72. Heavenly Demon—Sisters
72. Heavenly Demon—Sisters
It was a miraculous situation that he hadn't died.
Not only were various bones and muscles shattered, but his internal organs and viscera had been amicably pierced by bone fragments and were on the verge of necrosis.
His brain was suffering from a real-time cerebral hemorrhage, and it was nothing short of a miracle that the carotid artery connected directly to his neck hadn't burst at once.
Ultimately, all sorts of medical staff clung to him and performed the surgery, and as a result...
"Would it be alright if I wrote this incident up as a thesis and submitted it?"
"Huh?"
...He was cleanly healed?
The doctors said it was as if time had gone in reverse, he was healed without any aftereffects anywhere.
Since he wasn't in urgent need of money, he asked them not to do that, and they asked if he could even afford the hospital bill.
"...Um, may I know how much it came out to?"
"We're roughly expecting─── this much..."
".............."
Let's see here.
How many zeroes were on the back of that number?
At this point it was a fate beyond being a thesis case, one where he should be begging them to use him as a lab rat.
An amount that wouldn't be enough even if he poured out all the money currently in his bank account, and the fact that he had barely survived and was now facing a situation where he would start dying in real-time began to sink in.
'This is why they say don't commit suicide in America...'
If you're going to die, die cleanly in one go.
Because if you mess up and somehow cling to life, the costs that follow break you like it's nothing.
It's a madly twisted society where dying wrong means you owe money.
That's my argument for why we need to hurry and pass euthanasia into constitutional law. But then again, even if it passes, only rich people will be able to get the shot, right?
No matter what era a commoner is born in, there is only suffering...
"Huuurrgghh....."
A sum that made his vision go blank.
Just as he was about to pick up the ballpoint pen and volunteer himself for lab rat status, the blonde, blue-eyed girl sitting beside him approached and stopped him.
"This person, lying."
"What?"
What was that all of a sudden.
The girl continued.
"Hospital bill, resolved while Big Brother was sleeping. Meaning, he's lying right now."
"..............."
What was that.
I slowly turned my head toward the doctor.
"...Please, I beg of you! I'll even give you compensation accordingly!"
"I hate it! No! Don't do it!"
How dare he try to turn me into a lab rat.
Ultimately, the doctor asked several more times but I met it with refusal.
'Something about it just smells troublesome.'
The best thing is to not get involved in things like this.
"Hokay, if you change your mind later, please contact me."
No.
Don't contact me.
He insisted on handing me his business card, so I pretended to take it, and the moment the doctor turned away I threw it into the trash can.
"Good choice. Must distance yourself from those who lie."
"...Anyway, how were you just there without any presence?"
"Trait, Wise Mother and Good Wife. To be by one's side as if one is there and not there is a wife's duty."
"That trait covers way too many things."
At this point, it was getting scary just watching.
I went back to the bed and sat down, letting out a light breath.
"Anyway... so then now..."
What should I do?
It was good that I took off the cast and became free, but I couldn't get a feel for what I should do next.
'Even if I want to return to the academy...'
My nerves would still be very shocked, so they were telling me to stay in the hospital about 3 to 4 more days.
They said it was to prepare for unforeseen circumstances, but from my perspective, maybe it was a sophisticated scheme to keep their lab rat confined longer.
"Oh right, speaking of which, how did you know?"
"? Query. Don't know what you mean."
"I mean, how did you know my hospital bill was already settled?"
"Query. Why don't you know?"
"No, I mean..."
Because it happened while I was unconscious?
My words were blocked by the gaze that took a fact that was so obvious and accepted it as not obvious.
"Big Brother possesses 'eyes'. Can see through the 'eyes', can't you?"
"Eyes? What does that mea──ah...."
Eyes.
Cronus's Eyes.
The 'eyes' that could see the present as well as the past and future.
'I haven't been using them so I'd completely forgotten...'
No, I did use them, but only in limited ways.
I roughly used it as a substitute for 'Appraisal' and never really used it to see the past or future.
In the first place, doing that required using 'Time' and it was inefficient in many ways so I hadn't used it──wait, but hold on a moment?
"Even if I can see the past or future, what can I possibly see with just 10 minutes?"
"..............."
"...What?"
Why's she looking at me like I'm a massive idiot?
The blonde, blue-eyed young girl quietly sucked on her carrot juice and looked at me, and then, after she had sucked the juice completely dry, she spoke to me.
"Time is relative but absolute. The past is not 'returning' but 'observing'. Big Brother, how do you read a history book?"
"Well you just open it and read───ah."
Book.
Time.
Difference in perspective.
A sensation of something brushing past my mind.
I quietly pulled up [Past Sight] and adjusted the 'Time'.
"Three days ago, from 3 PM to 3 PM and 10 seconds."
Instantly, the view before my eyes rippled, and another view overlapped within it.
"Ugh...!"
Bed overlapped on bed.
TV overlapped on TV.
As view overlapped on view, dizziness surged up in an instant.
"Big Brother, request. Close your eyes."
"Urgh... ughh....."
I closed my eyes as the young girl said.
"....Oh...!"
Once my eyes were closed, only then did the sight become clear.
No, I'm not sure if I can say I could see something with my eyes closed, but my vision returned to normal as if my eyes were open.
'This is pretty amazing.'
As I looked around in bewilderment, I could see myself lying on the bed.
Me, lying as if dead with casts on all four limbs.
And next to me, Mars, quietly sitting and praying.
["If you wake up right now, I'll crawl on all fours for you. I'll wear a leash, and do cosplay and all that stuff. Huh? Just get up, you son of a bitch...!"]
'...She's praying, right?'
First, I'll ask Mars about it later.
If she'd really wear a leash and crawl on all fours in cosplay.
She'll probably desperately deny it, but at least I'll be able to tell at a glance if it's a lie or the truth.
"Anyway, this sure is... hmm....."
My vision turned dark again.
The sensation of 'Past Sight' closing.
When I slowly opened my eyes, the young girl was right in front of me looking up.
"The past is already fixed fact. So you can look back at the parts you want."
But the future is not possible. Because the future isn't decided.
"If you rashly try to see the distant future, your brain will burn up. Advice. When viewing the future, only very short or very far futures."
"...So the very far future is fine then?"
"A far future is 'fate'. One of the 'endings' already determined."
Because while the trivial things always change, the large things are hard to change.
With those words, the young girl showed me her juice pack and asked.
"Can I drink one more?"
"...Do as you wish."
"Mm!"
The wings on her back popped out and fluttered slightly.
She toddled toward the refrigerator.
Then she opened the refrigerator door and looked inside, and the wings on her back stretched out long and drooped down low.
What was that.
No way, did she drink it all or something?
"Sorrow."
"Want me to buy you one? There's probably a convenience store downstairs."
"...Really?"
"We saved on hospital bills, so that much is fine."
"Right now, I could even enjoy Big Brother's 'carrot'."
"See, isn't your common sense somewhat off?"
Each and every one of her wordings wasn't at the level of a young girl.
She said she was at the level of just being born, but why did the things coming out of her mouth end up at the level of some old geezer's low-grade gags?
Just what kind of young girl was she, I stared at her, and instead she tilted her head and asked me.
"Don't like it?"
"A little bit, yeah?"
"Acknowledged. Then──changing to [high school girl speech]."
"What?"
What kind of speech?
Flustered, I looked at the young girl, and suddenly her eyes went round and she shouted.
"Hwawaa! I weally weally want to dwink carrot juice so badth!"
"................"
"Handsome mister over there! Could yoo buy me a carrot juice pwease?"
"....Ugh."
Something about it seemed similar on the surface but was subtly clumsy and irritatingly cringy.
"...Adjusting. Scheduled to improve with the passage of time."
"Just use the speech style you had before."
"? Can improve. I'll work hard."
"No."
You just...
I think that state, just that state is the best for you.
To my words, which were serious in my own way, the young girl gazed at me quietly───
"....Embarrassment. I think I know how Big Brother seduced women."
"Why though."
Why are you all desperately trying to make me out to be a Casanova?
Finding it harder to listen any longer, I immediately grabbed the young girl's wrist and headed to the 1st-floor convenience store.
"One of these please."
".....So big...!"
One 1.25L carrot juice.
When I poked a hole in the lid part with a knife and shoved a straw through it before handing it over, the young girl spread her wings wide without any thought of hiding them and rejoiced.
"...God?"
"You sure over-hype me."
Was it about 2,500 won.
To think what was needed to become a god was 2,500 won.
She's someone for whom love was cheap, and faith was cheap too.
"...But anyway, when are you going to tell me?"
"Sluuurrrp──hmm?"
She bobbed her head as if wondering what I meant.
What do you mean what.
"Your name."
Young girl this.
She that.
Using nothing but impersonal pronouns to fill in was getting over the line.
Extras who looked like they'd eat up a fair bit of screentime were typically given names.
...But wait, what did I just say?
"Name... I don't have one."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Came to Big Brother as soon as I was born. Cronus, didn't give me a name."
".....Um."
As if I didn't have time to think, the young girl cast Talulla at me.
Sure, 'Pegasus' could be a name in its own way, but that was essentially the same as looking at a person and naming them 'Person', so...
"First... I'll have to give you a name."
"Name...!"
At the word name, the young girl's eyes immediately sparkled at me.
So, what I mean is...
'...Carrot Juice?'
Then is this it, as expected?
"How about Carrot?"
"Denial. Am I a carrot?"
"............."
Usually in novels and stuff they just kinda gloss over that.
"Then... Alice?"
"There are at least three more just in this country right now."
"True."
That was a bit too common.
"Violet?"
"I, hair is blonde."
"Indeed...."
Calling a blonde young girl purple was a bit not it.
"Rachel?"
"............."
"Seems ambiguous I guess."
Not like and not dislike then.
Then I'll skip that one for now.
"Elizabeth?"
"England wouldn't stay still."
She's already passed away so maybe it doesn't matter...
"Luna?"
"The Moon Goddess wouldn't allow it."
"Even gods have to come out?"
Good heavens, Artemis.
Ultimately, after suggesting several names, we went round and round and couldn't reach a conclusion.
"Ha... damn, this is freaking hard. Just what do you want?"
"An intuitive yet cool name. Can't just name me any old thing."
"............"
Can't we just name you any old thing?
"For me... it's the only name I'll have."
"Ah geez."
Stop with the Talulla!
I just sat down in the chair and sighed.
"I'm really at a loss....huh?"
Near the entrance to the 1st-floor lobby.
Regular magazines left out for guests to view.
Thinking I'd just pick any name from inside one of those, I grabbed one.
"Heavenly Demon... the Heavenly Demon is causing a ruckus even here."
It looked to be roughly a novel promotion.
"Heavenly Demon? In Korean, that can sound like a horse flying through the sky!"
"Goodness."
The young girl stood up abruptly and shouted.
"I, wanna be Heavenly Demon! I'll be Heavenly Demon!"
".....R, right."
Sounded like an incredibly strong name.
I wasn't entirely sure if the 'Heavenly Demon' mentioned here was that 'Heavenly Demon', but...
"Name.... hmm, it's decided!"
Her mood seemed quite UP, as she spoke excitedly like a child, the young girl──no, Heavenly Demon.
Then Heavenly Demon, styling herself with her new name, said:
"Made it with the meaning, 'a horse that governs time'."
It's 'Simai'!
".......Whoa."
The syllables for time, horse, and governing stuck together to make 'Simai', she says.
'So if you put it all together it's that, huh.'
Heavenly Demon-Simai.
...Thus, a rootless name whose identity was unclear whether it was Japanese, Chinese, or Hallyu was born.
As a digression.
"ShirXi Mai?"
Who are you to pop up into my head?
That name, which I couldn't remember the details of but lingered in my chest.
Our Heavenly Demon, Simai, caught the name I'd unconsciously muttered and shouted.
"Nickname, decided as Mai."
"...You like this kind of thing?"
"Call me Mai."
"Alright."
Please, by all means, may you grow up plump and curvy, just like the ShirXui Mai.