Ink River: Ju, you still not getting up? Keep this up and you’ll laze around till noon.

Seventh Ju: Haa… staying in bed feels so good…

Ink River: You really are getting more and more like a bedridden patient.

Seventh Ju: There’s a saying: a comforter’s like a girlfriend. Once you’re in your girlfriend’s arms, you don’t want to go anywhere.

Ink River: You have a girlfriend?

Seventh Ju: ………

Seventh Ju: I don’t, but… it reminded me of some bad memories.

Ink River: …I see.

Seventh Ju: —What do you “see”? Wipe that “ah… must’ve been dumped by his girlfriend” look off your face already!!

Ink River: Your imagination’s way too wild…

Seventh Ju: What about you then? Got anything you can brag about like you’re some life winner?

Ink River: …………

Ink River: …

Ink River: During my first berserk period after coming of age, something happened to my pack. Because of that, I made a chain of mistakes.

Ink River: Those mistakes got me expelled from Seasonal Wolf society in the end.

Ink River: Up to now, aside from accidentally getting a ridiculous amount of Wish Points, I don’t have anything that makes me a “winner at life”.

Seventh Ju: …

Seventh Ju: …Sorry.

Ink River: I’d rather know how you got your Wish Points than hear an apology.

Ink River: If you were born with a huge amount of Wish Points, the Divine Temple would’ve noticed at birth and raised you as a reserve Divine Officer.

Ink River: Some countries that worship lone heroes would also try to fight over you, to keep you from becoming a Divine Officer they can’t use.

Ink River: For you to stay hidden this long, there must be something you can’t talk about.

Seventh Ju: …………

Seventh Ju: I don’t really want to remember that either.

Ink River: …Forget it. I was just talking. I didn’t really mean to pry.

Ink River: But…

Ink River: —“Thank you.”

Seventh Ju: …………

Ink River: I don’t think I’ve properly thanked you for it yet. Spending those Wish Points on me must’ve hurt, even a little, right?

Seventh Ju: It’s fine. Saving you was my choice.

Ink River: Knew you’d say that.

Ink River: Anyway—are you really staying in bed all day? That’s too luxurious.

Seventh Ju: Mm, I don’t really feel like going out yet.

I rummaged through my luggage and pulled out a piece of clothing that was already all torn up.

Ink River: What’s that?

Seventh Ju: My original clothes. The ones the Molehog shredded.

Seventh Ju: I want to sew them back up today.

Ink River: …Why?

Seventh Ju: These clothes… I brought them from the village I was “born” in. They’re modified from someone else’s clothes.

Seventh Ju: I don’t know why… I just suddenly want to mend them and wear them again.

Seventh Ju: Let’s go out and walk around tomorrow instead, yeah?

Ink River: …Alright.

Ink River: I’m not that good at reading anyway. I’ll go ask the attendant for some cards or a board game to kill time.

Seventh Ju: Oh.

With that, Ink River got up, climbed off the bed, and headed for the door.

The moment he opened it, there was a sudden thud, and something—or rather, someone—slammed straight into his chest.

Ink River: …Ugh!?

Aibin: H-help… help me…

Seventh Ju: Aibin?

Ink River: What’s wrong? What happened?

Aibin: Someone’s… gonna kill me!

Ink River: Who??

Ink River looked up and down the hallway, tense and alert, but he didn’t seem to see anyone.

Aibin collapsed to the floor, clutching his ears with both hands, shaking his head over and over, panic written all over his face.

Seeing that, I quickly dropped the fabric in my hand and bounced off the bed.

Aibin: It’s that person’s voice… I heard it! She’s coming!!

Ink River: What voice? I don’t hear anything.

Seventh Ju: Me neither… Calm down, Aibin. This is a busy inn. If anyone suspicious was at the door, people would notice.

Seventh Ju: What’s going on, exactly? Who wants to kill you?

Aibin: That person… it’s a woman! Don’t trust any other features! She must be disguised! She definitely disguised herself to come mess with me face to face!

Ink River: A woman?

Seventh Ju: Could it be… those adventurers’ partners, here for revenge?

Ink River: No idea. How would they even track Aibin down?

Aibin: I heard it! She’s coming! The sound of her hands around my neck! The sound of her ripping my tongue out!!!

Seventh Ju: Relax, Aibin, relax… There’s no woman here. No one’s strangling you. Your tongue’s still right there…

Aibin’s wild shaking finally slowed. He lifted his head, eyes wide, staring straight at me.

Aibin: Seventh… Seventh Ju…

Aibin: —I’m sorry!! Seventh Ju!!! I was wrong!! Please forgive me—!!

Seventh Ju: …Didn’t I already forgive you this morning? Calm down, just calm down first.

Aibin: I was the one who lured that Molehog over!! I’m sorry!!!

Ink River: …?

Aibin: During the early scouting, I worked with the scout to lure it out of the Pioneer Team’s path with its favorite food!

Aibin: But—after drinking that day I got pissed off, so I took some food and used my Wish Power to lure it back!

Seventh Ju: Hah… so anything you’ve ever hosted counts as your “guest,” even animals?

Aibin: I just wanted to scare you!! The Molehog’s so noisy, you’d definitely run away!! I never meant to kill you!!

Aibin: I’m sorry—it’s my fault—I’m sorry…

Ink River: What’s going on?

Seventh Ju: Oh, I already heard about this when Commander Puleman was chatting with Aiton. It’s fine. I’m still alive, right?

Seventh Ju: But… why bring it up out of nowhere?

Aibin: —Ah!! She’s here! I heard her! I heard her talking to me!

Aibin: No—help!!

Aibin suddenly hurled his big, muscular body upward and lifted a leg, ready to jump over the corridor railing.

We were on the fourth floor.

Ink River: Sit. Down. Already!!

Ink River grabbed Aibin’s arm with one hand and smashed a fist into his face with the other.

Aibin: —Urgh!

Aibin: …………

Ink River: Letting him pass out for now might be better.

Seventh Ju: Yeah, I think so too…

Seventh Ju: Good thing it’s daytime. If this happened at night, I’d be sure we had a haunting.

Ink River: What do we do now? All we know is that someone seems to be after him.

Ink River: And with a reaction like that, it might be some kind of mental-interference crime.

Ink River: If someone’s committing a crime with an unknown Wish Power, we can request security protection from the Divine Temple.

Seventh Ju: Isn’t this country really far from the Divine Temple? By the time they respond, Aibin’ll already be dead.

Seventh Ju: What about the police? Is there some kind of station?

Ink River: The army’s in charge of security in this city right now. If something happens, we can only go to the soldiers.

Ink River: Should we stay with Aibin and wait for the attacker?

Seventh Ju: Hold on, let me think.

The scene in front of me looked like a question from some scenario test, and my brain instantly switched to problem-solving mode.

This is the most important asset I brought from my old world. I should be able to make the right call.

Wish Power… a pursuer…

A Wish Power that can disrupt minds, maybe even kill…

Wait. That means if I get dragged into this—

Seventh Ju: …First, get Aibin back to the hospital. Have the doctor give him some sedatives so he calms down.

Seventh Ju: I’ll go report this to the Pioneer Team stationed in the East District. Ink River, you take Aibin to the hospital.

Ink River: What if we get attacked at the hospital?

Seventh Ju: Yeah, that might happen. But I’m sure you can hold out for Aibin until I get back with reinforcements.

Ink River: …“Instead”?

Seventh Ju: You and Aibin are about the same build, right? That similarity’s actually useful.

Ink River: …………

Ink River: Got it. Once we reach the hospital, we swap clothes, and I’ll pretend to be him.

Seventh Ju: You can do it, right?

Ink River: As long as you don’t drag your feet too much, sure.

Ink River: Even though I still have a tiny bit of resentment left, I don’t really want this guy getting killed over revenge or whatever.

Seventh Ju: Then it’s decided.

We quickly got ourselves ready and left the inn where we’d been recuperating.

Didn’t expect a day meant for rest and recovery to suddenly turn into this.

??: …………

??: …

??: That’s…

??: Impossible…

??: Uu… no…

??: Isn’t this better, though…

…………

Bao City in the morning wasn’t as lively as I’d imagined. This city always seemed busy instead.

There were fewer people strolling around than I expected. The streets were filled more with carts hauling goods, and the constant clang-clang-clang of construction.

I sprinted down these streets as fast as I could, with no intention of stopping even for a second.

Carter: Hey—kid, don’t bang into my goods!

Handcart pusher: Watch it!! You in a hurry to reincarnate or did your fiancée run off with someone else!?

I know I’m bad at running. Even if I’m stumbling and my pace is horribly inefficient, I can’t slow down.

Before we left, I checked the map on the inn’s wall and saw that the inn was near the west gate, and the Pioneer Team was to the east.

If I took the main road to the central plaza, it’d be a bit of a detour.

With my sense of direction, if I cut through the alleys and kept a straight line, I could reach the main road by the north gate and be faster.

I leaned my weight forward and dashed into a dim alley with a diagonal step.

Places like this… shouldn’t have dead ends, right?

If they do, I’ll just have to crash through.

Because… if I’m any slower, even Ink River might be in danger.

A killer using Wish Power… If I’d stayed with Aibin instead, I might die too.

I don’t have any countermeasure to stop someone from killing me with Wish Power!

Did I… choose this plan earlier because…

…because I’m afraid to die?

Even though I’m more resistant to death than almost anyone else in this world, the second I know there’s a way that can still kill me, I’m this scared…?

No… I’m not running away right now.

I’m not a coward. I’m just making the best possible call.

Just because Death can barely touch me now doesn’t mean I can show off in front of it.

Yeah… this decision isn’t wrong.

—I turned the last narrow corner and saw the light of the north gate road ahead.

Almost there. I’ll reach the Pioneer Team in the East District soon!

—Thud!!

A heavy impact.

I slammed straight into darkness. The feel against my upper body told me I’d crashed into someone.

What shocked me was that the person steadied themselves almost at once. Then they reached out and wrapped both arms around me.

Seventh Ju: Uh… sorry, I’m in a hurry…

Seventh Ju: …Could you let go? I’ll come back and apologize properly later…

Because of the angle of the collision, my face was pressed against the person’s abdomen. I felt their body give a small shiver, and their arms tightened around me.

??: Running so fast… where are you going?

Seventh Ju: …??

This voice…

??: And you’re still this scared…

??: You only need to be scared here, with Poppy onee-san…

Seventh Ju: ………

Seventh Ju: Um…

??: Hm?

Seventh Ju: Miss… Poppy?

??: Mm.

No mistake.

That gentle voice, that faint scent—it was exactly the same as my memories of those days with Miss Poppy.

Seventh Ju: Miss Poppy...

Poppy: Mm.

Seventh Ju: Um... actually, a friend of mine’s in danger right now. I need to go get help first.

Poppy: —None of that really matters anymore, does it...

Seventh Ju: ...

Poppy: There’s nothing... more important than you staying alive and well.

Seventh Ju: But...

Poppy: —Don’t!

Her arms around me tightened. If it were the old me, I probably would’ve felt it digging in and hurting by now.

Poppy: You... are a little different.

At last, she let go.

I lifted my head and looked at Poppy’s face.

She still had that calm, gentle smile like an elegant flower untouched by wind or rain, but at the corners of her eyes, morning-dew-like teardrops shimmered.

She even looked exactly the same as when we parted.

Poppy: It hasn’t even been that many days, but it feels like... we’ve been apart for such a long, long time.

Seventh Ju: ...Yeah. I feel the same way.

Poppy: I didn’t think I’d run into you again in a place like this... when I haven’t even finished dealing with my own matters.

Seventh Ju: Miss Poppy... do you still have to leave?

Poppy: I probably do...

Seventh Ju: ...

For some reason, a wave of loss washed over me, and I buried my face into Poppy’s stomach again.

Poppy: But...

Poppy: If it’s just for a day or two, could you stay with me a bit longer?

Seventh Ju: —Yeah. Of course.

Poppy: That’s wonderful. You really are my little Ju.

Seventh Ju: ...

The sense of loss slowly faded away again.

What was this feeling of dependence?

I’d always been an only child; I’d never felt anything like this before.

Maybe this was what you felt toward someone of your own generation, the kind of affection you’d have for an older sister.

Or maybe it was... some other, indescribable emotion?

Seventh Ju: —Ah, right! I still have to save someone!

Seventh Ju: Miss Poppy, could you help me out too?

Poppy: Hah... sounds like such a hassle. And it feels like it’d just cut into my time with you...

Seventh Ju: You think saving someone’s life is a hassle too...

...

...

In the hospital, Ink River, dressed up to look like Aibin, was lying on Aibin’s bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling, completely spaced out.

Ink River: ...

Ink River: ...

Ink River: Where’s the enemy attack?

Ink River: Where’s the rescue?

Ink River: ...Why hasn’t anyone come?