Ch. 6 The Indecisive Girl
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 6 – The Indecisive Girl
In games, you can do anything.
If you have strength, you can defeat powerful monsters without worrying about others or seeking help. If you have the skills, you can get any item you want.
That’s why I immersed myself in games. Unlike reality, in games, I could do anything. They gave me infinite freedom.
Because of that, I often—no, frequently—wished I could enter the game world and become the character I had raised.
If I had known I’d end up like this, I wouldn’t have made that wish.
“Sniff…”
Returning from the forest, I slumped over the table without even turning on the lights. A sense of loss washed over me. It felt like I was being dragged into an abyss, my body endlessly falling.
It wasn’t just because I had failed to hunt again. I sniffled and placed Doll 505’s core, which I had been clutching tightly, on the table. Then, I connected the Mana Thread and blew mana into it.
But the cracked core didn’t glow like before. Instead, as I blew mana into it, it crumbled into dust and disappeared. I withdrew the Mana Thread and buried my face in the table.
“It’s over…”
With my only core destroyed, Mari’s adventure ends here. All that’s left is to fade away like a nameless extra after the story ends.
Growl.
Even in my depression, my stomach was growling. I sniffled and thought about the meal Yuika had prepared for me. It was delicious. The rice, the miso soup, the grilled mackerel, and the rolled omelet—everything was delicious.
How nice would it be if she came again today? But I didn’t think Yuika would come all the way to my place again.
After all, U.P., the organization Yuika belonged to, was there to help those who asked for help, not to seek out those who stayed silent.
It wasn’t some charity organization. But was it okay to ask for help less than a day after joining? Wouldn’t I come off as lazy and incompetent?
I was lazy and incompetent, but I didn’t want to be seen that way. Especially not by Yuika, who had been so kind to me.
The pathetic sight of someone who couldn’t even catch a rabbit—I absolutely didn’t want to show that…
Growl…
“Stop growling, please…”
Did my stomach have no patience? When I was a man, I could go a whole day with just one meal—no, I could even go without eating and just drink water without feeling hungry. But this young body growled like crazy after skipping just one meal.
Was it because it was still growing? I sniffled and clutched my empty stomach. It’s not like I’m not eating because I don’t want to. I don’t have the money to buy food, and I don’t have the courage to ask for help. Why are you so desperate to make a scene?
“Ugh… Crying just makes me hungrier…”
I felt wronged and angry at myself, so the tears kept coming. It was so unfair that this body cried so easily. I rarely cried when I was depressed before, but now, with this body, tears flowed like a broken faucet at the slightest provocation.
It felt like my self-control had significantly diminished. This wasn’t a good change for me. After a while of stubbornly wiping away my tears, they finally stopped.
But my eyes were already swollen, narrowing my vision. I let out a tearful sigh and headed to the bathroom.
–
The church, located in the village square. Its caretaker and the god’s representative, Andreina, sat before the holy statue, offering a prayer.
It wasn’t a prayer with any special meaning. It was a routine prayer, similar to a mealtime prayer.
However, recently, she had been praying for the bright future of a certain girl.
As the god’s representative, she knew it wasn’t good to show favoritism toward one person, but Andreina couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl.
The girl was fragile. She would cry after losing to mere rabbits and was extremely reluctant to ask for help or cooperate with others.
It made Andreina wonder why the god had placed such a heavy burden—saving the world—on a girl so unsuited for it.
She was sure that if someone else had been summoned, they would have done better than the girl. So much so that she had broken the rule of not interfering with the summoners and informed U.P. about the girl’s existence.
‘Still, she must be doing well.’
Fortunately, in the days since she had told U.P., the girl hadn’t come to the church. She hadn’t come to get food or heal her wounds, which meant she was managing on her own.
In other words, she was living a life where she didn’t need the church’s help.
Andreina felt a little sad that the small girl no longer came to the church often, but she still prayed for the girl’s bright future.
Clatter.
At the sudden sound, Andreina opened her eyes and stood up.
It seemed someone had died outside and been resurrected.
On this Floating Island, summoners didn’t die. To be precise, even if they experienced death, they would quickly be resurrected at the church.
Death remained as fragmented memories, and the pain and emotions from that time were completely forgotten.
It was the great god’s consideration to protect the summoners’ minds. Thinking it wasn’t enough, Andreina personally bestowed blessings on those who had been resurrected to provide additional psychological stability.
It was truly perfect care. Thanks to this, summoners who ventured into dungeons didn’t overly fear death, even though many still avoided it.
Andreina entered the resurrection room. Whenever someone died, a coffin would appear here. Currently, only one coffin existed.
She waited a bit longer, and when no more coffins appeared, she approached it with calm steps.
“Oh my?”
The coffin lid bore the name of the deceased, a name even Andreina, who didn’t interact much with the summoners, was quite familiar with.
[Marionette]
The name of the girl who always went by “Mari”. Andreina felt a pang of sadness that this girl had finally experienced death, but she also felt a sense of pride that the girl was finally moving forward as a savior.
It wouldn’t be bad to treat her to tea and snacks when she woke up. As always, Andreina smiled warmly and opened the coffin lid.
Inside, the small girl was curled up in a ball, hugging herself. The fetal-like posture made Andreina smile faintly as she gently stroked the girl’s hair and bestowed a blessing using divine power.
Whoosh—A white light enveloped the girl’s body, and her tightly closed eyelids twitched.
“Ugh…?”
Her hazy blue eyes peeked through her slightly opened eyelids. Andreina, looking at her with eyes of the same color, smiled and spoke.
“Are you awake, little savior?”
“Sister Andreina…? Why are you in my house…”
Her house? Andreina tilted her head for a moment, then realized the girl was confused due to the blessing of forgetfulness and corrected her.
“This isn’t your house. It’s the church.”
“The… church?”
Mari murmured blankly, then seemed to realize something.
“I… died and was resurrected, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But it’s okay. Dying in battle with monsters isn’t that surprising.”
Even people stronger than Mari had been resurrected at the church more than once. The ten-year grace period and various conveniences supported the summoners, but this was still an island of trials to test whether they were worthy of saving their world.
It wasn’t a completely comfortable place. So, they had to get used to death from now on.
Even if it was such a small girl. Andreina thought this but spoke in a gentle tone.
“Of course, it can be confusing at first. So if you want, I can help you as much as you need… Mari?”
“Ah, y-yes…”
Finally coming to her senses, Mari stammered in her usual shy manner. Andreina tilted her head and asked.
“Where’s the robe you usually wear? Why are you dressed so lightly?”
Those who were resurrected woke up in the clothes they had died in. And Mari was wearing a pure white dress.
It suited her really well. Since she usually wore a robe that covered her completely, this was the first time Andreina had seen her in such an exposed outfit. It didn’t look awkward at all; in fact, it made Andreina think she should have dressed like this from the start.
However, it wasn’t an outfit suited for battle. It was more like something you’d wear at home or while walking around the village. And considering Mari’s personality, it was something she would never wear outside.
“Ah, well…”
At Andreina’s light questioning, Mari stammered and then hung her head. This reaction usually meant she had something to hide.
Andreina tilted her head, looking at the girl’s drooping bangs, then furrowed her brow.
‘Come to think of it, she mistook this place for her house.’
Even with the blessing of forgetfulness, it was unlikely she would confuse her house with a dungeon. So, thinking the opposite, what if she hadn’t died in a dungeon? Andreina felt a chill run down her spine.
What did dying at home mean? Andreina’s expression turned serious as she placed a hand on Mari’s shoulder.
“Mari. Can you tell me what happened?”
Dying in a dungeon was normal. But dying in the village, and at home, was a big deal.
If Mari had taken her own life, it would have been a problem, and if someone had killed her, it would have been an even bigger problem. It would mean there was someone sinister enough to harm such a small girl among the saviors who were supposed to save the world.
The best-case scenario was that it had been an accident. Andreina desperately hoped that the cause of death had been an accident.
Under Andreina’s earnest gaze, Mari stammered and spoke.
“W-Well… I was hungry…”
“Huh? Hungry?”
“I… didn’t have any money, and I felt too awkward to ask for help…”
“…Awkward?”
“So, I couldn’t do anything, and at some point, I fell asleep…”
“’And when I woke up, I was here.’ Is that… what you’re saying…?”
At Andreina’s trembling voice, Mari nodded, her ears turning red.
“Good heavens… Oh, god…”
What should I do with this girl? Andreina felt dizzy and closed her eyes tightly.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Did you know that she kept calling for help during her ‘sleep’?
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Death from starvation, hmm not fun enough.Let’s put her up front for a public speech for over 1 million spectators (with judgemental stares) in seats and watch her get a heart attack!
Placeholders
0 Comments