I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

When I was younger, I used to be pretty indifferent about participating in school events.

I didn’t really want to go, and it felt like I was being forced to attend. Festivals were just fun for the kids with a lot of friends, and as someone who thought staying home with comic books was much more enjoyable, I just wanted to be sent home quickly.

But, you know…

Isn’t this the place where all those things from the light novels and comics I read during childhood are happening right now?

Of course, I have to enjoy it.

I heard from a friend before that the reason overseas travel is fun is that we don’t know the ‘norms’ of that country.

Not knowing what’s normal makes even the smallest things seem special and fascinating. Likewise, foreigners feel that way about Korea.

I had never been overseas, so I thought that was just how it was. But now, I can’t help but agree.

The atmosphere in the city center is surprisingly similar, whether it’s Seoul or Tokyo. But when you look closely within that, you’ll discover many little differences in ambiance and scenery.

The language on the signboards changes, there are as many above-ground trains as there are underground ones, and there are plenty of crosswalks.

Street food is also very different from Korean street food in many ways, and living conditions and daily meals differ as well.

And the same goes for this school festival.

Since I’ve never been to a school festival in Japan, I don’t know if the festivals in light novels and comics are the norm or not. I also have no idea if what’s happening here is typical.

So, everything that enters my sight while walking around is fascinating.

“The tea leaves were better than I expected,” Yuka said as we exited the tea ceremony experience.

I can distinguish between green tea and black tea, but I couldn’t tell the difference in tea leaves, so I just nodded.

More than that, I realized that there are places like this inside the school. At first glance, it looked just like a classroom, but inside there were many aspects of a traditional Japanese room.

A tea ceremony club, huh? It sounded like a club that would be quite unpopular, but it was right in the midst of other popular clubs.

At least, it seemed way more popular than the literature club.

“Do you drink tea often?” I asked.

“My grandfather loves it,” Yuka replied.

I see.

I nodded and firmly committed that to memory.

I thought I’d consider giving a small gift, like a Christmas present, later on. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to offer little gifts to people I owe something to, not just Yuka’s grandfather.

Speaking of which, I know Japan is really into writing New Year’s cards, so I should ask Yuka about that later.

“Oh, what’s this?”

As we walked down the second-year corridor, we paused at Yuka’s prompt.

Being with Yuka meant I didn’t have to worry about choosing what to enjoy or overthinking things. She was almost stopping at every booth, ready to enjoy the festival properly.

Well, that might actually be the right way to enjoy it. She took lots of pictures too.

In front of us was a sign that read,

[Challenge! Death Race in the Swamp]

What a bizarre name.

Could it be that students are filming a short movie or something? With all the windows on the corridor side blocked, it seemed plausible.

“This is an experience type, huh?”

After reading the informational sign that Yuka pointed out, it indeed said so. Apparently, it’s a race where three people challenge each other at once, with a prize for first place.

At the unmarked entrance, a long line of people was already waiting.

Running from one classroom to the other wouldn’t take long, would it? Maybe that’s why they blocked the corridor windows; if it looked silly from the outside, people might not participate.

“…Do you want to try it?”

I asked Yuka, and she nodded vigorously.

Well, curiosity was getting the better of me.

We walked with Koko to the back of the line.

[30 minutes from here]

At the end of the line, one student was holding a sign with that phrase.

Impressive. It felt a bit like being at an amusement park.

…Should I suggest we come back later?

Looking at Yuka’s face full of anticipation, I thought that.

*

Ah, so it’s this kind of thing.

With such a grand name as the Death Swamp, I was wondering what they could have set up, but it was just a ball pit.

They had poured little balls that you typically find in kids’ cafes or at large mart play areas all over the classroom floor, with stepping platforms scattered in between.

There were several platforms near the starting point, and only one at the finish line. It was a simple rule where ultimately only one person can reach the end.

Even though it was called a ball pit, they apparently couldn’t procure enough to fill the entire classroom floor, so there were mats from the gym thickly laid out among the sparse ball pit areas, and the platforms were only slightly elevated above the balls.

There were even sponge guards at the corners to prevent kids from bumping into them.

And for safety, there were elbow and knee pads, plus helmets to wear.

It seems it took a while to get everything set up for each team!

“Welcome!”

As the three of us entered, a second-year female student shouted energetically.

“Complete the race risking your life! A sweet victory awaits at the end! Welcome to the Death Racing!”

Indeed, the prize was a chocolate bar of decent size.

By the way, the participation fee was 100 yen per person.

Since a race could only start with three participants, it’s as if to say that a chocolate worth about 200 yen won’t cause any financial loss from running the race.

If they borrowed the ball pit from somewhere, it must have cost a bit, but I’m sure the school would have supported part of that.

Perhaps it was something that had been stored away in the school storage somewhere.

“Are all three of you participating?”

The three of us looked at each other and nodded.

“Okay, then please follow the safety personnel’s guidance and wear your protective gear!”

The two ghosts and one ordinary high school girl soon appeared thoroughly armored from head to toe.

I don’t know why, but when I saw our reflection in the full-length mirror in the classroom corner, it looked a bit funny. It was as if we were about to fall out from a TV show.

After snapping a photo of that look, we followed the safety personnel’s directions and went to stand in our places.

“I won’t go easy on you,” Yuka said with a smile.

“I’m the same,” I replied.

“Wow!”

Since we were already in this situation, we decided to play along with the mood. It seemed like it would be more fun that way.

“Now, are you all ready?”

The student who guided us shouted out.

“Alright. Everyone, if you engage in violent behavior, you will be disqualified! You can’t hit or shove! Falling is recognized only when you fail to land on the platforms. Understood!”

As we nodded, the student smiled and nodded back at us. Then she walked to the radio placed at the back of the classroom and pressed the play button.

The background music was from the movie [Jaws].

“Then—start!”

*

The winner was Koko.

I had said I wouldn’t go easy on anyone, but I’m not made of stone—none of us are.

Seeing Koko hold the big chocolate and smile with such happiness made me want her to enjoy the festival and remember this moment for as long as she could.

It wasn’t just because she had zoomed ahead of me and Yuka before we even made it to the middle, not because I had tried to outrun Yuka with some silent agreement to let Koko win but ultimately failed to match her speed.

It definitely wasn’t because I reached out only to remember it was a foul and quickly pulled back, rolling sideways and getting disqualified.

….

But, looking at Koko smiling so happily with that huge chocolate in her hands, it made me not care about any of that.

“Here.”

Koko broke a piece from the chocolate and handed me a chunk.

Although she called it a piece, it was nearly a third of the size!

“Thanks.”

I accepted it without hesitation.

Koko also handed a similar piece to Yuka, and we ended up sharing the chocolate equally.

It was extremely sweet.

“Um…”

Yuka, who had been lost in thought for a moment, spoke.

“Shall we go back up soon? We should let Kaoru-senpai and Izumi-senpai enjoy a bit too. After all, there’s tomorrow as well.”

“Sounds good.”

“Wow!”

At Yuka’s words, the two of us answered in unison.

Having wandered around for quite a while, it wouldn’t be too bad to rest a little.

As for the boss and Miki, I think they said they would come tomorrow. So, now there was no need to fret about anything else.

Let’s head up, settle down, read a book, and just lounge around before we go back.

Feeling completely light-hearted, the three of us walked together.

*

However, something unexpected happened during this process.

Ah, and it wasn’t anything related to Yōkai. At least, there hadn’t been any incidents at school yet.

If there had been, it would have been chaos. Unlike the school festivals I remember from my school days, there were actually a lot of people here this time. Just considering the sheer number of people who have something to do with the students, it’s enormous. And if you include kids from other schools visiting, it only amplifies.

The boss and Miki said they would come watch, but their schedule was for tomorrow, and grandfather mentioned he’d come a bit late in the afternoon. So, I planned to simply wait in the literature club room without any particular thoughts until then.

“Excuse me… is that Koto Ne’s mother?”

Out of pure coincidence, I caught that voice while passing through the corridor.

It wasn’t particularly quiet or anything. In fact, there were plenty of people around. The only reason I could hear that voice was that it came from none other than Teacher Suzuki.

My gaze naturally fell in that direction.

Teacher Suzuki was blocked from view by the person speaking to her, but I recognized the back of that person—Kagami.

Wow.

The atmosphere between the two instantly became awkward.

It was their first time meeting face to face.

When Teacher Suzuki visited me, Kagami hadn’t been there. And even when I went to the police station, there was no way Teacher Suzuki would come by.

The same goes for when I was in the hospital.

Of course, Kagami had never visited our school. There was no reason for that.

But surely, Kagami must know who Teacher Suzuki is. Even if she hadn’t came in person, she must have done some background investigation about me.

Naturally, she must have tried to minimize any direct encounters with Teacher Suzuki.

“Are you perhaps here to see Koto Ne?”

Conversely, I wondered how Teacher Suzuki knows Kagami.

Well, it seems she could have investigated if she wanted to. Perhaps she had looked for Kagami just as she looked for me. The difference was that Kagami’s attire was completely different from what she usually wore today; thus, I figured Teacher Suzuki must have asked this just to confirm.

Only then did my frozen mind slowly thaw as I recognized that Kagami was not wearing the kind of outfit that reveals much of her chest, unlike what she typically wears.

I brushed my chest, feeling relieved.

No matter what, if she came dressed for work, I would have definitely felt embarrassed here. So even Kagami thought it was inappropriate to dress like that.

“Koto Ne?”

I had been focusing on Kagami, and when I stopped walking, Koko called out to me. Yuka, who was walking next to me, also looked over me with a puzzled expression.

What should I do?

“…Is it wrong for me to be here?”

Kagami, having made a decision, spoke with her arms crossed, directing her gaze toward Teacher Suzuki.

Her words drew the attention of those nearby.

Teacher Suzuki is popular among the students. I am sure she has a good reputation among the faculty as well.

She’s kind, passionate about her job, and listens well to the kids’ concerns.

Even without being in our class, there are plenty of students who have friendly conversations with her.

But Kagami is a face I’ve never seen among the kids.

No matter how polite she sounds, if the two of us stand out together, things could turn into a disaster.

And that wouldn’t be great for me either.

Given what Kagami said, I quickly took a step forward.

As I did that, it seemed Yuka had completed her assessment of the situation and hurriedly approached me.

Before Kagami had the chance to say another word, I wondered how I could pull the attention toward my side.

“…Mom.”

Before I could finish my thoughts, that word slipped out of my mouth.

I felt a rush of embarrassment after saying it. Calling Kagami ‘mom,’ who might even be younger than me, is quite the oddity.

I mean, I’ve used that word before, but saying it out loud in front of so many people made me feel a bit shy.

All eyes turned towards me.

Strangely, my name seemed to have spread throughout various parts of the school, and it felt as if quite a few kids knew me.

Those kids looked at me and Kagami with curiosity, almost as if they were piecing it together, thinking, “So that’s her mother.”

But, there wasn’t really much in the way of further reactions from them.

I was somewhat famous at school, but that was mostly due to my looks.

As for Kagami, if she kept her mouth shut, she just looked like a drawing of a beautiful woman.

Kagami’s gaze flickered for a moment when she heard my voice.

And for a brief second, she seemed to be grappling with what to call me.

Then her eyes fell on Yuka and Koko who were following behind me.

But the first to speak was me.

“The literature club is this way.”

I reached out and lightly grasped Kagami’s sleeve as I spoke.

I’m not entirely sure why I acted like that.

Perhaps if I hadn’t spoken first, Kagami would have continued her pretentious game with me, just like at the police station.

That would spread rumors throughout the whole school, and Kagami’s reputation would surely plummet.

“….”

I couldn’t pinpoint precisely why that thought made me uneasy.

Although my image had already been thoroughly tarnished in front of the other kids, taking it even further didn’t seem right.

“Let’s go.”

As I said that, Kagami looked at me with a confused expression.

She seemed unable to figure out how to respond to this action.

“Koto Ne.”

As time passed, even Teacher Suzuki, now casually calling my name, spoke with a serious expression.

“If there’s anything you need help with—”

“No, that’s not it.”

I never needed help in the first place.

If anything, I would say Kagami belonged in the category of help.

In reality, I still don’t know much about Kagami or my social circles. There are still a lot of murky areas, and I still hold some reservations about the money coming from that side.

That was evident in how I treated Koko, too.

But, still… it’s inevitable that my heart feels uneasy.

“Let’s go.”

As I said it once more, Kagami slightly turned her eyes toward me, then began to approach step-by-step toward my side, silently.

“Koto Ne.”

Yuka called out to me worriedly. She must think of Kagami as… ‘that kind of’ person.

I shook my head.

“I’m okay.”

“….”

At my words, Yuka glanced once at Kagami and nodded her head.

Yet, she remained closely attached to me.

“Uu?”

Koko tilted her head curiously.

Is Kagami really not scary? At least she wasn’t hissing like a cat, so it seemed that way.

I don’t know whether to feel relieved, but as we moved on, the crowd started to thin out once we got to the side hall, especially as we climbed to the next floor.

Still, there were a few people around, and they briefly glanced at me in full ghost costume, but that was about it.

By the time we reached the literature club room, there were practically no people left.

Kagami said nothing until I opened the door and walked in.

“Oh.”

And at the same time that Kagami and I entered, Kaoru and Izumi, who were sitting in chairs, quickly stood up.

There were snacks scattered between them just as they typically had during breaks. It seemed they genuinely had been taking a comfortable rest as they had mentioned.

…This is a bit embarrassing.

“Should I move?”

Kaoru, perceptively, offered.

“I’m sorry,” Kagami said.

“No, it’s fine.”

As Kaoru stood up, Izumi added, “Take it easy before you leave.”

“….”

Kaoru and Izumi seemed to have a rough idea of my relationship with Kagami. They likely thought I wouldn’t be mistreated, so they hurriedly stepped outside the literature club room.

“Yuka.”

I looked at Yuka, who stayed behind.

“….”

Yuka glanced between me, Koko, and Kagami, one after the other.

“If anything seems off inside, I’ll come in right away.”

She then spoke to Kagami with an intense look on her face.

“…That won’t happen.”

When I said that, Yuka looked at me again.

Her expression was quite complicated.

After a moment of hesitation, Yuka let out a long sigh, shrugged her shoulders slightly, and finally stepped aside.

As I watched the door close, I turned to Kagami.

“What’s going on? Did something big happen?”

“No.”

Kagami said this as if she herself didn’t know why she was here. Her voice seemed rather dazed.

“Then… did you come to enjoy the festival or something?”

“…Maybe?”

That didn’t sound like a joke. Kagami herself was tilting her head in confusion while saying that.

“….”

What should I do?

Should I bolt out of here right now and try to bring Kaoru back with me? It might be better to get her involved in this.

“Uu?”

Koko seemed to tilt her head, not understanding what the problem was.

Indeed.

The fact that there’s no real problem IS the problem. Usually, I meet with Kagami… well, there’s a specific ‘reason’ for it.

“…Would you like me to show you around?”

As I said that, Kagami blinked.

“…Show me around?”

“Here, too… there’s no one, but there are exhibits at least.”

I couldn’t even tell you why I said that.

It’s definitely better than just leaving things unspoken.

Yeah, that’s right. That must have been why I said it.

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