A Flawed Reflection
I must be losing my mind. My clone was showing me around the interior spaces of a standalone mansion that was far larger and more luxurious than I had anticipated, explaining the unique features of each area in meticulous detail. But my awe at its splendor and grandeur lasted only a moment. While half-listening to her explanations, I turned my thoughts back to the earlier topic and mulled it over carefully. Just as my clone had stated, I could more or less guess at her intentions.
If the memories she had deliberately erased were ones a self-proclaimed clone who seemed favorably disposed toward me had chosen to remove, they were unlikely to be pleasant. Considering my own tendency to pursue nothing but perfection in everything, along with the situation right before coming to this world—when I had tried to kill my hero party—it seemed highly probable that the memories from that point onward represented a grave sin that the original self, who was supposed to live a flawless life, should never have carried. Or perhaps they were another core reason behind those lifeless eyes.
Once my thoughts had somewhat organized themselves, I shared my conclusion with her. She had been in the middle of explaining the second-floor balcony for quite some time.
“After thinking it over, if I were to make an educated guess about the topic you raised earlier, I’d say the deleted memories are most likely sins that would have been a stain on the original self.”
“We’ve always pursued only perfection, so we probably couldn’t stand living as someone tainted. That seems to be what led to the current situation…”
“Am I right?”
My clone paused for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
“To be precise, it wasn’t just erasing the memories—I reset everything to the state before the sin was even committed. But in the end, it’s not all that different from what you said.”
“And if I add a few more words, among the others who crossed over to different worlds like us, there were some who didn’t want to leave because their memories of that world were too good, and others who fled to escape memories that were simply too horrific.”
My clone trailed off for a moment, then smiled in self-mockery.
“Thanks to that, I’m already broken beyond repair. All I can do now is hope that your future, in my place, will be that much happier.”
Already broken… Just as I’d suspected, it seemed my clone had met with some miserable fate in addition to the sin I’d already considered.
…Wait. Then does that mean she failed to save the people from the monastery too?
“By any chance… what happened to the people who lived in the monastery?”
Judging from the future version of myself standing before me, I doubted they had met a good end. In the end, I lost even the poker face I had maintained the entire time and urgently asked about their well-being.
“Haah… This is why having sharp instincts can be annoying sometimes.”
My clone let out a sigh and finally confessed the truth.
“The problem—if it can be called a problem—was that most of them were tormented by guilt after learning what I had done to save them.”
“But I adjusted that part beforehand, just like I did with you, before I met my death. So there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“…Still, it’s a relief that they’re alive.”
It wasn’t exactly a satisfying outcome, but I could at least feel relieved that they were alive. And reflecting on our conversation so far, I now had a decent understanding of the situation my clone was in and the position she had taken.
To roughly summarize everything up to this point, it seemed my clone had no intention of continuing to live in her broken state after failing to achieve the perfect life she pursued. Instead, she simply wanted to guide me from the side and find vicarious satisfaction in watching me become happy.
Even so, a few questions still remained unresolved.
“I more or less understand your existence and the current situation.”
“But if you want me to be happy, why did you leave me with only these memories? Wouldn’t it have been far better to leave me with the memories up until the monastery was half-destroyed, or even just the memories from my first life?”
At my slightly suspicious question, my clone shook her head lightly and explained.
“You haven’t experienced that future yet, so you wouldn’t know, but that was the time when you were mentally mature enough while having just finished adapting to your body.”
“And sometimes, experiencing tragedy firsthand is more helpful for mental growth than simply lingering in peaceful contentment.”
When I thought about it, her reasoning was fairly logical. Honestly, based on our conversation so far, her overall aura felt a little chilly, but no matter how I looked at it, she didn’t seem “broken.” Still, even if she shared the same core as me, she was currently a stranger. I decided to let this sensitive topic slide for now.
“Then since my questions about you seem mostly resolved, I’ll give you a brief introduction to this world.”
My clone gestured toward the modern buildings visible beyond the balcony.
“The slight difference is that it’s now the year 2039, and technologies like AI and VR have advanced far more than they had back then.”
A parallel world in the year 2039… I had already guessed it had a modern setting, but for someone who had just been living in a fantasy world, that confirmation wasn’t something I could easily process.
“I see… Then, have you been living in this world for several years to familiarize yourself with this information?”
Did I say something wrong? My clone stopped in place, unable to hide her discomfort.
“And while you are correct that I’m your clone… we should probably settle on how to address each other.”
Fortunately, the reason for her discomfort wasn’t anything too serious—it was just a matter of titles. She pulled out an ID card from somewhere and handed it to me.
She then showed me another ID card, explaining that this one was hers, and gave me a quick rundown of the basic information.
Oh Seeun—as soon as the name came up, she began placing modern essentials like cards and a smartphone into a small bag, saying she would give them to me.
“What do you think? It looks pretty neatly handled, doesn’t it?”
Oh Seeun spoke with a proud expression, as if subtly seeking approval. Honestly, she was right—it was neatly done, and I had to acknowledge her competence… but the way she said it with that characteristically hollow aura while practically begging for praise created a strangely strong sense of cognitive dissonance. On top of that, seeing her so openly crave recognition felt like staring at a raw reflection of myself. For a moment, I failed to keep my expression in check.
“Um… Seeing how much effort you’ve put in, it doesn’t seem like you have any ill intentions.”
“So I’ll be living with you from now on, Seeun?”
Oh Seeun, upon seeing my suddenly chilly expression, froze for a second as if buffering—an uncharacteristic reaction—then asked cautiously.
Her flustered reaction eased some of my tension. I pretended to think for a moment, then gave her a gentle smile.
“Not particularly.”
Only then did Oh Seeun seem to return to her usual self.
She started leading me again.
Although I had only half-paid attention to the house tour earlier while diligently gathering information about this new world and myself, I had still noticed how incredibly luxurious the place was. But now that the critical questions were out of the way and I could relax a little, more unusual features caught my eye as we continued—things like a dining room, an outdoor pool, and a private study. Even though I had seen such grand spaces many times before, the end of the interior tour was nowhere in sight.
“Um, Seeun?”
“What?”
“Just how far does this house go?”
Oh Seeun chuckled, then puffed out her chest in a showy manner.
“As you know, your happiness and comfort are my top priority.”
“I won’t bother mentioning the exact amount of assets, but it’s definitely more than you’re imagining.”
“And above all, since I used to be you, I know exactly what kind of tastes you have.”
Just as Oh Seeun said, the house seemed to have copied my preferences exactly. The overall color scheme was clean white, accented here and there with wine-red and black curved furniture. The various decorations crafted with gold and crystal maximized the sense of luxury.
“We’ve pretty much seen the first and second floors except for the bathroom, so all that’s left is the garage outside, and downstairs—the home theater, bar, and PC room.”
“Wait, the bathroom…?”
“Of course there are separate toilets.”
“…That’s not the issue here.”
At that, Oh Seeun muttered to herself, “Did her tastes change a little after I erased the memories…?” and looked slightly downcast.
“Ha. It’s not bad. It’s just too sudden.”
“This is something I only ever imagined in my first life. I never actually made it happen.”
“…Really? Then that’s good.”
“Ahem… Anyway, shall we move on to the next spot?”
What was that…? After that single explanation, her expression looked somehow sheepish yet brightened. It seemed Oh Seeun was more clumsy than her first impression suggested, and surprisingly attentive to my reactions.