Chapter 713: Chapter 713: Bad Taste
"Oh, hey! What’s up, Kai? How’s it going?" Baraqiel greeted me with a grin.
"Uh, hey yourself. You seem to be in a good mood," I responded in bemusement.
"Yup, human life is great, it’s going to suck once my reward is done and I have to go back to the Divine Realm. Come on in," He replied cheerfully.
It’s a bit later in the day, and I decided to drop by his place to have a chat. I’ve got a few questions for him, about what he plans to do going forward and stuff, nothing major.
I’ll just feel more comfortable once I’m sure of his intentions. Things had been so busy over the last week that I didn’t really have the time to have a proper talk with him, might as well get it out of the way so that I can go back to lazing about without a care.
He led me into his house and to the living room, which had some gaudy, tacky couches and other furniture set up. He’s got seriously bad taste in style.
After him and mom were set up with their own residences, I gave them a decent sum of money to help them start out comfortably. Well, I gave money to mom, but with Baraqiel, it’s more like I lent him the money.
Once he starts working as a Hunter and earns his own money, he’ll be paying me back for the money I lent him. Mom also plans to become a Hunter at some point, but of course, I’m not going to ask her to pay me back for anything.
Well, anyway...I really have to say, the furniture Baraqiel’s got is seriously awful. I bet wherever he bought these from, they were probably surprised and relieved to get rid of this crap.
"You’ve, uh...certainly got some unique tastes, haven’t you?" I remarked, as I took a seat.
Oh, wow. While these couches are definitely on the garish side, I gotta say, they’re really comfy. Function over form, I guess.
"You think so? I just went with whatever I thought looked good. Shopping is fun! I can definitely see myself getting addicted to it," He chuckled, before adding as he took a seat across me, "So, what brings you by? Is there a problem?"
"No, nothing like that. I just wanted to have a quick talk with you, if that’s okay," I replied, getting straight to the point.
"Sure, I’m not busy or anything. I was indulging in the entertainment humans refer to as brainrot content. Endless short videos of all varieties, some purely entertainment, some informational, some utterly nonsensical...it’s so addictive, the anticipation of what kind of content is in store next really draws you in.
And it’s also frustrating sometimes, when you keep swiping but there’s nothing good that captures your attention. Oh, and that feeling when you decide that you’ll take a break after one more video, but then you think to yourself that if you’re only going to watch one more, it’s got to be a good one. And then you find yourself swiping for ages, trying to find a good short video to end the brainrot session on a high. It’s great!" He laughed lightheartedly.
Well, okay then. It’s a bit alarming, how easily a literal Divine being has gotten hooked on brainrot.
"Glad you’re enjoying yourself, I guess."
"Indeed, I am! So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I just have a few questions and then I’ll be on my way. For starters...what exactly made you want to return to Earth?" I inquired curiously.
"Well, when I was sent here for the trial, I was giving false memories like everyone else, the only difference was that I knew they were false. The reason was so that I’d be able to fit in among the humans.
And the content of those false memories were more amusing and entertaining than any of my experiences in the Divine Realm, so I asked to be given more time in the mortal realm," He explained with a smile.
He isn’t setting off my passive lie detection, that’s good.
"I see. What exactly do you plan to do while you’re here? The Gods did assure us that you won’t cause any problems unprovoked, but I’d like to know your exact intentions."
"Hm, let me think...for right now, I’m enjoying living in this residence and indulging in human entertainment. I also want to try more human food, I’ve sampled a few options, but there’s still so much I haven’t tried yet. And during the trial, even though I was defeated, I quite enjoyed combat. So, once I’ve had my fill of entertainment and food, I’d like to try becoming a Hunter. As I requested before, I’d like you to help me learn how to properly use my abilities and fight effectively."
"Yeah, that’s fine. Just let me know once you’re ready for that and I’ll let you know when I’m free to help you out with it. On that note, do you have the same abilities and Power Level you did during the trial?" I asked him.
I could just use Appraisal, but I’d also like to see how honest he’s being with me. So far, nothing has set off my passive lie detection.
"There are a few changes and adjustments made, but for the most part, yes. The biggest difference is that I can’t cast that inescapable barrier anymore," He informed me.
"I see. Alright, that about covers most of what I wanted to know. Though, there are some other stuff I’m curious about. Like, exactly how human are your desires? You said you want to try a wide range of food options, but do you actually need to eat? Also, what about sexual desire? I believe the Gods mentioned that you Angels are incapable of feeling that particular desire," I recalled thoughtfully.
"Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how to answer that. I’m still getting used to the concept of having desires. They first began to develop during the trial, thanks to my false memories. The Gods were surprised by that, it was an unexpected development.
And it was only me who was affected, the other two didn’t develop these desires. Perhaps since I was granted less power than they were, I was more susceptible to the energy of the mortal realm.
I think the more time I spend in the mortal realm, on Earth, the more human my desires will grow. The desires I developed during the trial, they’re what led me to request more time here in this realm. But the other two had no interest in returning. I do have functional genitalia, so I suppose it is possible that I’ll eventually develop sexual desire," He replied uncertainly.
"Huh, interesting. By the way, how much time have the Gods agreed to let you stay on Earth for?"
"Five hundred years."
"Okay, that’s a decent amount of time. Hm, but...if you’re going to become more and more human the longer you stay here, well...things are probably going to be really rough for you when the time comes for you to return to the Divine Realm," I responded with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I know, don’t remind me. I know I still have plenty of time, but I’m already dreading that," He sighed wistfully.
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