โ What I like are cola and potato chips.
The nostalgia for wanting to drink it doesnโt really matter. Itโs not like Iโll never be able to drink cola again. If I keep progressing in this world, Iโll come across it eventually.
Itโll probably be after I conquer the ancient city dungeon. That dungeon, known for its machine-based monsters, contains facilities capable of producing items from Earthโs civilization. If I retrieve a working one, or train a โMechanicโ to repair the broken ones, Iโll be able to drink all the cola I want.
Thinking this far, I let the thought drift away.
โAh, damnโฆ This is infuriating. I immediately think of a solutionโฆ I already know the answers, leaving no room for trial and error. I canโt enjoy it at allโฆโ
No matter what, it feels like just going through the motions. Only performing the steps I already know. Iโm always forced onto the shortest path. Thereโs no room for detours.
Thatโs right. Thatโs why I, who was planning to work in a so-called low-tier job like โBounty Hunter,โ begged Cotton to become a โMaid,โ so I wouldnโt lose her so early on.
The โMaidโ has a skill that nullifies charm from everyone except her chosen master. It also includes resistances to charm and brainwashing.
The โSaintโ doesnโt have it. Despite the grand name, thatโs just an extension of the healer class.
My heart trembles with a sense of looming despair.
At this rate, Iโll grow bored of this world againโฆ If I donโt take care of that helpless girl and keep making her smile, Iโll lose interest in this world.
I crave something. Something new.
โA major updateโฆ or even some new DLC I donโt know about would be fineโฆ Isnโt there anything? Something in this world?โ
This world is identical to the one I know from Professional Hero.
At best, the only difference is the realistic touch.
Thereโs no talk of the Demon Lordโs defeat. It probably takes place some years before or after the main storyline, and even the visible changes are limited to slight environmental shifts. In this world, Iโve experienced it all before.
So my only source of entertainment is sleeping with women, drinking, and numbing my brain with pleasure.
I envy the web novel protagonists I read in my past life.
They gain incredible power, conquer the world by the third chapter, and still somehow enjoy this world leisurely.
If theyโre the strongest, it shouldnโt matter what they kill or obtain. They can annihilate everything with just one overwhelming ability. I wonder, doesnโt everything they obtain seem utterly worthless?
Living a โslow lifeโ while recklessly working themselves to the boneโฆ Donโt they ever worry theyโll run out of things to do?
As for meโฆ well, I take it easy.
I accepted the risk of being suspected of being a criminal by the citizensโwell, naturally, theyโd think that if you loiter around the city walls. I secretly explored the city walls, hunting Maimai at full throttle, and couldโve gained the โCorrosion (Young)โ skill in three days, but instead, I took on a request, and obtained it by taking a roundabout month-long detour.
Probably, even that was stalling. I did it unconsciously, giving myself time to accept being rejected by Cotton. Or maybe I was just hoping sheโd come back to me.
Ah, but, Iโve acquired itโthe ultimate offensive skill.
The Corrosion skill. Its use feels the same as before. Exactly like in my past life.
I canโt stall any longer.
I canโt deceive myself. Thatโs why I started exploring the forest and began leveling up.
Itโs terrifying.
Just being here is enough to rapidly boost my level.
Soon, Iโll obtain the strongest anti-human skill. I have to. This world is dangerous, so not obtaining it isnโt an option. But once I have it, there will be no human that can stand against me. No one who could kill me. Itโll be another step toward completing the worldโs conquest.
โโฆโฆโฆโฆ.โ
Elena is watching me from the bed. Looking at her eyes, I can tell sheโs listening to me curiously.
Does Elena even understand what Iโm saying? No, just listening quietly is enough.
The only time I shared this with Cotton was that first night I embraced her. Even when I told her I knew everything, she only gave me a blank, puzzled lookโฆ Eventually, I gave up trying to make her understand my despair.
โElena, Iโฆ Iโm afraid. Iโm going to grow bored of this world again. I want to know something I donโt know.โ
In this world, thereโs nothing new.
The wineโs alcohol wonโt even make me drunk.
Cotton, who used to praise me, is no longer here.
Imagining the dreary, colorless world that stretches out in my life ahead, I sink into despair once againโ
โSoโฆ Ed, are you saying you know everything I like and dislike?โ
โHuhโฆ?โ
When I asked, Elena immediately looked at me, her eyes wide with excitement, and began speaking rapidly.
โDoes this mean you know everything about me, Ed? Wow! Youโre amazing, Ed, really amazing! I never thought you knew this much about me!! Oh, but you already knew all my favorite spots too, didnโt you? I knew itโฆ Ed, you really are special.โ
No, I donโt. I have no idea what Elena likes or dislikes. I only found ways to give her pleasure by relying on experience.
But Elena was gazing at me, her eyes shining. Was she noticing my surprise? Or was she oblivious? I couldnโt tell.
I donโt really know this girl. I never did.
And at that moment, a tiny bit of color crept into my otherwise gray world.
As my mind regained its calm, I let my thoughts drift, trying to recall what little I did know about Elena. Sheโs from the same village as me, has the โSageโ occupation, and her grandmother was a druid with knowledge of the forest. Sheโs a girl Iโve been with a few times before. I donโt know her birthday, her favorite foods, or what she dislikes. I was surprised to learn she even knew urban manners. Is that it? I wondered what else she liked. For some reason, I felt guilty, masking it with a confident act. I had claimed to know everything, and I couldnโt say now that I knew nothing.
โโฆElena, Iโll share more about you over time. Itโd probably creep you out if I told you everything now. Anyway, letโs sleep. I feel a bit better now that Iโve vented.โ
โOhโฆ okay? I wanted to hear more about you, though.โ
As I slipped back into bed and put my arm around her shoulder, Elena spoke those words with a hint of disappointment.
โUh, Elenaโฆ you like me, right?โ
I asked, a bit nervously. Elena grinned mischievously.
โWrong.โ
โWhatโฆ? Youโre kidding.โ
Seeing my reaction, Elenaโs face broke into a relaxed, playful smileโan expression Iโd never seen on her before.
โThe correct answer is, I really like you, Ed!โ
At that, I breathed a sigh of relief, though only on the inside. So I hadnโt been wrong after all.
โDonโt scare me like that.โ
I thought to myself, holding the gray-haired girl close as I fell asleep.
That night, I dreamed of the first time Cotton ever praised me.