Is That My Alter Ego

Chapter 71 – Five Minutes to Chaos

Wandering aimlessly through the alleyways of the lower district, my legs ached, and I felt a bit breathless.

I asked Kali for a moment and sat on a weathered bench by the roadside to catch my breath.

How could just walking be this exhausting? Kali looked at me with a puzzled expression as I gasped for air on the bench.

“Hey. What kind of man are you, looking so weak? You’re just walking, and you’re about to drop dead?”

“Hah… Hah… Quiet… Just be quiet…”

“Tsk tsk. So that’s why you hired a bodyguard? At this rate, you’ll drop dead on the street!”

According to my journal, hiring a bodyguard wasn’t my choice but rather something forced upon me by a ‘sponsor’… Still, I couldn’t help but agree with Kali’s words.

I hadn’t run or fought; I had merely walked. And it wasn’t even uphill; most of it was downhill.

Yet, I was drenched in cold sweat, feeling as if I were on the brink of death, my legs trembling so much I could hardly move.

The result was me slumped on the bench, gasping for breath.

“What should we do? Should I carry you, big guy? Then you can beg me for a ride.”

“What… nonsense are you spouting… And I’m older than you…”

“…Really? So what? You’re weaker than me.”

I tried to think of a retort to Kali, who was still chuckling and teasing me, but no way to overcome those muscles came to mind, so I refrained from arguing.

The fatigue that felt like it would never end seemed to ease a bit as I sat and rested.

“I think I’m all rested up now. Where to next?”

“Huuh… Just give me a moment.”

“Pulling out that old notebook again. What treasure do you have there?”

“Treasure? It’s just a diary.”

As I opened the diary out of habit to show Kali, who had taken an interest, she glanced at it for a moment before losing interest and looking at the citizens around us.

—Heeheehee! Try to catch me!

—You there! If you get caught, you’re dead!!

– If you can, go ahead and try!

From afar, the sounds of children’s laughter and the patter of running feet reached my ears. Turning my gaze, I saw beastkin children frolicking joyfully, their spirits unburdened.

Their bare feet, likely to be scraped and bruised, seemed a cause for concern. Yet, the children played on, blissfully unaware of such worries.

“………”

Suddenly, it seemed that Kali had grown quiet. I looked at her, and she was gazing at the children with an expression blooming with emotion.

[Sorrow. Nostalgia. Will. Guilt. Longing……]

Beside her, a status window floated, endlessly listing her myriad feelings, each one a thread in a complex tapestry.

Why did she feel such tangled emotions while watching the children? What was it that twisted her features into such a pained expression?

“……”

Shaking her head, Kali’s expression brightened once more. As if she had never felt those complicated emotions, the status window that had been listing her feelings vanished into thin air.

“….Kali.”

“Why so serious all of a sudden?”

“….It’s nothing.”

“What’s that? So dull.”

I wanted to ask her the reason, but her bright, confident eyes seemed to hold a void, a hollowness that made me hesitate.

Those eyes and emotions seemed to plead for silence, urging me to drop the inquiry, so I let the thought fade away.

Habitually, I pulled out my journal from my pocket and began to read it slowly. It felt like a good time to rest, and reading the journal would be a fitting way to do so.

…Descending to the lower levels, I headed once again to the same place as always. The lower levels buzzed with noise, yet felt more familiar than the streets above.

Surely, it was a place far more difficult to live in than the upper levels, yet the glimmers of life’s will shone even brighter in the gazes of the people here.

I dragged my weary body onward. Before me stood an old, worn building—a kind place that lent me a bit of strength.

Naturally, my gaze lifted from the journal. Directly across from the bench where I sat was that very old building.

I looked at the light spilling from within and the many people entering and exiting, drawn to the sign above.

…Hoodie’s Convenience Store. Today, as always, I offered my thanks to those I was grateful for.

“Hoodie’s… Convenience Store.”

I found it. The path I was meant to take.

I hadn’t intended to walk this way at all. I was merely exploring the lower levels, too exhausted to continue, and had sat down on the bench right in front of me to rest.

But was it truly a miraculous coincidence, or was it fate? Right across from the bench where I sat was the ‘Hoodie’s Convenience Store’ I had mentioned in my journal.

“Ugh… heh heh…”

A laugh escaped me before I even realized it. It was irresistibly joyful and wondrous. The villain’s laughter began to bubble up once more.

‘Oh dear… why is this happening again…’

I tried to endure, but against my will, the malicious laughter only grew louder.

“That human… why is he laughing like that… Could it be, hiding behind me, Lephi!!”

“Uh… uh? What’s wrong… Eek! R-Run away—!”

“Mommyyyyy—!”

“Help me… help me….!”

A man and woman with wolf ears, appearing as lovers. The man hides the woman behind his body, revealing hostility, while she clings to his clothing, tears streaming down her face.

Children with fox tails and ears flee, crying out their parents’ names, while a passing woman with rabbit ears bolts away in terror.

‘…I’m sorry!’

Though my words may never reach them, I offer a heartfelt apology in silence. There was no way to prove that it wasn’t my intention.

“Ugh… it’s a mess again. Hey! Stop the fuss and get on with it!”

“Cough… cough… Hahaha…!”

“Ahhh—! The beastmen defend a human…! They’ve been brainwashed…! Run away… run away…!”

“Help meeeeee—!”

“Oh, damn. This is just fucked.”

In the end, the peaceful lower district had turned into utter chaos. The couple, for reasons unknown, wore expressions of horror as they shielded the women, while the children fled.

Only Kali, realizing that I hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, tried to calm the people, but her very presence seemed to incite even more fear, spiraling the situation further into madness.

“…Wow. This is brutal. You… you really are sick, aren’t you?”

“Cough… cough… I told you…”

“This… can’t be helped. Blame your expression.”

Kali glanced at me, beads of cold sweat forming, before she turned away. In the end, I could only try to stifle the joy and laughter that bubbled up, tears welling in my eyes.

Rattle—!

“What the hell! What kind of nonsense is this—!”

At that moment, the convenience store door swung open, and an old man with white, pointed ears and a white beard burst out, hurling a torrent of curses.

Even for someone like me, who had adapted to all sorts of insults online, the words were astonishing.

It felt as if I were witnessing a native speaker of a language made entirely of curses…

“Hey! You little shit! What the hell is going on here!”

“Gramps! Look at that guy over there—! That b*stard is clearly up to no good!”

“What? Where….”

“…………”

The old man questioned the fleeing youth, who pointed at me, his face a mask of fear as he tried to escape.

In that moment, the old man’s gaze met mine, and a dreadful silence flowed between us.

“Uh… hello?”

“….Hey, you little b*stard! Making a fuss over nothing—! Get lost!”

“Y-yes?!”

“I said get out of here! Can’t even recognize a benefactor… tsk tsk.”

Rubbing his eyes, the old man adjusted his glasses and scrutinized me with narrowed eyes before striking the young man on the back with a sharp reprimand.

The young man, bewildered and clueless, shifted his gaze between me and the old man, receiving the brunt of the tirade, before he eventually left the scene.

The old man sighed as he watched the young man depart, then began to walk slowly toward me, leaning on his cane.

…Why is he coming toward me?

I swallowed hard, frozen in place as I faced the approaching old man. It felt as if his cane might come crashing down upon me at any moment.

“…Hey, old man. Don’t come any closer.”

“Huh? What did you say? I can’t hear you, you brat!”

“Is this old man deaf? I said don’t come near!”

Kali stepped in front of me, warning the advancing old man, but the old man ignored her, continuing his approach.

Kali soon gathered her resolve, loosening her muscles. Is she really… protecting me?

‘Kali….!’

This… could be a bit touching.

“Thank you….”

“Just shut up! You’re being a nuisance.”

It seemed she was not blocking the old man for my sake, but rather because she was irritated that he wasn’t listening to her.

My heart, which had swelled with emotion, was suddenly doused with cold water.

Kali, with her formidable presence, stood her ground, yet the old man approached with an air of dignity that seemed to match her strength.

The clash of their wills could easily be described as a battle of dragons and tigers.

At last, the old man and Kali faced each other, separated by only a few paces. The intensity in their eyes radiated like that of predators stalking their prey in the dark.

“Step aside before me. You little whelp.”

“Who are you calling a whelp, old man? Want me to straighten that crooked back of yours?”

“Hmph. Such a rude girl. Then—”

“…….What…!”

In an instant, the old man vanished from sight. His speed was so swift that it was invisible to my eyes, and even Kali seemed taken aback, glancing around in confusion as if she had lost track of him.

“……….”

“Ah….”

“….Wait, stop—! You b*stard!”

Yet, the old man stood before me, gazing down with his burning blue eyes. Kali was rushing towards me, but it seemed already too late.

Is this… how I die? I don’t even know who this person is… I haven’t experienced enough yet.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the impending shock.

“Why do you suddenly close your eyes, Sir Venice?”

“…What?”

“Huh?”

But contrary to my expectations, nothing happened. The old man’s voice, filled with confusion, made even Kali, who was running towards me, halt in her tracks.

Wait. The old man, who seemed to be the owner of the convenience store I had just left. And the diary mentioned that the convenience store had helped me, right?

“You seem strange today. What’s happened to you?”

“Ah.”

It dawned on me then. The obvious information I had forgotten in this sudden situation resurfaced.

“Though humble, please come inside.”

“….Yes. Kali, you can follow.”

“Huh? What? What the hell is going on here?”

Kali still wore a puzzled expression, but unable to voice her confusion, I quietly ignored the rising embarrassment and walked after the old man.