Chapter 9: Comrades

Chapter 9: Comrades

[12:21 PM; Saturday, 29th of April, 2023]

I did it. I told Lisa everything about my dreams, how long they had been haunting me, and even how everything was connected to this new world we found ourselves in.

I told her about the nature of my <Dream> Skill, and how it functioned. I talked about how I had lived through this reality multiple times and just wanted to survive this time.

The food I had stocked up on within the hotel room was more than enough for me. Even with the both of us, I didn't see a problem with our feeding.

I had made sure to stock up more than enough provisons for the Tutorial phase, after all.

After revealing everything to Lisa, I observed her struggling to process the information. I knew it was a lot, but I also trusted her ability to quickly grasp the information I presented to her.

"W-wow. That's a lot, Mikey." She said, finally.

"Yeah, I know, right? Of course, as a result of the limitation, I can't intentionally use <Dream>." That meant, if anything happened, I would need to die by someone hostile—or by accident. That worked too.

'I think even choosing to die by Demons could count as 'intentionally' dying. I didn't know what constituted the 'intention', so I had to assume that I couldn't 'want' to activate the Skill on purpose.

In essence, I wasn't to premeditate my own death.

'Ah, my brain hurts again.'

Lisa reassured me, "This is amazing, Mikey. You're basically immortal. If you play your cards right, no matter how many tries it takes, you'll eventually attain your goal."

I laughed awkwardly, dismissing her praise. "It's not that great, really."

"I'm serious, I'm a little jealous." She admitted.

Now that I thought of it, I still didn't know what Lisa's Skills were. She most likely had only one. As for Titles, I couldn't be sure.

"What are your abilities?" I finally asked.

There was a brief, awkward silence between us and Lisa shifted nervously.

"W-well..." She stammered

"Come on, you can tell me. I already spilled my secrets." I urged.

She hesitated, then admitted, "It's a bit embarrassing. Haha..."

"Just say it. Don't worry, I'll understand."

"Okay, okay. I'll talk."

And so, Lisa told me her Status Information.

*****

"Pffft! Really? <Anime Fanatic>? That's crazy!"

I couldn't help but break my pact with Lisa the moment I heard that one of her Titles was "Anime Fanatic." It was downright hilarious. I could see her pouting at me, but I couldn't contain my amusement.

"Sorry. Sorry. I totally get it."

As it turned out, that Title was actually what enabled her to stay so composed in a world gone mad. It was an unexpectedly practical Title to possess.

'As expected, though, she only has one Skill. It's <Mind Communication>. That was how she could talk to me through my mind.'

Her Role was different from mine, a <Communicator>, and her Authority was <Thoughts/Words>. I had to admit, it suited her quite well.

However, unlike me, it seemed she'd never had any experiences that hinted at the reality we found ourselves in now. I'd been having these strange dreams since I was ten, but Lisa hadn't encountered anything even remotely related to her Role.

'Oh well...'

Apart from <Anime Fanatic>, she held two other Titles. One was the ever-mysterious <Chosen One>, which seemed to be bestowed upon everyone who hadn't been transformed into those monstrous beings. Her final Title was <Confidant> and its effect was curious - people naturally felt inclined to confide in her.

'That's a weird Title, but it also explains things, I guess.'

I did feel like my secrets were safer with her, and she was a genuinely nice person. It had only been a few hours since we'd begun talking, yet it felt like we had known each other for ages. In no time, I was completely at ease with her.

And thankfully, she felt the same way about me.

'At the very least, I hope she survives this hell.' It was only the first day, but I'd already found someone I cared deeply about, someone with whom I'd formed an unbreakable bond.

"Let's do our best to survive together, Lisa," I said, smiling at her and giving a reassuring nod.

"Likewise, Mikey."

******

After our long conversation, I escorted Lisa to the bathroom, where she took a refreshing shower and swapped her clothes for one of the only spare sets available - mine.

It was a bit weird seeing her emerge, all changed, in my clothes, but given the circumstances, we had little choice but to resort to this arrangement.

Naturally, I took the opportunity to freshen up as well. We continued our conversation for a little while longer until it was finally time to rest.

My suite was quite large, featuring three bathrooms—one shared, and two within the separate bedrooms. This layout ensured we could take care of our personal needs without any awkwardness.

'It's perfect. We get to have our private space. Different bathrooms. Different bedrooms.'

... Or so I thought.

"I... I can't sleep alone. Could I stay with you? Please?"

Lisa's unexpected request caught me off guard. She was wearing my shirt, which was obviously too large for her, and nothing else covered her legs.

She did have her underwear on, and my oversized clothes did provide some coverage, but not enough to conceal everything.

In the end, I could still see lots of flesh peeking out.

At first, I wanted to resist, but her insistence melted my resistance.

I had initially planned to sleep on the floor or something, but she insisted I share the bed with her. We maintained a respectful distance, of course, but it still felt... cozy, albeit in an unconventional way.

"Thank you, Mikey... honestly. I can't thank you enough," she whispered as she succumbed to sleep before I did.

Lisa must have been utterly exhausted, given that she dozed off mere minutes after collapsing onto my bed.

I made sure the sheets properly covered her body and I found myself smiling while watching her sleep. I felt strangely warm inside, and considering this was my first time experiencing such a thing, I couldn't properly place my feelings.

"I'm thankful you survived too, Lisa," my thoughts echoed. With that sentiment in my heart, I settled beside her, finally drifting off to sleep after a considerable effort.

******

[7:30 AM; Sunday, 30th of April, 2023]

"U-uhhh..." I stirred as I slowly woke up from my sleep, disoriented and groggy.

Even without an alarm, my internal clock had a knack for waking me up at precisely 7:30 AM. I assumed it to be that time as I tried to shift in bed, but every movement felt sluggish and rigid.

Attempting to yawn, I found myself incapable, and even the effort to stretch my limbs was met with resistance.

As sensation gradually returned to my body, a creeping discomfort coursed through me, intensifying my confusion.

'What is... happening?' I wondered, my vision still blurred.

"Still enjoying your sleep, huh?" Lisa's voice floated into my ears, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

What's going on? I feel stiff all over. I wanted to say but found myself unable to speak.

It wasn't until my vision and my perceptive senses completely cleared that I realized what was happening.

"A gag? My mouth is being covered by a gag?" I realized, my lips silenced by the soft yet unyielding material of what appeared to be my own bedsheet.

What exactly was happening?

My body was firmly tied to the bed, with thin yet coarse layers of fabric crisscrossing around me, leaving me utterly immobile

It was an absolute restraint.

Panic surged in me. 'What's going on here? Why am I tied up?' I strained to move my head, desperate to catch a glimpse of Lisa, who sat calmly in a chair beside me.

'Lisa, answer me! What's happening?!' I pleaded.

From my peripheral vision, I saw her expression, shockingly devoid of emotion. Her legs crossed casually, she seemed entirely unbothered by my predicament.

"No. Don't tell me..." I whispered, though the dread in my heart grew with every passing second.

I didn't want to believe it, but the moment I saw her completely cold, detached gaze and her emotionless eyes, I began to understand what was happening.

I...

"Apologies, Mikey. But this is the only way I can secure the life of my real friends." Lisa said with a chilling calmness.

... Had been betrayed...

"You were a great help." Her usually pleasant voice was now tainted by something else; something darker.

... By Lisa?

It hit me like a sledgehammer. Suddenly, I remembered my earlier thoughts when I peered through the peephole back then. Back when I saved her from inevitable death...

'DON'T DO IT!'

I had thought it was a voice warning me about the approaching demon. But I had been terribly mistaken.

The enemy hadn't been the Demon.

All along... it had been Lisa!

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[A/N]

I guess some of you must have seen it coming. Well, there you have it. n-/OVElBIn

Keep reading to find out just what this woman's deal is... and the fate of our Mc.