Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Jukai Forest (1)

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Woong—

After bidding farewell to Shin Se-hee and stepping into the spatial transfer circle, magic surged, causing a dizzying sensation.

"Kyaaaaaaah—!!!"

"They're here! They're here!!!"

Suddenly, loud cheers erupted.

My party members and I couldn't help but look bewildered.

It was understandable.

We'd closed our eyes for just a moment, and when we opened them, countless people were bustling in front of the spatial transfer circle.

Someone was even holding a large placard that read, [ I love Utopia! ].

"Wha—what the…!?"

"…Huh? How did all these people know to gather? Didn't it only take us about an hour after accepting the request?"

"Did Utopia really have this much recognition, even overseas?"

"H-heh, hum! Hello~ You're already dead! Yes, that's right~ That's right~ It's the squinty-eyed mastermind~"

Im Gaeul waved both hands, revealing her regrettable ditziness, but she wasn't the target of the crowd's cheers.

Utopia as a whole wasn't popular in Japan.

Only one person had gained fame.

"Jin-san—! It's her in person! In the flesh!!"

"Flower on the Cliff—!!"

"Jin-sama!!!"

"You're my daily bread!!!"

"I use YouTube so well thanks to you!"

It was none other than Jin Yuha, who had recently been chosen by the algorithm for her Blue Crab subjugation video.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Everyone had equipped a translation artifact in their ears before coming to Japan, so we could understand their words without filter.

I pretended not to see Im Gaeul, who had lowered her hands with a look of dismay, and spoke.

"…Hmm, I didn't expect so many people. Should we hail a taxi or something…?"

Usually in games, selecting a mission would immediately drop us at the request location, so it was a bit awkward.

"Excuse me, please let us pass. Everyone, please step back."

Three women, each with a Japanese flag draped over one shoulder, stepped forward to control the surging crowd.

"Loyalty! Hello. Thank you for coming to solve Japan's problems! We are Hunters dispatched from the Japanese Hunter Management Bureau."

They were Hunters dispatched from the Japanese Hunter Management Bureau.

"From now on, we will escort the Utopia party to the request location."

Vroom—

Behind them, a large, visibly sturdy armored vehicle drove up and picked us up.

And so, guided by the Japanese Hunters, we headed towards Jukai Forest.

"We never imagined Jin-san would choose Japan for her first request."

She meant that it was all so sudden, and they hadn't expected us to come immediately after accepting the request.

"But those people…?"

"Ah, the Hunter Management Bureau urgently sought Hunters to act as escorts, and the news seems to have spread to civilians… We apologize if that caused any discomfort."

"Not at all. It's fine. Why would we be uncomfortable with people who like us?"

After finishing the conversation with the Japanese Hunter, who was driving with a stern expression, the woman with twin pigtails, sitting in the passenger seat, spun around.

Her eyes sparkled, clear and bright.

"Wowwww— It's her in person…! I've really wanted to meet you. C-could I possibly get an autograph later, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Ah, yes. I can sign it for you."

"Kyaaaaah!! I'm so happy!!! So, so, so happy!! Thank youuu!!!"

The twin-tailed woman was incredibly high-strung.

She proceeded to unleash a torrent of TMI, from how she first discovered me, to how she fell in love with my sword skills and made me her role model, and even how she learned Korean specifically to join my fan cafe.

"…So, the Hunter Management Bureau urgently looked for Hunters to greet you, and nearly 300 people applied! But I was the fastest!!"

In contrast to her high energy, the party members were gradually looking worn out.

'…Hmm, I should probably rein her in about now.'

"Excuse me, but do you happen to have any further explanation about the insomnia-solving request we've taken on this time?"

Given how sudden the assignment was, the Japanese Hunter probably wouldn't know much, but I said this to stop her TMI.

However, her reaction was different from what I expected.

"Ah— That request, it's quite famous here too."

'…What? A famous request?'

I blinked slightly at the unexpected answer.

"Here, Jukai Forest. Its previous name was Aokigahara Forest. This forest is considered a rather ominous place by us Japanese, known as a cursed forest."

"…C-cursed forest!?"

Im Gaeul, who had been listening, gasped and asked in a startled voice.

The Japanese Hunter nodded with a solemn expression.

"Yes, this place has been infamous for a long time, for all the wrong reasons. It's a forest where disappearances happen with an unusually high frequency."

"...!!"

Gulp—

The heavy atmosphere was starkly different from when she was spouting TMI just moments ago.

The sound of someone swallowing filled the armored vehicle.

Then, the Japanese Hunter let out a bitter, self-deprecating chuckle.

"Well, it used to be just a legend, but now it's actually true. Especially since the world turned upside down—"

"Is there, is there really a c-curse or something like that—!?"

Im Gaeul, seemingly not immune to the fearful atmosphere, asked in a trembling voice.

And the other party members, having just heard from Shin Se-hee that the quest's difficulty rating was incorrect, couldn't hide their nervous expressions either.

However, the Japanese Hunter shook her hand and head.

"No. No. It's not so much that it's actually cursed or that strange phenomena occur… Hmm, it's more of a social phenomenon."

"…A social phenomenon?"

"Yes, when monsters suddenly appeared in peaceful daily life, civilization crumbled, and signs of the world ending emerged… That's when these kinds of people appeared. Rather than dying to monsters or living miserably in hiding… they'd rather end their lives on their own terms."

"…Ah."

"And Jukai Forest, where we're heading now, is the first place those people think of. It was famous for being such a place even before the Gate incident, but after the world turned upside down, even more people flocked there."

She said this, a bitter smile returning to her lips.

"Because of that, Japanese Hunters didn't want to get involved with that forest, and so that rather insignificant request was left abandoned until it eventually drifted to Velvet Hunter Academy… Well, that's the story."

Her words left us in silence.

Everyone knew how chaotic and dreadful the historical event known as the 'Gate Incident' had been.

Even Korea, which had relatively quickly brought the situation under control, still bore the scars of that time.

And as I listened to her words, I felt a fresh sensation.

I hadn't known there was such a backstory to the insomnia-solving request, which I had simply thought was one of the abandoned quests.

In the game 'Velvetstra,' the explanation was roughly glossed over, only mentioning it as a cursed forest filled with lingering grudges.

'Right, a bright, all-ages game couldn't possibly explain these dark aspects in detail.'

As I briefly collected my thoughts, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop.

"Our guidance ends here. We sincerely hope you achieve satisfying results and return safely."

Salute—

They saluted with crisp, precise movements, just as they had upon our first meeting.

However, all three Hunters held Jin Yuha's autograph paper in one hand, making them seem less than entirely serious.

* * *

Whoosh—

A chilling gust of wind swept by.

"It really wouldn't be strange to call this a cursed forest…"

"Ugh, s-surely there won't be real ghosts or anything, right?"

The gloomy atmosphere emanating from the forest entrance made the party members speak in anxious voices.

'Hmm, it's about time I explained things.'

Inside the academy, we had to accept the request as quickly as possible before it disappeared, and on the way here, with the Japanese Hunters present, I hadn't been able to give the party members a proper explanation.

"Everyone, did you bring everything Shin Se-hee packed for you earlier?"

The party members nodded.

Everyone had brought the necessary items for this place in their assigned subspace tattoos.

'Even though this is the Forest of Wailing for newbies, if you prepare thoroughly and know the strategy, it's actually an excellent hunting ground.'

"First, I need to correct something. Contrary to what the Japanese Hunter said earlier, this forest *is* cursed."

Im Gaeul's face turned deathly pale.

"…R-really?"

"Yes, well, so many people were sacrificed here. It wouldn't be strange for anything to happen."

I added to the story I'd just heard from the Japanese Hunter and continued.

"Still, as long as we're careful about what we need to be careful about, there shouldn't be too much danger."

The party members pricked up their ears and began listening intently to my words.

"First and foremost, the most important principle to keep in mind: Distrust everything here. You can't trust anyone or anything."

"…Distrust?"

I nodded at Lee Yuri's question.

"Yes, things will happen that mess with what we know as common sense. That's why 'a sense of unease' is particularly important. There will definitely be moments when you feel something is unnatural. At that point, you need to make a careful judgment. And if I were to describe this forest's concept, or its characteristics, looking at the supplies we brought—"

That's when it happened.

—Wow, who's this kid? He's so handsome!

—Wow, should we take him?

—Let's take him! Let's take him!

—Hehehehe, come with us!

Suddenly, chilling voices echoed in my ears.

Along with that, shadows stretched out from the forest entrance, enveloped my body, and then—

Whoosh—

I was sucked into the depths of the forest.

'…Huh?'