I sit down on the mat, staring at the food in front of me. Even I am feeling very hungry and want to devour all the food; I have something much more important I have to do first.
"Why are we here?" I asked.
Back when I was walking through the forest, I realized that I was completely forgotten to ask Vela the most important questions as I was excited about what I saw in the dream.
"It is regard in that matter that I bring you here."
"Dig in. I will explain while you eat."
As soon as she invited me, I picked up a piece of grilled pork, dipped it into a sauce, and put it into my mouth. The sweet and salty taste of the pork combined with the spicy and sour taste of the sauce spread all over my tongue. All of my taste buds are now feeling like they are in paradise. Compared to those bland bird meats I had eaten throughout the day, the feeling is like heaven and earth.
"Erm…how to start this. So, it seems like a chunk of my memory is gone…" Vela said worriedly.
I start not to feel so good about this.
"And I think it happens to include the information about your guys' arrival too. Sorry."
"What's the meaning of this." Unable to hold my frustration anymore. I said with a hard voice.
"You forgot!? And what the hell do I supposed to do to go back!? I have a family back there, you know!? And..and my thesis! I have to hand it in!" I spoke loudly, venting my anger and frustration. At this point, I won't be able to graduate if I don't do something.
"I am truly sorry." She said quietly while bowing her head.
So that's why she prepared all these foods. Does she think I am that easy? This woman…even if she really is a god, does she think she can do whatever she wants?
"Haaa...Is there anything else I can do?"
Being angry won't help so I calmed myself down and asked. Wanting to know what I am supposed to do in this world.
She thinks for a while and then her eyes suddenly got bigger. Maybe she realizes something now.
She summons a tablet computer -- the same one that I saw in the dream of the night before. Then she shows the screen to me. It is showing the same ability page that I saw, but she points at the specific lines.
'The more you use these wishes, the greater our bond increases.💖
More features will be unlocked as the user reaches a certain milestone.'
"Maybe this is it! If you reach a milestone, we might get some clues!" She said hurriedly like she was trying to make up her mistake.
"Aren't you the one designing the system? Why don't you know it?"
"Well…the thing is...I am not the one designing it. Depends on each of us, we have different rules and limitations..."
"It-it's not like I'm the one making the rules, let's just say that there is someone, or something, above us who made it." She said nervously after she saw my malicious stare.
But when I look at the screen, I noticed that there is no progress in the milestone bar.
"But it didn't increase a bit." I said. I used the wishes two times today so I'm curious about what I see.
"No, it did actually increase." She said. Then she taps at the milestone bar and something pops up.
'0.011%'
Really?
How many ages do I have to use those wishes until I even reach the first milestone? If it increases at this rate, forget the graduation. I might not even be able to go back home.
"...What are the factors that affect the progress?" I asked with a cold voice.
"My impression when you wish something. That's it."
It must be that she noticed my confused expression that she continues to explain.
"So, if I'm really impressed with your choice, the gauge increases by 0.01 percent."
Even if she is impressed, the gauge only increases a tiny bit. I don't even want to think about when she doesn't.
"And what are the other cases."
"If I judge that your choice is rational, it will increase by a half of that and only 0.001 percent if I considered it as spam. And it probably stops increasing if you span it too much."
'So it only counts the usage and not the period, huh?' I think, considering the given information.
She suddenly nods. Did she read my mind again?
Just thinking about all of this makes me lose my appetite.
"Wait, it seems like you can see through my life. So can you now tell who the other 'gods' are?" I think about Yukari's ice wall and Mr. Wyatt's mirror power so maybe she knows something now.
"Mmm…the mirror shards. The shards...Ah! That's Mirare, she is my best friend!" She said.
"Why do you even need to think if she is your 'best friend?"
"Well, the last time we met was about 3,000 years ago…"
If she barely remembers her best friend, will she even be able to recognize anyone else at all?
"And that ice wall…mmm. It could be anyone: Frigus, Ruina…or…" She mumbled to herself. Then eyes got wide like she finally realized.
"Ae! It's definitely him. That weird letter is one of his creations."
"That guy is the first of our kind and he's the dangerous ones. So be careful." She said with a serious voice.
"And what about the one with Detective Denis? Do you recognize anything?" I asked as she didn't continue.
"I don't think ever know any crazy guys who beat their apostle, so no. I don't know him."
After she finished answering, silence spread.
"If you don't have any more questions then I shou…"
the image got cut as she didn't finish the sentence, and the next voice I hear is…
"Hey Krit, it's your turn now."
A deep voice like that, it must be Mr. Wyatt. Seems like it is my turn to guard now. My eyelids are still heavy and the fatigue is still all over my body. But duty is a duty. I have to do it.
Mr. Wyatt hand me back my watch. As soon as I receive it, I wear it back on my left wrist.
There is not much to do on the guard duty: adding the fuel to the fire and watching out for wild animals. Though, to be honest, I don't have to worry about the latter as there is no sign of them at all.
When the boring two-hour had passed, I wake Detective Denis up. As I pat him on his shoulder, he suddenly jolts up. It seems that he was having a nightmare again as his shirt is soaking wet.
I then try to go back to sleep, but the drowsiness is now disappeared. So, I decided to go have a conversation with Detective Denis.
"So, Detective Denis. Did you have a nightmare again? Mind telling me about it?
He stares at me for a short while. Maybe he is still holding a suspicion toward me.
"Just call me Denis." He said.
"It was the same as the last one. I kept getting beaten up. Even if I can dodge some of his attacks, he continues to attack me faster." He continued while making a stressful face.
"And you…Did you have it? The dream." He asked me. It's like he is saying that 'I told you something. So you should be telling yours too.'
I think for a while, trying to recall my dream. Telling any information other than that Vela invited me into a night cuisine would be like I show all of my trump cards. And as the reason we are here is still unknown, I think it is better to keep some secrets.
"She just invited me into a meal. That's all."
Though he is still looking at me suspiciously (Of course, he definitely knows that I didn't tell him all of the information.), he turns away like he will let me slip off this time. And he says, "Good for you."
After that, we start to talk about our life back on Earth. I told him that I came from an upper-medium class family and that I am going to inherit my father's company.
"Hey kid, you're lucky. You know that?" He said.
"Unlike me…" He continued with a bitter expression. I don't dare to ask more as I feel that I don't have any right to do so. Considering that I didn't even tell him all the truth in the first place.
Some time passed. The Sun is now appearing over the horizon. And the chirping sound of birds can be heard again.
I and Denis decided to wake the other two up at six and a half. We then hunt a deer that comes to the drink at the river as a breakfast. The meat feels earthy though. But I kinda not hate it. At least it's a change of taste since all I had yesterday were all sparrow-sized birds.
We continue on our journey at eight O'clock – right after we finished our breakfast. Everything was alright for half a day until we hear a strange noise from afar.
"Hey. Do you guys hear it?" Said Denis.
Everyone stops and tries to listen. It is a cracking sound like that of snapping woods from the other side of the river that we are walking along. And it is getting louder every second.
All of us then look in the direction where the noise is coming from. What we see makes our eyes open wide.
It's a boar. A three-meter-tall boar is running in our direction.
"R-run! Everyone run! Now!" Mr. Wyatt shouted out, returning our senses back.
As soon as he finished, the boar was already at the other side of the river. The path that it ran through only leaves fallen pine trees. And it seems like its speed doesn't drop even a bit.
Not even leaving us any breathing room, the enormous boar rush toward us crossing the shallow river.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I scream as it rushed right at me.
"Fuck! Why does it have to follow me!!" I scream, running my ass out as the rampaging boar is running toward me, crashing the trees like they were just frail sticks.