I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 227

“So, where are we going now?”

“To meet that guy. And also, to check on my younger sister.”

Namgoong Min and this bizarre counterpart named Namgoong Min.

It’s not a combination meant to last long. After all, another Namgoong Min has managed to get up on his own without holding my hand.

‘If it takes too long, he’ll probably try to go see the former god by himself.’

In that sense, it was a relief to have the key.

Now I could leave without delay.

“What about your wounds?”

“…Tch, it’s nothing. Really.”

“Don’t be foolish.”

“…I can walk, and the bleeding stopped a while ago. You’re not suggesting we should wait to recover and then leave, right?”

“Well, we probably should, but it seems like they’ve caught on to us.”

“What?”

<'Key to the Developer's Room'



You have decided to use the key.
It can be used within the next 12 minutes.
*Warning: Once the time limit is up, the key will disappear! There are no other keys!>

The time limit that started from the first farewell.

Originally, it was supposed to be 30 minutes, but my time got cut down to less than half due to tussling with another Namgoong Min during the farewell.

‘Honestly, I want to go in at my best.’

But fighting with another me also consumed a lot of the strength given by Lucas and Rain, and the other me was struggling even to walk, let alone fight.

It’s better to just get in quickly rather than dilly-dally.

There might be a former god inside, though.

‘…Jisoo.’

Because Jisoo would be there too.

Leaving the outskirts of the fight, I entered a dim alley lined with buildings.

I picked the nearest building and brought the key to the back door in the alley.

Clank!

The door handle transformed.

As soon as the key made contact with the ordinary metal handle, the shape changed to that of an intricate sculpture.

‘No wonder I couldn’t find it.’

When I first made the fortune teller’s shop and sold ‘points’ for the artifacts hidden throughout the academy.

I had been looking for this developer’s room since then, but never found even a clue.

I had nearly given up on it.

‘You have to have the key to get there.’

The developer’s room wasn’t just a room in a specific location.

You needed this key as a medium to access a completely separate space. It didn’t even matter what kind of door it was.

“What…? What are you thinking so hard about?”

“I’m just trying to buy some time. Did you manage to recover during that?”

“Shut up…”

Every time I heard that other me’s mouth, I felt infuriated and sighed, while I inserted the key and turned it.

Click.

“Ready? ‘Nam’?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you going to respond?”

“Of course not! That sounds cringe-worthy! How could I?”

“‘Nam.'”

“This crazy bastard?”

“‘Nam.'”

“….”

“‘Nam.'”

“…’Goong.'”

“What the hell are you talking? Let’s hurry up!”

“You bastard!!”

“How about it? You feel a little relaxed now? I can see it in your tense eyes, pretending everything is fine.”

“….”

“Don’t stress too much.”

“…How can I not? There’s a former god in there who turned me into this.”

“If we’re going that far, I have my younger sister in there too.”

“…Alright, let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

Even with this ridiculous chatter,

I had to ease the tension between you and me.

This past year, living in this world. The experiences and days built up.

All of it— would wrap up in there.

…In some form or another.

*

The inside was cleaner than I expected.

To be precise, there was nothing at all.

“….”

“….”

The door I had just opened closed automatically, disappearing into a pure white space.

Like the inside of a dream within a dream, a space that numbs my sense of direction.

I couldn’t tell what I was stepping on, where I was looking, or where I was headed.

In this formless space, another me pulled out a card.

“Do you know where we should go?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Damn it. Then let’s keep an eye on our surroundings—”

<It's nothing to really be on guard about. It’s obvious.>

“What is this…?”

“…Jisoo?”

“Jisoo? Is this your younger sister’s…?”

<This is a dwelling only those who have taken the divine seat can occupy. It’s only natural that nothing is visible to you and… an unwelcome guest.>

“Unwelcome guest? Are you saying I’m the unwelcome guest?”

<Did you expect to be treated as a guest? You should be lucky to be alive thanks to your brother’s mercy.>

A flash.

In the distance.

I knew it was a contradictory statement, but white light sparkled in the pure space.

Though it was difficult to notice, given that it was the same color,
neither me nor the other me could tear our eyes away from the bright light.

<Honestly, it's a bit awkward, though.>

“Jisoo.”

<This time, I’ll lead you, brother.>

Right after that,

The white began to recede.

“……!!”

How could I have not noticed until now? The surroundings were not pure white but took on clear shapes.

The asphalt road I’d always seen, the tangled power poles and wires, the familiar smell of exhaust fumes.

And.

The entrance to the semi-basement I shared with Jisoo.

“This is……….”

<This is my sanctuary, brother.>

A sanctuary? This semi-basement?

The entire scene was so vivid that I almost thought everything had been a dream if it weren’t for the other me shooting me bewildered looks.

I descended into the semi-basement. Dust and plants gathered on the staircase caught my eye.

I lifted one of the plants, half expecting it, and found a key beneath it.

Picking up the house key I always hid there, I inserted it into the semi-basement door.

…Jisoo’s voice was echoing inside.

Click.

The door opened far too easily. The cold and musty smell emanated from within.

To some, it might be unpleasant, but to Jisoo and me, it was a familiar and endearing home.

And in that semi-basement living room.

<Hello, brother.>

“………Jisoo.”

There she was.

But.

“What happened to you?”

<………….>

She was translucent.

Jisoo and I had met several times. Even at Liu’s mansion during summer vacation, and on our 1-night, 2-day trip to America.

At those times, Jisoo was just fine. A hero, and even a god, still retaining the image of my cheeky younger sister that I knew.

But what on earth was this?

“What happened to you?”

<……I’m sorry.>

You little brat.

I tried to grab her shoulder, feelings boiling up inside me, but—

Whoosh.

“……!!”

I passed right through her. It was as if no one was even there.

Jisoo was certainly right in front of me.

“You, you?”

<…………….>

“…Explain yourself. Now.”

<Brother.>

[That’s only natural.]

Crack!!

The unfamiliar voice, even though I’ve heard it countless times before.
As soon as I heard the voice, I moved to clasp Jisoo, while the other me swung a card toward the source of the voice with his bloodshot eyes.

Thanks to that, the semi-basement’s door shattered, but the voice remained untouched.
As I did, the figure formed from fractures slipped past the card.

[No matter how much of an intruder I am, I’m still in a human body. It’s obvious that I can’t last forever.]

“You bastard!!!!”

[You’re a failed product, to come this far… That’s unexpected.]

“DIE!!!!”

Boom! Crash!! Crackle!!!

His form was filled with fractures, but that smile was starkly visible.
As he hurled his almost exhausted body at me, the former god only chuckled mockingly.
The other me’s attacks were only passing through the fractures, carelessly destroying the surroundings.
[Interesting. It’s perhaps the first time I’ve been surprised by a failed product like you. You’re quite the special failure.]

“You bastard……!!!”

[But why the anger towards me? Just last time, your fury and hatred were directed solely at the fortuneteller… Oh, how curious.]

Eyes.

Although they couldn’t be seen by the creature made of fractures,
the cracks around his head gathered and moved, creating the semblance of eyes.
[You’ve changed within, haven’t you? Was it because of the fortuneteller?]

“…Am I still a failure?”

[Of course. You didn’t mistake that change for growth, did you? That’s just a minor error. After all, you remain a failed product.]

“………….”

The former god’s words couldn’t shake the will of the other me.
On the contrary, with burning eyes, he poured feelings beyond hatred and malice toward me.
While the two of them were in confrontation, I looked at the Jisoo I had embraced.
“…Is that really true?”

<…………….>

“Jisoo.”

<…It seems I used too much power. If I had just stayed a bystander, I could’ve remained here for a thousand years… But it means nothing if you’re not here with me.>

“…………….”

<I erased many possibilities with my strength. I intervened to change the bad ending you might have faced, as much as I could.>

Intervened.

To intervene.
“You wished for me to exist in this world from the beginning, didn’t you?”
<………….>
“When we met at Liu’s mansion during summer vacation…”
<That was the best option I had.>
Actually, I—
<This is not a favorable circumstance. That has always been my true feeling.>
“Jisoo?”
<I wanted you to be satisfied living in this world. I created that game while experiencing the future many times for that purpose.>
“……Many times?”
<'Romance Academy', you worked hard at that, didn't you? I was happy. Honestly, it wasn't a fun game even for me… But everything was for you.>
…Looking back now, it’s certainly contradictory.
If Jisoo created this world and subsequently made a game based on it, that would be understandable, but the creator of this world is someone else.
Jisoo becoming a god would also happen later.
Still, if she could create a female-oriented visual novel game containing the future ahead…
<I experienced countless futures. You know the female protagonist you played as? That was actually me. I made that game while repeatedly going through the process of enrolling in the academy and graduating.>
“………….”
<The reason why the romance with the male player was blocked was also due to that. I’m not a man, am I? Oh, and don’t worry. That was only an outward appearance. I never actually gave my heart to anyone. Of course, there was no physical contact either.>
“…Why would I worry about that?”
<Because, brother, if you find a guy who kissed me, you'd probably go kill him.>
What’s the big deal about that?
It’s a brother’s right and duty to confront any guy who boasted about kissing his younger sister.
If, in the process, a fist comes flying, so be it.
<Anyway… That was the game I created. When you arrived in this world, it was to allow you to become the protagonist through that game knowledge. In a sense, I was letting you know the future.>
“…………Is that so?”
<But I’m sorry. It has differed greatly from what I planned. At some point, your story became derailed from the future I witnessed… I was terrified. Afraid you might die due to some variable I didn’t know about.>
And so,
Namgoong Jisoo poured all her power to intervene.
<Initially, I wanted you to just grab any woman and live happily, but I started feeling a bit jealous. I thought your happiness was all that mattered, yet I was being selfish.>
“………….”
<According to the scenario, we were never supposed to meet like this, and you were supposed to graduate the academy and live happily… But here we are.>
Finally, I understood what Jisoo was referring to.
The very fact that I was meeting her was an event diverging from the scenario she had constructed.
‘A lot did change from the midpoint onward.’
The knowledge of the game continued to apply until the survival exam; beyond that, everything started to gradually shift. I somehow got through the days using the remnants of game knowledge and my abilities.
Perhaps there were branching points where I could have died or completely given up along the way.
Jisoo had struggled to control all of that, and
“………Jisoo.”
<Brother, I’m sorry. In the end, I……….>
“Who told you to act all bossy?”
<…Huh?>
In the midst of all her effort and contemplation,
I felt incredibly… angry.
To be more precise, I was fuming.
“After our parents passed away, what did we say? If something important comes up, we should talk to each other, right?”
<…Yeah.>
“I told you everything, about my high school diploma, new part-time jobs, and college entrance exams. Didn’t I consult you with all of it? Yet, you kept your mouth shut and shouldered everything alone?”
<Well, but…>
“But no ‘buts’. You’re my sister. You’re a former hero who became a god, and ultimately, you’re still just my damn younger sister, and to me, you’re just my good-looking, cool, amazing, and great older brother.”
<……….>
“Yeah? Got nothing to say?”
I expected some retort about my self-praise to come flying back, but
Jisoo met my gaze briefly.
<…You’re right.>
“Huh?”
<You’re handsome, cool, amazing, and a great older brother. You’ve always been that kind of person to me. The one who sacrifices a lot and gives me so much, the proud brother who always solves everything for me.>
“……………”
<That’s why I… kept silent. I couldn't bring myself to tell you that. But… now I can show you.>
“What?”
<The reason I accepted that jerk's proposal to become a hero. The reason I stayed silent without consulting you. The reason I usurped that jerk's place…>
With a wave of Jisoo’s hand, a small screen appeared above her palm.
The screen’s content was simple and straightforward.
…Too straightforward to react at all.
Because it was.
“………What is this?”
<This is my reason, brother. I wanted to… save you from death.>