I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

“Why did you build up your muscles so much, Ryu-chan?”

It was an unexpected question.

“Eh? Muscles?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I’ve been curious about it for a while.”

Rika said this while looking at my body.

It seemed she didn’t understand why I was so focused on building muscles.

“Well…”

When I tried to answer, I found myself at a loss for words.

The truth was, I started exercising to be better prepared for anything that might happen.

I thought the only way for a regular person like me to survive was to train my body.

And in a way, my prediction turned out to be correct.

I couldn’t even imagine what would have happened during Golden Week if I hadn’t built up my muscles.

Especially since Sasha’s father, Ivan, was practically an embodiment of unreasonable violence.

But I couldn’t reveal such inner details to Rika, so I hesitated and then said,

“In the past, I was weak and often disregarded for being Korean. So, after starting high school, I began working out to ensure no one could treat me lightly.”

In fact, it wasn’t entirely made up.

In the faded memories, Kim Yu-seong was what you might call a ‘troubled kid.’

He was often pointed at behind his back and subtly ostracized in class due to his Zainichi Korean heritage.

The introverted original Kim Yu-seong would immerse himself in the world of screens more as this happened.

Truth be told, the past Kim Yu-seong and I were different people.

I only knew these memories as knowledge, so it felt more like, “So that happened.”

But if the past Kim Yu-seong and I had known each other, I would have definitely suggested exercising together.

To confront and break down the ‘prejudices’ that had bound him since childhood.

After hearing my words, Rika looked sorry.

“I didn’t know that…”

“It’s okay. It’s a thing of the past. And now, I simply enjoy working out and building muscles, so don’t misunderstand.”

“…Okay.”

Rika calmly nodded in agreement, then turned her head towards the sea.

The atmosphere, already awkward, seemed to grow even more so.

I wondered if this would upset my stomach after the dinner we had.

Walking along the dark beach, we realized that there were no more buildings around and decided to turn back.

It seemed we had walked too far in silence.

We were on our way back down the same path.

“Ouch!”

Suddenly, Rika, walking ahead, screamed.

“Are you okay?!”

I rushed over, alarmed, and found Rika crouching with a pained expression on her face.

“I tripped in a hole and twisted my ankle.”

Hearing her words, I looked down.

Indeed, it was dark and hard to see, but there was a shallow hole at Rika’s feet.

“What should we do? It’s still a long way to the lodging.”

Hearing her, I let out a small sigh.

“What to do? I’ll have to carry you on my back.”

Saying that, I offered my back to Rika, who was sitting on the ground.

“Come on, get on.”

Then Rika waved her hands in panic.

“It’s okay, Ryu-chan! It’ll be fine with a little rest!”

“If you keep walking even after the pain eases, it’ll strain your muscles. So it’s better to let me carry you.”

As I offered my back again, Rika hesitated but then climbed onto my back.

I felt a soft sensation on my back, but I tried not to pay attention to it as I embraced her thighs and slowly stood up.

Rika, on my back, asked,

“Is it okay, Ryu-chan? Am I not heavy?”

Instead of a direct answer, I replied with a typical line for such a situation.

“You’re as light as a feather.”

Then Rika blushed slightly and hugged my neck.

“…You’re so naughty.”

Hearing her playful protest, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Swoosh!

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks reached my ears.

A quiet beach.

Carrying Rika, who had twisted her ankle, on my back, I walked silently toward the lodging.

Rika, seemingly resigned to the situation and clinging to my back, asked,

“Ryu-chan, come to think of it, we don’t know much about each other, do we?”

“Like what?”

“Well, we’ve been together almost every day at school, right? But it seems strange that, even though we’re always together, we don’t know each other’s deeper personal matters.”

Indeed, perhaps due to our different genders, we had never shared our deep personal matters.

“What are you curious about?”

After I asked, Rika paused for a moment and then inquired,

“What’s your favorite food?”

“…Chili shrimp.”

I loved Chinese dishes that included shrimp the most.

Hearing my answer, she pulled on her collar and asked,

“What’s your favorite song?”

“White Fall in Love by Sanada Nobuyuki.”

“Who do you like?”

Abruptly.

I stopped walking.

I was unsure of the intention behind such a sudden question.

But since she was on my back, I couldn’t see Rika’s expression, and then she said,

“Hehe, just kidding.”

“……”

I had realized her feelings long ago, so I knew it wasn’t really a joke.

But inside, I was relieved that she had taken a step back.

If she had confessed then, I would have had to reject her confession, just like with Minato.

Then Rika hugged my neck tightly and said,

“Did your heart flutter a little?”

I nodded in agreement.

“Yes. It did.”

“…Then I’m glad.”

After saying that, Rika buried her face in my shoulder.

After that, we didn’t talk until we arrived at the lodging.

Upon arriving at the lodging, Rika got down from my back, insisting she could walk on her own.

I had intended to carry her to the girls’ room, but she firmly refused, so I had no choice.

Just before returning to my room, Rika handed me the cardigan back, thanking me for letting her use it.

Holding the cardigan still warm from Rika, I waved and told her to sleep well.

Then Rika said, “You too, Ryu-chan,” with a cheerful smile, and disappeared down the hallway.

I stopped waving only after her figure had completely vanished from my sight.

“……”

Left alone, I felt a sense of emptiness.

It was proof of how significant Rika’s presence was to me.

Glancing at the grandfather clock pointing towards 3 a.m., I decided to head back to my room.

Perhaps due to the long walk, I felt just the right amount of tiredness.

I felt I would be able to sleep soundly until morning.

After returning from the night walk in the early morning, I woke up again at 8 a.m.

Compared to my usual routine at home, it was extremely late, but being so far away on a trip, I didn’t feel the need to stick strictly to my usual schedule.

Waking up late, we gathered in the dining area for a simple breakfast.

Well-toasted bread with eggs and sausage, accompanied by a cup of coffee.

It was a Western-style breakfast that seemed out of place in a guesthouse with a distinctly Eastern ambiance.

After breakfast, we headed straight to the beach to fully enjoy the remaining time.

Instead of individual activities like yesterday, we all gathered for a watermelon-smashing game.

‘Beach Watermelon Smashing.’

It was a staple activity that came to mind in the summer.

The watermelon was already ripe, so all we needed was a stick.

However, since we didn’t have a stick, we improvised by having me split the watermelon by hand.

As a result…

Crack!

I ended up showing everyone how the watermelon could be split just by sheer grip strength.

“Amazing!”

Ryuji exclaimed in pure amazement.

“Seriously, what kind of monstrous strength is that?”

The Class President, in disbelief, pushed up her glasses on the bridge of her nose, only to awkwardly lower her hand upon realizing she was wearing contact lenses.

Then, I offered the red, ripe flesh of the watermelon and said,

“It’s fine to be surprised, but let’s eat first and then be amazed.”

Then, everyone rushed in and started devouring the watermelon.

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