Mental Preparation (2)
“I’m so tired...”
Her waist-length, snow-white hair flowed straight down without a single strand out of place, despite all the effort she’d put in. She drooped her head as if wanting to show how exhausted she was, making her silky locks sway gently.
“Heyyy~ I’m tireeed~”
Her upturned nose and slightly downturned eyes made her large, captivating orbs even more alluring. It was a face I knew well.
“Me! Tired!..”
Clearly annoyed that my past self had ignored her, she opened her plump, rosy lips wide to shout with all her might—but that was when I finally cut her off.
“Let’s take a break.”
“Okay.”
Satisfied with the response, the Demon King stood quietly, and I closed my book to follow her out.
Once we left the library, the group that had been watching from afar began murmuring among themselves. They must not have appreciated the Demon King’s loud outbursts inside.
Demon King (…)
The Demon King’s status window showed no reaction at all, from the moment the past records began until we were walking down the hallway. Unlike the Hero, who reacted subtly to my every action.
I subtly asked the goddess if the status window was glitching, but she said it was just that there was nothing in the Demon King’s heart worth expressing—no response at all.
As the Demon King and I passed through the hallway, the surrounding students started whispering. Some with scorn, some with envy, some mocking the trend—everyone had their own reasons.
I realized now that the murmurs in the library hadn’t just been about the noise. The Demon King clearly knew everything, yet she showed no reaction whatsoever.
The destination for the Demon King and my past self was a small garden beneath a tall wall. They headed familiarly to a bench inside.
“Ah... I’m beat.”
“What about afternoon classes?”
“Hmm... I just wanna stay here.”
“Got it.”
I nodded along as if used to it when she slumped on the bench and declared she wasn’t going to class. This wasn’t the first or second time we’d had this exchange.
Vrrr...
“Ah... Is that Dad?”
She pulled out a small, vibrating orb from her pocket. Clutching the fist-sized crystal, she spoke naturally into it.
“Yeah, Dad.”
At a glance, it looked like a worried father talking to his carefree daughter, but the gentle voice from the orb belonged to the Demon King who sought to rule the world, while the one fiddling lazily with the crystal was his precious, spoiled daughter. To an outsider, it sounded like an ordinary father-daughter chat.
Demon King (…Ah)
A reaction appeared in her status window during the talk with her father. It had grown by one character. I couldn’t help but let out a disbelieving chuckle.
*
My consciousness snapped back.
…Isn’t this a problem?
[…I’ll display it in more detail.]
The goddess, who’d been giving canned “it’s normal” replies despite the ongoing glitches, finally acknowledged my complaint. Their scenes so far had seemed so peaceful that I figured there’d be no insights anyway.
The next scene was the school’s duel tournament. In the massive arena, facing off against a group of five or six was just the Demon King and me.
The two teams stared each other down without moving. Recalling past memories, most teams followed their strategies, but these guys showed none.
How much time passed? The woman who seemed to be their leader stepped forward slightly and shot me a piercing glare. Her sneer was anything but friendly.
“Urgh... We forfeit!”
The crowd buzzed, but the Demon King remained impassive as she turned to me.
“Lucky they forfeited, huh?”
“Yeah. Winning this easily doesn’t feel real.”
“Ah... I’m worn out.”
“Congratulations. Let’s head out.”
My past self led her away, her arm clinging to his. I watched her status window from start to finish, but something was off here too. The goddess said she’d only tweaked the detail level and knew nothing more.
Demon King (@&%$*@%#&)
The text looked garbled, like corrupted characters. My consciousness snapped back again.
*
Scenes passed without incident. The goddess insisted she’d built it perfectly and even showed other characters’ windows.
Demon King (When will my daughter act cute for me? Still adorable though... XX, that bastard...)
The Demon King was just an ordinary dad. The name at the end was censored, but it was definitely cursing me. No issue with the goddess’s power, then. Was the Demon King the problem? Or...?
I watched silently, but nothing special happened, and soon it was our wedding.
“...Hey... XX...”
“...My dream’s finally come true...”
“...Yeah.”
With a resigned expression, my past self kissed her and exchanged rings. Unlike her sparse expressions before, she smiled happily now.
Only after her happy smile did her unchanging status window finally react.
Demon King (Happy♥)
It even had a special character. I could tell how ecstatic she was. I hadn’t seen her secret past actions behind my past self’s back yet—nothing so far suggested any big reactions.
Finally, my consciousness snapped back to the goddess.
She fidgeted uncomfortably.
[…]
“...Something’s wrong... She only showed one reaction at the very end? That doesn’t make sense.”
[…There’s one thing I didn’t mention…]
“What?”
[That is…]
That explained her fidgeting. Apparently, to spare me after the Hero’s status shock, she’d toned it down a bit.
[…If the status is too intense, the text may not display properly or show no reaction…]
The Hero started normal but exploded with affection as it grew, filling my vision at peak obsession—I’d been traumatized. Her anxiety mirrored directly when she showed it. But the Demon King? Nothing from the start. Once detailed view was on, it glitched like broken text.
So then...
[…]
“…”
The goddess read my mind but stayed silent. My suspicions grew. I had to open Pandora’s box of filth myself—otherwise, I couldn’t understand her mindset or predict Baek Ga-eun’s actions.
“...Please, show me again.”
[…Okay.]
She paused as if adjusting, then reached out. Back to the Demon King’s past—uncensored this time.
My consciousness snapped.
*
“I’m so tired...”
I opened my eyes to the familiar school library from our childhood. I hadn’t activated the status yet, so her psyche wasn’t visible.
Suddenly, the Hero’s intense past flashed back—my heart raced, breath shortened. I desperately calmed myself, squeezed my eyes shut, and triggered it.
…Status window!
“Heyyy~ I’m tireeed~”
Her familiar voice rang out. I cautiously opened my eyes—but I couldn’t see her. Or anything.
Peering closer, something squirmed.
Fuck...
My vision filled with the endlessly updating status window. The scrolling text revealed the torrent of her thoughts.
She’d been spewing these unspeakable desires nonstop while by my side. The curses flashing by were surely aimed at those who slighted us.
Urk...
The thought of her harboring these next to me made my stomach churn. Dizzy, breathless—nausea hit, and my consciousness snapped back.
“Hahk... Hahk...”
[…]
The goddess silently caressed me with warm light. It eased me a bit. Closing my eyes conjured her writhing ugliness, so I kept them wide open.
[…Are you okay?]
“Haa...”
I couldn’t answer, just panted. The ceiling’s glow seemed to wash away dark thoughts. I flipped over heavily, staring blankly upward.
It was just once. A fleeting, uncensored glimpse into the Demon King’s status—and her raw heart. To be precise, what I saw was merely a fraction of her thoughts.
…I lost myself.