…Crap, should I tell them?
Hurr-durr, so I have this pretty awesome rock deep inside me and the ability to use solidified blood as a material from my fingertips—
I don't know?! Ask God above if you want the answer—am I even human at this point???
I didn't want to think about it… How my body has gone through rapid changes that I wasn't aware of.
Golden strands and eyes, even a giant tattoo on my left wrist, were all byproducts that appeared once I somehow absorbed the Ichor.
Something tells me that as this journey progresses, my humanity will soon be stripped away.
"…" I remained silent, unable to answer their question.
At first, I was sure that I was human. Now I don't even know anymore.
…
…
"…I am," I finally said, coming up with a definitive answer and stopping my overthinking.
What determines whether someone is considered a human being? The body? The heart?
"I am human, and I always will be." I placed my hand on my chest.
My answer is—I don't care.
Why should I waste my time on such a philosophical question?
Human or not—I was born human, my soul belongs to a human, and that's all that matters.
Even if my body transformed into something completely different, that fact would not change.
It never will, even if the world believes otherwise.
"So, you believe that you are human but, at the same time, not," the navy-haired member—Anellia—said to me, showing interest for the first time.
I nodded in response, affirming my conviction.
...
...
...
"…Is that so?" She stared at me blankly.
This silent moment stretched on for a while, making me feel nervous for some reason.
The tense atmosphere dissipated when she backed down, and everyone else followed her lead.
"I think she's a good person,"
"An...? Are you sure?"
Eskieth and the other squad member lowered their weapons, surprised by Anellia's acceptance of me.
"If she says she's human, then she's human," Anellia asserted.
No further words were needed to convey her thoughts; it was as simple as trusting her instincts.
"Pfft... buhahaha!!!" Eskieth laughed so hard she collapsed onto the ground.
I wanted to ask why that was so funny, but I doubted I would get a coherent answer from Eskieth.
"Aria, you're an incredible person, aren't you?" the other squad member said as he approached me, admiring me for some reason.
Noticing that the hostile atmosphere had vanished, I took a deep breath and began to understand the dynamics of this squad.
"A-Alright…? Um, what's your name?" I scratched my head, looking at him in genuine confusion.
"…"
"…"
"BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Eskieth laughed loudly on the ground, spinning around with her legs in the air.
Thinking this had something to do with him, I tried to figure out what the issue was.
"..." It was subtle, but I could see he was visibly shaking, his face writhing in despair.
"…Ox." He mumbled something, which I presumed was his name.
"What...? Your name is Ox?" I couldn't hear him clearly over Eskieth's stomach-bursting laughter.
"…"
"…"
The two of us exchanged looks in silence, both refusing to respond for the second time.
Seriously, what's wrong with everyone in this damn squad?
—Mumble mumble…
"What?" I overheard him mumble something under his breath while trying to pay attention to Eskieth, who was still on the floor laughing.
"Ah… I got ignored again, just like always… I should just die—die, die, die, die, die, die, die—"
"W-What the hell?!" I stepped back, feeling chills run down my spine.
"N-Nox… pfft, this pessimistic bastard's name is Nox," Eskieth said, finally breaking out of her laughter to tell me his name.
"Nox! Your name is Nox, right!?" I pretended none of that had happened before.
Trying my best to calm Nox down, I managed to get a closer look at his attire.
He wore a black-and-green suit, a thick scarf, and a hood that left his eyes uncovered.
On his forehead rested a pair of goggles similar to night vision goggles. If he were wearing them, I would have mistaken him for a robot rather than a human being.
"I already know her name, but what about her?" I asked, pointing at the girl named Anellia, trying to ignore what happened, as he was still spiralling in his own despair.
"Who's 'her'? Oh, little An over here?" Eskieth stood up and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.
—Glomp!
Without a moment's hesitation, Eskieth hugged her while tinkering with a drone.
I expected another outburst from Anellia, like what happened with Lux, but she seemed unfazed and indifferent.
"Our poster child here is named Anellia Thena, the one who saved you, mind you!" She kept squeezing Anellia's cheeks, which cleared up any doubts I had about her identity.
"Ah!" My thoughts clicked into place as I remembered the silhouette that had saved me.
"Thank you so much for saving us back then, Anellia." I extended my hand for the second time, making sure not to mess it up like I did with Nox.
—Clasp...
"...You too." Anellia took my hand, deciding I was worth her time and pausing her work for this.
Taking a closer look at Anellia, I noticed her outfit was as impressive as the others'.
Anellia had long, navy hair that reached her waist, styled in a side-tail, yellow eyes, and electronic eyewear over her left eye.
She wore a fancy blue-gray robe that reached her thighs, layered with another piece over her top, a cloth covering her mouth, and gloves.
Like Nox, Anellia Thena was also young, about the same age as Simon and the others under Scarlett.
There was a distinct difference between them and the Xero Squad.
One group was under the ropes, while the other was already on the frontlines, risking their lives to save humanity.
But this squad… Why were they all so…?
"—Young? There's a reason for that, little lab rat. But I can't tell you just yet," Eskieth anticipated my thoughts.
"…I'll keep that in mind." I set aside those thoughts for the moment and took a deep breath.
"Hoh? Aren't you going to probe me for answers?"
"I don't need to; it's already obvious why."
"...Hmm, fair enough."
Eskieth backed off and shrugged, acknowledging my point.
Eskieth, Lux, Nox and Anellia.
Throughout my life, I have never encountered such a deranged group of people.
Eskieth was a freak show, Lux was high-tempered, Nox was overly pessimistic, and Anellia? I'm still not sure about her.
If Simon and the others were at the surface and the Historia sisters were at the bottom—
—Then the Xero Squad was a collection of lunatics that belonged in the seventh ring of hell.
"Well, that's enough fun—I mean, introduction to my squad for now." Eskieth patted me on the shoulder and winked.
"I'm sure you want to talk to Scarlett about what happened, right?"
Scarlett and I both nodded, curious about what had occurred while I was asleep and the aftermath of that day.
"For now, we'll be stationed here until we return to headquarters tomorrow. There's an extra room for you to sleep in, right next to Scarlett's. She can show you the way," Eskieth said, pointing upstairs.
Though we were inside an abandoned warehouse, it wasn't as bad as it had been when I first arrived in the future.
"Wait, hold on, where are you going?" I asked Eskieth.
"Me? I have a couple of things to take care of. Sigh… being the leader is tough, you know? When will that giant buffoon come back…" Eskieth slumped and began to leave.
"By the way, since we have nothing better to do, we'll be meeting the director tomorrow. Is that alright?" She dropped this bombshell casually, expecting me to answer immediately.
"...Wuh? Hold on, we're meeting who now?!" I tried to grab her, but she cheated and flew away through the broken wall with her wings.
"Seeya tomorrow, little lab rat~!"
—Voom…!
Eskieth shot away into the sky at an alarming speed, disappearing from my sight in an instant.
…
…
"…Scarlett,"
"Yes, Lady Aria."
"Could you show me where my room is? I want to lie down for a bit."
"Understood." She bowed slightly and led me up the stairs.
As we climbed the stairs, I looked down and spotted Nox and Anellia. I could also see Lux's room, which bore a sign that read "DO NOT ENTER."
Nox walked slowly back to his books, still saddened by what had happened.
Anellia glanced at me while tinkering with her drones and mechanical wings.
For now, I decided to take a break and close my eyes; my body was still sore from everything.
"Lady Aria, although we finally made it to Trestkania... I'm truly glad you're safe," Scarlett said, her fists clenched in guilt.
"…Heh, don't think I'm dying that easily." Hearing her unexpected, heartfelt words at least made me smile.
The things I had witnessed were tragic, making me realize the gravity of the world's crisis.
This wasn't just a one-sided story about saving the world; it was an effort to mend everything before it was too late.
Despite everything...
I lived to see another day.
=======
'…And that's why I was attacked by an old man with burly veins and muscles and a giant worm, howzat?' I wrote a random draft out of spite in the group chat with the Historia sisters.
It was supposed to be just Camellia and me, but Erina managed to sneak in, making all sorts of excuses to befriend me.
Her plan worked, as Camellia's laid-back attitude made her enjoy being with people she liked.
It had been a while since I spoke to Erina and Camellia, and I wasn't sure what to say after arriving in Trestkania.
'Should I send it?' I pondered, trying to decide on my next move.
Starting a conversation with a family member and a good friend who has nearly died twice in a row wouldn't be a good opener.
The two of them would use all their power to send me back to Demiurge with some flimsy excuse. The worst part is that Erina has enough authority to actually do it.
"Haaah… everything is so complicated," I sighed, slumping back onto the bed.
Everything happened all at once. I could smell the smoke after using my head too much.
My goal for arriving in Trestkania was simple: to grab the Exitium stone and ask for assistance regarding the future.
There was one Overseer of Trestkania I needed to talk to—someone who could become an important asset later on.
If it's her, then I can reveal the weapon that is hidden beneath Trestkania, a weapon that could tip the scales in our favour.
Perhaps stumbling upon Project ANGEL was a blessing in disguise, even though it was filled with insane people.
Xero Squad… Anellia Thena.
If I tried… could I beat one of them in a fight?
Those who adapt become the strongest in the world—the Xero Squad exemplified this to a frightening degree.
It's hard to gauge their strength; merely judging from Scarlett's reaction was enough to understand just how powerful they were.
"Mmgaah…" I let out a little yawn and sprawled on the bed.
As much as I hate to admit it, this body of mine is comfortable in many ways.
From gaining favors at an alarming rate to being incredibly mobile and flexible—not to mention, I'm kind of cute too...
—Ving!
I formed a mirror from Ichor and examined my appearance.
On the bed lay a defenceless, petite girl dressed in an undershirt and shorts.
This sight was beyond sinful, as I was a middle-aged man looking at someone who had just recently become an adult.
While my body was developed, it was definitely on the smaller side, which I didn't mind in the slightest.
I really don't want to think about what it would be like to have large curves like Camellia; that thought is terrifying.
"Sigh..." I sighed, truly wondering why I became a girl in the first place.
It won't be long before everything I do is considered silly, and people will think it's cute.
...
...
...
Hmm, never mind. That seems to have been the case from the very beginning, doesn't it?
"Siiigh..." I let out another groan, which still sounded cute coming from this body.
...At least it's amusing to make fun of people with this body, heh.
—Ting!
"Oh? The group chat...?" I turned around and grabbed my phone, curious about who had messaged me at this time of day.
「Aria…? Is that you (˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )」
「Camellia?」
「Ah, you finally arrived.」
「Um...」
Uh oh—did I accidentally send the draft?
"N-No, the draft is still here..." I quickly glanced at the logs. The last message was about being invited over for food.
「Fufu, I saw you online 3 min ago, Aria ヾ(＾∇＾)」
「Big sis...」
「Camellia...」
「What?」
'Cute,' I thought, concerned that it took her just three minutes to find out I was online.
「So… are you okay? Were you hurt? You arrived a day late, so…」
「You're too worried lol」
「Shut up, you were the same idiot who waatgdsfsdfds」
「?」
「It's nothing, big sister dropped her phone becausejgdsgdsg」
「gfdksljnghdsg」
「If you girls kept sabotaging each other's phones, I'll go to bed instead.」
「Sorry.」
「Sorry (っ´ω｀c)」
In the middle of the night, we talked for an hour about what had happened on both sides... excluding the part that I almost died in the end not once, but twice.
Camellia was still upset that I revealed a secret at the very end, and Erina was as composed as always.
Aside from that, everything in Kleinford was normal.
Simon and the others were training hard, Erina was busy as usual in her role as a Grand Council member, and Camellia had requested to train in close combat with Orion.
Now that I'm alone again (with Scarlett), it feels lonely.
「Hehe, do you regret going now? Aria (ㆆ ᴗ ㆆ)」
「Nope」
「( •́ ∧ •̀ )」
Camellia ended her reply with a sad emoticon.
「btw, how are things there?」
Erina asked, curious about what I've been up to now.
"Ah… right." I gulped, pondering how to approach this.
「Nothing much, I met Orion's colleagues though」
「Who?」
「...Are there any guys?」
「Not much...? There's one, but most of them are girls.」
「...Good.」
「What?」
「Nothing」
「Heh, big sister is just scared that you mfgiusdnfdsuyhjfgbsljkif」
Erina has gone offline.
「Ahem, are you going to bed, Aria? Cause the two of us are planning to go soon.」
「Already...? Well, we can always talk later, yeah」
「Yep, good night, Aria ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )」
「You too」
—Click!
The conversation ended abruptly, and I shrugged, too tired to understand why.
"Ugh… I should take a bath..." I placed my phone on a nearby table and began to close my eyes.
"Didn't Eskieth mention that we would go to their headquarters to meet the director?" I recalled her last few words before she left unexpectedly.
'Tomorrow won't be easy, huh—heading straight into the main hurdle.' I sighed, trying to figure out how this would go by.
If a formidable organization had lost so many combatants in two years, what could we possibly do against a Sentinel?
"Ugh, I'll leave it to the me tomorrow," I scoffed, switching off the lights and trying to end the day on a lighter note.
...
...
...
—Ting...!
As I dozed off, contemplating how to utilize Ichor more efficiently, I wasn't aware that my phone was still turned on.
The draft I had made wasn't deleted; it was just on hold until my finger accidentally pressed send.
—Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!