A maid would arrive near Sekou as he was looking around.
"Honoured guest, would you like something to eat or drink?"
'Huh? Who- oh a maid. A pretty one too- no they are all pretty. They did this on purpose. Perhaps trying to seduce or manipulate us? Hm. Why tho?'
"Um, water… il have some water if you have any." Sekuto would speak as he didn't want to leave her waiting. 'She called me an honoured guest? And they've been treating us with a strange amount of respect up till now?'
"Understood." The maid would speak.
/Pour…/
She'd skilfully pick up a tea cup and fill it with water.
The water looked extremely fresh and clean. The young man didn't know how to put it exactly. All he knew was that the water looked good.
As he took it close to his mouth he'd stop.
'What if they poisoned it? Or put something that muffled my thoughts?' He'd give a glance at the maid and see that she was looking right at him.
'Remember rule 3 have a plan B but don't be paranoid. I'll simply take a small sip first and refuse to drink anymore if anything feels off. Yeah, let's go with that.'
/Sip/
"Haaa"
'The water- is not normal. It's cool and refreshing yet I don't feel my mind being manipulated or affected by this in any meaningful manner. Perhaps I truly was overthinking this.' He'd think as he finished it all rather quickly.
He'd once again turn around and look at the maid. 'This is a honey trap. I refuse to believe it's something else. Otherwise, there would be no need to have so many of them be Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe they just prefer having pretty maids.'
Yeah, it was too early to start making such assumptions. For now, what he needed to do was gather as much information as he possibly could and work something out from there. Looking at the people around him he'd notice teachers and students all dealing with this situation.
'I need to think about this logically. As much as I see the other heroes as incompetent working in a group is better than going completely alone. At least until I find a way to get better companions.' He'd think to himself whilst looking around.
It wouldn't take long before he realised that the maid was still looking at him and at the cup in his hand. Tilting his head slightly he'd notice and speak. Deliberately acting a bit shy and embarrassed.
"Ah um- could I have some more water?"
The maid who was observing him would smile.
"Of course." She'd say her tone was bright and Sekou couldn't tell if she was faking it or not as it all seemed genuine.
/Pour…/
Once again water was poured into the tea cup and once again Sekou drank it all without much hesitation. The only difference is that this time after being done he'd give the cup to the maid who stood before him.
Nodding she'd grab it and step back. Still in range if he needed to ask her anything. 'There are a lot of people in here. Red guards, Purple guards and Maids.' His eyes darted around analysing his surroundings.
His hands would move to his pockets, the movement natural in order not to attract too much attention. He could feel his phone and earbuds. A slight frown would overtake him as this happened. 'If we were isekaid then there's likely gonna be no signal here. This is a problem… My phone holds information about me. Information I don't want them to know.'
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that he had forgotten his wallet this day. None of his IDs were with him and since he wasn't particularly close with anyone here the most people would know is his name.
'As soon as I get the chance I'll be deleting all the information in my phone. As for getting rid of it or destroying it? I'll be thinking of that when the time comes.' Nodding to himself he had somewhat of an idea.
The earbuds weren't too important but he'd also get rid of them as soon as he got a chance later on.
…
After Sekou had gotten a general idea of the situation he'd rather discreetly look around. It seemed like most people had managed to calm down whilst some teachers were trying to get information out of the guards and maids. Of course, they weren't getting answers.
'Trying to get information out of your captors isn't something I'd expect to work.' The young man thought sarcastically.
Naturally, not everyone had calmed down. This was a pretty surreal series of events after all and people would react fittingly. In simple words. Some screamed, others spoke about rights Sekou doubted they still had and some people even started saying stuff like "I will call the police." Or "Free us."
'Again guys we were fucking kidnapped. If any of this worked then kidnapping wouldn't be a serious crime now would it?' Perhaps Sekou was simply too quick at accepting all of this. Or maybe he just failed to recognise that these were their coping mechanisms either way.
This all just seemed oh so pointless to him.
"System."
He'd mutter. Yet nothing happened.
"Status Window."
Still nothing.
"Status."
Blank.
'Hm well um- maybe I don't have a golden finger. This makes things a bit harder. Even though I'm the most amazing person here, I'm going to be real.' He'd think.
'I doubt I have some extraordinary talent and if I don't have a system like in the novels the best I can see myself ending as is some third-rate mercenary at best. A scholar if I'm even able to understand anything about magic or a slave/normal worker.'
'None of these are bright options and I sincerely don't believe that we'd be summoned here without anything so I guess I'll just have to wait. Wait until I figure out if we were summoned for any specific reason.'
'Really hope we weren't summoned to be cattle or something.'
His thought would end there as he looked at the ceiling. Even when looking up it was easy to tell that the design of this place was wonderful.
/Inhale… Exhale…/
Taking a deep breath and releasing it again he'd focus. Time to pay attention to his surroundings again. He was making minimal and casual movements to make sure that he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself.
People were still just being people it seemed. Some tried to run, others fell unconscious due to stress or just straight up started hyperventilating. He couldn't blame them. The only thing dividing them and him was the fact that he watched and read a bunch of fantasy-related bullshit and the fact that he was actively not thinking about his family.
'Can't think about them. No matter what.'
Because if he did. Because if he sat down for even a single minute and started to realise that-
"Focus."
He'd think as such thoughts were pushed back. He was different from most of the people here. What was currently happening was that the people here made one of two decisions. One was the acceptance of what was happening. This was a very small group of people mainly the nerds and Chunnibyos. The other was Denial, which was the majority of the other people here. As they didn't want to believe what was currently going on.
Sekou chose neither. He simply pushed back the problem. After all, his favourite saying was "Future me will deal with it.". And he lived by that saying. He could never stop.
He had to strive forward without thinking of what was behind him. Because it's in moments of weakness like this. It's in moments of pain and confusion like this that people are at their weakest-
'Wait a second. It's at times like this that people are at their weakest! Why didn't I think of this before! I'm such a damn fool!' He almost wanted to face palm.
Turning his head he'd look at all the people who were here. Specifically, the ones that had broken down and started crying. A glint flashed through his eyes.
'How come I didn't notice this before. They are all useful. Is this the moment I start using my manipula- cough I mean is this the moment I start using my persuasion skills? I knew talking to Chad would prove to be useful!'
A light smile would overtake the young man's face as a plan already started to build up in his mind.
The first thing Sekou would do is look around. He wasn't looking for someone specific among the people who were crying. Just anyone who he could "guide" towards helping him. The only requirement would be that them having a connection. It wouldn't take long before he indeed found someone.
A girl he'd often seen in the "Popular" group. She wasn't the most well-known but she did get along with most people or at least that's what he could tell from his previous analysis of everyone around.
'What was her name again? Ella? Emma? Yes, that was Emma.' He'd lightly nod to himself as he moved towards her. In such a situation it was best to have a soft approach.
Some people may start to wonder what Sekou's plan was here and it was quite simple. As stated before he didn't know if he had talent or not and in such a situation it was best to well-
Get close to people who might!
It may be a bit scummy but Sekou planned to get close to the majority of heroes and make them somewhat reliant on him. To such an extent that even if he wasn't strong people who were or who had the potential to be would want to protect him.
Scummy? Probably. Did he care? Not nearly enough.
Plus it wasn't like he'd go out of his way to hurt them. As for why he was approaching Emma? She was simply the first person whom he chose to start this with. The first test subject if you wished to go that route.
'Yup. I 100% didn't choose her because she was one of the prettier people in here. Most definitely.' He'd think to himself.
'That aside I first need to find out why the fuck she's bawling her eyes out. Work brain work. As a professional brown noser, I pride myself in always knowing what's going on around me!'
It didn't take long before all the gears clicked into place.
'Took me a bit to remember but Emma is not only the emotional type but also has multiple pets and two older siblings she's attached to. Is that why she's bawling her eyes out?'
"Family eh?" He'd mutter to himself before arriving next to her. The girl was a bit of a mess, to say the least.
Dirty blond hair and light blue eyes which by now were slightly red and puffy due to the constant crying, wearing the university uniform that barely anyone wore and having two beautiful falcon-shaped earrings on her ears she seemed pitiful right now.
Her uniform was slightly damp due to the constant tears. Her hands were shaking and the constant loud sobbing was slightly irritating but Sekou would just ignore it.
The first thing he'd do is signal a maid over to come with some tea. Once he'd received the tea cup he'd lightly offer it to her. 'What do I do now? Smile and say some comforting words? Something like that? No. Let's instead go with acting slightly embarrassed whilst giving off a delicate impression, yeah that's much better. I'd rather not be overbearing.' He'd think to himself.
"Um, I-i I'm not good with comforting people but I'm sure things are going to get better! So stay strong! I got um tea if it helps." He gave off a rather shy impression. Not his best work but it would have to do until he figured out how he should be acting around her.
Emma would temporarily stop the almost never-ending stream of tears coming down her face. As she looked at Sekou. The sobbing was still there and her emotions didn't seem to be calming down any time soon but for now he had her attention.
And truth be told that was all he needed right now. He simply needed her focus to be on him and solely on him. 'Fuck the anxiety is practically killing me! Speak already!!'
"Sniffle tha-thank you. Um Zekou? Sniffle. Was it?" The girl would mutter whilst holding the warm tea cup in her hands.
'Damn, that's how forgettable I am? My facial expression almost broke. Who the fuck is Zekou?!'
"Ah, this is embarrassing! Introductions are in order, aren't they? Sekou Oshiro. At your service." He'd smile brightly whilst trying to look as embarrassed as he possibly could. Luckily he was, really! Good at controlling his facial expressions.
"Ah! Sniffle. I'm sorry! I got a Sniffle. Your name is wrong!" The girl would quickly apologise the second she found out she had called him the wrong name. She seemed on the verge of crying again.
'That's right you better apologise!'
"Oh, it's not that important! You can call me whatever you'd like as long as you're comfortable with it! Emma right?" A rather innocent look on the young man's face as he spoke.
'You better not! Call me by my amazing name! Sekou! Sekou the Great to you!'
"Y-yea! Sniffle. Emma, you got it right. Sorry again Sniffle for getting your name wrong. I think I'm a bit out of it today, Sniffle. Because…" Emma's gaze seemed to start to get foggy again, tears once again threatening to spill.
'Fuck I can't let her start crying again! Momentum is a thing. This has to go at my pace!' After such a thought Sekou would start to speak once again.
"Just don't think about it and drink the tea! If you're worried about things like family and friends I'm sure we'll find a way to go back once we learn more about what's going on."
'I can't guarantee this at all. Matter of fact there's a higher chance of them not sending us back than of them sending us back but she doesn't need to know that.'
"You're right! Sniffle. There must be a way to go back to Sniffle. My sisters." She'd say as she started drinking the tea he had given her. Judging by the sudden brightening of her expression it must be good. Probably really sweet.
"Yes. W-we just need to find out what's going on! And then- and then they'll surely tell us a way to go home!… yeah… definitely…" she'd start to almost repeatedly mutter under her breath.
'Well, now she has hope as small and flitting as it may be. With hope, humans can do a lot.' He'd nod to himself. Now how to find a way to make her stick to him was the real question.
"Yes, you're completely right. So what do you think we should do for now to make that happen?" He'd ask her whilst still 'Shyly' smiling at her.
"I um- I do-don't know… I'm sorry I'm sniffling. I've never been in a situation like this Sniffle. Before…" The momentary brightening of her expression was immediately gone as she failed to answer his question.
"No! Don't worry about that! You're not in the best condition so I can think for us right now. Of course only if you're fine with that."
Sekou would say before quickly turning his head to the side when their eyes met. He looked extremely "shy" right now.
"You're Sniffle. Ri-right… yo-you can think Sniffle. For the two of us right now since I'm not ok…" She'd say whilst finishing the tea. He found it rather odd how accepting she was of him. This was a bit too easy… felt as if she was just latching onto the first sign of guidance she could find.
Sekou however wouldn't complain about that. This was just one free addition to what he envisioned to be his future group.
"Going back to my previous question, I can give you an answer right now as I've already thought about it! Are you fine with me whispering it to you?" He'd ask wanting to give off an air of "secrecy". Although it wasn't necessary it was to keep her "engaged".
The more distracted she was the less likely it was for her to start crying.
As he saw her nod he'd lean in closer and whisper so that even she could barely hear it.
"The plan is pretty simple. Pay attention to every. Single. Word. That the people here say. That's how you gather information. Even useless conversations may hold valuable information."
Sekou had to emphasise when he said every single word. He wanted her to know that any information that came passing through here could be useful.
She'd look at him and nod once more as it would seem that she didn't want to speak much. Smiling lightly he'd simply ask her one more question.
"Is there anything you want right now?" Sekou would ask with a light smile still playing on his face.
"Um- could you…" Emma would look down at her empty tea cup and then back at Sekou. She seemingly either didn't dare to speak to one of the maids or simply didn't feel like it right now.
"Ah! I see no problem." Lightly grabbing the tea cup from her he'd ask a maid to refill it before giving it back to Emma. The young woman seemed happy as she also managed to lightly smile at him.
'See! You can do it! Go on test subject number 1! I knew you could do it! Now all that's left is me slowly manipulating- cough I mean me slowly guiding you onto a path of happiness!'
"I'll be right next to you, if you need anything else, Emma. Just tell me okay?" He'd speak carefully and slowly. With care as if he didn't want her to miss any of his words.
With that being said she'd nod as he sat next to her. Speaking with her had naturally given him bits and pieces of information! He had just found out that the reason she currently wasn't with her friends (The other Popular Kids) was because one they'd gotten split up during this whole chaotic ordeal and two she was currently overwhelmed.
Luckily Sekou came in right in time to not only calm her down but give her some pretty good tea and a plan to follow. Truth be told, these were all things she'd have gotten with more time but that was from Sekou's perspective. From her perspective, he was the anchor that had stopped her from spiralling into even more chaotic and dangerous thoughts.
And Sekou sure as hell was going to keep it that way. After all, it was beneficial for him.
Sekou would once again start to pay attention to what was going on around him.
He noticed that one of the university students tried to go and talk to the king. 'What could make you think that you're qualified to talk to the ruler of a nation?' Sometimes he was surprised by how idiotic people could be.
Naturally, the fool was rejected and shot down by one of the red knights. Due to his lack of courtesy, the young man was now on the ground unconscious. One of the maids however did come and give him a pillow and blanket making the sight look not as bad.
/Chatter chatter…/
It would seem like the rich kids however adapted rather fast! Gathering together and currently sitting on a mat that they had requested. Eating, drinking and resting. It was noteworthy to see that some people were so fast at adapting.
It would also seem like the maids quickly picked up on their more privileged background as a lot of them remained on their sides quickly adapting to their mannerisms.
/Stutter…/
The geeks were of course acting awkwardly towards the cute maids and to be truthful Sekou would also be acting like them if it wasn't for the fact that he saw them more as people working with their kidnappers than cute girls.
Everyone was having different reactions to everything that was going on and this was a good thing to see. Looking at Emma he'd notice that her tears and sniffles had stopped which was good. She seemed to be calmer now.
Upon noticing this he'd turn towards the nearby maid and smile. "Thank you for your assistance. I believe that we are satisfied now."
He'd speak with purpose.
Upon hearing this the maid would nod with a small bow and leave.
"Understood sir."
Is the last thing Sekou would hear coming from her. 'Now that this is done.' His head would once again go towards Emma as he smiled.
"You feeling better now?"
"Ah, ye-yes!"
Her reply was on point and slightly high-pitched pitched causing her face to blush in an intense red out of embarrassment and causing Sekou to just slightly chuckle.
"Well, that's good. Because I think we are going to be getting a rather interesting explanation soon."
Just as Sekou said that something had indeed started to happen.
/TUM…TUM…TUM…/
From a rather long hallway on the right of the throne room. A giant circular structure was slowly being pushed forward by what seemed to be a flying mat.
/HUM…/
The mat seemed to emit a strange humming sound now and then as it moved, making a weak, sombre echo travel through the hall.
/CLAP!/
The king would clap his hands to attract everyone's attention. It seemed like a signal that they had been waiting for.
The maids got up and left after greeting us one more time standing in a row to the left of the throne room, waiting for their next orders.
"Now, has everyone calmed down? I hope so." Rebifos said deeply as he stepped out of his seat, going down to their level.
'The more time passes the more I want to beat you up. Too bad I'd probably die the second I moved with ill intent.'
"I am now going to explain everything to you all and I will only repeat this once, so pay attention! I only request that you all listen before asking questions since I don't like getting interrupted for no reason."
'So this translates to: Shut the fuck up and let me tell you the situation you are in right now.'
"I'll answer any doubts soon enough."
"…"
'The start.'
Exactly as Sekou thought this was the beginning. Perhaps the most important part of the upcoming journey.
"First things first. NO! This is not a dream, nor is it a stage nor anything you are imagining. This is real. Vivid."
'Well fuck. There goes my smallest hope of this being fake. Otherworldly kidnapping confirmed.'
"I am the ruler of this land, you may refer to me as Rebifos…"
"His Majesty, Emperor Rebifos Rarma Draly the Sixth to be precise." The man standing next to the throne said as he adjusted his glasses.
'Wipe your mouth when you're done, buddy.'
"That's too long Lupio, I only need them to remember my first name for now," Rebifos replied with a scoff as he turned his back to them.
"Where was I? Right... You were all transported from your homeworld to ours by the use of an ancient artefact of our kingdom, an ancient ritual repeated numerous times across time."
'So you've committed multiple kidnappings before.'
"Today, this ritual repeats itself. Be proud!
You are the chosen ones! Meant to rise above all others!"
'Chosen to be ripped apart from our family and friends and the future we worked so hard to build- well maybe not the last part for me but you get the point.'
"Do not be alarmed for Fate is to be conquered!"
'Now you're just spilling some bullshit to sound cool.'
/Whispers/
Most people were of course confused as fuck. Shit Sekou himself was also super confused; the only difference is that he didn't show it much! The only exceptions to this were some of the people who weren't okay in the head.
"But why you all? And for what purpose? You might be thinking that you aren't special. Not special enough to be transported to another world at least."
'No I'm more so wondering how many people are gonna be gaslit by you and if I can somehow make it home.'
"The reasons are numerous as well. Tradition being the biggest one, Development being the second biggest."
"Every one hundred years we make the summoning even if we don't need Heroes."
'Motherfucker you just admitted to kidnapping people just because you can. You don't even have a good reason! What's wrong with you?!'
"But that never happened, heroes are always needed. Always in high demand." He said as he turned to the left, gazing at the tall pillars carved with depictions of angels and strange beings none could recognise.
"You were all chosen not by me. But by the Gods."
'Those motherfuckers as bitches too then. If you need someone to fight for you send an avatar down fuck face.'
"I know this may sound... Strange, depending on the world you came from. But here, we believe in the Three Great Gods and they are of unparalleled importance to our day-to-day life, I hope you may all embrace their beliefs as well for we shall embrace yours as well."
"The Emerald Sun Empire does not discriminate in this department."
"..."
'Gods huh. Who knows maybe I'll end up being one's apostle but until I'm strong enough not to be toyed with. I'll stay far away.'
Sekou rather quickly decided that as of right now he wouldn't bother with anything related to their religions. He had sort of already confirmed that magic was real so believing deities were also real wouldn't be that hard
'Although that brings a very terrifying notion in mind- but for now I'll just refrain from thinking about it.'
"But what is the job of a Hero? Fight? Lead? Guide others?" The Emperor asked as he walked back to his throne.
"Do not be mistaken, you aren't Heroes yet.
You're all a long way from that."
'Well considering I don't want to be a hero that's a good thing! But I'm most likely gonna be forced to be one so we ball!'
"A Hero's main purpose is to protect the stability of our kingdom, even more, when you consider we are the only Human Kingdom on this continent."
'Damn? Humanity must be ass in here. A single human kingdom… sucks to suck.'
"This Kingdom may mean nothing to you now, but you'll all soon realise it's your only home, the only place where you can be truly... Free."
'Eh considering that once again I was brought here against my will and I'm now being coaxed into fighting for this place I'm sure it will always mean nothing to me. Also, the fact that you use the word "Free"'
'Is hilarious.'
"And yes, this means there are other races. I am saying this since we once summoned Heroes from a world without them, so I hope you all understand my point here."
'Elves, Dwarves and Orcs? The classic trio is here? Maybe this won't be horrible.'
"The Empire welcomes you all, but the world outside will not. And given your destiny, why not aid us in fighting for a better future?"
'Ahem lemme give you a couple reasons why. Number 1. I cannot stress this enough. You kidnapped and separated us from our families.
Number 2. You could very well be lying out of your teeth right now. I know damn well that everyone on the planet can't be unwelcoming of us and if heroes are as awesome as you're portraying them then there could very well be better deals out there.
Number 3. Old man Vista said not to trust those at the top. So Mr King. There are 3 reasons why we shouldn't help you.'
Of course, all of this was going on in Sekou's mind. Right now he was just holding a serious expression next to Emma as she looked pretty downcast.
"To strive to maintain the balance between all of the races, and to help the Human race prosper. This is the job of a Human Hero."
'Human? Why is the an emphasis on 'Human' are there non-human heroes? Food for thought.' Sekou would think to himself.
"This is just a superficial explanation anyway. Don't worry as you will all learn more later."
"But first, let's start the "Assimilation"."
'That sounds ominous. Assimilation? Are you feeding us to something? What the hell? That's ominous as fuck.'
'No. Think rationally. They didn't look like they wanted to harm us, especially after that entire "Hero" nonsense.' Nodding to himself he'd calm down.
"The Gods oversee everything, watching over us and granting us their blessings. This is so we can improve and develop as a race. But it's also so that we may defend ourselves from disasters."
"This is a relic from a time long forgotten, capable of Assimilating Humans from other worlds into our own. It's also capable of granting them a special privilege known as a "Heroic role"."
"Why not use it on ourselves instead of calling Humans from far away?" He asked out loud as he looked at his hands.
'Probably a rhetorical question nevertheless I'm curious.'
"That is a very obvious question. Its answer lies in ourselves."
"From the day we are born, we receive a mark, this mark classifies us as residents of this realm. It's also when we receive access to our "role".
'That kind of…. That kind of sucks. From the day you are born, it's already determined how far you'll be able to go.'
"Hence, we can't use this artefact, because we already have our roles. We don't need it..."
"Yet, very rarely, a Human is born without a role attached to him. We call these Humans,
"Fateless", the abandoned, those forgotten by the Heavens."
'Main characters?'
"To be without Fate is to have no future.
"Zero Fate", because their destiny has yet to be made by the Gods."
'100% Main Characters.'
"But without Fate, one cannot predict where their road will take them. They can rise to become Mythical heroes or fall to become diabolic demons. But it's almost certain they will become something."
'Zero Fate eh? This is interesting. I have to research more on them later.'
"Everyone will eventually reach the end of their roads."
"One of our ancestors was one of such beings… but his is a tale best left for another day."
"His conquests marked the birth of his Empire, but we're not here for history lessons".
"…"
'I am curious about a couple of things here like if this world has these "Marks" that give people roles. Did ours also have them? Just that no one was ever able to tell?' This was more food for thought.
'General understanding is that these "Marks" are given to the people of this world at birth and you can't change that. These marks must give people power and they have this machine or item that can give people "Marks/Roles", probably very powerful ones. Since they can't use it, they summon entities from elsewhere, give them the marks and put them to use.'
'I could have gotten some stuff wrong but generally that's what I'm understanding.'
'All of this is indeed rather interesting.'
'Nevertheless, one thing is certain and that is that I'll take everything they say with a grain of salt.'
Just as he thought that the king spoke once more.
"Hm… I've said enough. Lupio, you take it from here, I am getting tired." Rebifos said as he got up from his seat.
"Understood Your Majesty, I'll get them ready in the meantime."
/Nod…/
The red knight then escorted the king out of the throne room.
"... Ahem. As you all have heard, the number of things that need clarification is just far too numerous for a single session. And as I am sure none of you would be keen on staying up for over an hour, let's start the Assimilation."
'Well then my anxiety levels are about to skyrocket.' Sekou would think.
"For the introductions, I'm the Head noble of the Empire, Skypos Lupio Hyl. We can leave the rest for later'"
'Head Noble? What the fuck is a head noble? Like a Duke? A Grand Duke?'
/Raise.../
He was about to make a gesture to the guards when one of the students raised their hand:
The butler was confused by such a gesture but he soon identified its meaning. Smiling faintly.
"What an interesting way to get attention...
Yes, miss, what is your question?"
'How the hell do students get the teacher's attention here? Do they just interrupt them? Eh actually that also happened on Earth so not much of a difference.'
"Can we go home instead?"
'My goat is asking the real questions here. Yeah, I'd very much like to go home to my little sister. So please let me go home.'
"... The killer question... No wonder his majesty left…"
"Would you let me answer this question later? It's not that you can't go back, it's just that… Sigh. It's hard to explain. Please just follow along for now."
She nodded.
'Ladies and Gentlemen what a killer deflection from the Head noble Lupio! I'd also like to draw attention to how the King previously said he'd answer all of our doubts but the second he finished his monologue he immediately left!'
'Truly a symbol of regality and authority! No different from our politicians back home! Gotta respect it!' Sekou's thoughts would spiral.
Looking at the girl who had spoken he'd decided to note her presence in his mind. After all ever since the red knight broke one of the delinquents' hands no one had even dared speak too loudly.
'She got guts if I remember correctly she's from the "Pretty and Mean" girls group. I'd do well to keep an eye on her.' He'd think to himself.
With that being said Lupio would start to speak once more.
"Now… Hate me if you must, but today, you'll all be undertaking the Assimilation. So pardon my rudeness." He said as he gestured to the knights, having them slam the bottom of their spears on the ground.
/Clang!/
'Why am I not surprised? Really. If I ever get the chance I'm beating up every knight in here. I, really, really hope I have the power to do this.'
"So! The only thing I need you all to do is to get close to the "ball". Nothing else." Lupio would say.
"We will do the rest... And please. Remain close; otherwise, you may not receive a "role," and reactivating this machine is several times more expensive than bringing
You all here."
'Oh? Well, that's interesting. So the machine is one of the most valuable things they possess.' He'd think to himself.
'Curious.'
"In other words, you have only one shot at this. You may fear it now, but you'll eventually regret not stepping closer to it."
"You'll have no one to blame but yourself."
/ Silence.../
No one replied, letting him continue:
"It takes around 5-10 years of tax collection just for this... And it's been getting harder due to those issues at the borders…"
'Border issues? Maybe conflicts. Possibly has to do with their previous mentions of non-humans.'
"That's why we only do this once every one hundred years."
"This shall be my first and last time doing this. And just like his Majesty, I would prefer if nothing went wrong."
/ Cling clink.../
As he said that, several of the Purple Knights began moving the summons to the floating, ball-shaped object.
/Step… Step.../
As they approached the object, Sekou would glance at Emma. She seemed to be relatively ok which was a good sign.
'Can't let subject number 1 not be ok.'
'Just to make sure tho.'
"If you need any help just tell me and I'll try to help."
She'd just nod as they continued to walk.
Looking around he'd see the ball-shaped object yet upon closer inspection he'd notice that instead of being spherical it was made out of multiple metal rings that intertwined with a strange object at the centre.
'Interesting.'
Everyone crossed into a small circle painted on the ground as they approached it.
"Just relax and wait for the Head Noble's call. Don't leave the circle under any circumstances." The knights spoke in similar tones as they stood guard.
'Hm seems like they don't want us approaching the machine. Can't blame them, some of the previously summoned heroes probably tried to break it in a panic or something.'
'Of course, this is only an assumption of mine.'
'Other than that tho it seems like this is really about to happen. I have a certain feeling that when this is completed they won't allow us to leave tho.'
'This feeling came when they said it takes 5 to 10 years of taxpayer money to activate this machine. Realistically I should have realised this a lot sooner.' Sekou would think before looking at the ceiling and sighing.
'They deflected the question about us leaving and then said they would use 5 to 10 years' worth of taxpayer money to give us "Heroic roles" In essence this counts as a debt. A debt worth 5 to 10 years of an entire kingdom's taxes.' He'd give a self-deprecating smile.
'There's no way in hell that they are gonna let us just go. Not without at least milking that value and probably much more from us. Looks like I ain't seeing you any time soon sister.' Sekou's eyes would almost go watery. Almost.
Right now the dominant emotions in him were Excitement, Sadness and Anger. Sadness is the weakest of the two followed by Anger and then Excitement. Can you blame him tho?
It's been stated multiple times that his interests align with the Geeks more than anyone else and most of them were gushing in excitement right now.
"You may feel nauseated. But that is but a common side effect. But if you feel pain inform us immediately." Lupio said as he put his hands behind his back.
"We're starting in three… two…"
"…"
Silence seemed to overtake almost everyone in the room.
Silence for the start of this story.
"One…"
/CREEEEK!/
The echoes of metal scraping reverberated throughout the hall as the metal circles slowly alighted with each other, showing what was inside the ball.
It was challenging to explain. It was like a spire of connected glass tubes.
The tubes glistened under the lights, or were they lightning up naturally?
'Yeah, I'm 100% certain that I'm never finding anything like this on Earth.'
[Initiating…]
A voice rang inside Sekou's mind and his first thought was naturally. 'System?! System is that you! I knew I had a golden finger! I'm a chosen hero after all!'
Flashback to twenty minutes ago where he was cussing out the gods and royalty for summoning him here his personality had switched so quickly it was almost funny.
Truly Sekou was an interesting individual at times. From an outside perspective, his face barely showed emotions and when they did they were only the emotions he wished to be shown.
Yet unlike that his mind was so wild and untamed it was almost funny. Surely if he ever met a mind reader it would be the end of him.
Around him, Sekou saw some people attempting to run in fear yet he didn't know what they were expecting to happen as the purple knights pushed them right back in.
/Push/
Stumbling back all that could be seen in some of their faces was fear. To that all that Sekou's reaction amounted to was a light snicker in his mind and a gaze filled with pity on his face.
Looking to his side he'd see Emma also seemingly a bit scared of what was currently going on almost unconsciously moving closer to him. 'Well, that's good. The more she unconsciously recognises me as someone trustworthy the better. From here I can learn how to get close to others as well-'
That didn't matter right now tho. 'The system! I need to focus on what it's saying!'
[Detecting the presence of Type 1 incomplete Human…]
[Initiating Prometheus sub-routine…]
/Shine…/
Sekou felt a warm feeling rising from his stomach. If he had to describe it he'd say it was as if he had drunk hot alcohol and its aftereffects were taking place. It was just more comfortable and mystical.
Upon looking at his chest he'd see light shining under his skin.
'Okay, this is starting to freak me out.'
/DING!/
[Would you like to receive the assimilation? Warning. Refusing may result in permanent soul damage.]
"?!"
'Yes, I agree, I accept! Positive! Get this over with and leave my soul alone!'
Not knowing if the system had heard or not he'd grow slightly anxious.
/Chatter…/
It would seem he wasn't the only one who had received this notification as he heard others also hurriedly accepting and giving approval to whatever this entity was.
With denial resulting in soul damage not even the stupid people here would reject. After all even the suspicious people would fear damaging something as unknown and mysterious as the soul
Nevertheless.
[Confirmation detected. Initiating Assimilation…]
/Bzzz!/
An electrifying feeling spread through the entirety of Sekou's body. It didn't feel painful but instead odd? It merely felt like a strange feeling overtaking his body.
He'd start to feel extremely weak as his leg started to slightly shake. An almost extreme sense of relaxation took over this had an almost hellish feeling in Sekou's.
[Assimilation ended… Looking for a proper display method…]
'Neat! No great! Amazing even! Did I just get a system like in those Manwhas, Mangas and Novels!!' Sekou was so odd. Even though he was currently feeling extremely weak the prospect of getting a system/status window would make him extremely excited.
/Manifest…/
The strange sensation would disappear, replaced by a dark grey window that appeared in thin air.
'On another subject that feeling was almost unbearable. Almost made me piss myself. Almost.'
'Social anxiety for the win yet again! The thought of wetting myself in a public place like this would just torment me.'
/Sniff Sniff/
'Fucking hell. It looks like not everyone has self-control Ew. I think I might retch.'
Outwardly a frown would quickly cover Sekou's face. Looking around it was a total mess. People on the ground were crying whilst others were straight-up unconscious. This was ridiculous.
A lot of people had pissed themselves, some even…
"Fuck no. Emma be careful not to step on any of this…" It was starting to become hard for Sekou to manage his expression. Avid disgust almost showed on his face.
There wasn't a single clean spot to be on. His expression became worse and worse the more time passed.
Luckily for him however.
/FWUSH!/
Raging winds spread through the room, making the piss and… excrement on the ground disappear.
As Sekou looked around to try and find who his "hero" was he'd see the head noble Lupio.
'That guy might not be that bad! He cleaned everything so quickly! Or at least I assume it was him since I don't believe anyone else in the room can do that plus the wind came from his direction.'
'Lucky us I guess. Now back to what's important.'
The floating screen that just happened to be in front of him.
[Open Status?]
"Hoooo"
He'd release a light breath he had been holding in. It was time. Finally. He'd get to see for the first time a status window reflecting his stats, abilities and "Role" which he assumed to be a class.
'The colour is usually Blue but I prefer Dark Grey anyway so it's a win.'
He'd hear shouts in the background people doing silly poses and much much more but right now. That didn't matter. What mattered was this moment. He'd make sure to engrave it in his mind. No in his memory.
'Let's hope I have some busted abilities!'
"Open."
He'd speak.
[Initiating Status…]
[Opening…]
[Name: Sekou Oshiro
Race: Type 1 Human (+)
Home World: Earth (+)
Registered World: Eden (+)
Level 0
Class: Saint of Deceit (+)
Title: The Last Liar (+)
-Vital Info-
Mind> 2.9 (+)
Physical> 1.4 (+)
Energy> 2.3 (+)
Spiritual> 3.8 (+)
Mystique> 3 (+)
Abilities:
Poker Face
Skills:
Veil of Lies Lv0 (2)
False Revelation Lv0 (2)
Saint's Image Lv0 (2)
True Visage Lv0 (2)
Inventory (+)
Traits:
Patron (+)
]
A light grey system window appeared before him and he smiled. Everything in there looked so interesting. Especially his class. 'Saint of Deceit' Truly he was just growing more and more curious and excited.
'Look at all this! Everything is awesome! Now I just kind of wonder what my traits and abilities do tho.'
[Clicking the "+" will describe their effects.]
'Oh, I see thank- wait wait wait! What the fuck?! You can speak?!'
[Affirmative.]
[An introduction is on its way.]
[The mechanical voice you are listening to now belongs to the basic information guide. I am a temporary creation of the Hephaestus Subroutine here to guide you through the Assimilation process]
[From the assortment of information given to me and your preferences, you may call me, Temporary System Assistant or T.S.A for short.]
'T.S.A.? Ok I can work with this.'
'Could you give me a basic explanation of everything, please? I'm sort of confused.'
[Affirmative.]
[The Status is a reflection of one's Soul imprint derived from the Spiritual form, displayed in the most suitable form for the user.]
'So not everyone sees it the same way I do? Well, that's good to know.' The young man would think as he listened to what T.S.A. said.
[Correct, they may in fact, not see a "Status" at all. It all depends on their preferences, however, given societal norms, individuals from similar periods and regions that have been exposed to the same culture and teachings will often manifest similar or directly compatible Statuses]
[Or at the very least, interpretations become simple.]
'I see well since I wanna move quickly onto my abilities and stats I'll just ask this. Is it possible for me to change my status?'
[Positive. Due to the "Saint's Image" skill the alteration of your status is possible when a target is attempting to peer into your status, however, outside of that specific scenario, the answer will remain. Negative.]
'So if someone is tryna probe me my skill can but outside of that the answer is a no?'
[Affirmative.]
[The current format has been determined to be most suitable and compatible for your Soul.]
'So if I change my soul-'
[Not recommended.]
'Well that was quick but I got you. How are we meant to compare with other people if we see different things tho?'
[On average people don't wish to share their information. However to avoid issues when comparing "Stats" there is a common ground between "Statuses". Normally numeric values and parameters tend to be similar if not outright the same.]
'That aside back to basic info please.'
[Understood.]
[The Soul imprint is the outline of one's Soul that when in contact with a flesh body generates what is known as the Spirit body.]
[The Spirit can be seen as the unconscious part of your personality but its true definition extends far beyond that to the point this description would be considered redundant or straight out incorrect.]
'Ok, I think I may be sort of getting it? Just in case though, make everything simpler from now on.'
[Understood. Shall I proceed?]
'Yes please continue.'
[On the Status page, Vital info refers to the average approximation of all individual values inside their respective domains]
[As an example, the Mind stat is the average of: Processing speed, Brainpower, Memory capacity... And much more.]
[Meaning that two people with the same Mind Stat value could have two completely different functioning brains and hence, direct comparison should further extend into the specifics]
'Hmm well that's good to know.'
[If Mind refers to the brain and its functions.]
[Physical correlates to one's physical body including even the brain]
[Energy refers to the various powers inside an entity, it can never be 0 due to the presence of the Soul and Vital force. Unless in very specific scenarios where neither is present]
[Spiritual is the resulting value between the clash of the Soul imprint and the Physical body. It is also deemed as Spiritual power, Spiritual energy... And others]
[It also includes other deeper concepts better left for another time]
[Mystique is the sum of everything else. Most of the things outside of one's reach, such as Luck, Providence, and Fate. The concept of fate may be hard to grasp, but it exists from a certain point of perspective]
'Ah I see, this is the mysterious stat that works in the background of things.'
[It may also change depending on one's outlook on life, like time is considered to be a Human creation]
'My excitement just seems to never stop. This is great! But you must know by now what I'm waiting for.'
[Your Skills, Traits, Abilities and Title. You wish to know what they each do correct?]
'You know well! You are correct! So let's not beat around the bush! How do I look at them?'
/Chattering…/
It seemed like the others were also talking and communicating with their versions of T.S.A probably trying to understand what's going on and how they could benefit from this…
'Who am I kidding? Except for the Geeks and Chunnibyos, the rest are probably panicking. Although I do sense some underlying excitement in the air.'
[Proceeding. You may have seen the "+" icon, it was put there to better organise the window due to the immensity of information that would be there otherwise.]
[Upon interacting with the "+" icon of one of your abilities a description will be provided.]
Unable to contain his excitement any longer he'd interact with his trait first!
[Patron
Type-Trait
Description: You are truly a strange being. Even though you are weak you can grant others power, for a price of course. You can be considered a Patron to other entities and without a single doubt, you'll find a way to make full use of this.
Effects:
Boon: You can grant targets the ability to use one of your skills at a lesser level. The granted skill will be at half the level that you possess. You are also able to change the display name of said skill when giving it to a target. Effects will remain the same.
Payment: Upon granting a boon to another creature you obtain something they possess of equal value in return. Whether it be one of their skills, a piece of their soul or even their memories the payment is decided before the boon is given. If the target agrees the user can take a much bigger payment.
]
'Oh? Oh! Oh! OH! I'm a DnD Patron! What does it mean by "you are weak"? Why do I have a bad feeling about this…'
'That aside this is pretty damn powerful. Especially the payment part. Can't I just trick people to give me more than the ability is worth? This is pretty good.'
'As for the boon that's also useful. The fact that I can change the Display name of the skill opens up a lot of future paths for where I can head with this.'
Overall even though it wasn't flashy Sekou was more than happy with his abilities. Although he'd still need to check how good they were compared to other people. 'Actually. Let's not tell people about what I have… yeah… I'll just lie if necessary.'
Onto the next thing. His Class. 'Why did I start from the bottom instead of the top? Now this is confusing. Eh, who cares I'll just rectify this now.'
[Class: Saint of Deceit
Description: It is unspecified when or how it happened but what's known for certain is that a long time ago there was a religion that went by the name of *****. For some unknown reason, their Patron deity seemed to disappear their whereabouts unknown and with no one left to guide them the Church of ***** could only be left to die.
With everyone either dead or long gone it truly seemed like the religion would be forgotten with no hope of ever resurfacing.
That at least was, until you appeared. Wielder of the class Saint of Deceit. You now remain as the sole and highest ranking member of the now-dead Church of *****. Whether you'll be able to revive the now dead religion or start something new and unprecedented remains unknown but one thing is certain.
You shall turn Lies into Truth and Truth into Lies.
Effects: Gain the abilities of the "Saint of Deceit" Class.]
'Damn! This is some insane lore! So I'm now the only member of a dead religion that no one knows about? This is hilarious. Twenty minutes ago I had just resolved to not deal with any religion unless I was certain I wouldn't be toyed with.'
'But now I'm instead a Saint of some long-dead religion. I can't even tell if it's a good or bad thing that every other practitioner is long dead… Bright side. At least I don't have some random god staring down at me since it says they suddenly disappeared.'
'This is still insane tho… now I'm starting to think that there's a correlation between my Patron Trait and my Saint of Deceit class. It's just too much of a coincidence.'
He was certain that some things he didn't know about were going on in the background.
'Maybe the King was right. Perhaps we were chosen by the Gods. This doesn't essentially mean that it's a good thing tho.'
The more time passed the more certain Sekou was in the fact that he didn't know enough. 'I just hope things work out in my favour…'
Next up was his Title? He still didn't know what Titles were all about but he had more than just a couple of guesses.
[Title: The Last Liar
Description: You are the last practitioner of a long-forgotten and frowned-upon art. The art of Deceit. All have forgotten its existence except you that is. The revival of this dying art is in your hands.
Effects: Increase the level of all of your Deceit-related Abilities by 2.
Lies told by you carry an almost hypnotic effect.
Your existence is shrouded in mystery. Creatures weaker than you will find themselves unable to remember your features or name.]
'- Why does it feel like something or someone is pushing me to revive or recreate the Church?' His eyes were starting to narrow slightly.
'I- hm I'll have to take even the things my status shows me with a grain of salt. Although this Title is pretty neat. My Lies carry a Hypnotic effect? Does that mean I can make someone believe grass is purple or the sky is red?'
Things were only starting to get more and more interesting the more time passed and a light smile would cover Sekou's face as he thought about this.
'What's left now? Oh yeah, my skills and then a bigger explanation from the system as to what exactly skills and abilities are.'
First was his ability.
[Poker Face Lv1 (Passive): Self explanatory. The target has nigh-perfect control over their expression. Able to keep a cold, impassive and unreadable face.]
'Hm, I can see this being useful as well. Although it's something I think I can already do pretty well? Is this just a reflection of what I can do?'
[Affirmative.]
'Oh! Then neat! I guess the Supernatural stuff comes in the skill section! Let's see all of them then!'
[Veil of Lies: Lies spoken from your mouth become much easier to believe. Conversely lies spoken by others become easily detectable to you. Note: The power of your lies increases the more believable they are or the lower the target's mental defences are against you.]
'This one synergies perfectly with my Title. Assuming that the effects stack it's essentially impossible to tell when I'm lying. That paired with the fact that all my words have an almost hypnotic effect deceiving people or manipulating them becomes a cake walk…'
'I'll have to make sure I don't get carried away with this but the potential is there. I wonder if I can deceive myself. Hmm, that's something for me to explore later on.'
[False Revelation: Like a divine being giving someone an Oracle you can do the same thing being able to appear in a target's dreams to communicate with them or even giving them a vision whilst awake. Warning: Using this ability on a target stronger than you or someone with powerful mental resistances could lead to Soul/Mental damage or Death.]
'So I can essentially give people visions and talk to them inside of their minds when they are sleeping. This synergises with both my title and trait. Starting to seem more and more like one of those dnd patrons.'
'I have more than just a couple of ideas for this one. I know this is about to be extremely interesting. Maybe I can even roleplay as a divine being here…'
'That's a dangerous thought for right now. I'll have to come back to this later.'
[Saint's Image: User can fully change what his status displays to others. Including how their "State" is perceived. Higher "rank" or "level" abilities may be able to see through this.]
'Decent. Not as impressive as the rest but useful. What's a State tho?'
[State is what you'd better know as level. Increasing it can give you stat points.]
'Ah, I see. That's good to know. So quickly increasing it is the best thing to do then?'
[…]
'Curious.'
[True Visage: User can fully change their appearance into that of what seems to be a chained angel with twelve black wings and cracked skin. Their facial features are completely gone. No mouth, no eyes, no nose. No face to read. This ability is just an appearance change right now with no other boosts or debuffs. User can still speak.]
'Well then. I'd be an absolute idiot if by now I didn't understand what I had to do with these skills. It's right in front of me.'
'An appearance change to what is seemingly a high-ranking being with no face or expression? It's so obvious that I'm meant to con people that it's not even funny.'
'I mean I'm up for it although an offensive or supportive ability would have been appreciated. I'm over here with nothing but a bunch of utility-based skills and since I'm fully intending to never reveal my abilities to anyone it's gonna be a bit problematic blending in.'
The young man's thoughts were moving extremely fast as he already started to form an extremely basic plan.
[Inventory: A skill that all heroes start with. A storage of sorts where heroes can store items and objects.]
'Average but always appreciated. Can never go wrong with your good ol' trusty inventory.'
'Okay T.S.A. I think I'm ready for the continuation of your explanation.'
[Understood.]
[Abilities refer to "skills" that were learned and developed over time the host has some more but they weren't deemed useful enough or perhaps the host simply wasn't proficient enough in them for them to be displayed in the Status Window.]
'Ah, so that's where Poker Face came from.'
[Affirmative.]
[It is recommended that the host spend more time training skills so more may appear.]
[The System and other sources are also able to reward abilities although they are not to be mistaken with Skills]
[Moving on. Traits are inherent abilities. Those that truly define your being. In the host's case, Patron seemed to come from the host's view of the world. A lifetime of believing that everything had a price and nothing was free resulted in such an interesting Trait.]
[Something similar is most likely also the case for your ability.]
'Hm. I don't know how I feel about the System knowing so much about me. There ain't much I can do about it however so I guess I'll just keep a blind eye to all of this.'
The fact that the description of his outlook on life was right on the mark made him frown a bit but there wasn't anything he could do about it.
[Next, Skills are supernatural abilities conceded by the System. They may be similar if not straight-up copies of already existing abilities and Traits. If there is a Trait, there is a skill for it. But that doesn't mean the reverse can be assumed.]
'Suddenly I don't feel so special anymore and suddenly I also feel like the world got a lot more dangerous.'
The thought of his mind being messed with made him frown slightly.
'Ok, now what about classes?'
[A class is a role, a fate, a destiny, it can be changed, switched, removed, and evolved when certain conditions are met. Not having one means that the target is a "Zero Fate" or "Fateless".]
'This term again. The protagonists of this world are in my eyes.' Having no fate for some reason gave Sekou the feeling that he got when reading a novel's protagonist.
They always had something special! Something that sets them apart from the rest.
Just as he was thinking that however.
"This is cool! I feel like I'm in a game!" He'd hear someone shout.
Realising he had been extremely immersed in his world he'd start paying attention to his surroundings. Looking next to him it also seemed like Emma was excited.
'Oh? Did she get something good? I'll have to check with her-'
/Chatter…/
'The fuck?'
People had started testing all sorts of abilities and skills in the middle of the throne room. Some of the courageous or foolish ones decided to even try and fight or take on the purple guards.
'Y'all do surprise me. How can you be this dumb? Genuinely?'
It was pretty obvious what happened to most of them.
Although
/CLANG!/
Strangely enough, some made the guards take their swords to the party or block their attacks. 'How strong? I'm hmm I'll have to keep an eye on them.'
He'd put to memory the appearance of some of them.
The most impressive dude was a guy who took a large brown can and shouted:
"EXTEND! RUYI BANG!"
The bright brown staff increased in size towards the purple knight like a bullet!
/Clang…/
When most people thought he'd fall the knight casually took out his sword and parried the attack to the side.
But hey unlike most of the other, the guard had to deflect the attack instead of blocking it head-on on which must have meant something right?
'The knights aren't taking any of us seriously tho. It feels like they are playing with us and it's probably true. Whilst we just got our abilities they are probably well trained.'
'On top of that, this one seems stronger than the red knights? Although I can't tell maybe because I haven't seen shit from either of them. Perhaps just a gut feeling that they are above the rest.'
Looking at what was going on around him Sekou would lightly nod to himself.
His gaze would shift once more back on Emma as he lightly tapped her shoulder. Which led to her almost jumping up in fright.
"Noticed that you seem very focused. You got something good?"
After the momentary blush of embarrassment, she'd nod and start to speak.
"Yes I-"
"Wait! Don't tell me. You don't know who might be listening and in situations like this one it's best to keep what you are capable of hidden."
"A-ah I didn't think of that!" The young girl would say. Sekou would only now notice how short she was compared to him. If he had to estimate it she'd be like 5'6, 5'7 at most.
"Don't worry. As we previously agreed on, I'll be thinking about both of us. Don't fret over it." He'd smile lightly.
'That's right! I can't let you reveal what you can do to others! It'll take a while to get a proper sense of paranoia to build up inside of you it seems.'
"That aside, if you think you got anything useful just say that without revealing what exactly you do of course."
Looking at him Emma would just smile and nod. Whispering a quick "Thank you for helping me." In embarrassment.
'No don't worry! I should be the one thanking you! Just help me connect to the other people so I can slowly create a following. That's all you need to help me do.' He'd think.
'The rest I'll take care of.'
As he was thinking about this however Emma would ask him something that he hadn't thought about.
"Did you check your inventory yet? I heard from some people around us that items relating to our classes may be in there." Her clear blue eyes would look at him as she lightly smiled.
"I haven't actually. That's some good info, thank you." He'd instinctively pat her head as that's what the young man usually did with his sister.
Realising a beat too late that the short girl in front of him wasn't the lovely gremlin known as his sister.
She'd look up at him with a hint of confusion and embarrassment to which he'd look at her with the same expression she had.
"A-ah my bad! I-I thought- no I forgot you weren't my-"
"N-no it's fine. It's not like you hurt me or anything."
"Ye-yea haha."
Now the atmosphere had gotten slightly awkward and extremely embarrassing. If not for all the chaos that was going on around them Sekou didn't know if he would have been able to recollect himself.
"Nevertheless thank you for the information." He'd say.
"No problem." She'd reply.
That aside he needed to soon check his Inventor