Chapter 462: Chapter 462 - Keep You Company
"And then, they took credit for the whole damned thing! I didn’t feel like it was worth arguing over, so I let it slide, but it was still really frustrating!" Vented Celestia with a huff, as she munched on some berries.
"Yeah, sounds rough."
A couple of weeks had passed, and she was still here. And she was growing more talkative with each passing day, she’d completely let her guard down around me at this point.
Has she forgotten that I’m a Monster? I haven’t told her anything about my past, and she hasn’t asked, so as far as she knows, I’m a Monster both inside and out.
I guess she’s been pretty starved for company, I doubt she’s ever had a chance to vent like this before. Based on everything she’s told me, she had a pretty rough time before this, most of the other Adventurers treating her like dirt, or ignoring her at best.
"Thanks for listening, sorry for ranting so much. It’s just, once I start, it’s hard to stop," She replied sheepishly, before holding out a handful of berries towards me.
"It’s fine, don’t worry about it," I responded, as I took a couple of berries from her and tossed one up, catching it in my mouth.
"Oh, hey, can we continue that thing now? Uh, the ana...ani..."
"Anime? Yeah, sure," I nodded, before opening up the Entertainment tab on my System.
My System is usually invisible to others, but it does have an option to turn it visible. A couple of days after she showed up here, I was gaming on my System, and it must have looked pretty weird to her, so she asked what I was doing.
Considering that this world has no concept of modern technology, naturally, she couldn’t quite wrap her head around my explanation of it. So, I figured it’d be easier to show than tell.
She was pretty stunned by it, understandably so. And once I demonstrated how it worked, she tried it for herself and got hooked pretty much right away.
Fortunately, I can open multiple screens of my System at the same time, so I don’t have to worry about her hogging it.
She got really into fighting games, it seemed like those were helping her let off some steam and relieve her built-up frustrations.
I also showed her some movies, shows and anime. And she really got into anime in particular, though she was puzzled by Japanese. This world’s language, both spoken and written, seems to be solely English, the same as in my previous world.
Huh...actually, now that I think about it, it’s really weird that she hasn’t questioned any of this. She did ask about my System, I just told her that I got it when I become a Unique Monster, and she didn’t really question it any further.
It’s known in this world that the Monsters come from another dimension through the Dungeons, so maybe she just assumed that this is entertainment from the Monster realm or whatever?
"So, uh...I’ve been wondering, why haven’t you questioned, like, any of this?" I inquired, deciding to just blurt it out directly.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, my System and everything in it, it shouldn’t make any sense in this world, but you’ve kinda just taken it in stride after your initial shock."
"Hm? I mean, I was really curious at first, but then I got it. It’s, like, the thing in some of those anime you showed me. Uh, what was it called...isekai? Yeah, that’s what it was. Like, reincarnation and other worlds, I don’t know the details, but it’s basically that, right?" She surmised in response.
Huh? Ohh, I get it...she’s been taking everything I’ve shown her as fact instead of fiction. Well, it does make sense that she’d come to that conclusion, considering she’s from a medieval world of Magic and Monsters.
"You’re not wrong, but...fine, I suppose I might as well explain. All the entertainment in my System comes from another world-...two different worlds, actually. I died in one world and then got reincarnated into a different world, then I died there and got reincarnated here. I had a pretty shitty death in my second world, so when I reincarnated here, this System was given to me to somewhat make up for that," I explained.
"Yeah, I figured as much. That you’re reincarnated, I mean. Since you never brought it up, I thought maybe you didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t ask. So, were you human before?" She asked me.
"Mhm, I was human in both my last two lives. My first world didn’t have Magic or Monsters, I was just a normal human. My second world did have Magic, but it was a lot different to this world."
"Huh, so your first world was like the worlds in those slice of life animes you showed me?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Same with a lot of the movies and shows I showed you too. Also, anime is both singular and plural, just FYI."
"Uh...I don’t know what that means."
"For your information."
"Ohh, that makes sense."
"Also, most of the entertainment I’ve shown you is fictional. So, don’t take what you see as fact, it’s just fantasy made purely for entertainment."
"Right, if Magic didn’t exist in your first world, then yeah, all the entertainment you’ve shown me where they have Magic would be fictional," She nodded in fascination.
"Yeah, exactly. Gotta say, I’m surprised at how easily you’re accepting all this," I replied in bemusement.
"Don’t get me wrong, it is all pretty shocking, I feel like my whole world has been turned upside down. But since I already figured out some of it over these last couple of weeks and had time to process it, the rest of what you explained is less bewildering than it otherwise would’ve been. I didn’t realize that you were human before, but that was probably the least surprising part. It certainly explains why you saved me, and-...wait, does this mean that all Unique Monsters are human on the inside?"
"No, not all, but I was told that some are," I informed her.
"Told by who?"
"The Goddess who reincarnated me."
"Huh, cool. By the way, your name, Larrk, is that from one of your previous worlds, or is it a new one you picked for yourself?"
"It was my name in my second world, my full name’s Larrk Stryker. My current appearance is also the same as in my second world, minus the tail and wings. I mean, I can retract them, but it feels more comfortable to leave them out," I replied with a shrug.
"So, what do you plan to do in this world? Is there anything in particular you want to accomplish?" She inquired curiously.
"No, not particularly. Across all three of my lives, my ultimate goal has stayed the same, to have a peaceful life. I almost had it in my second world, but then I died. And it’s only been about three or four months since I came to this world."
"I see...yeah, it’d be pretty tough to live peacefully as a Monster, unless you live in hiding like you’ve been doing."
"Well, there’s no real rush. I’m functionally immortal, so maybe in a few centuries or so, things will change and I’ll be able to live out in the open," I mused in response.
"Yeah, maybe. I certainly don’t see such drastic changes happening anytime soon. Immortality, huh? Sounds nice," She replied with a wry smile.
"I guess, but it does mean that I’ll be alone unless I find another immortal. And based on what you’ve told me, all other Unique Monsters that have appeared tend to be violent and aggressive, right?" I sighed.
"Well, that’s what I’ve heard, anyway. It’s possible that friendly ones like you have appeared, but no one was willing to hear them out," She pointed out objectively.
Oh, yeah, I didn’t think about that...it’s certainly a possibility, that’s pretty much exactly what happened to me in the Dungeon.
"I’ll just have to hope that one comes along someday."
"Yeah, I hope it works out. But, until then, I’ll keep you company. If you don’t mind, that is," She offered with a smile.
Huh...I suppose I wouldn’t mind that. I haven’t really thought about persuading her to leave lately. Actually, it’s been kinda nice to have someone to talk to.
She’s a bit spacey and off in her own world at times, but she’s nice and friendly, I don’t mind having her around. And, well, she’s pretty easy on the eyes too.
"Sure, I don’t mind. Guess that means you’re okay with living in a cave for the foreseeable future?"
"Oh, I have no problem with that at all. Actually, I’d say it’s more comfortable here. Although, I do kinda want to see what living in those fancy homes in the worlds of the entertainment you’ve shown me would be like. Those otherworldly bathrooms especially caught my attention."
Yeah, I’m real glad my new body doesn’t need to use the bathroom.
"If you’re given the option to reincarnate after you die, you could try requesting-...," I began, before trailing off as I heard a sound coming from the forest, my ears perking up.
"Hm? Something wrong, Larrk?"
"Possibly...I’m hearing some movement outside. Monsters usually avoid this area, so it might be people. Let’s hope they don’t come in here," I muttered warily.
