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Chapter 26 – The cat and the contradiction
“Umm, you are… from another as well…?”
Mable can’t handle Deliah’s innocent question and avoids her gaze.
“Yeah…”
“B-but… weren’t you daughter of a merchant?”
“Well… yeah, I am. It’s just that I remember my previous life, that’s all…”
Hmm…?
Wait…
“Umm… so you two are different…?”
Deliah looks between the two of us.
“… different?”
She doesn’t understand.
And neither do I.
“I arrived into this world just recently… when did you?”
I throw out a question to which Mable falls silent.
“Arrived… recently…?”
She seems shocked.
“What do you mean? You weren’t reborn as a baby like me?”
Huh…?
Wait a second here.
Something doesn’t add up!
“No…?”
A moment of silence follows.
What’s going on?
This doesn’t make sense!
She was born as a baby and lived several years already?
But how?!
I literally specified the settings just before entering myself!
“Then, you are different from the others…?”
“Others…?”
Now I’m really confused.
“… do you not even know about that?”
About what?!
“Or are you… the one being tested?”
What are you talking about?!
Mable seems to notice my confusion and fall silent for a moment.
“… well, let’s start from the beginning then.”
Yep, do that!
“After my death in the previous world, I met with a being who called himself a god.”
Me too.
“This god told me I would get a chance to reincarnate into a newly created world.”
Newly created world, you say…
“And gave me the option to choose two special skills of my liking.”
Huh…
But, I got to completely customize everything…
Although, I wasted it because of the randomize button…
“Of course, I was suspicious and asked him various questions. It would be stupid to just accept such a favorable deal blindly.”
Ugh…
She just called me stupid.
But I mean, what could I have done?!
Nobody ever asked if I agreed with these terms!
“And long story short, he told me that this world exists as a way to test someone and that there would be many other reincarnated people.”
Test someone…
So, I’m supposed to assume that I’m the one being tested, huh?
Well, maybe it’s not me…
But if yes, what am I being tested for?
“But he never told me what kind of test it was or what it was for.”
Oh great, I love unanswered questions…
“So, now’s your turn.”
Alright…
“After I died… I was given a customization screen.”
“… a what?”
“I could completely customize what I was going to look like as well as my abilities. And I even got to decide the settings for the entire world…”
“You… created this world?”
Well…
Kind of?
But, not really?
I mean…
If you push a button on a coffee machine and it drops coffee for you, are you the creator of this coffee?
“D-does that mean… that I… that everyone I know…”
Deliah is staring at her shaking hands.
Oh…
Is she having an existential crisis?
She just found out that everything around her, including her, exists because I pushed a button.
…
And if I set the world’s parameters just a little differently…
She might not have existed.
That’s…
A little overwhelming to think about…
…
But wait.
There’s still the question of how the time spent in this world doesn’t add up.
Maybe I was sent forward in time or something…?
I can’t think of any other explanation…
“Well… I guess we can’t talk to each other as before, can we…?”
That downcast look doesn’t suit you, Mable.
Look, you infected Deliah.
“B-but… you are still Mable, right?”
“Well, yeah… but I’m also someone else… I guess…”
“That’s fine! Everyone has secrets!”
Deliah pumped her fists as she faced Mable again.
“Huh…?”
“A-and now that I know your secret, we are even better friends, right?!”
Well, It’s true that good friends share secrets…
But, aren’t you taking this a little too well?
I would be quite shocked if I were in your shoes.
Hmm, must be her skill doing work…
“You… don’t mind all this…?”
On the contrary, Mable seems to be shocked.
“Of course not!”
Aw, man…
I can’t help but smile.
It’s nice to have a friend like that, isn’t it?
“A..aha…ahaha! I don’t know what I was afraid of!”
Oh, she’s back to her gorilla mode.
And there is her Crushing embrace of the crimson ape™.
I think Deliah is suffocating.
“You really are the best friend I ever had!”
Hey, if that’s really the case, you should avoid killing her now!
Ah, she’s finally released…
“Ah, eh… sorry, I got a little excited…”
“I-it’s fine…”
Is it really fine?
You might want to rent one of the rooms here just to be sure.
Hospitals are kind of like hotels, right?
Eventually, Deliah’s butler Rodrick came here and picked up Deliah, leaving me alone with Mable again.
“Well, now that we are alone and you can talk, there’s something I need to make sure of.”
Oh no.
Is she gonna test my nine lives, after all?
Didn’t everything turn out fine?!
You don’t need to be mad at me for telling Deliah!
“We are allies, right?”
…
Yes?
That’s a really unexpected question.
“You are probably wondering why I’m asking.”
That, I am.
“Well you see… I always found it weird how there are multiple reincarnated people and then one being tested.”
What’s with that glance?
You are totally convinced the tested one is me, aren’t you?
“So I thought, what if this ‘test’, is to kill every other reincarnator?”
That’s…
Not impossible.
But even if it is, I’m not going to do it.
Heck, I don’t even know what this test is for!
Or what there is to gain if I pass!
“It makes sense, because god told me many of the other reincarnators would be ones with a rotten personality and hobbies.”
Wow, what a thing to say…
Well, I just found out about a certain guy who curses girls and makes them gather a harem for him.
Could he be a reincarnator as well?
“So…?”
What does she expect me to say?
I say ‘Hah, no! We are bitter enemies!’ and then she kills me right here, right now.
Do you really think I would do that?
“Of course we are allies…”
“Really…?”
Stop…
With…
That…
Stare…
“I-I don’t know anything about this test… or what the meaning of it is… but I’m not gonna kill people just because some god said so!”
…
Ugh…
Well if you keep staring, I will stare right back!
It’s a staring contest!
…
“Hmm… well, alright. I’ll trust you. For now.”
Good.
But I wouldn’t mind if it was forever and not just for now.
Oh well…
I guess I need to show her she can trust me.
Now, how do I do that…?
“Well! Since I trust you, you trust me as well!”
Her switch flipped again…
And what’s with that flawed logic?
“So, let’s tell each other our abilities!”
Hmm…
Well, why not?
Unstoppable force.
A passive skill, which makes her attacks ignore any armor or protection.
It can be regulated to ignore even things like wind resistance.
It’s like the most overpowered offensive ability ever…
And…
Is that why your hug almost killed me even through the Kat dress?!
You really need to learn how to control that skill!
Clear mind.
Another passive skill.
It grants resistance to any mind-altering states, intimidation as well as most curses.
It’s like a better version of Deliah’s skill, but also includes anti-charm, anti-curse and so much more…
What the heck?
That’s overpowered too!
And I guess this is why she didn’t even flinch while everyone else paled when I activated cat soul.
“You know, in a fantasy world, there are bound to be people who can use mind control and other nasty things. And I absolutely didn’t want that!”
Yeah, I get that reasoning.
I’m also glad to have anti-charm in my headband.
“And the other one is just so I can defend myself even without a weapon.”
Unstoppable force can make her fingers as powerful as a sword.
Even if she gets captured, she can easily force her way out.
Also…
She said this was what allowed her to defeat Fenrir.
She threw small pebbles from afar and then congratulated a nearby archer for his accuracy.
And he totally believed it was his doing.
Seriously?
Didn’t he find it suspicious his arrows weren’t sticking out of the beast?
“And now you!”
Yes.
But first.
Before I forget again.
“Could you… erm…”
This is actually quite awkward…
But it should be fine!
We are both girls!
“Hmm? What?”
“Could you… put all of this on me?”
I point at my clothes.
“Huh…? Why?”
“It has special effects.”
“Hmm… is that so…”
Wha-
Hey, I hope you aren’t thinking anything evil!
“B-but it only works on me!”
She’s startled.
“… haha, don’t worry! I wasn’t planning on stealing it!”
Yeah, sure!
“But you know… are you sure you want me to dress you?”
Yeah, is there a problem with that?
“I can’t do it myself…”
I can barely move, after all.
“Well… I guess I need to tell you one more thing first. But this time, keep this secret from Deliah at all cost.”
Hey, mixing your mischievous gorilla smile and your intimidation isn’t fair!
“W-what is it?”
“I was a guy in my previous life.”
…
What?
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