along with some grandfathers, grandmothers, and uncles, swarm around Aris.
Aris makes a perplexed expression.
Cold sweat trickles down her face.
“Don’t worry, all the sons who bullied you have been chased out of town!”
“Saionji Aris is the pride of our village!”
The elderly residents look spirited.
The scale might have shrunk a bit, but I experienced the same thing in Korea.
“Well….”
Flustered, Aris trails off her words.
[Partner, are you just going to sit there while the lady is in trouble?]
The Black Prince’s voice echoes in my head.
I can’t just stand by.
I push through the crowd of elderly folks and grab Aris’s wrist.
“Kim Deok-Sung?! Uh…”
Aris looks startled and bites her lip as I grab her wrist.
I lead her away.
“Oh dear, our Saionji’s daughter has already brought her fiancé!”
“Is he that Kim Deok-Sung or whatever?”
“He looks quite reliable.”
I hear the old folks’ nonsense buzzing in my ears.
It seems like even in the countryside, rumors about a son-in-law spread fast.
I don’t know the way, but I walk along the rural path, holding Aris’s wrist for quite a while.
The idyllic scenery continues with fields on both sides.
Only when we reach a deserted countryside road does Aris cautiously let go of my wrist.
“Thank you, Kim Deok-Sung. I was really flustered earlier… I almost caused a scene.”
Aris chuckles awkwardly.
“I’ll take the lead from here.”
Aris walks ahead.
She fans herself with her hand fan to cool her flushed cheeks.
We walk the rural path in silence for a moment.
The scenery of endless fields is quite reminiscent of the countryside in Korea, making it feel cozy.
[Partner. Say something. It’s awkward.]
The Black Prince’s voice resonates in my head.
There’s no reason to follow his advice, but suddenly a curiosity arises.
“By the way, where are your father and younger siblings?”
From the character booklet I read, Aris’s family consists of her grandmother, an ill mother, her father, and two younger siblings.
But so far, I’ve only seen her grandmother and mother.
I haven’t met her father or siblings yet.
“Well… My father went out to work on the farm, and I heard my siblings went out to play.”
Aris answers.
That makes sense now.
So that’s why it was just her grandmother and mother at home.
“When we return home, we should see my father and siblings around dinner time.”
Aris adds.
Aris with her family looks happy.
Olivia in France seems similarly content.
For some reason, my mouth feels bitter.
My family is originally in this world.
Naturally, my family isn’t here, and neither is Kim Deok-Sung, the original owner of this body.
Not even a single friend to speak of.
I wonder how he lived his life.
No wonder he turned into a villain.
I sigh inwardly.
I want to go back.
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“Kim Deok-Sung, do you have something on your mind?”
I hear Aris’s voice by my ear.
She looks at me with a worried expression.
I have worries, but they’re not something I can share with Aris.
No, I can’t tell anyone just yet.
Unless it’s about Haru, who accidentally found out my secret…
“I can’t believe I accidentally found out about it, but Haru probably doesn’t know…”
I shake my head.
“No, it’s nothing. By the way, where are we going right now?”
I intentionally change the subject. I was genuinely curious about where we were headed.
It’s one thing if it were familiar Tokyo, but Wakayama Prefecture’s rural areas were completely unknown to me.
“That is…”
Aris trails off at my words, then smiles.
“You’ll find out when we arrive.”
She fidgets with her hands.
The blush on her face deepens a bit.
“Um… Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris speaks softly.
“Is it okay if I hold your hand?”
Hold hands? Suddenly?
As I fall silent for a moment, Aris shakes her head and waves her hands.
“There’s no one here… so it’s just something I thought to say. Yes, just something I thought to say. No, it’s just that you might get lost in this unfamiliar town…”
Aris babbles on.
So, she wants to hold hands.
Holding hands isn’t a big deal; I’ve done it plenty with Rin, Olivia, and Eri.
There’s no reason to hesitate now.
I grab her hand firmly.
Aris’ face turns beet red.
“Ugh…”
She bites her lip.
“Let’s go.”
“…Alright, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris nods at my words.
We walk hand in hand for a while until we reach our destination, an old shrine halfway up a mountain.
After hiking up the stone steps, we see a red torii gate.
Passing through the torii, Aris, stepping into the shrine with few visitors, releases my hand.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
Suddenly.
Aris opens her eyes wide.
Her transparent silver eyes look towards me.
“Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris calls my name.
With a relaxed expression, different from before, she slowly begins to speak.
“This shrine is a place filled with memories for me.”
A small smile graces Aris’ lips.
“My childhood can hardly be called good memories, even as a compliment. As you now know, I was bullied during my younger years.”
I had already read that part in the setting book, so I was aware.
Yet, hearing it directly from her, with this light and smiling face, is a completely different experience from reading the dry text.
“But that doesn’t mean my entire childhood was filled with bad memories. There was one, just one good memory.”
Whoosh.
The mountain breeze blows as Aris’ silver hair dances in the air.
It looks just like a scene from an anime.
Aris smiles.
“That good memory is… the festival held here every summer. During the village festival organized by the shrine, I could forget everything and just… have fun. Holding my parents’ hands, wearing a yukata, watching fireworks, eating festival food…”
Her voice becomes nostalgic as if recalling the memories of that day.
From here on, this is a story that was never mentioned in the setting book, the original, or even the drama CD.
It’s a story that can only be told by Saionji Aris, not as a light novel heroine, but as a living person.
Aris’ gaze turns toward me.
The gaze of the world turns toward us.
“It was really enjoyable. That might be why I brought you here, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris says, stroking the stone lantern inside the shrine.
An old wooden box, a shrine building you’d only see in animations comes into view.
Aris’s gaze is directed at me.
Her silver hair shines in the sunlight.
“When I look back, I guess I have some good memories from my childhood.”
Aris briefly states.
“When my identity was revealed, I was confused at first… then I had such bad feelings that I couldn’t even tell anyone. I really went through a lot of thoughts. But now… it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Grab.
Aris takes my hand again.
“Because you saved me.”
She says with a serious voice.
Saved me?
What is this, some Japanese anime? Why is she being so serious with lines like that…
Oh right, this is the kind of world we’re in.
I’m going crazy.
“When I look back, I was always stuck in the past while living in the present. The bullying of the past, my former self as a countryside girl, the past. My body grew, I moved to Tokyo and acted as the perfect student council president, but it was all just an interim measure. My mind was still exactly like the countryside girl Aris from back then.”
Aris’s silver eyes shine seriously.
“So I made up my mind. The past will just remain in the past. For my own growth, not for anyone else. I’ll hold onto the good memories and let everything else flow away. I, Saionji Aris, will now live for the future, not the past.”
Aris declares.
Indeed, this line never came up in the original work.
In the original, the protagonist Yuji never had such intimate conversations with Aris.
Aris’s rural girl character was only used for comedic effect.
There were no serious introspective scenes like this after volume 7.
So, is this situation now a better ending than the original?
No one was there to answer my question.
“I just wanted to tell you my resolve. To you, who saved me…”
I hear Aris’s voice.
I see her ears turning bright red.
Let’s bury the past in the past.
Aris’s resolution isn’t exactly refreshing.
It’s a completely naive, in some ways, typical light novel heroine decision.
“…I understand.”
But I decided to respect her decision.
Well, since she wants to do it, there’s no need for me to interfere.
After all, Saionji Aris is not just a heroine in a text but a real person too.
“Thank you, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Just then, when Aris is smiling…
Brrring.
A vibration echoes from Aris’s pocket.
Aris takes out her phone to check the message.
“Ah…”
She lets out a short sigh.
“What does it say?”
“Um, my father texted… Mom sent a message asking me to come back now.”
Aris answers my question.
Wait, father?
The family members I’ve met so far flash through my mind.
If it’s Grandma and Mom, then what about Dad?
What kind of person is he?
I’m already scared.
