Eternal Saṃsāra: The Wanderer of Worlds

[70] Kidnapped Fish People

Chapter 70: Kidnapped Fish People

—

Nighttime passed and the episode aired on TV and streaming services. The kids watched the episode together in the living room, sitting on the floor and eating popcorn, and I was forced to attend by Mem-Cho.

Most of it passed with us laughing at some shots and complimenting each other for genuinely good takes, but silence stretched every time scenes with me and another girl played. Eyes darted back and forth. Everyone wondered which of the three girls was going to be paired with me.

The other guys had their own girls by now; Nobuyuki had Yuki, and Kengo had Chloe – the ginger local whom he got pretty close to in this episode. Only Sen didn't have anybody, his bad luck. On the other hand, I had three options – Akane wasn't included in this before, but I kissed her forehead in this episode. Same with Mai, whom I shared a deeper kiss with.

Mem-Cho munched on popcorn faster under the gazes of others. They must be curious about what she felt right now. She was certainly jealous; it was obvious from the way she was eating. But she wasn't as aggressive as a girl in her position should have been, thanks to our odd chemistry – along with our prior agreement from the beginning where I told her I was not interested in any relationship with my subordinates.

I felt bad for her. She must be so mad at me, apparently from the glares she shot toward me. 'Goddammit, I knew walking the harem route wasn't a good idea. This is so uselessly complicated and tiresome. Hah.'

By now, it had been a few days since I used the [Switch] to focus my personality to fit the Venerable persona. Since nothing irked me and I wasn't actively trying to keep it up, on the contrary things from my other lives were becoming more prominent, like the tiger cubs who were descendants of my Trigathar persona. All of this made the Venerable persona slowly wear off and so I was returning to normal – to who I was in this world.

It was for the better too. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have done something bold and more complicated about this girlfriend-choosing situation.

'Well. I'll figure something out. It's just a simple girl problem in the end. I've dealt with worse. Then again, they were easier to fix. Murdering fixed almost everything. I need something to distract myself.'

After the romantic ending to the episode where I kissed Mai Sakurajima, causing the room to be blanketed by silence, I stood up. Clearing my throat, I quickly fled the scene and went to sleep. I needed to rest for whatever I had to face tomorrow.

* * *

"I'll be roaming the islands for a bit. That blonde woman from yesterday will be with me. When will the crew leave for the next filming location?" I walked to the table of adult men who were having breakfast, leaving my own group of teens behind after I finished my meal just now.

The production crew changed glances, but I was talking to the director in particular. The man took a bite of his steak and frowned as he chewed. Swallowing the portion, he hummed and nodded at me. "We'll leave in the evening. Be back before then."

"Hey, just like that-?" a few kids sounded incredulous that I was allowed an unsupervised trip just like that, and it took me by surprise too. I expected a bit more resistance and was thinking I'd have to reach out to the Producer old man to ask for permission.

Not that I was complaining.

I showed him a small smile and nodded. Then I walked out of the resort. Mem-Cho stared at my back; she knew where I was going since she was there when the situation unfolded. Despite everything that happened recently which made her mad at me, a hint of worry was present in her gaze as she watched me leave.