The Worst-Case Scenario

A he… ro…

—Even though Light looks weak, I feel like becoming a hero would suit him surprisingly well.

Memories forced their way to the surface. The unshielded, praising smile of my childhood friend flickered quietly in my mind.

Rista… Tch!

I clicked my tongue inwardly, cutting myself off before I could utter her name.

“You have a very scary expression on your face, meow. Are you okay, Renee-chin, meow?”

I must have accidentally fallen into a vortex of memory; by the time I noticed, it was already too late.

“…!”

Her face was pressed very close to mine.

Though her messy hair made her face look filthy—and in truth, it was filthy, having likely not been washed for an eternity—those blinking eyes staring straight into mine were like gems. Listening to her breath so close to my ear and meeting her gaze, I caught a glimpse of my own reflection in her eyes: my face was gradually flushing red.

“Don’t… don’t lean in so close… cough, cough, cough!“

A violent fit of coughing shattered my thoughts. I hurriedly turned my head away, coughing toward the ground.

“Renee! Are you all right, meow?!”

“Don’t… don’t come any closer.”

She tried to approach me, but I responded only by retreating and holding out a hand to block her.

Calm down… Calm down, Light. It’s true that it’s been a significant amount of time since I’ve been close to a woman, but… now is not the time for such things.

Never forget… the betrayal by those you saved.

No one is truly worthy of your absolute trust; at best, it’s just a temporary alignment of interests.

—Light!

The silhouette of a short-haired woman flashed through my mind for an instant, but I shook my head, casting her voice aside.

Sister Ti… No, enough.

I am no longer in the Human Realm. Here, the only person I can trust is myself.

“Enough. That’s all for today’s lesson. Go back… cough!“

“Re… nee, meow…”

She seemed to want to say more, but she could not defy my command. She knew what the consequences of defiance were, even if she only wanted to take care of me.

“Then I’ll head back first, meow.”

Finally, she left.

“By the way, I’ll take Renee’s toilet basin with me, meow.”

“Please do not do that!”

If she did, using the bathroom would become a serious problem.

“Hee-hee, meow.”

Hands behind her back, she looked back playfully, a trace of a smile lighting up her face.

This girl…

As I watched her leave, even though I was complaining in my head, I knew that the gloom on my face had lightened slightly, replaced by a touch of relief.

“Cough, cough, cough!“

However, my physical condition allowed no room for peace of mind.

Racked by violent coughing, I could only curl up in the corner, enduring the sickness that was relentlessly tormenting my body.

The worst-case scenario had finally happened.

The environment in the warehouse was terrible to begin with, and two of my cellmates already had health issues. Even though I had chosen the one who looked the healthiest to teach me, it seemed I couldn’t avoid it after all…

Looking at it now, the fact that it only broke out today could be considered a blessing in disguise. At the very least, I had mastered the Common Tongue and gathered some basic information about this world before losing my clarity.

“Cough, cough, cough!“

My head was swelling, my throat was parched, and my body was burning with fever.

“This is… terrible…”

I wanted to get up, but my body refused to obey, remaining motionless as if in protest.

This is no time to be lying here. There are still so many things… the Sirens’ movement patterns, the reason the warehouse is getting colder, the whereabouts of my suitcase… All these things, there’s still so much to—

“I can’t… not like this…”

My heavy eyelids slowly closed. Even as my mouth struggled to form words, my eyes took it upon themselves to sever my connection with reality.