Chapter 324.5: If Death Were To Come Tomorrow
This is the 0.5 chapter promised to Shuna, released at midnight.
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[“If death were to come tomorrow, would you feel even a little regret today?”]
“So, you actually… you weren’t opposed to it all along?”
Before Will could even properly phrase his question, perhaps saying some sweet nothings, Shuna stopped him.
“Why would you think I was opposed?”
In a way that was both surprising and not, Shuna had him lean back against the pillow and began to lift his clothes from top to bottom.
Looking at Shuna like this, Will was reminded of a legend he’d read long, long ago in “Dungeon City Legends.” Perhaps it was thinking of a story that seemed to take place in the summer during this winter that made him feel somewhat feverish now.
—It was a story about a day when you, as an Adventurer, entered a tropical rainforest Dungeon. You didn’t encounter a BOSS, only seeing Slimes hanging upside down from branches by spider silk, bouncing up and down along the strands.
“Because… because you never took the initiative yourself.”
Will spoke calmly, feeling his heart race.
“…So, did you forget… that this is something I’ve had on my mind since the first time we met?”
“This… that…”
Will seemed to remember. Whether it was on the train at the beginning, where she kissed him directly while drunk, or in the first inn they arrived at, where she pushed him onto the bed.
But…
If Will’s life were to be divided. Before Shuna forced him to remember his Past Life’s most important Death with her knife, and after, his mind felt like two different people.
Him, before that…
He truly hadn’t taken anyone’s feelings or anyone’s ambiguous advances to heart.
“I didn’t know then, didn’t know that in this World I could have my own… a life like a Protagonist’s. W-wait, your hand…”
Just as Will was about to explain, Shuna didn’t seem to give him the chance.
“You should know me, when to take the initiative…”
“As expected, Shuna, you really are the aggressive type.”
“Hm? You didn’t think I was before?”
“No, I… I always thought you would be the… platonic love type?”
“What’s that? It’s a word I’ve never heard, is it like… a name?”
“It’s like… only needing spiritual and mental communication, without physical interaction… Wait… Mmph!”
Shuna didn’t give Will a chance to finish his sentence.
—The legend was just beginning, and you continued to explore. Unsure how to leave, you heard the gentle chirping of the Dungeon’s abundant creatures. You wandered aimlessly through the jungle, pushing aside layers of branches and leaves, and finally discovered something different about this Dungeon—a cave waiting for you, bottomless. You leaned in slightly to check for traps.
[“If death were to come tomorrow, would you indulge yourself today?”]
Time stretched on, and Shuna released him.
“Haa… Well, now you know that’s not the case.”
She licked her lips.
Then, she reached up, seemingly finding her long black hair troublesome, and tied it up.
“Then… why were you always… Mmph…”
—But, despite your caution, the cave swallowed you. By the time you realized it, you were already many meters in. Looking at the winding interior, the stifling tropical humidity made you hold your breath. You felt droplets of water falling from above. The dripping formed a stream, flowing from the inside out. Continue deeper or leave? Worried about enemy ambushes, you wavered.
Shuna placed her palms on Will’s shoulders, then whispered in his ear:
“Because… I was waiting for you to say it, Little Will~”
Her voice was husky and seductive.
“Mmph… Hmm? Just saying that makes you… Ah, you’re so easy to read?”
She said, playfully licking her lips again.
“No need for me to speak up, you should understand… because after getting used to being passive…”
Will didn’t finish his sentence before his mouth was covered again.
“Precisely. I… I want to prove… that I… and… them… they are different…”
Shuna’s breaths were soft, but her gaze was exceptionally firm as she spoke.
Or rather, she was suppressing her body’s most instinctive senses, trying to maintain communication with Will in the steadfast and unchanging way that was most “Shuna.”
“I respect you, I respect your wishes. I just want to see you live in this world by your own will, as you did when you wrote to me, that’s why I did all this…”
“So, I want… I want you to say it yourself, tell me yourself, describe it yourself.”
“Like a confession—to invite me yourself…”
“And yet you… you waited until the very last day. I… I was really, really angry!”
“Shu… Shuna…”
Will wasn’t unfamiliar with Shuna’s “angry” expression; he saw it often, for example, when Shuna didn’t want him to die.
However…
Shuna’s “anger” now seemed to carry a hint of “sulking” and “shyness.”
She was different from her usual self, who always seemed in control and “unbeatable” in any area.
She now looked like she had “lost something,” which was why she wore such an expression at this moment.
[“If death were to come tomorrow, would you make amends for your mistakes today?”]
“Even though you made a plan… even though you… you prepared thoroughly, but… but…”
“You’re truly going to face the countdown to your death that’s been hanging over you since birth tomorrow.”
“Did you really… have to wait until the very end to, to remember to say it?”
“Leaving me the money I have to retrieve myself—are you trying to make me live with regret for the rest of my life?”
“I… I must get good revenge on you.”
But… it felt a little “sorry for Shuna.” Usually, Shuna, who had more “Experience,” would guide Will. This time, at least in terms of “experience,” she was slightly outmatched.
“If I wanted to do that, wouldn’t I have brought it up at the same time as you?”
Will supported Shuna.
“Will… Hm?”
“Because… promising love the day before you die, the most important first time…”
Will mimicked Shuna’s actions, lowering his voice to her ear, speaking in the same slightly husky and seductive tone—
“Isn’t that the most romantic?”
[“If death were to come tomorrow, would you open your heart wide today?”]
—You stand in the cave, feeling the circulating air. At the end of this legend, you, the Adventurer, finally sense the BOSS’s presence. On this floor, the true enemy is the “living cave,” waiting to swallow you whole. Adventurer, if you encounter such a Dungeon BOSS, take the initiative—
“Wi… Will… You… Why are you suddenly…?”
“Mmph… Shuna, to be honest…”
He smiled, leaning close to her ear—just as she had done to him.
“This time, it’s you who lacks experience and needs me to teach you.”
“You—!!!”
…
[“If death were to come tomorrow, would you chase a beautiful dream for a night?”]
