By the way, before we continue with the chaos in my living room, let me tell you something important about Irina.
She wasn't just some random girl barging into my house today.
No, she was the girl—the very first one I ever properly interacted with after being reincarnated.
Well, aside from Mom, of course.
Moms don't count in this category.
When my parents passed away, I lived alone for a while.
That was around when my memories of past life revived.
Back then, Irina was my neighbor.
A bright, energetic girl who somehow decided that the weird introverted kid opening thick coding books instead of playing outside was worth her time.
Yep.
That was me—tiny me, buried in books about systems and algorithms, while all the other kids were playing tag or kicking balls around.
After all, I knew which apps and games would be the super hits.
And for some reason… she fell for me.
Don't ask me how.
I still don't get it.
Sometime later, she'd force me out of the house, drag me to play, go to church, and sometimes even sit down to watch anime with me.
Honestly?
I thought she was annoying back then.
Not in a mean way, but… annoying like a buzzing mosquito that wouldn't leave you alone.
Now, don't get me wrong.
It's not like I'm gay or anything.
But at that age, romance wasn't even on my radar.
Me? Thinking about a "future wife in those kids"? No way!
Who knew how people would turn out when they grew up, anyway?
Though now that I think about it… training her to be my ideal partner could have been an option…
No, no, wait!
Not that kind of training.
Not the weird kind you're probably thinking of right now.
Geez, guys, your minds really live in the gutter.
I meant moral training, life skills, maybe better habits—normal stuff.
But back then, even that thought never crossed my mind.
To me, she was just that loud neighbor girl with weird hair color and eyes.
Later, her parents even tried to adopt me.
And honestly, they weren't bad people at all.
I actually think of them fondly—they were warm, kind, and meant well.
But me?
I didn't want to be tied down by "family" again.
I was too focused on being independent, planning out my future, and trying to set up businesses.
Of course, I learned the hard way that as a kid, I had no rights.
None.
All my grand "business plans" got shot down because, legally, a child couldn't do squat.
What did I do?
I hired a legal guardian with cash.
Problem solved.
They took care of the paperwork, and I got my freedom back.
Now, my guardian minds her own business, and I mind mine.
She's out on some work right now, but she'll probably be back soon enough.
I'll talk about her later when the time comes.
Right now, the focus is on Irina.
We had a weird little history.
Sometimes she annoyed the hell out of me.
Other times, I actually enjoyed being around her.
That was Irina in a nutshell—equal parts pest and comfort.
She fancied herself a knight in shining armor, determined to wipe out every bit of "evil" she saw.
Religion was her backbone; it ran through the whole family.
If I recall correctly, her father held some position in the Church—something official enough that he kept a stiff collar around his reputation.
They lived and breathed holy rites and righteous duty.
Don't get me wrong — I'm not denying their existence.
I've seen too much to pretend gods aren't real.
However, believing something exists and bending to it are two different things.
I accept that gods exist, yet I refuse to be their follower.
Nights of study and ambition taught me a different truth: why beg for power when you can take it?
I spend my days and nights scheming to seize divine power for myself rather than hand it over to some higher being.
Call it arrogance, call it ambition — I call it a hate-relationship with the idea of "God."
And no, it's not because I saw the supernatural; I was already a believer in the multiverse and the existence of higher beings long before my reincarnation.
I choose to challenge them.
Though back then, I had no clue of their existence or any idea how to hijack their powers from them.
But now I have evidence (reincarnation, magic, and lore of this world) and a way (Arceus).
Anyway—back on track.
After some time, Irina's family had to move abroad.
I don't remember exactly where.
It was sudden, and it was final.
I think that was the first time I actually cried in this life.
We were kids; she promised a dozen things—the usual sentimental vows that mean everything in the moment and nothing later.
Of course, I forgot every single thing she was promising back then.
What was I even doing, really?
I guess I was crying too much, trying to hold on to anything so I wouldn't feel that empty silence after she left.
In that haze, I probably even made some absurd offer — saying I'd build a better church here, hire her father as the one in charge, and even pay him a salary.
…Yeah, sounds like something I'd do.
And the fun part?
If I said it, I probably meant it.
Too bad her father must've just smiled and chalked it up as a kid's nonsense.
And that's how the chapter of Irina Shidou quietly closed in my life… until Goddess of Luck, with her cruel humor, decided to restart it today.
…Did I cheat on the goddess of luck in my past life or something?
Out of all possible timings, why does it have to be this one?
The current Irina is way too overprotective of me.
Honestly, it's like her leaving for years worked some kind of strange magic on her feelings.
She came back clinging tighter than ever.
Though… I get it.
If someone precious to you vanished for years and then suddenly reappeared, you'd probably want to guard them like a dragon hoarding treasure.
In that sense, I can't really blame her.
And it's not like I hate being protected by her either.
What?
You're expecting me to be the "manly man" and say I'll protect her instead?
Nah.
Sorry to disappoint, but I'm proudly from the Lazy Guy Community™, as well as an active member of the Gender Equality Society.
So if she wants to stand in front and shield me, that's perfectly fine.
Don't forget my dream of being pampered by a multiverse full of goddess-level beautiful onee-sans after all.
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