Chapter 73 of 100

Chapter 73

8 min read1,890 words

The usual daily routine continues. Today, on the weekend, I am finally going on a trip with my family. My parents, my married sister, and her two children—six of us—are going on an overnight trip to a mountain lodge.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of urgency when I tried to recall something. Whenever I see a blonde girl in town, I naturally follow her with my eyes. I’m not a lolicon, but I do love blonde, beautiful women. Or maybe it’s something different.

There’s something I’m seeking deep down, but I don’t know what it is.

I’ve heard that constant urgency can be a sign of depression. Maybe I should go to a psychiatrist, but not until after the current project is done.

My father, who rarely drives, is taking us to the lodge. As we leave the city, nature surrounds us. Wild animals roam freely in the mountains, even in the middle of winter.

Even watching these animals, I feel a sense of urgency and nostalgia. Am I really sick?

When we arrive at the lodge, there are taxidermy displays of animals hunted in the surrounding mountains. The moment I see a large boar, I am overwhelmed by a strong sense of urgency. Is there something I’m forgetting?

But I have no memories related to boars. I wouldn’t get close to such a dangerous animal. I’ve held a melon, though.

As I continue my daily routine, the sense of urgency grows stronger.

“Should I go to the hospital after the project, or not?”

I mutter to myself, almost unconsciously.

Tomorrow, I have a meeting, so I go to bed early.

Even as I try to sleep, I feel a deep loneliness from the lack of warmth beside me. It’s been two years since the divorce, and I thought I was used to it.

I drift off to sleep, my thoughts fading away.

At 6:30, my alarm clock and smartphone ring loudly.

Today, I have a meeting in the morning, so I set the alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual.

“Ne... I’m so sleepy.”

Shaking my slightly pot-bellied stomach, I slowly get out of bed.

Until two years ago, my wife used to wake me up, but after the divorce, I have to do everything myself.

Well, I’m used to this life now.

“I’ll just take a shower and eat breakfast at the office...”

It’s almost the end of the year.

Bathing in the cold winter air, I shiver while waiting for the hot water to come out. It’s painful.

“Today is the mid-meeting for the company-wide phone system update.”

As time passes, my muttering increases day by day. I’ve thought about it many times, but it just gets worse.

As I wait, the shower gradually turns hot.

I throw my underwear into the laundry basket and let the hot water pour over me.

The cold from getting out of bed spreads through my feet, making them tingle.

“It’s almost the end of the year, yet the days are so monotonous.”

Smiling bitterly, I roughly dry my body with a towel.

My hair is short, almost a sports cut, so I don’t need to style it.

However, it’s starting to grow a bit, and I’m debating whether to get a haircut.

I put on my underwear and shirt and sit in my PC chair.

I check today’s news and stock prices on my Apple smartphone.

“The market is dropping sharply due to the neighboring country. Well, I’ll just hold onto it for now. Another monotonous day, I guess.”

My morning routine is over, and it’s almost time to leave the house.

“Well, let’s have a good day today.”

I didn’t know that the monotonous days I thought I was living would soon change dramatically.

I put on my suit, grab my briefcase, put on my leather shoes, and open the apartment door.

The space in front of me is a bright, white expanse.

“Huh?”

There’s no narrow corridor or stairs leading down to the first floor, just a vast, white space in front of the door.

I turn around, but the apartment door I just closed is gone.

“What is this? What’s happening? Can someone explain?”

I ask the space, almost in a daze, without expecting an answer.

A young, androgynous voice rings out clearly. It lacks sweetness and sounds more like a harsh, electronic voice.

“Expert?”

Expert... conductor? Expert? I have no idea what it means.

I just wanted to understand the current situation and get an explanation, but this response only added to my confusion.

“I don’t understand. I just want to confirm the current situation. Who are you? What situation am I in?”

I asked a question, but got a meaningless answer. It feels like I’m talking to a poorly designed AI. I think it would be faster to directly state my needs.

“I want all the information about the current situation. Can you provide it?”

For now, I need to gather as much information as possible to make a judgment. Then, I can resolve the situation and return to my daily life at the office.

I asked for everything in a broad sense.

The answer is a gross misinterpretation. I can hear the words, but they don’t provide any useful information.

It’s clear that this back-and-forth won’t lead anywhere.

“I want to leave this white space. Is it possible?”

I asked the simplest and most straightforward question and request.

Here? There?

I just want to return to my apartment and go to the office.

<Then, have a good journey.>

As the entity calling itself the interface spoke its final words, the white space grew brighter, making it difficult to keep my eyes open.

“Hey, just send me back to my original place. Hey!”

The brightness continues to increase. I have no idea what will happen, and it’s terrifying.

Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice.

<Announcement. Welcome back, Akihiro.>

I slowly open my eyes, which were closed due to the intense light.

My memories align. That sense of urgency, what I was seeking, it was all Riz. Riz, Riz, Riz...

I realize that the shady guy is standing in front of me in the white space.

“You’ve been selected for a re-draw. Congratulations.”

He shakes my right hand with both of his, swinging it back and forth.

“Well, it’s called a re-draw, but the client has been pushing. You’ve been re-selected under the pretext of a re-draw.”

From what I understand, after I returned, similar summoning attempts were made in a clone environment.

After billions of trials, the situation was intense, to say the least.

“Well, we targeted people from various worlds, but most of them panicked or went into a state of rejection during the initial contact. Only a few were normal.”

He continues with a slight smile.

“Even when we brought people with similar thoughts, one guy was shouting ‘I’m awesome’ and tried to kill animals with his bare hands, almost getting killed himself, so we had to send him back. Another guy almost starved to death in the forest after two weeks, so we had to send him back too. It was quite a mess.”

He dramatically drops his shoulders.

“Well, the ratings have plummeted. If we continue like this, many sponsors will cancel their contracts. Some have even given us an ultimatum. The research institution says this isn’t research anymore.”

His face shows a sense of urgency.

“For the fourth proposal, let’s have a drink. However, the research institution wants to track your movements for over a decade. Please understand this.”

Riz was on my mind, but this is a business deal. I need to focus on the terms.

- A private network will be set up for me, my wife, and my children, allowing us to return to Earth whenever we want.

- If my wife or children move, their memories will be altered to prevent unnecessary cultural influence.

- If I die on Earth, I will be sent back slightly in the past, and my survival will be presented as a miracle.

- Death in this world cannot be reversed, so I need to be careful.

- Bringing in materials is allowed to a certain extent, and they will automatically convert to this world’s materials. The initial boost when I became a baron is the limit. Anything more or different will trigger a warning.

- Access to search engines and libraries is allowed, but large-scale bulletin boards or think tanks are still prohibited.

- Previously brought equipment will be treated as initial state and can be replenished.

- I can freely return to Earth, conduct investigations, and come back.

“When the contract expires, the amount I’ve given you will remain the same, and Riz and your children will be provided with knowledge and legal status for life on Earth. We will support their life on Earth, so they can live out their natural lives.”

I don’t like the idea of Riz and my children having their memories altered, but if we can eventually live together on Earth, I have to accept it. The knowledge will be introduced with minimal rewriting, and they will gradually adapt through study and familiarity.

There are other detailed conditions written down. I carefully review the content, ensuring there are no fatal omissions or hidden clauses. I also check the back to make sure there are no hidden layers.

I confirm the exact date and time, ensuring the contract will expire in 15 years from this moment.

Finally, we exchange signatures on the contract, and I take one copy.

“Well, the moment I announced you as the re-draw winner, the ratings exploded. Please do your best.”

I shake hands with the shady guy one last time.

“Then, I’ll return you to your original timeline.”

The moment he spoke, the surroundings turned dim, and the area in front of me became bright.

It seems I’m in front of the entrance to the lord’s mansion...

The moment I thought this, I felt a warmth around my eyes.

“I... I... I’m really... back...”

A feeling I can’t put into words wells up inside me.

“It feels like I’ve come to another world. What should I do?”

What should I do? It’s obvious. Riz. I need to apologize to Riz. She might not understand, but I don’t care.

She said she would walk with me, and I ran away, sacrificing myself. I’m sorry. And I need to talk to her about the baron issue.

To walk together towards a bright future for a long time.

The moment I stepped through the entrance, the autumn sky stretched out, its blue dominating the horizon. I squinted at the sudden brightness and gazed at the blue sky.

The entrance to the lord’s mansion was in front of me, and the autumn sky was a vivid blue. I opened my eyes, which had been squinting from the brightness, and stared at the blue sky.