The Annoying Attention
"......"
I climbed down from the floating island and, just as promised yesterday, stood before the front door of Blan's house. I didn't knock immediately; the events from earlier were still a jumbled mess in my head.
Kaits's words kept swirling around, suffocating me.
'I want to see your past.'
It had only been an hour, so the memory was vivid.
"What kind of bullshit is that? What happened to all that talk about the Sword of Light or whatever?"
"That is, in fact, a matter of no consequence."
"What?"
"Because reconciliation between the Holy Kingdom and the Academy was impossible from the very beginning."
"...?"
"To be precise, even if they were to reconcile, the intervention of a single entity would reset everything back to square one..."
Kaits, speaking in a bitter tone, looked at me again.
"But it is true that I need you for the subjugation of Askatloph, and it is also true that I want to have you by my side to fight together."
"You sure know how to make a guy cringe."
I scoffed and retorted.
"So? What does that have to do with wanting to see my past? And more importantly, how are you going to see something that happened so long ago?"
"I possess an Authority."
"An Authority?"
"An Authority that allows me to view a person's life."
"......"
"It requires the subject's permission, and it is not an Authority that can be used lightly."
Authority. This fantasy world sure is convenient.
I scratched my head and asked.
"If you're going to look at the past, how far back can you go?"
For instance, the twenty years I've lived. Would the memories of all those years flow into Kaits's brain at once? Or would he experience those twenty years in real-time?
"Viewing the entire past is possible, but what I desire is five years of memories."
"Five years?"
"Indeed. Of course, I will occasionally view older memories to understand your roots, but what I intend to experience is five years. And only the events you remember as significant."
At those words, I realized Kaits's true intention. I had thought he wanted to confirm if I was a prophet, but that wasn't it.
"Are you trying to figure out if I'm someone you can trust?"
"......That is correct."
An affirmation after a long silence. Well, it made sense. A self-proclaimed prophet who knew information even he, a regressor of many lifetimes, didn't know, was acting subtly hostile toward him. He’d be anxious.
Honestly, I didn't know why he was so obsessed with seeing my past. He was a regressor, and a regressor's rights were absolute. If he wanted to verify information, he could just charge in; if it didn't work out, he could just regress and use it as a stepping stone for his next life.
And besides, no matter how much I snapped at Kaits or disliked him, if there was an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, I would cooperate. Just as I had with Almiraj or that massive Demon King before.
If he only wanted my strength, there was no reason to look into my past. Then, was Kaits wanting something other than cooperation?
Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe he was just too lazy to regress again and wanted the memories instead.
I pondered for a moment and decided to refuse. This was an incredibly rude request. He wanted to know someone else's past? Even if I didn't have a bad relationship with him, anyone would find that offensive.
"Hey. Kaits."
"What is it?"
"If you want to see someone else's past, shouldn't you show me yours first? Isn't that common courtesy?"
Fight bullshit with bullshit. But Kaits just nodded.
"If that is what you desire."
"...Huh. You're serious?"
"Yes. However, my memories... would be painful for an ordinary person to witness."
"Oh, give me a break."
Does this guy think he's the protagonist of some grand novel? ...Well, I guess he is the protagonist. Still, I don't like him.
I should hear more before I turn him down.
"Specifically, how do you do it?"
"It is simple. With the subject's permission, the memories are stored in Ryunar and solidified. They turn into something like a marble. It can be used like a consumable item. The method allows one to manifest directly within the landscape of the memory and view the situation in either the first or third person."
So, he could watch someone else's memories with full immersion.
"Haa..."
He was dead serious. The information I had provided earlier must have been quite appetizing from his perspective, yet he didn't even ask about it anymore. Well, honestly, it was a boring memory anyway. As boring as I am as a person, my past is just as dull.
But. If he saw those memories, he would definitely come to despise me.
"Watching my memories wouldn't be interesting at all."
"That is true for most humans."
I turned my back on him. My mind didn't change. Let's just keep him hanging.
"I'll give you an answer soon."
"...You have only three days."
"I don't know why it has to be three days, but I'll give you an answer by then. Is that good enough?"
"...Very well."
And I walked away without a second thought. Kaits's gaze lingered on my back for a moment before falling away. A guy walking the opposite path from me. He wanted my memories because he wanted to know if I was someone he could trust?
Well. After seeing my memories, I wonder if we could ever be on the same side. I think it's more likely we'd continue walking down opposite paths, just like now.
That was the conversation from an hour ago. If it were anyone else, I might have shown them my memories, but because it was Kaits, it just annoyed me. On top of that, the damn Hero bringing up the past made several unpleasant memories resurface.
"Whew."
I let out a deep breath, and the tightness in my chest felt a little better.
Creak.
The front door opened, and a woman with half-closed eyes poked her upper body out. It was Claire.
"Oh, I was a bit worried about how long you were going to stand outside."
"Ah, yes. My apologies."
To think she knew I had arrived. It was daytime. This house was built in a busy area, but in a spot that strangely avoided the flow of people, so I hadn't been seen by anyone but Claire. Still, if I kept standing there, I'd eventually be treated like a suspicious person. I hurriedly opened the gate and entered the house through the front door.
"Excuse me."
"Fufu. Welcome."
Claire covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. It wasn't a lewd gesture at all, yet she looked incredibly seductive. Today, she was wearing short sleeves from the start. But unlike last time, they were quite short, revealing just below her shoulders.
Whether she knew I was looking or not, Claire lowered her hand and showed me her seductively curved lips. Then, she suddenly tilted her head with a question mark, and closed the distance between us.
"Uh... Claire?"
"Hmm... sniff, sniff."
"?!"
Why is she sniffing me? Is she an animal? A female... ...Damn it, keep it together, you lunatic.
"Hmm~ You smell a bit different than usual."
"Oh? Yes? My smell?"
"Yes. I have a pretty good nose. Ufufu."
She pointed to her small nose and laughed, and that, too, was incredibly seductive. But she said 'different than usual'? Even if my fashion sense is trash, I try to keep myself clean. I have confidence in my cleanliness because I always put in the effort, but hearing a beauty like her talk about my smell made me nervous. Was it just my delusion that I always smelled good...?
"Excuse me. How do I usually smell?"
"Hmm... Mmm..."
She tilted her head and twisted her waist. The movement of her large breasts and her ant-like waist compared to those milk jugs reminded me of a certain act performed on top of a man, and saliva pooled in my mouth.
...No, wait a minute. Milk jugs? I might be a vulgar guy, but I'm not vulgar enough to think like this about Blan's wife. Something is wrong with my head.
"Hmm."
But my doubts were quickly blown away by Claire, who had closed the distance even further. To me, blinking in confusion, she said:
"You smell like a man."
"......"
The line "Man's smell is sweat!" popped into my head for no reason. I prayed it didn't mean I smelled unpleasant, but Claire added:
"To be specific, the intense scent of a male."
"?!"
A male?
"It's a good smell. So you don't need to worry. Now, come on in."
"Y-yes."
I was dragged toward the living room by my wrist. Unwanted, lewd fantasies were springing up everywhere. It wouldn't be the case today, just like last time, but I asked just in case.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Are you alone today as well?"
"...Fufufu."
Claire stopped walking, turned her back to me, and leaned her upper body forward slightly. I watched the curves of her breasts stand out prominently and held back my ragged breathing.
"With what intention are you asking?"
"No, just... I was curious."
"Hmm... I am. Alone."
"......."
Oh... Alone again? Then, I don't have the confidence to restrain myself... no, that's not it, it's just a bit troublesome.
"Fufufu. I'm joking. Actually, Elter is in the next room."
"Haha. I see."
Then it's fine! Thank goodness! If it hadn't been a joke and we were alone again, it might have been slightly dangerous.
"She fell fast asleep a little while ago, though. Elter doesn't wake up for about three hours once she's asleep, so she's quite a troublesome child, fufu."
"..."
Did I need that information about her not waking up? Whether I was skeptical or not, Claire pulled my hand again.
"It's a shame."
"Yes?"
"To be honest, I saw you agonizing quite a bit in front of the house, so I was hoping you'd ask me for some secret counseling."
"Secret counseling, you say..."
"About women, or matters of the heart."
"Haa..."
Out of the blue, love counseling... why? Perhaps the age of adulthood in Elynar is quite low, so my current age might look strange if I'm not married, or at least don't have a fiancée. It was highly likely she said it in that sense.
"Because the scent of a male wavering in confusion was mixed with the scent of a female."
"..."
I didn't know what to say. I just barely managed to kill the erection that was rising in my crotch.
"I wondered if you had hugged someone today~"
She was talking about Asita. Can she tell even that by scent?
"Fufufu. I'm joking~"
"Ah, haha. Joking."
"Still, I was serious about giving you love counseling~"
"O-oh, I see..."
I feel like I've only been making weird groans since earlier. Under the compulsion to say something, I ended up asking a strange question.
"If it's counseling, specifically what kind of...?"
"Hmm~"
Claire put the index finger of the hand not holding mine to her lips and pondered for about three seconds.
"Claire?"
"Maybe not quite a girl, but something that lets you feel a similar sensation?"
"Yes?"
...What... does that mean?
"So, if you and I practice acts like hugging in advance, and you learn what a woman feels like, couldn't you apply it in the real thing?"
"..."
"Fufu. Would you like to try hugging me?"
As she spread her arms while still holding my wrist, her obscenely large breasts came into view. Moreover, the slight movement of spreading her arms released a pleasant fragrance... and I got a little excited. I gulped, my throat bobbing, then realized my behavior too late and my face flushed bright red.
Ah, damn it. Is it okay for a married woman to be this lewd?
"...Fufu. This is also a joke."
"Right. It must be a joke."
"Yes. Half of it."
I barely managed to avoid the blunder of asking what the other half was. Wait. If I get dragged into the living room like this, what's going to happen? I intended to just talk and finish, but isn't this a bit of a dangerous situation? ...Getting eaten, or something...
All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind as I walked toward the living room. The moment I thought about making an excuse and leaving, I entered the living room, and my jaw dropped.
What was there was...
A massive game field spread across the entire living room.
"Ta-da! It's an upgraded version of the game we played last time!"
"...!"
"Fufufu. Will you be able to beat me today, Drae~?"
"Hoho."
Provoking me? I doubt anyone in this world has played more games than I have. Except for Blue Marble. ...Uh. That doesn't sound very cool.
"Plenty of drinks and snacks, too! Please enjoy yourself to your heart's content while telling me various stories, like about his arm or your worries."
"...!"
A little later. The conversation about Blan's arm ended in the first 10 minutes, and even after realizing there were no significant results, Claire kindly said, "I believe in you, Drae~." After that, I completely forgot about the lewd atmosphere from earlier and immersed myself in the game.
The upgraded game had deeper strategic elements and a wider range of tactics, so each round took much longer than before. Claire was indeed a formidable opponent.
"Grrr..."
"Ufufu. I thought I'd lose if we played the game from last time again~"
A strategist, Claire. Indeed, I might have found a winning strategy for that Blue Marble game since I'd gotten used to it. But with a new game, and one with much larger rules, the experience I'd built up last time was as good as gone. Fortunately, the rules were similar to the previous game, so I got used to it quickly.
"Hmm..."
I fell into thought, crunching on a potato chip from the bag next to me. This was already my second loss in an hour. I can't lose again...!
I thought about my strategy and recalled what method I'd tried earlier that had failed. Speaking of earlier, Kaits suddenly came to mind. People really are better off immersing themselves in something. It even makes you forget bad memories. Hmm? It feels like I've forgotten something else... ...Ah! Frostia!! Why do I keep forgetting her?!?! It's because that bitch Mullin left such a strong impression. I was prepared to go find Frostia this morning and get into a fight...
...Let's go tomorrow. I'm already tired just thinking about her dragon-tantrums. So, I'll win here and recharge my energy before I go.
"I choose to mine."
Just as I thought, let's gather resources to buy the next item...
"Then I'll use the item in the Future Preparation Zone~"
"Yes?"
"Mining Rights Seizure. It's a trap item that can be used when the opponent has been performing only mining patterns for 3 turns or more~"
"...What?!"
Did she read my pattern! This is hopeless... ...No. No, I shouldn't give up already.
"Fufu."
"Oh? Drae?"
"Did you know?"
"...?"
"A true duel... no, a true gamer never gives up!"
I'm going for a comeback now. And I activated my secret item in the Future Preparation Zone.
"...I lost."
"I was surprised~ To think you'd catch up that much~"
Ah, damn it. I thought I'd win if I said that line. Should I have recited the line properly instead of improvising? But then, Claire touched her cheek and said:
"Hmm~ Was it too harsh to play against a beginner like you, Drae~?"
"...!"
She's scratching my pride. I raised my index finger and said:
"One more round!"
"Fufu. As much as you like. But it's not fun for me like this."
"Yes?"
"It feels like I'm bullying someone weak?"
"......!!"
What. Why is she provoking me? Even so, I didn't feel any 'bad girl' vibes at all; it just felt like I was being teased mischievously, which made me feel shy. Is this the power of an older woman?
"So, how about we add some rules?"
"Rules...?"
"Yes. Every time I lose 1,000 points, I'll impose a penalty."
"...Huh?!"
This game has lives. 5,000 points. Isn't saying she'll take a penalty every 1,000 points the same as saying she'll let me win?
"It would be better not to underestimate me too much."
"I wonder~ Why don't we try it once? How about it?"
"...!"
And so, another round began. And this time, by a really, really slim margin...
"It's a draw~ I underestimated you too much, Drae~"
"...Ugh...!"
How could this be. A draw, even though one of Claire's camps was randomly destroyed or I got an item for free every time she lost 1,000 points? This damn...! My pride as a gamer won't allow this.
"Don't be too discouraged. After all, I've even won a tournament in this game before?"
"...So you were a champion at this game, too."
"Not quite that, but~"
She was a veteran. Damn it. No wonder she was so strong. But now I'd roughly learned the rules and which items were powerful.
"This time, the penalty... every 2,000 points...!"
Still, there had to be a penalty. I'll win at least one round. Pathetic? You just have to win.
"Hmm... 2,000 points."
Claire thought for a moment and said:
"That seems a bit easy, so how about we impose a penalty on me every 2,000 points, and also impose a penalty on each other for non-game elements every 1,000 points?"
It was still a remark that looked down on me as a novice, but if she was a champion, it was understandable. I shouted in a belligerent yet happy voice.
"Yes! By all means!"
"Are you accepting any rule?"
"Yes?"
...Any rule?
Somehow, I had a strange premonition.
"I'm getting bored, too. If you're not going to accept anything, let's just wrap it up for today..."
"I will accept anything!"
My head was heated, so I answered without thinking, and Claire gave me a smile so seductive it made me flinch.
"Then, for the 2,000 points, we'll keep the item or random destruction as before, and for the penalty when you lose 1,000 points..."
"...?"
"...Undressing. How about that?"
"......?"
Uh... undressing?
"Of course, it's unfair if only I do the 1,000-point penalty, so you do it too, Drae."
"...!"
It was a miracle that I only got a little excited after holding it in so hard.