The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 146

Chapter 146: An empty house
ㅤI fell asleep while Almy still held my hand.
ㅤI’m usually a light sleeper, but I fell asleep fairly easily with a strange sense of security.
ㅤ
ㅤI think I saw something like a dream.
ㅤThe reason my wording is vague is because what I saw was vague.
ㅤA stream of something that seemed to be both extremely colorful and yet all black, and at the same time all white, enveloped my surroundings, and I was swayed by its waves.
ㅤIt was like a lukewarm bath, and yet like boiling water, and also like ice water. It was like a swirling torrent, and yet also like a quiet mountain stream.
ㅤI conveniently called it a “stream,” but it wasn’t as if something concrete was flowing.
ㅤIt’s just… like something that’s nothing is flowing… sort of, it’s a hard-to-explain phenomenon.
ㅤ
ㅤIf I had to say, it’s like being blinded, struck by severe dizziness, and losing consciousness.
ㅤ
ㅤAs I was swept away on the ether rollercoaster connecting world to world, I lost consciousness.
ㅤ
ㅤWhen I next opened my eyes, I was standing in an unfamiliar room.
ㅤ
ㅤThe room was about the same size as my old room.
ㅤThe shutters were closed, making it dim.
ㅤIt smelled musty and damp, as if no one had been in here for a while.
ㅤ
ㅤLooking around the empty room, I finally realized.
ㅤ
ㅤ”This is my room, isn’t it?”
ㅤ
ㅤIt took me a while to realize because it looked so different.
ㅤ
ㅤ”My room, also known as the scene of my murder, huh…”
ㅤ
ㅤThere were traces of what appeared to be police tape having been peeled off the floor.
ㅤIt was in a human shape, just big enough to fit me perfectly.
ㅤOf course, that’s where my|（ dead body） must have been.
ㅤJudging by the shape of the tape, it seems my death pose wasn’t too gruesome.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It would have been embarrassing to d*e like a frog. Well, I’m already dead though.”
ㅤ
ㅤI look closely at the floor.
ㅤThere was something reddish-black left in the gaps of the flooring.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I wonder if they didn’t clean it. Or rather, who cleans up stuff like this?”
ㅤ
ㅤI’ve heard that the police don’t do it.
ㅤIf my relatives were called in to do it, I feel sorry for them.
ㅤ
ㅤ”They probably sold off the furniture. But wait, if my dad’s alive, they shouldn’t be able to dispose of his assets, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤDid my dad’s suicide or execution mean the inheritance went to my relatives?
ㅤThere’s also the possibility that my dad asked a lawyer to dispose of anything painful beforehand, but I wonder if my dad, who seemed likely to get life imprisonment at best, would be that considerate.
ㅤ
ㅤI try flipping the light switch on the wall.
ㅤAs expected, the light didn’t turn on.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I wish I had my computer. No, even if I did, the power’s out and the internet’s probably disconnected.”
ㅤ
ㅤI open the closet door.
ㅤThere’s a thin board fitted in the back of the closet.
ㅤWhen I peel it off,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Good. It seems like they didn’t find this.”
ㅤ
ㅤThere was a metal cookie tin.
ㅤI dust it off and open it.
ㅤInside the box was a bank book and 100,000 yen in cash.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m glad I saved up my runaway fund.”
ㅤ
ㅤIt was something I had diligently saved up by managing my New Year’s money and allowance.
ㅤ
ㅤBut, I knew this amount wouldn’t be enough to run away.
ㅤEven if it could serve as temporary funds, it wouldn’t even be enough for a down payment on rent.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I was saving it while thinking, ‘I wonder if this will even be useful, should I just use it now?’ I’m really glad I saved it.”
ㅤ
ㅤOtherwise, I would have had trouble securing funds for my activities here.
ㅤOf course, if I abused my Thief skills, it would be easy to swipe wallets from unsuspecting civilians in this world.
ㅤBut, I don’t want to do that, even if I could get away with it.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Now then. First, I need to find a place with internet access. An internet cafe should be fine. Or should I secure it along with tonight’s accommodation?”
ㅤ
ㅤAfter imprinting the state of my room in my mind, I take a look around the house.
ㅤI thought there might be something else left, but there’s surprisingly nothing.
ㅤThere’s no sign of the altar of the new religious group that my mother bought for three million yen, nor the sports car that my father bought without telling my mother. Well, I don’t need that stuff anyway…
ㅤ
ㅤ”Come to think of it, even my clothes are reproduced with ether, huh?”
ㅤ
ㅤIf only my body had been constructed, I would have been thrown out naked.
ㅤBut,
ㅤ
ㅤ”These are clothes from that world… They’d be considered cosplay here.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe Demon King’s mantle and robe.
ㅤA luxurious outfit unified in red and black, designed to inspire awe in those who see it.
ㅤ…Why did I choose this?
ㅤ
ㅤ”It can’t be helped. Let’s erase my presence and head into town.
ㅤBut how am I going to buy clothes? I want to avoid being seen in this outfit by the store clerk.”
ㅤ
ㅤWhile pondering such things, I left my house.
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s a bit of a walk from my house to the station.
ㅤNormally I’d take the bus or ride my bike, but I can’t ride the bus in this outfit, and my bike was gone from the house.
ㅤ
ㅤSo I have to walk.
ㅤI used to think it was a tedious distance to walk, but compared to traveling through another world, it was nothing.
ㅤ
ㅤ”This is nostalgic. I didn’t have many good memories, but it’s strangely dazzling, or rather, it feels overwhelming.”
ㅤ
ㅤThings that I used to take for granted now seemed to shine with a strange brilliance.
ㅤThe cosmos in the planter of the house next door.
ㅤThe rusty, rickety pedestrian b*idge.
ㅤEven the sounds of the club activities from the nearby junior high school, which I used to find noisy, now sound nostalgic.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Let’s see, I think there was a Yamamura around here… Ah, there it is.”
ㅤ
ㅤI find the discount clothing store and go inside.
ㅤI choose a set of clothes to change into and change in the fitting room inside the store.
ㅤOf course, I keep my presence erased.
ㅤI calculate the price of the clothes I selected in the fitting room, add a little extra to the total, and put it in an envelope along with the price tags.
ㅤI quietly place the envelope in the office behind the cash register.
ㅤWith a ballpoint pen I found in the office, I write, “I shoplifted on a whim. I couldn’t bear the guilt, so I’m paying for it. I’m truly sorry.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, the store didn’t lose anything, so it’s fine, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤChanged into inconspicuous Yamamura clothes, I stop erasing my presence and head towards the station.
ㅤIt’s not a very big station, but there are a few internet cafes in front of it.
ㅤHowever, just as I’m about to enter an internet cafe, I realize something important.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I don’t have any ID.”
ㅤ
ㅤThese days, internet cafes require you to show ID.
ㅤOf course, I don’t have anything like that now.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What about hotels? Does it depend on the place? I could look it up online… but that’s right, I can’t use the internet.”
ㅤ
ㅤOther places where I might be able to use the internet…
ㅤ
ㅤ”…The computer room at my high school.”
ㅤ
ㅤI could sneak into a random company or house and use theirs, but I feel a little hesitant about that.
ㅤOn the other hand, if it’s the high school I went to, I know what time the computer room is likely to be empty. And if it hasn’t been deleted, my account should still be there.
ㅤIt’s not that far from here either.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m not thrilled about it, but I guess I’ll go check it out.”
ㅤ
ㅤI hail a taxi in front of the station and tell the driver my destination.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What’s up, Ojou-chan? Going to see your Onee-san or something?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe friendly-looking driver with white hair asks me.
ㅤ
ㅤ（No, I used to be a student there.）
ㅤ
ㅤI often get mistaken for being younger than I am.
ㅤWell, it’s probably because I’m not wearing a uniform at this hour.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Something like that.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I heard there was a scary incident at that high school. A female student was killed by her father. What a terrible father.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-yes… What happened to that father?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”If I remember correctly, he was put on a wanted list, caught, and is currently on trial. He’s saying he tried to commit a murder-suicide out of despair for the future, but couldn’t bring himself to d*e… Is that true?”
ㅤ
ㅤIt seems like my father’s lawyer is concocting that kind of story.
ㅤI think the truth is more like, “I did it in a fit of rage, I don’t regret it.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”We’re almost there, but where should I stop? Is it okay in front of the main gate?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh, no. Could you stop a little further away? I’ll get in trouble with my Onee-chan if I’m too conspicuous.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm? Did you come to deliver something your Onee-san forgot?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha. Something like that.”
ㅤ
ㅤI pay the fare and get out of the taxi.