This scenario had been foreseen a long ti ago.
I would use the ergency escape system.
The external escape chanism that Yuna operated worked, in a way, like a straw that could absorb large quantities of data instantly. The mont Yuna pulled from her end, I’d feel myself being swiftly lifted and taken outside.
The system’s primary design was to extract my consciousness in ergencies to protect my life, but I had also prepared another feature. It could use the propulsion of Yuna’s pull itself like an elevator.
Once this body was disassembled into data and compactly bundled, the system would activate with calculated force. I would be launched upward, breaking free from Yuri’s ntal barrier, then re-enter once I was clear.
In short, it was a respawn.
This chance existed because of the Queen’s negligence in guarding against exits, or maybe it was her confidence that no one could escape once they entered.
I tugged on the line linking to Yuna, signaling her. Once the casting was completed, I told her to only pull halfway.
-Okay, got it. I’ll contact you as soon as the process is done⋯!”_
Seu seu seu seu.
Click click click.
As my body’s transmission began, I felt the Queen urgently reaching out to stop . Yuna was pulling upward, while the Queen was trying to drag down—a literal tug-of-war where I was the rope.
I assisted in blocking off the Queen’s interference. With Yuna’s strength combining with my own skills, even the formidable Queen could only try and grab us at our ankles.
For now, my task was simple⋯⋯ buy ti until the casting completed.
I pressed my ear to the door, listening closely. Soon, I heard footsteps approaching. Judging by the steady rhythm, it was Yuri. She was here.
“Excuse , I’ve co to gather information⋯⋯.”
I licked my lower lips. It was ti for my mouth to work its magic.
Just before Yuri opened the door. I faked an obscene moan. One dripping with lewdness.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?!”
Huat, she gasped, clearly flustered.
I alternated between moans, switching between a man’s and a woman’s voice, giving Yuri the impression of sothing scandalous happening inside. As I expected, Yuri hesitated outside, unsure of how to react⋯⋯.
But then, she froze, sensing sothing strange.
She must have realized that the moans never overlapped simultaneously. Despite her quick deduction, this wasn’t just about buying ti—it was ant to rattle her mind.
In a strained voice, Yuri asked,
“Who’s⋯⋯ in there?”
“⋯ It’s .”
I replied casually, using my normal voice. Yuri was so visibly startled that her voice quivered as she asked more questions.
“Why⋯ why are you here⋯⋯? More importantly⋯ how?”
“Why do you think I’m here?”
“This is the base of the Extermination Squad. No matter how high your rank is in the Defense Bureau⋯⋯ I believe you lack respect. Where’s the assigned officer? They should be here.”
“I haven’t seen him. Maybe he left for the day—it’s late, after all⋯⋯.”
I replied in a way that anybody would think I’m suspicious.
From here on, the Queen would certainly suspect , directing her accusations at like arrows. So I laid the groundwork, and aid to co across as soone attempting to fra another person.
That was why I had started the conversation with the ridiculous moaning sounds.
I was creating the impression that there might be soone who could mimic multiple voices behind that door.
In case she actually understood what was happening and said, “Oh, it was you? I’m coming in,” I needed to keep her wary.
I moved my hand to create a faint breeze, allowing the scent of blood to drift under the door. Yuri caught a hint of the ominous sll, and, as intended, her wariness spiked.
“Who are you, you⋯⋯.”
“It’s . Your neighbor. Rember we t earlier today? We played chess, didn’t we?”
“Chess was two days ago.”
“Ah, right, right. Two days ago. mory starts slipping as you get older, you know?”
That should be convincing enough.
-It’s ready! I’ll pull you up as soon as you signal!
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The respawn sequence was complete. Just as I was about to make a parting remark and escape, Yuri speaks again.
Her voice was filled with hesitation and doubt.
“⋯⋯Hey, please. Tell . Are you⋯ him? No, right⋯⋯?”
There was a slight pause before she said “him.”
In that mont, it seed she realized she didn’t even know my na. That small realization seed to heighten her anxiety, and her voice began to tremble.
She was still young.
Yuri, on the other side of the door, was young. She couldn’t control her emotions, and was asking with almost childlike honesty about the identity of soone who might be a monster. Even though she knew the answer wouldn’t be the truth.
She wanted to believe it wasn’t true. She didn’t want her funny next-door neighbor to turn out to be soone she might have to confront. She wanted to deny it, since he was a friend she had unintentionally made in her loneliness.
In a life filled with succubi driven by their need fulfill their sexual desires, Yuri had thought she’d finally found soone she could connect with⋯⋯ maybe even more.
So⋯ now, I had to give her an answer.
All I had to do was what I’d always done: deceive her.
I’d lied before, and I could lie now. I needed to plant the idea that soone was impersonating to fra for their cris.
I would have to concoct a plausible story, act a bit, and fool Yuri. It was a very simple task. I just needed to respond in a mysterious way.
But my tongue froze.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
What was happening? Was the Queen attacking or sothing? No, she was too preoccupied, still battling with Yuna.
Pinching myself, a thought hit .
⋯⋯Was it really okay to do this?
What, the lying? Get a grip. This was all to save Yuri. If I could get through this, I’d earn her trust and secure the key.
⋯⋯But did saving Yuri make it right to toy with her feelings like this?
No, this was different. It was to protect her. Besides, this Yuri—she was just a fragnt of her consciousness from her childhood, not even the real Yuri. Everything was proceeding according to plan, and there was no need to create variables when everything was under control.
I shook my head, brushing away the young boy’s voice ringing in my mind. Don’t let doubt take hold; these thoughts are just distractions.
Even then, I found myself unable to answer Yuri’s question. Instead, I tugged on the wire and remained silent as I felt my body lift, watching as the ground got further and further away.
“Wait, answer m⋯⋯!!”
Yuri bursted through the door, but no one was there.
Only a corpse, shredded docunts, and the traces of blood remained.
===============================================================
Since that day, things between the Queen and have been relatively quiet.
She still threw a few jabs my way, but nothing as elaborate as before. It seed as if she was testing the waters.
By now, she must have realized that devouring was impossible without first neutralizing the ergency escape system.
To keep her guessing, I made frequent reentries.
I moved from one end of the map to the other—even venturing into a room where I couldn’t leave until she “caught” a few tis. The Queen’s irritation was clear; I could hear her clicks growing sharper and more irritable.
I could sense her hunger now. The more I displayed my abilities, the more her desperation to consu intensified.
I’d had to push myself hard to keep up this performance, but it seed my act was still convincing⋯⋯ no cracks in the facade just yet.
Everything was flowing smoothly.
All was going according to plan. Except for one thing.
⋯⋯I couldn’t quite understand my feelings. Stray thoughts kept crossing my mind. Had I been too hard on Bennett’s trio? Should I write a handwritten letter to Irid to make up for it?
Maybe it was ti to seriously consider proposing to Yuna so I wouldn’t be too late? Thoughts like these kept surfacing.
And then there was the guilt I felt about Yuri.
I understood what was behind these sudden shifts in my thoughts. I was a separated consciousness, currently inside Yuri’s ntal world. This had created a gap—both physically and magically—between and so things in my head.
In theory, I should have been less influenced by “it” at the mont.
Consequently, my conscience, which had been sowhat suppressed, seed to have awakened suddenly. And now, I was wasting ti on needless worries, even in the midst of such an important situation⋯⋯.
I forced myself to shake off these intrusive thoughts clouding my mind.
Stick to the plan. If I just stayed on track, I could do this. Don’t do anything I would regret. I need to save her, right? Let’s get back to the task. Focus.
I suspected that the Queen had a purpose for staging events in the year 440 and that the group called 『Red Regeneration』 was a key part of it.
Since I knew that Queen couldn’t create narratives from scratch, it was likely that future events would be based on actual history, but with so modifications.
This ant that if I could decipher what had actually happened back then, I would basically have the power to see the future.
I needed soone who was familiar with Yuri Lanster and knew her circumstances during the year 440⋯⋯ and there was soone at the Academy who fit the bill: Irid’s special agent, Kirby.
I send a signal by tugging on the wire.
–So you want to investigate⋯⋯? Eung, I know where she is. I’ll send a butterfly to ask her, then I’ll report back.
“Thanks. I’ll stay close to Yuri in the anti.”
-Eueung, so. Cheer up⋯⋯!
“We’re nearly there—let’s both give it our best.”
And with that, the communication ended.
===============================================================
“Here, the command order.”
I handed Yuri the imperial command docunt, recreating the paperwork I’d used to cover up the magic sword incident when I first arrived at the academy.
The docunt authorized to join the Extermination Squad as a supporter specifically assigned to Yuri.
I figured that staying close to her and minimizing any ti apart would work to my advantage.
Yuri carefully reviewed the docunt, then gave a small nod.
“⋯⋯There are no issues here. So, does this an we’ll be working together?”
“Exaaactly. I may not be a field agent, so I’m a bit clumsy, but I’m pretty confident with my sharp eyes so⋯⋯ I might be helpful.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will be. But⋯⋯ what were you doing last night?”
“I had a deep sleep. Why?”
When I returned her question, Yuri shook her head.
“It’s nothing. Just⋯⋯ nothing.”
Though she seed suspicious about last night’s events, there was also a lot of confusion. It was human nature to feel skeptical when things seem too easy to believe.
If I were the culprit, there was no way I would have confessed outright like that⋯⋯ at least, that’s what she’d be thinking.
But above all, she probably didn’t want to believe I was involved.
Yuri kept probing, hoping for an answer that would clear her doubts. She seed to be searching for a solid alibi from , sothing that would set her mind at ease.
If I had been able to leave concrete evidence of my whereabouts, I would’ve. But using teleportation to leave a trace on a nearby NPC? That would be pointless since the Queen could erase such evidence with a wave of her hand.
Yuri hesitated for a mont.
“⋯⋯ Now that I think about it, I don’t think I know your na.”
She was clearly asking, but I hesitated. Giving her my real na wasn’t an option, and even a fake na could land in trouble.
“Why not just call ‘you’?”
“Well, is it⋯⋯ classified information or sothing?”
“Nothing like that, but.”
If my na got out, Queen would have a new tool to use against . She could just slap my na on suspicious docunts, which would be risky enough on its own. It was safer to keep my na hidden.
So, I was about to brush off the question, but then she spoke again.
“Uh, there’s⋯⋯ a small party coming up for the Extermination Squad. I heard it’s for celebrating the act of communion. Do you know about it? Ah, of course you would. You’re also a Defense Bureau agent too so⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯And?”
“Uhm, if you are free, I was wondering if you’d go with . Together⋯⋯.”
I studied Yuri’s eyes closely. This wasn’t a date invitation. Nor was it so expression of love or affection. There was no reason for her to ask this so intensely.
Her eyes carried a loneliness she couldn’t fully mask.
Ah. The reason behind it was easy to guess.
Despite her role in the Extermination Squad, she lived in isolation, as if she were locked away in so distant mansion. The thorny attitude I’d encountered when we first t. And her timid deanor right now.
⋯⋯Was she being bullied?
The leader of the Extermination Squad, Black Lesbian⋯⋯ she always acted as if she admired Yuri. I thought that ant Yuri was doing well. But maybe things were different in the past, or perhaps the Extermination Squad itself wasn’t as I had imagined.
Right now, she looked like a kid who’d been left out of her class, nervously inviting the only friend she had from another class to a party.
Maybe she just wanted to feel a little less alone.
My heart grew somber.
Quickly, I ca up with a reason to attend this Extermination Squad’s party.
It was obvious that the story would revolve around the Extermination Squad. I needed to learn more about its mbers and their dynamics.
So far, I had kept so distance from her. But I’ve already played the card to join the Extermination Squad, haven’t I? So I nodded confidently.
“It just so happens I’m free that day.”
“⋯⋯I haven’t even told you the date yet.”
Oops. I scratched my head awkwardly as I avoided her gaze. Yuri chuckled softly, like a flower bud blooming in spring.
Then, she asked one more thing.
“⋯⋯You’ll have to write your na in the party’s guestbook.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
That was when it struck that this could all be part of Queen’s trap. How convenient was it that this party just happened to be at this mont? Should I hold off until I could hear from Yuna and⋯⋯ confirm whether the party was even real…?
Answering after verifying its safety would make sense. I could tell Yuri I wasn’t sure about my schedule and promise to let her know.
But that would undoubtedly disappoint her. I had already said I would go. If I took it back now, her face would likely darken with sadness.
Besides, this was the past. Even if I could make young Yuri smile here and now, it wouldn’t change anything in her future. It was like building a sandcastle only to watch it being washed away by the waves.
So, I should probably take it back and⋯⋯.
“Would you call Mima1?”
“⋯⋯Mima?”
“Yes. Soone who looked just like you once called ‘Crazy Wizard.’ I shortened it to two letters.”
I’m surely insane.
Yuri repeated the na softly, trying it out. It felt strange, hearing her call by any na at all.
Even if it was a fake, it was the first ti she’d called by my na.
And, in truth, it had been so long since anyone had called anything that I couldn’t even recall the last ti I heard it. If my life were only what I could rember, this might be the first ti I’d ever had a na.
Yuri smiled as she spoke.
“I see. You, so⋯⋯ Mima, you’re quite the eccentric and unpredictable person. So this person you said looked like … she must’ve had a hard ti putting up with you.”
“It was actually the opposite. I was the one taking care of her.”
“⋯⋯ Did she beat you up? What kind of person is she?”
“First of all, her chest was big.”
Yuri glared at for a mont, as if she was saying that I was not gay. And so, with that, I beca young Yuri’s promised partner for the party.
1. In korean, Crazy Wizard is pronounced Michin Mabeobsa. When shortening his na, he used first syllable from both words to make Mima
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