I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 243

“Now that I think about it, today is the last day.”

“Yes?”

“Liu, Rain, Eun-ha, and even you, Eileen. Isn’t the treaty over now?”

“…Well, I don’t know.”

“Eileen?”

“Namgoong Min Oppa, wait in this room tomorrow.”

“Huh? I’ll probably be here all day anyway since it’s a holiday.”

“If you stay… you’ll naturally understand.”

“Well, since I survived thanks to you during Chuseok.”

“Hehe. Oh, Namgoong Min Oppa, just remember one thing.”

“Hmm?”

“What happens tomorrow… is ultimately for you, Namgoong Min Oppa.”

“Make sure to remember that.”

“Only then… can it be wrapped up in some form.”

*

The fifth day. A day I certainly hadn’t anticipated.

As I lounged around the base like Eileen said, I wondered if there was anyone left.

‘Lily… it can’t be her. Sasaki Kaede can’t be either. Other than them, I don’t really know any other female students, do I?’

There are plenty of people I’ve met through fortune-telling, but very few who I’ve had meaningful conversations with beyond that.

Especially now that I’ve established my presence in the Special Class and even the Romance Academy as a whole.

At first, the various modifiers describing me made me seem like an otherworldly being, akin to a figure on a cloud, almost like a legend.

Certainly, the students at the Romance Academy aren’t just any job holders; only those who stand out are gathered here.

Now, the opinion that being a “Fortuneteller” within the academy is quite a decent profession has formed.

Anyway, putting that aside, no matter how hard I think, there’s no one left.

Did she just tell me to take a day off? Why did she insist I wait at the base?

Just as my mind was swirling with these questions.

“…Oppa.”

“Oh, Jisoo? Are you going out?”

My younger sister, dressed for an outing, quietly opened the door and came in.

‘Hey, that’s the one I bought for her.’

After returning from the developer’s room, this was one of the items I’d given her when she moved to the second floor of the base.

I’d chosen it with great care, but she’d always just smiled at it, never wearing it. I found it odd, but seeing her wear it now made it seem like she liked it after all.

“You finally wore it. Why? Was it not good enough since I bought it?”

“No… it’s just…”

“…?”

What’s this? Why is she acting like this?

If it were any other day, she would have just shrugged it off and laughed or gotten mad, but now she seemed unusually timid.

Jisoo fidgeted with her fingers, brushing her hair.

After taking a deep breath as if she had made up her mind, she said.

“…Oppa, come out with me.”

“Huh? Why me?”

“Today is… the last day.”

“What? What does that… mean…?”

The last day.

The last day?

“…No way, right?”

“I’m also a participant in the Namgoong Min treaty… so today is the last day, Oppa.”

In that moment, I found myself blinking in disbelief, unable to grasp the situation.

As the hand that was propping up my chin relaxed, my face slammed into the table right after.

“So, let’s go… Oppa.”

I could only look at Jisoo in bewilderment.

Her face flushed, she seemed embarrassed.

…And thus began the fifth day and the last day.

*

‘Is this a dream?’

I seriously thought about it but felt pain when I pinched myself, only further realizing that this was the reality.

I looked beside me.

“….”

There was my younger sister.

Closer than usual, now dressed in outing clothes, she walked beside me with her head down.

With her arms crossed.

‘What the hell is this? Is this really reality?’

‘That’s exactly what reality is, you idiot.’

My left brain and right brain squabbled, and even after rubbing my eyes several times to confirm, one fact didn’t change.

Jisoo was pressed right next to me.

‘…Wow.’

What is going on here? Is this a new concept of assassination or something?

At least I was relieved that we weren’t on a busy street, but rather in a desolate alley.

But what if someone sees us?

<"The Representatives of the 2nd and 1st Year are in secret!? But they are actually siblings! Shocking!">

…I could already clearly see how crazy things would get.

But I couldn’t just push Jisoo away either; her atmosphere was too concerning.

Just look at her; she’s completely dressed up with anticipation written all over her!

“…Oppa.”

“Y-yeah?”

“…Nothing, it’s okay.”

Moreover, she seemed to have something to say but would look up awkwardly and then lower her head again.

At this point, no matter how oblivious I might be, I realized how strange this scenario was. It felt completely absurd.

Walking alone with Jisoo? I was already used to it. Back when we lived in the semi-basement and after I returned from the developer’s room, we’d gone out together multiple times.

It wasn’t really odd behavior, going out with my sister, my only family.

But now it was different. It was profoundly different.

My once lively and cheerful Jisoo now looked like…

‘Almost like…’

…Liu, Rain, Eun-ha, or Eileen, with the same expression and atmosphere.

Yeah.

It wasn’t the love of siblings or familial affection.

…It was the love between a man and a woman.

So, my question had to be delicate.

“…When did it start?”

Even though this situation was completely sudden and made my head ache, figuring out Jisoo’s exact feelings took priority.

Then I could slowly guide her.

“When do you think?”

And now she was asking me back.

Well, if I had to think it through.

“…When I first crossed into this world?”

“No.”

“Then, when you first heard the Former God’s voice?”

“No.”

“…Could it be, even before that?”

“That’s not it.”

Not before meeting the Former God or even after I had met him; it wasn’t even when I came to this world.

When in the world—

“It was over 50 years ago.”

“…What?”

“To be exact, 54 years, 7 months, and 23 days ago.”

“…………….”

“I… started loving you, Oppa, from that moment.”

54 years ago. That was over twice the time I had lived until now.

As I stared blankly at Jisoo, still unable to comprehend the meaning of her words.

“Do you remember the question I asked you? Whether you should treat me as a sister? That question.”

“…Of course I do.”

“At that time, you told me that I was your family, and if that were the case, you would call me ‘older sister’ instead.”

“…………….”

“And you said something else too. Do you remember what it was?”

“…You said if I wasn’t your younger sister, we could have our wishes come true.”

“That’s right.”

Wishes.

A wish held for 54 years.

“I want to stop being your younger sister. Of course, I don’t want to be your older sister either.”

“………….”

“I… want to be your wife, and I want to be by your side. That’s my wish.”

Jisoo unfolded her arms and looked directly into my eyes.

Up until now, as she spoke these words, I knew how much she had struggled, how much she had anguished.

Love between siblings, forbidden love is not something one can speak of lightly. It’s the same in both this world and the real world.

But Jisoo was serious.

So, my answer naturally had to be set.

“Jisoo, we’re siblings. You are my younger sister.”

But.

‘Such a fundamental statement… wouldn’t mean anything now.’

She had already said she wanted to stop being my younger sister; if I brought that up now, would it even reach her ears?

Right now… what I needed was a conversation with Jisoo.

“Can you tell me in detail?”

“…Of course.”

Finally looking somewhat relieved, Jisoo gently curved her lips.

She quietly opened her mouth.

“Oppa, you know what I did as a Hero, right?”

“Killed monsters in the Gate and even defeated the gods that invaded from other worlds.”

“Exactly. To hear that, you might think… my 70 years can be easily summarized.”

“………….”

“It took me a week to kill my first monster.”

“What?”

She smiled.

“Think about it. Suddenly becoming a Hero, what could a mere high school student do wielding a heavy sword all by herself? While I accepted the mission of saving you from death, I quickly regretted it.”

“………….”

“The Former God… didn’t teach me anything besides physical abilities and the Holy Sword. Not swordsmanship, nor how to fight, or even anything about my enemies.”

“…………….”

“At first, I was just optimistic thinking I could manage somehow. But without even getting a chance to swing my sword, my arm was devoured by a monster.”

Ah, that was an incredibly painful experience.

“The perks of being a Hero? When I returned to the original world from the Gate, the Former God restored my body. So, even if my arm was eaten or my leg was cut off, as long as I was alive, I could recover. Monsters… were terrifying. Seeing my arm being bitten off, blood spilling, feeling excruciating pain while a monster’s face grinned as it chewed my arm.”

Killing those kinds of monsters?

Not just killing them but having to go even beyond that?

I couldn’t do it; I couldn’t face that!

“Every time I cried out against it, the former god showed me your dead body. Seeing that… I had no choice but to press on, no matter how much I whined and screamed.”

“Jisoo.”

“You were my only family, Oppa, and I knew how much you sacrificed and struggled for me.”

Namgoong Min had delivered newspapers from dawn, carried bricks, worked part-time, and while doing that, studied for the high school equivalency exam in his spare time.

Most of the money he earned was for his younger sister, Namgoong Jisoo.

The younger sister who could not afford to give up on her brother, who had sacrificed his life for her.

I have to save Oppa. I need to save him. I must.

More than that.

Oppa must be happy.

“So I fought, no matter what it took. Of course, I just had the will, and reality was harsh. It took me a week to kill the monster that had eaten my arm. But that was in the time inside the Gate. In reality, not a day had passed.”

“………….”

“Do you remember? When I suddenly ran to you crying after that one time?”

“…I came back from work, and you were sobbing, curled up in the semi-basement.”

“At that time, you told me, ‘Don’t worry about whatever it is. I will solve everything for you.’”

“…………….”

“When I heard those words, I realized. If such a reliable Oppa were to die and I were left alone in this world.”

That would surely be like,

“…A hell of my own making.”

“To avoid hell, I threw myself into it. After killing my first monster, things became easier. The high school girl who had vomited at the sight of guts and blood eventually reached the point where she could chop monsters into pieces as a means to vent her frustration.”

“………….”

“That was around my first year, right? I grew accustomed to it. I gained quite a bit of confidence and asked the Former God how much longer I had to do this.”

“……….”

“Do you know what he answered?”

—You haven’t closed a single gate yet.

—Even at this very moment, new gates are being created.

“So I asked, ‘How long do I have to keep doing this?'”

—Until every gate is closed.

“Do you think Oppa knows just how despairing that felt?”

“………….”

“After a year without managing to close a single one, I was told I had to close them all. That’s when I realized I hadn’t even entered hell yet. I was a real idiot.”

“Then….”

“Exactly, that’s why I left home. I used the excuse of making a game. For you, it was just a few years… but for me, it turned into decades.”

Namgoong Jisoo realized that just passing back and forth between the Gate and the original world could never close all the gates.

Before she could close all the gates, her brother would meet his death.

That’s why Namgoong Jisoo,

Decided not to return.

“Until now, I managed fine. By going back to see you once every week or month… I was able to hold on to my sanity.”

“………….”

“But when I decided to spend an entire year inside the gate, I truly felt like I would go insane.”

The body of a <Hero> and the blessings of the gods had made Namgoong Jisoo surpass being human.

She didn’t need to eat. She didn’t need to drink. She didn’t need to sleep.

She merely wielded her sword and killed monsters.

While her body grew more accustomed to it, her mind was wearing down.

“Maybe that’s what that bastard wanted? For my mind to break down, turning me into his pawn.”

“Jisoo….”

“But that bastard never realized what my Oppa meant to me.”

Namgoong Jisoo thought of her brother. She thought about him while wielding her sword, while taking a moment’s rest, while walking, and while closing the gates.

The moment she forgets her brother, she would never be able to return. She couldn’t forget her only family.

Then when it got unbearable, she briefly returned to the semi-basement. Pretending to crave home-cooked meals, she acted cute to her brother.

As that kind of living repeated.

As time spent in the Gate increased.

Soon enough, she found herself only thinking about her brother.

That was 54 years ago.

“And that’s when I realized. I had developed feelings for you, Oppa. Something beyond family.”

“………….”

“After that, as you know, I recognized love, and strangely enough, it gave me strength. Closing gates brought me to meet the gods of other realms, and I killed them, then ultimately seized the seat of the Former God.”

When the story ended, we were in a deserted mountain’s foot.

A place filled only with the gradually setting sun and the cold, blowing wind.

Jisoo, having taken a few steps away from me, quietly drew a sword from the air.

Shink.

The Holy Sword. A sword unique to Jisoo, different from Abel’s.

It originally shone with a rainbow hue… but now it was shrouded in pitch-black.

“The Holy Sword is influenced by the user’s emotions. Usually, I lived in hiding, so it shone with all the colors of the rainbow.”

“…Hiding?”

“Of course! Oppa, let’s be honest, I’m not in my right mind. It took me 16 years to realize my feelings, and I endured 54 years with just that single love, right up to this moment.”

Huuuuu.

A drop pressed from the obsidian Holy Sword fell, then spread out like a ripple.

As if it were a world devoid of light, decayed, corrupted, and suppressed, with nothing left but an emptiness now devoid of anything.

The black world that began from that droplet surrounded Jisoo and me.

It was dark, yet not entirely so. Though everything was cast in black, behind Jisoo, a light remained.

As if it were the final conscience, the last exit.

Jisoo confidently slung the sword over her shoulder and faced me.

“I love you, Oppa. From 54 years ago until now. Not for a moment was I ever swayed.”

“………….”

“So I want to break free from being your younger sister. To be precise, you and I are no longer physically family, right? Your body is just the body I created, and mine is a reformed one as well. In the end, we are only family in a mental sense.”

Jisoo smiled. Brightly, as if stating something very obvious.

Yet at the same time.

Her eyes shimmered unnervingly.

“So, Oppa.”

The once bright smile on Jisoo’s face faded,

As if everything else was a lie from the beginning, she cried.

“Love me.”

“……….”

“Or else, I can’t live anymore.”

With those final words, Jisoo took a step aside.

Beyond her was light. The exit of this space and her final consideration.

I could not help but understand what leaving her meant.

‘……….’

What should I do?

Until now, I had never once regarded Jisoo as anything beyond my younger sister. Perhaps that was only natural.

However, there was an overwhelming gap of time between Jisoo and me.

A gap that surpassed how long I had been alive.

‘If I just go outside.’

Jisoo would accept it too.

She would hide all the feelings she had shown until now and revert back to being my sister, Namgoong Jisoo.

But in exchange, her feelings, her love, would surely die.

Could she truly survive like that?

‘Ethics, morals, taboos.’

Could all of that take precedence over Jisoo’s happiness?

Should I kill her love because of them?

Just as I lived for Jisoo until now.

Jisoo had been living for herself too.

“………….”

Honestly, I still don’t really understand. My head isn’t functioning.

But still.

“Jisoo.”

“…………Yes.”

“Hold my hand.”

At the very least, I could face her heart directly.

It wasn’t a hard thing to do.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so tough after all.

Just as I’ve done so far.

From the moment my parents committed suicide and I knelt to that cult bastard.

I had lived for Jisoo all along.

“Oppa.”

“Let’s go back home.”

That much was certain.

Even after walking alone for decades.

The path back home must be together.

As brother and sister, their only family, beyond gender.

Namgoong Min and Namgoong Jisoo.

They had to return home together.

“………Okay.”

I clasped the hand she extended with her tears.

Jisoo cried endlessly, as if trying to pour out all the pain and years she had endured.

I could only hold her tightly.

‘I didn’t just meet Jisoo again in the developer’s room.’

After coming back, it wasn’t over.

It was only now that Jisoo had unburdened all her feelings and love.

At this moment, the two siblings finally reunited.

After a long, long time.

After painful days.

……Even I couldn’t hold back my tears.