WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 147: Friend (3)
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The president's smile was perfect.
The corners of the class president’s mouth rose exactly the right amount. His lips folded into a graceful curve. The corners of his eyes settled calmly, without exaggeration. So when the corners of his mouth lowered and the corners of his eyes rose, returning his face to its usual expressionlessness, I felt as though I had been bewitched.
The president ascended the podium.
Leaving me standing there, dazed and confused, he grabbed the microphone.
"Students of Shinseo High School."
His voice spread through the buzzing hall.
“The video you are watching shows Hwang Eun-Seo of Class 2-5 participating in group violence against classmate Kim Yul. This situation was not staged. It is footage of actual violence.”
The president didn’t hold a speech in his hand. It was a completely different speech from the rehearsal, one I had never heard before.
"Thanks to an anonymous informant, I have obtained such materials. Yes, materials. The criminal acts committed by Hwang Eun-Seo of Class 2-5 are documented in 103 audio files, 311 videos, and 30,790 photos."
Criminal acts?
Videos?
Photos?
"Broadcast head, please switch to the PPT."
"Yes, y-yes..."
The projector shone on the hall's wall, displaying the photos. Although the quality wasn't great, it was evident that everyone was wearing our school uniform.
"Today, after this announcement, we will formally report Hwang Eun-Seo, a student of Class 2-5. Of course, the victim, Kim Yul from the same class, will also sue Hwang Eun-Seo."
Report? Sue?
“I would like to ask the teachers employed at Shinseo High School: was anyone here aware of this violence? ...No one, I see. Yes, that’s right. Despite these habitual crimes continuing for the past year, you teachers, who are responsible for your students’ school lives, took no action whatsoever. This is the reality of Shinseo High School.”
The teachers’ reactions were not much different from mine. None of them could collect their wits. A few hurriedly whispered to nearby colleagues, and one grade-level head rose from their seat.
"Wait a minute. Wait! Hey, come down! What are you doing now…!"
"I believe the teachers will also promptly join in the report. I am informing you of the actual situation of school violence."
"No, if we handle it this way..."
"Everyone. Please note that my presentation is currently being recorded as video footage. The materials have already been sent to some media outlets this morning. Please be aware of this."
"......"
The head teacher, in the midst of standing up, looked at the principal. All the teachers were looking at the principal. The principal glanced at their phone, mumbling, 'Just a moment, please. Wait a moment.' Whether they were making or receiving a call, they started talking to someone, head bowed.
This attitude temporarily paralyzed the faculty.
"It's a lie!"
I yelled into the microphone I held.
"These are all fabricated photos! They’re fake!"
But my voice didn’t carry through the speakers. I realized too late that the broadcast head had turned off my mic.
"Please look at the student Hwang Eun-Seo standing here."
Only the president's voice resounded in the hall.
"Do you remember what Hwang Eun-Seo just said in his apology? He said, [I saw a classmate being bullied and did nothing]. [I even joined in with the others and participated in the bullying]. Do you remember?"
The students murmured.
“Hwang Eun-Seo excused the violence by claiming merely to have ‘joined in.’ In other words, Eun-Seo claimed not to be the ringleader. Despite personally organizing the violent group, recording videos, and distributing them, Hwang Eun-Seo refused to admit the wrongdoing to the very end, then put on a false display of sincere remorse before all of you.”
All the students stared at me.
"Look at Hwang Eun-Seo's face. Remember his expression."
Yes.
It was the president.
"Remember Hwang Eun-Seo's logic. Remember his methods. Witness exactly how this person led the violence and tried to escape."
So this bastard was the one who had been working in the shadows to hunt me down.
"......"
The president lowered the microphone. Wrapping his right hand around the mic, he turned to me and spoke in a voice only I could hear.
"Ah. That was exhausting."
His voice was so calm that I almost lost touch with reality.
“Anyway, Hwang Eun-Seo, your life is over. You’ll probably be surprised when you learn how many separate charges you’re facing. Since you’re a minor, I can’t put you behind bars for the rest of your life, but that’s fine. I can destroy you socially instead.”
"You, you......"
"I had a hard time pretending to be your friend."
The president sighed.
“Honestly. My younger self is far too emotional. Talking to you made me feel like vomiting every few minutes. It’s nice that my back doesn’t hurt, but I’m still far too naive about the world... Then again, that’s why I handled college the way I did.”
The president grumbled.
"Do you know? To serve society, you need a lot of money. Whatever you do, it's money, money. Planting trees or going to disaster areas, even caring for teachers, it all costs money. If I had known this during my school days, I would have..."
“You fucking bastard! What the fuck are you talking about?!”
I screamed, furious. Immediately after, I realized my shout echoed too loudly in the hall. I hesitated. Unlike the president's whispered nonsense, my outcry resonated powerfully.
"Yeah."
The president smiled.
“I said that nonsense so you would shout. Kid, you really took the bait.”
Seeing that bastard smile, my mind went blank all over again.
"Probably right now, you think your connections... Hah."
The class president covered his mouth with his left hand and snickered.
“Ah, sorry. It's just funny.”
This guy.
“Anyway, you probably believe those connections you think you’ve cultivated will help you. They won’t. That girl was your girlfriend, was she? I negotiated a few things with her in exchange for deleting the videos she appeared in. Every one of your ‘clients’ is making the same kind of deal. Remember this. The precious children of successful families have no interest in you at all. Their sole concern is [not being named in the case].”
Meanwhile, the broadcast head continued flipping through the PPT. The photos continued. The students went from murmuring to buzzing, and reactions like ‘fuck’ and ‘is this crazy?’ emerged from all over the hall.
“I’m sorry to Kim Yul, but... in my present identity, this is as far as I can go. It can’t be helped. Haven’t I told you over and over since you were little, Gong-Ja?”
The class president wore that same kindly smile.
"People should do what they can."
At that smile, I snapped.
"Ah. If I leave this bastard alone, the world will become dirtier. There will come a time when you meet such a person. If you meet such a person, don't regret it later, get rid of them quickly. It's better to act when you can, without regrets."
I screamed and rushed at the president. He didn’t resist, instead slightly chuckling.
“Anyway. This is why you should raise children well, so your later years are comfortable..."
I swung my fist. I knocked down the president and pinned him. Screams came from behind, but I didn't stop. Bastard. You bastard! Because of you! How dare you do this to me! My life!
“Hey, Hwang Eun-Seo! Calm down! Teachers! Stop him!”
“Broadcast head! Stop it! Can't you stop filming right now?!”
“But, but yelling at me... I have to do this...”
My life!
[Clear conditions met.]
[Considering the peculiarities of this stage, a judgment is requested.]
I did my best... I may not have lived the best life, but I really did my best! Who here has worked harder than me! Who has tried to live life as earnestly as me!
[Judgment complete.]
[The Master of All Lives acknowledges 'Stage Clear'.]
No!
[However, the ‘City of Ascension Side Story’ will not be incorporated into official canon.]
No!
[Stage Clear.]
I can't accept it! I won't accept it! This is fraud! It's unjust! It's not right! Yes, it’s wrong! It’s about human rights! Everyone has the right to a fair trial... I'm a human too! This is wrong!
[Today, the 29th floor has been cleared.]
I feel wronged.
Pity me... Quick. Pity me, quick.
[The Master of All Lives announces on behalf of the tower.]
I…
[You’ve worked hard, everyone.]
I did nothing wrong.
[Although I may have been a bit biased towards you, it's nothing that other children wouldn't overlook. I’m more lenient with those who struggle.]
No wrongdoing at all.
[May fortune be with you.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
That was my first defeat.
"......!"
I quickly inhaled and sat up abruptly with a "huff!" My heart pounded furiously. Although this wasn't the first time I had completely immersed myself in a character, it was still hard to get used to the pain in my heart when returning to my senses.
Looking around, I found myself in a corner of the Great Library.
"Uhmm...."
"Ughh......"
The Constellation Killer and the Director also slowly sat up. For a while, the three of us just caught our breath. We didn't have the energy to do anything else. My mind was a tangled mess.
“Gong-Ja....”
It was only after more than 10 minutes that the Director murmured.
“Yes?”
“Come here for a moment….”
The Director weakly beckoned me with his finger. Something felt ominous. It reminded me of the fierce look in his eyes when we kids used to fight at the orphanage. I obediently went to the Director and knelt before him.
“Here I am….”
“Long ago, during the Spring and Autumn period, there lived a man named Wu Zixu.”
I grew even more anxious.
The Director never scolded the children immediately. There was always a long preamble. When asked a question, the Director would think for a full day before answering, and when angry, would slowly begin telling some unrelated story. As I remembered it, the ‘Wu Zixu story’ counted as an S-class warning among us.
“Yes….”
“You should remember, since I told you the story so many times. Wu Zixu dug up the corpse of the enemy who had killed his family and whipped it until the bones turned to dust. But think about this.”
“Yes….”
“Suppose Wu Zixu was about to dig up the grave for his revenge, only to discover that someone had already dug an easy path into it and even pulled out the coffin. Do you think Wu Zixu would rejoice and say, ‘Thank you so much for digging it up in advance’? Or would he get angry and ask why someone else had touched the grave he had marked for his own revenge?”
“Um….”
“Then 掘墓鞭屍, ‘dig up the grave and whip the corpse,’ would suddenly lose the ‘dig up the grave’ part. Wouldn’t it?”
*The four-character expression 掘墓鞭屍 means “dig up the grave and whip the corpse.” Since someone else has already done the grave-digging, the first half, 掘墓, is missing from the Director’s revenge.
I stammered, confused.
“D-Director.”
“Go ahead, speak.”
“Am I in trouble because I tried too hard? Did I choose a method that was too self-sacrificing? Like, why don’t you take care of your own body...?”
“Gong-Ja, you’re an adult now. Looking after your body is your responsibility, so why would I interfere? Raising you was hard enough. Do I have to keep worrying about you even after I’m done raising you?”
The Director spoke harshly. It was remarkable. Remarkable in that the Director nonchalantly spoke like this, and my memory was remarkable for momentarily forgetting that he was always like this.
“I raised you to grow up strong. Pity is like a gift that feels good occasionally, but if you keep receiving it without discretion, it drains your energy and makes you weak. Gong-Ja, I don't pity your life at all. Live as you wish to.”
-Indeed…
The Guardian Spirit muttered from the side.
-Seeing how this zombie brat turned out, he’s been well trained right from the sapling...
I suddenly wondered what the other children from the orphanage were doing now. Han Feizi became a member of the National Assembly, right? If I searched online, would videos of that kid come up too?
“Gong-Ja.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Even if you hadn’t given me the recordings and videos, I would have worked hard to screw Hwang Eun-Seo over... Sorry. No, there’s no need to apologize for saying that. You’re an adult now. Right. I would have worked hard and screwed Hwang Eun-Seo over myself. Why did you dig up the grave on your own? Do you want a scolding?”
No, I couldn't be scolded at this age! Especially not in front of the Guardian Spirit and Shiny!
“No. But I had to do something... I entered the stage a year earlier than you, Director. And, I was at 95% immersion. Doesn’t that make a person a bit hasty and desperate?”
"......."
Hesitation.
The Director hesitated for a moment after hearing the words 'one year' and '95%'. Yes! As expected of the Director! He pretends not to, but he really considers others. I’ve grown up too!
“That's right, Director. You told us, you told me, to live as we want. When I fell into the stage, I did what I wanted. I followed your teachings.”
-Indeed…
The Guardian Spirit muttered again.
-This kid's tongue must have been trained well. He's been trained to be shameless right from the sapling...
Then,
“Hm.”
The Constellation Killer pushed his upper body upright. Moisture remained around his eyes, like traces left on someone who had cried through a nightmare.
"King of Death. You have made me understand and feel [Kim Yul]. I remember now. I learned a lot, but there's one thing I want to ask you."
The Constellation Killer looked directly at me, not wiping away the tears.
"What do you wish for me to do now?"
"......"
I opened my mouth.
"Kim Yul was a victim. He was murdered. And in his final moments, he left a will."
+
The one responsible for my death is you.
Don’t forget.
You killed me.
+
Three sentences forming a grudge.
Kim Yul sacrificed even his own life to leave the murderers, the beasts, a scream that would keep them from forgetting what they had done, so they would remember and suffer forever.
"But."
I took a handkerchief out of my pocket and clenched it.
"You forgot."
The Constellation Killer tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
"The lives sacrificed because you killed the Constellations. Countless humans from numerous worlds."
"You forgot."
The 50th floor achieved through a loophole.
There, the Constellation Killer had said,
『I suffer from amnesia, stranger.』
Not remembering the deeds committed.
『My mistake lies in two things. First, I didn't consider the possibility of new constellations being born in worlds where constellations disappeared. Second, I underestimated the fact that a dead constellation could curse the world.』
『The same error won't happen again.』
『I expressed my gratitude for this advice by offering a compensation.』
I clenched the handkerchief again.
“Is it enough to say you did it because you didn’t know, that you didn’t mean to do it, then forget and simply live on in forgetfulness? Did [Kim Yul] believe the beasts were allowed to forget him?”
"......"
"Those who tore Kim Yul apart are the worst scumbags. Constellation Killer. But your sins don't change because of that."
What I want is.
"Don't make the same excuses as those beasts."
For you to change.
To return from being a puppet.
To become a human, if possible.
"Look at those who wronged you. And those whose lives you wronged. Face them directly."
"......"
"Make your decision here. If you don’t want to, I will never summon you again through Ghoul Reincarnation. And someday, I will find and destroy all your puppets. But if…"
"If…"
The Constellation Killer looked at me.
His blue eyes trembled.
"If I decide to face it, what happens?"
Whether it was traces left by someone who had been in class 2-5 at Shinseo High School or the Constellation Killer’s own emotions, I couldn't tell.
So I asked.
"What would Kim Yul have done?"
"What do you want to do?"
The Constellation Killer opened his mouth.
“I...”
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