Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Interlude
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They say humans are creatures of adaptation.
Perhaps that’s why. At first, the closet made me anxious and restless, but after about three days, it started to feel familiar and comfortable.
In fact, its size was a perfect fit for my rather small frame, giving it a unique sense of security.
I felt like I finally understood why cats are so obsessed with boxes.
And I’d made some gains during these three days. What? The Tesseract, you ask?
No, unfortunately, the Tesseract was still fast asleep, maintaining its silence.
For it to remain quiet even after I’ve gone this far… it was a stubborn one.
What I had gained was something else entirely.
It was a significant growth in the output of my psychokinesis!
As much as I hate to admit it, it seems my power has some sort of connection to the Invaders.
There’s no other way to explain my psychokinesis getting stronger just by being connected to this minuscule rift.
Circumstantially, the sudden surge in my psychokinesis before was likely a portion of the power that was transferred to me during the process of the Tesseract absorbing it from the fragment.
Anyway, at this rate, by the time Greg returns… my output will likely be 1.5 times stronger than before I started this part-time job.
Considering how much I struggled with a lack of output when I fought Drakel before…
This was a rare and precious level-up chance, a stroke of good fortune that had fallen into my lap.
‘Well… even with this, I still wouldn't stand a chance against Lexi or Raven. But maybe I’m about on par with Alice or David now?’
In terms of this world’s power balance, the Dragon Mayor, who wields absolute power and authority, is roughly at the level of a Single-Digit Fixer.
Raven is in the upper tier of Double-Digit Fixers, while Lexi and Greg are in the lower tier.
Of course, Raven isn't ranked yet due to his lack of a track record, and Greg and the Dragon Mayor aren't actually Fixers, so it's not their official ranking.
It’s just easier to understand it as them being comfortably within the top 100 strongest people in the world.
Anyway, using the Fixer rankings as a benchmark, the current Alice was about at the level of a lower-tier Triple-Digit Fixer.
What? Isn't Triple-Digit weak?
Oh, that’s a real misconception.
This is a world overflowing with powerful monsters from all sorts of other species.
Being a Triple-Digit Fixer, in other words, means you’re ranked among the top thousand strongest people in the entire world.
And a rookie who hasn't even reached her full potential is already in the Triple-Digits?
That was truly remarkable. In fact, she was proudly counted as one of the super rookies in the story.
And objectively speaking, I’d probably be around there too, in the lower tier of Triple-Digits.
Drakel, who maintains his youth with the Tesseract, is roughly in the lower tier of Double-Digits.
And I wasn’t instantly crushed by him; we exchanged a few blows.
When I think about it, I wasn’t that weak either.
The problem was that I was surrounded by ridiculously strong people.
In any case, this opportunity was like a welcome rain in a drought that I couldn't afford to miss.
In a perilous world where, ultimately, I was the only one who could truly protect myself, building strength was far more valuable than earning money or making connections.
‘The only problem is how ridiculous it looks…. Raven’s been giving me a pained look whenever he sees me in the closet lately.’
Hugging a pillow to my chest, I rolled around in the cramped closet before sliding the door open a crack.
Through the gap, I could see Raven.
He was lying on his bed, reading a manga magazine.
A paper magazine in a futuristic city like this. I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at such a distinctly analog hobby that only enthusiasts would appreciate.
But did he immediately notice me peeking?
As he casually flipped through the pages, he spoke without even turning his head.
“What is it? Do you need something?”
“…”
No, I didn’t particularly need anything.
I was just bored from lazing around in here and wanted to see what he was up to.
As if reading my mind, Raven sat up in bed, suddenly waving the manga magazine in his hand.
“You’re bored just sitting in there, aren’t you? Want a manga?”
“…!”
No, this guy is seriously scary. Is he actually a mind reader?
He’d hit the nail right on the head. I slid the closet door open and nodded.
He chuckled as if he knew it all along and got up.
As if telling me to read as much as I wanted, Raven placed a stack of clean manga magazines in front of the closet.
Hmm… so they’re magazines with one chapter from various series, not collected volumes.
I sat on the edge of the closet, dangling my legs outside, and spent some time reading manga alongside Raven, who had returned to his bed.
This wasn’t so bad.
Late at night, as the moon hung low in the sky, slowly beginning its descent, I quietly savored the leisurely peace.
Two weeks of my time at the agency remained.
Just like that, only half my time was left.
*
A girl with deep green hair gathered and tied into a single braid.
With her perpetually stoic expression and a preference for boyish attire like t-shirts and shorts…
She was often mistaken for a pretty boy with long hair. Her name was Sabrina.
Of course, her young age and the fact that puberty hadn't fully set in yet played a part.
But her down-to-earth personality—she’d rather have one more training session with her martial arts teacher than spend time on her appearance—also contributed greatly to that image.
“Umm… This doesn’t really… seem to suit me…”
But what was unfolding before Sabrina now would have been a complete shock.
She was standing before a mirror, holding a frilly dress up to her body.
The Sabrina of the past, who used to say that girly dresses didn't suit her, would have found this scene absurd…
But she herself was more serious than anyone in the world right now.
Because tomorrow was the day of her promised date with Yuria.
Wanting to show a better side of yourself to someone you want to befriend.
That was an entirely natural feeling, regardless of gender or age.
“Oh my, Sabrina. Isn’t that one of my old dresses?”
“Eek! R-R-Reine?! How long have you been there….”
“I just got here… Were you so focused you didn’t even hear the door open?”
*Jump!*
Sabrina leaped into the air at the voice that suddenly came from behind her.
Her face flushed crimson as she stared at Reine in bewilderment.
To be caught in the act of secretly taking out and examining one of Reine’s childhood dresses by the owner herself!
The reality was too much to bear, and Sabrina could only open and close her mouth, speechless.
But to Reine, Sabrina was like a little sister, and she found this side of her simply adorable.
Her cute little sister has a crush on a boy? There was no topic more entertaining than this.
“So who’s the prince who’s captured our Sabrina’s heart? Is it someone I know?”
“W-well… I think you know her…? Her name is Yuria. She’s the one who helped you escape last time…”
“Ah… so it’s Yuria?”
A smile formed on Reine’s lips as she thought to herself.
*Yuria again? Just who is that child?*
‘She said she knew me, right? She didn't seem to have any ill intentions, so I played along… But I should probably meet her separately later and have a talk.’
After the Nemesis incident was over and she heard the details from Sabrina, Reine couldn’t help but be flustered.
Yuria, whom she had never seen before in her life, had claimed to be an acquaintance.
What bothered her even more was that even after meeting her in person, she was sure it was their first time meeting.
Of course, the atmosphere hadn't been right to point that out, so she had let it slide…
But she needed to hear the story and find out what was going on.
“Alright, Sabrina. Since it’s come to this, I’ll help you bring out your charm to its fullest and capture Yuria’s heart. I know your charms better than anyone!”
“Huh? Wh-what? Capture her heart? But we’re both girls…”
“Oh, darling, what does gender matter these days? If you like each other, that’s all that matters. And besides, capturing a friend’s heart is important too, you know?”
I’ll make you the cutest girl in the world tomorrow, Sabrina!
Reine declared, grabbing her shoulders, her eyes sparkling.
If it works out, great. If not, that’s not so bad either.
Behind her beautiful smile, Reine secretly concealed a plan of her own.
*
Late at night, on a park bench.
The park was so quiet it was chilling, blanketed in silence.
A woman sat there, looking miserable.
“Rejected again… Is this my 21st failed job search in a row? I’m so hungry…”
She was a metahuman, commonly known as a Demon.
With their characteristic blue skin and inverted eyes, Demons, along with Vampires, were treated as a dangerous element among metahumans.
The reason was simple. Just as Vampires sustained themselves with blood, Demons retained their alien nature through something called a “dark contract.”
They could easily lead a person to ruin by forming a contract with them, growing stronger in the process. In some ways, they could be considered even more dangerous than Vampires.
Therefore, the way Demons were treated by society in this world was, in a word, abysmal.
Perhaps because, unlike Vampires, their appearance screamed “Demon.”
Forget a proper job; it was difficult to even find part-time work.
Thus, most Demons who received this kind of treatment were bound to embrace their nature and turn to the dark side.
Their stance was that they didn't care if a society that treated them this way crumbled to dust.
But there are always mutations among the population.
One timid Demon just couldn't bring herself to give up on the sweet comforts of society.
Binding a soul with a contract to steal their power?
What did that matter? If she was on the run from the police, she couldn't even buy a hamburger from a burger joint.
The timid Demon, unable to decide one way or the other, could only wallow in her depression.
“By any chance, would you like to change your appearance?”
“Gah! W-w-who are you?!”
And then, someone approached her.
A dark hand, one that could easily lead someone to ruin.