I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 844 – Side Story 117: A Week of Happiness (4)

Life is a continuous series of uncertainties.

Great sages throughout history say this: Those who master knowledge can eventually read the flow of heavenly energy and ultimately even know the future.

But is that really true? 

The ends of those historical sages who made such claims were always tragic. They were either lynched by crowds, executed by kings who feared knowledge, or died alone after secluding themselves, unable to accept the gap between themselves and ordinary citizens.

While claiming to have achieved enlightenment, why couldn't they perceive their own terrible ends? It's because no matter how smart and wise humans become, they ultimately cannot know the future.

'The future is the result of countless fragments of the present intertwining with each other.'

To know the future, one must know all elements of the present. It's impossible within human limitations. There is no sage who knows even the fluttering of a butterfly's wings on the opposite side of the continent. Anyone capable of that isn't a sage. It's only possible for an omniscient and omnipotent god.

'Even my teacher, the greatest mage, couldn't know the future. It's the same for me.'

The present consists of countless immeasurable fragments. No one knows what combination they'll take to complete what kind of future. The completed future is chaotic. Sometimes it matches expectations, but most of the time it doesn't. Unforeseen events tend to occur in abundance.

Just as he unintentionally got caught up in a train terror incident and a small lie told to avoid immediate danger led him to this very moment.

That's why the future is interesting. Because events occur that one had no knowledge of whatsoever. Depending on how one responds to them, a person's capacity is determined.

Rudger was confident that he could flexibly handle any situation. But right now, Rudger was experiencing one of the most bewildering moments of his life.

When Rudger didn't answer, perhaps thinking he hadn't heard, Rene urged him on.

"Kiss me."

He heard a ringing in his ears. When all sounds became submerged and muffled as if underwater, only one word clearly echoed in his ears.

Kiss. Rudger wasn't ignorant of what that meant. He was a full-grown adult, not a three-year-old child—how could he not know?

The problem was that the other party was Rene. Of course, it wasn't because he disliked Rene. If he had to choose between like and dislike, it would naturally be like. Rene was beautiful and had a good personality. Unlike her student days, she had become a proper adult, a beauty so striking that people would turn to look just from her walking down the street.

And such a woman was asking him to kiss her with an affectionate voice. What man wouldn't be tempted by that?

Rudger was no different. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't tempted by that request. However, everything has stages, and jumping straight to a kiss wasn't easy.

'If only I too remembered nothing, I would have accepted it naturally.'

A child he had known ordinarily as an older brother and younger sister was actually his fiancée from another world. That gap made Rudger's mind feel dizzyingly distant.

Barely recovering his reason, Rudger's mind raced. In a brief moment not even lasting a second, Rudger repeated countless thoughts.

Rather than repulsion, he felt more bewilderment at Rene's proposal. And Rudger had decided, at least until just moments ago, to make her happy for as long as they were in this place.

His share of responsibility for the misfortune Rene experienced was by no means small. Even if Rene forgave him, there were things Rudger himself couldn't accept about himself.

Considering all these factors. Refusing her proposal would be breaking his word, and simultaneously would be hurting her again after having already hurt her once.

And personally. He didn't particularly dislike it.

He didn't know whether this was the will of himself who used the mirror world, or the will of this world's Rudger who was even engaged to Rene.

Perhaps it was both.

Rudger lightly grasped Rene's chin with his thumb and index finger. Rene slowly closed her eyes.

A warm touch landed on his lips. For that moment at least, he hoped time would stop and this world would continue eternally.

"Oh my. Are you okay?"

When they went back down to the kitchen with Rene, they saw three people waiting at their seats. They hadn't touched the food on the table. They had waited for Rene to return.

Perhaps feeling that consideration, a smile bloomed on Rene's face again.

"Yes. I'm fine now." 

"I'm glad to hear that."

Her mother said so, then soon sent a meaningful gaze with a mischievous smile.

"More than that, our daughter. Your face is a bit flushed?" 

"Y-yes?" 

"Did something happen separately, perhaps?" 

"Th-that's not it! I just cried too much earlier..." 

"Sure, sure. Let's go with that." 

"M-Mom. I told you it's not like that."

As the atmosphere lightened, a harmonious smile circulated through the house again.

After the meal ended, all the visiting guests returned to their places. The same was true for Rudger.

Time passed quickly. A week is short if short, long if long. Time is ultimately relative. The happier the time, the shorter it feels.

If the total amount of happiness is proportional to the speed of time. For Rene, this week was truly like a fleeting moment.

It passed that swiftly. It was the same for Rudger. He never imagined he would fill the entire time. Not that it was a bad thing. Even Rudger felt a certain sense of regret.

'But this too is ending now.'

This world is also ending. Now it's time to leave. Honestly speaking, Rudger wanted to remain here too. A world where his transgressions don't exist. A place where there are no gods, and therefore no one suffering because of them.

Rene was happy, her mother was alive, and Gabriel hadn't died either. That wasn't all. People whose lives were ruined by the Holy Kingdom were also happy here.

If only it had been a dream, he could have awakened from it. No matter how real a dream seems, it's ultimately just fake. From sleep that must eventually wake, they have no choice but to face reality.

Reality is colder than happy dreams and filled only with pain. But conversely, it's also the only place where one can feel genuine warmth.

'Then what about a different happy reality?'

This place wasn't a dream. It was another reality manifested by some possibility. Calling this place fake would be an insult to the people living in this world.

Rudger liked this place. A place that was happy, peaceful, and devoid of sorrow. Like the ideal world his very distant past self had vaguely dreamed of. He had lived a week in that place. Like wandering endlessly through a desert and finding an oasis, only to take one sip of water before having to leave again. Who could easily step away?

'This place is attractive. Enough to even hold me back.'

It would be a lie to say he didn't feel greedy. But Rudger ultimately gave up.

'It's not me who should live in this world. It's another me of this world. This place is a world built by another me, not myself. It's not right to enjoy it as I please. The past week, that alone was more than enough time for me.'

It was regrettable and left a bitter taste. Still, he decided to shake off his lingering attachment.

'Because the destination of my life hasn't come yet.'

Even if he returns to the original world. What remains for him is still the continuing future.

He just needed to grasp happiness in it. A happiness even greater than what he enjoyed in this world. If someone asked whether that was possible, Rudger would ask this in return.

—Do you know about the future?

The future isn't determined. It's an immeasurable domain and multifaceted. No one knows when another crisis will visit the world. But conversely, precisely because of this chaos, one can seize the most precious possibility in the world.

Because the future isn't determined. The future is ultimately a product assembled from countless fragments of the present.

So let's do our best in the given present.

Rudger didn't resist the unprecedented force pulling at his consciousness. He relaxed his body and entrusted himself to that flow.

The week of happiness had ended. But that was fine. It was okay even if he returned to the original world. Because happiness exists in that world too. That happiness could never be found in this world. That's why it was all the more precious.

So let's return to where I ought to be. We must turn to the next page of life.

He opened his closed eyes. Perhaps because a week had passed, it was still the somewhat unfamiliar interior landscape of the mirror world. He felt the warmth of a held hand right beside him. When he turned his head, Rene was there.

She was blankly staring at the core of the mirror world. Having returned, she must be recalling the memories she saw in the mirror world. For her, it must be an unforgettably gentle and warm place. Enough to want to return immediately.

Rudger was worried about that. If she wanted to go back to that world, would he even have the confidence to stop her? No, did he even have the right to do so in the first place?

But that was a needless worry.

"Ehehe. We're back. It's regrettable, but it can't be helped."

Rene moved past the situation as if it was nothing. He watched carefully in case she was just pretending to be okay, but he saw no signs of deception.

"Are you okay?" 

"With what? Ah, that world? Well, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't regretful. But it can't be helped. That's the world where that version of me lives. I have to live here. Because this is the world I live in."

Rene looked straight at Rudger and said.

"You know. I decided not to do things like regret anymore. I've done that enough to be sick of it. So, returning here was my choice. Brother." 

"Rene." 

"It's a bit painful, but still bearable. Rather, it's because of this pain that the current me exists. There's no life without scars. Even these scars are part of my life."

Rene's expression as she said this looked somewhat relieved. Rather, having spent that week of happiness, she may have shaken off her lingering attachment more easily. Rudger realized he had worried unnecessarily.

Rene wasn't as fragile as he had worried. And she wasn't foolish either. She was strong. Her mental core was upright. During the three years he hadn't seen her, that core had grown even firmer, grown to an unrecognizable degree.

Rene was an adult now too. It wasn't for him to comment on this and that. That fact made Rudger feel proud. A warm warmth flowed from deep in his heart.

Yes. Because of aspects like this, one can live in reality.

"Now. Let's go back, brother. I'd like to use it one more time, but unfortunately there's no more energy left. If I want to use it, I have to charge it periodically." 

"I see. Well, two times is more than enough usage." 

"It's woefully insufficient for accumulating data though." 

"But they're very important two times. We've left not just the first footprint but the second footprint in uncharted territory. Now next, people who will forge ahead anew will continue it." 

"Heh. Aren't you regretful? We could use it more. We don't know what kind of world will greet us this time." 

"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't curious. If the opportunity arises, I'd like to try using it. However, I want to rest a bit now." 

"Ah. Come to think of it, I'm hungry. How long were we in there?" 

"Isn't it late evening?" 

"We can at least eat a late-night snack." 

"You'll get fat doing that." 

"Ah! That's a forbidden word, really! We can just eat deliciously, so why do you have to cruelly remind me of reality! And I exercise regularly so I'm fine, you know?"

Rene said so while running her hand along her waistline. It was to show how slim she was. Indeed, the line hidden beneath her clothes was sleek without any flab. Actually, he knew without looking. He'd already seen a lot in the mirror world...

Rudger naturally averted his gaze. An unforgettable memory had surfaced. Rene was puzzled by Rudger averting his gaze.

"Anyway, we're eating dinner, right?" 

"I am a bit hungry too. Yes, let's go eat. Is there a place open at this late hour?" 

"Did you forget where we are? The capital, the capital. There's nothing that doesn't exist here. Come on, let's go. I'll guide you. I happen to know a good restaurant." 

"I have the strange feeling that I keep getting restaurant recommendations from you. Aren't you familiar with too many?" 

"It's not like that, you know?"

Rene said so, then spread both arms. At this overly natural sign of a hug, Rudger was about to embrace her back when he belatedly came to his senses.

"Wait. Suddenly?" 

"Tch. You didn't fall for it. I thought you'd do it naturally."

Rudger suddenly felt curious and asked Rene.

"Come to think of it, Rene, you...when did you recall your memories in the mirror world?"

Looking at her current behavior, it was clear she had recalled her memories in the mirror world. The question was just when.

At Rudger's question, Rene made an "Ah" sound. Then she smiled mischievously. It was an expression very similar to the one her mother frequently wore when teasing her daughter.

"It's a secret."