Chapter 74

I clicked on the internet bookstore’s storage box. The book covers that I had set aside to buy later popped up. Checking how many there were in total, it came to around twelve thousand volumes. That’s a lot.

In my current life, I don’t lack allowance, and I’ve bought the apartment downstairs to use as a study, so I don’t have much of a real estate burden. Still, it’s not like I can just buy every book that catches my fancy.

Sometimes, I find the book I want to buy is out of print, and I end up despairing momentarily before deciding to purchase a second-hand copy in good condition later. Other times, the book is over a thousand pages, too daunting to dive into right away. And then there are cases where I put off buying a book in a series until the whole thing is released. Sometimes, after gazing at books that sit unread on my shelves and feeling a fleeting embarrassment, I just keep browsing and not buying.

There are plenty of reasons, but the fundamental issue is that I discover books that interest me faster than I can read them. The speed at which I uncover interesting books correlates with the diversity of my interests and my curiosity, so there’s no reason to feel disheartened about encountering this problem. I should rather proudly embrace and encourage my diversity and curiosity. Hm… But does it go too far?

Anyway, thanks to the habit of perusing books every morning, my list of books keeps on growing. Hence, I occasionally need to weed it out—removing books from the storage that no longer appeal and objectively culling those I’ve impulsively held onto. Failing to do so turns the storage into a cluttered warehouse, and the ones I’ve stored will remain forever unpurchased. Even now, most of them aren’t being bought, but if I don’t clean it up, they really never will be.

Still, twelve thousand is a lot… If I were to individually check the introductions, skim the table of contents, read excerpted sentences, and go through reviews, it would take forever. My motivation drops sharply. Maybe I’ll do it another time.

“Organizing them later seems like the right move, doesn’t it, green onion?”

Speaking to the green onion, as expected of a plant, it didn’t move an inch. Since there’s no response, it might be fine to take it as an affirmation. If it were against it, it probably would’ve given some kind of gesture—like the pot trembling or something. But if the pot were actually to shake, I might seriously consider throwing it out.

“Since the green onion agrees, I’ll stop for today.”

After all, it’s something that can be done later. Exiting the storage box, I returned to the main page of the internet bookstore. Since I’m here, I may as well check out new releases.

―Master, silence doesn’t mean affirmation.

A white cat boldly climbed onto the keyboard and started a conversation. I’m not sure whether it was Schrödinger’s feet or body that pressed the keys, but a string of text was entered into the bookstore search bar.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

As the search bar filled with the same vowel, Schrödinger comfortably seated itself on the keyboard, effectively ending the key-spamming but implying that keys were being pressed at random.

In life, cats are not helpful. They lower productivity, cause stress, shed fur, act stubbornly, and even talk.

“You wouldn’t know, but the green onion and I communicate silently—soulmates, you know.”

―A common misconception. Communication without words cannot convey understanding.

Schrödinger licked its fur, tidying its body. A quarrel for no reason started up.

“Hey, can you please get off the keyboard?”

―Would you treat other cats the same way? Cats have the right to be wherever they want.

“I don’t plan to keep a cat, so your assumption is irrelevant.”

―But I am a stray cat.

“You’re a stray, though.”

―Technically, you’re my master, but you also aren’t.

After rolling around once, Schrödinger stepped off the keyboard.

I deleted the inputs that had been pressed. Fine. The obstruction is still right in front of me, but I’ll ignore it and browse new releases. I’ll head to the domestic books section first and click on new humanities releases. I plan to peruse the list arranged by the most recent, clicking on intriguing books, checking them, and admiring the saved interesting tomes in the library list. This is known as the shopping method of the hypertext era. Or maybe the shopping method of the big data era?

―Are you uninterested in the world?

“But I am checking out worldly affairs right now.”

―Books only document the past.

“That’s why they’re at least an objective medium. By the way, shouldn’t you be doing your job? You said the system could manage itself, but it’s too peaceful.”

There was supposedly one surveillance official, but since he wasn’t working, it must be true that I alone am managing it.

―That’s because I have many avatars, you see.

I was indirectly telling it to go away, but it brazenly ignored me.

“Isn’t the system such a mess because of your appearance?”

―Master.

Schrödinger rolled around once more, pressing the keyboard buttons massively with its white body.

―Do we really need to expedite our own destruction by strictly adhering to diligence and industry?

Schrödinger looked up at me with wide, cunning eyes.

I moved the mouse to click on a new release. It was a psychology book about brain plasticity. That’s quite common now.

―Are you not interested in the world?

“I’m concentrating, so don’t bother me.”

Though neuroscience-based productivity enhancement and habit formation are intriguing, such content is now overly exaggerated these days.

―Why does a system operating on a planetary scale exist?

There might be some interesting and unique neuroscience books amidst the countless new releases, but finding them is tiresome.

―Why do sleeping dragons and abandoned lakes exist?

I also occasionally think there’s a need to revisit some things. Bestsellers incorporating brain science into self-help books are frequently featured, making me wonder if they’re different in some way.

―Why does a cat functioning as a system administrator visit?

I do recognize that falling for marketing tactics isn’t good, but getting too disconnected from the public through reading is also undesirable.

―Why is the cat in front of me asking these things? Given that it keeps questioning shamelessly, does it lack any sense of decency?

“I think it lacks any sense of decency.”

―I don’t know either!

A cheerful response accompanied by a flurry of white fur that obstructed my vision. Looking down, I could see Schrödinger shaking off its fur, covering the desk with it.

I leaned back into my chair, creating some distance.

―There’s no need to be scared. Cats are just animals that go through the shedding process.

Is this really considered speaking?

A sneeze came out, causing me to close and then open my eyes. In that moment, the white cat had vanished, leaving only the white fur to flutter about on the breeze of my sneeze.

I sat there blankly for a moment. Shaking my head, I used magic to neatly gather the fur and threw it in the trash. When I picked up my coffee cup to drink, I noticed some white fur floating in the coffee.

“…This is shameful, isn’t it? That’s right, green onion?”

The green onion remained silent. Its affirmation reinforces the fact that the only one I can trust is the green onion. Recently, Doyugeon has been focused on sparring with Grandpa and hasn’t been visiting, which makes me feel even more that way. It’s Winter Break, yet I alone am enjoying myself. While I intended to distance myself, the lack of space has been leaving me in a less-than-great mood.

―Why do you keep asking plants that can’t talk?

Startling me.

Turning my head quickly, I saw Schrödinger lying on the bed, nonchalantly swiping at someone else’s tablet.

You didn’t leave?

No, really? You do that and claim to have left?

I rested my forehead for a moment. Oh, the stress… I suddenly felt very tired and wanted to sleep—in a bed free of Schrödinger, not the one occupied by it.

If only Schrödinger didn’t exist, I might be able to live a stress-free life. Is this how a physics student feels when they finish classical mechanics and start quantum mechanics? I somehow understand the sentiment.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

Schrödinger tilted its head.

―Isn’t it cartoon time soon? Why would I leave?

That cartoon is a magical girl series Schrödinger regularly finds, charges to someone else’s account, and watches.

―Do you mean the shedding? It’s normal for humans to prepare ceremoniously before important tasks; I was just shedding.

The comment made me want to toss my coffee. I brought the mug to my lips but stopped seeing the floating white fur, and decided against it. I used magic to empty the coffee into the kitchen and made a fresh batch.

―Magic is convenient, isn’t it?

“Yes, it is.”

Still, not needing it in the first place would be the most convenient.

―Won’t you do a second-class promotion?

The system’s second-class promotion update happened some time ago, giving me that feeling of “finally.”

“Since Doyugeon isn’t coming around.”

Literally, because Doyugeon isn’t visiting, I haven’t done it. While I can figure out skills of other professions by digging online, this one is unique to me, so I’m curious about the skills. But he’s not coming.

Actually, I’m considering refusing even if he comes. After all, I’m in a phase of distancing. Hmm. Though the second promotion quest is relatively safe, with even lower levels capable of handling it, I’m very much considering it. Still, if he genuinely pleads, I might help him through the quest. But he isn’t coming.

“Grandpa must find sparring really enjoyable.”

Schrödinger shook its head.

―Tsundere types are out of style now.

How ridiculous.

“I’m not a tsundere character. If we were to liken my character to a story, I’d be the protagonist or the antagonist.”

―A wise statement.

That’s odd. It made me feel bad that it agreed with me.

―Oh, by the way! There’s no immediate plan, but there will be an important update eventually.

“I already said you didn’t need to tell me.”

―It’s an update directly related to your safety.

That caught my interest.

―Part of the control over system rifts will be relaxed.

After waiting a moment, there was no further explanation.

“That’s great for brief statements, but I don’t understand.”

―I see!

Schrödinger smiled cheerfully.

―I knew that!

Is it picking a fight?

―Humans have been able to enter rifts, but mobs haven’t been able to leave… except for that incident with the goblins.

“And?”

―Now, after a certain amount of time, mobs will be able to leave! Easy, isn’t it?

Not at all.

Though rifts usually appear randomly on the ground, they can, unfortunately, appear anywhere, even right in the middle of a house. The reason there hasn’t been significant disruption so far is because there hasn’t been much danger. While magical girls declaring territory on private land might be problematic, that’s a separate issue. As long as one doesn’t step into the rift, one wouldn’t encounter mobs. But not anymore?

―Up to now, the system has been protecting you. But many countries decided the cost was too high and instead chose to leave it be and solve the issue gradually.

The white cat shook its head.

―As a consequence, much more rifts have been left unmanaged, and trying to cover them all has over-consumed the system’s fuel. I’ve had to endure watching futile actions like resurrection only at login times and the embarrassing sight of people arming themselves with rifles to face rifts! It’s an outrageous waste. You might not care, but it’s a dire situation. It hurts my heart.

The white cat lifted its paw to touch its body, seemingly mimicking the gesture of clutching its heart in pain. Although, I wonder if cats even have hearts there?

―Which is why, for sustainable operation of the system, I―made the difficult decision!

The white cat exclaimed excitedly.

―Handle your own problems!

While the introduction was long, the conclusion was a simple truth.

“So, in essence, crime rates will increase, and we need to be careful, especially Yumina.”

With magical girls having a tougher job now, this is indeed a significant issue.

―Yumina is fine! The Magical Girl Cartel is far more dangerous and well-armed than imagined. The police’s hands-off approach isn’t because they’re just minors. They’re practically impossible to suppress with brute force unless military units are deployed.

Really? Though Laplace using space-time magic is indeed beyond imagination. It would be nice to visit once and learn their spells, so I’ll do it later. It’s too cold now anyway. By the way, what magic does Yumina use? I’ve never heard or seen her use any; all I’ve seen her doing is carrying a gun.

“Anyway, it’s ultimately about vigilance because security is deteriorating.”

―Yes!

“Alright. That was simple. Thanks for letting me know.”

―I just did what needed to be done.

After that, it seemed Schrödinger had nothing more to say and bowed its head to look at the tablet. Watching this for a while, I used magic to bring out a freshly made cappuccino from the kitchen. Whenever I face this unknown entity that’s either a cat or an alien, I like to drink coffee as a way to relieve the tension.

I tried to hold the mug with both hands but gave up because it was too hot, so I pulled down my sleeves to cover my hands. The warmth of the mug through my clothes was soothing. Steam rose carrying the subtle aroma of milk and coffee. Nice.

Taking a sip, the temperature wasn’t scorching but warm enough to heat my mouth and slide down to my stomach. I closed my eyes, marveling at the wonders of the human body. I could feel the tension in my back and shoulders slowly dissipating as my body relaxed.

Licking my lips with my tongue, I tasted the creamy texture of the milk foam. Perhaps I don’t love coffee itself but the moments that come with it. Could my consumption of caffeine stem not from its effects but from the desire to escape into these small, fleeting moments of solitude amidst an otherwise relentless world?

The coffee’s quiet moment was interrupted by the sound of an anime. It’s not the magical girl series Schrödinger usually watches, but something new, probably picked to pass the time.

It feels like if Schrödinger were absent, I could find some time and space to relax, but it’s probably an illusion.

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