"Shhhh, Are you trying to run away as well? Don't worry, I will help you for now" Iris froze at that voice in her ear. It was too close and she was not sure it was a good idea for her to be so close to it.
But mostly, just hearing that tone made her body reflexively attack and hit the other in the stomach with her elbow.
"Ouch, what if your problem woman? I was just trying to help you but noooo, you had to attack me. You all are the same and I cannot stand any of you. Thank god I am gay" Iris turned around at the complaint.
The other was a young teen, hardly 14 years old, and seemed to still have his baby fat. The other was cute, young and male.
Very, very male and it made Iris yelp out.
"Not you too. What is wrong with this world? Why do they all act as they have never seen a male? What would I do if this world doesn't have a male? What would happen to my love life?" the guy, child wailed as he looked at the ground.
If there was any doubt in Iris's mind about the other's identity then it was gone now. There other had to be the male MC of the novel, the chosen healer.
But looking at him now, all Iris felt was annoyance and sympathy.
"Shhh. Stop crying for now. We need to escape before they find us and then we can talk. You at least know who I am right?" Iris asked in a snapping cold voice and the other flinched.
"I d-don't know who you are but you looked to be in trouble. You are not a k-killer, are you?" the guy asked and Iris shook her head.
"I'm a healer, just not one affiliated with the commission. Come with me and I will help you out" the other sighed in relief at her words.
Iris may be falling into a trap here but it genuinely felt like the MC had no idea who he was and what this place was.
This was another way in which the original novel differed from this one - the MC had adjusted pretty fast in this world despite not knowing what this place was. The original MC had liked this place and all the freedom it provided him for certain acts.
This one though. This one seemed troubled.
The other followed behind her at a steady pace and they soon reached an abandoned cave which Iris secured with the help of the seals.
"Now talk. Spill what you know" Iris asked, her tone biting and the child flinched at it. He seemed nervous as he looked around.
"I d-don't know what you are talking about. I'm just an ordinary person" he mumbled but his expression gave him away.
"Try again. There are no guys in this world, only girls and I cannot help you till I know what I am dealing with" Iris snapped at the other looked at her with suspicion.
'System, is it alright if I talk with him about the outside world and what is going on here?' Iris asked. She was aware that it might be too late to ask now.
But since the other had not stopped her yet, so it was likely alright to talk with the other.
'User can talk with other users freely. As long as the important points do not change, the user is free to do what they want.'
At least that was one problem out of the way.
"Dude, you know what I am? All everyone is calling me is 'that creature'. They look at me like they've never seen a man before and it's terrifying. I feel like they are about to put me under a microscope anyway. Plus, all those women, they scare me" the guy mumbled as he looked at Iris.
"I understand and I am about to tell you something very important so listen carefully" Iris had the other's full attention and she began.
The more she spilled, the more it made the other uncomfortable. In the end, he seemed not to be able to look Iris in the eye.
"So, you used to be a man and now are a woman? How did you even adjust? I am finding it hard to even stay here" the other asked in a small voice.
"A lot of exposure and it helped that I studied medicine. I guess I adjust fast and easily. What about you? How are you finding this change so far?" Iris asked and the other looked to be almost in tears.
"Man, I'm gay and surrounded by the women as a harem protagonist. How do you think I feel? Besides, I swear there is something wrong with those women around me. They are obsessed with that one healer, all of them and it's scary to see" the guy muttered and Iris felt herself flinch.
"I see. Thank you for the warning. I will be careful" the other's head turned toward her so fast that even Iris could see the flinch of pain.
She hurriedly healed the other since she could not allow him to get hurt now.
"Wow, you are good. I'm afraid to even ask what you did to them" the other muttered as he looked at Iris in a new light.
"It's better that you don't. I am a villain, after all, one you would have to take down eventually" There as quiet after that, both of them lost in thoughts.
And the guy was the one who eventually broke the silence.
"What are you going to do now? The others would be here for a while since they saw you" that was true. Iris could no longer hear Noir for now. She would need to wait for it to clear away.
"I have other places to visit as well so I will do that. Alone" she saw the disappointment in those eyes and felt bad.
But as bad as she felt, she knew she could not risk taking the other with her. It would cause a major deviation in her plans.
"But they will drive me crazy. At least give me a way to stay in touch. We need to stick together, the ones from the other world. I just need to know that I am not going crazy" Iris understood that sentiment.
Unlike her, the other had never touched this world. He knew nothing about this world and its workings.
And he also thought of himself as gay which was a huge surprise. But it also made sense in a way and would allow the story to flow well.
As touchy and perverted as the original MC had seemed, he had never touched any of his supposed harem which might be possible this time around as well.
'Users can communicate using systems as an interface and it would only be visible to other users.
Would User 'doctor' accept user 'player's friend request?'
Iris looked at the other who seemed sheepish.
"Sorry, I asked the system and it provided. Hope you don't mind" the other replied and Iris sighed.
It would not be that bad to have at least one friend in all of this. And talking to someone from her original world would be beneficial as well.
Not to mention, the MC would be the best source of information for her and allow her a tactical advantage on her side.
"Alright, let's be friends in this mess together and go home together" Iris agreed as she accepted the other's friend request.
In the corner of the screen, she read the name of the guy. Hopefully, Jackson would be ready for things about to come.