VIP Chapter 309: The Reason for Forcing the Outcome
“Ah—I understand your concerns. After all, some things I tried my best to avoid have still happened in very unlucky ways. If… I were facing something as seemingly unchangeable as ‘death,’ then it would appear even more insurmountable.”
“However, I don’t think that way anymore. Or rather… I’ve changed my way of thinking.”
“Changed your way of… thinking?”
Will nodded, his fingers brushing through Shuna’s flowing black hair. Shuna didn’t flinch or pull away from his touch, nor did she blush. A mere gesture of touching hair was not even considered the most intimate act between them. Will felt the delicate texture of her hair on his fingertips, so subtle it required careful attention.
“As I said before, you truly entered my memory and, as that ‘key,’ made me recall some things.”
“Right. According to your explanation, that was a ‘past life’—but if… the world you spoke of created the one we live in, then aren’t you more like gods to us?”
“Yes, that was my thinking back then.” Will nodded. “I always believed that since the world I was in created you, this world should submit to the story written there. Any irrational elements would always be forcefully adjusted.”
“Mmm…” Shuna responded after deep thought. “And then?”
Will liked Shuna’s reaction. For a seemingly convoluted issue, filled with fabricated details that most people wouldn’t even consider discussing… Shuna would treat it like a research project, pondering how to unravel its hidden secrets. That made sense. After all… Shuna was the “original character” created under his direction, uniquely for an adapted game, as if she had absorbed his aura.
“And then, of course—your appearance gave me a completely new perspective.”
“My appearance…?”
“For example, why do you like me?”
“It’s because… wait, to suddenly ask such a question and have me say it out loud feels so cheesy it gives me goosebumps.”
If Will’s hand hadn’t been holding her hair, she might have already retreated from one side of the bed to the other.
“Try to analyze it rationally. Assume you are merely an ‘observer’ of this fated connection and story of ours.”
Will spoke as if commanding Shuna, but she showed no objection and immediately entered a state of contemplation.
“Although I’ve always felt that ‘liking’ is a fleeting sensation, if one were to truly analyze the reason, events that would give rise to such a feeling would have to occur.”
“Mmm… so that’s how you see it.”
“In that case, it must be…” Shuna’s eyes rested on Will, her gaze tracing over him. “When I was most lost and exploring death, the letters you wrote to me made me understand the meaning of survival again. This interaction between us made me like you, who defined the meaning of my life.”
Although the content of her words sounded like a “confession,” Shuna’s phrasing this time was more akin to reading comprehension. Even knowing it, hearing it again still felt… so heavy! Will stared into Shuna’s black eyes. Her analytical tone made Will feel even more inclined to cherish the bond they shared now. That was precisely it. That was why he needed to do what came next—to face his fated “death” and what lay hidden behind it.
“Actually, at least, this is also a ‘fate’ that was bound to happen—just like my death. As the heroine, you were supposed to be saved by someone—like me—then fall in love with him, and become obsessed and reclusive after he died.”
“Stop, stop, the latter hasn’t happened yet.” Shuna seemed to particularly dislike Will discussing his own death. Besides the topic of death, she also disliked hearing him talk about “Shuna after death.” Will, however, grew more curious about what Shuna had seen in his memories that made her so averse to the idea of “Shuna after Will’s death.” Every time he asked her, she would vaguely avoid clarifying. Will felt that rather than not wanting him to know, it was more like Shuna’s instinct was to pretend it didn’t exist.
“Moreover, I don’t like hearing that. My feelings are just a part of the ‘plot’ and the ‘story’… My heart, which is truly beating now, doesn’t agree.”
“Right. That’s precisely the way of thinking I’ve changed to.” Will suddenly lowered his head. He naturally kissed Shuna’s black hair. The strands slid across his soft and sensitive lips, carrying a mixed scent of sweat and a young girl’s fragrance.
“Like this, I can smell the scent of your hair.” He said, twitching his nose slightly. At least, when he was alive in his past life, the fictional works created, had text, images, and even sounds. But he had never been able to feel the touch of a truly “existing” character’s hair or smell its fragrance. Of course, those texts, images, and sounds were ultimately just simulations of “what if a world truly existed.” What presented itself to him now was undoubtedly real.
“I haven’t even bathed today, don’t sniff my somewhat… somewhat sticky hair, you pervert.”
“Huh?” Will was caught off guard by Shuna’s disconnected train of thought.
“Mmm… although there was no fighting or exercise today.” She mused, looking out the window. The windows of the Tenth Demon City’s dungeon offered no view of the blue sky, only red walls. “But after living for a day, one naturally gets a bit dirty.”
“Don’t say that. The scent of sweat, dust, and skin mixed together is the best on a hardworking maiden. If you were still wearing stockings today, it would be even better…”
“Okay, okay, if Little Will likes it~ I’ll wear them tomorrow.” Shuna scratched his head.
“The fact that you so readily agree to a pervert’s suggestion makes you seem more like a pervert.”
“I usually wear them. I didn’t today because they were just sent out to be washed?” Shuna naturally pointed to the stockings hanging behind her. “However, until you clearly explain why you’re going to face death, I won’t wear stockings!” Shuna said, wiggling her bare toes as if believing this would make Will hurry up.
“Well… that might not be out of the question…”
“…Hmm?”
“Okay… I I I… I’ll continue. If I abandon all storytelling, dramatic, and plot-driven development, and treat all of this as a real world, then there’s no such thing as ‘coincidence.’ There are causes behind obligatory events, and the development remains natural.”
The dog he’d raised as a child had still died, but this time, its death was a “disaster” brought about by his own excessive actions. When Lia first attacked him in the carriage, he was eventually injured, but the reason for that injury was basically his over-defensiveness. The “party withdrawal” that was bound to happen to Shuna as the “protagonist” now seemed to be because she was genuinely angry and wanted him to persuade her to return. The early death of former King Edward had the reason of Treya stealing his demonic power, causing him to age prematurely.
In a truly existing world, there must be causality. Even “coincidences” that mocked his fate utilized existing events and foreshadowing. Now, with his sufficient defense, more agile body, and a more cautious heart… and even learning the idea of “avoiding” that dungeon. He had become curious about something—what would drive his death? What would he encounter there? And… who was the force behind it all? The “reason” that compelled the outcome was more important than the “outcome” itself. He looked up at Shuna. It was she who had told him. If “death” was the endpoint, then every step of “causality” leading to it was not a waste or nothingness. It was the true “meaning of survival.”
“Therefore, I want to understand… what exactly caused all of this—of course, I firmly believe that by resolving this point, I will definitely overcome that node of death.”
