Ch. 10
Chapter 10. Restia: It's Just Too Hard! The Trait That Attracts the Cosmology…
Time rewinds to when Restia had just left home earlier that morning.
... She had already experienced family love.
Out of her three small wishes, one had been fulfilled.
The ones left—friendship and romance, the two forms of happiness that an ordinary person would have—were things the former Restia had never once felt.
After staying home for a few days, the nine-year-old loli of this life finally steadied her nerves with confidence, determined to go out and make friends.
When their daughter said she wanted to meet children her own age, the young couple wholeheartedly agreed.
For the past few days, because of her body's unnatural rate of growth, her parents hadn't dared let her go outside.
But when they saw that strange, accelerated growth no longer happening over the past two days, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They had even worried that, if it kept up, in just a little while, their daughter might grow to be as old as them.
If she grew further, perhaps she might even end up looking older than her parents.
At that point, she could practically be their mother instead—
Just imagining such a possibility, such a scene, left the young couple both numb and helpless.
Before, they had also feared her changes would be noticed by outsiders and she might be captured by those with ill intent, treated as a "monster" for research.
Now that the "abnormality" seemed to have disappeared, when their daughter said she wanted to make friends, of course, they supported her.
And then...
Because of her unusual eye color, she was rejected.
This led to the scene of Restia hiding behind a large tree, gazing longingly as the other children played.
......
Watching the other children play for a while, Restia suddenly squatted down, wrapped her small arms around her knees, and curled herself into a ball...
She lifted her head. Her delicate little face stared blankly at the azure sky.
Could it be... her wish to "make friends" really couldn't be fulfilled in this life?!
Her parents treated her so well in this life, she didn't want to have to reincarnate yet again just for the sake of "making friends."
Besides—
She no longer had the power to casually rewrite the rules of "soul reincarnation."
Hours had already passed since she came out to "make friends."
And yet, her friend count still remained at zero...
Not a single friend.
'I guess this is only natural, huh?' A trace of disappointment flashed across the girl's violet eyes, her entire aura dimming.
Making friends is so hard—
Just as she thought today would end in failure again, a pair of siblings she had never seen in the area before walked into the playground.
"Black hair! Waaah! So scary!"
"Run! The demon is here!!"
The sudden clamor of panicked cries drew Restia's attention.
She looked back toward the clearing—only to be stunned.
The area that had just been crowded with children was now completely empty.
Several of the kids who had once mocked her eye color and refused to let her play were now fleeing past her in a panic, as if some beast of calamity were chasing them down.
"Black hair? Demon?"
Restia curiously turned her gaze toward Yan.
When her eyes fell on his black hair and black eyes, the girl didn't find it strange at all.
True, black-haired, black-eyed humans were rare in this world.
But in certain Eastern nations, such people could still be seen.
In fact, the beauties of those lands—especially the girls—were renowned for their graceful and intellectual charm.
So much so that many heroes from other countries traveled eastward, hoping to win the hearts of such maidens.
Wait—
Restia thought of herself, who was also called the 'Demon Lord' monster before reincarnation.
"Monster" and "demon"...
If they were both rejected by others, then if she tried to become friends with him, maybe—just maybe—she wouldn't be rejected this time?!
She knew perfectly well that having black hair and black eyes didn't actually make someone a demon.
But still...
On her normally expressionless, delicate face, a faint blush bloomed. Her eyes shone even brighter.
Restia buried her little selfish thought deep inside, feeling a surge of restless anticipation—
She could explain things to everyone, could tell them that in certain Eastern nations, black-haired, black-eyed humans did exist.
But... wouldn't that destroy her only chance to finally make a friend?
... The girl's heart tightened with nervousness.
'Should I keep quiet, just to make a friend? Or should I help him and explain the truth?
But... using someone for my own gain—that's not right... Uuu!'
As she looked at Yan, shunned by the other children, Restia suddenly saw in him the reflection of her former self—feared, revered, and isolated as the Demon Lord.
"..."
Her violet eyes grew unfocused, and even the little cowlick on her head drooped dispiritedly.
Right now, her heart was writhing with agonizing inner conflict!
It felt like a tiny angel and a tiny devil inside her mind were locked in a fierce battle.
The “angel” side of her kept insisting that using this situation to gain a friend would be a terrible mistake.
While the “devil” side ceaselessly tempted and urged her: This is your chance! Go and seize the first friend of your life!
"Ah—!"
"That's it! If... if I first become his friend, and then explain everything to help him, wouldn't that work?!"
The thought suddenly flashed across Restia's mind, and the two little figures in her head instantly vanished.
Her violet eyes lit up... it actually seemed very doable!
But once her idea was set, the girl immediately began to fret again—
How should she start the conversation? How could she greet him in a way that would catch his attention?
Hmm—
Last time, when she went up directly, she was rejected without a second thought!
This time, she absolutely had to think of a proper way to say hello. She must not waste this rare "friendship" opportunity!
Meanwhile, Yan, still playing with Giselle, had no idea—
That at this very moment, he had already been targeted by the world's most terrifying "Demon Lord" — formerly.
Though in the area of emotional intelligence, this "Demon Lord" was pitifully lacking.
Summoning up her courage, Restia's usually blank, expressionless face grew solemn and serious. She wore the look of a warrior marching onto the battlefield—
A look she hadn't even shown when battling the Seventy-Eight Demon Pillars in her previous life.
Just then, Yan finally noticed the girl's presence.
He glanced curiously at Restia.
And in that instant— bang!!
As though a bullet had pierced straight through her heart, Restia's body went rigid, shooting bolt upright. Her face flushed a deep crimson.
‘No! If I just rush up like this, I'll definitely fail again! I refuse to let that happen!’
‘I'll— I'll just go home first, ask Mama and Papa for advice, and then come back! Facing this head-on right away... the difficulty's way too high!’
Already having failed countless times, Restia's confidence and courage had long been battered to pieces.
And so—
At the critical moment, she chickened out.
Whoosh!!!
With a panicked expression, the girl bolted away, disappearing from Yan's sight in a flash.
"... That girl just now."
Yan narrowed his eyes, muttering with intrigue.
... Inside him, the【Simulated Star-Creation Map】gave a faint tremor.
Not very noticeable, but enough to surprise him.
This was the first time the【Simulated Star-Creation Map】 had ever reacted on its own.
Still, that girl, though her eye color was violet and unlike the other villagers—Yan had already sensed it: the "magic" within her wasn't particularly strong.
. While it could be considered “excellent” for her age — 【though Restia herself had always thought of it as only "ordinary"】.. it was somewhat unremarkable compared to his own.
That girl's body—
Could it really be carrying some sort of "trait" that attracts the【Cosmology】?!