Episode 1: Will the moment of reunion make you cry? Part 7
“So, you’ve decided not to come back to live here?”
No matter how I thought about it, living here wasn’t appropriate, so it was best to forget about it.
Someone with ill intentions approaching my daughters…
“If I stay, they’ll just see me as one of them. A bad influence, I suppose. Not to mention, if I stay, I’ll truly become a shut-in. It’s not that I want to be a shut-in, but rather I’d be forced into it. Xinran and Keling wouldn’t let any opportunity pass them by. This is the true feeling I get from their overwhelming presence.”
It was already around 6 PM, dinner time. The sky outside had darkened since the morning. It felt like the last day of summer vacation.
I heard Mom and Dad wouldn’t be back for dinner today, and then Xinran and Keling went completely wild. They had the air of someone who hadn’t touched their homework at all and would finish it all night if necessary. They were trying so hard to express their feelings… They hoped I wouldn’t leave. They wanted to keep me here with all their might, willing to do anything, even collapse from exhaustion.
“They… certainly want you to come back.”
“I know.”
“There are still people waiting for me to return.”
“Indeed. You should return to her side, but we’ll….”
“Since you’re going to have a harem anyway, it’s only natural to show equal affection. Jiuyuan has been here the whole time. Please don’t be gone for so long like before without telling us.”
“So I didn’t leave without saying goodbye?”
Xinran and Keling were still asleep, exhausted. Jiuyuan and I came to the living room to talk. If they woke up and found me gone, they would surely fall into despair and confusion. I could have left now, but I didn’t. They weren’t affected by madness anymore, but their spirits were still unstable. They probably both have dependency issues. Jiuyuan An, that is. She’s quite active for someone who just woke up.
“Anyway, I’ll make dinner first. You must all be hungry.”
“Can I help? I’m not very good at cooking, but I want to learn.”
“Sure. I’ll teach you the joy of cooking. First, take off your clothes.”
“T-take off clothes? Why do we need to take off clothes to cook?”
When I said that, Jiuyuan blushed, stammering. It’s so fun to tease her. She’s a shy girl, and seeing her like this makes me want to tease her even more. After Shirley, another cute, shy girl appeared. Jiuyuan naturally falls into my teasing.
“Of course, it’s common sense to only wear an apron while cooking.”
“Is that a common sense?”
Here it comes, the main event. Jiuyuan believed what I said and resolved herself. Even though she was embarrassed by my teasing, revealing her shy girlishness, she would still follow what I said. Jiuyuan An. She knows everything in the world, but she’s surprisingly lacking in common sense. This contrast is so interesting.
“Mmm, I heard your thoughts. You’re just tricking me, aren’t you?”
“Ah—oh… okay, since you want….”
“No, no! I was just speaking casually. Just wear an apron normally.”
“Don’t, don’t actually do it!”
“No! What if I lose control? Then I won’t be cooking food…”
Regardless, that outfit is a bit dangerous. Calm down. Look at her with appreciation. Yes, be a gentleman.
“Ahem. Let’s start cooking. You can wash the vegetables for me first.”
“Okay.”
So obedient. She reminds me of Yu Hui.
Unfortunately, Yu Hui…
This made me snap out of my thoughts. I glanced at Jiuyuan.
She was washing vegetables under the tap, but because the water was a bit cold, she shrunk back. Jiuyuan An, my future bride. Her pure yet slightly seductive natural demeanor is wonderful.
“N-no, don’t stare at me like that.”
Jiuyuan blinked with a blush, letting out a cute, soft cry. She’s so adorable. A shy girl is definitely the most endearing existence in this world, more so than even cats.
“I can block out my senses, but I still want my feelings to be closer to human.”
I know. I’m doing the same.
We don’t feel tired or sleepy.
That’s why Xinran and Keling are asleep from exhaustion. Jiuyuan and I are special. We don’t feel tired.
In fact, we don’t even need to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe.
We who can maintain normal life activities without any external support are cursed by the eternal cycle. We might not even be considered human anymore. Ah, I forgot to mention something. I think some of you might have already realized it, but I’ll mention it anyway. There are no more of those messy ‘anomalies’ or ‘anomalies’ in this world.
There really aren’t.
No Destiny Power, no special abilities, no messy existence like that. Those things from fiction only exist in fantasy. Mythical creatures only exist in myths.
When I asked Lou Ling to replicate the world, I specifically reminded her to remove anything that could overturn her authority. So, this world is a truly ‘ordinary and mundane world.’
The next world might have some special circumstances, but this ‘First Playthrough’ of the new world will not have any strange things.
There are only the supreme [Destiny] Ling, [Truth] Jiuyuan An, and [Paradox] Shirley—three special existences necessary to form the [World]. However, there are exceptions to everything. The exception is… me.
Yes, the only anomaly left is ‘me.’ It’s ironic. In a class full of anomalies back then, I was the only ordinary person. And now, everyone else has become ordinary, and I’ve become the only ‘anomaly.’ SF Light Novel. Sr.
“Why are you spacing out?”
“No, let’s continue cooking.”
It’s already 8 PM.
Let’s clean up the counter and start cooking earnestly. This time, there were no more unnecessary incidents. Jiuyuan and I talked about other things while cooking.
“So, are you going to see the others next?”
“….Yes.”
“You don’t need to feel guilty. Wasn’t that the relationship you already had with them? If I hadn’t forcibly sought revenge out of jealousy, you would have already reached a happy ending with them.”
“You too. You don’t need to blame yourself. I don’t think it’s bad to be like this now.”
I know, so I want to cherish the present and also… but first, I need to retrieve the ‘past.’
“Retrieving the past, huh…”
“When I could only watch, I read the story of you and them countless times, savoring it over and over, and imagining myself as them. I felt their love for you from their souls. So I know very well how much they need you. It might be hard for you to understand, but please believe me, they are all waiting for you.”
Jiuyuan tilted her head and smiled, suggesting, “I’ll help you too. Let’s find them all.”
“Okay, I will.”
“Do you have any good ideas? Or will you just act like today, randomly showing up…?”
“I haven’t thought of anything yet…”
I hesitated for a long time today before coming to your place first. I thought I wouldn’t see you all anymore, but then you went home for other reasons.
“That’s fate.”
Jiuyuan smiled and said.
“Their current state… is quite interesting. Heh. So I don’t recommend you going to find them directly. An accidental encounter would be better.”
“You’re telling me not to go find them directly? But if I don’t meet them, what’s the point? SF Light Novel. Do you want me to wander around the city every day?”
Doing that feels too supernatural, and it also feels a bit like being a perverted stalker. But if I were to deliberately act according to their daily routines, it would seem like… I don’t quite understand what Jiuyuan wants me to do.
“If you enroll as a student, it won’t be difficult for ‘her’ to forge a document for you, right?”
“It’s not difficult…”
Lou Ling, as the world itself, can do more than just forge documents; she can even alter them. But do I really need to be a student at this point? I folded my arms and pondered.
“Going to school is the best and most natural way. Most encounters happen at school. In fact, most of your encounters with them happened at school, didn’t they?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true…”
In the beginning, it all happened at school. And there’s something else… I also want to create school memories with you.
Seeing Jiuyuan shyly lower her head, I understood everything. Jiuyuan did not have those experiences. I’ve experienced school days with them, but Jiuyuan hasn’t. I didn’t even think of that. For her, it’s a regret. She must want to make up for it. What an idiot I am. Jiuyuan knows everything, yet she still insists on going to school. Why? Isn’t it just to ‘go to school with me’?
“Okay, I understand. I’ll return to campus starting tomorrow.”
Seeing me agree immediately, Jiuyuan happily looked up and responded with a smile.
“Yeah!”
But, in the end, it all comes back to campus. What a cycle…
However, this time campus won’t be like what I’ve experienced.
Well, being able to enjoy a normal school life again would be nice. I’ll look forward to it a little.
