I laid in my bed in an almost catatonic state, emptying my brain of thoughts and emotions.
For some reason, it feels like it's already been weeks since I got hired. The sheer density of these past two days inflicted an exhaustion that couldn't be put into words.
So at the moment, I really wanted nothing but rest.
However, money isn't made by resting, and I can't stand doing nothing in a hospital bed. Especially if I'm actually completely fine.
"Well, I did quite enjoy my period of unemployment when I first arrived in this world, but that's different."
After all, I was coming from my 987th consecutive day of work on Earth, while I haven't even worked for two days here.
Resting after an intense workout is different from resting after walking from my room to the kitchen.
That said, my mind couldn't remain empty for long, and eventually, my thoughts began to wander.
Things like what to eat when I get discharged, how I'm gonna manage to pay my hospital debt, or how much paperwork I'll have to do when I'm back.
Uh, let's not think about those last two...
All sorts of pointless topics flashed through my mind, until eventually, my thoughts converged on one point.
Aqua.
That woman is... Mysterious, to put it lightly.
Her shy demeanor and shattered self confidence,
Her tightly sealed lips about anything relating to her past,
Her martial arts and shooting proficiency,
And finally, her ability.
I saw up front and close what happened, it's impossible to deny.
First, let's start with when that assasin tried to crush us with a rock.
The assassination itself wasn't the weird part, as strange as it sounds. The weird part was what happened immediately after.
Aqua, in a state of shock, backed away from the boulder with tears in her eyes. She was clearly scared.
When her back finally touched a pillar, it cracked and split apart. It was as though it was waiting for someone to touch it.
That same crack traveled up the pillar, and then into the floor the assasin was standing on. The cracked floor became unstable, and the assasin became history.
Looking back on it, it's almost terrifying how targeted it was. The crack could have gone anywhere, but it just so happened to take the route that would lead to someone's death.
Almost as if it was waiting for someone to trigger it.
"Hmm... Could it have been prepared in advance?"
But how would you even prepare something like that? And who could be capable of such a thing?
"A little far fetched I guess."
Let's file it away for now and focus on the second incident.
Right, that thing with the weird ass barista.
She tried giving us drinks laced with hydra blood or sperm or whatever.
I just barely managed to avoid death thanks to my blessing, and aqua, who was startled by me, accidentally threw her cup.
"And then something odd happened..."
The cup, which, based on its trajectory, should have flown straight up, suddenly redirected mid air. Without anyone touching it.
On top of that, the new direction it flew in was where the barista was standing.
That doesn't just happen.
Once is an accident, and twice is a coincidence.
And I think I already told you I don't believe in coincidences.
Every time someone tried to kill us today, not only did they fail, that person brutally died in their attempt. And in such an absurd way at that.
In the first place, that pillar had absolutely no reason to break like that, and yet it did when aqua touched it.
...
...?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Things that have absolutely no reason to happen, end up happening due to her input."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Huh?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's to the point where it barely seems like her fault."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I see, is this an extension of her bad luck? In that case, I suppose it makes sense.
But then that still begs the question.
Why haven't I been affected?
I walked around with her all day, and yet not once did it seem like that bad luck tried to kill me. In fact, I've only ever been in danger at the same time as aqua.
So then what's the difference between me and the assasins who were brutally murdered?
When my conspiracy began to reach its peak, the door knob turned with a click, knocking me out of my thoughts.
The woman in question walked in.
"Uhm, mister? Are you awake?"
"Aqua. Good to see you."
"Ah! A-chan was right, you're already up... How?"
"Is that important right now?"
"Y-you're right! Uhm, I just wanted to come see you in person, just to make sure you're alright... Are you really okay?"
"I could go back to work right now honestly."
"I see... That's really weird."
"I was expecting you to say 'thats a relief!' And who are you calling weird you punk? I'm a perfectly fine young man!"
"Heh."
"What are you laughing for!?"
"You just said a funny joke is all."
"I wasn't joking!?"
"Haha!"
This girl...
"Hey, you said you were here to check on me, right? Are you just gonna make fun of me?"
At that, aqua seemed to realize something, as she stopped laughing, and her face turned somber.
"Ah, yeah. There was one more thing I wanted to say."
Aqua stood up straight and bowed 90 degrees.
"I'm sorry."
Huh? This again?
"I completely ruined your work day with my terrible luck, and on top of that, I failed to secure your safety even though I had the power to do so."
Aqua's shoulders trembled, as though she was trying to hold something back. Unfortunately, I could only see the top of her head, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was.
I could probably guess though.
"You, as a manager, went out of your way to help me, and I could only repay you with life threatening experiences. I am truly sorry."
"Hey, can you calm down? It's not like you're the reason I almost died."
"No, I am."
???
"Mister, you may not have known since you were unconscious for a while, but Police Chief Subaru came to me after she finished her investigations into the assasins."
"Already?"
That was fast. They did actually do their jobs, right?
"It would be faster for you to read it yourself."
At that, she pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and gave it to me.
"Let's see... Oh."
Hm.
So apparently, those assasins were hired by some rich guy, and their sole purpose was to kill Aqua.
And since I happened to be with Aqua, their clutches tried to reach out to me as well.
"Well, I guess that makes sense."
If they want to quietly dispose of her, they need to make sure there's no witnesses. It's common sense I suppose.
"But I don't see how this is your fault?"
"Huh!? B-but! You were put in danger because they were after me!"
"Yeah, so?"
I don't really get it.
It's not like you knew they were after you, nor were you trying to lure me into my death.
If nobody involved was aware, then the conclusion is simple.
"It's just bad luck, man."
Bad luck, it's nothing new. From my old world to this one, I've always faced weird or dangerous situations. It's just bad luck, and nothing more.
When I said this, aqua looked at me with a strange face, like she was looking at something incomprehensible.
Eventually she let it go and smiled.
"Yeah... I guess it's just bad luck."
At that, she collapsed into the chair next to my bed.
"Were you that stressed over it?"
"Well... Yes."
Right, Aqua is a sweet girl at heart I suppose.
Which makes me curious about something.
"Hey, Aqua."
"Yes?"
I wonder if this is a bit personal? Well, it's just a little about herself, it should be fine.
"Can I ask where you learned to fight like that?"
"..."
Aqua froze.
Shit, was that a landmine?
"Uh, it's okay if you don't tell me, I didn't realize it was personal-"
"No. It's fine."
Aqua's tone was frost like. I think the room literally got a couple degrees colder.
"You know mister, you're always so kind and considerate. You've only ever helped me, and the one time I tried to do something for you, I failed. So it's fine if you ask for something in return."
Uh... What's with the vibe?
"You wanted to know about my past, right?"
No, I asked where you learned to fight. I also wanted to know if you could teach me, but it seems like now isn't the time.
"It's okay, I'll tell you."
Again, I didn't say anything.
Sigh.
Oh well.
==================
Pov: Minato Aqua
My story began with a rough start.
For as long as I could remember, I lived in an orphanage.
Neither of my parents were alive, and the only family I had was my brother.
Yes... My big brother. I loved him very much. He was like the sun to me, a compass which guided my path and brightened my days.
Compared to a gloomy kid like me, he was always so much more.
However, such brightness didn't fit in with our surroundings.
You see, the orphanage we stayed at wasn't an ordinary orphanage. It was a training facility.
what did they train, you ask?
It trained warriors. Soldiers. Weapons.
My home world... Wasn't exactly at peace. And the side I was on was losing.
Eventually, when they ran out of men to throw into the engine of war, they looked at what was left.
The past and present had been exhausted, next up was the future generation.
They trained us as child soldiers, throwing us into the flames and beating us until we were forged into weapons for the higher ups.
Emotion, personality, identity, no such things were needed for consumables. And so that's how they made us.
Anyone who differed from this formula was immediately sent to the front lines.
They didnt want to waste a precious unit by killing them, so the children with bright personalities were used as cannon fodder instead.
And, unfortunately, one of those children was my brother.
He was too bright, too emotional, too special to be allowed in the orphanage any more, so they sent him away.
You want to know what I did?
Nothing.
I was too scared.
So when my brother was gone without a trace in the morning, all I could do was sob into my pillow.
Pathetic, right?
Even now, I wish I had done something to resist... but I guess that's just loser talk, huh?
Anyway, despite my worst fears, my brother did not die.
Instead, his talents fully bloomed on the battlefield. With him alone, the enemy nation was pushed back. He was like a firework in the dead of night, filling the cold, empty dark with loud, dazzling color.
His influence was as great as his strength, and people and soldiers alike loved him. He was the type of person to make friends with anyone after all.
It got to the point where he was used as a symbol of victory in propaganda. Someone they had left to die was now being hailed as a war hero.
His brightness washed over the nation as he gained achievement after achievement. It could only be described as a miracle.
But of course, where there is light, there must also be darkness.
While my brother's abilities were the kind to thrive in an open field, I realized I was more suited to the shadows. That's right, I had awakened to the talent of an assasin.
And assassinations were exactly what I did.
Like a machine, I would swing my knife and shoot my gun soulessly. When they told me to go somewhere, I would come back covered in blood.
If my brother was like a tactical nuke that would devastate wherever he was dropped, I was like a hidden dagger that always struck a blind spot.
Eventually, my name was feared everywhere, even more so than my brother.
With our combined might, we eventually cornered the enemy nation, and they surrendered.
It was a momentous occasion, and when the battle ended, I finally met my brother again for the first time in years.
Words couldn't explain the joy I felt, and my brother was equally happy to see me.
We talked about all the things we encountered over the years, sharing traumas and stories, as well as people we encountered along the way.
It was truly the brightest day of my life.
Which made it all the more cruel when that brightness was taken from me.
2 months.
2 months was how long it took for the government to kill him.
It was a painfully short amount of time, hinting that the plan had been in the works since before the war even ended.
The government knew the two of us were siblings, and they also knew that we were the two strongest soldiers they had.
They feared us.
Alone, one of us could be handled. But both? Together? That thought shook them to their bones.
So they set a trap.
They amassed explosives in a location, and told him to investigate the area. They were planning to blow it up while he was at the epicenter. It was the only way they could kill him, he was too strong.
I only managed to find out by rummaging through an officials desk, at which point I rushed towards him as fast as I could.
By the time I was within a couple kilometers of the location, a mushroom cloud that stretched to the sky could be seen even from the enemy nations capital.
Once again, I had let my only family be taken away from me.
When I reached the center of the blast, I saw his charred body still standing. Even enough explosives to level a mountain wasn't enough to kill him right away.
When I hugged him and begged him not to leave me alone again, he said this.
"Perhaps this is my karma. Having killed so many people, betrayal is the only fate fitting for a monster such as myself. I wish I could have at least done some good before I died."
Even after all that, he still retained his human heart. He never let the war and bloodshed change who he was.
"Aqua, do not die before the feel you've done good for the world. Become someone even the universe can love and cherish. I will protect you, so please..."
Those last words left a lingering sensation in my body, that even to this day still hasn't quite disappeared. He promised to protect me, even in death.
I had let such a precious person slip from my hands.
No, this world had taken him from me.
What I did after... I don't want to talk about it. I still regret it to this moment.
The blood I shed that day can never be washed away, and the bad luck I carry is the karma resulting from that blood.
When I killed everyone involved in the betrayal, I wandered the continent, letting myself waste away while drowning in self deprecating thoughts.
I loathed the self that couldn't even honor the last wishes of their sibling, I loathed the me who couldn't do good for the world, I loathed the me who feared failure.
I was always like this, fearing the future and worrying about the past. It only got worse with my brothers death, and every day was a step closer to ending it all.
Until one day, I took a step one second too early.
An Extra Dimensional Gate opened up right in front of me, and disappeared milliseconds after I stepped through.
And that's how I ended up here.
I met people who don't know my past, I met people who would give me a second chance, I met people who believed in me.
This world gave me something I didn't know a child soldier like me could have.
Friends.
And, I met you mister.
×Chapter 15: Her Past×
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A/N:
Chapter is a day late, sorry about that. I was meant to post yesterday, but some family stuff happened, and I fell asleep before I could hit post.
Anyway, if I paced myself correctly, next chapter should reveal everything. I hope it has the effect I'm aiming for. Though, I wonder if I made the twist too obvious... Well, I guess that's fine too.
See you next week for what I hope is the final chapter of this arc!