CH 225

{Sword}

“It seems like it wasn’t human, but did it look like one of your acquaintances?” Indra asked dispassionately.

“……Well yeah. Its appearance was 1-to-1 that of my past lover. Though the contents were different.”

Once I looked at Indra since she had stayed silent, she blinked her eyes.

“…Hey, even I had one or two lovers in the past, ‘kay?”

No, it was just one. So I exaggerated a bit.

“Okay, figures, but you haven’t really talked about them much. I was surprised since it came a bit like a shock.”

“……It’s just, the memories aren’t all that great, so yeah…”

“I see. Yep, I suppose that makes sense. …Well, anyway, everyone got a past,” she evaded ambiguously, somehow in a panic.

“What? Why are you so flustered?”

When I asked her in doubt, Indra fidgeted around, and then cleared her throat with a light cough, “…It’s nothing. I got it. So you, unlike Mr. Amato, were experienced, huh…? …And yet why doesn’t it sta…no, umm, why don’t you feel anything even when seeing women?”

I squeezed her hand with full force.

“O-ou-ouch, it hurts!!”

“My feelings took a leap thanks to you. You have my gratitude! So? What about it? …I’m certainly experienced, but as I was confronted with drugs, poisons, and troubles by all kinds of women, superficial women don’t make me feel anything anymore.”

Upon my explanation, Indra looked at me as if watchin’ somethin’ very pitiful.

“I see… ………No helping it if such things happened in the past. I guess it made you dysfunctional….. Wait, I’ve succeeded in furthering my pharmacy skills, so I’ll cure your limpness–ouch-ouch!!”

I tightly grasped her hand once more.

“Could you give it a rest? I’ve already been fed loads of medicines. My resistance isn’t anything to scoff at, but if it’s your medicine, I feel like it’d easily break through, and I’d hate that.

“You don’t like sticki…ouch, ouch, ouch!”

If I told her to explain what she wanted me to stick in where, she’d likely spell it out, so I won’t say ‘nythin’, but watch your language, idiot!

“I’ll always remain untouched, you know?”

“Even without you makin’ such a declaration, no men would feel like wantin’ to touch you, so don’t worry.”

…Yeah, she totally spoiled the emotional moment.

“……I mean, you also cried about your former boyfriend not bein’ ’round ‘nymore, right? I haven’t cried, but there was somethin’ I wanted to ask if I could meet her once more.”

Once I told her so, Indra blinked again.

“…I understand the notion. I really do, but since you probably won’t get the answer you desire, I think it’d be better to give up on it.”

Indra told me somethin’ as if bein’ knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. Sure feels like she’s quite experienced.

“…It’s different from that, I think. The answer I desire…”

“No. I meant that you won’t be able to get an answer for your question.” Indra returned my look, “When you were about to break up with me, you planned to not tell me the true reason, didn’t you? You wanted to gloss it over, saying that such a reason wouldn’t serve as much of an explanation, right? It’s the same here. You won’t get an answer. Not only is this another world, but I never had a father or mother to give me an answer either. So I got used to that and didn’t ask. It’s pointless to try finding out. That’s why it’d be better to just give up.”

She looked at me with a face full of pity. That’s why I hugged her.

“I…gave you an answer, didn’t I?”

“Because of that, I’m still with you. I broke up with those who didn’t answer me. Even if we met once more, we just broke up once more since they didn’t provide any answers.”

“Gotcha.”

――She’s right, I guess. I answered her, so I’m still together with Indra. The other folks didn’t answer, so they’re not with her or me.

――They might have had some reason or none at all. But, they aren’t with me ‘nymore. That fact in itself is already the reason. Hence, there’s nothing left to ask ‘nymore either.

＊

{Indra}

After comparing the monsters I know of with the story I heard from Sword, I concluded that it had been a Mimicking Spirit. They’re undead who appear around water, adopt appearances which would draw the interest of their targets, and lure their victims into the water.

“Hmm, illuminating your deepest desires and catering to those; those monsters sure use a sophisticated technique. I’d love to talk to them if they can speak.”

When I muttered that, Sword stared at me.

“…In your case, would the monster transform into your otherworld boyfriend? If it did, I’d love to see him.”

I shook my head, “That won’t happen. I don’t feel any lingering affections towards old boyfriends…or rather, my otherworld boyfriends. It’s not like any of them was together with my current self, right? If I were to break up with you, there would be a tiny chance for it to transform into you, but even if the monster appeared right now, it’d simply show its monster appearance.”

Sword’s eyes narrowed, “…Wait a sec. Your old boyfriends don’t matter ‘nyway. If your current self is different, I can totally understand things to work out like that. But, your sayin’ there’d be only a tiny chance for it to change into me if we broke up?”

“My current self has a character that doesn’t dwell on the past. I have no feelings about the guys with whom I broke up. Of course, the same applies to women, too. That’s why I feel absolutely nothing about the dead woman, who called herself my mother, or the guy, who yapped about not being my father despite having screwed her!”

Sword reluctantly nodded.

“……In short, if you’d broken up with me back then, I’d have been treated in the same way as your father?”

“Obviously? If you hadn’t explained the circumstances, it’d have been impossible for me to have known that you did it for my sake.”

After feeling heartbroken, he hugged me.

“I acted while thinkin’ of you, you know?”

“That’s why I’m with you right now.”

“That makes sense, somehow. So, I’ll always properly explain stuff to you so, so if somethin’ happens, don’t treat me and your father like two peas in the same pond, ‘kay?”

Though I don’t think that it’d matter much to you if you were hated by me anyway, I thought, but nodded anyway.

In the first place, we aren’t married or in a relationship, so I think it’d be better to not use breaking up as terminology here. Oh well, whatever.

We’re talking about a limp guy, so I don’t need to worry about getting assaulted either! If it remains pointing downwards for eternity, we can always stay together as he won’t try to stick it in either, pfft.

…My thoughts were immediately read and I suffered an iron claw.