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I really needed to stop tempting fate like this.
................................
Letting out a long, exhausted sigh, I collapsed onto the edge of a nearby sofa.
Valerie stood across from me, shifting nervously.
My mind was already racing with possibilities.
There was only one logical conclusion.
"It had something to do with my soul… didn't it?"
Valerie nodded hesitantly.
"Y-yes…"
She clasped her hands together nervously.
"It looked… unnatural."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Like something that shouldn't normally exist."
................................
Crap.
And then additional crap on top of that.
................................
I slumped backward onto the sofa like a sack of rocks.
Valerie quietly sat beside me, tucking her legs beneath her.
I made a mental note to tell her later to wear something less provocative around the house.
Right now I needed every ounce of concentration I could muster.
Taking a breath, I asked carefully:
"What exactly about my soul seemed unnatural?"
Valerie shifted uncomfortably before answering.
"When I use my Sacred Gear…"
She hesitated.
"I can sometimes hear voices."
My entire body stiffened.
"Voices?"
"Yes."
Her fingers fidgeted together nervously.
"Some of them feel distant…"
"Like they're speaking from across countless universes… from unimaginable depths of space."
She looked down.
"Your soul sounded like theirs."
She paused.
"But it also felt… close."
Valerie shook her head.
"I don't know how to explain it properly."
My concern about my own soul immediately shifted to something far more alarming.
"Wait."
"You can hear voices?"
I leaned forward.
"They're not forcing you to do anything, are they?"
"Influencing your thoughts? Your decisions?"
Valerie blinked in surprise.
Then she waved her hands frantically.
"Oh no! Nothing like that!"
She laughed awkwardly.
"Some voices can be a little rude… or persistent."
"But I can ignore them easily."
Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
"And the emotions I feel from all of you help a lot."
She smiled shyly.
"They act like… a beacon."
"When the voices become noisy."
I let out a deep sigh of relief.
The last thing we needed was for the Sephiroth Grail to start driving Valerie insane.
"Alright…"
I rubbed my face tiredly.
"But remember something."
I looked directly at her.
"Previous users of Sephiroth Grail sometimes went mad because of the souls they connected to."
"If it ever becomes overwhelming…"
"Tell us immediately."
Valerie smiled brightly.
Then she leaned forward and quickly kissed my cheek.
"I will!"
"You're so sweet to worry about me~!"
Easy, Gilgamesh.
Stay focused.
We're still in the middle of a serious conversation.
Valerie's cheerful expression faded slightly as she returned to the main subject.
"So…"
She looked directly at me.
"Are you really from this world?"
................................
Damn it.
................................
I hated situations like this.
Small lies?
Easy.
I could convince a teacher that my friend's imaginary dog ate his homework.
I could invent excuses for being late to class.
I could bluff through half a test I didn't study for.
But big lies?
Emotional ones?
Yeah.
I had about as much skill with those as a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
There was no way I could bluff my way through this.
And judging by the ice forming in my stomach…
My instincts already knew that.
Valerie spoke softly.
"If this is too sensitive…"
"You don't have to tell me."
That sealed it.
I sighed.
"No."
"You deserve to know."
I leaned back slightly.
"Okay."
"Let me ask you something first."
"You've read manga before, right?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Then you probably know about the idea of someone being transported to another world."
Valerie's eyes lit up.
"You mean Isekai?"
"Yeah… something like that."
I rubbed the back of my head.
"To put it simply…"
"I'm basically from another world."
Valerie froze.
For several seconds she said absolutely nothing.
Then—
A scream of excitement nearly shattered my eardrums.
"OH MY GOD!"
"ARE YOU AN ALIEN?!"
I blinked.
"…What?"
"How did you jump from 'another world' to 'alien'?!"
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Well…"
"That's what it sounded like."
I rubbed my forehead.
"This conversation is already derailing."
She leaned forward curiously.
"So how much of the prophecy you told us before was real?"
I shrugged.
"The part about saving the world?"
"True."
"The rest?"
"Mostly a lie."
I sighed.
"I just thought you'd think I was insane if I suddenly said…"
'Hey, I'm a guy from another world. Help me save this one.'
Valerie nodded thoughtfully.
"That makes sense."
Then she asked quietly.
"Who were you in your previous world?"
That question made me snort.
"No one special."
"I had good days and bad days."
"Struggles. Problems. Ordinary things."
"At the end of the day…"
"I was just another human."
I leaned back slightly.
"Then I died."
Valerie's eyes widened slightly.
"And some goddesses of fate decided to give me a job."
"They gave me powers."
"And sent me here."
"The rest is history."
Valerie stared at me, completely captivated.
Then her expression changed slightly.
"So…"
She hesitated.
"Where do we fit in all of this?"
Her voice became softer.
"When your mission is finished…"
"Will you leave?"
"Will you go back to your old world?"
I immediately shook my head.
"What?"
"Hell no."
"For starters…"
"I actually enjoy having a real purpose here."
"A mission that matters."
Then I looked directly at her.
"And more importantly…"
"I don't want to leave you."
"Any of you."
Valerie visibly relaxed.
She leaned against my shoulder.
The scent of freshly washed hair filled my senses.
"Why are you so okay with everything I've done?"
Her voice was soft.
"I would choose artificial happiness over a meaningless life any day."
She sighed quietly.
"That's what I had before you and Enkidu saved me."
"A family that didn't love me."
"People who saw me as nothing more than a tool."
"Or a slave who shouldn't even have opinions."
Without thinking, I pulled her into an embrace.
My hand gently stroked her hair.
"I think I'm the lucky one."
I said quietly.
"To have someone like you by my side."
She laughed softly.
"Oh my…"
"What a flattering line~"
"No flattery."
"Just the truth."
She shifted slightly.
Then—
Her lips brushed against my neck.
Her fangs lightly grazed my skin.
And suddenly my brain remembered something very important.
There was an extremely attractive woman.
Wearing a very revealing outfit.
Practically sitting on my lap.
Nibbling my neck.
................................
Yeah.
This conversation had officially entered dangerous territory.