Side Story Chapter 45 – Graduation and Growth.
Beastman Kingdom.
Once upon a time, crazy furry gay bastards held wild orgies.
Somewhere that only Nobelpia can handle.
A place that covered its horrific and terrible insides with a brilliant golden light.
A place that should only exist in Nobelpia.
[Isn’t it a murky brown rather than a brilliant golden light?]
“Ah, fuck. Don’t remind me…”
Karissi suddenly suggested we visit that place.
As memories from that time surfaced, I involuntarily trembled all over.
Of course, since we dealt with all those crazy gay bastards back then.
It could be said to be a sound place with no problems now.
But as we were about to visit, I just couldn’t bring myself to go.
“What the fuck are you saying…?”
“Huh, you must have misheard me!”
“Don’t mess around!”
It wasn’t just me; the heroines felt the same way.
Though our stay was short, the memories were too horrific, perhaps.
Except for Karissi, the heroines began showing signs of PTSD.
Gasping for breath or holding their heads while trembling, among other things.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Is everyone okay…?”
With Yumi and Yeonwoo looking worried, how bad could it be?
However, Karissi’s confident smile was unyielding.
Why did she have such unfounded confidence?
And I couldn’t understand her sudden conclusion either.
There are plenty of ways to pass the time in this world.
Why insist on going to the Beastman Kingdom?
“Karissi, why the Beastman Kingdom…?”
“They opened a part of an amusement park there!”
Well, that was a valid reason.
An amusement park that any child would crave to visit at least once.
Since it had opened in the Beastman Kingdom, Karissi’s intent was to go play.
However, one concern popped into my head at the mention of the amusement park.
Waiting.
Even if an amusement park is rich with fun activities.
The number of visitors is woefully few compared to the possibilities.
In the worst case, rather than alleviating boredom, a bad impression could be left.
“But won’t the amusement park be too crowded?”
“It’s not officially open yet, so there won’t be many using it. Just testers, really.”
Still, it seemed okay to temporarily set aside worries of waiting.
“Ah, so that’s why it’s a partial opening?”
“That’s right. There are still construction areas, but some are completed.”
From what she said, it seemed like a kind of test operation.
Though it might be a bit hard to enjoy a complete amusement park.
If she said it like that, it must be at least somewhat ready.
Meanwhile, the kids were all excited at the mention of an amusement park.
“Amusement park!!!”
“I want to go, Dad. Mom.”
Yet deep down, I was still reluctant.
The term “test operation” made me a bit uneasy.
Would it really be safe enough to ride things?
What if Yumi and Yeonwoo got hurt?
Moreover, it was at the Beastman Kingdom of all places.
What if some horrific event happened?
Of course, Karissi must have felt there was enough to trust her proposal.
Even if she insisted it was okay, I couldn’t help but feel instinctively opposed.
The heroines were no different from me.
“Shinwoo… do we have to go there?”
“How about we just go to a different amusement park!”
“What about visiting my mom’s business place instead?”
Everyone was collectively disinterested.
Like they said, there wasn’t a necessity to go there.
Substitutes were plentiful in today’s world.
Yet, suddenly a reason to go there just popped up.
– bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!!!
“Kim Shinwoo, you bastard! Open the door!!!”
“Don’t you dare not come out, you bastard!!!”
A sex-crazed idiot and a plain crazy guy were banging on our window.
[……What floor are we on again?]
‘……This is definitely not a height they could crawl up to…’
With just their grip strength hanging onto the window, they shot me a killing intent glare.
Even though I replaced the window with bulletproof, sturdy glass due to Yumi’s explosion ability.
It seemed like those idiots ranked among the powerful didn’t find it any different from a regular window.
No, it was still holding up without breaking, so maybe it was a testament to its sturdiness.
That said, I hastily decided to go to the amusement park in the Beastman Kingdom.
Those idiots would undoubtedly follow me wherever I went.
At the Beastman Kingdom, they wouldn’t easily set foot without permission.
“Kids, shall we head to the amusement park?”
“Let’s go!!!”
“Departure!!!”
“Let’s hurry, Dad.”
Fortunately, the kids quickly started getting ready at the prospect of the amusement park.
Giddy, Yumi and Yeonwoo were happily trying on various clothes.
If I had known they’d be this excited, I thought I should have taken them there more often.
Meanwhile, the heroines displayed suspicious looks.
“Kim Shinwoo, what have you done? Tell me.”
“What did you do for them to come all the way here?!”
“Quickly tell us the truth.”
Well, that was the response I expected.
The rarely seen Cheonma and occasionally visiting Uncle Kang-hyuk.
But now both had shown up, looking like they had an appointment.
It was only natural they suspected I’d done something dumb.
Especially with their blatant hostility toward me right now.
“Can I really say it?”
“Have you finished your preparations, kids?”
“Okay! Everyone, move quickly! I’m ready to go anytime!”
“It seems like the mosquitoes are out in force these days. They even stuck to the window.”
However, upon hearing my meaningful comment, they quickly averted their gaze from the window.
That was a very wise and cold judgment.
Sometimes, it might be better to live in a happy lie rather than revealing uncomfortable truths.
Now everyone finished preparing, they could set off right away.
[But what are those guys thinking they’ll do.]
“Ah, right. I’ll handle those two, so help me get ready.”
[Got it.]
Of course, I had to finish dealing with them quickly first.
Still hanging onto the window, Cheonma and Uncle Kang-hyuk continued glaring at me like they wanted to kill me.
They must truly be furious; their killing intent felt like it was only growing stronger.
But I put on the brightest smile I could muster.
“You all need to go back.”
“Quit screwing around and open the door, you bastard!!!”
“Where are you telling me to get out, huh?!”
Still, wouldn’t it be better to see them off with a smile?
“To the ground, you dog bastards.”
– bang!
That would be their last moment.
With a laugh, I kicked the window hard, sending it flying.
As a result of the recoil, Cheonma and Uncle Kang-hyuk’s bodies swayed dramatically.
And finally, one of the two trash actually began to plummet to the ground.
“Kim Shinwoo, you fucking bastard!!!”
Uncle Kang-hyuk claimed he was a formidable guy.
But without using his ability, he was just a slightly stronger idiot.
Thus, he naturally became a falling shooting star.
“What about my erect penis!!!”
“That bastard…”
Even among that, he left behind a filthy regret.
Meanwhile, Cheonma was still desperately clinging to the window.
A feat only someone at the peak of their physical capabilities could perform.
Even when I kicked the window repeatedly, he stubbornly remained.
– bang! bang! bang!
“Can you please just fall? Are you going to cover the cleaning costs?”
“This window is bulletproof, you bastard!!!”
As if he were a stubborn stain that wouldn’t wash away, I wondered how to get him off.
Should I just rip the whole window off, even if it’s a bit of a waste?
At that moment, I felt a small presence beside me.
“Oh? It’s Cheonma!”
Out of nowhere, Yeonwoo appeared, alternating glances between me and Cheonma.
Did she never expect Cheonma would be outside the window?
Displaying a look of surprise unbecoming of her.
That was a mistake.
I needed to get rid of this bastard quickly.
But apparently, Cheonma was holding on pretty well.
I certainly didn’t want a child witnessing this situation.
Nonetheless, Yeonwoo calmly continued speaking to Cheonma.
“Cheonma, do you know Cheonma-chan?”
“……Why do you ask that…?”
In that instant, I heard Cheonma’s breathing hitch.
He must feel he’s already been caught by Uncle Kang-hyuk regarding the ’Bermy Meat’ situation.
Now, finding out his identity even to a child would only amplify the shock.
But for him not to end it all showed he was indeed the top Hunter.
“Strangely enough, Cheonma-chan’s stream just ended, do you know anything about it? Your names are similar, after all.”
“……I heard there were deep circumstances, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“Is that so? What a shame.”
Fortunately, Yeonwoo casually accepted it without suspicion.
Though Cheonma let out a deep sigh of relief for a moment.
He suddenly directed a question toward Yeonwoo.
That’s a question anyone who streams would often ponder.
“May I ask just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Could you tell me your ID name, Yeonwoo?”
What ID does she use to watch his streams?
But upon hearing that question, I felt a bit anxious.
Though it was probably born from simple curiosity.
What if he had some bad intentions?
For example, calling out Yeonwoo’s real name in the chat could be a sharp spear piercing anonymity.
Even if Cheonma had no ill intent, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
Did Yeonwoo think that way too? Soon she displayed a suspicious look.
“Why do you want to know?”
“I just want to let Cheonma-chan know.”
“Really! My ID is Somain!”
However, Yeonwoo quickly spilled the truth in a cheerful tone at Cheonma’s words.
It’s a terrible thing to trust people so easily.
To reveal vulnerabilities to others so carelessly.
Even if they were acquaintances we knew well.
“Yeonwoo, Somain…? Why that ID…?”
“Mom is a Great Demon.”
“Oh, right.”
I started worrying about the situation going wrong.
“Wow! So you’re Somain-nee!!! Thanks for always donating and supporting!!!”
“……Huh…?”
……Things were going wrong in a different way.
Had Yeonwoo been donating a lot to Cheonma’s VTuber stream?
Almost reflexively, Cheonma immediately expressed his gratitude to Yeonwoo.
Yet he had just blurted that out without any signboard.
With a rugged voice and a cute smile completely mismatching his intimidating appearance.
“- Cheonma-chan asked me to say that…”
“…….”
Realizing the atmosphere was getting serious, Cheonma quickly tried to recover.
But everyone had an inkling of what was happening.
Even if Yeonwoo easily trusted others, she wasn’t completely oblivious.
Soon, Yeonwoo’s face began to harden in an instant.
Much more solid and cold than the atmosphere between Cheonma and herself.
The truth revealed now must have felt too cruel to Yeonwoo.
In that moment, she rushed to the window, reaching out a hand toward Cheonma.
With a colder expression than even her words.
“I’m going to stop watching Cheonma-chan.”
“Wait a minute! Hold on! I’m sorry! I can explain everything-”
Cheonma tried to make amends, but the sudden remark left him stunned.
“Cheonma-chan, you should quit life too.”
– thud.
Abruptly interrupting him, Yeonwoo pushed Cheonma out of the window.
It must have just been a small child’s push.
Did losing one loyal viewer mean that much to him?
Cheonma began to helplessly fall toward the ground.
Without even a single desperate gasp, the way he fell seemed emptily tragic.
All the rough resistance until now felt like a lie on a summer night.
In that moment, Yeonwoo gave a final warning to the vanishing Cheonma.
“Get off the horse.”
Unlike usual, she didn’t use honorifics at all.
It wasn’t even a curse, rather it was a sharp departure statement.
It almost felt better if she were cursing.
For just a moment, I felt Yeonwoo exude an aura of fear.
“Let’s go, Dad.”
“……Okay.”
Meanwhile, had more time passed than I thought?
Everyone had finished preparing and was waiting by the door.
Seeing Yumi start to get impatient at the wait, it seemed she couldn’t stand around anymore.
“Dad, Yeonwoo! Hurry! Hurry!”
However, I really worried about Yeonwoo’s state.
A VTuber she loved enough to donate to.
Yet the actual content was that insane grandfather bastard.
It wouldn’t be odd if she crumbled at any moment.
“Yeonwoo… Are you okay…? Can you go?”
“I’m fine, Dad.”
Yet Yeonwoo was strong.
She wiped away the cold expression she had just shown.
Even smiling gently at me.
Before just leaving the house, she sent one last wistful glance at the window Cheonma had been at.
“Yeonwoo, what’s wrong?”
“……It’s nothing…”
That was her only farewell as she left the house.
Faintly, but leaving behind a clear remark.
“Goodbye, Cheonma……”
Even at her young age, Yeonwoo graduated from being a VTuber.
Like a butterfly breaking out of its comforting cocoon.
Flapping toward the blue sky.
On that day, Yeonwoo became just a little more of an adult.
