With a sudden flash of light coming from within my body, my consciousness returned. I missed the announcement, but it was most likely the activation of the System's Heavenly Halo.
"..."
With trepidation, I tried moving my arms. First, my finger, then the wrist, then the elbow, and finally up to the shoulders. After I confirmed that I was able to control my arm, I tried the other arm, and then both legs.
"It's moving! I can move them!"
I cheered, seeing that the Halo did fix the damage the Grim Reaper left. I never felt this much relief knowing that I could move my limbs. I laid back down on the bed and basked in the joy of recovery.
Despite my injuries recovering, I got this extremely lethargic feeling all over my body. Looking down, I realized that I had naught but a sliver of energy left. It was no wonder I was feeling tired!
"The halo must've taken all the energy in me to fully recover my body's injuries..."
It was a slight bummer, but I guess it's better than not being able to move my body anymore. I mean, what's worse than being an invalid? A vegetable? You'd be sleeping all the time then, so it's not worse when considering your own perspective.
As I was lying down, I scanned the room out of boredom. It was a pretty small room, just about three meters by five, colored in a theme featuring white and brown. The furniture was pretty bland, with nothing but the bed, a dresser, a study table, and a chair present in the room.
"This must be a room in the church..."
I muttered in realization. After all, Goddess Blanc's home IS a church. The simplistic design matches perfectly when thinking of the kind of place it was in.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
A series of tapping sounds echoed from the door. Turning there, I saw it swing open without even my permission. Well, I was just brought in here, so the door was definitely not locked anyway.
"I felt your presence return, so I came to check."
The one who entered wasn't Ember or any of the girls, but rather Goddess Blanc herself. She paced to the side of the bed and sat on a stool that was placed there.
"How are you feeling?"
She asked with a curious expression.
"The Halo managed to heal my injuries, as you can see,"
I boasted, sitting up and flexing my biceps. Seeing my actions, Goddess Blanc chuckled lightly, as if she found it pretty funny despite it not being a joke.
"Your energy level seems low, though. I guess the Halo took most of your energy to recover."
"Unfortunately, yes."
After my short reply, silence spread between the two of us.
'What's with this atmosphere?'
I thought while feeling the awkward air.
Looking at Goddess Blanc's face, she wasn't smiling but instead was sporting a deep frown.
"Regarding the note... Are you able to talk about it?"
As if deciding to just breach the topic, she immediately got to the heart of her concern. The note! It was the note I wrote, using Tres' words as a basis. I don't really know the meaning behind the phrase, but I guess Goddess Blanc was able to believe it instantly.
"You're a regressor, aren't you?"
Goddess Blanc asked, her eyes narrowing thinly as she observed my face. I was so shaken that I was lost for words, though. I opened and closed my mouth, deliberating what words I could say to dismiss her suspicion. When I saw the sincerity in her expression, however, I felt that lying to her would be bad.
'That Tres... He must've told me some sort of coded phrase!'
It was just one phrase with three words and could have no meaning as is, but seeing that Goddess Blanc figured that out, then it must be some sort of special code that only she could understand.
The phrase "The Eternal Lily" sounds more like a cheesy title than a proper phrase to pass information, though.
"That reaction... So it was true then..."
As I was silent for quite a while, Goddess Blanc took my lack of response as assent. I could only purse my lips and frown, nodding my head ever so slightly.
Technically, "I" wasn't a regressor. It was Cloud, the original owner of this body, who regressed five times. However, now, I and Cloud were one and the same. In other words, claiming that I was a regressor technically wasn't a lie.
"I know you can't tell me about the future, but can you at least tell me what my end is?"
"... How did you know you'd die in the future?"
I asked, completely surprised at her brave acceptance of her future death. However, after hearing my question, her eyes opened wide as if she didn't expect it, and she slowly relaxed her expression with a faint smile.
"I see... So that's how it was... You're not the one who regressed, but someone else?"
Another bingo! Is this woman an esper or something? Or maybe the meaning of Tres' phrase is just that deep? Either way, it looks like I can't even keep things hidden from her.
"... Alright, I'll talk."
I sighed in resignation, lying down again to rest my tired mind and body.
"Where should I start?"
I mused before starting a short summary of my life. Goddess Blanc listened attentively, not interjecting at all. It didn't even take ten minutes to recount the summary of my life in this world. Now that I've said it, I feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders.
"So you have five regressors staying inside your soul, and one of them was the man who passed me the phrase, correct?"
At long last, Goddess Blanc asked with a sad expression. Of course, I left out the part about reincarnation, or rather, switching with the original owner of the body. Adding that into the mix would just make it confusing after all.
"Yes, that's correct."
"..."
Silence ensued between us once again. Goddess Blanc just closed her eyes, as if reminiscing about something, while I stared at her, waiting for her to speak.
"I always thought that I'd never find my soulmate in my entire life."
Without opening her eyes, she muttered words as if confessing.
"To think it was actually a kid that was hundreds of years younger than I was... Hehe..."
"...!"
She suddenly revealed a sweet smile, her eyes opening as they stared at me with longing and sadness. However, it didn't last long, as she stood up almost immediately before walking out of the door.
"Then, I'll take my leave for now. When you see the one that told you about [The Eternal Lily], tell him this..."
Taking a deep breath, she stood at the doorway and stared at me with full sincerity. Her lips parted ever so slightly, hiding the sadness behind a faint smile.
"The Pink Carnation weeps."
As soon as she finished her words, she closed the door and left. I know neither the meaning of her words nor the deeper insinuation of them, but I guess I'll know once Tres and the others wake up.
"..."
Left alone, I had nothing else to do. Added to the feeling of fulfillment after sharing a secret and the lack of energy after the Halo fixed my body, I was starting to feel sleepy.
I gently closed my eyes, praying that nothing went wrong while I was asleep.
...
I woke up.
Not because I completed my sleep or was in need of the toilet, but rather because I was having difficulty breathing.
As my consciousness returned to reality, I could feel a considerable weight pressing against my chest. At first, I thought it was sleep paralysis, but I quickly noticed that it was due to another person's body weight. Opening my eyes, wondering who the cause was, I was met by a pair of black and purple sparkly eyes staring at my face.
"... Fang?"
The culprit smiled shyly as I called her name. She slowly moved her body from on top of me and revealed her current attire, covered in nothing but a thin piece of negligee.
"Leader, do you remember your promise?"
Fang asked with uncertainty, her voice filled with anxiety and expectation in a subtle mix. I tried to think of what she meant and quickly recalled the last promise I made to her.
"Of course, I remember."
I muttered, recalling the promise that she would be the "next" one in line. Hearing my words, her ears and tail perked up, and the anxious look she had completely vanished, replaced with joy and excitement.
"Then...!"
Fang was about to say something, but I quickly pulled her down, pinning her right below me. Her eyes flickered, while her tail wagged wildly with excitement despite being pressed behind her back.
"... Leader!"
Her voice, laced with expectation, entered my ears. Seeing her countenance, flushed red like a freshly picked, ripe tomato, a smile crept into my face.
"Well, I did promise, and right now seems like a good time."
I muttered with a smile, placing my face closer to her neck and giving her a slight peck.
"Hmmm~!"
Fang shuffled, apparently ticklish. It was a cute gesture that almost made me lose all reason; however, I quickly held myself back. I'd rather enjoy these little things slowly before going straight into the deed.
I moved away from Fang, staring at her figure, robed in a semi-transparent and thin negligee. She was wearing nothing underneath, so basically everything could be seen. Just looking at her twin peaks made me feel stuffy and hot.
"Fang..."
I called her name, caressing her hand down to her arms and up to her twin peaks, enjoying the sublime softness and elasticity as they pushed back against my hands.
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