"Goodbye. I'll come again next time."
"Okay, mister. Be careful when going back."
I politely said my farewells and exited the hardware store.
I had quite the trouble finding it. I wandered around for a long time, asking people nearby, before finally locating the hardware store. It turned out the store was near the academy, and I had been going in circles, foolishly wandering around right in front of it. I wasn't usually this bad with directions. Could it be because of Leon's influence? Well, in the end, I found it, so it doesn't matter.
The owner of the hardware store was a friendly man. At first, he looked puzzled when I asked for items like rope. They weren't the kind of things a high school boy like Leon would typically look for.
But when I said I would use them to train my supernatural ability, he sold them to me without suspicion. Since I was wearing a uniform from the academy, he seemed to believe me without question.
Well, I didn't lie.
I'm a diligent student who doesn't know how to lie.
Everything was for training my ability.
I packed the items I bought into a shopping bag I had prepared. With both hands full, I had no choice but to return to the dormitory once. I was planning to leisurely stroll and explore the city today, but this was too inconvenient.
I left the bags stacked neatly in a corner and set out again for the dormitory.
The first goal was accomplished, and now where should I go next?
I had wasted some time searching for the hardware store, but it was still early.
There was no need to rush, so I walked slowly, enjoying the scenery around.
It's a fantasy world different from Earth, yet the landscape isn't that different.
Tall skyscrapers. Cars racing down the roads. Traffic lights alternating between red and green.
Power lines and poles stretched out like spider webs. Signs promoting shops. A stray cat hiding beneath parked cars.
If it weren't for the supernaturals and the fantastical creatures from another world, this could easily be mistaken for another modern Earth.
Walking on the asphalt road, I might forget that I have become Leon.
But it is indeed different.
Places where people live evolve similarly, almost like converging evolution, but with different fundamental conditions, history, religion, culture, and many aspects of society that diverge significantly.
I need to get used to it.
At least as long as I live as Leon.
I've suddenly had such thoughts in the past few days.
I became Leon unexpectedly, so it wouldn't be strange to think that I might suddenly return to my original world without any warning…right?
I don't know why I became Leon. I suddenly became a character in a novel. Honestly, I have no idea why. It's a novel, right? It's fictional, right? But why have I become the hero named Leon? I would bow deeply to anyone who could tell me the reason. In fact, I even seriously suspected that this might all be a dream and that I was just sleeping soundly in my own bed.
I wiggled my left pinky finger.
I nodded my healthy, unharmed pinky.
It's not a dream.
I can be sure of that, at least.
I touched my shoulders.
It's not an illusion. The pain from that time tells me so.
I stroked the back of my neck.
If it were a dream or an illusion, it wouldn't be so painful.
"Ugh... I don't know..."
No answer will come now, even if I hold my head and think hard about it.
There are no clues, and simply recalling it only leaves my heart troubled.
All I can do now is to live as Leon, so I'll do just that.
Leon.
I am Leon.
An ordinary boy you can find anywhere with a peculiar quirk of saying "Uhe~".
No, maybe I'm not ordinary. Even though appearances are average in this world, Leon stands out for his beauty. And his character is unique too.
Grrroooowl
A loud sound came from my stomach. It's a bit embarrassing.
I haven't had breakfast. I've realized these past few days that super regeneration seems to expend a lot of calories.
Not just super regeneration, but the supernatural abilities themselves consume a lot of stamina.
If I don't eat consistently and adequately, I feel drained. I don't mind the pain of an empty stomach, but I still needed to eat regularly. After all, people need to eat food and obtain nutrients to live.
Let's see what my location is... Okay, if I walk a bit more, I'll reach the downtown area.
They say even the best of views come after a meal.
First, let's eat.
------------------------------------------------------
"Welcome."
The girl spoke with a sleepy voice as if she had just woken up.
Each time she swayed unsteadily, her silver ponytail moved from side to side.
I found myself staring at her as she half-closed her eyes, nodding her head.
Maybe because it was the weekend, the downtown area was surprisingly crowded with people.
I walked carefully to avoid bumping into anyone, hesitating on which store to visit, when I noticed a noodle restaurant.
Even though it wasn't lunchtime, seeing the bustling crowd indicated to me that it was a good spot.
'Ah, here. This must be a popular restaurant.'
It was something like that.
Trusting my intuition, I walked in without hesitation and was met with quite a unique sight.
A silver-haired girl wearing an apron was taking orders. Up to this point, there was nothing strange about it.
The silver-haired girl in an apron was serving food. That wasn't unusual either.
The silver-haired girl in an apron was clearing plates from a table where customers had left. That alone wouldn't seem weird as well.
The silver-haired girl in an apron was receiving payments at the counter. This scene wasn't particularly strange either.
So what was peculiar about it?
A silver-haired girl in an apron, another Silver-haired girl in an apron, and you guessed it, another silver-haired girl in an apron.
In total, seven silver-haired girls in aprons were busily moving around, working.
No, correction. Only four were actually working; the remaining three were lazily playing in a corner.
By normal standards, there should be nothing peculiar or unusual about the scene. It could be a family restaurant after all.
But that was if they all looked different.
Identical hairstyles. Identical outfits. Identical faces. Identical voices. Identical body shapes.
Seven girls who were all the same as if they were reflected in a mirror.
Are they seven identical twins?
No. They weren't twins. They were all the same person.
The seven girls were actually a single individual.
"Eh?"
The silver-haired girl who greeted me tilted her head in confusion.
She was staring at me with her half-open eyes, crossing her arms and tilting her head from side to side.
Right. Left. Right. Left.
Repeating a few times like a pendulum, the girl clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh!"
"I don't know. Who are you?"
"...Don't you remember me?"
"I don't know, but you seem familiar."
This is too much. I feel hurt. I'm about to cry.
Even though we're in the same class.
"Huh? Hmm. Ah, golem. The one who got bitten on the shoulder. Blood, pouring."
The silver-haired girl at the counter said as she received payments.
Then, finally remembering, the girl in front of me exclaimed, "Oh!"
"That's right. Yes, welcome. Blood pouring. There's an empty seat over there, so you can go there. Be careful not to spill any blood."
"Got it. Thanks for the guidance, Anastasia. But the wound has healed already."
"Oh really? Why? Already? That's amazing."
I walked over to the direction she pointed and took a seat.
I opened the menu and glanced at the girls.
Life is full of such coincidences.
I just walked into a place that caught my eye, and here I am bumping into a classmate.
Anastasia.
One of the heroines of "Blades of Eternity".
Part of the golden generation alongside Elsia, Leo, Arin, and Alice.
Her supernatural ability is duplication.
All the girls working in the shop were Anastasia. They were all her clones.
I wonder who the original is?
Perhaps it's the Anastasia who is snoozing over there or the ones playing string games.
It must be one among these three.
"Hi. Blood pouring."
As I raised my hand to order food, Anastasia, who was tidying up the table, approached.
Looking at me with sleepy, half-closed eyes, I said to her:
"My name is Leon."
"Okay, so what's your order?"
"One plate of noodle soup, please."
"Got it, Slurp."
Should I correct her one more time about my name being Leon?
It wouldn't be of any use, would it? Anastasia is extremely self-centered.
She was the kind of girl who hears but doesn't listen. No matter how much I talked, it would pass by her brain without making an impact.
Leaning back against the chair, I slowly scanned the shop.
My guess that this was a famous restaurant seemed true, as there were many customers.
Anastasia handled everything from welcoming guests to cleaning up. She'd welcome customers, guide them to their seats, take orders, and serve food.
After the meal, she'd handle payments and clean the used tables. It was too much for one person to manage alone. But Anastasia was many. Only seven for now, but if she wanted to, that number could easily double.
"Here you go, Fish."
"Thank you."
The food I ordered came out without a long wait.
Wow, it smells good. It seems like my address changed again, but let's not worry about that.
"But Anastasia."
"Huh?"
I stopped Anastasia, who was about to turn away after serving the food.
She tilted her head as if puzzled.
"Why are the three over there just playing? Aren't they working?"
"Oh? That's right. Why aren't they working?"
Light flickered in Anastasia's sleepy eyes.
She lightly clapped her hands.
With a bang, another Anastasia appeared next to her.
"Work."
"Not gonna."
"Okay."
The newly created Anastasia walked off to the corner.
She went to the snoozing Anastasia, hugged her like a doll, and began to doze off as well.
"They said they don't want to work."
"...Oh, I see."
"Yes. Call if you need anything."
Without hesitation, Anastasia turned away.
Watching her retreating figure, I rested my chin on my hand.
I understand that the clones are influenced by Anastasia's emotions.
Drawing speculation from what just happened, the clones' actions reflect Anastasia's true feelings.
Was it because her subconscious didn't want to work that somehow it influenced her clones?
Then that means that the clones that are currently working embody her mindset of 'even if I don't want to, I must work.'
Wait, hold on a second.
Did Anastasia just created a clone?
If so, that means the Anastasia from just now is the original, since clones can't create other clones.
The original is working, while the clones are playing?
What kind of class revolution is this?
Grrroowwll
Ah, my stomach clock keeps ringing.
Let's stop thinking and eat before it gets cold.
I twirled the steaming noodle soup with my chopsticks and swallowed a mouthful.
Mmm...
It's excellent.
I think I understand why there are so many customers.
A 9.5 out of 10.
The 0.5 points are a matter of preference.
I wish it were much hotter, though.
So hot it burns my mouth.
…
Yes, no matter how much I think about it, that's too personal of a reason.
Let's just give it a perfect score of 10.