The preparation for the development and performance of “Jump” was moving at lightning speed.
It was because the Riana Orchestra had only been in the Southern Region for two months, so they had to hurry.
There was plenty of work and little time.
In the end, that magic was used again after a long while.
“Busker (Berserker Magic)! Kaya (Healing Magic)!!”
“Uooooo!!! I feel so pumped!!”
With the magic of Bongbong Drink, the members of the Riana Orchestra were progressing smoothly on the song work to be used in “Jump.”
The game development team also began to work together wholeheartedly on the system I had asked for.
They didn’t use the magic of Bongbong Drink, though.
Instead…
“Yeah!!! This is it!!! This is the thrill of developing game magic!!!!”
“Uwoo!!! Feel the power of the dragon!!!”
They simply allowed free use of the Dragon Heart Stone.
Seeing the development team working frantically, their eyes wild from the red magic of the stone, I felt both reassured and worried.
So this was the kind of concern Sylvia felt… I thought I’d have to conduct physical checks on those who used the Dragon Heart Stone later.
Amidst the music and game development work, Riana truly stood out.
“Can you feel the gaze upon me♫? Come closer and tell me♩♫”
Riana perfectly made the song composed for this other world her own.
Not only did she turn the song into her own but she also executed the choreography flawlessly, like watching the performance of a reincarnated idol.
But somehow…
Maybe it’s just a personal feeling, but I found her song sung from the window that day much more beautiful.
*
While some unsatisfactory composition work was in progress, news arrived from the “Jump” game development team that finally ‘that’ system was complete.
“Elder! That system is completed!!”
“Really!? Good job, Jiren!!”
I stood up to go see that system.
But at that moment, I thought of Riana.
Could it be… I called her, hoping for the best.
“Riana, we just finished a fun system. Want to come see it?”
“I’d like to go.”
And just like that, I headed to the development room with Riana.
Upon entering, everyone from our school, including my tired master, looked like they could collapse any moment, as if they had just ‘burned white-hot.’
“That was tough. My student…”
“Thank you for your hard work, Master.”
I hugged and comforted my weary master.
Then I approached the completed “Jump” Crystal Ball, excited to test the system that would revolutionize rhythm games.
With sparkling eyes, Riana came closer to me.
“Yuren, what exactly is this fun system?”
“Fufufu, curious, are we? Then just stand right here for a moment.”
“Here?”
I had Riana stand in front of the “Jump” Crystal Ball and operated it.
Seeing ‘that’ system implemented, I activated it, selected a song, and started the game.
Then the “Jump” panel was displayed at Riana’s location from the crystal ball.
At this point, it didn’t seem much different from before.
But as the song began and the system kicked in, the amazement began to unfold.
↖↖ ↗↗ ↘ ↙↘ ↗↗ ↗↗
“Now, become my love♩. I want to lean on you for everything𝅘𝅥𝅯”
“Uh…uh…! My body?”
The red light from the Crystal Ball illuminated her arms and legs.
And with the music came the downward arrows, and Riana began to dance, automatically playing the rhythm game.
This was the “Automatic Dance System” I had poured my heart into this time.
In my previous life, enjoying rhythm games was challenging because the difficulty was too high to properly enjoy them.
I wanted to indulge in rhythm games like all the pros, but my body just couldn’t keep up, so I turned my back on them.
I hoped the “Jump” of this other world wouldn’t be like that, so I thought of utilizing “Marionette Magic” to create the “Automatic Dance System.”
With this, even someone new to rhythm games could guarantee more than basic play.
Anyone could fulfill their dream of being ‘me, playing rhythm games in style!’
↘↖↗↘ ↗↗ ↗↗ ↘↖↗↘
“Listen up♩. Until when will it just be my precious one? Only you♫”
“Hah! Hah!”
Initially flustered, Riana started to let the music and the “Automatic Dance System” guide her.
Her expression gradually filled with vitality, and it seemed she was having fun, as she even started to sing.
↘↖↗↘ ↘↖↗↘ ↗↗ ↗↗
“Always♫ be by my side𝅘𝅥𝅯. I want to entrust my dreams only to you♩.”
“Always♫ be by my side𝅘𝅥𝅯. I want to entrust my dreams only to you♩.”
Watching Riana sing while playing the “Jump” game was like witnessing a small concert.
It was truly a delightful spectacle for us to enjoy.
But was it just my imagination?
The song Riana sang now felt far more joyful and lively than the recorded track.
↗↘↖↗
“Stay with me♩”
“Stay with me♫♩ Hah! Hah!”
As the song ended, so did the game.
Riana, breathless and sweating, seemed astounded by this wonderful experience and looked at me.
“Yuren…can I play one more round?”
“As many as you want.”
After that, Riana played six songs, thoroughly enjoying “Jump.”
In that moment, I started to sense a bit of what might have been troubling Riana.
*
That evening, we conducted a playtest for the “Automatic Dance System” and new songs added to “Jump” with the members of Riana Orchestra.
The result was a success.
Everyone wore satisfied expressions, thrilled to enjoy their songs in this game format.
And among them, someone acted just as I had intended.
“Step aside! Elder, I won’t depend on the system!”
Gamers like Jiren aimed to dance without reliance on the “Automatic Dance System.”
I anticipated the emergence of such gamers, and of course, I had prepared a separate ranking to respect their skills.
However, Jiren boldly attempted the hardcore mode without the “Automatic Dance System” and…
“Ahhh!!! My leg!!! My leg!!!!”
He ended up with a cramp, receiving a massage from Karen in the corner.
Jiren, you should start thinking about your age…
At that moment, I suddenly looked for Riana.
While everyone was blissfully enjoying “Jump,” Riana was outside, taking in the breeze, and I went up to her.
“Everyone’s having fun. Aren’t you going to join in, Riana?”
“I’m okay. I played a lot earlier.”
I approached her side.
She had returned to her ice princess state.
That look reminded me of my old self.
“Riana, you are also from Silvania in the South.”
“How did you…”
She couldn’t hide her surprise at my words.
So that was it… I continued speaking, nonchalantly.
“I’m from there too. There’s no one with silver hair outside that area in the Empire.”
“I see. So, Yuren is from… that side…”
Silvania, the border village in the now non-existent South.
I hardly remember much of those days.
But later, I found out that about twenty years ago, when the war was nearing its end, someone artificially induced a monster wave that led to an invasion of hell on the region.
At that time, I too lost my parents and ended up in an orphanage in the South, and Riana likely ended up in the Riana Orchestra in a similar fashion.
“That’s interesting. It’s my first time meeting someone from my hometown.”
“Me too. You’re my first, Riana.”
The night air was cold.
The more we spoke, the colder my heart felt, but I still felt the urge to talk.
“Do you remember anything from that time, Riana?”
“Just a little… I remember burning houses, many monsters, and screams… begging for my life…”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No… It’s okay now.”
It’s not okay.
Because I’m not okay either.
When I close my eyes, faint memories arise.
People dying… burning villages… and the screams…
And we survived.
That felt like a sin.
I felt like I had survived at the expense of their sacrifices.
“Riana… it’s like you’re afraid of being happy… of having fun.”
“…………”
For me, being happy seemed like a crime.
When I went to the Irene School for the first time, enjoyed a meal, sang a joyful song, laughed and chatted with my master, Jiren, and everyone, I felt as if I had gained all that at their expense.
“It’s like you feel you shouldn’t be happy.”
“…Yes.”
If I’m happy, it feels like I’m sinning against those who perished.
I’m dead… it’s painful for me… why are you so happy?
I felt the voice of resentment echoing from beyond the darkness.
I know in my head.
That it’s nonsense, but that nonsense… just wouldn’t leave my mind.
One day, because of that voice, I woke up crying in the middle of the night.
In the darkness, crying, I threw a tantrum, asking if I had to suffer until I died, and my master warmly held me, telling me.
‘(You’re allowed to be happy, my student.)’
And that day, that voice vanished.
Little by little, I could start to feel joyful moments, and I arrived at this point.
So I wanted to tell her.
“You can be happy, Riana.”
“Y-Yuren!?”
I hugged her, speaking softly.
She seemed a bit taken aback, but I held her tightly, as if talking to a younger sibling.
“You’ve been through a lot. It’s okay to be happy now.”
How did my words resonate with her?
I felt the strength leave her hand, and she cautiously asked like a child.
“…Really?”
“Yes… Living isn’t a crime. We live to find happiness.”
Yes, living, surviving is not a sin.
And people don’t just live to survive.
We’re here to find ‘happiness.’
That was the answer I’d felt about life, the answer I wanted to hear, the answer my master had given me.
So I told Riana.
“Now, you can be happy.”
There was strength in her hand.
It began to tremble… and I could feel her tears trickling down my chest.
Like my master did, I offered my embrace to her.
May she be liberated, just like me…
And so, night deepened, and the performance day approached.
