🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 09
“You… no, it’s nothing.”
With those words, Azell left, disappearing outside and leaving me behind.
Why did he suddenly act like that?
There was something unsettling about the way he walked away, but no matter how much I thought about it, nothing would change.
“So this is where you were, guest.”
“Seymour.”
Not long after Azell left, Seymour came looking for me.
Wearing his usual sly smile, he somehow looked extremely entertained.
“You seem to be in a particularly good mood today.”
“Yes. My master just told me something very interesting.”
Something interesting?
What kind of story could possibly excite Seymour Cleor of all people?
But…
“…Hmm. Well, that’s great then. Congratulations.”
I didn’t really want to know.
More precisely, I didn’t want to get involved.
If it was something that made that lunatic grin like that, I definitely didn’t want anything to do with it.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Oh, no. I’m good.”
My refusal was so quick and firm that Seymour’s smile grew even wider.
“Now that I’ve obtained a new clue, I’ll be quite busy for a while.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“You don’t need to feel sorry. I’m doing it because I want to.”
How fortunate for a workaholic like him to have such high job satisfaction.
Still, it wasn’t information I particularly wanted to hear.
Honestly, I just wished he’d leave.
“I really enjoy the expressions people make when their carefully hidden weaknesses are exposed.”
I know.
“It’s the moment when human nature shows itself most clearly.”
I know.
So please, just go already.
“That’s why I’m very much looking forward to this one as well.”
But this damn Sim-monkey had no intention of leaving.
After rambling blissfully to himself for quite a while, Seymour finally stopped only after hearing my irritated outburst.
“I understand that Seymour’s goal is to uncover my identity and make fun of me as soon as possible. So please stop.”
“My, how perceptive.”
You practically spoon-fed the hint yourself.
Perhaps my disbelief showed on my face, because Seymour burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha!”
He had just declared war right in front of me, yet there was nothing I could do about it!
If I had the overwhelming power and talent that other transmigrated protagonists in novels had, I would’ve at least punched him once.
For the first time, I resented this weak body.
Well, if they’re going to dig up the identity I don’t even know myself, I should probably be grateful.
Of course, I couldn’t help worrying.
But more importantly… what should I do about my name?
It had already been a week since I arrived here.
At this point, I really needed to pick a name.
Maybe I should just make one myself.
When Azell first asked me my name, I panicked.
But thinking about it calmly now, it wasn’t actually that hard.
It only feels difficult because I’m thinking of fantasy-style names. I could just use something English.
Marie, Anne, Julia, Pickle…
Couldn’t I just choose one of those?
But when it came time to actually pick one, something bothered me.
“Then will you give me one?”
“You won’t tell me?”
“…I want the name you give me.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s what kept me alive.”
“…!”
Back then, I had been so flustered that I accidentally acted way too dramatic.
And now I was supposed to casually reveal a random name?
Yeah… that doesn’t feel right.
It seemed like I’d have to wait a little longer before deciding on a name.
*
The next day.
“What is this?”
I finally went to find Azell.
“It’s a gift.”
As I answered, I grabbed his hand and placed a flower I had been holding into his palm.
His expression—like he had just seen something utterly ridiculous—was exactly what I expected.
He must’ve been so dumbfounded that he didn’t even resist while I held his hand and put the flower there.
“…You call this a gift?”
“Yes. It’s the same color as your eyes, right? Isn’t it pretty?”
Perhaps he was deeply moved by my heartfelt effort of bringing him a red flower I found by the window.
Because his face looked like it was rotting with annoyance.
Sorry. Your big sister here has no money.
A transmigrator who falls into a strange world with nothing but her body is completely broke.
And the owner of this body didn’t even carry a wallet, so I genuinely had no money.
Still, it was better than asking for something empty-handed.
“Since I gave you a gift, you should give me something too.”
“…What?”
Azell looked at me as if I were some outrageous bandit.
Okay, that look is a little hurtful.
Sure, the flower in his hand was tiny and pitiful, but staring at someone like that was still rude.
Besides, what I wanted was something else.
“Give me a name.”
I had already waited a whole day.
“That name thing again?”
“I told you before. I don’t want to hear ‘hey, you’ anymore.”
My plan was to get a name from Azell in exchange for the gift.
Only now did he seem to realize why I had brought the flower all the way here, and his expression grew even darker.
“It would be faster if you just told me your name yourself.”
Instead of answering, I simply smiled brightly.
Just give me a name already, that was my message.
Azell clearly understood, because his irritation deepened—but that wasn’t my problem.
“You bring something like this and call it a gift.”
But that comment I couldn’t let slide.
“What do you mean ‘something like this’? It’s beautiful.”
“It’ll wither and rot soon enough.”
“But we’ll remember its beauty.”
The word remember seemed to irritate him.
His expression sharpened.
“Memories are useless.”
“How are they useless? They’re all memories.”
“Memories you keep alone have no value.”
His words were so sharp that the conversation came to a halt.
I looked surprised, and Azell looked like he had made a mistake.
So it was a slip.
In the game, Azell—who was a regressor—never revealed his sore spot like this, so it shocked me too.
And strangely…
I felt something unexpected.
He’s kind of pitiful.
Yes.
Pitiful.
The strongest man in the world, the terrifying mastermind of the story… trembling over something as small as a memory.
It made him seem strangely human.
“Then don’t keep them alone. Share them.”
The words slipped out before I realized it.
They hadn’t been part of my plan.
“Share them?”
“Because from now on, the memories you build won’t disappear anymore.”
“…!”
Azell only had one fear.
Living the same life over and over again.
“I promised you, didn’t I? I’d return your life to you.”
He would never regress again.
“You won’t have anything taken from you anymore. Everything you achieve in this life—you’ll get to keep it until the end.”
So he could relax.
There was no need to fear anymore.
No need to stay on guard.
I might be an excellent liar—
but this was one thing I could say honestly.
“So don’t be afraid anymore.”
Meanwhile, crimson eyes—red like flower petals—silently stared at me.
*
She’s strange.
By the time the woman finished speaking, Azell was certain of it.
How can she be so sure?
Anyone who talked about salvation always spoke with confidence.
This woman was no different.
She said she would return my life.
Words he had never heard before.
A promise he had never made before.
“In that sense, please accept this flower as a gift.”
Everything about this moment was new.
“Maybe you should try planting flowers outside. It’ll take time, but someday they’ll grow beautifully.”
“It might end up being pointless.”
“Or it might become the second best thing you’ve ever done.”
How could that be?
Azell suddenly realized something strange.
Every one of these firsts… was being created by the woman standing in front of him.
“Of course, the best thing you’ve ever done would be meeting me.”
The woman, unaware of this, simply smiled at him innocently.
Bright enough to dazzle.
*
What’s with him?
Why are his eyes like that?
It wasn’t the first time Azell had stared at me with those red eyes.
But somehow…
Something felt different today.
F-for now, just keep smiling.
They say you can’t spit on a smiling face.
So I kept smiling through the increasingly strange atmosphere—until my cheeks started twitching.
Seriously, what is it?! Why is he staring like that?!
Just as my anxiety began to grow, Azell’s lips finally moved.
