Chapter 567 - I Feel Like They're Something I Shouldn't Forget

What if she were to take away my most precious thing Thats what s.h.i.+ro-san asked. Somehow, I felt that there was something significant about her question.

I cant completely narrow down what it is thats so important to me but still

[Im not going to hate you.]

[Why is that?]

[Probably because I think s.h.i.+ro-san has her own reasons for taking it away I guess.]

[What if its just for a silly reason?]

What is this? The fact that she was acting me back like this made me think that this question of hers wasnt just something she thought of.

I guess s.h.i.+ro-san has some kind of definite vision, and she is asking questions based on that. Maybe, it has something to do with the ordeal that s.h.i.+ro-san was talking about.

[Even if thats so, I wont hate you, s.h.i.+ro-san.]

[.]

[Of course, if it came to that, Id probably do everything I could to resist. In order to protect whats important to me, I might even turn against s.h.i.+ro-san. However, thats not a reason for me to hate s.h.i.+ro-san.]

[Why?]

[Hmmm, I dont know if the reason is really silly or not. Even if its silly for me, it may be something important to you. Something so important that you cant not do it.]

I dont know what s.h.i.+ro-san is thinking. But now that I think about it again, I realized that I really liked s.h.i.+ro-san.

Thats why, I can say with confidence that I will never hate her. After all

[I believe that s.h.i.+ro-san isnt the kind of person who would try to take away something important from me for really silly reasons.]

[..]

s.h.i.+ro-san is indeed an airhead, with a few incomprehensible and unorthodox traits. But shes not a bad person. There have been many times when she has shown she cared about me in her own way.

Thats why, I dont think s.h.i.+ro-san will try to take away my most precious thing for really stupid reasons.

Hearing my reply, s.h.i.+ro-san fell silent for a few moments. Then, slowly, she turned her gaze towards the skies of the G.o.d Realm.

[I didnt have anything.]

[Eh?]

Hearing her mutter to herself, I tilted my head. s.h.i.+ro-san stood up from the bathtub and moved towards the center of the onsen. The back view of s.h.i.+ro-san with her very long hair looked very picturesque by itself, stealing my eyes away.

Thereupon, without looking back at me, s.h.i.+ro-san spoke to me again in her intonationless voice.

[Its not a metaphor. I really had nothing. No heart, no feelings, nor purpose. Not having anything, I was always standing at the end, as a being who only brings everything to an end.]

[End?]

[Yes, I was that kind of being. Lets see If I were to describe myself in the language of Kaito-sans world, I might as well say that I am nothing but a system called Shallow Vernal. If that really was my proper form, being able to talk to you like this is something like a bug.]

s.h.i.+ro-sans story sounded somewhat abstract, and I couldnt quite understand what she was talking about, probably because I didnt have enough information. But somehow I felt like this is a story I shouldnt overlook.

[Now that I think about it again, the first emotion I ever felt would be uncertainty, I guess. I was always standing at the end, just to bring everything to an end.]

[..]

[Ive seen all kinds of beings. Some loved the world they created, others hated the world they created. There were those who created the world without knowing anything, and those who created the world for the sake of others I just couldnt understand.]

[What did you not understand?]

[Joy, anger, sadness, enjoyment Thinking to myself what those things are, I didnt know what a heart is. To laugh, to get angry, to feel sorrow, to be happy thinking to myself how I could do such things, but I didnt understand what emotions are for theyre things that my existence doesnt deem as necessary.]

Not knowing about the heart, not understanding what emotions are Does that mean that she didnt have emotions that we naturally acquire in the process of growing up after our birth?

[But now, its different, right?]

[Yes. My heart Its either I had just been unaware of its existence or it was born because I questioned its existence, but either way, I had one. It was Kuro who made me aware of it.]

[]

[And when I realized I had a heart I wished for emotions. I sought for someone to teach those emotions to me.]

She became aware of the existence of her heart. However, she still didnt know what emotions were. Thats why she searched for a being that could teach her about it.

If I only listen to s.h.i.+ro-sans words, I see no contradictions to it. But I wonder what this is? This strange feeling beneath my mind

At least, the s.h.i.+ro-san I knew could smile and sulk. Her facial expression may hardly change, but I see her as someone who definitely had emotions.

I wonder why though? Something is bothering me. I feel like Im overlooking something important, but I just cant seem to put my finger on it.

[I wonder how I could describe this outcome? I could say that it went exactly as I wished, but at the same time, I could say it didnt go as I had wished.]

[s.h.i.+ro-san?]

After saying that much, s.h.i.+ro-san turned around and looked at me before a thin, sorrowful smile appeared on her lips.

[Kaito-san. If I were the one who first youIf it was me who had you Would I have become ]

[Eh?]

What is this? Its not that I couldnt hear s.h.i.+ro-sans voice. And yet, I couldnt hear some of what shes saying at all.

What did s.h.i.+ro-san just say? What in the world are the things that I wasnt able to hear?

[s.h.i.+ro-san, just now]

[My apologies. That was a boring story, isnt it? Its not good for your health to stay in the water too long, so thats enough for today.]

[Wai- Wha!?]

[Well then, Im looking forward to our date tomorrow.]

With those words, s.h.i.+ro-san ended our conversation and my body was enveloped in a blinding light.

When I came back to my senses, I found myself back in the Central Tower already wearing my pajamas. If I just walked straight down the corridor I am in, I would reach my bedroom.

However arehh? I was just talking to s.h.i.+ro-san and What were we talking about?

I was suddenly

kidnapped by s.h.i.+ro-san to the G.o.d Realm, went to an onsen together with her and came back after some idle chit-chat.

Ahh, thats right. Good grief, for a 21-year-old young man like me to forget about the conversation I just had Is it because Im tired? Well, that aside, Ill be going around the festival with s.h.i.+ro-san tomorrow, so lets go to bed early to regain my energy.

I felt like there was something I couldnt put my finger at, but there was no point in thinking about it any more, so I walked towards the bedroom but I found myself stopping in place.

If I were the one who first met youIf it was me who had saved you Would I have become. special to you?

For a moment, such unfamiliar words came to my mind.

Dear Mom, Dad- Strange words that I dont know where or who I heard it from came into my mind. But I wonder why? I dont know who said those words or what their purpose could be- but I feel like theyre something I definitely shouldnt forget.

? ? ? : [Ahh, speaking of which, the e-book version is now available. It looks like theres a bonus on the back of the cover specially for Serious-senpai.]

Serious-senpai : [Yayyy! Volume 3 Complete!!!]

? ? ? : [Well, shes being treated the same as ever though But if the person herself is fine with that]

T/N: 7/180