Chapter 39

I got in trouble. I thought I could get away with it since there were a few days of silence, but I got scolded. It was regarding the question of what was I thinking following Doyugeon into dangerous places, even though I was worried about him.

I tossed and turned in bed, hugging my pillow. Well, it was true to some extent, but it wasn’t really dangerous. I had checked with Schrödinger beforehand and was aware of the potential dangers. Moreover, I was confident that, whether it was goblins or orc wizards or shamans, none of them could harm me.

Of course, I continuously told Doyugeon it was dangerous, but that was more of a preemptive measure in case such an event occurred again. It wasn’t because it was truly dangerous. My parents don’t know these details, but I had my reasons for acting that way. I couldn’t mention Schrödinger’s existence, and while I thought I shouldn’t get scolded like this, it was a bit too harsh. Hmm…

The door clicked open.

“Sky, do you want some cookies?”

It was mom.

“No, I don’t.”

“You barely ate some rice.”

“It’s different.”

“Are you throwing a tantrum?”

“No, I’m not.”

Mom glanced at me for a moment then left the room. Though it wasn’t entirely her or my parents’ fault for scolding me, I still feel a little wronged.

Living in this life with the benefits of my previous life, there have been very few occasions when I’ve been scolded.

Like when I drank coffee when I was too young.

“Mom, coffee is the elixir of life.”

Or when I got annoyed and hit some annoying kids.

“Those halfwits are getting on my nerves.”

And other such incidents.

“Speak properly. Your grade dropping is due to your own head, not mine.”

“What kind of cheek is this? If you have this much courage, why don’t you try resetting your brain? You might successfully increase your intelligence.”

There were very few occasions like that…

I squeezed the pillow. Anyway, this time it was all Doyugeon’s fault. Who comes out of nowhere saying they’re going to catch goblins and runs out of the café? And then attempts to tackle a Rift? It makes no sense! Even if it’s adolescence, does he have a brain? Hmm. But reflecting on it, my assessment was too harsh, and I somewhat feel sorry, but still…

My stomach growled. I wasn’t really hungry, but the sound came out. I sat up and blinked. I should eat something, but not at home — somewhere outside.

I put on some casual clothing, went out of the house, and headed downstairs. Though it’s not technically outside the house, it’s not the inside of the house, right? When I opened the fridge, there were a few pieces of cake wrapped up. Either mom or the security guard keeps replenishing these snacks regularly.

I took out a piece of cheesecake and made a cappuccino. Making milk foam every time is such a hassle. Making espresso is as simple as pressing a button on a capsule coffee machine. When will capsule coffee get invented?

I sat on the chair getting ready to take a sip when I heard a voice from somewhere.

“How could you hide such a fact!”

I startled for a moment. What is this?

“Therefore, humans… Why do they blame us when they themselves misunderstand?”

The source of the voice was a white cat, Schrödinger, watching an anime on someone else’s tablet. Here you are again. Watching a magical girl anime again, are you?

“Magic: A Chronicle of Resentment Against the Omnipotent. You didn’t seriously think you could use such power without consequences, did you? It’s just common sense that I was stating facts you already knew.”

—Wow…

Schrödinger opened its mouth, and a little pink tongue appeared. What’s going to come out? It sounds like something that’ll hit the back of my head. Just standing here with my mouth open makes me look stupid. Hmm… Cats are still cute though.

Come to think of it, Schrödinger isn’t originally a cat, but since I’ve never seen the true form, maybe it’s just a cat. Still, it’s not a cat.

Schrödger’s full of mysteries. Firstly, it’s clearly a system representative based on the circumstances, but how far their authority extends and why they keep calling me “Master” and following around is unclear. Asking would probably get an answer, but curiosity kills the cat, so I haven’t. At this point, I’d like to kill Schrödinger, but that’s not going to happen.

However, with monsters appearing in the city and Rifts appearing, is this ignorance the right choice? Doesn’t ignorance pose more risks? Still, ignorance exempts me from responsibility.

The video Schrödinger was watching ended as the sound stopped, and Schrödinger tapped the tablet. Then it looked at me.

—Master! Cash is low. Please recharge.

“Why should my money be spent by you?”

—But it’s your parents’ money, isn’t it?

“That’s exactly what I said.”

—Are you really not going to recharge for me?

“Yes.”

—That’s mean!

Schrödinger tapped the floor with its paw, and dollar bills started raining down from the air. I used magic to flick the bills that were about to fall on the cake and coffee cup. What are you doing while I’m eating?

—Misers usually starve to death, you know.

In that sense? Ridiculous.

I picked up one of the bills that fell on the table. It’s a hundred dollars. The sins of the global gacha games resonate throughout this bill. There’s probably my 10 billion mixed in here. Who’s the miser here? I placed the bill back on the table.

“Alright, now clean these up.”

The bills sparkled and disappeared.

—Master is so kind!

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

I took the hovering tablet and recharged the cash, and while I’m at it, I’ll set up auto-payment. It’s too troublesome to keep doing this every time.

While handing the tablet back, I suddenly remembered something and paused my hand.

—Why are you doing that?

“Don’t pick up strange things from these shows that hit the back of my head.”

Schrödinger licked its paw and tilted its head.

—You’re looking for a meaningless answer, aren’t you? Are you feeling uneasy?

It might be meaningless…

Schrödinger smiled.

—Like this feeling?

…Schrödinger.

I placed the book back into the shelf. This one goes here. I picked up another floating book. A Complete Translation of Record of Tea. Hmm. Where does this go? A historical book from the Joseon Dynasty, so history? It feels closer to sociology than history, but it also seems more like a geographical book than sociology.

I got down from the bookshelf ladder and checked the shelves. Oh, geopolitics. I inserted it next to the geopolitics books. Looking at it, it seems a bit off, but whatever.

I picked up the next book. Calculus: The Core of Modern Science. This one’s definitely math. Placed it in the math section.

Around that time, a system window popped up.

[Closing beta service]

What? I waited a bit for other messages but nothing came. What is this all about?

Looking towards Schrödinger through the bookshelves, Schrödinger was still looking at the tablet. Schrödinger yawned. Is it no big deal?

Hmm. Closing beta? Beta service?

“Login.”

Suddenly remembering something, I mumbled “login,” but nothing happened.

“Status board, party board, magic log. Magic log activation.”

Magic skills don’t work either. It’s normal for them not to work, but now that they don’t, it’s a bit strange. Looking to the side, a few books were still floating. Since my magic still works, it seems like the system just stopped their support.

—Curious?

Looking at the floor, Schrödinger was already near, wagging its tail.

“No.”

—The automation of the system has progressed to a certain extent, so the closed beta is ending, and we’re moving onto the open beta phase.

“Stop talking.”

I roughly set down the books and escaped the bookshelf section. Schrödinger followed closely.

—Until now, automation hasn’t been fully developed, and manpower was short.

Avoiding Schrödinger, I walked around the living room when the sound of the front door opening came. Schrödinger glanced at the door and disappeared.

“Hi. I’m here.”

It was Yumina. Even though there was no plan to meet.

“Did our young lady wait for me?”

“No.”

“Ugh, you’re serious, that’s really hurtful.”

Around me, it looks like there are only people who like coming to others’ houses.

Yumina glanced around the living room and went to the kitchen, opening the fridge. She took out a piece of cake.

“Smooth?”

“Of course. I bought it.”

“You bought it?”

I finally understand the mystery of the fridge that replenished itself despite constant consumption.

Besides that…

“Isn’t this my house?”

“Are we at that point yet? Even our young lady would find this hurtful.”

We’ve only been together for about a year. Bringing this up out loud might not be the best, so I didn’t say it.

As I thought about changing the subject, I brought up another topic.

“How did you get back home that day?”

It must have been dangerous that day when the Rift appeared. Considering she seems fine now after a few days, everything probably went well.

“That day? Now that you mention it, it was quite an adventure.”

A white cat appeared from somewhere.

“Huh? Our young lady mentioned a cat named Schrödinger. Isn’t it just like the one you described? You said it disappeared because the skills vanished, right?”

“Uh, that’s right.”

What is Schrödinger up to? A subtle shiver went down my spine.

“What happened?”

“Well, I was in a stand-off against a goblin on the stairs. Luckily, I picked up a fire extinguisher and was pondering whether to throw it at the goblin or wait for it to come closer and then hit it.”

Both options would lead to the same probable death. A proficient fighting goblin would probably avoid the amateur attack easily and…

“Then the cat just appeared and said something.”

Ah, so Schrödinger did their job. I once asked if Yumina would be safe in a crisis, and the answer was yes, meaning Schrödinger was guarding her.

“What did it say?”

“Uh, something about a magical girl contract?”

Huh? My thoughts paused momentarily as Yumina speared a strawberry from the cake with a fork and popped it into her mouth.

Yumina mumbled while chewing.

“Delicious.”

Irrespective of taste,

“So? What happened then?”

“Are you fond of these stories?”

“Rather, what happened?”

“Our young lady is worried, aren’t you? If a suspicious cat offers a contract, you’d accept it.”

So, it means she didn’t accept, right? I took a bite of the cake. Green tea cake was delicious too.

“When the cat appeared, the goblin seemed to be wary and didn’t come closer. So, I immediately turned around and ran away. Fortunately, there was an open door nearby, so I escaped.”

“Good thing.”

“Yeah. How about Young Lady that day?”

After that, I spoke a little about Doyugeon’s misdeeds.

Yumina left Current Sky’s house. Looking at the sky, the sun was still up. Although the cake filled her stomach, she wasn’t sure what to do next. Given the current security situation, hanging out outside with friends would be difficult, and if she went to a friend’s house, she would have to face some awkward questions from their parents, especially since some friends were dealing with their families’ funeral circumstances.

Walking out onto the street while checking the library’s closure status with her smartphone, a high-end car slowed down beside her. Feeling ominous vibes, she took a few steps back. Looking around, there were some pedestrians and visible CCTV cameras.

A person got out from the driver’s seat and opened the back door. A sophisticated grandfather with soft facial features stepped out.

“Are you one of Miss Current Sky’s friends?”

“Ah, yes…?”

Though he looked trustworthy, she didn’t recognize him. The grandfather handed her a business card. It said he was the personal secretary of Current Sky’s grandfather.

“I’ll drive you to your home.”

“I was not planning to go home.”

“Then wherever you prefer.”

Despite the unclear intention, she got into the car.

Inside the car, there was a laptop playing a video.

Curious, she looked and saw a video of Current Sky and Doyugeon arguing in a alleyway. There were bloodstains on the ground, indicating it was from that day.

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