NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23 part1
The Taste of Betrayal
Fighting Against Reality
Part 1
has been picked up by Kiriko Translations! Read ch.2
Also, I apologise for not updating for a while. I took on a larger course-load this semester, and it took me a while to adjust to it. But I should be good now. Enjoy the post!
P.S: Warning, lots of swearing in this one.
The day after the PSI Drive turned out to be damaging to me, I immediately called Baba to the secret base interview room. It was the second time in two weeks. Last time, I inquired about the PSI Drive's specs and gave her the ok to work on developing it. This time, worst case scenario, I may have to tell her to cancel her development of it. From now on, Baba will know everything behind the match-pump.
It would be ideal if she would agree to join me on this side. To be honest, having only two people means Kaburagi-san and I are kept pretty busy, and I feel like it would be difficult to increase the amount of Amaterasu members if it keeps on being just the two of us. In fact, I'm already feeling the burden of having to deal with everything myself while Kaburagi-san isn't here. It would be easier if Baba joined us on this side, since then we would have more control over the production of the PSI Drive. We could also benefit from Baba's political experience. Although she gained that experience on a different world, so I don't know how applicable it'll be.
The next best thing, if she refuses to join our side, is that she at least agrees to keep it a secret from the others. I think that this is the most likely outcome. After all, while Kaburagi-san and I enjoy working behind the scenes, Baba is someone who was so passionate about pursuing her desire for adventure that she travelled to another world for it. Could she really be satisfied by working behind the scenes? She probably wouldn't see any appeal in it. If that's so, then it can't be helped.
At the very least, I would like her to promise to keep silent about this issue in order to avoid destroying the dreams of the two middle-school students. Even though she looks like a young girl, on the inside, she's an adult (actually, just going by her age, it's more like she's a living historic relic from the 9th century). While, whatever she's like on the inside, the point is that she should be mature enough to know that exposing the "dark side" to youths who are thoroughly enjoying themselves would severely wound them. So whether she joins our side or not, I'm going to ensure that she promises to keep it a secret.
The worst case scenario would be if she became upset/enraged once she's told the truth. Baba gave up everything and placed all her bets on this world. Only to find out, it was all a match-pump! That would be a considerable shock. It might even cause her to commit suicide. She may even get so angry that she just dies from it. She has hundreds of years of thoughts and feelings about this that have built up inside her. I have no idea how to deal with that. I guess I'll just have to try my hardest and hope for the best. If she completely loses her mind and tries to kill me in a fit of rage, I'll have to place her on house arrest and try to rouse Kaburagi-san so she can help me think of countermeasures.
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Ideally though, I would like to avoid failing and having to go to Kaburagi-san with my tail between my legs and have her handle it. I would like to consult with Kaburagi-san before things reach that point, but although she said she was only taking a week off, it's now been two weeks with no sign of her return. I don't want to add to her anxieties by thrusting such a big problem on her so soon after she's received such huge mental damage either. I just want to get rid of the problem on my own.
…I left all of the things to do with managing daily operations and negotiating with others to Kaburagi-san, so I never really noticed before how much work it is. Kaburagi-san really easily handled doing that much work by herself? I only have one issue to deal with and I'm already desperate for help. But Kaburagi-san could easily deal with problems a lot worse than this. She really is incredible.
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Back to the present. Right now Baba and I are, for the second time this week, sitting opposite each other with a desk between us. Baba, who's currently in a good mood, is having fun by bouncing up and down on the soft and fluffy couch. It suits her childish looks, but isn't she regressing a little too much? Though this child-like regression has helped relieve some of my rising tension, so I thank her for that.
Honestly, I'm not very good at talking to people. I guess I'll just have to be as sincere as possible. I'll speak with her honestly, not using any tricks. I use my psychokinesis to lock the door and soundproof the room for privacy, and then I got the ball rolling.1
"Um, as to why I called you here this time…"
"Yes?"
Baba stopped bouncing and leaned forward, her green eyes sparkling. Her whole body was emitting an aura that screamed "Fun!". It was breaking my heart. I have to tell this girl the truth? Isn't that too cruel? It would be better to let her keep dreaming…
No, if I leave it alone, I might die. I steeled my resolve and said,
"Everything's been fake from the very beginning. Both the Demon King and the Hero are match-pumps. I’m sorry."
"*Nya?*"
"I don't know what that means, but let me explain the events in order. It all started ten years ago when I suddenly developed psychic powers ⸻"
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I explained everything at once to Baba, who was whispering in her native language. In the beginning, she seemed doubtful, but as the story unfolded, she gradually became more and more shocked, and by the time I finished talking, she had become so enraged that her white skin was completely red.
"⸻ The reason I'm telling you all this is to protect my life."
"Ugh, you, my, this, *yo f kucu doiti! Csum csuerk cmohektfurer! Kufc! Kufc yo ssohlaue!*"2
Before she even finished talking, Baba launched herself from the sofa, jumped on top of my desk, and lunged at me. She grabbed my collar and pushed me down, screaming wildly. I had no idea what she was saying, but I could tell that she was probably cursing me out. Since I deserved it, I endured her abuse. I separated my mind from what was happening, and while I was thinking about how she had chosen the worst and most troublesome route of becoming enraged, I noticed that tears had started to well up in Baba's eyes.
"Oh no, please, don't cry." I should probably say something like that. But give me a break. I just don’t want to die. This shitty reality is the real problem here. Why did Baba come to such a shitty world?
By coming here, Baba closed off this world, and we'll never have any more visitors from another world. Fantasy has crushed any hope of other fantasy-like things happening. Meanwhile, Baba is trapped in this shitty world and can never go home again.
It's awful. It's the absolute worst thing that could have happened.
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- 口火を切る (kuchibi o kiru) expression that literally means "lit the fuse" ↩
- Baba reverts back to her native language here. Translation: "Fuck, you idiot! Scum, sucker, motherfucker! Fuck! Fuck you, asshole!" ↩