Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 154



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 154

Test (1)

Swaaaaaaah… … .

Cold water pouring from the shower.

Soaked by the biting cold, Solliet searched through her memories.

I carefully looked into the past that I had tried so hard to cover up.

Back then, when no one I cared about had died yet.

That old self had already met Zion.

Probably, not long after I entered Endex.

playground.

─Felix! What are you doing?

At the time, I was a first-year student and was standing with Felix on the playground.

─What are you doing, Inma? I’m preparing for the College Board.

─Oh~ College Board~

It was then that Solliet first knew Zion. To be precise, she remembered Zion’s name and appearance.

The reason is… … .

─Ah. That guy.

Felix said, glancing at the window of the Endex building. Solliet tilted her head and looked in the same direction.

He had a yellow bob cut.

A guy standing by the window in the hallway, looking out at the playground or at us.

─Do you know who it is?

… … It was a popular expression at the time.

─He’s a friend who had leukemia. Zion.

─Wow.

Solliet looked at him again, this time a little more cautiously.

He was small in stature, had a long scar above his ear, and was almost completely bone and flesh.

─Be good. We’re in the same class.

─… …with me?

Zion met his eyes and walked down the hallway again, somehow slumped.

Soliet muttered quietly.

─I hope you’re all better now?

─Probably so.

─But how do you know that?

─You. How cheeky of a brat.

Felix pressed his temples.

─Oh really.

─I usually know. It’s rare for someone to enter Endex with leukemia… … I know his father a little bit.

Solliet glanced up at Felix.

He was still staring at the corridor where Zion had left.

─I hope you’re all better. More importantly, do you want to practice swordsmanship? I think I’ll win this time.

─… … Arthur. You can’t do it yet. Maybe in 10 years.

─Ha! I feel like I can win if I just keep going a little longer. Come here quickly. Let’s spar… … .

Solliet smiled brightly.

It was a memory of those days when even the school lunch was delicious.

Kikkikk-

I locked the shower.

“……ha.”

I sighed and dried myself with a towel.

By any chance, has Zion been developing feelings since then?

Or maybe it was before that.

Of course, it would have been much earlier.

Because it’s half of my life, from the day I didn’t know him until now…

She doesn’t know.

Now, how should he treat Zion?

Should I just treat him like I always did? Or should I show him a slightly different side of myself?

“… …Is it because of me?”

Soliet hummed quietly.

His abyss is ultimately because he cannot forget them.

no.

Because I don’t even try to forget.

Zion, fearing that he might burden me, fearing that he might become my sorrow, instead wounded himself. He pushed all his emotions into the abyss.

He found out the secret himself.

Because I knew it so clearly, I could never go back to how I was before… … .

Solliet came out. She was about to change her clothes as usual, but then she glanced at her room floor.

“… … Huh! Zion?!”

There Zion lay fallen.

He was almost lying on his stomach, clutching some objects in both hands.

“socks?!”

It’s not just socks. There are also bracelets and leather gloves.

“Oh, no!”

That’s not the problem.

Knock knock! He vomited blood.

“uh!”

Solliet moved quickly. She bent down and put her ear to his chest.

Fortunately, the pulse was constant. It was regular.

It’s safe.

At least, in theory.

“Phew… … .”

Solliet’s breathing became rapid without her knowing it. Her fingers trembled as fast as her heart rate.

First, appropriate action was taken.

I wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and lifted his chin slightly to make sure his airway was clear.

“… … .”

Fortunately, there was no further hemoptysis.

Zion fell into a deep sleep, breathing comfortably.

“ha…….”

She cleared her throat. She absentmindedly looked into the mirror, feeling relieved.

“… … ?”

Suddenly, my brows furrowed.

There were tears in his eyes.

It was a very faint mark.

So much so that I couldn’t tell if it was the water left over from the shower or if it was from my eyes.

but.

Even that was questionable to Soliet.

It was because she hadn’t shed a tear since they left. She had cried so much that even her tear ducts had dried up.

But maybe it was just because I was so surprised all of a sudden.

Or maybe it was just moisture that hadn’t been shaken off.

Solliet muttered softly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“……why?”

* * *

“Ugh… … .”

I opened my eyes.

My forehead was wet.

No, the entire face was soaked in water.

“What is this?”

I confirmed its identity.

It was a towel.

No, it’s not a towel, it’s just water.

“Are you awake?”

I was startled. It was Soliet.

“Why are you here?”

“Why? The game console is here.”

“Oh, right.”

I forgot. Since it’s a two-player game, if you log out, you’ll be in the same space.

“… … I was surprised. Why did you suddenly collapse?”

“Okay. But this towel-”

“Please put the wet towel aside for now. You had a high fever.”

I smiled slightly and sat up.

“My hair is getting wet. I need to squeeze it out.”

I squeezed the water. Gust! It’s almost like a waterfall.

I lay back down and placed it on my forehead.

“ah…….”

Solliet let out a gasp as if she had just realized it.

“What the heck? You didn’t even know this?”

“I had a pretty high fever so I didn’t even think about cutting it. Now I know. By the way, what are these?”

Soliet held out some objects.

Each one is a bracelet, gloves, and socks.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know. Zion was holding it in his hand.”

“What are you talking about… … .”

I looked at them quietly.

“Oh really? Wait a minute.”

“……fool.”

This is a “Blink Protection Bracelet”. It’s a bracelet that instantly narrows a distance of about 40 to 50 cm.

These are “luxury leather gloves”. These gloves are extremely helpful when you need to hold onto something.

The socks are… …Solid ones.

“It just comes out like this.”

I was just trying to remember the performance, but it seems like the game items were included.

I don’t know what the principle is.

Is it possible that this happened because I remembered the ‘code’ that materializes the item?

“ruler.”

I first gave Soliet a pair of socks.

“What… … Wait. Aren’t these socks from a game?”

“Oh, that’s right. I think I got it thanks to a quest reward, so I’ll give it to you.”

I don’t want to be bothered to explain, so I just gave a rough outline.

Then Soliet just looked at it quietly.

“… … .”

“……hey?”

It’s just a sock. Why are you treating it like it’s some kind of precious, valuable item?

“My level was raised halfway by you. I deserve it.”

“Ah… … yes.”

Only then did Solliet receive the socks.

“Try them on.”

It’s strange to say something like that about a pair of socks. It’s like giving a pair of shoes as a gift.

“yes.”

She put on her socks with a very nervous look on her face.

“……and.”

Soon, his eyes, nose, and mouth widened.

The face of the person turning the white socks on his feet here and there is the expression of someone who has received a real luxury shoe as a gift.

“It’s comfortable. Really.”

Gulp!

Then a noise was heard from Soliet’s ship.

“… … .”

She glanced at me furtively.

A faint smile escaped.

“I’m hungry too. Should we go out?”

Soliet nodded quietly.

“……yes.”

It was already morning in the open space outside the dormitory. There were many seniors.

They are all familiar scenes, such as stretching and morning training, but there are also many things that are quite different.

It’s a ‘left table’.

There are stands lined up like a butcher’s shop with meat cut and prepared for sale, and there are also many vendors selling the grass and berries they have collected themselves.

This is how self-sufficiency is achieved.

Among them, the place with the longest line is… …coffee.

[Terrence Cafe]

The sign looks like a 5~6 year old kid selling lemonade on the street. However, since coffee itself is a rare item here, seniors are waiting in line.

-Hey. Have you heard of the farm in the mountain plains?

-Did you hear that? Raye and Kane praised it highly.

-But isn’t 300 a bit excessive? It’s two days’ worth of daily wages.

-Oh. It’s expensive. So I’m curious. Cain, you ate that and were dazed for almost three days.

Achievement points have already become the official currency among them.

[Bedondon] It seems like you’ve been developing steadily while doing various things.

“… … Oh, wait. Isn’t that Terence?”

Suddenly, the guy making coffee at that makeshift cafe.

I looked because the face seemed familiar, and it was ‘Terrence’.

Why, that guy we met during the first quarter evaluation, the one whose spectrum is “home”?

[Terrence Cafe]

The name of the cafe was Terence.

“Who are you?”

“Ah. There you are. Good guy. He’s doing well.”

I looked over there. Just then, Terence noticed me. He was busy pouring coffee with both hands, and only his lips moved as he spoke.

‘Zion defeated Gerken!’

I waved my hand too.

“Then let’s go eat. To the farm.”

-Just as I was about to leave.

──Hey!

A huge roar rang out.

Everyone in the empty lot was startled and looked at the place.

──Attention everyone!

What a stone statue it was. A four-headed soybean stone statue.

“What is that?”

“… … Hey. There’s a stone statue here too?”

Not one.

The stone statues that had been standing outside the dormitory, seemingly nowhere in sight, suddenly began to speak in the same voice.

──Okay. Now, we will begin the full-scale testing of [Planarium] in the second quarter.

The stone statue declared ‘Second Quarter Test’ with a bizarre expression on its face, and all the seniors froze in their tracks.

──Ah. Only those who wish to participate should participate. Not everyone needs to participate. You might die.

That means you could die.

The atmosphere becomes cold in an instant.

──It means that production workers are fine with just producing.

Then Terence’s voice flowed in faintly.

“Coffee, coffee keeps selling~”

──But you are eligible to participate in this test! Those who wish to participate in the test, come find a ‘ticket’! The ticket is somewhere in this planarium! If you find it and bring it to the destination, you will receive 1,000 achievement points!

1,000 achievement points seemed like a lot of money, and the seniors were in an uproar.

I earn money by working every day.

──It’s hide and seek! Come on! Let’s find out! Lucky ones might get a ‘ticket to go out’!

“Pass to go out?!”

Someone shouted loudly.

──That’s right! It’s a trip that allows you to go home and rest for 3 nights and 4 days.

“Well, even so, if you go down to the continent, you won’t be able to earn achievement points.”

──Oh! Since it’s a legal outing, you’ll also be awarded appropriate achievement points!

“Whoa! Where! In the forest?!”

──That’s right! It’s somewhere in this planarium!

Then chaos broke out. Nearly two thousand seniors rushed out of the dormitory and ran in all directions.

Some people used their magic to fly, others raised golems to advance, and it was a spectacular sight.

Solliet asked calmly.

“Zion. What are you going to do?”

“Let’s eat first. Oh, do you want some coffee too?”

Thanks to that, the cafe became deserted.

“Ah. Coffee. Good.”

Solliet smiled faintly.

I approached Terence, who had finished his day’s work.

“I’m going crazy… …Why is business like this today?”

“Terrence. Long time no see?”

“Oh, Zion defeated Gerken. It’s been a while.”

“When was that? Call me Zion.”

Terence laughed heartily.

“Yeah. What do you want to drink?”

“I want Americano. What about Soliet?”

“I like Americano too.”

“Did you hear that? Give me two glasses.”

“Oh, yeah!”

Terence brought out the coffee he had prepared in advance.

“20 achievement points.”

“thank you.”

I tried to tag my student ID with Terence’s, but Solliet snatched it away.

“I’ll count it as mine.”

He speaks urgently and tags his student ID.

Bb-

Soliet’s student ID has -20AP stamped on it.

“… … Oh, well. Thank you.”

“No. Something like this.”

“Wow. Looks like you two are close. Soliet and Zion.”

Terence looked at us both, or rather at me, as if he was envious.

“What… Terence. Where did you get these beans?”

“These are the coffee beans that were in the “house”. Do you know what that means?”

“Okay then.”

That means it’s taken from your own spectrum.

“Strangely, the coffee beans didn’t go bad.”

“Oh, right.”

The soul does not eat coffee beans. It does not drink coffee itself. It only drinks plain water.

Why, there’s no crazy guy who puts cola on the altar?

“But now there aren’t many coffee beans left. Business is also a bit difficult because of the truth… … .”

“truth?”

“Uh. The ones who bring their own huge tumblers and ask you to fill them up. You know, the ones who are a bit rascals? The ones who are a bit strong.”

I crossed my arms.

Coffee beans.

Come to think of it, there’s also a coffee tree at [Ascal Farm]. Thanks to Gerken, he really brought all sorts of things.

“Hey Terence. Do you want to do a supply contract? Something like a franchise.”

“… … Franchise?”

“Oh. I’ll give you much more delicious coffee beans. And as an escort… … ”

An escort capable of defeating not only Endex, but also all other magical powers.

One person comes to mind right away.

“Kane. I’ll put you in Kane.”

Terence’s eyes became the size of baseballs.

“Really?! Ke, Kane is going to escort me?”

You could just give Kane a coupon for free use of the farm, or rather, a few discount coupons.

“It’s not like he’s always under guard. If he shows his face, he won’t be able to act like a fool. If he does act like a fool, you can nag Kane too.”

“Wow, wow, wow!”

“Okay. Just give me 30%.”

The once smiling face hardened slightly. I snickered.

“Instead, raise the price. The coffee beans I supply will be of much better quality.”

Caffeine is addictive. The better the coffee beans, the more addictive they are.

If you think about it, there was a reason why Gerken brought tobacco seeds and coffee trees. He could sell a lot of them if he made them addicted.

A real politician, a politician.

“Okay. I’ll do it! Should I write up a contract?”

Terence said with a determined look on his face.

“Oh~ You’re so proactive.”

“Of course, I was like a real dog!”

“… … .”

The swear words coming out of Terence’s innocent and cute face must represent the difficulty of self-employment.

“개X같은새끼들. 씹새끼들. 미친X발놈들.”

“Okay, okay, calm down.”