A Pause
It was comfortable. This was the first time I'd fallen asleep so peacefully since dropping into this other world. I was happy—so happy I didn't even want to wake up again.
And to me, like that, the darkness sent a sweet little wave of its hand. A little further down, it said. How about sinking all the way to the floor of the unconscious? Fall asleep like this, it whispered, and there will be no more pain.
Forget it all, the darkness tempted me. Forget that I'd become a girl overnight. Forget that I'd fallen into a game that wasn't reality. Forget that I had to throw this young, fragile body into battle just to stay alive.
Well. It wasn't wrong. Generally speaking, the odds of surviving in a host's body were honestly vanishingly slim. There were plenty of reasons, but the biggest was the absolute imbalance of power. From a parasite's point of view, when crisis struck you could simply abandon the host, accept a little risk, and find a new vessel. A host who lost their parasite just died. There was the danger, too, that control of the body could be snatched away at any moment. Shan hadn't bothered to take that control from me so far—but knowing she could whenever she wanted wasn't something I could feel nothing about. A host was less than a pet being raised.
I didn't have a perfect means of controlling Shan, and I didn't know what choices she would make in the future. The tutorial boss, and that boss's sacrificial lamb. That was all I knew.
When I first fell here, an opportunity had clearly been given, and the one who made the choice was no one but me. It may have been somewhat impulsive, but it wasn't without reason. I was confident I could pull it off. I know which of the parasites reached the end of their growth, and how strong they are. I even know what those powerhouses have in common. The true meaning of symbiosis—something you can only reach by surpassing the limits of the host-and-parasite relationship—and the fact that even the worries I carry now will be resolved once I arrive at that realm. I know that. Isn't that a transmigrator's privilege?
Someone who already knows the beautiful vista waiting at the journey's end can refuse to give up, no matter how treacherous the road they're walking now. As long as I don't forget that what's right in front of me isn't the whole of things, I don't have to bind Tiss and Shan to the words parasite and host. If it's Shan, rather than seizing this body to stand on her own, she'll lean on me—and I have every confidence I can answer that leaning. Even if the steps are small, as long as I have the conviction that something I want is waiting at the end of this path, I will never break.
So that sweet temptation is useless on me.
The darkness, as if disappointed, crumbled away little by little while still in the shape of the hand it had stretched toward me, and vanished.
"Time to open my eyes."
Crack! Crrrack! I struck away the darkness reaching for me and hauled my own consciousness up toward the surface. Time to collide with the world again.
"Nngh."
Half-dreaming, my consciousness began to surface. I felt as if I'd had a deep dream, but the hazy memory flickered just out of reach, almost in my hands and then not.
Tiss, you're... awake.
The moment Shan's voice greeted me, every worry about the dream vanished. Completely drained of strength, she welcomed me in a voice that was trying its best to smile.
"You worked hard."
Hehe...
While I'd been swimming through the unconscious, Shan had led the molting. Of course she was exhausted.
"Where... is this?"
A sense of restraint wrapped my body, as if something had bound me in.
I-inside the shed skin. I, I tried to get out on my own... but I don't have any strength... I-I think Tiss will have to be the one to crawl out.
"Got it. Leave the rest to me."
It seemed Shan had tried somehow while I was out; as she'd said, traces of her struggling remained. I carefully moved both hands, gathered them in front of my chest, then reached toward the husk with a piercing motion.
The fur-cloth wrapping my body split with a dull rip, offering less resistance than I'd expected, like tearing rice paper. Heave. I slipped my hands into the split, pried it apart, and sat up.
Hmm. "My eyes won't focus."
They hurt. Like a newborn who couldn't open its eyes yet, my body had only just shed its skin, and for a moment I couldn't see well at all. The lamp light felt too dazzling, and even that small heat transmitted fully to my skin, which reacted with raw hypersensitivity. When I got up, I could see something lying on the mattress as if I were still asleep there, split down the middle.
"Looks like a spiderweb."
True to a molting nest made by a fluffy creature, the surroundings were packed with clumps of fur and cloth. I never thought there'd be so much fur it would make my head feel heavy. With this much, you could gather it up and knit a sweater, or stuff pillows and blankets.
Cough, cough. Suddenly I felt something foreign in my throat. When I coughed and spat it out, a wet, tangled clump of long threads popped free with a plop.
"What's this?"
Why had something like a hairball come out of my body? A slight chill ran through me for a moment, but the molting had finished successfully, so I figured it was my imagination and ignored it.
Pushing through the double layer of fur and coming outside, I found a round dumpling of a fur-ball formed around the bed.
"Congratulations. You finished your first molt."
"Don't even start. It's fur everywhere. The stuff stuck in my hair won't come off."
Even now I could feel the weight of it clinging like gum. I'd have to tidy it up separately later.
"Here. Clothes for the little lady."
"Ah, thanks."
Emily handed me the clothes I'd taken off.
Huh? What's this?
"These clothes... are they right?"
"They're right."
My focus was still a bit off, but looking at the color, they seemed to be what I'd been wearing. Had my clothes always been this small? Ugh. I tried putting on the underwear first, but it was so tight it felt constricting. The T-shirt clung to my body, and the pants wouldn't even go on.
"Try this on."
Of the clothes she'd brought, only the skirt Emily gave me barely fit.
Wait. No.
Fur rolling around in my mouth. Hair that had suddenly gone heavy. Clothes that had gotten smaller, and Emily watching me with a sly smile that was growing denser by the second. An instinctive shiver ran up my spine.
"E-Emily! A mirror—give me a mirror!"
Emily laughed as she passed me the one sitting on the table. I snatched it up and took a deep breath.
Please, please, please!
The few minutes I spent waiting for my eyes to focus felt like an eternity.
"W-what is thiiiis?!"
Far more physical changes had appeared than I'd anticipated. Haaaah. I hadn't become a furry, at least. Fortunately, I hadn't transformed into a fluffy-furred beast from head to toe.
Tiss, your hair got all fluffy. Hey, you look like a sheep.
"It definitely got a lot fuller."
The biggest change was the hair. Had all of Shan's fluffiness transferred into it? Not only had the length gone from a neat bob past my shoulders all the way to my back, the volume itself had become enormous. The color, originally green, had turned white. Even though I hadn't done any hair care, it had a sheen and was as soft as silk. When I ran my hand through it, the locks swayed like a dancing curtain. Was this the kind of elegant hair you saw in hair-product commercials? This much volume without even a perm.
"At this rate, washing my hair is going to take all day."
Eh? That's your reaction?
"Should I just chop it all off?"
Eeeek! No! Th-that's absolutely not allowed! I-I absolutely forbid it!
Faced with Shan's tearful opposition, I put chopping it off on hold and decided to leave it like this. The next change that jumped out was height.
"I got taller."
"Oh my. Maybe I should stop calling you little lady and just call you miss. Shall I call you Miss Tiss?"
"Shut up! At this size I'm still a kid, okay?"
Seriously, so sly. It seemed a little under four-foot-seven. Considering I'd originally been around four feet, I'd grown more than a handspan.
M-maybe T-Tiss prefers being small?
"Well, bigger is better than smaller, isn't it?"
Being short has disadvantages in combat, and you can get caught and hauled off to the city's Reformatory. Small advantages? The look of a young, fragile child who needs protection has plenty of social strengths. But that's only true in places like Areas 1, 2, and 3. In a lawless zone like Area 7, it doesn't help much. The only real benefit is that people are lenient with children, let their guard down, and can be made to drop their defenses so you slip into their arms unprotected. Otherwise every situation is a disadvantage.
Then, do you want to grow quickly?
"Growth comes naturally as you get older anyway. There's no need to forcibly accelerate it."
Matching the body's balance naturally and healthily is what matters.
Th-then staying at that height?
"Well, I haven't really thought about that."
Unless you have an immortal body, you can't stop human growth. If I had to pick a possibility, theoretically it might be possible if we obtained that power from the Essence of a monster with neoteny traits.
I-is that so? I-I'll keep that in mind.
"Mm...? Okay."
What's that about?
"What are you planning to do now?"
I thought for a moment at Emily's words.
"Originally I was going to work or go exploring."
Were going to?
The body's changes were one thing, but more than that, there were the words I'd spoken first.
"Let's just rest well."
R-rest?
I'd promised on the way here. Today and tomorrow, rest well, let Shan do what she wants, and get what we need.
"Rest is important too."
You have to rest well to fight well.
"If you need anything, tell me. I'll organize it and look for it."
T-Tiss...!
Shan seemed properly moved; her voice grew wetter and wetter.
I-if the host is going to propose it first, well, seeing the sincerity, I-I suppose I should accept.
Pfft!
"Yeah. Thanks."
The way she immediately tried to climb over my head the moment I indulged her once made me burst out laughing.
Hmm. Meanwhile Emily was examining the fur spread across the mattress. She had a serious face as she touched the tuft in her hand, as if she'd discovered something, and I spoke to her naturally.
"How is it? Look usable?"
"Beyond usable—it's excellent. Abaddon's Spawn really are on another level, I guess."
At my casually tossed words, Emily even opened her eyes a little in admiration. I could tell right away that this fur had special value. In that case, we could definitely try trading.
"Emily. I'll leave disposing of the fur and cloth to you, so can you get me a portable terminal?"
"See, I told you your instincts are too sharp for your age? I was going to bring it up first anyway."
Emily burst out laughing as if she'd taken a hit, and pulled out the terminal she had on her.
"It's a bit old, but it's a safe terminal processed so it won't get caught by the Management Bureau's security system. Search whatever you want, freely."
"Thanks."
It was definitely a bit of an older model, but if safety was guaranteed, I'd be able to roam the net freely.
Snap! When Emily flicked her fingers, the fur, cloth, and threads scattered everywhere—as well as the discarded shed skin—were instantly sucked into the pouch she was holding, as if by a vacuum cleaner. There was some damage from the molting process, but it was still a byproduct created by Abaddon's Spawn. If processed, it would definitely be useful.
"We might even get something on par with an artifact. There's a craftsman I know in this district. We'll have results within a week at the latest."
"Thanks, Emily."
"Don't mention it. I've already been paid more than enough. As a bonus I'll buy you some clothes to wear too."
"Th-thanks?"
Paid? The way she said it with a smile I couldn't quite tell was a smile made me feel a bit uneasy.
W-wait. There's s-something I want to try.
Following Shan's will, my hair gradually lengthened and began to move, then instantly transformed into a cozy mattress pad and blanket.
H-how is it? A-after molting I got this ability!
"It's cozy and nice."
I spread a snug cradle of my own hair across the mattress and climbed inside. The comfort rivaled any luxury mattress that advertised itself as science. Had a blanket ever been this cozy? It was so fluffy I felt like I was being continuously sucked in.
"What do you want to do now, Shan?"
Mmm... for now, s-shall we take a nap? I-I got a bit tired making the shed skin.
"Let's do that."
Right..? Heee... comfortable... nice.
Using Shan's drawn-out humming as a lullaby, I closed my eyes again.
When "resting for a day" became two days, then three, we ended up becoming one with the bed. Who knew rolling around lying down could be this happy.
"Hey, kids? Resting is fine, but it's already been three days, you know? How long are you planning to rest?"
"Nngh... five more minutes."
Just one day. Let's rest just one more day.
"Miss Tiss, you'll turn into a hopeless human at this rate."
"Eheh, too much work."
By the time we crawled out of the swamp of laziness and steeled our will again, we'd ended up using one more day.