Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: He's Not That Kind of Person - Interlude (1)
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I leaped from the window and landed softly on the ground.
Then, I had to stifle a silent scream as my head felt like it was splitting apart.
It was the backlash from using my psychokinesis to its absolute limit, like the excruciating pain you’d feel trying to lift something heavy after working your muscles to exhaustion.
*Ugh…! I might have… overdone it a little…*
Looking back, my actions had been absurd.
I had torn through nearly hundreds of fake zombies while dashing through the streets. The ghouls and vampires I’d taken down were too many to count on one hand.
I’d even driven Drakel, the source of the whole incident, to the brink of death.
Compared to my usual cautious use of psychokinesis, always leaving plenty of power in reserve, this time felt like I had scraped the very bottom of the barrel.
*…How am I going to get home?*
Leaning against a wall for support, my head spinning, I fell into deep thought.
Using my psychokinesis any further was out of the question.
If I pushed myself now, I was certain I’d lose consciousness and collapse on the spot.
So… without my powers, how was I supposed to get home from here?
“No way! All the zombie heads I collected just vanished!”
“I’m out 30,000 credits! I have to file a complaint with the Black Beast Society!”
“Woooah, woooah!”
“…”
Noisy voices carried from beyond the alley.
It seemed there were still plenty of bounty hunters roaming the streets outside.
I cautiously tilted my head and glanced down.
What met my eyes was a cloth, an absolute mess of dust and blood.
*If I walk around like this, I’ll stand out like a sore thumb.*
Letting out a deep sigh, I resigned myself to taking off the cloth.
Just then, I noticed a hard object in my palm.
*This is… the Tesseract. I brought it with me.*
The hard object was none other than the Tesseract.
It seemed that in my haste to escape, I had unthinkingly carried it with me.
Now I have to figure out what to do with this, too. Just one more problem.
A headache was already forming, and I instinctively pressed a hand to my forehead.
Dealing with this thing was problematic in many ways.
The Tesseract’s ability to draw on the possibilities of other worldlines was incredibly powerful.
But to use that power, one always had to pay a commensurate price.
For example, curing an incurable disease in exchange for permanent blindness.
Or gaining a new talent you never had in exchange for losing all your memories.
It was the very definition of a double-edged sword.
It wasn't something I could just hand over to someone without a second thought.
*Besides, once word gets out that Drakel is down, they’ll come to retrieve this.*
And there was another, bigger problem.
The Tesseract belonged to the very same faction that had destroyed the world where the metahumans had lived.
Where else could such an ability, one that transcended the realm of mere magic and shook the very laws of reality, have come from?
So, if this item were to be revealed to the world, how much chaos would engulf the city?
I didn’t have to think too hard to know the answer.
*…Should I just toss it into a deep sewer?*
This was an object far beyond my ability to handle.
Maybe someone like the Dragon Mayor, who lives at the highest point of Nighthaven, could manage it?
Therefore, the best I could do was to quickly hide it where no one would ever find it.
The invaders would just retrieve and use it for their own ends anyway.
If it disappeared from the story entirely, it probably wouldn't cause any major issues.
*In fact, it might make things easier for me in the future. A shame, really.*
Having made my decision, I prepared to bid it a final farewell.
I brought the Tesseract up to eye level and stared at it.
Suddenly, the cube within the translucent cube turned to face me and spoke.
[ …Mommy? ]
“…?!”
Gah, you scared me!
I was so startled I nearly jumped out of my skin, my heart feeling like it would leap out of my mouth.
Wondering if I was losing my mind, I carefully placed the Tesseract on my palm.
After glancing around for a moment, the cube stopped, staring straight at me.
[ Mama! ]
“…”
It’s real. I’m hearing a voice from it.
No, to be precise, it’s not speaking so much as its voice is echoing in my head, like telepathy.
Why… is it talking?
Faced with such a sudden development I’d never seen in the original story, I could only blink blankly.
The Tesseract then began to spin in place, its cheerful voice ringing out.
[ Pet me! Pet me! ]
*It wants me to… pet it?*
A question mark popped up over my head at the child-like whining.
I reached out a finger and cautiously stroked the outer surface of the Tesseract.
The hypercube-shaped Tesseract was a dainty thing, barely the size of my fingernail.
Petting it wasn't a difficult task.
But perhaps that wasn't what it wanted.
The Tesseract just buzzed and shook its body with a dissatisfied hum.
*Wh-what do you want me to do?*
I furrowed my brow slightly at the Tesseract’s continued dissatisfaction despite my efforts.
*Is this it?* With that thought, I used my psychokinesis to gently stroke the inner cube.
[ Hehe! Mama! I like it! ]
The Tesseract was ecstatic.
It was so delighted that the inner cube began to shrink and expand erratically.
Then, suddenly, my head spun and my vision blurred.
Right. Psychokinesis. I’m not supposed to be using it right now.
“…!”
My legs gave out for a second, but I managed to catch myself, just barely avoiding a fall.
In my current state, if I hit my head on the ground, I was sure I’d pass out.
[ Mama? Are you hurt? ]
“…”
[ Mama… don’t be hurt… I don’t like it when you’re hurt! ]
Did it realize my condition was poor from my movement?
The Tesseract cried out in a choked-up voice.
Abruptly, I felt my body connect to some unknown place.
The world began to cycle on its own, the distinction between up and down vanished.
A sensory expansion where all directions felt the same.
The feeling, like being pleasantly drunk, subsided as slowly as it had arrived.
And when I landed back in cold reality and opened my eyes…
I found myself in a clean body, without a single wound.
*…Huh? My body… doesn’t hurt.*
It was astounding.
My body, which moments ago had been covered in red welts and sharp cuts…
was now perfectly healthy, without so much as a single sore spot, let alone a wound.
The headache that had felt like my skull was splitting into four had quietly subsided as if it had never been there.
I even felt like I could wield my psychokinesis several more times right now.
And the blood-soaked white cloth that was hard to distinguish from a rag, along with my tattered maid outfit…
were now pristine, without a single flaw, as if they were brand new and purchased today.
It was a phenomenon so bizarre it made me wonder if my entire fight with Drakel had been a dream.
I belatedly realized that this was the power of the Tesseract.
“…!”
If so, this was a huge problem.
The Tesseract’s ability to draw upon the possibilities of other worldlines was a give-and-take.
It was based on the principle of collection: for everything it gave, it took something of equal value.
Meaning, in exchange for my body being healed… it would take something of equal worth!
*…It should, but why isn’t anything happening?*
I braced myself for what was to come, shoulders hunched and toes curled.
But I felt no sensation of a price being taken.
I’d expected to lose an eye, an ear, or at least a wrist.
Puzzled, I tilted my head and cautiously brought the Tesseract to my face.
“…”
[ …Mama. You’re not hurt? Good…. I’m sleepy…. ]
With those words, the Tesseract’s movements ceased, as if it had abruptly fallen asleep.
Thanks to that, I was able to piece together what had happened.
*Did the Tesseract pay the price for me? …But why?*
It seemed the Tesseract itself had paid the price for my recovery.
Why would it go to such lengths when all I did was pet it?
Pondering the inexplicable situation, I ended up putting the Tesseract on a cord around my neck.
*Maybe I should keep it for now instead of throwing it away.*
I had a change of heart.
There was never any mention of the Tesseract being able to talk in the original story.
And the idea of it paying the price for its ability was something I had never heard of.
I suppose the only way to find out what was going on was to ask it myself when it woke up.
Besides, it did help me. Throwing it away now seemed a bit too cruel.
*But ‘Mama,’ really. I’ve suddenly become a mother.*
Couldn’t you have called me Papa, maybe?
I glanced at the Tesseract, which showed no signs of movement, seemingly in a deep sleep.
Then, with a light leap, I sprang up to a rooftop.
My condition was back to normal—no, it was better than normal!
Perhaps because my body felt strangely as light as a feather…
I managed to reach my base safely without running into anyone along the way.
I should be safe here.
Once inside, I flung off the cloth and gazed at the windy scenery outside.
It was still chaotic out there.
The incident was over, but people still lingered. Lights flashed brightly in the neon-lit darkness.
Looking down like this reminded me of when I first arrived in Nighthaven.
*A lot has happened. I fought a vampire. I became a wanted fugitive…*
If you asked me if it was good, I suppose I could say yes.
Living as a ghost had its inconveniences. But I was unbound by anyone, and I could just be free.
But now, it was time to graduate from being a ghost.
I had run wild a little too enthusiastically, and things had gotten beyond my control.
So I’ll let the ghost take the fall for everything, and from now on, I’ll live in peace.
Having made up my mind, I let the white cloth go, allowing it to be swept away by the wind from the window, fluttering into the distance.
*From now on, I’ll live as Yuria. The ghost… let’s just say she’s gone now.*
Farewell to the expert thief, the bakery’s regular customer.
And farewell to the vampire-slaying wanted fugitive.
From now on, I’ll avoid getting involved in the original story as much as possible and live by mooching off Greg’s shop.
After letting go of the cloth that had served me for so long…
I curled up like a shrimp on the hard bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Thanks to the Tesseract, my physical fatigue was completely gone, so I wasn't actually that sleepy.
But the mental exhaustion from focusing to my absolute limit against zombies and vampires remained.
“…?”
And so, after a good night’s sleep in my cold base, the next day…
I showed up for work at Greg’s general store as usual, only to be met with news that felt like a bolt from the blue.
“Sorry, Yu…ria. The shop was damaged in yesterday’s commotion, so it looks like we’ll have to take a break for a while.”
What do you mean, take a break?!
I just threw away my ghost costume!
I placed my hands on both cheeks and let out a silent scream.
To become unemployed after only six days on the job!
Today, my world came crashing down.